Ryan's Journal

"My life amounts to no more than one drop in a limitless ocean. Yet what is any ocean, but a multitude of drops?" — David Mitchell

Mussel Mike

Posted from Ballynahinch Castle, Ireland at 1:10 am, August 31st, 2023

We’re traveling through the Connemara, which is the region west of Galway. It’s full of coastal inlets, bogs, lakes, wildflowers, and hills, and has my favorite scenery in Ireland thus far. At one point yesterday we pulled off the road to take some photos, and an older Irish gentleman approached us from the sea carrying a bucket of mussels that he had gathered. He introduced himself as Mike, and told us a rambling story of his adventures in America, which included time in Milwaukee for reasons that were never made clear, before we finally had to flee due to clouds of midges. Our route then led us along a one-lane road through a bog where piles of peat were left out to dry (it is used like firewood). After that we somehow ended up retracing our steps; we passed a store that I was 90% sure we had stopped at earlier in the day, then experienced deja vu for the next 45 minutes as whatever map mistake I had made gave us a repeat viewing of the beautiful coastline.

Our lodging for the night is in the very fancy Ballynahinch Castle, which is located on several hundred acres of forest with trails throughout. The river in front of the manor is stained a coffee brown, apparently from all of the decayed plant matter that the water filters through, and is surprisingly scenic. Audrey continues to talk to sheep and pet any animals that come close (yesterday it was horses), and I continue to get up early each day to roam around in the rain. We’ve got another day here in the Connemara, so if the weather cooperates we’ll be off to drive the Sky Road and see the bogs of Connemara National Park before settling in for a beverage at the castle this evening.

Galway Oysters

Posted from Galway, Ireland at 1:55 pm, August 29th, 2023

When we were planning this trip we thought it might be neat to visit the Aran Islands from Galway. They are rugged, remote islands off of the coast that are home to prehistoric ruins and hardy farmers, but we didn’t want to go if the weather wasn’t perfect, since boats only run every few hours. Sadly, despite today’s perfect weather, we decided that since we’re both still recovering from what we assume was COVID that hiking across the islands and up the steep cliffs would be too strenuous, so instead we spent the day around Galway. I expected this town to be more like Monterey, but it has a more industrial feel to it, with a more utilitarian and less tourist-friendly waterfront. We visited their aquarium this morning, which was actually a pretty good find, but then decided to leave town and headed south through the countryside to Moran’s Oyster Cottage for a late seafood lunch. This place ended up being a great find, with oysters pulled right out of the nearby estuary, and grilled crab claws for Audrey since she’s not a fan of slimy bivalves. From there we visited the nearby Coole Park Nature Reserve, and Audrey fell in love with all of the vine-covered trees.

The trip thus far has been good. The falconry yesterday was obviously a highlight, but the countryside is incredibly pretty, the Gap of Dunloe and Dingle Peninsula were quite memorable, and it’s amazing how many old castle and church ruins are hiding on random backroads. Driving continues to be fun, with tiny farm roads bordered by stone walls and flocks of sheep. The prehistoric sites have also been a surprise; I read about them beforehand, but it’s still a bit mind-blowing to find a 5000 year old building or tomb next to the road. I haven’t liked the towns as much as I expected to, but I think I was expecting them to be more like New England, with a church and a few little shops around a town square, while Irish towns tend to mostly have a more utilitarian layout, with a pub, a restaurant, a pharmacy and a grocery store lined up next to a narrow road.

Tomorrow we’re off to spend two nights in a castle, something we’ve been excited about since we first booked it, so it will be an opportunity to experience another side of this country before our trip begins coming to a close.

Frodo and Dingle

Posted from Galway, Ireland at 12:35 am, August 29th, 2023

One of the activities that came up while we were planning our trip was falconry, and of course that seemed like something not to be missed. Thus it was that we found ourselves on the grounds of Ashford Castle yesterday, standing outside the gates of the Ireland School of Falconry, getting ready to walk through the forest with hawks accompanying us.

Our guide Kiva introduced us to the birds: Frodo was younger and more rambunctious, screaming and jumping the moment he was out, while Chewie was older and more stoic. The birds seemed to care not a bit about us, viewing us more as mobile perches, and their eyes were constantly probing the surroundings. Once in the forest we were instructed to let them fly free, and the birds immediately took off into the trees. From there we would regularly call them back, using bits of meat in a raised glove, and the birds inevitably returned, grabbed their snack, and then took off again after whatever caught their attention. They followed us through the forest, and it was an odd experience to regularly have a Harris hawk swoop inches over your head as it darted through the woods looking for the next perch.

