My trip to the Aran Islands
was very nice. I really enjoyed it for the landscape,
the company of my two friends and the things we did.
We started on a Friday morning leaving home in Navan.
We took the road to Trim and then Kinnegad to take
the N6 on my older map, that is the M6 now. We headed
for Athlone first where on the way my German friend
asked to have a stop at the
Abbey of Clonmacnoise.
So a little bit before the city of Athlone we
followed the post signs to the abbey, situated at
the banks of the Shannon. Me and my Irish friend
ordered sunny weather for my German friend who would
stay only a week here but the order still had to
arrive at the universe and so it was raining
heavily. Nonetheless we had a visit to the ruins,
admiring the beautiful landscape and trying to take
some photos in between the showers. The visitor
centre was very interesting, the ruins were a little
less interesting to me because at least all the
abbeys of the same age are a little bit the same.
After having a short lunch in the
car – we took some picnic-food with us – we drove
further west, passing Bellinasloe, Loughrea and then
to Galway. As my Irish friend was driving and she is
an elder lady we were worrying a little bit to get
into the traffic in Galway but I guided her through
it without a problem and we were out before thinking
it over. We didn't book a hotel stay for the first
night – my 'fault' – and so we started to look for
one in Barna and then in Spiddle. We asked in an
very beautiful b&b but they looked at us as we were
from another planet when asking about a room. So we
found in the second one we asked which was nice and
cheap enough. The b&b was 'An
Cruiscien Làn' on the main road
of Spiddle.
We had a single and a twin, 55 € and 45 €
pp.
After a short refreshing we
headed back to Barna where we knew there is a nice
pub where to eat well. It was the 'Donelly's
Pub'. We had great food, it was
very nice inside and I would recommend it to anyone
being in that area.
Back in the hotel my German
friend and me had a nice sleep, my Irish friend
unfortunately didn't close the eyes the whole night
– but that is an 'old' problem to her.
Well, the next day we had a
good huge breakfast, we paid our rooms and we headed
a little back the main road where we had seen a
crafts shop. You know: tourists want always see
things like that. But anyway, I bought my nice
'Irish' earrings, my German friend bought a few
gifts for herself and friends – and one other pair
of earrings for me.
After that straight to
Rossaveal where we had to take the boat over to the
Aran Islands. We parked our car – there are a few
big parking places, costs 5 € per day – we bought our
return tickets (my Irish friend didn't pay because
she is over 65 years) for 25 € each and then we were
on the pier to wait for the boat. Not long after it
arrived and we hopped on. I loved the boat ride, a
missing feeling came out letting me think about
home. And how much I really miss it.
Inishmore
we were going and the view of the island was already
very inviting. The hotel we booked was the
Pier House,
directly on the pier just 100 m from the boat. We
had one room for three, big enough for us three
ladies and very nice I must admit. We had to pay 45
€ each per night – we booked two nights.
Being already a little bit
tired we decided to go out immediately. On the road
my friends decided to take a tour bus – which was
extremely cheap: 10 € pp for the complete round of the
island and stops wherever we wanted. The driver was
very talkative, he explained everything, a lot of
knowledge and interesting things. We stopped for an
hour at
Dun Aenghus. It was amazing but more the
scenery than the fort itself. Maybe I am too used to
ancient things that I am not anymore so impressed..
I don't know. But it is definitely a beautiful
and an absolute 'must see' place. Take your Lonely
Planet with you, sit on the ancient fort stones and
read the history. It will be even more interesting.
After that we had again a
short look into the crafts shop, my Irish friend a
talk to a lady there and so we knew where to go for
dinner later. On the way back we passed the beach
where normally are the seals... but just for us they
have gone away it seemed so. Anyway, it was a nice
round trip, two hours long, and I would say a really
good idea. We had an overview of the island,
definitely we would not walk so far next day and we
already had seen the most important site on the
island.
Before dinner in the evening
we had a look in the wool-shop at the corner of the
port of Kilronan, the main village on the island. I
bought some Aran wool and my friends some other nice
things. Dinner we had in the Bayview Restaurant,
just on the main road of the village and a beautiful
– how strange! - view on the bay of Kilronan. The two of
them headed to a pub, I didn't feel well and headed
to bed.
