Wednesday in two Irelands
Thursday, 15 June 2017 09:13 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
byslantedlightI started off in Eire, of course, and nipped down to the sea to see the Burren Coast, which was gloriously a bit odd, with random round boulders just sitting in spots, apparently balanced perfectly. My photos don't do it nearly justice, cos I was trying to avoid a coachload full of tourists who appeared just as I stopped!
Hoping to get closer to the strange landscape, I turned left and came across an unexpected wee castle!
I do like stairs... *g*
It was also home to the Burren Art School, which had a free exhibition, although it turned out to be the remains of one that was just over.
An Irish traffic jam - peat tractor!
And then something odd happened. I'd been wondering about the border, knowing it was open (cos EU - at least for now *headdesk*) and aware that I was very close, but then suddenly it was as if I felt a jolt, and everything was suddenly right, and very familiar. It took me a moment, but I realised it was because the road had just suddenly changed to having UK road markings, not Irish ones! But I really did feel a massive sense of home, and a kind of security and comfort - very odd! I suppose it was that everything really was familiar and known, and I didn't have to spend a bit of my brain on working it out and making sure I'd got it right... and yet the place itself was otherwise exactly the same place in non-legal ways. Place really is in your head, isn't it! *g*
Just to prove it all, my first stop was an NT property, purely because I was going past, had driven for long enough, and could see that it had tearooms and a toilet!
You walked through woods to get there though, surrounded by birds singing, and I must admit that added to my newly-recovered feeling of comfort and peace!
And then, because as you probably know I also love them - caves! I spotted them on the map, but didn't think I'd end up near them, and was quite disappointed cos I'd reluctantly decided that I didn't have time to visit Doolin Caves before leaving that morning. But the satnav took me close enough that... yeay, caves! *g*
And then I drove like anything for the north coast, and here I am, about to set off to the Giant's Causeway. Wish me luck, and a lack of tourists! *g*
Hoping to get closer to the strange landscape, I turned left and came across an unexpected wee castle!
I do like stairs... *g*
It was also home to the Burren Art School, which had a free exhibition, although it turned out to be the remains of one that was just over.
An Irish traffic jam - peat tractor!
And then something odd happened. I'd been wondering about the border, knowing it was open (cos EU - at least for now *headdesk*) and aware that I was very close, but then suddenly it was as if I felt a jolt, and everything was suddenly right, and very familiar. It took me a moment, but I realised it was because the road had just suddenly changed to having UK road markings, not Irish ones! But I really did feel a massive sense of home, and a kind of security and comfort - very odd! I suppose it was that everything really was familiar and known, and I didn't have to spend a bit of my brain on working it out and making sure I'd got it right... and yet the place itself was otherwise exactly the same place in non-legal ways. Place really is in your head, isn't it! *g*
Just to prove it all, my first stop was an NT property, purely because I was going past, had driven for long enough, and could see that it had tearooms and a toilet!
You walked through woods to get there though, surrounded by birds singing, and I must admit that added to my newly-recovered feeling of comfort and peace!
And then, because as you probably know I also love them - caves! I spotted them on the map, but didn't think I'd end up near them, and was quite disappointed cos I'd reluctantly decided that I didn't have time to visit Doolin Caves before leaving that morning. But the satnav took me close enough that... yeay, caves! *g*
And then I drove like anything for the north coast, and here I am, about to set off to the Giant's Causeway. Wish me luck, and a lack of tourists! *g*
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Date: Thursday, 15 June 2017 08:54 am (UTC)no subject
Date: Thursday, 15 June 2017 11:02 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: Thursday, 15 June 2017 10:59 am (UTC)no subject
Date: Thursday, 15 June 2017 11:05 pm (UTC)We didn't float for more than a few minutes, but it was fab...!
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Date: Thursday, 15 June 2017 11:40 am (UTC)no subject
Date: Thursday, 15 June 2017 09:32 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: Thursday, 15 June 2017 11:06 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: Thursday, 15 June 2017 12:15 pm (UTC)Now, there's *points above* an AU story to be told... Write it, someone, please!
*dreams of our Lads defending 'innocents' from a dragon. Somehow, Doyle gets swallowed whole and finds himself in the dragon's innards. Bodie goes to the rescue; and, on locating his partner, can genuinely return the 'dumb crud' comment...*
Loving your holiday wanderings, bsl.
r (of the photo prompts)
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Date: Thursday, 15 June 2017 11:08 pm (UTC)And thank you! Nice to see you again too! *g*
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Date: Thursday, 15 June 2017 01:49 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: Thursday, 15 June 2017 11:10 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: Thursday, 15 June 2017 01:55 pm (UTC)However I love caves! That place is super cool! Giant's Causeway is such so interesting and fun! It's a nice walk so I hope you have a lack of tourists and good weather, although weather didn't deter us. We had rain, rain and rain.
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Date: Thursday, 15 June 2017 11:15 pm (UTC)There were lots of tourists at the Causeway, but I suspect it could have been worse! Much quieter where I am now...
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Date: Thursday, 15 June 2017 07:26 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: Thursday, 15 June 2017 11:17 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: Thursday, 15 June 2017 11:37 pm (UTC)Love the wee castle and the caves are awesome and even the peat truck is something unusual (at least here)!
My summer break is starting today (with rain), and I'm busy packing the MG for a 4 day trip. Hoping for some dry weather to go hiking.
Enjoy the rest of your trip!
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Date: Friday, 16 June 2017 01:13 am (UTC)And I hear what you say about the Eire/NI border...! Though to me it would feel a bit of the opposite: the sense of Eire being associated with more familiarity/closer to home/in the sense of more "EU-centric"... :)
I crossed the border in 1992 near Enniskillen, I was driving with three friends, coming from Eire and we wanted to cross into NI briefly aa a shortcut in going back to Dublin where we had to return our rental car; suddenly, while driving through beautiful country scenery, a military patrol pops nearly out of nowhere, all wearing camo uniform, armed with rifles or submachine guns, the oldest of the soldiers could not have been older than 21, it was almost surreal. They asked us not just for our passports/IDs, but also wanted to know where we were going, for how long etc. Didn't hold us long, but I remember feeling a bit scared. A reminder of how tense the situation still was then; and such a contrast to the otherwise peaceful, idyllic landscape, atmosphere and just 'feel' of the place we'd been enjoying till then... !
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Date: Friday, 16 June 2017 01:37 am (UTC)no subject
Date: Friday, 16 June 2017 09:43 pm (UTC)