On Thursday morning, we departed Galway with our sights set for a night at Ballynahinch castle. First though was a stop that I am sure most people visiting Ireland never see, a lead and silver mine just north of Galway called Glengowla. I saw this brochure in the shops outside Spiddal, and thought it would be an interesting side trip considering James' mining background. We end up visiting mines wherever we go...actually, all 7 of us have already been in a silver mine, in Virginia City, Nevada when we were all vacationing together in Lake Tahoe! Since our driving route was right by the entrance to this mine, we all agreed it was a nice side trip. It was not crowded at all when we arrived...we were only one of 3 groups of people (maybe 15 total) on the tour. This mine was only used right after the Famine, for 15 years or so. A lot of lead and silver were mined in this short time though...but then price and demand dropped and they stopped mining, with the intent to come back at a later date. Trouble is, once the prices were rising again the mine was full of water and the cost to pump it all out was more than the value of what would be mined. Once again, we got a great tour guide - he was very knowledgeable and really enjoyed his job - and we learned a lot. They have just recently restored this mine to tour people through, and just opened a deeper section in the last few months. Aside from the silly hairnets we had to wear under our hard hats :) I think we all enjoyed this side trip.
We departed Glengowla, and headed to Ballynahinch. Our rooms weren't quite ready when we arrived though so we went to visit another little village called Roundstone. Not much there, but a cute seaside town and we had lunch while we were there. We started to wait for a table at one cafe, but Gene decided Irish people don't wait so we headed to another place. It's funny, the Irish are in no hurry (at least once you hit the countryside) so Gene's decision to take us somewhere else was somewhat surprising.
The castle experience was fabulous, and the rest was just what the doctor ordered after a week of going nonstop. We all enjoyed the common rooms on the first floor, and had the staff deliver us a pot of tea and start a fire for us. It was still raining outside and quite damp and chilly, a fire was a welcome relief. We played Scrabble, drank tea and felt a bit like royalty! We decided to eat in the castle pub, while Nana & Papa had a fancy dinner in the castle dining room. They joined us after their dinner and we closed up the bar & pub, while the bartender taught us how to make perfect Irish Coffees :) The dinner was fabulous, perhaps the best dinner I had while in Ireland (pork belly!). We all enjoyed getting a bit dressed up and pretending to be 'special castle guests'. Even the manager, Patrick O'Flaherty, got to know us - particularly Keely, he called her 'Boss' and how right he is! The next morning dawned bright and sunny...thank goodness so we could explore the castle grounds a bit. It was very serene and peaceful. I won't recant, mostly because I can't recall, the castle history - but there is a lot of hunting and fishing on the massive grounds - and I do remember the name meaning 'settlement on an island' and the history involving an argument between the O'Flahertys and the O'Malleys. Patrick is a descendent of the original O'Flaherty family.
After checking out of the castle, we headed back to County Clare where we spent our last night in the Bunratty Castle Hotel. When we got there, we said farewell to Gene. I must say we all enjoyed our time with him...Keely even made him a goodbye present (a letter to Gene) that he said he would put up in his office to remember her. Although from her loud singing while listening to Annie's iPod on the van, I'm not sure how he could forget her :) Seriously, though Gene was great - really a great tour guide, driver and connoisseur of Irish places and history. We do all miss him and I will definitely keep his card for the next time I am in Ireland...he has a little cottage for rent that seems the perfect place to explore Southwest Ireland from!
The night at Bunratty was relaxing, we mostly ended up crashing and relaxing at the hotel pool and steam room. There was another castle to see (Bunratty) but we (at least the four of us and Annie) felt we'd seen enough history and all we wanted to do was chill out. Our last dinner in Ireland was Durty Nellie's, a well known pub on the castle grounds. Once again, a very good dinner and a nice time had by all.
Saturday morning we departed from Shannon airport. The trip home was long, but safe and uneventful. I know I was happy to be back on American soil, if nothing else so I could stop converting from Euros to dollars in my head.
I have to wrap this up by saying that our family of 4 really enjoyed this trip, and we have to give a huge thanks for Nana and Papa for making that possible. I was also quite pleasantly surprised that the 7 of us had a very enjoyable time together the entire time, with only a couple minor snags...9 days is a long time to spend with a group of people, even your family...and at the end, we were all still talking, laughing and enjoying each others' company as much on Day 10 as on Day 1. Definitely the sign of a good trip!
We saw so much, learned a lot, and really embraced Ireland on our time there - and I think most of us want to get back again someday. The memories though will last a lifetime, and I know I am glad we were able to experience Ireland at least once if time or circumstances don't allow another trip.
Showing posts with label Ireland. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ireland. Show all posts
July 25, 2011
July 22, 2011
Killarney to Galway
We left Killarney early Tuesday morning. The skies were darkening a bit, but we were hoping that by heading north the weather would improve. We had our sights set on perhaps the most notable attraction in Ireland (besides the Blarney Stone) - the Cliffs of Moher...or Mohair as Keely would call them. The drive there was pretty, and got even nicer as we hit the coast and exclaimed over the sandy beaches and beautiful golf course in LeHinch. We also stopped in Adare, another cute little village (honestly, they were all starting to look the same at this point - in fact, I forgot about this one until I looked back at our pictures).
We arrived at the Cliffs and walked up to the overlook. I can honestly say that this was the most unique scenery I saw the entire time in Ireland....most everything else was reminiscent of something in the US. But not the cliffs. They are spectacular. And scary. Just watching the huge flocks of birds fly in and around the cliffs made me wonder if they ever have a fear of heights :) After visiting for a while, the rain started to move upon us. Literally it was blue skies with white clouds one minute and then pouring the next. We'd been lucky, with 6 days of sun but we were about to have the weather we knew we would get...rain off and on for the next 3 days until the sun finally broke back in again for good on Friday. At least we got use of the nice rain jackets we brought!
