Reflections on the trip to Ireland

 This was a once-in-a-lifetime trip. It was so special to spend this amount of time with Jecca. We celebrated being 75 and 50 in a unique way.

  The Dingle Way was a challenge for me. 80 miles of hiking and walking. There were a lot of hills that we steep for me with a variety of terrain - small stones, large stones, mud etc. We walked beaches and old grassy roads (boreens). And probably more tarmac than we would have liked.

   The accommodations varied, but most were modest bed and breakfasts, several in small villages of less than 300 people. 

    The accent in Kerry is stronger than the accent in Dublin and we met many people who have lived in the same area and whose families went back generations.

  We were SO lucky to have had NO rain while we were hiking which is quite rare.

  I learned that walking is a very good way to see things. It was zen-like and it took me a day or two to realize that. At first, I wanted to "conquer" the day and tended to want to hurry. Jecca slowed me down and made me realize we had all day to get to our destination. (The days are so much longer in that latitude.) We stopped to see birds, flowers, trees, shrubs, cows, sheet.  Wild fuchsia was everywhere.  The trip out to the Blasket Islands was special and magical.

   We met friendly and memorable people along the way, although never hiked with anyone. We'd see them and chat and move on.

     It was quite a contrast to get to the hustle and bustle of Dublin and it was a bit overwhelming at first. Of course, the fact that we were there during a major rugby match and a 3-day concert made it even busier.

      It was great to get away from the horror of the American political scene, although we could not completely escape it as we did read the headlines in the morning and people did talk about it.

      I am so grateful to Jecca for challenging me to do this trip. She was patient and encouraging, never making me feel that I could not do what was in front of me, even though she knew I was afraid at times. Fording the first stream with the cleats and the rope. Descending down steep slopes. Climbing over some tricky stiles. Carrying on, especially the day I really suffered from heat. She often took my hand. 

     It was very special.