Hitchhiking in Ireland
I was given today off. I was determined to get somewhere without asking Antoinette or Andrew for a ride anywhere...not even into the town of Athy where the bus and train stations are. So I left on foot before anyone was up. I started walking with my iPod in my ear and a determination to walk the 7km (5 miles) into town to get the 10:00 a.m. bus to Kilkenny. About halfway there, it started to rain and I got soaked. So I decided to try my hand at hitchhiking. I mean I would pick someone up who looked like I did...soaking wet with backpack. And so I was. By a nice Irishman named Paul who worked in Athy. Well, that was easy. I was very early for the 10:00 bus so had a coffee and then just started to walk on Rt. 417 to Kilkenny. I figured someone would pick me up and another guy did. Michael. Nice guy. But was only going a short ways and would drop me off way before Kilkenny. That was great! I could continue walking and hitching. Then I got picked up by Steven (73) who was just out getting milk and a newspaper. He lived a short ways on the road to Kilkenny. His wife's name was Monica. He decided to take me past his house, further on into the town of Castlecomer where there was a bus stop going into Kilkenny about 13 km away and costing only 3 Euro. I asked him when getting home if Monica would ask him why he took so long. He said "no". I said she must be a nice wife. He said "well, no, not really". So we laughed and he let me off in Castlecomer. I walked right past the bus stop on the road to Kilkenny and continued hitching. I was then picked up by a woman (59), Marian, who was delivering flowers from her flower shop in Castlecomer to a wedding near Kilkenny. She had no problem taking me right into Kilkenny. very nice lady.
I think I'll take the bus back to Athy and hitch back to Dollardstown. My hitching experience was great but I'm not liking the looks of the sky right now. I think I'll get the 5:00 bus back to Athy.
Kilkenny was one of the loveliest town so far. I really like this town. And I just drank a pint of cider. And I and Marisa and Julia are leaving tomorrow to go up North to Canamara peninsula and Galway and the Cliffs of Moher for 3 days. We all got tip money!!!!
Thursday, July 10, 2014
Wednesday, July 2, 2014
Sightseeing in Ireland
Renting a car
When I learned I had 3 days off coming up and that a previous workawayer had rented a car for under 100Euro/week, I knew this was what I had to do to be able to see Ireland. Taking a bus or train can end up being too costly and you're limited to small town or city destinations. I wanted to see the picturesque peninsulas: Beara, Iveragh and Dingle.
I found that Enterprise would rent me an economy car for 47Euro for 3 days. And they would come to pick me up and drop me off upon returning.
What I got was an OPAL Diesel, 5 speed with the shifter on the left. steering on the right. I felt I had to learn how to drive all over again. And the roundabouts! Between keeping left, reading signs, shifting on the left and going through roundabouts clockwise, I knew this was going to be another personal challenge. Forget about reading maps or taking your eyes off the road a an instant. But I did it with only once forgetting and driving on the right. No incident. Just a quick reminder to stay focused on the road.
So I left from Naas, the town that rented the car and drove on the expressway to Cork and on to the beginning of the Beara Peninsula to stay the night in Kenmare. I'd met a woman who owned and operated a gluten free bakery out of her home who lived in Kenmare. She was Manuela from the market at Milltown where I went with Lorna from the Phoenix Restaurant. I called Manuela and planned to meet downtown Kenmare that night.
Kenmare is a tourist town. The main street is short and full of people going in and out of the shops and sitting on the sidewalks drinking and eating outside the cafe's. I had made a reservation for a room that night above O'Donnabhain's bar and restaurant which turned out to be a perfect location. Kenmare was a lovely town with nice restaurants and whole food grocery stores. But I was looking forward to seting out the next morning to see more of the "country" which was to be "The Beara Peninsula".
I was up and out at 7 a.m. which proved to be very wise as people in Ireland don't even begin to move around until 10 or 11 a.m. There was nearly NO ONE on the road.
