A Sunday Hike.

A few weeks back I was traveling (again) for work. This time I was staying in Germany however. The location was a little village tucked away in the Bavarian Alps called Oberammergau.

This town is famous for two things. It is the home of the Bavarian Woodcarving School (dozens of woodcarvers have shops in town) and the Passion Play. This play has been conducted every ten years since 1634 as a vow of the town inhabitants to God for sparing the village from the bubonic plague.

My drive from Stuttgart took a little over two hours, primarily because most of the way there is no maximum speed limit on the autobahn.

(Click on the photos to see them larger...)

100mph seems fast, but there were still folks that passed me like I was standing still

Along the way, while traveling on a windy road through the mountains, I happened to pass a beautiful alpine lake.

 

 
The village is very quaint and the architecture is very typical of the region with a great many buildings exhibiting trompe l'eoil (3d painting) on the exterior walls.

I wish I had taken better shots...

An example of the woodcarving common to the area.

One thing that was noticeable throughout the town was a small mountain named Kofel. At the peak was a cross and in the mid-day sun I could see some people up on the summit.

The view from my room window.

 I found out from the Gausthaus proprietor that there was indeed a trail up to the top. He kindly gave me directions and I decided that should the weather cooperate, I would hike up to the top on Sunday.

Morning came and the weather was clear and crisp. I prepared myself with ample amounts of water and a small brotchen with meat and cheese and then headed out for my hike.

The trail was pleasant on the eyes, but not on the legs. A series of steep switchbacks that traversed the grade up the mountain. The trail is very popular and throughout the day I passed (and was passed) by many.

 

 

 Occasionally I would look up toward the peak to see what progress I had made. Too often it appeared I had a very long way to go still.

 

Thankfully there were places to rest my weary bones along the way. 

Look close for the hiker on the trail...

Finally the trail through the woods ended and before me stood the final leg of the journey. A mountain goat trail with a steel cable secured to the rock. From here on out would be a scramble up the final three hundred feet of the mountain.

 

 

At last I achieved the summit. I scanned the horizon in all directions, the views were spectacular and the cold breeze was a welcome relief.

 

But the real object of the climb was to stand at the foot of the cross and even though the sculptor chose to capture Jesus at the moment of His sacrifice, We all know that He came down from the cross and rose in triumph over the grave.

The hike back down the mountain was pleasant and much faster than going up. A half hour later I was again at the base of the mountain heading back into town and toward my lodging.

It was still before noon and I had already had  great day.

~Andrew~

Three Days In Ireland

So, Andrew had asked me what I wanted for my birthday this year and, jokingly, I said that I would like to go to Ireland. He surprised me when he began to seriously consider giving me this present and making it a reality for us to go.

I've been wanting to go to Ireland for years now, especially knowing that some of my family roots began here. I don't know alot about my Irish ancestry, but I do know that a set of great grandparents came to the U.S. because of the Irish Potato Famine.

Here is my grandfather's birth certificate with his mother & father, who came from Ireland, listed on it:

I would love to be able to do more research of my family history. We hope to take another trip to Ireland not only for this, but to see other areas there, too. For now, we decided to take only a short, 3-day journey there to get a little taste of what the Emerald Isle was all about.

So, here is a map of Ireland (courtesy of worldatlas.com). See if you can find where we were. It's a small town called Dingle in the southwestern part of the country:

Here is an up-close look of the Dingle Peninsula that we spent our time on:

But, our journey starts at an airport in Germany. We flew on the well-know & cheap Ryanair. They, apparently, have one of the most rigid baggage allowances in Europe, though. Strictly enforced, only one item of cabin baggage is permitted per passenger...that means you must  put your pocketbook, laptop, camera, shopping purchases, etc. all in one bag and it must fit in this bag-measuring cage...

...or you will have to pay an expensive "excess baggage fee." So, we planned ahead well and didn't have to wear several layers of clothing on the return flight - because of several purchases - in order to be within the bag restrictions. Some folks actually do this, though...they take clothes from their over-stuffed luggage and just put them on so their bag will then fit in this cage.