After the Cliffs, we ran back to the van to dry off and headed to Doolin - a quiet little town (or maybe village because it was so small) - to have lunch. We went to Gus O'Connor's pub for their famed Seafood Chowder (although only Nana had it). Oh, and more Black and Tans :) Gene was really great with his restaurant recommendations...it's really nice to have a driver that knows where to go for good food. Especially for the 7 of us, some of whom find it hard to make a decision (myself included). His guidance really took the guesswork, and what would have become stress, out of most of our decisions and helped make the trip so much smoother at times.
Next up was our drive to Galway. This drive took us on back roads through a very unique area of Ireland called The Burren. I can't say much about it, because I slept through most of that drive (I was still nursing that cold, remember). But I do know that the landscape of the Burren is marked by outcroppings of limestone that stretch over the countryside and end at the sea. What I did see was quite incredible. But what I remember most about this drive was the houses littering the countryside on the shores of Galway Bay. One was cuter than the next, and I would have lived in most any of them. There is something so unique about the homes in Ireland...they are simply decorated on the outside, no shutters, no landscaping. They are mostly white in color with splashes of color on the doors and trim. I really can't put my finger on it exactly but I just loved them. Perhaps a retirement location, because it certainly would be a quiet and calm existence!
We arrived in Galway to rain, most unfortunate since we were staying at the Galway Bay Hotel with beach access. I didn't expect warm beach weather, but sun would have been nice. For the next two days though, it was mostly rainy with a bit of clearing in the mornings and evenings. There's not much to our time in Galway, so I think I can cover it now. We shopped in Spiddal (a town up the coast road) and then spent time in the City of Galway...mostly shopping in both places. Oh, and Quinn got his hand caught in the van door - Gene felt horrible as he had closed it, but Quinn was not all that injured - he just screams bloody murder when he gets hurt. We walked to dinner both nights - eating in Lohan's and another pretty good restaurant (cant' remember the name...see, there goes my memory). I liked the set price options on menus in Ireland - they offered good prices for an appetizer, main course and dessert for one set price.
One more notable - Galway Bay Hotel had a pool and we swam both afternoons in our down time. Acton's in Kinsale and our last hotel in Bunratty also had a pool. Steam rooms are popular in Ireland - they also have saunas but the steam is a nice option. The notable about swimming is that all swimmers have to wear a cap, I suppose for hygienic reasons. In Galway, we actually had to purchase them (although we don't think that showed up on the hotel bill). So we all ended up bringing home another souvenir - a blue and white swimming cap :)
On Thursday, we were set to depart Galway for our night at Ballynahinch. But our drive there contained an activity that I found out we were driving right by - Ireland's first show mine.
We arrived at the Cliffs and walked up to the overlook. I can honestly say that this was the most unique scenery I saw the entire time in Ireland....most everything else was reminiscent of something in the US. But not the cliffs. They are spectacular. And scary. Just watching the huge flocks of birds fly in and around the cliffs made me wonder if they ever have a fear of heights :) After visiting for a while, the rain started to move upon us. Literally it was blue skies with white clouds one minute and then pouring the next. We'd been lucky, with 6 days of sun but we were about to have the weather we knew we would get...rain off and on for the next 3 days until the sun finally broke back in again for good on Friday. At least we got use of the nice rain jackets we brought!
After the Cliffs, we ran back to the van to dry off and headed to Doolin - a quiet little town (or maybe village because it was so small) - to have lunch. We went to Gus O'Connor's pub for their famed Seafood Chowder (although only Nana had it). Oh, and more Black and Tans :) Gene was really great with his restaurant recommendations...it's really nice to have a driver that knows where to go for good food. Especially for the 7 of us, some of whom find it hard to make a decision (myself included). His guidance really took the guesswork, and what would have become stress, out of most of our decisions and helped make the trip so much smoother at times.
Next up was our drive to Galway. This drive took us on back roads through a very unique area of Ireland called The Burren. I can't say much about it, because I slept through most of that drive (I was still nursing that cold, remember). But I do know that the landscape of the Burren is marked by outcroppings of limestone that stretch over the countryside and end at the sea. What I did see was quite incredible. But what I remember most about this drive was the houses littering the countryside on the shores of Galway Bay. One was cuter than the next, and I would have lived in most any of them. There is something so unique about the homes in Ireland...they are simply decorated on the outside, no shutters, no landscaping. They are mostly white in color with splashes of color on the doors and trim. I really can't put my finger on it exactly but I just loved them. Perhaps a retirement location, because it certainly would be a quiet and calm existence!
We arrived in Galway to rain, most unfortunate since we were staying at the Galway Bay Hotel with beach access. I didn't expect warm beach weather, but sun would have been nice. For the next two days though, it was mostly rainy with a bit of clearing in the mornings and evenings. There's not much to our time in Galway, so I think I can cover it now. We shopped in Spiddal (a town up the coast road) and then spent time in the City of Galway...mostly shopping in both places. Oh, and Quinn got his hand caught in the van door - Gene felt horrible as he had closed it, but Quinn was not all that injured - he just screams bloody murder when he gets hurt. We walked to dinner both nights - eating in Lohan's and another pretty good restaurant (cant' remember the name...see, there goes my memory). I liked the set price options on menus in Ireland - they offered good prices for an appetizer, main course and dessert for one set price.
One more notable - Galway Bay Hotel had a pool and we swam both afternoons in our down time. Acton's in Kinsale and our last hotel in Bunratty also had a pool. Steam rooms are popular in Ireland - they also have saunas but the steam is a nice option. The notable about swimming is that all swimmers have to wear a cap, I suppose for hygienic reasons. In Galway, we actually had to purchase them (although we don't think that showed up on the hotel bill). So we all ended up bringing home another souvenir - a blue and white swimming cap :)
On Thursday, we were set to depart Galway for our night at Ballynahinch. But our drive there contained an activity that I found out we were driving right by - Ireland's first show mine.
