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As Always, Click on any picture to enlarge it! Day 1 8/17 - 8/18/07 It was a good day, it was a bad day. Dave worked home for BNY, Jill finished packing. Around 3:30 we went up to Jill's parents' house on Staten Island and caught a cab at 5 to JFK. Both were cost-saving moves - the cab cost $100 less from Staten Island, and the plane tickets were $1000 less on Delta from JFK than on Continental from Newark. On the way to Staten Island we grew concerned because the rain began pouring down in buckets - cars were pulled over on the Parkway with their flashers on. Amateurs! Jill had no problem. We were worried that the cab to JFK might take forever being a summer Friday at 5pm in the rain, but we arrived around 6 with only the expected delays. Cab driver became our buddy after I gave him a $20 tip on a $75 fare. Lengthy checkin and security. Amazingly, Dave noticed that the idiot check in girl forgot to put our last bag on the conveyor when she quit work; as Jill went back up to the desk to get it taken care of the guy next to me remarked that we would have NEVER seen that bag again if we had not noticed. The Delta terminal at JFK is like being in an airport in Nigeria - it's an embarrassment to the entire country. We boarded around 8:30 after spending 2 hours being blown about by giant fans. The Irish contingent looked like they had all spent all week sleeping on uncle Frank's sofa in Queens, which many probably had. Boarding was pretty much a free-for-all but we had good seats in the bulkhead row. Took off a little late due to the weather and skipped the bad meal for the most part. Tried to sleep and got a couple of winks but not much more. Kristen was pissed because there was no in flight TV screen. Flight time was only a little over 5 hours!
On the plane Shannon was ok, we got out quickly because Dave & Kristen went and got the Europcar while Jill claimed the bags. Our car is a Ford Focus, and it's pretty roomy. Stick shift on the left, and don't forget to drive on the left! I did once today... you don't get to make that mistake too often. We thought it would take about 3 hours to get to our house in Sneem but we only made it to Killarney by then. Dave was getting pretty beat and the weather (60, rain) and driving (lots of turns, roundabouts, some traffic) made it worse. By the time we got to Killarney National Park I'd had enough, even though it looked beautiful, even in the rain. Stopped at Ladies' Rest to use the loo, then in Kenmare for groceries. Dave tried to buy a pay as you go cell phone but too expensive. "T'would be madness for 2 weeks" said the girl in the store. Finally got into Sneem around 2:30. Followed the directions and got lost multiple times trying to find the house on little back roads. Where it was really narrow and I had to back up. Without being able to see. In the rain. It really sucked and I was at the end of my rope. After about an hour of this, Kristen hearing words she usually doesn't, Jill first spoke to a guy working on his wall, then went into a store in Sneem to ask for a phone, and the woman knew where the house was! We had the directions turned around because we were coming from a different direction. But they sucked anyway. Finally got to the house, a couple of miles up a small road (no doubt more backing up is in my future) around 3:30. The place is really nice, very new and modern. If the rain and fog stops the view will be unreal. 3 BR, 3 BA, nice kitchen with all mod cons, a couple of fireplaces, nice great room with skylights. Should be really nice.
The house
Floor is Liscannor slate, mined right next to our second house, and full of fossils. Decided to skip the nap and had some tea... we'll have an early dinner and bed later. Central heat is on. Ipod is hooked up to the stereo and we're listening to Irish guitar tunes. No rain now, just fog. Jill is finishing unpacking. If we have a glass of wine it will be sayonara... so we'll save that for later.
The road to the house. Made it till about 8 or 9 pm, which is key to avoiding jet lag.
Day 2 So I wasn't going to drive a lot today right? Right! Slept for 12 hours and got up at 8:30. Coffee, eggs and Irish bacon which is just like salty ham steak without the crap in it. We all looked around the lovely property and Kristen had a conversation with the cows next door. The gardens are lovely and the hydrangeas amazing in blue and some red. Cosmos outside Kristen's bedroom. Great view of Sneem and the surroundings. Your garden never needs water, that's for sure!
View from Kristen's window. Decided to check out downtown Sneem for a leisurely day around 11. I think Jill and Kristen went in every store (there are a bunch, Sneem is a 2pm stop on the Ring of Kerry bus tours). Walked over the bridge; it was pretty crowded when everyone got out of church. Jill and Kristen didn't want lunch yet, so we needed a plan. Dave suggested a drive to Moll's Gap so on we went. First attempted a Music Festival but Dave was chagrined to see it was down yet another one lane road, so after a couple of miles we turned around. It may not have even begun by noon. Drove through deserted, increasingly desolate country up to Moll's Gap, which is a mountain pass. Saw numerous sheep and chatted with a few. Shy, as usual.
Between Sneem and Moll's Gap Stopped at Barfinnhey lake to check it out. There were a couple of guys setting up their fly fishing gear in the parking lot. Looked like father and son. I struck up a conversation with them; they were fishing for stocked rainbow Trout. Very, very friendly. They told me it had been a very bad summer - it had rained every day since June14! We were lucky we had just arrived, since the weather was improving. They told me the Coyle family was from County Meath (they think) and we should go look for people who have the same nose as me! Meath is pronounced "County Meat". Lots of people with the same kind of story - late 1800s, orphans sent to North America, etc. Nice conversation.
Barfinnhey lake. When we parked at Moll's Gap I realized that we had passed thru on 2 of the 3 roads yesterday, when leaving Killarney National Park. We were now coming up the third road. The girls checked out the Avoca woolen mill souvenir place but didn't buy. Went upstairs to the restaurant and waited on line on the stairs. It was a cafeteria type line but the food, as often in Europe, was quite good. Dave - Ploughman's Lunch, Jill and Kristen split a "ham salad" which had a lot of carrot, cucumber and potato salads with ham. The carrot salad was marinated in Orange Juice, which was quite good. After lunch, we all felt pretty good so decided to take a long way home via the Gap of Dunloe. It had been recommended by someone on the Slow Travel web site. It wasn't marked but we figured only one road could be the right road.
Black Valley. It was amazing. One lane maximum. Boulders everywhere. Incredible views, and no rain. Scattered sheep. The McGillicuddy Reeks surrounding on every side. Where the hell were we? Rushing streams, few cars, a couple of times we had to do the lay-by thing, but it worked out for the most part. Even where some nasty bastard kind of forced me to back down. At one point, we stopped at an unmarked intersection, unsure if we were even on the Gap of Dunloe road. Some little girls, younger than Kristen came biking up. Are you ok? They asked. How nice. I told them yes, but where were we? - Black Valley was the answer. Seemed out of 1700. The most "in the middle of nowhere" I've ever been. Not even farms. But there was a one room school, still in use.
Black Valley. Climbed through more incredible views - it would have been nice if we had blue skies. When we reached the gap itself - that was the most amazing. Switchback, single lane roads, thank God no one was coming in the other direction. A series of 3 lakes with bridges, views in both directions, just spectacular. Once we reached the lakes it was obvious that people had hiked up from somewhere, and we had to follow a couple of jaunting cars (horse drawn carriages), bikers and hikers. Eventually we found the parking lot where they all originated from. We had come up from the really deserted side. It was so primitive it was obvious why it's not signposted - they don't want any more tourists up there than necessary!
Gap of Dunloe After The Gap of Dunloe we figured we'd take a more leisurely route home via Ballaghbeama Gap. Looked pretty easy on the map.
Upper lake We drove and drove through more deserted countryside, occasional houses but no villages, even though they are marked on the map. Eventually made it to the gap after an hour of so in nowheres-ville - not quite as spectacular but still amazing in a "surface of the moon" kind of way. The Gap had mist and rain blowing through it when we stopped at the top. Only saw a couple of cars the whole trip. It began to rain at the top and I figured we'd better get the hell down soon, before it began to rain in earnest.
Ballaghbeama Gap Made it back to Sneem, about an hour after we saw the "Sneem 25km" sign on the other side of the gap. I now have a real sense of just how deserted the "Kerry Highlands" really are. man, there ain't nothing there at all but a few sheep. Desolate, rainy and beautiful, and unlike anywhere else. And at least 25x25 miles wide! Back in Sneem, the girls bought dish towels and Christmas ornaments before we had some pints of Guinness, shepherd's pie and a burger at the Blue Bull Pub. With a hot Chocolate fudge cake, about 35€. The exchange rate really sucks, but the Guinness was really smooth. Jill beat me to the bottom of both pints.
Home at Last!
Back home in the rain where
we're sitting around the farm table and Kristen will soon get to watch a DVD on
the PC as a reward for being so good today.
Day 3 OK, Kerry is desolate. Man this is not what I expected at all. Where are all the people? Today began late; Dave was up at 7:30 but I let the girls sleep until almost 10. Ham, eggs & toast and we weren't out the door until almost 11. Windy and a little dissipating rain.
