Kinvarra

The photos: Ben on the beach, the view from Dan and Pam's living room, Main street in Kinvarra, stone walls and an old building near Doorus.

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I have a few minutes, having got off the bus here at Kinvarra, or Kinvara (seems both ways are common) waiting for my next host to pick me up. This is one of those moments, at the edge of experience, when a whole new scenario is about to begin- both the place and the personality of the host are unknowns, yet they are my current destiny.

Back on Streedagh Point, I walked the dunes this morning, still marveling at the simple beauty of it. The grave site on top of a hill, the stone walls built in the time of the famine, a make-work project along the sea. The rabbit warrens like condos in the steep sides of the dunes. The flat open spaces of short grass looking like a huge green on a golf course.

I will miss all that, and more. A beach walk and a rocky pass to a grassy point, all in view of Dan and Pam's living room. Absolutely rediculous!

The scenery on the way down was more of the countryside that reminds me so much of Oregon. If you turned the houses in western oregon into stone cottages, and the fences into stone walls, it would be hard to know which was which. All the blackberries, the damp air, green fields, cows and sheep...Coming through Galway, I had an hour to walk a bit- although dragging a suitcase is inhibiting. I find most people very friendly and easy to talk to, except for the occasional churlish bus driver or ticket agent.

I am just south of Galway, across the bay, actually. The website for the hostel (Doorus House) has an enticing list of things to see and do, not the least of which is the proximity of a ferry to the Aran Islands. Of course it is fitting, having visited Arran Island in Scotland, that I see the Aran Islands in Ireland. Had no idea there were two such places. Also tombs, castles, caves, beaches.

Stay tuned, its not over yet!

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Now in the Doorus Hostel- nice guy that runs it is trying to decide if it is in fact a viable operation. He planned to lease it from the hostel organization which owns it, but the conditions seem too stringent. The place needs some renovation to be really nice- but no one has the money. Carpets, paint, and other projects just wait.

I was beginning to learn the check-in process, and we had ten people show up last night, which was unusual. Many days are not booked at all, or only a few people. Not very tough duty- cleaning in the morning as soon as everyone leaves, then free for a while at least. Went to Gort for groceries, walked to the beach near here, and planning some trips to the Burren, (a national park) and the Cliffs of Moher.

I am learning that while Kinvarra is a relatively small and unknown town, it has some of the best music- one to three places playing every night of the week, many are jam sessions. I will go into town tonight after we close up this place, and listen to some. And let you know how it was.