This morning we left Dublin, to go on an Irish public transportation adventure. It started straightforward with the tram to the train station and the train to cork. From there we needed a bus to Castletownbere, but at the busstation they told us that bus didn’t exist. It did, we found out later, but it didn’t go from the busstation.
So we took another bus to Bantry and then to Castletownbere. And then we were stuck, because the bus to the Dursey cable car only goes twice a day, and we are to late for that now…
It’s been a long and confusing day, so we decide to try our luck in the best place we can find: the pub! We enter McCarthy’s pub and within 5 minutes we find help, friendliness and companions! No solution yet, but that is soon to come. The lady at the bar sends us to the supermarket to get a taxi (supermarkets in Ireland apparently also do taxi service?) and gives us both a shamrock for good luck before we leave. The shamrock does it’s work, because the supermarket indeed has the phone number of the taxiservice, and the taxi van bring us to the cable car. With our30 minutes to spare, we go back to the pub, where we get a free pint and share our story with the lady at the bar and some customers. With the advise ‘glac go réidh é’ (take it easy), we leave the McCarthy’s pub. What a great place! The lady from Beara cabs takes us to the cable car and just before sunset we get to the island.
It started raining a bit and the wind is picking up. After 2 km we knock at a house to ask if we can pick our tent somewhere a bit sheltered. We find a spot in the garden nextdoor. Dead tired from a day of travelling we fall asleep. Tomorrow, we finally start!
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