Hiking Day 1 – Tralee to Camp (Tra Li - An Com) 11 miles

Sunny – jacket weather

We took showers with no towels this morning (don’t ask) and supplemented the hostel’s breakfast of coffee and toast with the fruit and yoghurt from the grocery. We were out the door at 7:10 to begin our seven to nine hour hike to the town of Camp.

We left Tralee and walked along a pretty canal to Blennerville, home of the largest working windmill in the British Isles. After stopping at the town’s only gas station to buy sandwiches for lunch, we got turned around and walked 45 minutes down the wrong road before realizing our mistake and backtracking to find the trail.

The Dingle Way is marked with a yellow hiker man with an arrow that points the way we should be going. We learned that morning not to trust the descriptions in our guide (which contain no street names or distances, just directions like “pass junctions on the left and right until you come to a dip”, but to always look for the Dingle Man.


After several miles on a tarmac road going uphill, we opened a gate to join the sheep on a mountainside. We’d worked up enough of a sweat to stow our jackets and hike in shirtsleeves. All the land on this trail is privately owned, so we either have to open a gate or climb a stile (a ladder over a fence) to get from one property to the next.



The trail continued uphill over many rocks (and sheep poop) across the side of the mountain (this is called contouring as opposed to climbing up the mountain).



I was slowing down as the pain in my feet increased, and Jim estimated that we wouldn’t get in for 12 hours at our current pace, which didn’t make me feel any better.


When we stopped to eat our sandwiches, Jim plastered up the tender areas of my feet so they wouldn’t blister, and gave me some coffee to re-energize me.







We crossed several streams by rock-hopping, and my foot sank in the bog in several places where I couldn’t quite reach the next rock – yuck!





The views were beautiful. As we started to head back downhill, my mood (and my pace) improved.

























We stopped at the ruins of Killelton Church that was built in the 900s, and where, until recently, women continued to bury their babies. There was a tree bedecked with ribbons representing prayers for the dead babies, reminiscent of memorials we’d seen in Asia.



We were back on level ground now, and climbed seven stiles and traversed the Finglas River on stepping stones to approach the town of Camp. Elapsed time = 8 hours, including lunch, breaks and the 45 minute wrong turning. I’d say we made the journey in very good time!

The Finglas Bed and Breakfast is run by a lovely lady named Katherine Daly. When she saw my bedraggled, muddy state, she ushered us into her nicest room with a full bath, “...so you can have a good soak, dear.”




Cleaning up did indeed revive my spirits, as did the fish and chips and the pint of Guinness from James Ashe’s Pub next door (It was national Fish and Chips day…) When you raise your glass here, the toast is “Slainte!” which is pronounced “Slancha!”

Travelling to Tralee (Tra Li)

Bright and sunny, jacket weather.

We found a lovely grocery around the corner from our Dublin hotel, and bought yoghurt and croissants for breakfast, and wraps and apples for lunch on the train. Today we journey south and west to County Kerry and Tralee, where our hike will begin. We managed to purchase tram tickets out of a machine after only a few tries, and zoomed across town in a very futuristic-looking tram called the LUAS over to the Heuston train station.

Luckily we got there early, as we found out at the next machine that the one-way tickets to Tralee were going to cost 68 euro instead of the 10 we were expecting. A trip over to the Information Desk revealed that tickets purchased online are priced very differently than tickets purchased at the station. There is an internet terminal in the station that gives you 10 minutes of access for 1 euro, but we didn’t have the faintest idea what website to access to buy these tickets. After another trip over to the Info desk, the nice lady took pity on us and got online and purchased the tickets for us.

They were very impressive looking works of art, with reserved car and seat numbers. Once we boarded the (immaculate) train, we found our names displayed via LCD over our respective seats – pretty cool. A steward came down the aisle periodically offering tea and snacks, and there was a concession car that offered fresh fruit and sandwiches. Did I mention the toilet? Another technological wonder, with sliding doors and every amenity – very impressive!

We changed trains at Mallow and saw many young backpackers on the next train. Were they all on their way to Tralee? Nope – they all got off at Killarney, for the longer, more strenuous Ring of Kerry hike. We were the only hikers going to Tralee today. We decided to stay at Finnegan’s Hostel, after two nights at our posh hotel. What’s the difference between a hotel and hostel? No soap, and no towels.

We did get a nice double room with a big window overlooking Tralee Park, across from Ashe Memorial Hall. Thomas Ashe is honored in many towns around here for being the first hunger striker to die in 1917 during the struggle for Irish independence. This hostel had all the rooms named after famous Irish writers; ours was called Roddy Doyle, and down the hall were Maeve Binchy and WB Yeats…

We settled in, then walked around the town, and through Tralee Park. Here is the statue of the Rose of Tralee, which is an annual beauty pageant open to any young lass around the world as long as she is of Irish heritage. The Tralee Festival takes place in August. True to its calling, the park was full of blooming roses, as well as many other flowers.

We found a grocery where we could pick up tomorrow’s breakfast and lunch (only tea and toast were provided at the hostel) and came across the Red Chilli Indian restaurant. Imagine our surprise to find the restaurant managed by a young German girl who had learned about all things Indian during a one month meditation retreat to study under Sai Baba (one of Jim’s favorite gurus). The food was excellent!

We walked until we found the start of the Dingle Way, which is shown on the map below. The hike covers 112 miles around the Dingle Peninsula, starting and ending here in Tralee. The route is marked with yellow icons of a hiking man, and goes along public roads, farmer's fields, mountains and beaches. Over the next nine days we'll average 12 miles of walking per day, ending each day's walk in a town which should have a place for us to sleep and the ability to get an evening meal. (We have not reserved rooms ahead). We will be carrying our packs (mine weighs about 25 pounds, Jim's is heavier as he is carrying extra food, fuel and an alcohol stove) and we each have one walking pole. We are hoping for sun, but prepared for both cold and rain. We can't wait to get started!

