Ballynahinch Castle & A Few Impressions of Scotland

Ballynahinch Castle. (©2005, Williams/Bacigalupo.) 

My last post said we'd be taking a bus to the castle. Actually we ended up taking a bus to the town of Clifden and then a taxi to the castle. The accommodations are quite lovely and it is very beautiful here. It is nice having a king size bed for a change and Junel is excited about the bathtub. We took a short nap while Dave and Teresa went for a walk and then we had a light dinner in the bar. Junel and I took a short walk after and then coming back in saw the library and much to my surprise (and probably her dismay) there was a computer with an internet connection.

We're here for two evenings. Tomorrow we take a short (25 miles) loop that goes out into the countryside and returns to the castle. More on that later.

One of the big differences we noticed right away about Ireland is that it is in general a lot cleaner than Scotland. Or at least Edinburgh. Edinburgh has the potentional to be such a cool city, but with the trash everywhere and people not seeming to care too much about littering, it just seemed sad. We saw a few signs that read, "Bin your Litter," which we found amusing and everyone else apparently just ignored.

We're also not missing the smells. Edinburgh's brewery (we think) was the culprit for a really nasty smell. For me having lived in Iowa City, it was reminiscent of the Quaker Oats smell that would sometimes drift down from Cedar Rapids. Or think of the paper mills in International Falls.

We also noticed a fair number of homeless people. For a few of them we think it was a racket. We would see them talking to each other and also sipping on Cokes and doing crosswords. They need to take some acting lessons on how to look more pathetic I think.

Still all in all The Fringe was an amazing experience. One I'm sure I will always remember.