Next day was Sunday and the
day of relax, sight-seeing and discovering the
island. At 6 o'clock I got up, waking my German
friend, we decided the day before to go in the early
morning light to a huge beach nearby for
photos. We
had a 2 hours walk, camera shooting a lot of birds, water,
beach, sea weed and much more and arrived after 9
a.m. in the hotel, half exhausted and very hungry.
Where is the coffee please? We had a nice breakfast,
I felt well again that day and were ready for
everything. My German friend and I had a short view
to the tourist office where we could buy stamps for
our postcards – the post office is open only two
days a week and of course not on Sunday – and I took
a book I still have to read: „The Burren & The Aran
Islands – a walking guide“ by Tony Kirby. I great
book what I saw and really nice walks inside. Well,
we hired three bikes, one for each one of us (10 €
pp), and we were on the road to discover the island.
We cycled the direction to the seals beach in the
hope to find some there but we didn't. We stopped at
a few places, enjoyed a lot the landscape, the soft
air and the calm without nearly any traffic. A lot
of pictures, a lot of amazing views, a lot of fun.
On the back we stopped at "Tì Joe Watty's Bar and
Food", had a short cappuccino listening to a few
musicians doing life music and then back to the
hotel. It was already later in the evening. We
rested a bit before going at 6 p.m. to the restaurant
which I chose this time (every night one did, the
last turn was mine). I decided for „The Aran
Fisherman“ in a side road to the main one. It was
also a good choice, I have known another Heidi, this
time from Australia, and we had great food again. We
started with crab claws, we had a lot of fun to open and to eat
them. One of us had then a pollock, one
chicken Madras and me a vegetable soup. And a very
delicious dessert: apple crumble. My Irish friend
returned to the hotel, me and my German friend for a
Guinness again to the Watty's pub. Overcrowded, no
place were to stay, outside raining... well, we left
before 9 p.m.
The last day was again sunny
and wonderful, the 'secret' worked out well and my
German friend had finally seen Ireland after three
other tries full of rain now with sun. We took the boat again to
the main land – or better main island – at noon.
From Rossaveal we took the road to Galway, again
around the centre, and straight to the
Cliffs of Moher.
First place we stopped was at Kilcolgan, a tiny
little village I presume (I only saw two houses) and
a great well known restaurant for oysters: Moran's Oyster Cottage.
Nice to sit outside, inside very cosy and nice and I
think we should have tried some oysters but none of
us like them.
Along the coast we passed
through the Burren, beautiful landscape but not
having too much time to stop somewhere and walk, we
headed straight to the cliffs, passing Lisdoonvarna and south to Doolin. We paid 8 € for
the parking at the cliffs, the rest is free. Interesting that
there is a part on the cliffs that is private ground
but everyone passed on it to see better the cliffs.
I didn't because my German friend doesn't do things
like that and my Irish didn't want to walk
anymore. So I didn't two – maybe a pity.
After that we drove straight
home, a long way like it seemed because getting
dark, my friend was tired too. We stopped a moment
at Ennistymon to buy something to eat and arrived
safety and very tiered around 11 p.m. at home.
It was a great trip, I enjoyed
it a lot, my two friends too and we did a lot of
nice pictures. The weather was perfect all the time
– excluding the first day – and we bought beautiful
things. We spent a lot of money – for me it was
anyway so because of not working which means not
earning as an self-employed. But we had fun and I
relaxed mentally a bit.
One thing to do when going to
the Aran Islands: take a flight to the island. You
can get one from the Connemara Airport daily at 12
a.m. It costs about 40 € they told us and it is
worth! For reservation and information one can call:
091-59.30.34. It's with
Aer Arann.
I will prepare the next days
some separate pages for Clonmacnoise and the Cliffs
of Moher, maybe also for the Aran Islands on the
sheep-travel-page.
Travemünde
is a borough of Lübeck,
the little daughter of the hanseatic city, part of
the heritage of culture of the UNESCO. Travemünde
is located at the mouth of the Trave, a little river
in Schleswig-Holstein. It was Henry the Lion, Duke
of Saxony, who found the place in a tiny village at
the seaside. In 1317 it became a town – today it
seems strange, just seeing the center of Travemünde
– and the old fortifications were demolished more
than a hundred years ago.
