Yesterday, Anne brought home a bag full of books and DVDs on Ireland so we could better plan our itinerary. We've committed to 7 days of the walking tour but still have another 7 to fill with whatever we want. I think we'll need many more days. One travel film hadn't even left Dublin and already I think we'd used up 3 days. I was ready to scrap the walking tour and rent a car so we could get even further afield.
The good news is that we are heading to the part of Ireland that we think will be the most interesting. We arrive in Dublin and leave from there so we should be able to fit in what we'd like to see. We can see a lot as we journey to Cork and Killarney. The sad news is that the Aran Islands will have to wait for another time.
The best news is that the time of year we have chosen - early July - is when the wildflowers are all blooming on the Burren. This is a desolate piece of glacier-scoured limestone but the flowers are varied and delightful. We'll take the flower and bird books and I hope we'll see this fellow, too: a Marsh Fritillary.
The Burren is a fascinating place. It has the feel of being ancient and remote. But we were driving down a little road there, and had to stop while a whole herd of cattle came from the opposite direction, flowed around our car, and moved on! I was glad the shepherd and his dog were there to keep things moving!
ReplyDeleteAre you going to the Dingle Peninsula? We just loved it there, and stayed a couple of extra nights at our B and B. The Irish are so friendly, we felt immediately at home there.
It should be lovely in July in Ireland, with the wildflowers, as you say!
Teresa