O Ireland

I just wanted to do a quick note about Ireland. The country of green and gray. Here is what I learned about Ireland it is wet like a sponge slowly being taken over by incredible thick muck, but enough about the people. Let's talk about the bog. Ireland has two types of bog the kind that sits on top of the hill which are remnants of an ancient forest-and the bog that is actually a lake that is eventually chocked by the grass from the bottom of the lake upward. Either way the land scape is damp and soggy and emits methane gas which is pretty freakin awesome since it means they have spontaneous fires erupting all over the swamp. Can you imagine the reaction of a poor, suspicious, uneducated, and slightly drunk people. I can.
But the castle was pretty and the atmosphere convivial-my personal favorite was when I bought my cladau ring. I was in the shop speaking to the local Irish man explaining that as an American I had a compulsion to assign and purchase things to their culture-which is why most people he made engagement rings for were Americans not the Irish. He laughed, we talked he poo pooed my idea of going to Cork and instead told me to visit Gulway which I did for 14 euro on the bus which took 2 hours each way to get to the opposite coast of Ireland-can you say tiny culture. Then when I finally paid him the fifteen for the ring he gave me 5 back and a 2 euro coin for a "little bit of luck" which of course I must keep. For when an Irish guy gives you a coin you never know who could be Leprachaun.
It was quite lovely all overcast and moody-but at the same time I wondered why this green was so much better then the rolling hills of Colorado. My favorite part of the trip was Gulway with the completely deserted beach. Shown in these two photos I now present for your amusement: