When packing for this trip I reviewed weather data from this part of the world in June and prepared myself, both physically and mentally, for many days of rainy cool weather.  Both Jim and I have vivid memories of cycling in Russia in pouring rain with cold and headwinds and don’t want to find ourselves quite that wet and cold again.  Instead, my mantra became (and I quote our friend Richard here):  “There is no bad weather, just bad gear”.  So far, however, we have had the luck of the Irish with unusually warm and sunny weather.  Not only does that make for much more pleasant cycling but also lovely sightseeing on our rest days.

Our first morning of cycling we did start out with some light rain as well as early morning traffic through and outside of Dublin.  Rough roads, impending weather, traffic, and riding on the left-hand side of the road left me quite dizzy and questioning the wisdom of this venture!  After a brief foray off the route (translation:  getting lost) I had a brief breakdown (mental not bicycle) but shortly thereafter we were back on the route, the sun broke through and I was no longer threatening to head home.  It is quite difficult for me to look away from the road these days with my balance issues so I have to trust Jim to navigate.  Those of you who know about Jim’s navigational abilities (basically none!) you may understand the fear this strikes in my soul.  That said, he has done quite well.

Once we made it through the first 50km we were out of the poor weather and the fairly boring and busy outskirts of Dublin and the ride became far more pleasant and the countryside lovely.

Our first stop was at a rather nice hotel, particularly by TDA standards and Jim settled in for his first Guinness on the road…this is called the Pub Ride after all.

 

Day 2 took us into Northern Ireland.  It was a gorgeous ride.  Picture rolling hills, picturesque farms with lambs frolicking, green hedgerows, blooming flowers everywhere.  You will, in fact, have to use your imagination because I was so taken with riding that I failed to stop and take photos!  We had a special treat as Peter McCartney, our Irish friend from our first two TDA cycling adventures came over from England to spend the day riding with us.  Peter is an animal of a rider (just look at those thighs!) but he graciously slowed it down to ride with us into Belfast serving as our personal guide.  It was quite entertaining to listen to his Irish brogue thicken as we rode, losing some of his more posh British-speak as he interacted with his former countrymen.  It was great to catch up and learn about Ireland from a native.  Once we arrived in Belfast, dined with him and his lovely bride Judith who also rode with us on previous trips joined by fellow riders Ruth and Peter.

On our rest day in Belfast Jim and I went on a guided tour of portions of the city that were much impacted by “The Troubles”, the conflicts between the Catholics and the Protestants that ravaged this area for years.  I had, of course, heard much about the IRA and the British/Protestants in the 1960s to 1990s but I never really understood much about the situation.  Our guide, George, took us around to see many of the memorials and areas that were bombed as well as to view the political murals that adorn those areas.  It was so sad to see the lives that were lost, the damage done, and the continued separation of the Protestant and Catholic areas of the city.  The wall that was erected between areas still stands and the gates between those areas are still closed and locked at night.

That said, there continues to be peace since the 1998 accord and hopefully one day the animosity will be a memory.  Hopefully the sacrifices made on both sides will never be made again.

Tomorrow we ferry to Scotland and begin our ride there.  The forecast says rain but who knows, maybe our weather luck will follow us.  We meet up with our old friend Chris in Edinburgh and hopefully I will learn more about Scotland to share.