After an hour in the forest with the hawks we returned the birds to their roosts, then it was off to meet Dingle, a Eurasian Eagle Owl. Kiva explained that the “wise old owl” expression didn’t hold much truth, and that compared to the hawks Dingle was a bit slow, so rather than taking him outside they mostly flew him in a long barn-like structure where he was more comfortable. On a day that didn’t seem like it could get much better, we then spent the next twenty minutes calling an owl to our outstretched hands, and then holding him next to us while he absently listened for any interesting noises in the area (apparently an owl can hear a mouse’s heartbeat from quite some distance away).

It’s nice to have days that you’ll remember for years to come; this was definitely one of them.

Falconry at Ashford Castle
Chewie and Frodo after a nice walk through the woods.

The Cliffs of Insanity

Posted from The Burren, Ireland at 12:13 am, August 28th, 2023

Audrey spent yesterday in bed recovering from the flu, but the hotel has two house cats and 30+ outdoor cats, so she didn’t mind being stuck here too much. I visited the Cliffs of Moher, filming location from the Princess Bride, and battled winds that were occasionally strong enough to knock people over while walking along the crags. It was surprisingly pretty and made for a good morning trip. From there I took a drive through the Burren, enjoying the weird rocky landscape with its millions of wildflowers. The area is home to a number of prehistoric sites, including the Poulnabrone Dolmen, a large, five thousand year old stone tomb that overlooks the landscape.

The evening’s final adventure was a trip back into Doolin for music. McGann’s Pub is known for its traditional Irish music, but after arriving the server said the musicians had cancelled for the evening, so I escaped up the street to Fitz’s Pub where what I assume was a group of family and friends had instruments out. Two fiddles, and three instruments that I didn’t recognize kept everyone tapping their toes for the evening, and at one point a teenager in the musical group even put down his instrument and started doing some traditional Irish dancing, which got a huge reaction from the assembled patrons.

The Cliffs of Moher
The Cliffs of Moher. Only Fezzik is strong enough to go up this way.

Slea Head Drive

Posted from The Burren, Ireland at 11:29 pm, August 26th, 2023

This morning’s adventure was driving Slea Head Drive at the western end of the Dingle Peninsula. Audrey stayed in bed fighting the flu, so I had the early morning sea cliffs and prehistoric stone structures all to myself. The terrain was similar to Highway One in California, and the drive was one of my favorites thus far on this trip. We later made a side trip to Glanteenassig Forest, a moss-covered forest park where we did a neat boardwalk hike around a mountain lake with waterfalls coming down the valley walls. It ended up being another one of my favorite outings on this trip.

From there the route took us through the Shannon Estuary and up to The Burren, a rocky region in Ireland’s west that is one of the few places where the land isn’t fifty shades of green. While here we’ll hopefully be tapping our feet to the music in the pubs of Doolin, a town known for its traditional Irish music.

Slea Head Drive on the Dingle Peninsula
Slea Head Drive on the Dingle Peninsula. All of those words make me giggle.

Dingle

Posted from Dingle, Ireland at 12:46 pm, August 25th, 2023

The weather today alternated between rain and almost-sun, so it was an alternately pretty and gray day to drive around the Ring of Kerry, a highway loop along the southwest coast. Prior to setting out on the Ring route I got up early and took the car up the Gap of Dunloe before the horses and hikers were on it, and had the beautiful scenery mostly to myself, with only a couple of times where another car came along and we had to figure out what options existed to let each other past.

I expected the Ring of Kerry to be a bit like Big Sur in Monterey, but it reminded me far more of the Falklands, with rocky green pastures, rolling hills, and sheep on every rock. The peninsulas jut out into the Atlantic, and it’s surprisingly sparsely populated for such a scenic area. The day ended up being more driving than I had anticipated, and we arrived to our B&B on the Dingle Peninsula around 5pm. Audrey has contracted whatever cold I’ve been suffering with, so I left her to sleep while I wandered into town to find dinner. Tomorrow I’m hoping to get up early again and explore the far west of the peninsula before we continue north towards the Cliffs of Insanity Cliffs of Moher, where hopefully we’ll be spending some time in the pubs of Doolin enjoying local music.

Ladies View in Killarney National Park
Ladies View in Killarney National Park on a very gray day.

