FINALLY! - the hike!

After waking up early and saying bye to Killarney we set off to Dingle with 6 days worth of clothing and food on our backs. 2 hrs later we got off the bus at Dingle and took in the unique smell which characterizes the Irish country: a mix of fresh mountain air, cow maneur and beer. We cabbed to Veentry to begin the hike since we were told that from dingle to veentry it was 5 km of road walking. We were all on the same page about not doing any extra walking than necessary. Our hike began with about 3 km on the beach. This part seemed to never end, and our hopes of what the hike would be dimmed a bit as we trudged along with our heavy bags, feet sinking in the sand and the sky grey. For 3 of us, the time passed quicker with a "let's see if we can name everyone in MMY" game, for the other one of us, tiime was never slower.
The guide book read that we would cross a few streams on the way and so when we spotted the yellow man who marked the Dingle Way turning slightly inland, we followed blindly. We crossed about 6 bridges before we realized we were right back on the beach only a little past where we begun. Clearly the yellow man was testing our faith. We followed him anyways since we're Jews and know how to follow blindly in wilderness situations (and b/c there really was no other option) and headed inland yet again. This time we were not let down as we headed towards Mt. Eagle. On the way we managed to bring back some eleven eggs and hairy hummus from our trip in Israel.
We decided it would be a good time to stop for lunch when we found a little pad of grass by some of the houses we were passing. Mimi made a stunning sandwich, but apparently it was too perfect for our rough hike and Mother Earth sent a little brown present from the bird passing over head- which landed PERFECTLY in the middle of her top slice of bread. Amazing. If that wasn't enough surprises for one meal, 45 seconds later, the couple whose house we were trespassing on, tried pulling in to their driveway, ie our picnic table. We gave eachother a scare, but they showed us true Irish hospitality and let us use place till we finished.
After lunch we began our ascent up the mountain. It was a tough climb and every step we take left us more and more breathless. Literally and figuratively. The backpacks made it hard, but the views we saw distracted us. I'll spare you with the details of this hike, since its hard to describe without waxing poetic and even then won't do it justice. In fact one of our greatest frustrations were that we'd spend 10 minutes with tthe camera trying to capture what was in front of us, but we were left in confusion at how the tiny screen resembled the scene in front of us, yet just wasn't conveying it. We were completely enveloped by the mountains around us, tucked away on the coast of Ireland, with the sea slapping on the vast cliffs 300 meters below us. The mountains were larger than life, and the sea stretched out till it meshed with sky. It was the feeling of being less than a dot on a map. Besides for the tie-dyed sheep, it was nature in its most raw and unadulterated form. It was being face to face with yad Hashem. We couldn't help but stand in silence, we were totally awestruck.
As we walked on, we saw plenty of "clochains", ancient ruins from the 5th and 6th century pagans. We also saw a ton of sheep and goats... We felt at one with the earth as we had stepped again and again in their droppings. We even had no choice but to contribute to the collection..Slightly exhilarating and more than slightly scary. You would think Rockos backpack was as light as air since she seemed to be having a blast chasing the goats through the mountains. Ha it even feels weird to say that. But that's really how we walked, and it was not a fenced petting zoo. Don't worry Chan, we bodyguarded Deena every time they came close.
Right before our descent we came to a point where we saw the Blasket Islands off the coast in the distance below is. This is the most westerly point of Europe. And for such a lofty title, the view did not disappoint. After all that hiking we felt like we had to just engrave it in our minds before we were done. Proved to be an inspiring point for mincha, and soon we were back on the road.
The cafe at Slea Head which had served as our motivation was closed. But we got a few great pics and documentaries (stay tuned to anything deena) and continued after the yellow man. We walked and walked. And walked. But again, the Irish and the American concept of distance seems to completely differ. Last time I checked a "slight 2 km" at the end of a hike, did not take 2.5 hours. We doubted the yellow man. We continued thru the rain, up a hill, asking every car hpw far more to go. You would think we saw mashiach had you seen our reaction upon finally arriving at the Dun Chaoin hostel. The yellow man did not let us down!
The rest of the story you can probably infer from Rockos blog.... Suffice it to say- it was interesting.
All in all, we experienced something reeally special that day. It was nice to relive it by writing this. All I can say is after seeing those sights, the only thing that keeps me convinced that its not the promised land is that I don't believe we were ever meant to b in a place where we have fast to 1130 pm. I'm. 100% positive we were much more meant to be in the land where even yom kippur ends at 6.
Ooolright. Take it easy lads.
Sahar