Heading up Croagh Patrick

Okay so we started out on our journey up the mountain. As you can see, we had an absolutely GORGEOUS day. This was in April of 2015. Clearest blue sky you could possibly imagine!

And of course, the venture starts out with a statue of St. Patrick. It is, of course, Ireland. According to the signs, St. Patrick is said to have spent 40 days and 40 nights at the summit praying, fasting, and doing penance during Lent of 441 AD. The mountain is also called "The Reek" and it rises 765 meters above sea level. The last Sunday in July is known as Reek Sunday and that is the main day of Christian pilgrimage. Apparently it used to take place at night but that stopped in 1973. There may be many locals who climb it every Sunday. There is a Church at the top. Of course, I blasphemed and said if I had to go to Church after 2 hours of hauling my arse all the way up there I would be plenty p***ed!

Ah, the  glorious view!

Below is my view of Murrisk and Clew Bay as we started upward. Side note, Clew Bay scallops are the world's best!

Is the top getting closer or farther away?!

Well, it IS Ireland - you are bound to find sheep!

We are getting higher. It is also starting to get hazy in the distance.

Closer?!

The path can be sort of rocky in spots, and sometimes it slopes a bit steep, but it is always lovely!

 The top is in sight and we are getting light-headed! First Morna gets nutty...

Then Kim...

Clearly Kirstin is not amused...

OKAY OKAY- no more shenanigans!

Next post - will see you at the top!!

Reminiscing on the April 2015 Croagh Patrick climb

So, in the move back to the US, we appear to have lost our hard drive - and with it, a lot of my pictures from various trips in the late Spring and early Summer of 2015. RATS! I am going to forge ahead with what I managed to save from my cell phone, and what I apparently downloaded and saved in other spots on the computer - yay me!

So Kim, Morna, Kirstin and I took a week-long trip to the west coast in April. the goal was some hiking, some sight-seeing, and lots of fun. In my last post with pictures, I had the shots of Westport. We traveled there and stayed in Murrisk so we could climb Croagh Patrick.

Apparently, climbing Croagh Patrick is a spiritual journey - it is a pilgrimage for many who are devoutly Catholic.  Some people actually climb it barefoot. NOT I! Some of Steve's co-workers, when they heard I was doing this climb were like - why?! Apparently they doubt my Catholic roots, but, let's face it, I'm not devoutly anything...

We spent the night in our comfortable B&B and then, fortified with a fabulous Irish Breakfast, we headed for the hills! We could walk to the starting point from the B&B and we borrowed some walking sticks from our gracious host. Still, we needed one more so I went ahead and paid to rent a walking stick from a man who truly, must be, the surliest Irishman I have ever encountered! More on that later.

Here's the crew! Ready for a spectacular adventure!


So we started out. At first it is a rather gentle slope, then it gets steadily steeper, until it kind of levels off so you can get around to where you will do some serious climbing. We lucked out with a warm, sunny day. My advice if it starts out chilly, wear things you can peel off and carry a backpack. Hiking pants that zip into shorts were a real asset!

I am thinking it took us about 2-1/2 hours to climb to the top, and about 45 minutes  to get down.
When you get to where you can see that there's only a small part left to go to get to the top, it is all ROCKS. The walking stick, at this stage, seems essential, and it's best if it has a metal tip. So, climbing up the rocks was interesting. I have no idea how people can do it barefoot - but I saw a guy do it and I have the photo to prove it!

I asked and he allowed me to take a photo. (Later my daughter was like - mom what the?!)  In this shot he is already to the top and the rocks aren't as bad. I swear his feet must be like leather.

It was an amazing adventure! My next post will be of all the gorgeous shots of the mountain and the views along the way.

BACK TO BLOGGING

Now it's been over a year since my last post, and I find that I am missing keeping a log of our adventures.

We moved back to the Chicago area on June 11, 2015 - the same day that, 27 years earlier, Steve and I had gotten married.

The logistics of getting back to the US were interesting.  First, we had to book a cab to take us to the airport. It had to be able to fit me, Steve, Zach, Rugby, Chloe, two large dog crates and 9 suitcases. The guy showed up with a mini van pulling an open trailer! Still, it worked, though the dogs h ad to sit in the back seat of the van with me and Zach.

It was easier to get the dogs back to the US than coming to Ireland, since Ireland is rabies free. We had their pet passports and they told us to take them right up to the counter at the airport - so we did! It was quite funny. Then it was time to put them in their crates and they were zoomed off to the airplane to go in the hold under the pilots. It is temperature and pressure controlled for them there.

