General

We saw this sheep at Slieve League. They are cliffs 600 meters high. He was tucked in a small ledge that was right on the edge. Seemed quite at home too.

Today we traveled to the western end of Donegal. Saw magnificent scenery. Here are a few pics that show the incredible beauty of God’s creation.

Belleek is a village on the border of Northern Ireland and the South.

Pause, for a brief history and geography refresher: the island of Ireland has two parts- the north, or Northern Ireland, which is a part of Great Britain and also a member of the EU. The South, or the Republic, is independent and a member of the EU, and is strongly Roman Catholic. To confuse things, the most northerly tip of the island is Donegal County which actually belongs to the South of Ireland. Check out your map.

Back to Belleek. It’s a famous town which has made pottery and dishes since 1857 or so. We toured the working factory today. They make small batches from each mould (which they’ve stored since they began) and we saw the artists and artisans busy at work. Very interesting. I, Kris, bought a small flower vase as a souvenir. Btw, one photo shows a large kiln which slides on rollers over the racks of pottery being fired, unlike putting a tray into the oven for baking the usual way.

By Kris, in no particular order:

•there are no brunettes!: loads of redheads, blondes from their Viking heritage, and light black hair (which isn’t gray). The men and boys shave the sides of their heads and leave the top strangely long.

•LOTS of people smoke!

• people eat everything, yet there are very few obese people. There’s no hype or panic about avoiding certain foods; they really enjoy their nosh.

•folks are super friendly

• drivers are patient. They also have excellent reversing and parking skills. Cars are very small and you park wherever you can, no big deal. I’ve counted only 8 pick-up trucks.

• can I get “yous” anything else?

•no overhead traffic lights or signs in ordinary villages. None. All major motorways exit onto roundabouts. The one near Gran has 3 traffic lights within it! Petrol costs double than the US.

• food is cheaper. So is clothing. Houses aren’t wooden; they’re brick and mortar.