18 (25) Swedish version
	"Will it be fog and rain today again?" The question was irritatingly justified when we left Dingle, heading for Brandon Bay and Tralee Bay on the peninsula's north side. The road climbs through a mountain landscape with high peaks and the abyss going sheer down towards small lakes. But the grandeur gets lost in the dense mist. All you see is just a narrow road, disappearing into a grey infinity. Suddenly, when we crossed Conor Pass, the haze opened up and unveiled a sight that liberated our souls. We stopped the car, got out and stood silent, facing the magnificent light. A process started in my mind, weeks later ending in a poem: "The Veil of Banba". A man riding a mountain bike challenged the steep road. He fell off the bike, exhausted to his limit. A couple of minutes later his friend arrived and they started to speak Swedish. My travel companion asked: "You're from Sweden?" The first man puffed with a broad southern Swedish accent: "Yes, who the hell else would be stupid enough to cross this bloody mountain on a bike?"
	First published: Sunday 27th October, 1996. Send a to the author! You may also use this form