Our Airbnb adventure continues. Our Galway airbnb was a bit challenging to find, but after asking around we located it. A non descript flat in the city. We got the key from a local shop and settled in. To our surprise, many lights weren’t working and no toilet paper. Although it was a three bedroom, 2 and a half bath, two story apartment, printed directions were a bit sparse. But, soon enough, the owner, Marie, shows up with toilet paper, biscuits as an apology, and we got to working on the electrical. We found out that one of the breakers was tripped and she helped us with turning on the two separate water heaters for the showers. She is new to airbnb and was very apologetic. After each stay, the renter rates the owner and visa-versa, so everyone is on their best behavior. Marie did ok.
Tom packing up our “car hire”, Gloria in the living/dining room of our flat.
Our Irish adventure continues with a visit to the Burren. Although barren, it has been where hundreds of early Christian and Prehistoric structures and forts have been identified. A Cromwellian surveyor in the 1650’s described it as a “savage land, yielding neither water enough to drown a man, nor a tree to hang him, nor soil enough to bury him.” Our destination, primarily, was the Poulnabrone Dolmen. It is a 4000 year old “portal tomb”, or grave chamber in a cairn of stacked stones. It looked pretty good, one has got to think that it has been rebuilt and propped up a few times over the millennia.
The geology here is quiet interesting. It is all limestone, this part of the planet used to be at the equator, but due to continental drift; ended up here. Then, 10,000 years ago it was glaciated and you see the results of that on the limestone surface striations. Then, the ancients clearcut the trees and you get what you have today. A funny thought, the limestone is rather hard to walk on, you kinda lurch from section to section. Just before we got there a big bus full of Germans unloaded. They were all in front of us moving in the same direction. They looked just like a group of zombies shambling to their next blood meal. Black clouds above us, creepy as they shuffled past the “druids alter”!
On to the Cliffs of Mohor, Ireland’s most popular destination. Fairly simple actually, these are cliffs that soar 700 feet above the Atlantic. I guess what is such an attraction is that, again, no guard rails and you can get as close to the edge as you wish. Problems in the past. Due to the high winds and slippery peat, it is somewhat notorious for people slipping or being blown over the edge. 100’s of cars, dozens of coaches (busses), were disgorging people non-stop. Nice hiking, but we did stay away from the edge, naturally.
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