The place is famous by the
author Thomas Mann who wrote 'The Buddenbrooks',
situated in Lübeck
and Travemünde.
Today it's a seaside-resort with a long beautiful
beach, nice water and a lot of facilities like
restaurants, shops and much more. It houses the
highest light-house in Germany on the skyscraper
Maritim but also the oldest which was built in 1539.
Attraction is the Passat, an old Flying P-Liner and
nowadays a museum and restaurant. The port is the
biggest ferry port of Germany in the Baltic Sea.
There are some nice events
around the year, mainly in the summer-season. Famous
is the Sand Festival, known as the Sand World and
the Travemünder
Woche, a traditional sailing race week. It is this
week I am 'living' here in the moment. It is hold
since 1892 in the end of July and organized by the
Yacht Club of Lübeck.
This year, the Travemünder
Woche 2010 has more than 749 boats, 405 races in 35
classes and 42 disciplines, 1.500 sailors out of 20
nations. A real big event. But practically it means
also a lot of stands, food, beer and wine and of
course music. Also some Irish pub, bands and..
Guinness. Lots of people everywhere, the
'Promenade', the seaside walk at the beach, is so
overcrowded that it seems nearly impossible to walk
even in the morning time. The weather is not really
the summer hot sun weather, but no rain, like nearly
every year. The sailing race in the morning starting
around 11 o'clock is nice to see but not a real
spectacle. Maybe I should be e real sailor for it?
Well, I am not. Missing something? Maybe... but I
try to avoid the overcrowded time in the afternoon
and evening. So I take my mother in the morning and
go to the beach – a two minutes walk – and sit with
her on a bench watching out for sailing boats.
That's nice, cozy and only a few people 'disturbing'
the free view out on the see, seagull flying around
and sun and clouds are changing each other.
A little, tiny
bridge, no more than 6 meters long and maybe half
wide, in the middle of two fields. The next river
more than 50 meters far. Butlers Bridge seems more a
mystery than a real bridge being in the middle of
nature, trees and.. rubbish. But like always behind
something hidden and seemingly useless there is a
story. Old stones that have to tell a little
story. In this case almost the name gives a hint to
what history could be here.
It's the river
Skane
that flows 50 meters along, straight and without
even one turn. I always thought that it is
unnatural, maybe realigned. And so it is: between
1814 and 1836 it has been redirected to the flow of
today. On a satellite
picit is clearly to see that
before it was a corkscrew river. And it is clearly
to see that it flew under the forgotten bridge of
today.
On the other side of
the field with the bridge there is a house – where I
live – and a gate: the Decoy Gate. It was once the
main entrance to Bellinter House which is still
nearby
but only with a little piece of land and nowadays a
hotel. The bridge is called also Bellinter Arches.
This Decoy Gate was the main entrance because there
was no bridge over the Boyne River which is on the
other side, behind the Bellinter House. Also
there is down road the Bellinter Bridge but-
thinking in old times most of the common people had
to walk and it is then far away – too far for the
estate. The name Decoy maybe comes from the fact that
there where ponds with fish and ducks being captured
here. On ancient maps there is to see a pond in the
small 'once-upon-the-time' wood between the road and
the Skane river. Where today is the main entrance of
the Tara Golf Club there was once the Green Gate of
Bellinter – all land that was once of the Bellinter
House long time ago. The Golf Course was the Deerpark of Bellinter.
The name of Butler's
Bridge, or Butler's Hole as it is known too, comes out
of the local folklore. It is said that there a
butler drowned – a strange imagination today with
the dry land under the bridge. But how the bridge is
built it must have been troubled water under it –
the bridge has been very massive.
It is a two
arch
bridge of heavy local stones. Every arch is
about nearly two meters wide and once maybe also
deep. The middle pillar is about one meter large and
very massive and has one sharp edge to 'cut' the
flowing water. The bridge is more or less 4 feet
large, means about one meter.
