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Shannon Erne Sunshine! Thank God. Praise the Lord. The day by Courtmacsherry, I said to a woman, "Beautiful day." She had exclaimed, "Praise the Lord!" Now I knew why. They didn't often witness sunny days here. Crossing a bridge, I looked over into the river and saw a submerged umbrella; hopefully that was a good sign: when an Irishman threw away his umbrella! The most blue sky since we arrived beckoned us onward. We still endured about six showers throughout the day--two heavy--but at least there was blue sky around us and an awe-inspiring rainbow too. Passing Drumshanbo and Drumboyle, it took Sharon and me an hour to reach Lietrum where we took a two hour lunch break by the moorage docks. We spoke to a couple from Wales who had crossed the Irish Sea in their cabin cruiser. I was interested in collecting facts about boats, as they appeared an easier way to travel than by bicycle. The motor burned diesel and averaged about four hundred miles per hundred gallon tank. They bought their boat in Holland for £25000 and now spent their summers touring canals. This season they were on the recently dredged Shannon Erne Waterway. They wanted to continue their journey to Dublin, but the fixed height bridges they had to flow under presented a problem. Their boat's height was about a foot too high. Moorage in Ireland was free, but in England and Wales the average fee was £12 a night. They had a magnetic photocopier-type card for the canal locks, shower and laundry. Each time they accessed the locks, a unit ticked off the card; showers deducted two; laundry five. We reasoned if we bought a £10 twenty-unit card from the marina it would be an easy way for us to attain showers. "It's a lovely morning!" a person bubbled. Sharon noticed, "They don't commit to a whole day." On our way to Dowre, we met two Germans on mountain bikes. René was a history student; Tom was a banker. They were using the campground in town as a base and cycling out and back each day on various routes in the Drumshanbo area. When they learned our destination was Scotland they warned us about the noseeums, or midges, as they called them. René invited us to his place in Germany. In true student fashion, he remarked, "I can make macaroni or spaghetti." The scenery was spectacular today. I marveled whenever I could see the Irish countryside. Crystal lakes, crystalline streams, luxuriant leafy trees, grass carpeted valleys, and luscious green meadows. |
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