Connemara trip.
Mesmerizing by evening sun, creating the most amazing pallet of color on the greenery at the road side and across the fields i drove on the motorway. Fields of gold straw bales, left over siting like big straw wheels. Vivid green grass below on the ground in contrast with the bushes and trees above. The evening soft glowing sunshine is painting with the soft brush all the things below and above. Sky is blue with lightly red ish clouds fluffing around like the sheep on the ground. All the bridges are no longer boringly concrete gray but beautifully slightly orange red. Leaves of so many shades of green that I cannot express them here with mere words. From time to time the nice red autumn color already settled on some leaves. Together with yellow ish autumn brother color they create a picturesque painting, better than anyone bar nature can paint. Ireland in the Autumn is so amazingly stunning that it is pleasure just drive on the motorway. All the motorway without advertising or any human made objects to distract your attention from the graceful nature. Occasional artwork is breaking the vision of the green as well as scattered black and white dots aka cows. The morning sun is delightful too but it is the master sunset, who paint the best paintings in the world.
No matter which way I drove the scenery is breathtaking and striking full of nature wonder. That said, the roads are wonder as well. Motorways are nice a bit noisy but that could be because I drove the 007 agent black Peugeot and if you can imagine can of tuna, you have good picture of this car. However, I’m happy that I can drive it, also the range of eight hundred kilometers going on thousand on one full tank of petrol, makes the noise not important. However when I forgot myself from all the beauty around I realize that I might slow down since I’m not taxiing to take off. I will leave that to some other pilot who forgot that he is not at work in cockpit of Aer Lingus or Ryanair. Sometimes it looks that way as out of nowhere you see lights in rear view mirror approaching with lighting speed but no air control traffic notification coming from on boar radio. Saying that, the fun starts when I get off the motorway and join the local Lewis Hamilton on the local roads. I hit the local road and here is the sign of 100km/h speed limit and as soon as I pass the traffic sign the road disappear. It either disappear to left or right between trees. At least that is what your eyes tell you since the sharp turn is so sharp that brain cannot process the fact that road actually goes between trees. I think that those country roads have double purpose to save some money in budget. Ireland is one step ahead of NASA, since we send astronaut with local Lewis Hamilton’s on those road to test the G – force. Telling you, when you hit 100 km/h in less than fifty meters and then sharp turn nearly ninety degrees, you know what the poor astronauts are going through on centrifuge, as you feel your inside organs slowly pushing through skin out. Therefore since most of the population of Ireland is driving we can be called astronauts, the best ones on provisional driving license. Yes we are unique.
Anyhow after arriving at Connemara I used language not suitable for this platform here because I left that hippo or elephant in Dublin ZOO. Now I had to secure the tent by something else in “gentle breeze” and those flying children and clothing lines were not enough. All done and now it is time for some food as trying to pitch flying tent is energy demanding job. And again, language used after I opened my petrol portable stove are not publishable, even on such crap site as this. Reason for this second slip in the behavior is fact that I left at home both, lighter and matches so nothing to light fire with. Just as I was start looking around for some stones to bash them together to get some spark I saw miracle. We knew the precious one when we see it and we have to have it, precious one. Hobbled slowly and stealthily we approached the company of fire and planned how we get back our precious one. Then the guy just ruined our plan as he offered the lighter with ‘no problem mate’ and we were happy running thought the field to our cave. Thank God it was only two meters otherwise we would collapse from starvation. What a miracle and happy belly in happy sleeping bag, I was listening to sound of “gentle” breeze of Connemara wondering when I will see the stars, when the tent will take off, I fell asleep.
Diving time is here and I have to say I’m mostly up to challenge and this was a new one. Dry suit course in “warm” Irish Caribbean waters as some calling it. Not going to details but I felt like Bibendum (Michelin Man - for those who need to google the photo of it ) on diet. Lots of flapping rubber around the places you don’t want anything to flap. However flapping is o.k comparing to pinching as that is a bit more uncomfortable than I would like, especially around midsection. Long story short, ‘seriously I’m doing my best to fit this to three pages max’ the diving is fun in dry suit and mainly warm as the fourteen degrees Celsius is not my idea of water suitable for diving. Not far from the place is north sea where the survival suit must be worn because if anyone drops down to water there it will become a ice cube snack for polar bear. Here we are voluntarily going to water with smile on face what become permanent smile. Not because of plastic surgery but because it takes ages to thaw frozen face back to normal shape. Saying that in dry suit it is o.k but I was wondering why people decided to do open water diving course here. They must be in S&M club and all the clips and others sex toys is not enough for them so they run to do open water diving course in waters of Atlantic. When I did mine I was told that when the body starts shiver uncontrollably I have to end dive immediately and warm myself. Here the uncontrollable shivering is sign that you entered ocean waters and your dive course starts. Fair play to those who completed the Open Water Course as they should also get certification as Polar Bear family or Ice Person. Take the temperature from the equation ‘very hard to do so’ the underwater is Caribbean, judging by the amount of life. So so much anemones in colors you could find on Elton John costumes, crabs, lobsters, conger eel, shrimps and I mean they are everywhere. Did not know where to look first. Shrimps just casually sitting on the rocks, beside the crab causally pacing the rock like fashion show and below the same rock is hiding lobster. Hundreds of crushed crab shells or remains of what once were live crabs, pointing on great Conger Eel who must have residency nearby. I have been captivated by all that beauty in gin like clear water, that I forgot about cold and could stay down there for longer.
Diving at Connemara surprised me, I have to admit I’m getting my own dry suit and new fins and I’ll Be Back as Arnie said in Terminator. The dive shop https://www.scubadivewest.com/ is great one, with anything you need to rent and also absofuckinglutely enthusiastic brothers who run it are really good option to dive with. Only one down point, you might get hooked up so be careful 😊