View from the house
Our front gate Westward on the Iveragh Kerry Peninsula - following the Ring of Kerry backwards. Expecting towns, scenery, etc. Well we got the scenery but there was very little in the way of towns or civilization. Per Rick Steves' advice, we were trying to get through Waterville by 11 to avoid the swarm of tour busses coming the other direction. Got gas at a one pump Esso and were out of town by 11;30, avoiding most of the day trippers. Why is avoiding the tour busses necessary? Well, even the main road is less than 2 full lanes, Maybe twice the width of your car plus one foot. Not too reassuring when the oncoming traffic is a bus or truck. There were even a couple of turn outs along the road that allowed us to take some nice photos. The rain had stopped and it was partly cloudy and still very windy.
Iveragh Peninsula Should have stopped in Watertown for lunch but didn't, figuring we'd stop somewhere on the Skellig ring instead. Instead, we got a little lost because the navigator wasn't paying attention, missed a couple of turns and ended up at The Point restaurant, facing the Valencia Island ferry for lunch. "Seafood a specialty". How about "Seafood is the only thing we serve"? Dave had a nice smoked wild salmon plate, Jill and Kristen had the pan fried Hake which neither really liked but at least Jill ate it... Kristen pissed us off by eating little... at $E16 for a plate that's kind of annoying. Prices are really high due to the nasty conversion rate (1$E=$1.40). The place was nice, though.
The Point Finally found the road onto the Skellig Peninsula. Desolate as desolate can be. One little town Portmagee, and not much there but fishing boats. We wasted an hour at the "Skellig Experience" museum, which had a nice movie about the Skellig Islands but was otherwise a waste of time. The movie introduced the islanders, about 20 or so monks that inhabited a steep and inhospitable tiny mountainous Skellig Island offshore for a thousand years until they "mysteriously" abandoned the island around 1000AD. Mysterious? Let's see, the lived on a rock with a bunch of seabirds, in rock dwellings they constructed by hand. They cut and built steps to rise the 600 feet to the top of the island. They were killed and kidnapped and sold into slavery multiple times by invading Vikings. Mysterious? It's amazing they lasted several hundred years! Lunatics! The mainland is now virtually deserted... what was it like 1200 years ago? Why the hell did they need to go to this horrible little island in the first place? Why do they go today? After leaving town we followed signs for the Skellig Ring. At one point I saw a road rising 2000? feet in front of us, up a cliff... that couldn't be for us??? Oh yes it was. 25 degrees? God forbid we had to stop and let someone by in the opposite direction on the one lane road, with no guardrails... 2nd gear all the way. Some lunatic, probably a relative of the monks, had walked about halfway up and was hitching,... I'm not going to pick up ANYONE that crazy.
Terranearagh Got to the top and there was an actual parking area, with magnificent 360 degree views. We stepped out of the car and the wind must have been 70 MPH. The last thing it hit had been in Boston. We were about 2000 feet in the air... the view was amazing but we were almost blown off the cliff. We could barely stand. But wow what a view.
Terranearagh
Leaving Skellig Ring Drove back off the almost deserted peninsula, in second gear with brakes, to the main Kerry Peninsula. More of the same great scenery, no busses, no nothing. Stepped at Derrynane, an estate established by Daniel O'Connel, the founder of the Irish independence movement. He seemed to do pretty well for a freedom fighter. Jill and Kristen checked out the house, I napped in the car. Derrynane had been recommended by the owner of our house (we spoke with her this morning), judged by the girls Not Worth A Detour. [Ed Note: I have since read a little about Mr. O'Connel, and not only was he a Freedom Fighter, he was a brilliant lawyer, the best public speaker of his day, father of many illegitimate children, and general raconteur.]
Derrynane The driving is really tough and I wish I had someone to share it with. It's not the 8 hours of driving, it's not driving a stick shift on the wrong side of the car on the wrong side of the road - it's the goddamn narrow roadways that require you to maintain 100% constant vigilance of every road, no matter how large or small, every second of the day. There is no sightline on any road more than 50 yards, and someone can some wailing in the opposite direction at any time... on the larger roads you just bear all the way left and scrape the underbrush... but on the smaller roads one of you must find somewhere to pull over and let the other guy through. Most but not all oncoming traffic is cooperative. After Derrynane we stopped at Staig Fort, another mystery from about 2000 years ago. A circular walled stone fort, maybe it was used to protect locals, or the nobles against invaders, but no one knows. Looks cool though, and they built it with a great view.
