We Found Ruins (with a little help from our friend)
Today, marks the first day we found ruins we could actually get to (previous attempts featured a fence and two guns).
After leaving the small town of Clara, (which is the town where the Prime Minister is from as well as this post’s pictured church.) We headed for the city of Athlone. We were on a very easy course and the distance was just shy of¬†30 km, I mentioned to Patrick, “We finally have a straight forward path with no detours”, shortly after we found the road we were going to follow destroyed by construction on a new overpass for the dual¬†carriage-way.
This ended up being a boon sending us into the most rural parts of Ireland yet. Many sheep, cows and dark dense forests later, we found ourselves in the town of Baylin. We saw a sign for the town landmark “The Cross of Baylin”. So we diverted to see it.
On the way we came across another dog, a black lab, but this one was quite friendly if not a bit dense and followed us as we continued. We came to the end of the road without seeing the cross, undeterred we decided to pass through the gate to the bird sanctuary at the end of the road despite the warning of a bull roaming the premises.
The lab happily led the way through the field chasing birds as we went. When we came to the ridge we saw a stone structure in the distance. We proceeded closer and found it to be an old Manor, with attached facilities for horses and sheep. It looked to have been built around the 15th century, and had long been abandoned. Suffice to say we spent awhile exploring around, take video and pictures which you’ll see another time.
After we returned up the hill dog in tow, and left him back where we found him. Now in Athlone, which is a larger city we are enjoying the sights and will report about those later.
Lonette responds:
Posted: June 12th, 2008 at 10:34 am →
The Irish must really love their dogs, there are so many of them. Nice Pic boys and the dark dense forest sounds divine. I want to hear about the pubs and the food that you are eating, anything unusual?
Mom
noelle responds:
Posted: June 12th, 2008 at 11:08 am →
hi willy and patrick,
please try not to get shot while attempting to trespass on private property, there’s good lad’s. i really wish i could be there with you, it all sounds so amazing, but i’m enjoying my time with eva. she’s starting to get plump ( the child eats constantly) so she may look a bit different when you get home. we love you and can’t wait to see it all when you get home.
danimal and rachel responds:
Posted: June 12th, 2008 at 11:11 am →
so my question is are you having fun? i like the narrative, don’t get me wrong, but i think you need to put in a few more emotions…for instance “we came to the end of the road without seeing the cross (which made us very sad) but then we went to the bird sanctuary (which was a blast!)” something to that effect. the church is BEAUTIFUL! i can’t wait to see all the pictures when you get home…seriously you should set it up like an old time slide show and narrate each picture and we can eat popcorn it will be a blast!(see what i did there? added emotion…sorry i think we have been hanging out with kevin too much)
Shayna responds:
Posted: June 12th, 2008 at 11:35 am →
aww how fun! I cant wait to see all the pictures! You’re an inticing story teller William!
enjoy your time in the city! Have a pint! 🙂
Jenn responds:
Posted: June 12th, 2008 at 3:09 pm →
LOVE the picture. MUCH better. Now I no longer suspect that you guys are riding through scenic Modesto, CA, USA. I believe you are in Ireland.
I was both very relieved and very disappointed at the same time that you weren’t chased by the bull. It would have been hilarious and maybe sad at the same time (like when a clown dies…)
Rachel is funny.
Mom (Jung) responds:
Posted: June 12th, 2008 at 5:23 pm →
The church looks awesome! Were you allowed to take pictures inside? I agree with Rachel – you guys need to have a movie-length slide show when you get back! I’ll bring the popcorn (Patrick, I’ll make sure it’s kettle corn) The adventure sounds fun…? I’m not sure a tour would make much money if it offered such attractions as, “on our third day, we’ll tour the dense forests around the hardly-ever-heard-of town of Baylin, which will include an extended amount of time with a dog, a possible encounter with a mad bull, (no extra charge if he charges) a dozen sheep, thirty-two cows, any number of assorted birds, with time left over to explore an abandoned manor house.” Who knows? Maybe you guys can come back, plot out the whole trip you took and take other people on the “Who Knows What Might Happen Tour of Ireland”!
danimal responds:
Posted: June 12th, 2008 at 7:34 pm →
Glad to see your not just in Modesto anymore. That church is awesome. You will definitely have some stellar new backgrounds for your overhead control program. Patrick, new venture brothers was awesome! Have you discovered any new brews that we need to try? Hope all is well, stay safe!
Dad responds:
Posted: June 12th, 2008 at 8:21 pm →
Will, insert emotion into his dialog? My goodness Daniel my boy what are you thinking? Your doing just fine and dandy Williamson. Keep up the bountiful blogging. So glad to hear you boyz are keeping on. As our good friend Joe Dirt say’s “life is a garden, dig it”!