Day 7, June 27, 2005

After seven days on the road (as expected, note the seventh day), a rest day in Tralee was planned, as we had already covered quite a few kilometers. Anyone wanting to relax in Tralee should definitely bring their swimsuit and visit the Aqua Dome admission is currently €10 per day for adults.

We actually wanted to go into the city a bit, maybe visit the Kingdom Museum or buy souvenirs, and take a short tour in the afternoon (Fenit Harbour, Banna Beach, Ballyheigue, Ballybunion, Rattoo Tower).

Since we wanted to be sure no serious injuries were overlooked, we took a taxi to Tralee General Hospital (we didn't have our swimsuits with us anyway). As an aside, the taxi fares are inexpensive, and even waiting times aren't included. We believe they're either fixed or based on distance.

Anyone who's ever seen an emergency room episode can imagine what it's like in an Irish hospital. You check in with your name, address, next of kin, family doctor, etc. After about 10 minutes, there's a brief intake—that is, what happened, a quick look at the injuries—then you wait an hour for the doctor. The doctors are n't just responsible for accident emergencies, but for the hospital, or rather, the department they're working in.

After a good hour and five minutes of small talk, it was time for the X-ray. Unbelievable, after just under an hour and a half, we were in. Wow, this hectic pace was almost unbearable. When you're the one being treated, this time seems incredibly long, but the Irish composure, no matter what, is unimaginable.

After returning from the X-ray, we met the doctor, who was completely astonished. "Here again already? Where are the images?" he exclaimed. A quick check revealed nothing broken, no serious injuries, just some sprained ligaments in my toes, which were taped. We waited for copies of the X-rays for our family doctor, who would also receive the report. The wait was supposed to be only five minutes, but after 20 minutes, we felt they could have sent them by mail.

Including the drive, we were back at Denton B&B in no time, after just 4 1/5 hours. In the evening, we had a barbecue planned at Matt and his family's place, who had prepared everything wonderfully and perfectly accommodated our vegetarian preferences. Many thanks to Anke for that ! We also mustn't forget Matt's kind pick-up and drop-off service, which brought us back to our accommodation.

Who else has such a caring tour guide? Thank you for everything, Matt.