I’ve hit the one week mark on my trip. For the last few days I have been traveling around Ireland and having a blast. I spent two days in the Burren, based in Lisdoonvarna. I rented a bike and am pretty proud of myself for completing a fifty-kilometer ride around the Burren. I stopped off at some of the “lithic” sites (mega/neo/paleo) on the route, which were amazing. The Burren has some of the oldest and best recorded lithic sites in Ireland. My favorite was the Poulnabrone dolmen, which is a portal tomb dated to 3000 BC.
During my time in the Burren, I also got to visit the Cliffs of Moher. They were eerily enchanting. It was fascinating to see the mist roll in, lift, and resettle. The view was constantly changing. After leaving the Burren, and being incredibly sore from the bike ride, I went to Cork. I followed several of the trails throughout the city and visited Blackrock Castle which is now an observatory and restaurant. Originally, Blackrock Castle was built to fend off pirates and invaders in the sixteenth century.Yesterday morning I met some people at the hostel I was staying in and we went to visit Blarney Castle together. Blarney was first built around the tenth century, and the current structure was erected in the mid-fifteenth cofcentury. Of course, we all had to kiss the famous stone (and the germs of a couple thousand other people).
Legend has it, that kissing the stone gives the kisser the “gift of gab” –or flattery aka blarney. Or as my elders say, a bunch of baloney. Also, I ran into a fellow Razorback alum in the Blarney gift shop—Woo Pig. After making my way back to Cork, I left for Waterford. Waterford, or Vadrarfjjordr as it was called by the Vikings, was a major town for trade and port. Established in the ninth century, Waterford was Ireland’s first town. The Normans took over in the thirteenth century, but the Vikings left a massive influence over the area. I have always been fascinated by Vikings, and really enjoyed completing the Viking Triangle. Also, the Waterford Crystal store was a must see.
Today, I hiked out to the Harristown Portal Tomb. Located near Rossduff Cross, it was quite the adventure. None of the bus drivers knew where I was going and I ended up hopping off one of the busses on the side of the road between Waterford and Dunmore East.
After walking a ways and asking locals for directions, I found that I had to follow a cow path, climb through (literally) a gate, and hike up to the top of a hill. But it was worth it! The view of the surrounding area was fantastic and the site was magical. In my free time, I have been working on my research for this summer. I am currently researching castles in the Rhineland area and will soon begin cross referencing them with Airbnb’s. I hope to have the first portion of my research done in the next week or so.P.S. I have also found 50 SPF sunscreen and aloe cream, and feel so much better.
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Follow Claire on her travels to Germany at https://nutzedentagdot.wordpress.com
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