Rick Steves’ Europe: Europe’s animal shows and experiences

I will never forget my first “hawk walk.” It was at the Ireland School of Falconry (just outside of Cong, north of Galway), where a great guide showed our tour group how to properly handle birds of prey. For about an hour, we wandered through the enchanting grounds of Ashford Castle, with our guide sporting a Harris hawk on his forearm. After learning about falconry, each person in our group got an opportunity to “fly” the bird – tossing and catching it on his or her arm. With each toss, the glove was rotated to the next person, and the guide tucked a little chicken meat in the padded palm – and the hawk knew just where to return. The experience was both intimate and intense.