The one and only main road going around the Beara from north to south was for the most part a one-lane wide road with trees and brush growing into the road on both sides. This road was not traveled by buses---ever. If I was to meet a car coming in the opposite direction, I would have to stop, pull way over and wait for them to go by. The road out to the tip of the Beara was entirely like this. Apparently buses with tourists must go the southern route as the roads there were much wider as I would experience later that day.
Because I left the hotel so early (way before breakfast was served), I wanted to find a place to get a cup of coffee. Nothing. Anywhere. Which brings me to Josie's Cafe'.
I came upon a sign saying "Josie's Cafe" coffee served. Open. 7km. 7km on this road? But it did say it was open and it was getting to be 10 a.m.. All I wanted was a coffee. So the road to the left I took. Then I came upon some cows in the road just staring at me and I at them. I waited and waited. Then the farmer came up...very friendly.... and gestured me to pass as he kind of waved his cows to move over. I asked if he knew if Josie's Cafe' was open. He just proceeded to tell me how to get there. So I continued until I came upon PADDY. Quite a chatty and friendly Irishman who chuckled and said that Josie was his 'ex' and he would call over there to ask if she would serve me a cup of coffee. After about 15 minutes of conversation back and forth, I headed towards Josie's. Outside the sign said 'open'. At the door of the cafe', the sign said 'open'. But the door was locked and no one was to be found. Before getting to Josie's, I met Mary, Josie and Paddy's daughter jogging and she said to come over and she would give me a coffee. I got there before Mary so walked behind the house and found Josie hanging out laundry. She gave me coffee while I sat outside overlooking a most beautiful lake. Calla lilies, 5 feet tall, were in full bloom everywhere. It was a lovely, serene, almost deadly quiet place but apparently alive at night with dinner guests. The menu looked amazing with steaks and seafood and homemade desserts. Definitely a place I would come back to. And they had 1 B&B room to rent. I met one of Mary's granddaughters, Rachel, 6, who was too shy to speak but told Catherine, her mom to make me a pancake like she had. It was actually 2 small pancakes with strawberry jam in between. And they sent me off with a coffee to go, a scone with butter and jam, a jar of homemade strawberry jam and the filled pancake. I was happy to have met a very nice Irish family with the friendliness that makes me want to go back.
So off I went back to the main road only to meet Paddy, waiting for me at the end of his driveway. He waved me down to ask all about myself and how I ended up in Ireland and what I was doing there. After a few minutes of this chatting, he invited me up to his house so he could show me his house and garden. What he wanted was me to come work for him as a workawayer. I said I was all booked up. Then he told me to wait 15 minutes as he wanted to talk more and take me in my car all around the Beara. I didn't know quite what to say or do. He went in to take a shower!! And shave!! I yelled in to him saying I had to leave. He said "give me 2 more minutes". So he kind of wormed his way in to my car, with his border collie, Gin, and with all the charm he could muster, and proceeded to direct me to the different out-of-the-way places on his homeland. He was very nice. Didn't ask for anything (money) and said I could drop him off at the end of the mountain road and he would call his daughter to pick him up.
When I learned I had 3 days off coming up and that a previous workawayer had rented a car for under 100Euro/week, I knew this was what I had to do to be able to see Ireland. Taking a bus or train can end up being too costly and you're limited to small town or city destinations. I wanted to see the picturesque peninsulas: Beara, Iveragh and Dingle.
I found that Enterprise would rent me an economy car for 47Euro for 3 days. And they would come to pick me up and drop me off upon returning.
What I got was an OPAL Diesel, 5 speed with the shifter on the left. steering on the right. I felt I had to learn how to drive all over again. And the roundabouts! Between keeping left, reading signs, shifting on the left and going through roundabouts clockwise, I knew this was going to be another personal challenge. Forget about reading maps or taking your eyes off the road a an instant. But I did it with only once forgetting and driving on the right. No incident. Just a quick reminder to stay focused on the road.
