Ireland: A Wee Bit of This and That

This impressive looking local steed was grazing in a field just down from our glamping site when we took a walk along the ocean shore yesterday morning.

According to our tour guide John, the cattle and horses do okay during the winter months, staying outside, dealing with little or no snow.

Most of our day yesterday was spent on the island before we returned to the ferry in the late afternoon---a much smoother ride back than our trip to Inis Mor on Sunday.

We had an opportunity to visit some more with Dario, our new friend from Switzerland who has a sharp eye for accuracy in the written word.

As an aside, Dario lived in Minnesota as an exchange student when he was in high school. 

When we told him about our "Swiss Miss," Laura who stayed with Willie and Debbie, he told us that many Minnesotans called him "Swiss Boy." 

I also shared with Dario an interview I'd done in 2004 for Sandpoint Magazine with actor Viggo Mortensen of "Lord of the Rings" fame.  For those unaware, Viggo has a home in North Idaho.

After reading the piece, Dario sent me a note, telling me he enjoyed it but had seen a spelling error:  Gandalf.

I had used an "o."  Apparently, the mistake passed through the editors and now 14 years later, the error has been duly noted.

Thank you, Dario.  Maybe you should consider editing as a career possibility.

After hanging out for part of the morning at the glamping site, we walked into town, taking off on a route which we had not traveled before. 

Bill found a geocache in the wall along the roadside, and we spent some time strolling through a church on our way back to the main part of town.

BTW:  Bill has found three geocaches on the island, so he was quite pleased.

Today we're still deciding what to do, based on weather, but for this present time, breakfast at the B and B awaits AND we'll probably meet even more interesting people.

Enjoy the photos, and Happy Tuesday. 

Signed mementos left at The Bar  on Inis Mor where we enjoyed a light lunch, a Guinness and some local color yesterday. 

It was raining and dark when we went to dinner in downtown Clifden last night. 

Not great for pictures, but I had to snap a shot of this impressive roadster outside our restaurant. 

The grocery store on Inis Mor.  We enjoyed a chocolate sundae there yesterday and visited with a nice couple from Indonesia. 

I lit a candle for my mother at a church on the Aran Islands.  Hers is the one in the upper right. Annie lit a candle for her a few weeks ago at a Cathedral in France. 

Another was lit when Annie and Justine walked the Camino de Santiago in late June-July. Her spirit continues to shine around the world.

I plan to light another candle when we visit Kylemore Abbey. 

This time it will be for my country in fervent hopes that its true and traditional spirit can shine brightly again.

After all, as the old Catholic hymn states, "If everyone lit just one little candle, what a bright world this would be."

Not a bad idea, I think.
   

One of the highlights of our day yesterday was meeting Jerry and Maureen at The Bar.  Almost the instant I walked in, Maureen was anxious to help me find the wi-fi password for the establishment.

I also learned that she and Jerry had been out the night before, celebrating nothing in particular but, according to Maureen, celebrating more than enough.

During our lunch we learned that Jerry was old (all of 57) and that he fishes for lobster and crab.  He used to fish in Spain, and he met his bride Maureen who's 43 while planning to go to Montreal.  He never made it to Montreal, but he seems to have no regrets.

We also learned that Jerry has a beautiful, pure voice when he suddenly broke into a lovely Gaelic song.

Jerry and Maureen wished us well as we walked out the door, adding, "Come back to the island."

We may just do that again some day because we loved having the time to experience  much more than the usual tourist stops.

When we go to breakfast, we'll meet our Sharamore B and B hosts here near Clifden.

Last night they had gone to the gym, so their friend and neighbor Katrina, a German lady from Hamburg who married an Irishman, greeted us when we arrived last night.

This is a lovely establishment, which, the pins on the map above, has attracted travelers from all over the world.

Bill should be in Heaven once he meets John, a consummate fisherman.  We've seen a photo on the wall of John's 700-plus-pound tuna catch.  

I have a feeling a fish story or two will be told by the time we check out of this place on Thursday. 

Thirteenth Station of the Cross when Jesus is taken down from the cross.