It is said that a
footpath was running from nearby Castletown through
the Cluide Wood across the river Skane and to
Bellinter House. And the most logical point for that
is where the bridge is exactly today, in front of
the Decoy Gate. Shown on maps of 1830 there is no
footpath anymore to the Deerpark and so it is
thought the
bridge must be from the early 18th
century – maybe before.
Before the 1950s the
area was full of woodland and wonderful bridle paths
and cart tracks. Then the landscape changed to the
one of today.
What a history in ancient
stones seeming nothing in the middle of nowhere....
All started with my morning
coffee with my friend when she asked me to go to
Dublin at Bloom. I am a garden-lover and so I was
immediately excited. I could finish my work till
time came to leave. A lovely day, full of sunshine,
nearly 'hot' weather, perfect for a garden show. Not
even 45 minutes later we arrived at Phoenix Park in
Dublin, the road from Navan was nearly empty. To
find it in the huge park was a little like 'hide and
seek' but eventually we did it. The huge parking
area was perfect for not doing an over-size workout
of walking BEFORE entering the garden show. We were
extremely lucky because lots of parking space, then
the price was less than we knew from the Internet
(we had a look at home) and we had some five hours
time to walk around. Help, that's a long time.
We started on the big field on
the left which was the 'food-field'. Lots of stands,
Asian food, pizzas, crepes, sweets, chicken,
ice-cream – well, too much choices. We only had a
piece of pizza (me, very good, made by Italians), a
coffee and a chocolate bar (my friend). We started
to walk around, to have a look at the 'forgotten
handcrafts'. Beautiful work they were showing,
things to buy. Iron, wood, wool, patch-work, baskets
– amazing how great people are in creating useful
things.
Then we found a biiiiiiiig
tent with plants and flowers. An enormous, never
ending tent full of all kinds of flowers, plants,
herbs, whatever one could wish for the garden or
balcony. It is in two parts: one with the plants,
one with workshops, information stands about
everything that has to do with the nature. I took
brochures for bird-watching, looped walks in
Ireland, about gardens in Ireland, all about forests
in Ireland, places to visit and a few typical
recipes. On the way we tried out a lot of food:
yogurt, cheese, bread, cakes, chutneys, jams – oh, I
think I had more to eat than staying the whole day
home working at the computer.
I wanted to find some advice
about how to get rid of slugs in the garden. In a
natural way, hate to kill them with salt or
something like that. But all gave me the same
answer: a nice wide smile and „try it with beer, pub
is open, they will drink to death“. Again killing
them, I know there is something much more gentle.
Well, I have to do something before they'll finish
all in the garden!
Already half exhausted we
arrived on another field with garden machines, hens
houses and ... cookery. My friend was fascinated by
pans that don't stick. Eventually I got her away
from it and saving her a 100 Euro for a pan!
We arrived in another tent
with homemade food. Again, cheese, bread, yogurt,
chutneys.... Oh, forget it. On the way out there we
asked where the 'landscape presentation' is. Walk,
search and.. finally arriving. Not too many
landscapes, easily to walk around and have a look at
different kinds. I best liked the one with the
Easter Island statues and the waterfalls. My friend
loved the winning garden „Rain Garden“ and the „Duck
Garden“. I liked the „Nemeton“, a Celtic theme. Oh,
and what I really liked a lot was the fact that all
gardens used to mix flowers with fruits and
vegetable plants. I think it is the best and most
beautiful way to create a landscape, much nicer than
the exact dividing and cleaned up gardens.
After that is was already five
hours we walked continuously around. Exhausted we
got back to our car and off home. Ah.. we tried out
the new M3, the motorway passing near to our house,
in Tara Valley. Don't want to say anything here..
it's useless. Funny and also very useless was that
on the way back on a bridge over the M3 people put
manifestations about „Save Tara“. A tiny little bit
late I would say...
All in all it was a wonderful,
amazing day, I enjoyed it a lot and have learned a
lot, too. By listening, talking to people there,
seeing. I would recommend the Garden Festival to
anyone who loves nature and gardening. It is
fabulous there!!
Facilities: a
restaurant, lots of food stands, descend toilets
Recommendation: have
first a look at the schedule before going somewhere,
we didn't unfortunately. It is on the path-way after
the facilities on the left.
