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Diane and Darryl

Diane and Darryl

📍 Islandia Leer más🇺🇸Berkeley
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    • Diane and DarrylDiane and DarrylIceland—Land of Fire and Ice
      Hraunfossar Waterfalls
      Akranes LighthouseAkranes Lighthouse lensOld Akranes LighthouseShoreline near Akranes LighthouseFish-drying racks at AkranesLava scenery1Lupines!Deildartunguhver hot springsMoss growing at the hot springsDeildartunguhver hot springsDeildartunguhver hot springsAt Hraunfossar WaterfallsHraunfossar WaterfallsArch created by the waterHraunfossar Waterfalls

      Hot and Cold Running Water

      21 de junio, Islandia ⋅ 🌧 54 °F

      We’ve left the “big” city to explore smaller villages and points of interest. First up was a visit to the fishing village of Akranes and its picturesque lighthouses (the old and new). The older one was built in 1918. The larger, more recent lighthouse, built in 1947, is open to the public and offers panoramic views, which we enjoyed despite the bracing wind.

      Iceland in June is still a gray and chilly place. The locals talk about “chasing the sun” — check the weather for the weekend and drive wherever it will be sunniest.

      To get to Akranes, we drove through a 3.5-mile long tunnel under Iceland’s largest fjord. The tunnel was completed in 1998; before that people had to drive around an extra 2 hours or so.

      After the lighthouse we checked out Deildartunguhver hot spring, the most powerful hot spring in Europe with a flow rate of 50 gallons of water per second at a piping hot 200°F. It just keeps flowing out of the ground—no waiting around for eruptions. The hot water then travels by carbon steel pipe to supply hot water to the surrounding towns, and it doesn’t lose much heat over its 40 miles of travel. Another tomato-growing greenhouse is located nearby, taking advantage of the heated water.

      Lastly, we got to spend an hour walking around the pathways along the amazing Hraunfossar Waterfalls. The name comes from the Icelandic word for lava (hraun) and the word for waterfalls (fossar). Surface water and meltwater from surrounding glaciers combine to flow underground through the layers of a huge lava field until it reaches an impermeable layer. It then emerges mid cliff to form the falls, which are about 1 kilometer wide. The glacial blue waters were so striking against the dark lava rock.      Leer más

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    • Diane and DarrylDiane and DarrylIceland—Land of Fire and Ice
      Thingvellir National Park
      Thingvellir National ParkThingvellir National ParkGullfoss waterfallGullfoss waterfall - in the mistGullfoss waterfallAt GeysirGeysirShowing how smooth the gait isSmall horses - don't call them ponies!Greenhouse tomato cultivation (~10 feet high)Pollinator bees for the greenhouse

      Sights Around the Golden Circle

      20 de junio, Islandia ⋅ ☁️ 50 °F

      Today began the bus portion of our trip, with a full day of some pretty impressive sights within reach of Reykjavik.

      First up was Thingvellir National Park, Iceland’s first national park. But aside from that, it is the original seat of government, where the world's longest-running parliament was established in 930 AD. Icelandic chieftains and leaders met in Thingvellir annually to discuss laws and governance until around 1800, when parliament was moved in Reykjavik.

      Thingvellir National Park is in a rift valley where the tectonic plates of North America and Eurasia are separating at a rate of around 2 centimeters a year, and are currently about 4-5 miles apart. So we literally walked between two continents!

      Next stop was for a light lunch at a dairy farm that has been continuously operated by the same family for seven generations. The ice cream was heavenly! We got to walk off our meal at our visit to Gullfoss waterfall where you can get pretty wet standing near the spray from this massive waterfall (but not even close to Iceland’s largest).

      Then it was on to Geysir, a geothermal area with one active geyser that erupted every 5-10 minutes.

      Finally, we had a demonstration of Icelandic horses at another family farm, Fridheimar greenhouses and horse farm. Icelandic horses were brought from Norway around the year 1000, and are the only breed of horses in the country. They are on the small side and are known for their unique gaits and surefootedness. They can perform the typical walk, trot, and canter/gallop, as well as two additional gaits: tölt and flying pace. The tölt is a very smooth gait, which they demonstrated by riding a lap with a full glass of beer in one hand.

      In combination with their horse demo, the farm invited us into one of their nine tomato greenhouses to learn about their hydroponic-like cultivation process and to sample their delicious tomato soup (and very tasty bread!).