Staig Fort and view Back home to Sneem with more cool views. Went into one restaurant but left because I couldn't get a Guinness. I wanted, no, I needed a Guinness and I wasn't going to settle for some rinky-dink airline bottle of cheap wine, Ended up at Sacre Coeur, which had good food and mediocre service. Dave - an excellent shrimp curry of local shrimp, Jill and Kristen split an ok steak, with 2 salads, tip and 3 Guinness 80€, which was again too much. Thank you George Bush. Managed to finally find a bottle of Jameson at a hole in the wall "Take Away" place in town. At 26€ about twice what we could have paid at the Duty Free store at JFK. Tastes like Canadian Club. Home where Kristen picked me blackberries as the sun set. Jameson, pictures and diary... next...bed.
Day 4 Woke up feeling kind of hung over at 8:30 but recovered in an hour or 2. Jill had gotten up at 6. We need to synchronize this.
Sunrise from the patio Breakfast of the usual and Jill made a Johnson Cooler to hold lunch. Destination - Beara Peninsula. We hadn't driven enough lately; we needed to drive some more.
The patio Thru Sneem and Kenmare and we finally hit the Beara Peninsula before 12. Almost immediately the scenery got inspiring.
Beara Peninsula At first we were glimpsing the Kenmare River (really a bay or inlet) through the hedgerows. You knew it was out there but all we saw was vegetation. Then gradually the river revealed itself. They really needed Manny to come in with some bulldozers and open up the view a bit. On the other side of the River was the Iveragah Peninsula, and we could almost make out Sneem at one point.
Beara Peninsula You thought the Iveragh Peninsula was wild? The Beara was even more so. The road was unreal, twisting, turning, one lane. No farms or habitation to speak of. The road tunneling through copses of trees, hedgerows, etc. Through dense vegetation like a rain forest. I prayed for no one to come in the opposite direction so I didn't have to back up. No one did. There were a few cars in each direction but mostly in our direction. That is, westbound on the north side of the peninsula. The weather amazingly got sunny and the water was a deep azure blue. Oyster beds in the river but few boats. Almost none. Almost no people too. Stopped at a little place and Jill bought very good turkey and sodas. We stopped for lunch with a million dollar view, but I did have to stop the girls from fighting and complaining. Kristen was a trouper all day though. Lunch was turkey sandwiches, cheese, an apple for Kristen and some Hobnobs. Sitting on a rock overlooking the river and the Ivergah. Just beautiful. About 5 cars squeezed by on the road where we had parked.
Picnic Lunch After lunch we continued west for more of the same. We almost went to the end. At one point I hit a hairpin turn in 2nd gear and 2nd was not low enough. I stalled on a 30 degree grade and had to restart in 1st gear, but after smoking the tires and clutch I was able to continue. I was trying to follow other cars about 100 yards behind, so that when they met oncoming traffic I would be able to squeeze by without finding a place to pull over / back up to. It didn't really matter because there was very little other traffic.
The scenery was spectacular, kind of like Big Sur 100 years ago, I guess. If it was in the USA it would be a national park.
Beara Peninsula We hit one small town and the only large town (1000 residents, maybe?) but didn't really stop. Once we made the loop around to the southern part the scenery was not as spectacular, but still amazing in a surface of the moon kind of way. The road also got wider and we were able to make better time on the way back. Still not fast though, we did not get off the peninsula till about 3 or 4.
Beara Peninsula Drove through the very tidy town of Glengarriff and stopped to stretch the legs a bit. Then continued on through more high Kerry scenery, rocks and cliffs to Kenmare. Tried to stop in Kenmare but it was very crowded and we couldn't find a parking spot on two passes through town, so, very tired, continued another half hour back to Sneem. The girls went back into Quills for souvenirs for about the 10th time and I told them if I wasn't on the park wall I'd meet them in the Blue Bull. I lasted about 3 minutes.
Leaving the Beara Peninsula
Hand cut tunnel near Kilabunane The Blue Bull had a different face this time, a bunch of locals at the bar and I ordered my Guinness and sat alone at a table as the bar was full. Halfway through the pint I felt much better. So much so that I rescinded my demand to eat elsewhere and told the girls we should eat at the Blue Bull again, once they arrived. Shortly after they came, though, the locals left, and a family from Boston arrived and took up residence at the bar. Wrong. I heard one bartender tell the Beaneaters she was from New York. Very Wrong! We ordered 2 plates for dinner - a poorly done chicken curry and a lasagna (also Wrong). Time to go. We won't be back. Tomorrow I think we'll try O'Shea's.
The Blue Bull Stopped at a Chippie for awesome French fries that we enjoyed in the park while Kristen ran around. I think we'll eat there one night too.