I am doing history! I am the
very first one who will write about a historical
bridge, rescued by the owner of the land - and me.
My landlord has a lot of land
and on one of his fields there are some arches, hidden by bushes and rubbish. It's a long
time I pass there when I take a walk in the fields.
And every time I thought who knows what those are.
Now I know and my landlord decided to do something
with those ancient stones.
His first steps were cleaning
the mess around and have a closer look at it. It
doesn't look really good though. Stones are falling
apart, the top of the arches on the other side has
fallen already and the walk space over the bridge is
really invisible, hidden under a thick green cover
of ivy. That's the first impression.
A few days work now have given
a better view of it. The main pillar in the middle
holding the structure at least is so tiny at the
bottom that the risk to crash down is near. That
will be the first thing to fix. After that maybe a
wooden construction around the arch on the other
side can give a possibility to put back the arch
stones. The sides of the bridge are well held by
two trees growing just there where normally one
should go on the bridge. But I presume that -
cutting them down - the bridge has too much space and
will widen within a short time and loose all the
other stones. The ground on which the bridge is
built is soft and very wet. Like in nearly all
fields in Ireland.
So far so good. Now there is
an important question: why there is a bridge in the
middle of the field? Normally people built a bridge
over water. Where are these troubled water? Well the
width of the bridge let think it must have been also
a big, deep and really wild stream. Now there is
the fact that around 50 meters further there is the
river Skane. That one seems more a channel than a
natural river. And the story is that that was once
just going under this bridge in the middle of the
fields. It had originally a big bend before going
again to its now still natural bed. That
explains - my landlord told me - when he bought the
land in the 50s of the last century this field had a
deeper 'road' in the middle coming from the river
far away. He closed that gradient to have one
level only in the field. So now we can not follow
anymore the original bed, just imagine.
The river had at that time at
least a width of 4 to 5 meters and was not going
parallel to the today street but crossing it and
maybe straight to Bellinter Bridge.
Besides: the bridge's name is
Butler's Bridge or Bellinter Arches. And it is
standing on the old land of Bellinter, which is the
name of the whole area here.
About the history of the bridge
and the surroundings I had the honor to read a part
of a book that still has to be printed. An author
living here nearby and originally from County Meath
is writing a book about the roads of once County
Meath and how they are runing nowadays - especially
with the motorway not even one kilometer far from this
bridge.
A history page is in
preparation and will be added here soon. It will
take a while to fix the whole bridge that it will
appear like 'once upon a time'... I will blog about it
every some time there is anything new on the way..
sorry: on the bridge!
I do have a wonderful landlady
who became a wonderful friend to me. Her name is
Eileen and now it's nearly a year we see each other
in the morning to have the coffee together in her
kitchen in the winter-time, in my conservatory in
the summer-time.
So we help each other very
often, ask before going out to shop if the other one
needs something, she brings fresh eggs from a nearby
farm every sometimes and so on.
Now have just been a moment to
the bin to throw a few things and thinking about
what to eat this evening and she calls me from the
kitchen. If I would like to have some Shepherd's Pie
with them. I never tried it before and of course I
am curious about it. I said yes.
First thing I see in this
traditional Irish dish is: something with potatoes!
Than it MUST be typical Irish. Minced meat is also
something I like nevertheless I never buy it. So:
let's wait and see what will come up!
In the meanwhile I had a look
in the Internet. The oldest recipe is from 1596
written in a book called „The Good Housewife's
Jewel“ by Thomas Dawson. And handbook how to m happy
marriage? Well... important to have the
recipe. There it is called Mutton Pie - think
because that was the kind of animal they had then.
In that one they put a lot of things: pepper,
cinnamon, ginger, cloves, mace, prunes, currants,
dates, raisins, hard boiled eggs. Lots of things,
poor people rarely had I would say. Anyway, they
called it Cottage Pie which must be the same because
as Shepherd's Pie it was named only in 1870, nearly
300 years later. In any case both are going into the
oven for a long time.
Today I hope it will be faster
than at those ancient times! I start to be hungry a
curious about what it is!
