The
first part of the train ride was very bumpy, but after changing
trains and lines, it felt smooth as glass. We got off the train
in Thurles and stopped at a bakery for a few snacks. We decided
to look for a shelter at a school where we could eat out of
the wind. Unfortunately, we had to ride about 10 miles before
finding this place, with me carrying the box from the bakery
the whole way. I'll bet that looked strange to folks.
We
settled on a sidewalk, next to a church and out of the wind.
The pastries really hit the spot and we were back on the road
quickly to avoid getting much colder. It was again very foggy,
and a few of the B&B's with names like Castleview let us
know we might be missing some nice scenery along the way. It
seemed to take longer than usual to cover the distance, since
I was hoping to get to a few shops before closing time. We finally
reached Kilkenny and rode right up the main street, drawing
a few oohs and ahhs from shoppers, but most were preoccupied
with their early Christmas shopping. The town was really busy
with shoppers, and apparently travelers as it took knocking
on many many doors before we found a B&B with a vacancy.
We managed to get in with enough time for me to scout out all
the shops. I had only bought one souvenir, our little sheep
mascot, who we had finally named Conor, after that windy pass,
and I knew my friends and family would be very disappointed
if I didn't bring home some Irish wool. I didn't see anything
I liked though, and decided I'd get chocolate instead. Fortunately
I found a few wool scarves and hats at the duty free shop in
the airport to handle the "What did you bring me"
greetings.
We
decided to try Indian food that evening, and had quite a spicy
and delicious meal, before walking around the castle and the
now deserted town.
The next morning, we managed to get out at a reasonable time.
We had about 90 miles to cover (75 according to John, but I
knew better) and would have to pack the bike when we got in,
since I was flying home bright and early the next day. We were
back in territory familiar to John, so map reading was no longer
such a time consumer. Fighting headwinds was though. The weather
report that morning had promised a southeast wind. Our northeast
trajectory would mean some crosswinds, but something was terribly
wrong. The wind was roaring directly from the east. Each time
we turned right, I winced, and each time we turned left, I let
out a sigh of relief. We had one ten mile stretch directly into
the teeth of the wind as we trudged on toward Tullow. I was
just exhausted when we finally hit the town, and had to have
chocolate immediately. We found a store with just the potion,
and I devoured a few pastries, and chocolate bars, and yogurt,
before realizing that I was freezing to death in the wind. The
same blatant liars who had said the wind would help us home
had also promised much warmer temperatures, but I was back to
wearing all my cold weather gear again.
It was supposed to be 12 degrees C /
54 degrees F, but it felt more like -12 degrees F!
We managed to get a little more help from the wind as we continued
on north. We were on roads all too familiar to John from his
400K brevet route. He had planned for us to have lunch in a
bar called the Dutchman's Inn in the town of Baltinglass. As
we got closer to town, enough fog lifted so that we could see
the outlines of a few hills. John told me our lunch break was
on top of the hill I had just pointed out. I expressed disappointment,
but knew I had to let John have a little fun today, and I guess
I'd just have to climb to lunch. But then I started to think
about how almost every town was in a valley, and every shop
or restaurant on top of a hill was closed. I decided he was
pulling my chain, and it was confirmed when we pulled into a
courtyard a few miles later without climbing that hill.
Lunch at the Dutchman's Inn was fabulous, just like most of
the meals along the way. It was quite tempting to just sit back
and stay, but we had a few more miles to cover and a lot to
do. We headed back out and stopped at the Skillet Pot, one of
our stops the first day for more rhubarb crumble and coffee.
We made a couple of more detours to stop in and see John's friends
before heading home to pack the bike.
This was a terrific trip. I didn't want it to end. Ireland
is a beautiful country, even in the winter. We met some fantastic
people and had some very gracious B&B hosts. And don't ever
let anyone tell you the food isn't good. I just can't wait to
go back.