We had a really n ice flight and drank champaign to  toast our anniversary and then, at long last, we landed at the airport. Haley drove up to pick up Zach and lots of our luggage. We had to wait for the cargo to be unloaded so we could get the dogs. there was a hurling team waiting for their hurling sticks and the workers were just bringing out the sticks and golf clubs and things and setting them on the ground. We had all our papers to show that they were our dogs - and we were told to be prepared  because Homeland Security takes this seriously. So what did they do? They wheeled the dogs out in their crates and dropped them  off and left. ANYONE COULD H AVE PICKED UP MY PUPS!!

Still - we were home and all 5 of us were living on the same continent again. We were happy for that.

Once we moved into our new home, there was unpacking, picking up our things from storage, getting essentials for the house, kids to get sorted, and on and on it goes.  After being back in the states for 10 days, I went back to work for Prairie State Legal Services. Now we have been here for almost a year and though summer was  hot and winter was cold, it feels good to be back around family and all our friends and having lots and lots of things to do! 

So - I wish I hadn't let my blog go unattended for so long - even if it's only me who reads it! It's like my own personal scrap book really. Anyway, I am going to fill in with more from my 2015 adventures and hopefully I will get caught up eventually.

Westport

This is the view out the front of our B&B in Murrisk, which is just about 5 km outside of  Westport.

After checking in with Linda at the Croagh Patrick Lodge B&B, we drove back to Westport to walk around the town and eat.  We  first ate at a pub right on the bay.  There we were able to eat outside - I couldn't  believe how nice the  weather was for us!  It was grand!

Took a picture of the sign because of the Dan Kelly's Cider!  Made me laugh.  I did not have the Donegal Blonde, instead I tried the Independent red ale.  It was very good. Though I do like the Guinness, if you want to drink Irish owned beer, you have to try the various craft beers.  Guinness is still made in Ireland, but as of 1997, it is no longer an Irish-owned company.  There is a March 16, 2014 article in The Economist titled  "Why Guinness is less Irish than you think" and it gives an interesting history of the company.  None of the information is what you would hear at The Guinness Storehouse! 

Scenes from our walk around the town.

And finally, at the end of the day, a gorgeous sunset...

The Trip Westward and Turlough

So we drove to Westport - which route takes us on the N5 that we took three times a week getting Haley to Castlebar for soccer practice. 

Anyway, the road no longer goes through the town of Ballaghaderreen so it does go a bit quicker than before.  No, that is NOT a miss-spelling - that is, in fact, the town name.  I have heard people pronounce it "Balla-ha-dreen" but so, there it is. 

Bear in mind there is a town near me and the sign says it's "Cloondara" but in the papers they spell it "Clondra" and that is how it is also pronounced.  Take place names and such with a grain of salt in Ireland, just sayin....

So, on the N5 I decided to stop, shortly before Castlebar, at a ruin we could see from the road.  Two things you will notice from these first shots: 1. We had a gorgeous, warm, sunny day, and 2. I apparently had a drop of water on my camera lens at some point...

 Kirstin playing god!

The ruin is known as Turlough.  In Irish it is Turlach.

 Now this was interesting - you don't usually see an altar, so I was pretty amazed that this one still stands.  It was worth the stop just for that!

April Visitors!

So on April I picked up these three at the airport!  It was quite early, and I whisked them off to Longford and my humble abode so they could relax and deal with the jet lag.  We spent two nights at my house, taking time to walk the dogs at the Mall and going into town for pints and dinner.  We left on Tuesday April 21st to start a week-long adventure of the West Coast of Ireland!

Dinner at Chez Grace in Coralville

So in April I took a trip back to the states to do some house-hunting.  We started our trip in Iowa City visiting the kids and seeing Jean, Hiram and Marcos on Saturday, and then seeing David on Sunday!  It was a really fun weekend and we also got to catch up with Cindy and Art Abrams and Janet Lyness. 

The dress I got at Clara Ellen when Amy and I were there!

And below is Haley's friend, Olivia, who joined us for dinner.  

Haley picked the restaurant.  It only seats 28 people and we were the only group there.  They actually opened early for us!  Chef David is from Jordan and has lived in Iowa City/Coralville for many years - I think he went to the UI and graduated in the 1970's if I recall correctly.  Anyway, as a chef he is self-taught and the dining experience was incredible!  It was a fabulous afternoon!