This morning I got up and took a bus to Donegal Town in County Donegal.
I spent the 4 plus hour bus ride sleeping and looking out the window.
When I arrived in Donegal I stopped to see Donegal Castle because it was right by the bus stop. It is a fairly small castle, but it was really cool to see. I had arrived just in time to take one of their short guided tours.
When I finished at the castle, I decided to go in search of my hostel so I wouldn't have to be carrying around my backpack all afternoon. Also, I wanted to ask for suggestions of things to see in case I missed anything in my research.
My hostel ended up being a bit of a trek. What was supposed to be only 1km was more like 2 (at least thats what the sign said).
When I arrived, a very friendly woman showed me to my room and answered a few questions that I had. She also directed me to take a more scenic route back into town along the bay. (And also past Dr. McCarty’s house- I mentioned to her that my family is from the McCarthy clan....)
With a lighter load, I set out to see the town. Unfortunately, the mountains are too far of a hike for me to do in a few short hours.
I took the path that Linda (the keeper of my hostel) had recommended. At first I thought she was just going to get me very lost. I was going in the wrong direction and it wasn't the greatest path in terms of scenery. Then I hit a more wooded area and understood why she had sent me that way. The path ended up swinging back around and took me on a wooded path along the shore. I still thought I was a bit lost, but I kept walking. And walking..... Eventually the path brought me back out along the river that runs next to the castle. I knew exactly where I was. Hooray. And the path ended up being way better than the route along the highway that I took to get to the hostel.
As I was walking along the bay, I noticed ruins of what looked like a church and a graveyard across the water. I decided I wanted to check it out. Later I found out it was the ruins of the Franciscan Abbey that I had wanted to see while Im here.
On the way to check out the abbey, I stopped in the square because there was a Saturday market going on. I was kind of hungry, but I didn't find anything that looked appealing. I did stop and buy a necklace from a local artist. He does bone carvings similar to the Maori fish hook that I have, but he did other stuff as well. I ended up buying a carving of what is apparently a traditional weapon. I though it was a little more original than the celtic stuff he had and I already have a hook, so I didn't want to buy another.
I then headed in the direction of the Abbey and the craft village. I stopped into the tourist info shop and asked about a bus to Carrowmore from Slingo for my adventure tomorrow. Unfortunately the bus doesn't run on Sunday and the walk is along a major road, so the guide strongly recommended I take a cab to the tombs rather than walking the 4 plus kilometers out to them.
I then headed to the Abbey and walked around it for a bit. Theres only a few walls left and its surrounded by grave stones. I saw one that was from the 1700’s. It is still used today as a cemetery as well. There was a fresh grave from last month. I though it was kind of interesting that the land is still in use for burials.
After the abbey I decided to take a walk out to the Donegal Craft Village. Linda had told me it was worth a visit. On the journey there and back I was cursing the place. The walk was along a highway which at some points didn't have a walking area, so I was literally walking on the road- which was a busy highway. (highway in the irish sense, aka, two lanes but cars still driving relatively fast) I thought it kind of ironic, because I had just been told by the travel woman that it want wise to walk to carrowmore and here I was on the highway walking to a craft shop. As I was walking, it began to rain. FML.
After 1/2 hour to 45 min. walk (a few km), I finally arrived at Donegal Craft Village. I had read that there was a coffee shop, so I made that my first priority. It ended up being more of a bistro sort of thing. I had only really wanted a pastry as I had planned to get dinner in town later, but lacking pastries I ended up having a late lunch/early dinner. It was 4pm so I decided that was going to be my meal for the day.
I was really glad to be finally sitting after the epic walk that I had to get there. After I finished eating and paid, I walked back out into the rain to check out a few of the shops. It ended up being more art than crafts per se. It defiantly wasn't what I thought of when one says crafts- it was art. I checked out the glass shop and the shop with woven stuff (ie scarves, ect). There was some stuff that I liked but it was quite similar to stuff I could but at an art and craft show in the states so I passed.
I then started the rainy trek back into town. Once I made it back to town I spotted McGees. They make tweed clothing. While I was aware that their stuff was expensive, I didn't realize just how expensive it was. When I got inside I headed upstairs to the sale section. Even the stuff on sale was well over €100. I did end up finding one jacket for €75 that I really liked with patches on the elbows, but it was a bit small and I wasn't going to pay that much of a slightly small jacket. A bit bummed, I headed out. A few shops down, I went into a craft/gift shop. From the window it seems like I might find something cool. But I was again disappointed by a) prices and b) it was the same stuff I could get almost anywhere in Ireland.
After I finished checking out the shops, I decided to head in the other direction to see the famine cemetery. After a ten minute walk, I came across a field with a sign for the cemetery. It ended up being a walled in area with a cross and a plaque. At the time of the famine, the poor were unable to bury all the dead in individual plots, so Im assuming they were all buried in this area.
After I took a few pictures, I headed back towards town.
By this time it was after 6 (and everything but the pubs close at or before 6 in Ireland) I decided to head back to the hostel and call it a night. I took the scenic route back. On my way, I met a furry friend who walked with me shortly.
When I finally reached the hostel, my pants were wet all the way up to my knees from walking in the rain, and the rest of my clothes were slightly damp.
Scatterbrained, I tried the wrong door, so I hung out downstairs waiting to see Linda and ask about the room situation, thinking I had been locked out.
I sat around for about an hour and I finally spotted her. I had in fact tried the wrong room, but oh well. I got my laptop from her and got settled. I met two of the other girls who are staying in my room before they headed out for the evening. One is from the Czech Republic an the other is from Spain.
I grabbed a hot shower (which was amazing after walking in the wind and the rain today) and then came back to my room to try to upload my pictures. Unfortunately the internet on my computer is not working correctly, so I may try to get them up another time and just head to bed.
No comments:
Post a Comment