Bus tour of the Burren today. After two days of warm the weather threw a curveball and it was very windy and chilly, on the bus, outside, in the buildings-- the day even started with a cold shower as the hot water had been all used up by the time I got in. (Note to self: take showers during off-hours and not while the dishwasher is running.) Am currently hiding under the blankets with a cup of tea and a swollen gumline (unrelated to the cold. maybe.)
Portal tomb
Cow resting on a cliff above the road. According to our driver, he's always there and in that position. Perhaps he is a magical cow guarding his.. farm?
Ok so I don't remember the name of this castle but the story involved some lady whose husband died and in order to keep her home she made a deal and married this other guy but then he died and so she had to marry another guy but then HE died, and so on until people started figuring out she was killing her husbands. Or something.
This horse wishes he were a cow.
The big fancy stone cross that Kilfenora gets to put in all their touristy stuff. (Also learned today: small villages like Kilfenora can be actually be legit "cities" if they have a cathedral. (which they do).)
Here's their cathedral:
And their cemetary, and an old stone monument dude.
As Sarah and I model, apparently midgets lived here:
Had lunch at a pub, ordered the fish and chips, which look pretty much like our fish and chips only you get one big fish instead of 3 medium ones, and it was considerably more bland without all that American MSG. He also didn't give it with any tartar sauce, though I did get a bit of salad.
County finals were today for hurling, the 2nd of Ireland's favorite sports. We stayed to watch the first half before continuing our tour, as County Clare (where we are) was playing in the minor (as in youth). I'm still not entirely sure how hurling works, but I got some info off our bus driver and from watching here's what I know:
-The game is played in 2 45-minute segments with a 15-minute break in the middle. It is the fasted paced sport in the world.
-Each team has 15 players with a set goalie.
-They play with hurling sticks, which look sort of like short hockey sticks with a stubbier, rounder end.
-The players mostly pass the ball across the field (played on a soccer field) by hitting the ball like a baseball player (it goes very far- definately a home run :P) but they can also throw or kick it. They run mostly by balancing it on their stick like in lacross, but can hold the ball in their hand for 3 steps.
-Hitting the ball into the net yields a goal (worth 3 points) and hitting it between the 2 posts is 1 point.
-Getting hit by the stick hurts a lot.
It started raining as we were pulling into the coast (or as the Irish say, it's a "soft day") but like a trooper I got out anyway to take a few pictures and then promptly went back to the bus dripping like a wet rat, where I then shivered all the way home. You better enjoy these photos.
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