Downtown Sneem
Back home around 7, Kristen
whining about wanting to watch a DVD on the laptop. maybe we'll let her; she's
been very good. The TV is not working and I know damn well the owner will not
have it fixed. There's an entry in the house book from a couple of years ago
about the pleasures of not watching TV for a week. I think it's a pet peeve of
hers. Tomorrow I think we're just going to enjoy Kenmare and skip the driving. Enough already!
Day 5
The patio Woke up to sunshine. After the usual breakfast we were on the road to Kenmare by about 10:30. Jill and Kristen hit the weekly market while Dave went into a music store. The guy running the store reminded me a bit of Mr. Habild. He had a very comprehensive selection of CDs of trad (traditional) Irish music, and a selection of musical instruments - guitars, fiddles, Blues harps (!), of varying qualities. I was in search of a Bodhran for me and a flute of some kind for Kristen. The Bodhran is a hand held drum use by trad Irish musicians. He had some hand made ones that were very attractive and of course expensive. But seeing how this was my one souvenir, I splurged 180€. for one. I'll get maybe 25€. back in VAT if I remember to file for forms. It's a real Bodhran that can be tuned and sounds like a real drum. I got Kristen a small flute used in trad Irish music. She can play some of her recorder tunes on it, now let's hear her play some Irish tunes!
The Bodhran and music shop The guy was very nice and I have his email address. The maker is from the area and supposedly goes to NY sometimes to play. I'll email him for a schedule. The drum sounds great.
Kenmare The girls didn't find a lot of interest at he market. Kind of like lots of the other markets we've been to in various countries, except not much bread & cheese, and they don't grow olives in Ireland (though they do sell them.)
It's true Had lunch in a pub - mediocre. I wasn't too hungry. Jill and I split a pita pizza and Kristen devoured a burger and fries. Too much money again. Then on to Molly Gallivan's which we had passed yesterday. We had seen it on some travel show but were too tired yesterday. It's the actual farm where this woman and her 7 kids lived in the 1800's, doing whatever they needed to do to survive. Molly seems like a superwoman, milking cows, baking bread, growing potatoes, rye, barley, and making Poteen, the local moonshine. And running a bar. The girls went on a walk thru the farm while I napped on a moss-covered wall. Afterwards, we went inside where Jill had a Diet Coke and Kristen & Dave split a pot of tea.
Molly Gallivan's Cruised around the mountains and went back to photograph some of them, given the fact that it was now 75 degrees and sunny! Then back down the mountain to Kenmare, where we went to a 5000 year old stone circle. Very nicely kept and pretty intriguing, given the fact that the stones were hauled from several miles away. Kristen and I both made believe we were being sacrificed on the center stone.
Back to Kenmare
Kenmare Stone Circle Kristen got an ice cream, then it was back to Sneem. Not as much driving as the past several days, but still plenty for me. Came home, Mom & Dad napped for an hour or so while Kristen watched a DVD on the PC. Back to town for a drink at O'Shea's. Pink building, looked a little intimidating, but once we went inside it was really nice. great decor, plenty of locals and some tourists too. The usual Guinness for me, Jill had wine and Kristen her usual Club Orange, but this time she broke the glass with half of the soda still in it, which attracted a little attention. We had planned to dine at the chippie since their fries were so good last nite. But O'Shea's menu looked really good and much more reasonably priced than the Blue Bull. So we ended up with a couple more drinks and Thai Chicken Curry for Jill, Sausage & Chips for Kristen, and a great sausage and mash in an onion sauce for me. Prepared by a real chef, obviously. Talked briefly to a guy at the next table with 5 boys, who had a The Who t-shirt on. He saw them in Dublin recently and gave a rave review of the show. Back home before the sun set, so I could see in front of me when driving up our 2 mile shared driveway. Gorgeous weather all day, and warm. How fortunate! I even began tonight's diary outside, before it got too chilly. Hope we get more of the same tomorrow!
Goodnight We've just returned from D. O'Shea's and all is right with the world.
Day 6 Breakfast as usual, out by 10-ish, destination Killarney National Park.
Sheeeeeeeeep! The Irish (and seemingly the European) concept of the National Park is not the same as in the USA. We emphasize plenty of signage and parking, signs, overlooks and general information. They emphasize the natural wonders and that's about it. We drove up Moll's Gap again, no other traffic now since its a weekday. Down into the National Park, and the roads weren't as intimidating as they were on day 1. Granted, they are still ridiculously twisty and narrow, but now anything with a line down the middle feels like an interstate to me. Well, almost.
Avoca Woolen Mill at Moll's Gap
Killarney National Park Stopped at the Torq waterfall, considered a jaunting cart for 40€ after I spoke with one of the drivers, but decided to postpone until later.
