This weekend we went to Dingle and it was AMAZING! The weather was perfect, and the town was so cute. We took a four hour bus ride and didn't get there until around eightish. Once we found our hostel we settled in and headed out for the night. The guy who owned our hsotel gave us a little map and told us about a few pubs to try. We went to the most famous Dingle pub Dick Mack's. When we first walked in it seemed really small, but we found some face and got our Guinness's. They tasted so good after the long bus ride and it was one of the best pints I've had so far. We started chatting with a bunch of guys near us and learned they were a group of doctors who come to Ireland every year to get away. They were having so much fun and it seemed like it would be such a cool thing to do when we get older.
The next morning after our full Irish breakfast we found a shop to rent bicycles from. We got them for the day and went to the tourist information office to ask for some tips on where to go. She highlighted a route called Slea Head Road and told us it's a gorgeous thirty mile road around the coast and through the countryside. She said when she did it it only took her about five hours. We weren't worried because she didn't look like she was in top notch biker shape.
When we first headed out at around 11:30 it was beautiful, the views were perfect. The road winded along the coast and was right on top of cliffs that dropped down into the ocean. We stopped in a small town to get some sandwiches for a picnic, and stopped a lot for photos. We found a path that led down to the side of a cliff and stopped to eat our lunches, and then hopped back on the bike. We saw so many cute little baby lambs, and a few cows. We also stopped at a few beaches that looked like they would be awesome to visit during the summer. It really was a perfect day for biking and the weather could not have been better.
After a while, we came to a fork in the road, and weren't sure which way to take. We tried to follow the map, but it didn't feel right once we came to a few massive hills that were not easy to bike up. We stopped to ask a little old lady who was walking her dog if we were on the right path, and she could only speak Irish! We decided to keep going, and eventually found ourself in an exact place we had stopped an hour back. We had done a huge circle! I flagged down a guy driving a tractor and he was able to give us some directions on how to get on the right track towards Dingle. He said it was only about seven miles and should only take us a half hour on the bikes. After about a half hour we got nervous again and stopped at a pub to ask for more directions. Everyone in there told us we were on the right track, and it should only be seven miles to town! Either the first guy lied to us to make us feel better, or Irish people are really bad at estimating distances! The sun was beginning to set and the next leg of the ride was so hilly. I was so tired and could barely move up the huge hills, and the sheep were beginning to get pretty old. Once we got to the top of our last mountainous hill, we saw the lights of Dingle in the distance, and it was all downhill from there. We were so happy to finally get back (at 7:00...7 1/2 hours later!), but could barely walk by the time we returned our bike. We headed straight to a pub for some dinner and it hurt to sit in the booths. It felt like my butt was black and blue with bruises from the bike seat and my knees were killing. I felt like a seventy five year old lady I was so achy!
After dinner we went back to the hostel to shower and relax a little, then went out for a few pints. We were so tired we could barely keep our eyes open in the pub, so we turned in early for the night. The next morning we stayed in town and did a little shopping before we had to catch the bus at 3:30. I loved Dingle and it was such a great weekend, despite the whole getting lost in the middle of no where thing.
This week is RAG week at NUIG. It's supposed to be a constant party and I can currently hear people outside partying and it's only 1 PM. Last night I stayed in because we got back late from Dingle, and people were outside until about 3 AM. I want to get involved on the festivities, but I'm not sure if I'll be able to go all week! I'll be sure to let you know how it goes!
No comments:
Post a Comment