July 20, 2011
Killarney National Park
We had one full day in Killarney (Monday). After arriving to the mayhem of the remains of the football game on Sunday evening, we were pleased to see that the town was restored to order the next morning. On our way out to Muckross House, Gene stopped off at Fitzgerald Stadium to show us what it looked like. The aftermath in there was crazy...bottles and trash everywhere...those cleaning crews had their work cut out for them! Gaelic football is huge in Ireland, it's like our soccer or football. Kids grow up playing and every town (and sometimes village) has their own club. Interestingly enough, this sport was developed right after the famine in the 1850s and it helped Ireland rise back from the horrors that had befallen the country.
Our first stop was Muckross House and Traditional Farms, set in Killarney National Park. When we arrived, we found out that the only way to see the house was on a guided tour and we were hesitant...but we all ended up enjoying it. The tour guide was fabulous, Breda was her name. I loved her accent and the way she rattled off the history of the house and the details on the furniture, artwork, rugs, etc. in each room. She was also repetitive - so that by the end of the tour you definitely knew that the house was owned by an Irish man, Arthur Vincent who married an American lady, Maude and its history dates back to the 1830s and 1840s, until it was donated to the country with all of its land and it became the cornerstone of Killarney National Park. Breda would rattle off the details of each room, and end her little spiel with 'and now we're off to the drawing room' (or whatever room was next, and you need to say that with a nice Irish accent). Quinn especially liked the 'stuffed' animals from all of the 1800s hunts, and Keely wanted to live in that house. They asked to take the elevator up to the 2nd floor for the remainder of our tour, and after that Breda let them sit in special chairs and be her little helpers throughout the rest of the tour (they were the only kids, so that probably helped). At the end of the house tour was a shop called Muckross Weavers, where Quinn and Keely each chose a souvenir - Quinn his own Irish cap, and Keely an Irish clutch purse.
After the House, we headed over to the farm. This was interesting, taking you from station to station that started with a small farm all the way to a large farm. In each farmhouse was a guide, who was making fresh bread in the fire burning in the hearth. There was also plenty of animals to see, as it is still a working farm. This is where Papa earned his 'Goat Whisperer' title, trying to make friends with the goat outside one of the farms for quite some time. I think the kids' favorite part was the large farm and its small animals section, where there were baby pigs, cows, kittens, lamb, and two Border Collie pups that we wanted to take home with us, well at least me and the kids did. They were 5 months old, and called William and Kate (for obvious reasons...and I guess the Irish have the same fascination with the Royal Wedding as Americans).
Continuing on with our time in the National Park, we drove the short distance to the trailhead for Torc Waterfall. It takes about 5 minutes to walk up to this beautiful waterfall, but then we hiked above and around it for about an hour (probably 2 miles). We even walked down to Lough Leane (Lower Lake) and played by the water. The hike was nice, reminiscent of the hikes we did in the mountains of Utah. Quinn even wondered why people were having trouble because we did much harder hikes in Utah :) The elevation was obviously not the same, but it was a steep climb up above the waterfall. Even I was huffing and puffing, while trying to coax Keely along.
While we were on the hike, Gene met up with a jaunting car ride driver who agreed to give some of us a ride through the park for a different experience. A jaunting car ride is a horse and buggy, and there are many roads through the park that can not be accessed by cars so it's either bike, walk or this method. I didn't have any interest (plus as with everything, it was more Euros) so Nana and Papa took the kids on the 30-40 minute ride. They had a fun time and their driver was very knowledgeable and a nice fellow (John, I think). While they were there, I inquired if there was a pub to stop in for a drink - and of course there was one on the way :) We stopped at Molly Darcy's for a drink and I had my first black and tan. In Ireland they are made with Guinness and Smithwick's (not Harp, like in the US). We relaxed and chatted with Gene and then it was time to pick up the others. This was a nice change...another perk of having a driver, because we could choose to do different things. Nana wanted the car ride, she got it and those of us that didn't had a fun time elsewhere.
We were thinking of adding Ross Castle to the end of the day, but we were all tuckered out. We headed back to our hotel to freshen up for dinner. This time, we tried an Irish pub called Murphy's. It was fabulous - most of us had Shepherd's Pie (excellent choice) and their Mushroom Soup was out of this world. Killarney is also notable for me because I got sick, starting a cold while I was there. The soup was a welcome relief and I also started my regimen of drinking screwdrivers (though you have to order it as OJ and Vodka because they don't know it as an American screwdriver, plus they don't mix the drink for you...another interesting tidbit about Ireland). I continued to be ill for the time in Galway, and was feverish for the first night there. This cold set in and lasted the remainder of the trip, plus the first week we were back. It didn't affect my good time for the most part, but it was a bit of an annoyance for me. It was the first time I have been sick since my immune system crashed in March/April and luckily, I got over it quicker this time.
That pretty much concluded our time in Killarney. The next day, we left early so that we could see the Cliffs of Moher and the Burren on our way to Galway where we spent our next two nights.
Our first stop was Muckross House and Traditional Farms, set in Killarney National Park. When we arrived, we found out that the only way to see the house was on a guided tour and we were hesitant...but we all ended up enjoying it. The tour guide was fabulous, Breda was her name. I loved her accent and the way she rattled off the history of the house and the details on the furniture, artwork, rugs, etc. in each room. She was also repetitive - so that by the end of the tour you definitely knew that the house was owned by an Irish man, Arthur Vincent who married an American lady, Maude and its history dates back to the 1830s and 1840s, until it was donated to the country with all of its land and it became the cornerstone of Killarney National Park. Breda would rattle off the details of each room, and end her little spiel with 'and now we're off to the drawing room' (or whatever room was next, and you need to say that with a nice Irish accent). Quinn especially liked the 'stuffed' animals from all of the 1800s hunts, and Keely wanted to live in that house. They asked to take the elevator up to the 2nd floor for the remainder of our tour, and after that Breda let them sit in special chairs and be her little helpers throughout the rest of the tour (they were the only kids, so that probably helped). At the end of the house tour was a shop called Muckross Weavers, where Quinn and Keely each chose a souvenir - Quinn his own Irish cap, and Keely an Irish clutch purse.
