Showers off and on - bingo, the forecast got it right. I don't recall being advised to wear especially warm clothes to keep out the wind though. We kind of went with the flow and had a great day. Starting off we were in bright sunshine.
The first stop was Enniskillen Castle for a video and tour. It's very well organized and laid out which made it enjoyable. You could only visit the first floor of the Castle Keep but that was fine. The Maguires were quite the clan in this area and this was their castle. Aside from having quite the arsenal of weapons, they enjoyed poetry - now there's a new one on me when it comes to Irish chieftains.
Once finished the tour there was a brief rain shower which we used as an excuse to have lunch in the cafe there. The potato and leek soup was fine and garnished with whipped cream. First time I'd seen that. It was naturally accompanied by brown bread and butter.
The rain stopped again and we walked along a path and dock to the River Erne which joins the two lakes, I had a little task - to toss a ball marker into the water. So, with photographic evidence already sent to the person whose token I tossed, this task was ticked off the list.
Then we walked up a narrow alley to visit the RC Cathedral of St Michael and the Church of Ireland, I believe it was St Andrew's. They are conveniently located about 30 feet apart. I'm sure that tourists were not the motivation for this placement but it was nice for us.
And again the rain came down and hurried us back to the car - where the raincoat and umbrella were safe and dry. Timing is everything and ours was a little bit off.
Our next destination was the Marble Arch Cave tour which is very close to where we're staying. Because of all the recent rain (not just today's), the river running through the caves was very high and running fast. It actually covered part of the walkway inside the cave so the tour was an abbreviated version. Caves are fine but to a non-spelunker like myself, kind of ho-hum another stalactite, kind of thing.
Outside - still not raining - another delight awaited. We could walk to the actual Marble Arch, which is made of limestone. There's no marble around this area but when wet it can look like the real thing. The path and steps led quite a long way down but every step was worth the effort. The scenery was a real display of the 40 shades of green produced in a damp climate. There were bluebells in their thousands and the pictures I took almost made them invisible which is a shame. The fiddleheads were more decorative than any others I've seen. One special area must have had all 40 shades with the moss, ferns, trees, shamrocks and other flora.
We walked down almost to the spot where you are supposed to view the arch only to find it was closed off. We could see the edge of what we figured was the arch and got a good look at the swiftly flowing water - and then began the ascent. With more photo-ops as the excuse for stopping it really wasn't too taxing.
And then it started to rain again so we headed back to the car. It was late afternoon, we had nothing in the cottage for dinner and decided to drive back to Enniskillen. We parked the car, asked a woman in the parking lot for a recommendation and then followed her suggestion and went to Grannie Annie's.
What a great choice. The food was delicious and the decor was incredible. The originality was amazing. There was an entire room upside down on the ceiling - complete with papers on the coffee table, upside-down chairs and lamps, a television, etc. I took a couple of pictures but they just look like the images were flipped so you don't really see the effect. However, the ironing board and teapot combination made a great chandelier and the metal pails as bathroom sinks were efficient.
It's now getting late and we want an early start so I'll add the pictures tomorrow once we're settled in Limavady tomorrow. We're taking a roundabout route to see more things (probably in the rain) and cover more territory. Instead of a direct route, we're going west to Donegal town first, then Glenveagh castle and gardens, on to Derry city and then to Limavady.
Bye for now.
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