Another tour of Connemara

As I predicted, now that I have returned to Galway my life has been taken over by work. Plus despite what the Irish may think it is not actually warm outside, or summery at all. It is cold. Work is very hectic, but on the upside my office is warm.

So last weekend at least I managed to take a day off. I went on a tour-bus with my french housemate who otherwise would have done the tour all on his own. The thing is, there is not actually that much to see in Ireland. Sure it's old and full of history, but it's not history that has left a big, impressive, lasting landmarks. But still, the last time I did the tour of that area, with Mum, the weather was foul and for the most part we stayed on the bus. So this time the sky was blue and we got out of the bus to take photos.

Now apparently donkeys are a very important part of Irish heritage. This tour was of Connemara which is a very rural and very Irish part of Ireland. So the fact that donkeys were relied on for farmwork makes them a part of the history. So there you go. But all the foreigners love it. I guess they are not so used to animals. Donkey's are alright. I really don't get why all the tourists want to see/photograph/pat sheep though. There was a lot of excitement over the lambs - they were not even newborn. Mostly were the size of an adult.


And did you know that here in Ireland there are heaps of NZ plants? They just grow everywhere - ferns, flax and cabbage trees. Only they don't call flax and cabbage trees by the same name. It's funny that here it is not a big deal though. They are more interested in their bogs and peat, and even the gorse. Only the bus driver spelt it out to us (for all those foreigners that don't know what gorse is), and he spelt it G-O-U-R-S-E. I didn't bother to correct him.


The lakes here are somehow just not the same as NZ lakes. Some of them are very big though. I think maybe it is the lack of mountains and rainforest that makes it less impressive. Around the lake we found some old bleached sheep bones and a skull though, and being ecologists/zoologists, such things can be very intersting. See you are not a real zoologist until your desk is cluttered with random things like bones and shells and rocks. I even have a starfish. I think I need a potplant though. But one that doesn't need much attention or it will probably just die.


Sadly this weekend there is no touring for me. They are very tiring though so that's alright. Despite being at work I am not working very hard. Nobody else is around so you would think I would get more done - I actually am actually spending my time playing on the internet. My barnacles are feeding though so techinically I am working. It's just that once the food is set up nothing much is really required of me, so I have time. Unfortunately I now have to feed my barnacles fish and it stinks. They seem to like it though, inasmuch as a seemingly non-sentient creature can.


You know though, something odd about Ireland? Or at least about Galway? It is really hard to find decent but inexpensive kitchen equipment - like for baking. So much trouble. You would think that it is bad enough that you can't get chocolate chips; I also can't get texas muffin tins, can't find a good set of sandwhich-tins (because there are birthday's coming up to make cakes for), and everything costs heaps! How terrible is that. Thankfully there is always ebay and amazon. Life here without the internet would be terribly deprived.