Here are Andrew and Sarah waiting for our flight:

There are no seat bookings, unless you pay an extra fee to reserve a seat. So, it's basically "first come, first served":

It's a "no frills" flight...even the peanuts aren't free : ) ...and your seat doesn't tilt back. But for around $165 for the three of us to fly...that's the total price (includes tax), it sure is worth it!:

No boarding inside at the airport gate...you go outside to board the plane...

...and also exit on the tarmac:

 

Here is one of our first glimpses of Ireland:

In order to get from the Kerry airport, where we flew into, to our lodging, and also to get around Dingle, we needed transportation:

And guess what?...Did you know that in Ireland they drive on "the other" side of the road?...and so their cars also have their driver's seat on the other side, too:

It was so weird, as a passenger, to sit on the opposite side that I'm used to. And moving in the car was a very strange sensation, too...almost like I was on a bus...except it was in a little car...

 

...and my husband was driving...and shifting gears with his left hand:

But the Lord had prepared Andrew well for this. He had just returned from a two-week business trip to Scotland...and they drive on "the other" side of the road there, too. So, he had lots of practice there in his rental car. 

But still, it was actually kind of scary for me, especially when big trucks drove by:

It may not look too scary, but believe me, it is. And when you begin to drive in the more rural areas at high speeds, the roads begin to get more narrow...and you wonder if when both cars pass each other, will we actually fit:

And sometimes you realize that two cars side-by-side will not fit down a road together (GPS's sometimes take you on the darndest short-cuts, don't they?):

The views were so spectacular on the drive that we had to keep stopping to take photos:

Sarah looks like she's birdwatching here : ) ...she's not, she's Foto machen ("making a photo", as they say in Germany...they don't say "taking a photo"):

Not only was the scenery beautiful, but the houses and buildings were also pleasing to the eyes...the color schemes were so...well, colorful!:

We visited a place called The Dubeg Fort:

And as they say on the sign, the views were fantastic:

Here is Andrew enjoying the breathtaking scenery, donning his new woolen cap he bought here in Dingle:

And just across the street was another self-guided tour. This was of the Irish Famine Cottages:

On the walk up the steep hill to see the cottages, we just had to stop and pet these cute donkeys that were along the way:

Here is the sign Andrew and Sarah are reading:

It's very sad to think of how my ancestors might have lived and what great burdens they had to endure. But, by God's grace they somehow made it to America...hopefully to a better life.

One of our desires when we came to Ireland was to come home with something special to not only remember our trip by, but something of good use. Sarah & I both wanted an Irish knit sweater. We searched many stores looking for that perfect sweater:

There were alot of stores that carried woolen goods. Some even sold yarn in beautifully striking colors:

One store even had a women weaving on a loom amongst other items that were for sale upstairs:

Sometimes when you can't find your size, you must resort to trying on the display model of clothing in a store (the sign is attached to the sweater):

After much searching, we each finally found something we really liked:

And as you could probably guess, there were tons of sheep everywhere...on hills and in the fields. I just think they are such cute animals...I wanted to give them a hugs...but, of course, I didn't : )

As much as I love them, I know that they are not only used for their thick, wooly fur:

I personally don't like the meat from this animal, but my family does. Sarah had a wonderful "Traditional Irish Stew" with lamb in it at a restaurant the first night we were here. She loved it.

Here is another restaurant we ate dinner in. I'd say the name is quite fitting:

I had basically a "fish & chips" meal, but with something a little different on the side... something I've never had..."mushy peas," yes, that is what they are really called (Andrew tells me they serve them in England and Scotland, too):

Dingle, being on a peninsula that juts out into the Atlantic Ocean, and with a naturally enclosed harbour, is a fishing community.