After the House, we headed over to the farm. This was interesting, taking you from station to station that started with a small farm all the way to a large farm. In each farmhouse was a guide, who was making fresh bread in the fire burning in the hearth. There was also plenty of animals to see, as it is still a working farm. This is where Papa earned his 'Goat Whisperer' title, trying to make friends with the goat outside one of the farms for quite some time. I think the kids' favorite part was the large farm and its small animals section, where there were baby pigs, cows, kittens, lamb, and two Border Collie pups that we wanted to take home with us, well at least me and the kids did. They were 5 months old, and called William and Kate (for obvious reasons...and I guess the Irish have the same fascination with the Royal Wedding as Americans).
Continuing on with our time in the National Park, we drove the short distance to the trailhead for Torc Waterfall. It takes about 5 minutes to walk up to this beautiful waterfall, but then we hiked above and around it for about an hour (probably 2 miles). We even walked down to Lough Leane (Lower Lake) and played by the water. The hike was nice, reminiscent of the hikes we did in the mountains of Utah. Quinn even wondered why people were having trouble because we did much harder hikes in Utah :) The elevation was obviously not the same, but it was a steep climb up above the waterfall. Even I was huffing and puffing, while trying to coax Keely along.
While we were on the hike, Gene met up with a jaunting car ride driver who agreed to give some of us a ride through the park for a different experience. A jaunting car ride is a horse and buggy, and there are many roads through the park that can not be accessed by cars so it's either bike, walk or this method. I didn't have any interest (plus as with everything, it was more Euros) so Nana and Papa took the kids on the 30-40 minute ride. They had a fun time and their driver was very knowledgeable and a nice fellow (John, I think). While they were there, I inquired if there was a pub to stop in for a drink - and of course there was one on the way :) We stopped at Molly Darcy's for a drink and I had my first black and tan. In Ireland they are made with Guinness and Smithwick's (not Harp, like in the US). We relaxed and chatted with Gene and then it was time to pick up the others. This was a nice change...another perk of having a driver, because we could choose to do different things. Nana wanted the car ride, she got it and those of us that didn't had a fun time elsewhere.
We were thinking of adding Ross Castle to the end of the day, but we were all tuckered out. We headed back to our hotel to freshen up for dinner. This time, we tried an Irish pub called Murphy's. It was fabulous - most of us had Shepherd's Pie (excellent choice) and their Mushroom Soup was out of this world. Killarney is also notable for me because I got sick, starting a cold while I was there. The soup was a welcome relief and I also started my regimen of drinking screwdrivers (though you have to order it as OJ and Vodka because they don't know it as an American screwdriver, plus they don't mix the drink for you...another interesting tidbit about Ireland). I continued to be ill for the time in Galway, and was feverish for the first night there. This cold set in and lasted the remainder of the trip, plus the first week we were back. It didn't affect my good time for the most part, but it was a bit of an annoyance for me. It was the first time I have been sick since my immune system crashed in March/April and luckily, I got over it quicker this time.
That pretty much concluded our time in Killarney. The next day, we left early so that we could see the Cliffs of Moher and the Burren on our way to Galway where we spent our next two nights.
July 19, 2011
Kinsale to Killarney
We left Kinsale on Sunday morning, with our sights set for Blarney Castle. This trip was a bit of doubling back driving wise, because we ran out of time on Saturday. We also weren't set on visiting Blarney...after hearing that it's overrated, etc...but decided to and I know we were all glad that we made that decision. Blarney Castle is 'younger' than Cashel, thus more intact and obviously home to the infamous Blarney Stone. I knew I would have some anxiety about kissing the stone because of the way you have to kiss it, given my fear of heights. There are many steps up through the castle to get to the top, which is where you wait in line for your turn to kiss the lucky stone. On the journey up, I enjoyed detouring off the spiral steps to see the rooms...i.e. kitchen, banquet room, bedrooms...and imagining what it would have been like to live in such a place so many years ago. As a civil engineer, it's always amazing to me how well these structures were built such as to last so many years, with none of the modern engineering plans! When we all got to the top, in stages because some of our group was detouring longer than others...we waited in not too long of a line to kiss the stone. That part was humorous, because it was a bit like being in a production line...the guy up there kept saying the same thing over and over as people approached. Lay back, arms over your head, scoot back, kiss, get up. My fear of heights was not an issue because it all happened so fast, and the way you were laying didn't really allow you to see down to the ground below. After the castle and the kiss (which by the way, you can purchase a picture of for just 10 Euros...or $15 - what a rip!) we explored the grounds a bit to an area called 'Rock Close'. This was very interesting, the remains of an old Druidic settlement and there was a story that narrated us through the various waterfalls, paths and structures.
After Blarney, we headed to Gene's village - Glengarriff, south on the Beara Peninsula. The reason for this was quite interesting and I feel warrants an explanation. Almost from the time we met Gene, he started mentioning that on Sunday was a huge Gaelic football match between Cork and Kerry (rivals) and it was being played in Killarney, which was where we were to spend Sunday and Monday nights. There really wasn't much way to know ahead of time, but Gene knew that because of this match the roads to Killarney would be quite crowded before and after the game. So he suggested we wait until 7 PM to arrive in Killarney, thus missing the match traffic and in the meantime, taking a visit to his village. I honestly think he wanted to go home for a bit - but once we saw and experienced Glengarriff and Garinish Island, I think we would all agree that no one minded his ulterior motive.
Before I get to Glengarriff though, I would be remiss not to mention Gougan Barra, a little village on the drive between Blarney and Glengarriff. This was where we saw Ireland's Top Toilet and visited St. Fin Barre's Chapel. The lake and surrounding mountains were so beautiful and peaceful. It was a welcome stop on our travels.
