Back to the Chip and Gay side trip. We left the group at Bunratty and headed south through Limerick to Cork on good roads where we get lost twice trying to follow the ring road around the city center – large sprawling industrial city – and finally made it to the southwest road down towards Skibbereen. Eventually we left the main route to make it down to the coast to see a stone circle –name escapes me – which we did. It was a circle of stones….from B.C. and a few mounds of other rocks in a farm field, one other couple staggered in for a look around. Left there on impossibly narrow windy roads and ended up in the little coastal village of Glandore, where we had a bowl of soup in a pub. This little hamlet perched on the hillside overlooking a tidal inlet is a center for yachting, and the yacht club was next to the pub. Left and got lost looking for the also small village of Castletownshend, where Gay’s cousin Mark lives. Eventually stumbled into town after about a 4 hour trip from Bunratty. The town is on a steep hill with old buildings lining each side, one store, one pub. At two big trees growing in the middle of the road, we went right and down to the water where Mark and Sarah Evans live (on weekends from London) in the old Coast Guard station called Rocket House because they used to fire lines out to approaching ships from the station to secure them at anchorage. Place nicely renovated with amazing views. Gay went for a walk with Sarah while Chip put his feet up for a bit. Eventually Mark returned from the gym and we all had tea, talked about everything, mostly the family, and Sarah cooked a nice dinner of fish and veggies. No internet or cell phones here in this retreat from Mark’s business world, but much talk of books and the world. Sarah has started a small school in London for kids at risk, and is preoccupied much of the time administering the Westside School in London. Kids (4) all away at school, three at Princeton, one in high school somewhere.
After an early night and sound sleep we awoke to strong winds and driving rain, postponing our promised boat tour of the area. Had a nice breakfast, on this our 39th wedding anniversary, then went to the Lissard Estate gardens for a nice walk in sprinkling rain, culminating in a visit to the artwork/earth amphitheater, a large grass oval with two flat stones two people can lie on and look up at the “sky garden”? A worker named Patrick, a volunteer from the US, turned up and explained the whole weird installation and asked our opinion of the brush trimming strategy to p
reserve the artistic vision. Everyone had an opinion, of course. We finally hit the road at bout 11:30 made it back through Cork with out a problem and home in 4 hours to find the group chilling at the cottage. Leila left flowers for us in our room. We chilled for a bit and then headed off to Doolin and McGann’s for an anniversary dinner at a reserved table by the musicians, followed by Ted and group making music until we left about 11 and headed home to pack for return home. Stars were out by the time we pulled in to Ashgrove Cottage.
Back to the Chip and Gay side trip. We left the group at Bunratty and headed south through Limerick to Cork on good roads where we get lost twice trying to follow the ring road around the city center – large sprawling industrial city – and finally made it to the southwest road down towards Skibbereen. Eventually we left the main route to make it down to the coast to see a stone circle –name escapes me – which we did. It was a circle of stones….from B.C. and a few mounds of other rocks in a farm field, one other couple staggered in for a look around. Left there on impossibly narrow windy roads and ended up in the little coastal village of Glandore, where we had a bowl of soup in a pub. This little hamlet perched on the hillside overlooking a tidal inlet is a center for yachting, and the yacht club was next to the pub. Left and got lost looking for the also small village of Castletownshend, where Gay’s cousin Mark lives. Eventually stumbled into town after about a 4 hour trip from Bunratty. The town is on a steep hill with old buildings lining each side, one store, one pub. At two big trees growing in the middle of the road, we went right and down to the water where Mark and Sarah Evans live (on weekends from London) in the old Coast Guard station called Rocket House because they used to fire lines out to approaching ships from the station to secure them at anchorage. Place nicely renovated with amazing views. Gay went for a walk with Sarah while Chip put his feet up for a bit. Eventually Mark returned from the gym and we all had tea, talked about everything, mostly the family, and Sarah cooked a nice dinner of fish and veggies. No internet or cell phones here in this retreat from Mark’s business world, but much talk of books and the world. Sarah has started a small school in London for kids at risk, and is preoccupied much of the time administering the Westside School in London. Kids (4) all away at school, three at Princeton, one in high school somewhere.
After an early night and sound sleep we awoke to strong winds and driving rain, postponing our promised boat tour of the area. Had a nice breakfast, on this our 39th wedding anniversary, then went to the Lissard Estate gardens for a nice walk in sprinkling rain, culminating in a visit to the artwork/earth amphitheater, a large grass oval with two flat stones two people can lie on and look up at the “sky garden”? A worker named Patrick, a volunteer from the US, turned up and explained the whole weird installation and asked our opinion of the brush trimming strategy to p
reserve the artistic vision. Everyone had an opinion, of course. We finally hit the road at bout 11:30 made it back through Cork with out a problem and home in 4 hours to find the group chilling at the cottage. Leila left flowers for us in our room. We chilled for a bit and then headed off to Doolin and McGann’s for an anniversary dinner at a reserved table by the musicians, followed by Ted and group making music until we left about 11 and headed home to pack for return home. Stars were out by the time we pulled in to Ashgrove Cottage.