The Gap of Dunloe

Posted at 12:09 pm, August 24th, 2023

So far the Irish haven’t been winning awards for poetic naming. Today’s example was an incredibly picturesque pass through the mountains, full of flowers, streams and lakes, which leads to the town of Dunloe. The Irish name for it? The Gap of Dunloe. Nearby, one of the country’s dozens of “Upper Lakes” reinforces the Irish penchant for the prosaic. While the Gap is technically a public road, it’s a tiny, narrow road filled with cyclists, hikers, and “jaunting cars”, aka horse drawn carriages, so driving is discouraged. We hiked a few miles of it, but may return early tomorrow to traverse the rest in our vehicle if the weather is good and before the crowds make driving a hazard. I enjoyed the scenery along the route, while Audrey continued to talk to the sheep, and also made friends with a few horses along the way.

The afternoon took us on a short boat trip across Loch Lein, followed by an encounter with the friendliest deer in the world; this tiny sika deer was hanging out next to the trail and was more like a cat than a deer, waiting for passerby to rub its neck or scratch its shoulder. Had I been wagering on whether Audrey would get to pet a sheep or a deer first on this trip, I would have lost that wager.

The Gap of Dunloe
The Gap of Dunloe.

Kilkenny to Killarney

Posted from Killarney, Ireland at 11:49 pm, August 23rd, 2023

We woke up yesterday morning to rain and gray, which is probably not going to be an unusual event on this trip. We’re unfortunately having to rush through a few things at the start of the trip – Ireland is a big place and we can’t see it all – so we made a short stop in the morning at Kilkenny Castle, made a detour off of the motorway in Waterford to see some nice crystal, and finally took a bunch of random tiny roads to Blarney Castle outside of Cork. I wasn’t keen to kiss the castle’s famous stone, but was more interested in seeing the gardens and castle ruins. However, once we were a hundred feet in the air at the top of the castle Audrey decided to dangle backwards over empty space to kiss the germy rock, so she is now endowed with whatever magical properties the stone bestows. Magic rocks aside, the castle was a neat one; it’s built on an outcrop so it seems taller than most, there are gaps in the topmost battlements that allow you to look straight down to the ground from 100 feet above (terrifying in a building made hundreds of years ago), and there’s a “murder hole” used for dumping boiling tar on invaders, with what looks like black tar stains all around it to remind you of the awful deaths past combatants must have endured.

After the castle we traversed tiny backroads to get to Killarney, where we’re staying for a couple of nights. The weather forecast calls for sun, so with any luck we’ll be able to see Killarney National Park and the Ring of Kerry before moving on.

Kilkenny Castle roof detail
The roof of the portrait room in Kilkenny Castle was built to resemble a Viking longship.
Blarney castle
An unfortunately gray view of Blarney Castle. The Blarney stone is in the outer battlements at the very top of the castle, and despite the kitsch factor of hanging upside down to kiss a stone, it was a surprisingly interesting place.

Drive on the Left

Posted from Kilkenny, Ireland at 12:38 pm, August 22nd, 2023

There is a large sticker on the passenger side of our rental car that reads “Drive on the Left”. Luckily we haven’t needed that reminder, but it’s nevertheless been a bit of an adventure as we’ve started our road trip across Ireland. In addition to constantly having to remember to stay on the left, the roads have gotten progressively more narrow throughout the day; we started in Dublin with tight lanes, but they were clearly lanes. We then headed across the old Military Road through the Wicklow Mountains National Park, where lane markers were no more but there was room for two cars heading in opposite directions to pass one another. From there it was off to Glendalough, an old monastic city and nature area, where most of the roads had room for two cars if one pulled over a bit. Finally we finished our day just outside of Kilkenny, where weeds brushed the doors on some roads and I had to constantly keep an eye out for places to get off of the road should another car be spotted anywhere on the horizon.

The Irish countryside is as pretty as everyone said it would be. The mountains were filled with wildflowers, rugged scenery, and sheep that were very willing to engage in long conversations with Audrey when she called out to them. The valleys and flat lands are an impossible shade of green that doesn’t seem like it should be real, with crumbling stone walls dividing one perfectly green field from the next. We’ve seen our share of ancient religious ruins today, gone hiking in weather that was sunny one second and rainy the next, and are spending the night at an estate next to a river where baby horses are racing one another by the water as we watch from the room. I’ve said this before, but I did something right in a past life to end up here today.