We arrived in Glengarriff around lunchtime, and were brought into Gene's office (which is next to his wife's shop - where Quinn purchased a cute little wicker turtle souvenir) and met Gene's wife. We were also immediately given glasses of wine and a sample of Irish moonshine (which Papa received in a bottle to take back to the States - shhh, don't tell anyone!). Gene then dropped us at a cafe for lunch - which is where I had my best brown bread of the trip - and then we headed to the Blue Pool Ferry which would take us to Garinish Island on a short boat trip. I should mention that Quinn had complained that he never had been on a boat in his short 9 years, but on this trip he got on two (the River Liffey Cruise and this ferry ride). Garinish Island has a long history, mostly because it was owned by an Italian family who lived there and created beautiful gardens. In Gaelic, the name means Ilnacullen (Island of the Holly). This island and the views of the water and mountains surrounding it reminded me a lot of St. Lucia, and a little also of Lake Tahoe. On the ferry ride out, we also got to see the resident seals sunning and swimming in the sea. That proved to be a bit of a bonus for all of us :) We all enjoyed the ferry, and the time on the island and I can imagine it would be beautiful in all seasons as various things come into bloom.
After our trip to Glengarriff, we traveled on to Killarney via Molls Gap. This drive was curvy and on narrow roads. The scenery was gorgeous, and we saw many cute towns along the way. We stopped in a chocolate shop while still on the County Cork side of the drive, just because we were passing. Our purchases gave us all a nice little snack on the 2 hour drive :) The drive led us through lots of little towns, all deserted because they were at the aforementioned Gaelic football game. We drove through the village of Kenmare and into Killarney National Park, actually driving a portion of the famed 'Ring of Kerry'. We saw the Ladies View Hotel, so named because when the Queen came to visit the country that was her first view of Lough Leane (Lower Lake) and Killarney in the distance. This drive was also made more interesting because of the sheep throughout the countryside, labeled by various colors of spray paint on their backs so the farmers can identify their herd.
Finally, we reached Killarney. What we found when we arrived was much like a college town after a football game, or a tailgate. Or more simply, lots of drunk people on the streets celebrating (or commiserating) the result of the game that afternoon. We checked into our hotel, the Killarney Royal and then walked around the town a bit. We smartly decided to stay out of the pubs that night (a lot of them had already closed because they ran out of food!) and experienced 'Italian in Ireland' for dinner. It was lovely, and a nice change from the typical Irish pub choices.
For the next day, we made plans to visit Muckross House and Traditional Farms, and Torc Waterfall in Killarney National Park.
After Blarney, we headed to Gene's village - Glengarriff, south on the Beara Peninsula. The reason for this was quite interesting and I feel warrants an explanation. Almost from the time we met Gene, he started mentioning that on Sunday was a huge Gaelic football match between Cork and Kerry (rivals) and it was being played in Killarney, which was where we were to spend Sunday and Monday nights. There really wasn't much way to know ahead of time, but Gene knew that because of this match the roads to Killarney would be quite crowded before and after the game. So he suggested we wait until 7 PM to arrive in Killarney, thus missing the match traffic and in the meantime, taking a visit to his village. I honestly think he wanted to go home for a bit - but once we saw and experienced Glengarriff and Garinish Island, I think we would all agree that no one minded his ulterior motive.
Before I get to Glengarriff though, I would be remiss not to mention Gougan Barra, a little village on the drive between Blarney and Glengarriff. This was where we saw Ireland's Top Toilet and visited St. Fin Barre's Chapel. The lake and surrounding mountains were so beautiful and peaceful. It was a welcome stop on our travels.
We arrived in Glengarriff around lunchtime, and were brought into Gene's office (which is next to his wife's shop - where Quinn purchased a cute little wicker turtle souvenir) and met Gene's wife. We were also immediately given glasses of wine and a sample of Irish moonshine (which Papa received in a bottle to take back to the States - shhh, don't tell anyone!). Gene then dropped us at a cafe for lunch - which is where I had my best brown bread of the trip - and then we headed to the Blue Pool Ferry which would take us to Garinish Island on a short boat trip. I should mention that Quinn had complained that he never had been on a boat in his short 9 years, but on this trip he got on two (the River Liffey Cruise and this ferry ride). Garinish Island has a long history, mostly because it was owned by an Italian family who lived there and created beautiful gardens. In Gaelic, the name means Ilnacullen (Island of the Holly). This island and the views of the water and mountains surrounding it reminded me a lot of St. Lucia, and a little also of Lake Tahoe. On the ferry ride out, we also got to see the resident seals sunning and swimming in the sea. That proved to be a bit of a bonus for all of us :) We all enjoyed the ferry, and the time on the island and I can imagine it would be beautiful in all seasons as various things come into bloom.
After our trip to Glengarriff, we traveled on to Killarney via Molls Gap. This drive was curvy and on narrow roads. The scenery was gorgeous, and we saw many cute towns along the way. We stopped in a chocolate shop while still on the County Cork side of the drive, just because we were passing. Our purchases gave us all a nice little snack on the 2 hour drive :) The drive led us through lots of little towns, all deserted because they were at the aforementioned Gaelic football game. We drove through the village of Kenmare and into Killarney National Park, actually driving a portion of the famed 'Ring of Kerry'. We saw the Ladies View Hotel, so named because when the Queen came to visit the country that was her first view of Lough Leane (Lower Lake) and Killarney in the distance. This drive was also made more interesting because of the sheep throughout the countryside, labeled by various colors of spray paint on their backs so the farmers can identify their herd.
Finally, we reached Killarney. What we found when we arrived was much like a college town after a football game, or a tailgate. Or more simply, lots of drunk people on the streets celebrating (or commiserating) the result of the game that afternoon. We checked into our hotel, the Killarney Royal and then walked around the town a bit. We smartly decided to stay out of the pubs that night (a lot of them had already closed because they ran out of food!) and experienced 'Italian in Ireland' for dinner. It was lovely, and a nice change from the typical Irish pub choices.
For the next day, we made plans to visit Muckross House and Traditional Farms, and Torc Waterfall in Killarney National Park.
