On The Road Again!

Thursday, May 23, 2024
Dublin, County Dublin, International
Greg and I are on another bike trip with TDA Global Cycling, riding from Dublin, Ireland to Copenhagen.  The trip is called the Pub Ride - sounds perfect for us:  beer and bikes!  We'll leave Dublin on Sunday, May 26, and will return home on July 2nd.  From Dublin, we'll ride north to Belfast for our first day, then we'll ferry to Scotland, riding to Edinburgh.  From there we'll head south to London, where we'll have 2 rest days, then to Dover for a ferry crossing of the English Channel to Dunkirk.  We'll then ride east through Germany, Belgium, and The Netherlands, ending in Copenhagen.  We know a few of the riders from previous trips, and of course, I'm sure we'll make new friends.  We know several people who have done this trip, and they have all loved it!
We left Phoenix on Monday and arrived in Dublin Tuesday around noon.  It was a very smooth and uneventful trip.  We had pre-arranged a taxi to the hotel, which always makes arrival in a strange place with 2 bicycles so much easier.  It's so great to see our name on a sign when you come through baggage claim!  The bikes arrived in great shape.   At least, the boxes look great.  The hotel has them stored and we'll probably put them together tomorrow.  We also have a Guinness brewery tour planned (called the Guinness Storehouse) with a couple of our friends, so that will be fun
Yesterday we took a bus tour that went south of Dublin, to Kilkenny, the Wicklow Mountains, Glendalough Ecclesiastical Settlement, and, most fun of all, a working sheep farm, where we got to see a working sheep dog and hold baby lambs.  It was an interesting tour, with lots of variety.  Kilkenny is an old town chartered in 1207, and some of the Medieval buildings still exist.  It has the obligatory castle, originally completed in 1213, as part of the defensive system of walls around the city.  Like so many old things in Europe, it has been damaged and rebuilt many times.  The family that owned the castle eventually couldn't afford the upkeep, so they abandoned it for many years and it was in serious disrepair.  In the 1950s, the family sold the castle to the local Castle Restoration Committee for 50 pounds! It is now in beautiful shape, although there are only 3 sides, not 4.   Because of it's Medieval architecture, Kilkenny is also a pretty major tourist attraction, but it was not too busy the morning we were there.
After leaving Kilkenny, the tour took us through the Wicklow mountains, the largest upland area in Ireland.  This area was glaciated, creating some beautiful valleys. There was also a lot of mining of copper and lead, although there is no longer any mining.  It's said that 1/2 of the lead used by Britain during WWI came from the Wicklow mountains.  It's a beautiful area, and it felt like the "real" Ireland:  green and hilly!
We also went to the Glendalough Ecclesiastical Center.  It was originally founded by St. Kevin around 600 A.D., as a place of retreat from the world.  It became a center of learning and a destination for pilgrims.  It was also said that to be buried there was as good as being buried in Rome, and there is a huge cemetery there.  People can still be buried there, but they have to have lived in the valley "long enough", ie, for generations.  It's in a beautiful setting, with ruins all around.
Our final stop for the day (it was a long day!) was at a working sheep farm - so much fun!  Our host's family has been raising sheep in the valley for generations - I think our host, Richie, is the 4th generation, and his grandfather is buried at Glendalough, where we could see his gravestone.  And, he has a son who will continue the tradition.  It was interesting to see the dog, Spot, responding instantly to Richie's commands, moving the sheep.
Last night we had dinner at a very nice seafood restaurant, Sole.  We were told to eat seafood in Dublin, and we were also told Sole was one of the best seafood restaurants in Ireland, if not in Europe.  I question the latter, but it certainly was excellent.
The day we arrived in Dublin, the day was pretty warm, maybe upper 60s, with occasional sun.  Our shuttle driver said it was a pretty unusually nice day, so we told him we brought the warmth from Tucson!  Our tour day started out pretty chilly, but fortunately warmed up a little, although it was windy and overcast.  Today seemed to be more traditional Irish weather:  high of 58, windy and cloudy.  Once again, no rain, though.  Naturally, there's an 80% chance of rain the day we ride out, but we brought lots of warm clothes, so we're prepared.
Enjoy the pictures!

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2025-02-12

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