Land of Guinness

Posted from Dublin, Ireland at 1:03 pm, August 21st, 2023

Today we jumped across the Irish Sea (technology RULES) and landed in Dublin for the second stage of our trip. We didn’t plan much in the way of activities since we didn’t want to risk shenanigans with travel logistics, so the day’s activities were limited to a trip to the Botanical Gardens, the Glasnevin Cemetery, and the adjoining Gravediggers pub where we had our first taste of Guinness on Irish soil. Tomorrow we start on our clockwise loop around southern Ireland, and we’re both pretty excited to get out and see the countryside.

England was a lot of fun, if only for a brief visit. Audrey loved singing with the choir at Canterbury (video of her doing a quartet last week), I loved all of the museums and castles and cathedrals, and it was neat to see it with friends from back home. Below are a few more photos from last week, both from Westminster Abbey.

Westminster Abbey detail
The plants haven’t been particular about where they decide to set down roots.
Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey wasn’t too shabby.

The Plague

Posted from Canterbury, England at 2:11 pm, August 20th, 2023

Heat stroke may have combined with something else; I’ve been feeling weird for a few days, and today while attending Sunday Mass at Canterbury I got incredibly dizzy and had to sit down, ironically at the same time as an older lady two rows in front of me collapsed, causing three ushers to rush over. While they were attending to her (she ended up OK) I was pretty sure I wasn’t going to make it, so once a path cleared I headed for the exit, stopping several times along the way to rest before I arrived back at the room, head-spinning and soaked in sweat. Whatever this is has come and gone a few random times today (although not as bad as this morning) and has me baffled, so today ended up being a rest day to recuperate before we head to Ireland tomorrow.

During the time at Canterbury I’ve been intrigued by an ancient pilgrimage route that starts here and eventually ends in Rome. I thought it would be neat to hike the 18 mile portion to Dover, but since I’ve been feeling odd decided not to push it. However, I’ve been searching everywhere for the stone that traditionally marks the start of the route. I’ve scoured every sewer cover and cobblestone around the cathedral, only to finally discover it hiding in plain sight right next to the cathedral entrance. I used to be reasonably smart, I swear it.

Pilgrimage Stone, Canterbury Cathedral
I literally looked everywhere for this stone marker, except (apparently) in the yard right next to the cathedral entrance where it is propped up so that it can be easily found.

The White-ish Cliffs of Dover

Posted from Canterbury, England at 12:06 pm, August 19th, 2023

I’ve somehow managed to get heat stroke in England. England! Land of no sun and pasty white folks. Go figure.

The last couple of days were spent in Dover, a short train ride from Canterbury. Yesterday I visited Dover Castle, which dates back to the 1180s. Even today it’s an imposing structure, with an 83 foot tall main keep and walls that are as much as 20 feet thick. I was again impressed at the ingenuity of the medieval builders, but for anyone visiting, be warned that around many corners you’ll run into re-enactors who are really into their jobs. Surprisingly the castle fortifications continued to be used during wars with the French and through WW2, so amidst ancient walls are anti-aircraft guns and tunnels where the evacuation of Dunkirk was organized.

After intermittent rain and sun at the castle I was feeling a bit odd, so I checked into my hotel for the night, laid down on the bed, and woke up 14 hours later. This amount of sleep isn’t normal, so it’s either heat stroke (my head is a nice shade of red) or a bit of the flu. I wasn’t going to let that interrupt vacation, however, so it was off to the White Cliffs first thing this morning for a lengthy hike among flowers, tons of birds, the odd rabbit, and an occasional cliff view. I suspect that the splendor of these cliffs is best viewed from sea or air, but it was still a relaxing stroll through the English countryside. Now I’m back in Canterbury, resting again, in the hopes that whatever is sapping my energy decides to go away soon.

Tales from Canterbury

Posted from Canterbury, England at 1:14 am, August 18th, 2023

Just another day in England having a pint in a pub built in 1370 and roaming around in a 1000 year old cathedral. Yesterday started with a stroll outside of town to see St. Martin’s church, reportedly the oldest English-speaking church in the world (“built before 597”). It was early in the morning so the church was closed, but it’s got an atmospheric graveyard around it that I shared with only one other person, an old British fellow who probably expected to be alone while he did his morning tai-chi.

From there it was back to Canterbury Cathedral, where I asked one of the volunteers about the shiny black stones used for building many of the walls on the grounds. He didn’t know, but unbeknownst to me he apparently activated the Canterbury volunteer network bat signal, and from that point onwards any time a volunteer saw me they asked if I was the gentleman who wanted to know about the stones (they are flint, which is one of the few hard building stones found in the local chalk deposits). I ended up chatting with a lot of elderly British folks on this visit.