      Our tour guide, Arna (pronounced “agna”) did a great job of explaining some of Iceland’s geology, as well as cultural beliefs (elves & trolls!). She said the belief in elves (“hidden folk,” Huldufólk) is not just folklore; it has influenced environmental activism, with some using the concept to protect natural landscapes. Bad things can happen if you disrupt the elves.      Leer más

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    • Diane and DarrylDiane and DarrylIceland—Land of Fire and Ice
      Lots of mural art in Reykjavik
      Ice cave in the Perlan MuseumIce throneFrom the observation deck of the Perlan MuseumInteresting architecture here in Reykjavik (concert & event hall)Sculpture of 4 dancing musiciansBook arrangement at the Laundromat CafeThe Rainbow StreetHallgrimskirkja Lutheran churchOrgan in the church (5,275 pipes!)Art museumLots of pedestrian streetsThe Unknown Bureaucrat sculpture

      Colorful, Quirky Reykjavik

      19–20 jun., Islandia ⋅ ☁️ 52 °F

      We’ve started the Iceland portion of our travels now. Yesterday, after arriving from Dublin, we went to the Perlan Museum—a fantastic introduction to the geologic and natural history of the country. They even had a man-made ice cave to explore.

      Today, after getting breakfast and doing laundry at the Laundromat Cafe (what a great idea!), we met our tour group of 34 others (!) and went on a walking tour of Reykjavik. It’s very walkable city with lots of pedestrian streets, mural art and creative sculptures and architecture.      Leer más

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    • Diane and DarrylDiane and DarrylIreland—Cycles & Stone Circles
      Aerial view of Rathcroghan Mound
      Rathcroghan MoundOweynagat cave, Ireland's Gate to HellOgham inscriptions within the caveA tight squeeze!Roadside sceneryOne last castle ruin (Maynooth)

      Farewell Ireland, One More Arch. Site

      17 de junio, Irlanda ⋅ ☁️ 59 °F

      Today was mostly a driving day, requiring about 4 hours to cross the country back to Dublin. But we enjoyed the scenery along the way, and found a great guided tour of another archaeological site. The Rathcroghan Mound has not been excavated, but rather studied using MRI-like methods and ground-penetrating radar techniques so as to leave the site intact. The site is presumed to be a gathering place and the inauguration site for the pagan kings of the region.

      We were also taken onto a farmer’s land to view a limestone cave opening, which is regarded as one of the chief entrances to the Irish Otherworld. The cave, known as Oweynagat, is also infamous in early Irish literature as Ireland's Gate to Hell. The festival of Samhain, traditionally held at Rathcroghan, is the night when malevolent spirits from the Otherworld ventured out of the cave to create a world ready for winter. In the Christian tradition this day is celebrated as Halloween, or All-Saint's eve.

      Early Medieval ancestors created a stone entry into the cave, which was roofed with large slabs. Two of these slabs bear ogham inscriptions (4th-8th century), one of which translates to “[the stone] of Fraoch, son of Medb.” It is presumed this refers to the legendary Connacht warrior Fraoch and to the great Warrior Queen Medb of Connacht.

      The tour guide wove in lots of old Irish lore from the Táin Bó Cúailnge (The Cattle Raid of Cooley) an epic from Irish mythology. This is the story of Cú Chulainn, the boy warrior who in single combat holds off Medb’s army.

      It was interesting that these legends were well-known to the other guests on the small tour (all Irish), but fairly new to us.

      Ireland is a beautiful, GREEN, country. Most of our travels took us through wild, rugged areas. Although it was often windy, the temperatures were warmer than we expected. A light shirt under a rain jacket was sufficient. After Donegal, the rain tended to come more overnight, and the daytime sprinkles/mist would come and go.

      Next up for us is Iceland, which we’ll share in a separate blog. Thanks for joining us!      Leer más

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    • Diane and DarrylDiane and DarrylIreland—Cycles & Stone Circles
      Kylemore castle (now an abbey)
      Connemara National ParkAcross the bogsUp to Lower Diamond HillWindy on top!Turnip sowerKylemore's Victorian gardenHead gardener's homeUndergardeners' home at back, tool shed in frontUndergardeners' kitchenIn the Kylemore castleHooded crow

      Connemara Natl Park & Kylemore Abbey

      16 de junio, Irlanda ⋅ 🌬 63 °F

      Today’s drive took us from bustling Galway through lake-filled valleys to Connemara National Park. A 2-mile trail takes you from sheep pastureland, across “blanket bogs” via a boardwalk, and up to the top of Lower Diamond Hill, with spectacular views (if you can stand up in the wind!). The hillsides are dotted with white quartz rocks, looking a bit like distant sheep.