Torq Waterfall Got a parking spot, about 3 inches wider than the car, and went into Muckross House, The house was built by the gentry in the 1700's and given to the country in 1932. 11,000 acres, lakes, waterfalls, etc. Beautiful. It was sunny before we cleared Moll's Gap but cloudy in the park.
Muskross House The girls went on the interior tour; I skipped it and took photos outside. Then we went up to the tearoom for lunch. Jill didn't like the choices and retrieved sandwiches from the car instead. ("If I want crappy sandwiches I might as well eat my own.") Crows watching us like vultures waiting for the abandoned plate.
And gardens Then it was time for a Jaunting cart ride, which is a single horse trap with driver. Our driver had inherited the job from his grandfather, which is the only way to get this "gig". He warmed up to us after a while (he was still in high school, supposedly) and we got a pretty good tour. In fact he must have smelled a tip because he extended the tour to the lower lake for 15 minutes or so. Nice views. 30€ + 10€ tip and we had a great time.
Jaunting Cart Ride Next we walked across the park to the farm for a farmstead tour. It was ok. Women were baking soda bread, etc. Electricity did not come to rural Ireland until 1955 or 1960! One woman we overheard was talking about how poor they were - everything went to the Church and the kids got an orange for Christmas, and no birthday. Way to go, Pope! Another saying how her grandma refused to leave the hut without electricity, cooked over an open fire until she died etc. This was in the 1960's apparently. You forget how recently Ireland modernized.
Muskross Farms Kristen liked her own natural history exhibit. Watching a cat devour a mouse it caught in a barn! Problems with the bus service pissed me off but we won't go there... Went to leave Muckross House around 3 and had forgotten the Tour of Ireland was taking place today, down Moll's Gap to Killarney, right where we were. No other way home either, unless you want a real long detour. So, we gassed up, bought some snacks and settled in by the side of the road. The Peleton came by around 5:00, then another wave around 5:20. It passed in an instant, and now we know we'll never go see the Tour De France, where you have to wait much longer... it was gone before we knew it.
Tour of Ireland Back home to Sneem an hour over beautiful roads, passing an old guy carrying a Shelleleigh, and cows and sheep. Into Sneem and straight to D. O'Shea's (after a grocery stop) for more Guinness (Jill had Chardonnay again but I'm too embarrassed to confess). Food great again - Garlic Ciabatta Bread, leek soup, potato skins and pasta for Kristen... but real gourmet quality stuff, not what you'd expect in the pub. The owner remembered me and it's true what they say, the first time in a pub you're a stranger, the next time a friend. He too was caught in Killarney for the bike race.
Hello Girls! We're going back again tomorrow night. It was only 17€ for the food. I wanted to stay for a 3rd pint and can see how you can stay all night. Great atmosphere. Kids, the whole family. Back home, typing on the patio again... it's about 60 and getting dark. Today got up to around 75.
Day 7
Well a good week draws to a close with another long driving day. Out by about 10:30, destination the Dingle Peninsula. We had been torn about going there. It was at the top of our list, but after spending some time here we realized it was a lot further away, time-wise, than we had hoped. Turned out to be about 2.5 - 3 hours to Dingle town. Then factor in the time to tour the peninsula and it was a 9 hour driving day. Way too much, but when will we be back in Ireland again? Back over Moll's Gap, through Killarney National Park. A great day again today - about 75 and sunny.
Killarney National Park Got onto the Dingle Peninsula and it was typical Irish driving again. Great views - right over that hedgerow. No pullouts. Poor signage. But blue skies, and the windows open. Can't beat that. We did eventually find some pullouts, past Dingle town.
Dingle town was a crummy looking British tourist type town. It probably had some redeeming features but we only stopped for the girls to use the loo in a pub.
Dingle Peninsula We stopped for lunch in a parking lot with a view, and had our sandwiches and chips. Checked out the walled prehistoric fort from a distance, along with some beehive huts from a couple thousand years ago. Right as we got near the end of the peninsula we drove into a cloudbank, so we missed the views of the Blasket Islands. All I can say is thank God we did not rent a house down here - we almost rented a house at the end of the peninsula. It would have been a disaster, as it would have been even more inconveniently located than our house in Sneem.
The countryside in Dingle was a little less mountainous and more rolling than the Ivergah (Kerry) peninsula. A little easier to drive too, but not much.
Dingle Peninsula The highlight for me was the Galarus Oratory. A church built around 500 AD, it is still completely intact. We spent a while talking with an attractive on site tour guide who told us all about it. They can tell it was built as a Christian church because the (apse?) window faces east. There's also a grave with headstone that began life as a pagan item but was repurposed by the Christians when their time came along.
