After we got our bicycles from one of the many shops renting them out, we set out for the easiest path around the island. We were not confident enough to attempt the steep ups and downs of the more advanced path.
We had not been on the road very long when we realized that we had indeed taken the exact wrong path. It was harder than it might have been on the other path, but it was not too bad. The scenery was so beautiful that we stopped frequently to take photos. There were a lot of animals on farms. Some of the horses were so friendly that as soon as they saw us, they came to the fence to look for food. We got to pet them and I wished I had brought food suitable for horses.
After we had been on the road for a few hours, we came upon a very old structure that was probably a house at some point. It is unlivable, now, of course, but that did not deter us from playing in it for awhile. The weeds are quite overgrown and it's full of thorns, but it's a nice little place to be.
I decided the place was a fairy fort, like those I'd heard about on my Cliffs of Moher tour. I endured much ridicule because of this comment, but I don't care. I don't want the fairies to come after me because I went in their fort.
Kirsten was able to coax a cow to come over to the fence so we could see her better. Again, we did not have food for her, but she let us touch her.
Here I am with one of the many, many stone walls that create a sort of lace on Ireland's countryside. While some of the walls used to serve the purpose of showing whose land was whose, they are not really used today. There are many more walls than are needed for boundary-making because when the British colonized Ireland, they needed work for the Irish people to do. They set them to make these stone walls all day. The work was tedious and useless, much like the work I do for many of my classes.
We got to one of the highest points of the island and had to leave our bikes in the bike park. The place was an old fort that had been used centuries ago to defend against invaders. We hiked to the top and the view was amazing!
At the fort, we found ourselves staring out at unadulterated ocean. It was just water and sky as far as the eye could see. It was so beautiful that we ate our lunches there and spent a long time exploring around the fort.
We had this photo taken of the five of us at one of the walls of the fort. We had another beautiful, sunny day for touring. We seem to get very lucky with our tour days, but the rain makes up for it when we're in school.
We all sat on the edge of the cliff (it was safe, Mom, there was a ledge beneath us) and stared out into the sea. I was looking for the next coast to the East but all I saw was water. Just as well, I suppose.
No comments:
Post a Comment