July 15, 2011
Dublin to Kinsale
We were greeted Saturday morning with the news that Papa was ill and we would have to travel on without him. Lucky for him, our driver Gene had stayed in Dublin with another driver, Richard who volunteered to come back to the hotel at noon to pick him up and bring him to us at the Irish National Stud Farm, about an hour south of Dublin. Not only did Richard do the transporting, but he got Papa some medicine for his ailments and even called to check on him later in the day. It was our first experience with Irish hospitality...Richard really went above and beyond!
So we met with Gene and discussed the day. Gene is from County Cork, in the tiny village of Glengarriff (which we will visit later in the trip). He proved to be an excellent driver and tour guide, and we came to like him very much through our seven days. We called him our little leprechaun, because he seemed to magically appear when you needed him. He was not obtrusive nor too talkative, simply informative and helpful. (Though he did make things up when he didn't know the answers to our questions lol) He had a strong Irish brogue, and he spoke very fast. For the first day or so, it was hard to understand him but then we caught on.
We left Dublin as a group of 6, and headed down the highway to thoroughbred country. Horse racing is big in these parts, and we were headed for the Irish National Stud Farm. We did it mostly because the kids would enjoy it, but I think we all did and we all learned a lot about studs and mares and stud fees, etc. I didn't know there was such a science to it all! We also learned that the Irish have a bit of a fascination with The Simpsons - having four miniature horses named Homer, Marge, Lisa and Bart - good thing because my kids have that same fascination these days. The Stud Farm also includes some beautiful gardens dedicated to St. Fiachra and a Japanese botanical garden. The Japanese gardens have a lovely story about life, from birth to death that I narrated as we walked through. We had a fun time, and I would definitely recommend this to anyone driving south from Dublin!
After the Stud Farm, we headed further south to Cashel this time as a full group of 7. We ate lunch in a little cafe in town and then walked up to the Rock of Cashel. This cathedral dates back to the 12th century and that anything remains at all is incredible considering its age. A lot of the cathedral has fallen to the ground and lies around it in rock form. There is also a cemetery that contains graves from the 1500s and even earlier. The history of it all was a lot to take in. The views from the Rock are also wonderful, as it sits on the highest point for miles around.
After Cashel, we drove to Kinsale where we stayed in Acton's Hotel for one night. Kinsale is a pretty little coastal town. I could have spent a bit more time there...we only arrived at 6 PM or so, then left by 10 AM the next morning. We ate dinner at The Blue Haven and all had a nice meal. We walked around the little town and the area down by the harbor. We got some ice cream and then turned in for the night. Notable - ice cream in Ireland was more like custard...very sweet, and different from what we get in the States.
That was our first day traveling the countryside of Ireland. I am glad we visited both the Stud Farm and Rock of Cashel - a bit of fun and a bit of history made for a very enjoyable day.
Notable - the weather to this point was great, in fact we didn't encounter a drop of rain until Tuesday when we visited the Cliffs of Moher. The temperatures were in the 60s but it feels very warm when the sun is shining bright. The days are very long, sunrise at 5 AM and sunset between 10 and 11 PM depending on where you are in the country.
The next day we set plans to head to Blarney Castle, and Glengariff (Gene's village) before heading on to Killarney for our next two nights.
So we met with Gene and discussed the day. Gene is from County Cork, in the tiny village of Glengarriff (which we will visit later in the trip). He proved to be an excellent driver and tour guide, and we came to like him very much through our seven days. We called him our little leprechaun, because he seemed to magically appear when you needed him. He was not obtrusive nor too talkative, simply informative and helpful. (Though he did make things up when he didn't know the answers to our questions lol) He had a strong Irish brogue, and he spoke very fast. For the first day or so, it was hard to understand him but then we caught on.
We left Dublin as a group of 6, and headed down the highway to thoroughbred country. Horse racing is big in these parts, and we were headed for the Irish National Stud Farm. We did it mostly because the kids would enjoy it, but I think we all did and we all learned a lot about studs and mares and stud fees, etc. I didn't know there was such a science to it all! We also learned that the Irish have a bit of a fascination with The Simpsons - having four miniature horses named Homer, Marge, Lisa and Bart - good thing because my kids have that same fascination these days. The Stud Farm also includes some beautiful gardens dedicated to St. Fiachra and a Japanese botanical garden. The Japanese gardens have a lovely story about life, from birth to death that I narrated as we walked through. We had a fun time, and I would definitely recommend this to anyone driving south from Dublin!
After the Stud Farm, we headed further south to Cashel this time as a full group of 7. We ate lunch in a little cafe in town and then walked up to the Rock of Cashel. This cathedral dates back to the 12th century and that anything remains at all is incredible considering its age. A lot of the cathedral has fallen to the ground and lies around it in rock form. There is also a cemetery that contains graves from the 1500s and even earlier. The history of it all was a lot to take in. The views from the Rock are also wonderful, as it sits on the highest point for miles around.
After Cashel, we drove to Kinsale where we stayed in Acton's Hotel for one night. Kinsale is a pretty little coastal town. I could have spent a bit more time there...we only arrived at 6 PM or so, then left by 10 AM the next morning. We ate dinner at The Blue Haven and all had a nice meal. We walked around the little town and the area down by the harbor. We got some ice cream and then turned in for the night. Notable - ice cream in Ireland was more like custard...very sweet, and different from what we get in the States.
That was our first day traveling the countryside of Ireland. I am glad we visited both the Stud Farm and Rock of Cashel - a bit of fun and a bit of history made for a very enjoyable day.
Notable - the weather to this point was great, in fact we didn't encounter a drop of rain until Tuesday when we visited the Cliffs of Moher. The temperatures were in the 60s but it feels very warm when the sun is shining bright. The days are very long, sunrise at 5 AM and sunset between 10 and 11 PM depending on where you are in the country.
The next day we set plans to head to Blarney Castle, and Glengariff (Gene's village) before heading on to Killarney for our next two nights.