A short walk to the Oratory We waited several minutes for a couple of tour busses of Italians and Germans to return to their vehicles, then we pretty much had the place to ourselves for a few minutes (till the French tour bus arrived.)
Some genius who owns the adjacent field put up an official looking visitors' center with slideshow and charges 3€ per person to access the Oratory. But those with the Rick Steves guide know that you can just walk up for free after a short drive up a lane! That paid for the guide right there! The guy with the field must be making a half million bucks a year from his ingenuity.
Galarus Oratory Back home after a long drive was made longer because we hit 5:00 traffic in Killarney and were delayed almost an hour. Beautiful views across Killarney National Park.
Back in Sneem by 7, we again could not resist the pull of O'Shea's. A couple of Guinness, a couple of Chardonnay, Garlic Ciabatta for Kristen, great fried cod, chips & salad for Dave, and a salad with smoked chicken for Jill. back home by dark and a quick pack job before an early bed.
O'Shea's
Day 8
A transit day. Ugh.
Killarney National Park The Irish roads are getting to me. It took a boring 6 hours to get from Sneem up to County Clare to our new house in Liscannor. A decent delay in Killarney due to traffic, a one hour delay due to construction north of Killarney, a wait for the ferry across the Shannon. Then we got a little lost after getting off the ferry, got stuck in some crappy towns... you get the idea.
Ferry Across the Shannon In the USA it would have been maybe 2 hours. Our new cottage is fine by me. It was originally a one room slate worker's cottage, it's in the middle of fields right next to the Cliffs of Moher. With a big hearth fireplace that has been converted to a little smaller. There's an abandoned slate quarry across the lane that's not too attractive, but you can't see it from the house.
Slate is everywhere... too much. But then again we're surrounded by it outside.
Jill hates it because it's not "light enough", they didn't leave enough toilet paper or salt, and the washer & drier are in a shed outside, and there's no coffee maker. Next time she can get the house. Not every house in the world is a marvel of modern American engineering. Get over it. Flexibility is the key.
Plus it's now cold and misting, which does not help anyone's mood.
Our house in Liscannor We're eating in tonight, instead of looking around for somewhere. Looks like there are a couple of restaurants a mile or two away. There is a pony trekking place, which we'll take Kristen to as soon as weather permits. Unfortunately a crummy meal of French fries (no salt), weak sausages and frozen peas. Apparently there is a fresh vegetable shortage in the country, as Jill has seen virtually none on the entire trip. Potatoes are fine but fries are getting old. Saw a hare in the road in front of the house. Jill had seen one twice in Sneem. They're about twice as large as an American rabbit. with very long legs. Kristen found a bunch of swallow nests in an adjacent slate shed. Dave saw a pheasant flying low and squawking across the fields. Also saw some poor kid walking down the road with a backpack and a guidebook out, looking for a hostel or something - but I don't think he'll find one out here. I would have offered him a ride but I was inside and he was out, even though we were only about 5 feet apart.
Day 9
Gray skies, toast and tea for breakfast. Tea is no substitute for coffee.
Outside our house in Liscannor Drove to the Cliffs of Moher and after parking 1/4 mile away and hiking over with the international tour bus throngs. It was ok but would have been better without such rigamarole. Nice views but really, they're only cliffs. Unfortunately they were lit from the wrong side so the photos won't be too good,. Picnic lunch in the car.
Cliffs of Moher Drove to Doolin and hung out by the harbor for a while; Kristen collected shells and we had an ice cream. Passed by the pubs that are famous for "trad" music. I don't think we'll be going - they are only about 5 miles away but the music doesn't start till 9:30 or so and that's kind of late for Kristen.
Doolin Harbor Drove around thru Lisdoonvarna, the Matchmaking capital, about to host a festival. Called Mom & Dad and were cut off when the calling card ran out. Visited Lahinch, our nearest medium size town and it's ok but not great. We were undecided on dinner and ended up, early, at a place the house hostess recommended, It was pretty bad - the back room of the pub was like a McDonald's with all the kids. Food not too good. Dave - fish and chips, Jill sent back her pork and got a good vegetable soup instead, Kristen sausages & fries. The fries are very good, and they are ubiquitous. And I'm sick of them, even though I love fries. With drinks, about $45. Back home, watched the swallows. Girls watched a movie, I read my Ireland book in bed.
