Hello friends and family! Greetings from Ireland. What an absolutely beautiful country this is. We've added it to our "we have to come back here and spend a couple of weeks" list. The big cities are nice and fun, but both Tom and I love the laid back peace and beauty of the countryside.
The first thing we noticed after spending several days in Paris, was the difference in the people. The Irish are truly kind, warm, welcoming and lovely. They greet you with open arms and are happy you have taken the time to visit their country (not the Parisians - they are rude and cold and would really prefer that all Americans went home, I can't count how many times I was shunned for doing something they perceived as wrong - like not weighing the bananas!).
After renting a car in Dublin and making a very "white knuckled" trip to Killarney (about 4 hours) we arrived at our destination. The lovely B & B called Ross Castle Lodge.
Tom did a fairly good job (better than I could have done) driving on the left side of the road and only had a couple of "mishaps" (we'll leave that alone!!) Of course, I wasn't helping much as a passenger on the left hand side of the car.....all I could say way "wall....pole....bike.....curb....watch out!!!" Not sure who was "white knuckling" it, passengers seem to have a harder time than drivers, seeing trees and walls whipping by them on the left, all I had to do was try to stay closer to the white line in the middle!
It was an interesting ride to say the least.....day 2 & 3 have been much better. I do believe Tom has gotten the hang of it! By Thursday, it has been 3 days of driving, we both are getting better. On Friday, we have another 4 hour drive back to Dublin airport, but that is on highways (the M7), and they are wide enough. The roundabouts/rotaries are a challenge, keep going left! I love left turns, but there is no "Left on Red" rule.
The lake, the forest, the fields of green are all so beautiful.Everyone we met on the way was quite welcoming, and offered to take our pictures together, even before we asked them!
The Daniel O'Connell Memorial Church: Huge and beautiful was the only catholic church to ever be named after a lay person. He was a freedom fighter and an Irish political leader in the first half of the 19th century. Monsignor Hugh O’Flaherty, believed to have saved the lives of over 4,000 Jews, anti-Fascists and Prisoners of War while serving in the Vatican during World War II, is buried there, along with a series of priests and nuns (except the nuns only had one plaque with all their names on it, while each priest had his own headstone). This is a deserted Abbey along one of the paths established around 1450 - about 600 years old. They were only here for about 75 years, a "Franciscan Friary", and they were quite strict. Cromwell's people came in and disbanded them in about 1642. It is in very good shape, we could climb all up into it, and the graveyard in the back is quite popular, with headstones from 1850 to 2010 (Kennedy is quite a popular name in this area)We then rode up to the "Torc waterfall" (Vicki loves waterfalls, and she freaked out when I went bounding out on some rocks so she could take a picture! Sometimes I do these things just to get a rise out of her) and then on to visit the Muckross House built by architect William Burn, in 1843 for Henry Arthur Herbert and his wife, Mary Balfour Herbert. With sixty-five rooms, it was built in the tudor style. After Mary died her husband and in-laws donated the land and gardens to Ireland to establish the Killarney National Forest, the first National forest of Ireland.There are horse drawn carriages throughout the area, called "Jaunting cars". If you get behind one of them on the road, be prepared to wait it out because the roads aren't wide enough to pass safely. The grounds are so beautiful and peaceful. Many folks bring a picnic out here, and the grass is perfectly landscaped. It was a picture perfect day, unusual for Ireland in terms of weather.
Wednesday we took a ride around the "Ring of Kerry". The route covers 179 kilometers (111 miles) starting from Killarney and looping around to the southwestern edge of Ireland. We stopped along the way in little towns called Sneem, Waterville, Cahersiveen and Rossbeigh Beach. All very quaint, friendly, and craic (means fun - pronounced crack). More adventures in driving, but I was starting to get the hang of it. The roads were quite narrow in some places, and we had a car that is not quite an SUV by US standards, but larger than the average car here. The beach was awesome! A French family took off their shoes and went wading, and I, of course, followed suit. It wasn't exactly beach weather, but it was like New England in the fall. Much of Ireland reminds my of my Massachusetts/Rhode Island roots: Rocky beaches, rising hills just off the shore: a real rugged, beautiful place.
We stopped in the little town of Cahersiveen for lunch and had to try their "Bangers and Mash" - not bad at all. Basically, sausages and good onions with gravy, poured over mashed potatoes, Awesome!We stopped in Sneem for ice cream and some shopping, great little spot! We drove on from there, winding through more narrow roads and near misses, all to the tune of some amazing scenery. We passed back into the Killarney National Forest from the other (south) side, and stopped at another awesome lake and another couple offered to take our picture!
We also stopped at Staigue Fort near Caherdaniel, one of the largest ring forts in Ireland. It had a one lane road, about 4 km off of the road (the longest 4 km ever!). When another car came from the opposite direction, Katy bar the door! One person had to back up, or find refuge in the side of the road. When we got there, it was very interesting. Not a lot is known about the reason for it, best guess is that a nobleman owned it 2000 years ago and needed protection against enemies. The moat was missing, but you could see the outline of it.On our last full day in Ireland, we started with our traditional breakfast at the B & B, 8:45 a.m sharpe - such nice people the proprietors are - Denis and Roselean O'Leary. We then took a 10 minute walk to visit the Ross Castle. It is located on the edge of Lough Leane, in Killarney National Park, County Kerry, Ireland. It was built in the late 15th century.
We took our final ride through the Dingle bay area where we explored a few more towns and seaports.
Tomorrow morning on to London and then home on Monday. We have to say goodbye and drop off! Until we meet in London, we hope you enjoy.
We took our final ride through the Dingle bay area where we explored a few more towns and seaports.
Tomorrow morning on to London and then home on Monday. We have to say goodbye and drop off! Until we meet in London, we hope you enjoy.
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