The Dingle Harbour is very picturesque and reminds me alot of the harbour in the quaint little New England town of Scituate, Massachusetts, that I grew up in:

Here is an interesting roof for the bus stop that was at the harbour:

Dingle is one of Ireland's Government-protected, Irish-speaking (they don't call it Gaelic) areas called "Gaeltachts," which are districts where the Irish language is predominantly spoken and where residents receive grants and allowances for schools, homes, clubs, and festivals to encourage Irish speaking. Under the "Placenames Order" of 2004, the Irish government decided that by law anglicized place names (such as 'Dingle') of Gaeltacht towns and villages would no longer appear on official signs and maps, and that all its place names must be in Irish. However, most of the local residents of Dingle opposed the change fearing that its thriving tourist industry would be hurt, with visitors confused by the unfamiliar new Irish name, An Daingean (full name: Daingean Uí Chúis), on signs and maps. Eventually, in a vote concerning the town's name change, it was decided that the name could be "bilingual" - in both Irish and English:

 So, many sign reflect the "bilingual" name, but not all list both:

We definitely saw alot of the Irish language on things, though, as well as frequently heard it spoken:

In Dingle, Irish is often the first language of many of the local residence. And in the Gaeltacht regions, Irish is required in schools, being taught as a second language, so all Irish schoolchildren are exposed to it growing up. The Irish government pays families living in the Gaeltacht areas with school-age children to speak Irish. I'm not exactly sure how this is monitored, though:

Although Irish is the official national language of Ireland, the Irish language has been dying out over the years as you can see from this map (courtesy of irish-society.org) of the declining Gaeltacht regions in Ireland. The government is trying to find ways to promote and preserve this cultural heritage, though:

Here are some other signs from the Dingle area that I thought were funny:

I dunno...does "clamping" sound painful to you, too?

Looks like "Foxy John" has quite the eclectic business going on.


And here's a cute sign we saw on the door of an ice cream shop:

As you might very well guess, there were quite a few pubs on the Dingle Peninsula, as are throughout Ireland, I'm sure:

Some...maybe most...have some kind of Irish music as regular entertainment:

So, we just had to visit an Irish pub while in Ireland. We chose "O'Sullivan's Courthouse Pub" where two musicians named Tommy O'Sullivan (the one who started this pub) and Jeremy Spencer were going to be performing with some other folks. As the evening wore on, the place became more packed with everyone enjoying the toe-tapping music, as well as the more mellow Irish ballads and folk songs. The musicians brought a variety of instruments: guitars, banjo, accordion, violin, and Irish bouzouki. We liked that the pub advertised "You will find no television, juke box or pool table here," and it wasn't that smokey either. There was a toasty-warm wood stove close by throwing its heat, so it was really a nice atmosphere.

I didn't use any flash in the pub because I didn't want to distract anyone, so my photo came out a bit dark, but it wasn't really that dark there:

 

I know you can't see much of anything in this video (you don't get to choose settings for the video feature on a point-and-shoot camera), but it's a little sample of what we heard:

We enjoyed our stay at one of the many Bed and Breakfasts that dot the peninsula. It was a very pleasant stay...such a more more personal setting than a hotel:

Here are the owners of The Lighthouse B&B that we stayed in, Denis and Mary:

Well, we had just a little taste of Ireland...enough to give us a desire to come back again, and for a longer stay. So, our short, but full trip was over and it was time to head back to Germany.

I had the window seat on the return flight...and I tell you what...I'm still amazed at the absolute beauty that I see every time I look out of the window of an airplane, most especially while above the layers of clouds:

How can anyone look at this absolute beauty that God creates and think that it just happened by randomness? There is a creator, and He's a brilliant artist, creating this splendor for us to behold, for our pleasure, but also that we might gaze in awe at His marvelous creations and give Him praise, honor, and the glory He deserves.


"The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork. Day unto day utters speech, and night unto night reveals knowledge. There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them He has set a tabernacle for the sun, which is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoices like a strong man to run its race. Its rising is from one end of heaven, and its circuit to the other end; and there is nothing hidden from its heat." (Psalm 19:1-6)

Until next time...

Grace & Peace,
~ Janet