Thursday, April 10, 2008
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Day 6: Ireland Continues to Amaze
Have you ever read one of those books that is so engaging that you can't set it down? So inviting that you can't read it fast enough? Where, as the story in each chapter unfolds, the pages beg to be turned? I have found Ireland to be a book so intoxicating that each new day is like a page so luring that it can't go unread. Ireland is a place where one new adventure begets another of even greater grander. And with each new adventure comes the anticipation of the next day.
Today's adventure began with a 40 minute trek through some of the country's most interesting countryside, to the water's edge at Rossaveal, and then another 45 minutes by boat to the Aran Islands - a land that time left behind. It was not until 1979 that these three islands of less than a 1000 people first saw electricity. And still, the one room bank is only open one day a week. The few shops that exist, offer the bare essentials to maintain a very plain lifestyle. Property rights go back generations, and life on the island remains pretty much unchanged, and remarkably slight of commercialism.
Our guided tour took us to centuries old ruins, miles and miles and miles of stone walls that divide properties, and to the realization of the hard life led by hundreds of generations before us. To walk over these ancient lands and to imagine the shear amount of work that went into making this land barely survivable is mind boggling. Families literally hand-cleared the tons and tons of metamorphic rock, and moved tons more of sand from the shores to the fields of rock, creating small checker boards that would sustain fields of green, cattle, sheep, and small gardens of potatoes and basic vegetables. But then we made it to some of the most spectacular cliffs that you will ever see.
To walk up to the very edge of a 300 foot drop is nothing short of nuts. Those with half a brain, crawled up to the edge on hands and knees and then laid flat on their bellies to sneak a peek of unbelievable beauty. Here the ice cold waters of the Atlantic Ocean thunder against the cliffs with unrelenting power. The wind is ever present, and there is a sense of raw purity in the air. As Peter put it, many on this trip will never make this way again in their lifetime. It is something we had never seen, and will most likely, never experience again. It is a history lesson leaving our senses in wonder and overflowing with amazement.
To a person, today's journey is unparalleled in a trip of unfolding enchantment. And while our trip to the Aran's may seem hard to top, tomorrow promises to be the finale in a week of finales as we travel to the Bunratty Castle, and to a place where the 300 foot cliffs of the Aran's give way to the 700 foot Cliffs of Moher.
Monica, Tyler got the big squeeze you requested - and as you will see, several moms got in the act. Kayley has been enjoying every moment of her time in Ireland, and Karisa is just taking it all in. Alexandra has not stopped smiling since she arrived, and David...he was tied to his seat on the bus ;-) Coaches Peter and Don and their wives seem to be having a very nice time on the trip. And so you know, this is a working trip complete with 5:30 am practices. Tomorrow evening the Mayor of Galway will be hosting the team at a reception - an honor to all of us, and a very proud moment for our coaches.
As I close, I need to do something that I have meant to do from day one: THANK YOU TRAVEL AGENT JAYNE, FOR ALL OF YOUR HARD WORK. Without you, this trip would not have happened. Every connection, every bus arrangement, and all hotel arrangements have been flawless. To many, the smoothness of this trip may be lost in the moment that is Ireland. But know that we all appreciate what you have done for us.
Today's adventure began with a 40 minute trek through some of the country's most interesting countryside, to the water's edge at Rossaveal, and then another 45 minutes by boat to the Aran Islands - a land that time left behind. It was not until 1979 that these three islands of less than a 1000 people first saw electricity. And still, the one room bank is only open one day a week. The few shops that exist, offer the bare essentials to maintain a very plain lifestyle. Property rights go back generations, and life on the island remains pretty much unchanged, and remarkably slight of commercialism.
Our guided tour took us to centuries old ruins, miles and miles and miles of stone walls that divide properties, and to the realization of the hard life led by hundreds of generations before us. To walk over these ancient lands and to imagine the shear amount of work that went into making this land barely survivable is mind boggling. Families literally hand-cleared the tons and tons of metamorphic rock, and moved tons more of sand from the shores to the fields of rock, creating small checker boards that would sustain fields of green, cattle, sheep, and small gardens of potatoes and basic vegetables. But then we made it to some of the most spectacular cliffs that you will ever see.
To walk up to the very edge of a 300 foot drop is nothing short of nuts. Those with half a brain, crawled up to the edge on hands and knees and then laid flat on their bellies to sneak a peek of unbelievable beauty. Here the ice cold waters of the Atlantic Ocean thunder against the cliffs with unrelenting power. The wind is ever present, and there is a sense of raw purity in the air. As Peter put it, many on this trip will never make this way again in their lifetime. It is something we had never seen, and will most likely, never experience again. It is a history lesson leaving our senses in wonder and overflowing with amazement.
To a person, today's journey is unparalleled in a trip of unfolding enchantment. And while our trip to the Aran's may seem hard to top, tomorrow promises to be the finale in a week of finales as we travel to the Bunratty Castle, and to a place where the 300 foot cliffs of the Aran's give way to the 700 foot Cliffs of Moher.
Monica, Tyler got the big squeeze you requested - and as you will see, several moms got in the act. Kayley has been enjoying every moment of her time in Ireland, and Karisa is just taking it all in. Alexandra has not stopped smiling since she arrived, and David...he was tied to his seat on the bus ;-) Coaches Peter and Don and their wives seem to be having a very nice time on the trip. And so you know, this is a working trip complete with 5:30 am practices. Tomorrow evening the Mayor of Galway will be hosting the team at a reception - an honor to all of us, and a very proud moment for our coaches.
As I close, I need to do something that I have meant to do from day one: THANK YOU TRAVEL AGENT JAYNE, FOR ALL OF YOUR HARD WORK. Without you, this trip would not have happened. Every connection, every bus arrangement, and all hotel arrangements have been flawless. To many, the smoothness of this trip may be lost in the moment that is Ireland. But know that we all appreciate what you have done for us.
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