one hundred shades of green

The blue line highlights our trek across the Irish isle. 1700 km and some good memories later, we now know which parts we'd enjoy returning to. This trip also helped to develop a healthy appreciation for the color green, assertive Irish people, and vegetable soup (otherwise known as the 'soup of the day').

A plethora of adventure was added to the trip by driving on the left side of road (when the roads were two lanes wide), using a stick-shift, lacking visibility, and herding sheep and cattle!

The town of Dingle and the Dingle Peninsula were both picturesque and quaint. Perhaps our best evening of comfort food (please tell me how to make nut loaf), Irish music, and sleep was enjoyed here!

Dingle seascape. If you'd like enough scenery shots for 10 monthly Ireland calendars, Katie or I will gladly accommodate your request.

The Irish fondness for brews is exemplified by the multiple advertisements for Guinness, produced in Dublin. Cheers...to the health of it!?

Did I say green...and picturesque? This sheep proves that 'king of the hill' is all a matter of perspective.

Kylemore Castle (1868) in Connemara National Park was tranquil and postcard-worthy. Sadly, the wealthy owner's wife died seven years after it was built, so it was rarely lived in.

Could we pause for a brief moment of silence in honor of the best salad Katie or I have ever savored?

Strandhill in County Sligo, renowned for ideal surfing conditions, is a seaside town with a great feel. Katie and I woke up during a short jog on this beach.

Li'l Bo Peep...minus a staff, plus Chacos...and not so little. Slieve League cliffs on the west coast of Donegal claim to be the highest sea cliffs in Europe. Great views...but truly by this moment, I sadly was growing numb to beauty.

While poor quality video, perhaps you will get the feel for this stringed instrument recital at a pub in Bunbeg, Ireland.

In Donegal County, Katie and I climbed Mt. Errigal, which is situated above Gweedore. Do these locations not sound like they should be in J.R. Tolkien's writings? 2,466 vertical feet was good for lung expansion after days of lackluster exercise. We made friends with an Irish gentleman, Pat, during our climb, who assured us that Northern Ireland was quite safe (contrary to everyone else we had previously asked...whew).

Street signs in Ireland and Northern Ireland proved most curious. Other examples include: "Tree Surgery"; "Speed kills, 121 people were killed on Galway County Roads in the Past 4 Years"; and "Slow - Elderly Crossing".

Katie's connections in Belfast came through and provided a lovely evening, including singing hymns old and new.

For a country pulsing with passion and tragedy, it was most physically expressed via murals in West Belfast, where much of the Northern Ireland conflict blood was shed.

Our black cab taxi driver, Norman, provided fine commentary and pens for us to write on the Peace Wall.

And this is why I am glad to be home and perhaps shall stay for a while..."the queues were appalling", the Irish would say with a upward tilt at the end of their sentence...