The migration routes of Tom: Fall Migration-Ireland (Mainz to Killarney)-September 1st -10th

With the first of September around the corner, I found myself miraculously in possession of a cheap plane ticket from Dublin, Ireland to Boston, MA. Luckily, the timing of my compulsively bought ticket left 10 days in which to have one last fun jaunt in Europe. Many different plans fluttered through my head including Greek islands, Norwegian fjords, and eastern European train trips. Stress can give rise to strange thought processes and in the end, a simple plan fell out of the wreck of my thoughts. Why not just tour Ireland! Following this decision and a talk with Tanja, who had been there on her own adventure years before, gave me some good ideas of what to see in Ireland and hyped me up on my decision.

Armed with freshly purchased disposable cameras (thanks to Asher for pointing out the obvious solution to my broken camera problem), I took one last trip to the Theodore Heusse Bruecke to see my favorite art and drink in Mainz one last time...and then off to Ireland...

Cool graffiti under the bridge. There was a contest every year called "meeting of styles" (http://wallstreetmeeting.de/mos-2009-schedule/) during which the artwork would be painted over fresh. These guys are good.

Another small section of wall under the bridge. The whole thing is coated with art like this.

The day after flying into Dublin from Frankfurt, I caught a train to the town of Killarney. This is the gateway to the Ring of Kerry, a picturesque peninsula on the southwestern coast of Ireland. After crashing in a hostel, I rented a bicycle and pointed the tires towards the Gap of Dulow. This is a fantastic and easy ride near the McGillicutty Reeks (god, I love that name). Although the day started out rainy, I had blue sky and perfect weather in the afternoon to accompany my journey.

Looking up into the Gap of Dunlow.

The other side of the Gap.

That evening while I was recovering, my thirst for adventure pleasantly dulled and my legs heavy and tired from the ride, I was lucky enough to run into a bunch of transportation studies students from Switzerland. Their plan was to drive a loop around the Ring of Kerry on the following day and then head north. They invited me along for the ride and off we went on the second adventure. Between long naps in the back seat of their car (if you know me well, you know I am a car narcoleptic) I was nevertheless able to drink in some of the raw, rainy ambience of the seaside. Our perigrinations took us to a slate mine, ancient ruins, old forts, and a crazy little coffee shop.

A slate mine on a small island off the Ring of Kerry.

An ancient ruin.

The cliffs and mist along the drive.

The view from the mouth of the slate mine out over the ocean.

After returning, I spent the next two days wandering around Ross Castle, Muckross, and other landmarks accessible by foot. One of the major landmarks between the hostel and the city was the Killarney Golf and Fishing Club where the Irish open had been played a week before. Having only been golfing once in my life and with all of this green grass around, I figured I would take a crack at it and had a great time on the links in a refreshing drizzle. No, I didn't make par but I definitely had fun whacking balls all over the place and would play again in a second!