So I left from Naas, the town that rented the car and drove on the expressway to Cork and on to the beginning of the Beara Peninsula to stay the night in Kenmare. I'd met a woman who owned and operated a gluten free bakery out of her home who lived in Kenmare. She was Manuela from the market at Milltown where I went with Lorna from the Phoenix Restaurant. I called Manuela and planned to meet downtown Kenmare that night.
Kenmare is a tourist town. The main street is short and full of people going in and out of the shops and sitting on the sidewalks drinking and eating outside the cafe's. I had made a reservation for a room that night above O'Donnabhain's bar and restaurant which turned out to be a perfect location. Kenmare was a lovely town with nice restaurants and whole food grocery stores. But I was looking forward to seting out the next morning to see more of the "country" which was to be "The Beara Peninsula".
I was up and out at 7 a.m. which proved to be very wise as people in Ireland don't even begin to move around until 10 or 11 a.m. There was nearly NO ONE on the road.
The one and only main road going around the Beara from north to south was for the most part a one-lane wide road with trees and brush growing into the road on both sides. This road was not traveled by buses---ever. If I was to meet a car coming in the opposite direction, I would have to stop, pull way over and wait for them to go by. The road out to the tip of the Beara was entirely like this. Apparently buses with tourists must go the southern route as the roads there were much wider as I would experience later that day.
Because I left the hotel so early (way before breakfast was served), I wanted to find a place to get a cup of coffee. Nothing. Anywhere. Which brings me to Josie's Cafe'.
I came upon a sign saying "Josie's Cafe" coffee served. Open. 7km. 7km on this road? But it did say it was open and it was getting to be 10 a.m.. All I wanted was a coffee. So the road to the left I took. Then I came upon some cows in the road just staring at me and I at them. I waited and waited. Then the farmer came up...very friendly.... and gestured me to pass as he kind of waved his cows to move over. I asked if he knew if Josie's Cafe' was open. He just proceeded to tell me how to get there. So I continued until I came upon PADDY. Quite a chatty and friendly Irishman who chuckled and said that Josie was his 'ex' and he would call over there to ask if she would serve me a cup of coffee. After about 15 minutes of conversation back and forth, I headed towards Josie's. Outside the sign said 'open'. At the door of the cafe', the sign said 'open'. But the door was locked and no one was to be found. Before getting to Josie's, I met Mary, Josie and Paddy's daughter jogging and she said to come over and she would give me a coffee. I got there before Mary so walked behind the house and found Josie hanging out laundry. She gave me coffee while I sat outside overlooking a most beautiful lake. Calla lilies, 5 feet tall, were in full bloom everywhere. It was a lovely, serene, almost deadly quiet place but apparently alive at night with dinner guests. The menu looked amazing with steaks and seafood and homemade desserts. Definitely a place I would come back to. And they had 1 B&B room to rent. I met one of Mary's granddaughters, Rachel, 6, who was too shy to speak but told Catherine, her mom to make me a pancake like she had. It was actually 2 small pancakes with strawberry jam in between. And they sent me off with a coffee to go, a scone with butter and jam, a jar of homemade strawberry jam and the filled pancake. I was happy to have met a very nice Irish family with the friendliness that makes me want to go back.
So off I went back to the main road only to meet Paddy, waiting for me at the end of his driveway. He waved me down to ask all about myself and how I ended up in Ireland and what I was doing there. After a few minutes of this chatting, he invited me up to his house so he could show me his house and garden. What he wanted was me to come work for him as a workawayer. I said I was all booked up. Then he told me to wait 15 minutes as he wanted to talk more and take me in my car all around the Beara. I didn't know quite what to say or do. He went in to take a shower!! And shave!! I yelled in to him saying I had to leave. He said "give me 2 more minutes". So he kind of wormed his way in to my car, with his border collie, Gin, and with all the charm he could muster, and proceeded to direct me to the different out-of-the-way places on his homeland. He was very nice. Didn't ask for anything (money) and said I could drop him off at the end of the mountain road and he would call his daughter to pick him up.
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