Walking around Dublin - Day 2

Headed over the Ha'Penny Bridge (built in 1816) across the River Liffy this morning, to the Temple Bar area, which is Dublin's cultural quarter.

Walked through the gates into Dublin Castle, a cluster of buildings built around a square, which is now used for government offices as well as museums and the Chester Beatty Library, that housed a collection of art from eastern and Islam religions, illuminated manuscripts as well as pieces of several of the letters of St. Paul.

We proceeded to Christchurch Cathedral, which was built over a period from 1036 to the mid 12th century in the original Viking settlement of Dubh Linn.

Sitting in this space reminded me of Ken Follett’s “Pillars of the Earth”. How did thy build so high, so ornately, without any machinery? One of the answers is provided here – this cathedral contains the Leaning Wall of Dublin – out of perpendicular by 18 inches. Nobody’s perfect! The windows are high and small and OLD.

The crypt below was DARK and displayed a mummified cat and rat, removed from the pipe organ in the 1860s. The Peace Chapel of St. Laud contains a reliquary of the heart of an Archbishop who died here in 1180. Prayers for peace in the world are offered here daily. Below is a photo of Jim standing next to a tomb within the sanctuary where people come to swear oaths.

Had lunch at a Lebanese restaurant (you may notice we are not going out of our way to find Irish food - tip of the hat to my grandmother's cooking...), and then toured the National Museum, which contained several well preserved Bog Bodies, thought to have been noblemen offered as sacrifice by the Druids and thrown in the bog, which preserved even clothing, skin and hair. The schoolkids were notably impressed!

Walking along the River Liffy, we came upon a series of statues honoring the victims of the Irish famine in the 1800s. Sobering.
We ended the day at the national Library, which has an extensive genealogical research area, which did not garner me one new piece of data about my O’Keeffe ancestors from County Cork. Jim spent the time in a multi-media exhibition of the works of William Butler Yeats. We celebrated the end of the day with our first pint of Guinness at the James Joyce pub (it turns out that I really like Guinness!) Tomorrow, we travel to start our hike!

Walking around Dublin (Dubh Linn)

Sunny and cool – jacket weather

Our plane touched down in Dublin around 6am, and we hopped on a bus (very easy) to get to O’Connell St. downtown, where we walked the few blocks to the Abbey Hotel. Lovely and bright, we admired the view for about thirty seconds, then we promptly collapsed in bed to recover the six hours of sleep we missed by travelling east all night.

Got up at 11am and started our exploration of Dublin. By law, all public signage is shown both in English and Irish (Gaelic). I'll be providing some Gaelic when I can. Walked to Trinity College, built in 1592, to see the Book of Kells, Ireland’s most famous illuminated manuscript of the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, in Latin, lavishly decorated in gold leaf and colored inks. Created in the 800s, they were sent to Trinity for safekeeping in 1661. I am awed and amazed by anything made by the hands of man that is that old, and has survived for such a long time. How did they manage to preserve it during all the wars and bombings Dublin has undergone in the last 1200 years? In the same Old Library is the Long Room, which contains over 200,000 of the library’s oldest works, running from floor to ceiling two stories high, with skinny ladders at intervals so that the books on the upper shelves can be reached. Imagine the research you could accomplish here!

In the museum on campus we came across the skeleton of a giant Irish Deer, which was as tall as an elephant. The college buildings are laid out around Parliament Square, where the students reclined and sat in groups, eating their lunches – how lucky to go to a school with so much history. Did the students in the 1600s eat their lunches here too?

In the afternoon we walked all around St. Stephen’s Green, a lovely park right in the middle of the city, with a waterfall, and a Victorian floral garden at its center, and a picturesque ivy-covered cottage at one end. Flowers are in bloom everywhere, and the noise of the city fades away. What a nice respite!

Tucked in the middle of a block of buildings is University Church, which we would have missed if we hadn’t been looking for it. Inside were a beautiful set of murals of vivid colors, with predominant blues, above a neo-Byzantine interior, with a Mary chapel off to one side. Close by is the Huguenot Cemetery, where the French who fled the persecution of Louis XIV are buried. The alliance between the French and the Irish recurs throughout Irish history.

We had our first lunch of real pub food in a larger pub nearby – homemade mushroom soup and toasted chicken sandwiches.

Stopped in at St. Ann’s Anglican Church (Church of Ireland) built in 1707, and had a nice chat with a friendly verger and the choir director, as he practiced for the next service. Above the choirmaster’s head was a shelf containing three loaves of bread, which he explained are the result of an endowment since 1723 to provide a daily supply of bread for the benefit of any poor person, who can come in and take a loaf as needed with no questions asked.

Although we saw a few homeless begging alms on the street, the overall feel of the city we saw today is busy, multi-cultural, working and fairly prosperous. The tourist area around Grafton St. is a pedestrian-only area with all kinds of shops and restaurants, street musicians, buskers, and flower stalls. Dinner was Indian buffet with lots of delicious dishes to sample, then we turned in early – I think we’ll sleep well tonight!

A Day of Flying

After finishing up the very emotional finale to LOST this morning, Peter came to take us to the airport. We flew USAir from Norfolk to Philadelphia to Boston, and then had to find the International terminal via bus (not an easy task) for our Aer Lingus flight. The young man at the Aer Lingus counter was from Belfast, and gave us our first taste of trying to understand English spoken with an Irish accent – we couldn’t understand a word he said! We're excited to be on our way!