Week 01
- Friday 11-7-2003 -

11:40, Making plans

Now I am in Ireland. What to do next???

First of all I forgot one thing to mention yesterday. Accoarding to the Lonely Planet one thing that would strike visitors are the people. They should be very helpfull and open to visitors. I could already notice this yesterday. When I was in Rosslare strand I went to a small petrol station. I filled my tank with diesel and then went inside to pay. I told the women behind the cashier that I would like to pay for the diesel. She asked me how much I had to pay. I had check that myself... When I went back to my car, a dutch voice asked me if I could help lifting a gas-cylinder. I think that's the first time that I arrived in a country and be talked to in my own language!

Yesterday I could notice already that I had missed some sleep the last days. So before 23:00 I went to sleep (that's still midnight on the 'mainland'). I did have a perfect sleep since I woke up only at 10 o'clock.

After the morning ritual (washing, put away the bed, change the CD's in the cartridge) I studied the lonely planet to see what to do next. Should I make the trip clockwise, counter clockwise or first to the inland. While listing to the radio (the pop station, frequency found in the lonely planet) I heard that there is a music festival going on somewhere in Ireland (the campsite opens in 4 minutes, Coldplay plays saturday, white stripes are not playing). I was hoping to see such a festival so I have to go to a internet cafe to check www.2FM.ie where the festival is. Otherwise REM is playing the 16th and 17th in Dublin!

So now I go to Kilkenny (not related to the beer appereantly, I could also not found anything related to poor little Kenny in Southpark that gets killed every episode). Kilkenny is in the inland, I can then still go clockwise (first the typical coastlines, then north Ireland including the Giant's Causeway, then the 'swamps') or just the other way round...

22:31, The end of a perfect day

This was a good day! First I went to Kilkenny. This was indeed a lively town -sorry a city-. I just wandered around a little bit, just to get a feel for the atmosphere of Irish towns. I did not enter onem but the pubs looked very appealing (I had to drive...). I also went to see the castle. This was still well preservered and a lot of restorations are still in progress. But you could notice that it has been in a pretty bad shape. Also all the furnutire was sold in 1935 (people lived in it until that period). The guide was very clear and I would recommend the tour to everybody visiting Kilkenny.


Kilkenny castle seen from the rosegarden

A pice of 'art' displayed in the basement

Text for this art... (I think to prevent that is taken away by the garbage men)

The stables were converted into all kinds of small (handcraft) shops. They were worth a visit as much as the castle itself!

I also went to see an internet cafe for the first time. Time to send an update of the site and to check my mail. A student at my work has some Irish friends and he did sent me some parts of Ireland I really need to see. I also checked out the festival and I even was able to buy a ticket! So I already know where I have to be on Sunday: Dublin. The festival is on a race-track. So if it is a horse-race-track I will have a replacement for the Pinkpop festival that I didn't visit this year.

I did find a nice place again to spend the night. I used the detailed map and a compas to get here. It was hard to find since the signs are not always clear and in place when you leave the main roads. The problems already start on the regional roads. I missed a few turns here and there. But since there is only little traffic, I soon learned to stop a few times to check where I was and where to go. You really need to check at very crossing... A compass helps to assure that you are going in the right direction.

But I am at a perfect place now! I am south-east of Carlow, near Myshall. There is a T.V. antenna on the biggest hill in the region and close to it is a parking. When I had dinner I was looking away for kilometers and to a beautiful sunset. As a bonus I also saw some hanggliders taking off.


Hangglider preparing for take-off.