July 14, 2011
Dublin
We left Newark airport at ~9 PM on Wednesday for the direct flight to Dublin. That's a red eye, landing at ~9 AM Irish time. The flight was about 6 hours, with a 5 hour time loss. I slept most of the flight, as did Keely. James didn't really sleep at all, and Quinn slept about 2 hours. The plan when we got to Dublin was to stay up until a normal bedtime and then we'd be fully adjusted the next day. This plan worked pretty well, except for by dinnertime the kids were pooped. Keely slept on the bench in the Irish pub through dinner. Quinn was a bit 'fussy' (not sure that is the right word for a 9 year old) by dinner and we were all tired. We did make it until 11 PM before going to sleep though, but then slept until 9:30 AM. And we would have kept sleeping if Nana and Papa hadn't knocked on our door :)
Back to the beginning...we landed in Dublin, got some Euros and took the AirCoach downtown. Papa thought this was a helicopter :) but it was just a Coach bus. We only had to walk around the block to our hotel and were able to get a room to throw all of our stuff in while we started exploring the city. After a bit of freshening up, we walked down by Trinity College over to the Grafton Street area. There are tons of shops, restaurants and entertainers on this pedestrian street and the surrounding areas. It was very busy, being a Thursday and there seemed to be a lot of people going to and from work and meetings. We stopped for lunch in a little cafe, and were immediately confronted with two realities of Ireland - the high cost of food, and the lack of root beer for the kids :) Quinn quickly became a 'Coca Cola' kid and Keely tried Black Currant Juice, but later switched to Fanta or Club Orange (orange soda).
After lunch, we walked out to St. Patrick's cathedral...an old, Anglican church. The cost was pretty inexpensive (15Eu for a family, or about $20 USD) and it was very interesting with lots to see. One of our favorites in this church was the Door of Reconciliation, which two warring families used to reconcile many years ago. That night, we ate dinner at John Gogarty's, an Irish pub. This was probably my least favorite dinner, because I tried Irish coddle (sausage soup with veggies). We also began our sampling of brown bread - everywhere in Ireland, they serve brown bread with dinner and it's always different. My faves were not in Dublin, but in Glengariff and either Bunratty or Ballynahinch (castle). Like I said, the kids were pretty tired by this point. We then crashed at the hotel, after the kids had some ice cream from the hotel bar for dessert.
Oh, to mention the hotel - O'Callaghan Davenport is where we spent these first two nights. This was a nice hotel, pretty centrally located with nice size rooms. They even had American plugs, but upon using them I thought I fried my iPhone battery. For the remainder of the trip, it wouldn't hold the charge and the battery kept dying out way too quickly. I was fearful but thankfully when charged on the plane ride home, it's back to normal. I just think the voltage is different. Another note - the kids' DSi game systems would not charge the entire trip, even using an adapter. A quirk of traveling abroad, I suppose.
Our second day in Ireland, and last day in Dublin was also Nana and Papa's 39th anniversary. After breakfast at the Kilkenny (kind of like Nordstrom with a department store and a cafe), we headed down to the River Liffey (river that bisects the city) and checked on the boat tours. We booked a trip later in the afternoon and that left us time to head to the Guinness storehouse. We took Dublin's new light rail system, the Laos to Opideal Sans Seamus stop (St. James' Hospital in Gaelic). I liked learning a bit of a new language and tried to use it when I could read the words somewhat authentically :) Guinness was fun for all...they have 8 floors to tour starting with the 4 ingredients and moving up each level to another step of the brewing process. There is a floor where you taste the roasted beans (tasted almost burnt, like coffee beans) and then you get your sample of the beer (probably 1/4 or 1/8 pint). Finally, you get up to the 8th floor which they call their Gravity Bar, with 360 degree views of Dublin and surrounding areas. It's pretty crowded up there but if you're lucky to get a seat by a window, it's a nice view. We all got our included 'free' pint and the kids got a 'free' soda. Of note, I drank my whole pint by myself and James got the 'perfect pint' identified by a shamrock in the foam, only achieved when the beer is poured, settled and topped off perfectly. He was the only one in our group to get one, fitting since (a) he loves Guinness and (b) he finished not only his, but part of Annie's and Nana's pints. After Guinness, we headed back to the River for our cruise. This was an hour long trip, and very interesting to learn some of the history of not only Dublin but Ireland as well. The tour inspired us to walk down the river front past the State buildings to see the Famine statues. This is a huge part of Ireland's history and I was unaware of the details of this 'Irish Holocaust' as some call it. I was so intrigued that later on in the trip I bought a copy of 'Famine in Galway', a historical narrative of the time between 1845 and 1850 when so many Irish died, or left the country trying not to die, for really no reason at all. For dinner that night, we tried another pub called O'Donohue's. Better food, great waitress, and a lot of drinks were poured. Another notable from Dublin...Papa and his first hangover, err I mean stomach virus :) It seems Dublin brought him to his knees and the combinations of drinks between noon and midnight ended his 'iron stomach' reign. He was so ill that we had to leave him in Dublin on Saturday morning while we went on ahead. He joined us at about 1 PM and was ill for the remainder of the day, really not returning to his usual self until Sunday morning and thus missing our first day touring the countryside and the entire time in Kinsale. I think he learned his lesson :)
On Saturday morning we met our driver Gene O'Sullivan, who would be our tour guide for the next 7 days. More on him, and our trip to Kinsale by way of the Irish National Stud Farm and the Rock of Cashel, in the next installment...
Back to the beginning...we landed in Dublin, got some Euros and took the AirCoach downtown. Papa thought this was a helicopter :) but it was just a Coach bus. We only had to walk around the block to our hotel and were able to get a room to throw all of our stuff in while we started exploring the city. After a bit of freshening up, we walked down by Trinity College over to the Grafton Street area. There are tons of shops, restaurants and entertainers on this pedestrian street and the surrounding areas. It was very busy, being a Thursday and there seemed to be a lot of people going to and from work and meetings. We stopped for lunch in a little cafe, and were immediately confronted with two realities of Ireland - the high cost of food, and the lack of root beer for the kids :) Quinn quickly became a 'Coca Cola' kid and Keely tried Black Currant Juice, but later switched to Fanta or Club Orange (orange soda).
