I woke a little early to get breakfast in. The original plan was to try to get to a local church this morning. I unlocked my bike and pulled it from the storage shed they have here for parking the bikes. I was ready for the day. Camelback full, snacks in the backpack, and full camera battery.
On my way to the church, I realized that I had a flat tyre. I pulled over at a park to sit on a bench and fix it. When I took the tyre off, I couldn't find the leak so I replaced the tube itself. As I inspected the tyre itself, I didn't see any defects. This was my first time field changing a tyre and I'd say it went well. By time I finished with the tyre, it was too late to make it to the church.
My next destination planned was a castle in Dundrum. It took me a little bit, but I found it. Turns out, it was remodeled into a private residence. I was able to see it, but it definitely looked restored.
Next up was Drimmagh Castle. It took me some time to get to it as well, but luckily, there were signs directing how to get there. The castle looked awesome. It was a little smaller than what most people think of when they hear "castle". The walls were about 10-12 feet high, though the tower was much higher. It also had a moat which was cool. Unfortunately, they don't do tours on weekends so I'll go back in the week. It isn't too far from the hostel so that shouldn't be a problem. (And Adventure Bear photo bombed my picture)
On my my way to Drimnagh, I passed through many sub-sections of Dublin including Donnybrook. The ride from Dundrum to Drimnagh was a bout 30 minutes. It was quite a different view than downtown Dublin. During that ride, my tyre went flat again. Luckily, I was able to find the hole and patch it. I also found the hole in the tyre itself and apparently a piece of glass got wedged in the tyre which caused the first flat and since I didn't find it before, caused the second flat. I removed the glass and used duct tape to seal the hole.
Well, after Drimnagh, it began to rain lightly. It was nothing too uncomfortable and was actually a nice ride. It would drizzle here and there, but what made it nice was the awesome look of the sky.
By a series of unfortunate events, my tyre went flat a third time. I assume it was from the patch getting wet and losing its seal. I ended up walking it back to Dublin and went to one of the bike shops I knew of (fortunately it wasn't a long walk). I think bike shops must be closed on Sunday's because not a single one was open. I took the bike back and locked it up for the day at the hostel. As far as "riding" miles, I put in about 20. Overall mileage was around 27.
The weather today went from dark and rainy to sunny and warm. I decided that it was time for a shower because of the sweating from the humidity. The shower did feel good.
The last thing on my itinerary was Ashtown Castle. The castle is about a 30 minute walk from the the hostel, but the sun was starting to set. Since it's so close, I decided I would wait until another day to get there.
I started to get hungry by this point and went to a restaurant called Flanagans. It was a nicer, upscale restaurant with exceptionally friendly staff. I was finally able to get my fish n chips I was planning on having this trip. It was delicious to say the least. And you can't have fish n chips without Irish tea. In the middle of my restaurant search, a couple street performers were out. A three piece group was doing a blues performance while a guy down the street was playing bagpipes. I enjoyed listening to both. While walking, I also came across some pretty cool churches and cathedrals.
Plans for tomorrow is to go to Cashel. The Rock of Cashel is one of the coolest castles so that will be be fun. However, it's a 2 1/2 hour bus ride, so I figured I would need to bring food. I stopped at a local grocery store to pick up food and snacks a returned to the hostel. Tomorrow is also bank holiday which means a lot of businesses will be closed. I'm not sure if grocery stores will be closed but I thought I would stock up just in case.
At the hostel, I snacked a little, while refitting my pack for tomorrow. I hung around the hostel for a bit then our youth group called on FaceTime so I could talk to them. It was nice seeing all of them.
Today, even though I had multiple flat tyres, was a pretty good day. I was able to see some of the country I hadn't experienced yet. It only gets better from here so keep posted! :)
