OPEL vs. ROSE

Yes, we have given up... not necessarily given up, but we have surrendered.
In the morning, we set off from Ballyvaughan in drizzling rain towards Burren National Park. It's actually an interesting area, full of limestone that is mostly arranged in kilometers-long stone walls. In rain and fog, it all presents a rather dreary picture. The Eurovelo route takes us through strange paths once again. We end up in the middle of nowhere and are chased by barking dogs. We head towards Ennis via the busy N85. It's anything but fun to ride a bike on such roads. It takes extreme physical and mental effort and drains you to stay intensely focused while riding. Peter suggests we stop by the train station in Ennis and check if we can catch a train to Cork that takes bicycles. Under the current conditions, with the
road circumstances, we all agree that we won’t make it to Cork alive if we try to cycle 200 kilometers. Ennis station - like everywhere, no ticket counters, only two machines, no one to ask. The same goes for the bus station next door. Ticket machine: OUT OF SERVICE. The bus drivers, although not out of service, announce, NO BIKES ON BUSES. In the last few days, we have tried to book tickets online to Cork, and except for a lot of lost time, we have gained nothing. No spots for bicycles, or the entire train is SOLD OUT. We are also slowly running out of options, it is getting colder and foggier. What do we do now? It does not feel good. Anja would rather lay down in front of the station and cry. We are simply not getting anywhere, and certainly not to Cork by Monday. Anja had the idea that we could rent a car and drive to Cork, so we can relax a bit in the last 3 days and let the bikes take a vacation too. Shannon Airport is 25 kilometers from our current location. We can manage that well and reserve a mid-sized car with Dollar Car Rental for 6 PM, hoping that the bikes will fit inside. The drop-off point is Cork Airport. Everything goes quite smoothly. We get an Opel Crossland, and the bikes, without the wheels, fit inside. A hotel in Limerick is also quickly found. It's 20 kilometers away, and Anja bravely drives a left-hand manual car with the steering wheel on the right somehow towards the highway and Limerick, navigating a two-lane roundabout counterclockwise amidst a lot of fast-driving crazy Irish. The loss of sweat is similar to cycling 30 kilometers.
Finally, at the hotel in Limerick, all the frustration, fear, and anger fall away from us. We drink a cider, toss the day into the Shannon, and look forward to another 3 days in Ireland with the car and bicycles in the back seat.
After breakfast tomorrow, we will check how, when, and where our journey will take us. Tonight, we are too exhausted and tired to think.
Route: Ballyvaughan - Shannon Airport
Kilometers: 70 by bicycle
Elevation: 600 meters