After lunch, we walked out to St. Patrick's cathedral...an old, Anglican church. The cost was pretty inexpensive (15Eu for a family, or about $20 USD) and it was very interesting with lots to see. One of our favorites in this church was the Door of Reconciliation, which two warring families used to reconcile many years ago. That night, we ate dinner at John Gogarty's, an Irish pub. This was probably my least favorite dinner, because I tried Irish coddle (sausage soup with veggies). We also began our sampling of brown bread - everywhere in Ireland, they serve brown bread with dinner and it's always different. My faves were not in Dublin, but in Glengariff and either Bunratty or Ballynahinch (castle). Like I said, the kids were pretty tired by this point. We then crashed at the hotel, after the kids had some ice cream from the hotel bar for dessert.
Oh, to mention the hotel - O'Callaghan Davenport is where we spent these first two nights. This was a nice hotel, pretty centrally located with nice size rooms. They even had American plugs, but upon using them I thought I fried my iPhone battery. For the remainder of the trip, it wouldn't hold the charge and the battery kept dying out way too quickly. I was fearful but thankfully when charged on the plane ride home, it's back to normal. I just think the voltage is different. Another note - the kids' DSi game systems would not charge the entire trip, even using an adapter. A quirk of traveling abroad, I suppose.
Our second day in Ireland, and last day in Dublin was also Nana and Papa's 39th anniversary. After breakfast at the Kilkenny (kind of like Nordstrom with a department store and a cafe), we headed down to the River Liffey (river that bisects the city) and checked on the boat tours. We booked a trip later in the afternoon and that left us time to head to the Guinness storehouse. We took Dublin's new light rail system, the Laos to Opideal Sans Seamus stop (St. James' Hospital in Gaelic). I liked learning a bit of a new language and tried to use it when I could read the words somewhat authentically :) Guinness was fun for all...they have 8 floors to tour starting with the 4 ingredients and moving up each level to another step of the brewing process. There is a floor where you taste the roasted beans (tasted almost burnt, like coffee beans) and then you get your sample of the beer (probably 1/4 or 1/8 pint). Finally, you get up to the 8th floor which they call their Gravity Bar, with 360 degree views of Dublin and surrounding areas. It's pretty crowded up there but if you're lucky to get a seat by a window, it's a nice view. We all got our included 'free' pint and the kids got a 'free' soda. Of note, I drank my whole pint by myself and James got the 'perfect pint' identified by a shamrock in the foam, only achieved when the beer is poured, settled and topped off perfectly. He was the only one in our group to get one, fitting since (a) he loves Guinness and (b) he finished not only his, but part of Annie's and Nana's pints. After Guinness, we headed back to the River for our cruise. This was an hour long trip, and very interesting to learn some of the history of not only Dublin but Ireland as well. The tour inspired us to walk down the river front past the State buildings to see the Famine statues. This is a huge part of Ireland's history and I was unaware of the details of this 'Irish Holocaust' as some call it. I was so intrigued that later on in the trip I bought a copy of 'Famine in Galway', a historical narrative of the time between 1845 and 1850 when so many Irish died, or left the country trying not to die, for really no reason at all. For dinner that night, we tried another pub called O'Donohue's. Better food, great waitress, and a lot of drinks were poured. Another notable from Dublin...Papa and his first hangover, err I mean stomach virus :) It seems Dublin brought him to his knees and the combinations of drinks between noon and midnight ended his 'iron stomach' reign. He was so ill that we had to leave him in Dublin on Saturday morning while we went on ahead. He joined us at about 1 PM and was ill for the remainder of the day, really not returning to his usual self until Sunday morning and thus missing our first day touring the countryside and the entire time in Kinsale. I think he learned his lesson :)
On Saturday morning we met our driver Gene O'Sullivan, who would be our tour guide for the next 7 days. More on him, and our trip to Kinsale by way of the Irish National Stud Farm and the Rock of Cashel, in the next installment...
Stateside
As of late June, we were finally getting settled in our new home in Virginia. We had joined a gym close to our home, joined the neighborhood pool club and visited several times. The kids even started to meet some other children, both at the pool and in our general vicinity and surrounding streets. The boxes were dwindling at the house and most things had been unpacked and organized into their new resting places. And then, we left on our long planned trip to Ireland. We left home on Tuesday, June 28th and did not return until Sunday, July 10th. Almost two weeks!
The trip was wonderful. I will attempt to capture most of what we did while visiting this gorgeous country, and I think it will take 7 blog posts to do that. We took almost 1,000 pictures among the 7 of us, and I will not attempt to include all of those pictures. What I have decided to do is create slideshows of each 'stage' of the trip and include them with the written detail of our travels. I'm sure I will forget the little things (i.e. all of the tiny towns and villages we drove through and in some cases, stopped). But I will hit the 'high points' and attempt to detail our trip.
So that I don't forget, here are the 'installments', listed in order of our trip itinerary:
Dublin
Dublin to Kinsale
Kinsale to Killarney via Glengariff
Killarney National Park
Killarney to Galway
Galway to Ballynahinch
Ballynahinch and Bunratty
First stop...Dublin!
The trip was wonderful. I will attempt to capture most of what we did while visiting this gorgeous country, and I think it will take 7 blog posts to do that. We took almost 1,000 pictures among the 7 of us, and I will not attempt to include all of those pictures. What I have decided to do is create slideshows of each 'stage' of the trip and include them with the written detail of our travels. I'm sure I will forget the little things (i.e. all of the tiny towns and villages we drove through and in some cases, stopped). But I will hit the 'high points' and attempt to detail our trip.
So that I don't forget, here are the 'installments', listed in order of our trip itinerary:
Dublin
Dublin to Kinsale
Kinsale to Killarney via Glengariff
Killarney National Park
Killarney to Galway
Galway to Ballynahinch
Ballynahinch and Bunratty
First stop...Dublin!
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