Thursday was the choir’s one day off, so a group decided they wanted to go punting, which is British for “ride on a boat”. The river here is crystal clear – the chalk formations act as a massive filter – and four of us took an hour ride, gondola-style, through a small nature reserve and under ancient tunnels in the city; life could clearly be worse.

After a bit more roaming about on the city’s ancient Roman walls and through the narrow streets, we finished the day at the Parrot, a pub located in a building that was built in 1370. In America that building would be some sort of national monument, but in England it’s simply a good place to get a pint and some sticky toffee pudding.

Canterbury Cathedral
Canterbury Cathedral.

Unimpressed Swans

Posted from London, England at 1:36 am, August 17th, 2023

Today was the last day in London, and the plan was to visit the British Natural History Museum, but first, the walk there led through Hyde Park, which has become one of my favorite places in the city over the past few days. On this particular morning a couple dozen swans were lounging next to the lake, and they couldn’t be bothered to move for any of the bikers or joggers going by; you could easily get within a foot of a giant bird and it wouldn’t so much as look sideways at you. I liked these swans.

While I’m generally a fan of natural history, with so little time and so much to choose from the British Natural History Museum might not have made the cut were it not for the incredible architecture. The entry hall of this building was amazing, with mosaic floors, different plants painted on the ceiling, high arches, dramatic staircases, nature-themed sculptures, and stained glass windows. AND there’s a friggin’ blue whale skeleton hanging from the ceiling! I was a fan and spent a lot of time roaming about this entry hall to see it from every possible angle. While the rest of the exhibits were interesting, the architecture was far and away the highlight.

From there it was off to meet Audrey and the rest of the choir folks in Canterbury, and this one is another cathedral that I really like. It was built in 1077, and visitors are free to roam almost everywhere, so I went down to the crypts, to the ruins of the monastery out back, and all over the interior of the cathedral. The choir sang Evensong, and unlike any church I’ve ever been at before, the congregation sits in a gallery on either side of the choir, so you hear the singers from only a few feet away. I went to bed tired last night after another quite memorable day.

British Natural History Museum
Amazing architecture AND a whale? I want to live here.

Henges and Baths

Posted from London, England at 12:23 am, August 16th, 2023

Yesterday’s adventure was a day trip out of London to visit Stonehenge, Bath and “a secret place”. I’m not normally a fan of group trips, but there are limited options if you want to see Stonehenge, so I picked a 15 person bus that was ranked well on Tripadvisor and hoped for the best. The guide was actually great, she left us alone to roam at the destinations, and having a small bus meant we could take backroads instead of the highway, which was amazingly scenic.

I’d visited Stonehenge in 1997 when it was a pull-off next to the highway and you simply got off of the motorway, parked in a dirt parking lot, walked a bit, and then admired the stones from a few feet away, kept back by a small rope barrier. Things have changed dramatically since then, with the highway relocated, the paths around the stones much farther back, and 1000x the number of people. It was still a really neat place to go; it combines history and engineering, two of my favorite topics, while also giving a druid vibe that I fully support.

Following the visit with the stones we were off to Bath, a city that still feels very much like it must have in the 1600s. I didn’t actually visit the “bath” that gives the town its name – I saw it in 1997, and rather than being a Roman bath it’s actually a Victorian estimation of what a Roman bath might look like – but did roam all over, admiring some truly impressive stone buildings. Our guide did a short walking tour where she shared how the waters from the hot spring were renowned for having “magical” healing properties and how Queen Anne swore that after drinking the water she felt revitalized, but today scientists believe that long ago many people suffered from anemia, so a shot of mineral-rich hot spring water would have simply given them the iron they were lacking and thus a massive energy boost.

For our last stop we were sworn to secrecy on its location, but it was one of England’s best preserved old villages, with rules in place to prevent any alteration of buildings. Doors and ceilings were low, there wasn’t a single beam or roof that wasn’t warped or sagging, the church was ancient, and one of the pubs dated back to the 1300s. I had a pint at a pub that was “only” a few hundred years old before we returned to the bus for our trip home. All in all, spending the day seeing ancient wonders and historical villages made for one of the better Tuesdays a person could have.

Stonehenge
The world’s most famous henge.
Pulteney Bridge in Bath
Pulteney Bridge in Bath.