      A short drive farther along the road is Kylemore Abbey, a Benedictine monastery in active use by nuns today. The property was originally built in the late 1800s as the Kylemore Castle and Gardens by the Mitchell Henry family. Many of the rooms and outbuildings are refurbished in period design, giving a sense of how the family and its workers lived. The ambitious Victorian walled garden the Henrys designed included hot water heated greenhouses for “exotic” (for Ireland) fruits like bananas, melons, grapes and figs. Outside the walls are quiet woodland trails, lined with rhododendrons (unfortunately past their blooming season). It was interesting (but not surprising) that the head gardener was held in high esteem and his home on the property reflected that. The five under-gardeners lived together in a much smaller “cabin,” which was still considered well-appointed for the time.

      Much of the garden fell into disrepair in the early 1920s, but the nuns have been getting grants and working to restore the property.      Leer más

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    • Diane and DarrylDiane and DarrylIreland—Cycles & Stone Circles
      Aerial view of Caherconnell fort
      Poulnabrone DolmenAnother Napoleonic towerDunguaire castle ruinsPretty thatched hut near Dunguaire castle"Trad" session (traditional music)Galway swansGalway pubOur Galway music pub

      Archaeologic Explorations & Irish Music

      15 de junio, Irlanda ⋅ ☁️ 63 °F

      The main attraction today was a visit to the Caherconnell Stone Fort. It is owned by the Davoren family, who have farmed sheep and cattle at Caherconnell for five generations. They run a really good historical tour of the fort and offer sheepdog demonstrations. This is an active archaeologic site, and excavations indicate that the fort was occupied from around the early 10th century to the early 13th century.

      We were then taken to see a demonstration of how sheepdogs are used on the farm to this day. At one point, the farmer got a dog to separate one sheep at a time from the flock and drive it to the farmer. Each dog responds to a unique whistle tone/tune from the farmer, because there might be as many as ten dogs working at a time. It can take up to four years to train a dog (we wondered how long it takes to train the farmer to all of the whistle tones!).

      Just up the road from the farm, is the Poulnabrone Dolmen, another stone age burial site. Radiocarbon dating indicates that the tomb was probably used as a burial site between 3800 and 3200 BC. This was the first stone site we've visited that was roped off -- all of the others we've been able to walk close up to.

      After our day of discovery, we arrived in the university town of Galway -- a bustling tourist destination as well. We found a pub that had music starting before our bedtime, finally! It was crowded and we enjoyed the 'craic' (had a fun time) talking with a couple from Philadelphia while listening to traditional Irish music. Scottish bagpipes have been referred to as sounding like "a bag of cats," but the Irish version of bagpipes are softer, more like a "bag of kittens."      Leer más

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    • Diane and DarrylDiane and DarrylIreland—Cycles & Stone Circles
      Mullaghmore Hill
      Burren National ParkLimestone landscapeShells from ancient seabed in the BurrenWildflower meadowCracked by mountain-building pressure and eroded by rainLady’s bedstrawKidney vetchWild thymeBird's foot trefoilUnknown mushroom varietySpotted orchidPurple Spotted orchid

      Burren National Park

      14 de junio, Irlanda ⋅ ☁️ 63 °F

      Today was about a different kind of rocks--not standing stones, but limestone. The Burren, from the Irish ‘An Bhoireann’, means a rocky place. This lunar limestone pavement was formed 350 millions years ago as a tropical seabed when Ireland was below the equator. (Ireland is now at 53 degrees north of the equator.)

      But even with all of the rocky landscape, meadows have formed and this was nearly the perfect time for wildflowers. Today was mostly about looking for native orchids and other interesting wildflowers, so enjoy the floral show.      Leer más

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    • Diane and DarrylDiane and DarrylIreland—Cycles & Stone Circles
      We're wearing shorts!
      A view of the bridge we were standing onMuckross Lake in Killarney National ParkBike and walking path in Killarney National ParkMuckross HouseDarryl found a native Irish orchidMuckross AbbeyA yew tree in the middle of Muckross Abbey

      A Car-free Day - Back on Bikes

      13 de junio, Irlanda ⋅ ☁️ 61 °F

      We’re now in County Kerry, not far from the very touristy Ring of Kerry drive. That route goes along the next peninsula up from Beara, but we’re skipping the tour coach madness. At least on our other two peninsulas, no vehicles larger than a panel van or small agricultural machinery could fit on the roads.