Is was! I tried one of my best
dishes! I think I will have a new fav! So, the
ingredients are:
minced
meat (beef or lamb), onion, garlic, carrots (only
few) salt, pepper, soy sauce, YR sauce (Yorkshire
Relish), mashed potatoes, cheese. The last two once
are going on the top of the dish before cooking in
the oven. Prepare separate. In the oven another 20
minutes or anyway till the top takes a nice color.
Then: ENJOY! Me being from Italy I would say: a
glass of wine would be great with it!
Weather in Ireland is for sure
not the most desirable especially to one coming from
a warm country like South-Italy. But the winters
normally are mild which is already a nice thing.
This winter 2009/10 is
different. After the big week in Denmark
about
the global warming it is nearly unbelievable that
people are talking about that after nights and
nights of freezing temperatures, in the day-time
nearly the same and feeling like North-Pole. The
weather-forecast said something about the coldest
winter since 1963 - and I happened just now here! In
the 'Wikipedia' I found something like „...Snow and
sleet are generally rare in Ireland...“ But Siberia
wants to show us how it is there and so wind from
that side coming in and blowing freezing cold air
that is putting the whole country under a hard white
cover. Everything is frozen, all the water puddles
and what the heavy rain filled up before this cold
coming over the country.
In
winter 1962/3 - I found out - also the Shannon was
frozen. That is a big river with fast flows and it
seems unimaginable to do so.
The first days of the year
where nice: very sunny in the day time to have
wonderful walks in the white winter world - of
course covered with two pullovers, two pairs of
socks, a 3 m scarf, woolen gloves and e thick coat.
Today I had my walk at noon, nicely in the sun but
just 10 minutes later it started to snow big snow
flakes. The weather-forecast prognoses that it will
be like this all the week. I am lucky to have enough
oil for heating. But: f with this cold for any
reason the electricity would go than I am really
bad. Nothing will work, no heating, no oven, no warm
water. Better to think pink - I mean colored with
leaves, flowers, sun-shine and lots of warmth!
Hope everyone has a nice and
cosy home like I have!
The purpose: I want
to talk first of all about Ireland and the County Meath where
we live now. But also about my many other moves and trips or what
else in the moment is going through my head. You will find anything
about travel, books and tips.
About me: I am
originally from Germany but lived nearly all my life in Italy. I
worked as a tourist guide, lived in Italy, Greece, Spain, Turkey and
now Ireland. Speak Italian, English and German. Work now as a
freelance web-writer
for German and Italian companies. Love to travel, knowing people,
animals, nature, languages, books and much more.
marriage? Well... important to have the
recipe. There it is called Mutton Pie - think
because that was the kind of animal they had then.
In that one they put a lot of things: pepper,
cinnamon, ginger, cloves, mace, prunes, currants,
dates, raisins, hard boiled eggs. Lots of things,
poor people rarely had I would say. Anyway, they
called it Cottage Pie which must be the same because
as Shepherd's Pie it was named only in 1870, nearly
300 years later. In any case both are going into the
oven for a long time. 
minced
meat (beef or lamb), onion, garlic, carrots (only
few) salt, pepper, soy sauce, YR sauce (Yorkshire
Relish), mashed potatoes, cheese. The last two once
are going on the top of the dish before cooking in
the oven. Prepare separate. In the oven another 20
minutes or anyway till the top takes a nice color.
Then: ENJOY! Me being from Italy I would say: a
glass of wine would be great with it!
about
the global warming it is nearly unbelievable that
people are talking about that after nights and
nights of freezing temperatures, in the day-time
nearly the same and feeling like North-Pole. The
weather-forecast said something about the coldest
winter since 1963 - and I happened just now here! In
the 'Wikipedia' I found something like „...Snow and
sleet are generally rare in Ireland...“ But Siberia
wants to show us how it is there and so wind from
that side coming in and blowing freezing cold air
that is putting the whole country under a hard white
cover. Everything is frozen, all the water puddles
and what the heavy rain filled up before this cold
coming over the country.
In
winter 1962/3 - I found out - also the Shannon was
frozen. That is a big river with fast flows and it
seems unimaginable to do so. 
flowers, sun-shine and lots of warmth!