      Our 2-night lodging is in a former manor house on Muckross Lake, next to Killarney National Park. The hotel offers bikes to guests for free, and since it was actually a little sunny, we went for a ride around the lake and took in the surrounding sites of the Muckross House mansion, its grounds and an abbey.      Leer más

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    • Diane and DarrylDiane and DarrylIreland—Cycles & Stone Circles
      Driving along the Beara peninsula
      Village of EyeriesBallycrovane Ogham StoneArdgroom Stone CircleLots of crossing into fieldsArdgroom Stone CircleArdgroom Stone CircleGleninchaquin Park waterfallAt Gleninchaquin ParkFamine hut at Gleninchaquin ParkAt Gleninchaquin ParkGleninchaquin Park hikeSheep doing some back-scratching?Uragh Stone Circle, looking back at Gleninchaquin waterfallLandscape around Uragh circleUragh Stone CircleFamine hut

      More Stone Circles - the Beara Peninsula

      12 de junio, Irlanda ⋅ ☁️ 63 °F

      We really can’t get enough of these ancient stone features! But first, we wanted to see Eyeries, a town where the residents have all decided to paint their homes and businesses in cheery vibrant colors.

      Next up was the Ballycrovane Ogham Stone. At over 15 feet tall, it is the tallest known Ogham stone, carved in the 4th–6th century AD. Ogham is an ancient Irish alphabet and is the earliest written source for the Irish language. The carvings were barely visible to us.

      A little ways up the road was the Ardgroom Stone Circle, reached by walking through a farmer’s sheep and cow pasture. Stone circles are made up of an uneven number of free standing stones—varying from 5 to 17. The stone circle at Ardgroom once consisted of 11 stones. One stone is now missing and one has fallen.

      We had to skip the Cashelkeelty stone circle because there was just no place to put the car on the very narrow road. So we headed into Gleninchaquin Park for a nice hike among spectacular views of lakes, valleys and a massive waterfall. No rain, but very humid, and lots of annoying flies near the top.

      Not far from the park is the Uragh Stone Circle, made up of four low stones and a massive, 10-foot tall fifth stone. Set against a backdrop of mountains, lakes and the waterfall at Gleninchaquin Park, this circle was one of the highlights of our Neolithic explorations!      Leer más

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    • Diane and DarrylDiane and DarrylIreland—Cycles & Stone Circles
      Drombeg Stone Circle
      The OPW lawn-mowing guys taking a breakThe presumed cooking site at DrombegGorteanish Stone Circle on Sheep's Head peninsulaView from Gorteanish Stone CircleWalking the Sheep's Head Way to get to the stone circleAnother Napoleonic era lookout towerView from “Fionn mac Cumhaill's Seat,”Windy walk at “Fionn mac Cumhaill's Seat"Village of Allihies and our lodgingsToday's drive around the peninsulas

      Driving the Southwestern Peninsulas

      11 de junio, Irlanda ⋅ 🌬 59 °F

      Heading southwest from Cork city, we set out to see more Neolithic sites in County Cork. The Drombeg Stone Circle is a circle of 17 standing stones, believed to have been built around 3,000 years ago. Like most of the stone circles, the pillars are aligned so that at winter solstice the sun sets at a point on the horizon aligned with the central axis of the circle. Also at this site are the remains of several huts—one with a prehistoric kitchen with an adjacent well. The cooking site contains a rectangular trough which is presumed to have been used for boiling water to cook meat. Experiments conducted during excavation in 1957 showed that 70 gallons of cold water could be brought to a boil in 18 minutes by rolling fire-heated stones into the water. The water remained sufficiently hot for almost 3 hours.

      We enjoyed talking with a couple of Office of Public Works (OPW) workers who were there to mow the grass. They were very knowledgeable about the site and appreciated the skill of the early occupants of this area.

      Moving on, we arrived at the Gorteanish Stone Circle, located along a long-distance walking route on Sheep's Head peninsula. This set of 11 stones was unknown until the 1990s, when it was discovered during clearance work for the trail. No local stories or folklore have been recorded about it, and it is unclear why it has apparently been overlooked until recent times. In the early 2020s, University College Cork archaeology experts excavated the site, then faithfully restored the stones to their original standing position.

      We continued circumnavigating the Sheep's Head peninsula, following the coastline of Bantry Bay, a large and calm inlet of the Atlantic. The road was very narrow and winding, but awesomely scenic. We stopped for a very gusty walk at “Fionn mac Cumhaill's Seat,” a high point along the route.

      We stopped for the night in the village of Allihies, on the Beara peninsula. There’s only one restaurant in town (but 3 places to drink, we gathered).      Leer más

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