View of Liscannor Bay from the house
Day 10 Robin, and some kind of warbler, eating seed off a plant, outside. They are actually digging slate right behind the house, good thing we didn't want to sleep late. Jill has adjusted to the outdoor washer & drier and put in a load. Swallows everywhere, and lots of wildlife in general up here on the hill. Toast, a banana & tea for breakfast. No internet access anywhere. I get the impression there are 2 Irelands - Dublin - a modern metropolis, and the rest of the country - about 30 years behind the US.
In Vaughan's
A Word About Irish Supermarkets They suck. I've been in better 7-Eleven's. A Word About Irish Roads They Suck too. Sorry, but I've driven all over the EU and the USA. The roads are by far the worst I have encountered..
I try not to be too judgmental about other cultures and their infrastructures. They evolved the way they did for a reason. But come on, we're in the 21st century. The supermarkets are a joke. We have seen nothing larger than a 7-Eleven in 10 days. In fact, a 7-Eleven would be a step up in most cases. There are no fresh vegetables. Meat is at the butcher, if you happen to know who he is and where. We paid over 2 bucks yesterday for 2 skimpy rolls of toilet paper. Bad news. The roads are also very bad news. Any country lane is one car width and if you meet someone coming in the other direction one of you must find somewhere to pull over while backing up. Some roads are mid level "departmental" type roads. They have no line down the center and are also bad news. Some stretches are nice. The posted speed limit is typically 100kph, about 60-65 mph. Anyone who drove this speed for more than 5 minutes would die in a fiery accident. So you're tooling down the nice road at about 50 mph, nice day, no one in sight when suddenly you see:
One must maintain constant vigilance on these roads. Failing to maintain proper attention means death and / or dismemberment. The third type of road is the Irish equivalent of the "interstate". It had a stripe down the middle, and there is little gratuitous crossing of the stripe. It may have a shoulder , that can be up to 5 feet wide but is typically 2 feet wide. These roads can also have fun features like construction, narrow bridges, and tour busses. But the 2 old guys and the dog died in tragic accidents in 1972.
A pretty mellow day today. Toast and tea and banana and out around 11. There's no clock here so we rely on Jill's watch or the car. Leaving the house I had a very nice conversation with the gardener Austin, about 65. It lasted about 20 minutes and would have gone on for hours if I had let it. Just the kind of guy you want to meet in a pub. He was very concerned about the changing face of some of the local towns with the influx of drugs and crime. He has also noticed a lot of global warming effects. he said there had been a noticeable positive impact of the police crackdown on drunk driving. There were many, many other subjects but I forget them all.
St. Bridget's Well, and shrine, right near our house Drove to Kilfenora and had lunch at Vaughan's. It was a pub, and it looked nice from outside. The setter guarding the front door scattered as we opened the car. We opened the front door, right around 12, and the handful of guys at the bar, and the bartender, just turned around and stopped. It was like a Western, where we were going to have a shootout or something. But I immediately piped up "we're here for lunch", the bartender said "right then" and everything got back to normal.
Vaughan's The place had a nice atmosphere, I'm sure even nicer at night. Banquettes, tables, a separate bar, and a large dining room. Looked to be out of the 1800's. I would have loved a Guinness but I'd fall asleep. Sodas all around and a toasted (grilled cheese) for Kristen, a quiche for Jill, and a smoked salmon & crabmeat salad for Dave. All very good. Excellent in fact. Talking to the bartender, l understood they have a traditional dancing night on Thursdays and we should come. Unfortunately, it does not get started till 10 and that makes for a real long (too long for Kristen) night. We'll see. He said it was a real Cailee, "not for the tourists, just for us."
Inside Vaughan's Then up through the Burren to where we stopped an a destroyed 15th c. church and an art school where we stopped at Newton castle tower. Kristen climbed to the top. Also checked out the views across to Galway from Ballyvaughan, and back inland across the Burren to Polnabrone Dolmen. The Burren here was just as illustrated in the Eyewitness Guide - limestone plateau, interlaced with small plants but little other vegetation.
Christain, or Christian?
Across the Burren The Pulnabrone Dolmen was one of my "must-do's" in Ireland - it's a burial chamber from 4000 years ago, or so. Looks lonely up there on its little hill. Desolate to the extreme, except for the tourists. I'd like to be there at night, with a full moon, like tonight. You can imagine the effort it took the Stone Age men to haul the stones into place. Supposedly there are many such sites in the Burren, though few are as impressive. It's hard to tell the "sites" from the any old rocks hanging around, though.
Poulnabrone Dolmen (In typical fashion, there are hundreds of these sites but the tourist can't find any.)
The Burren Back toward home, doing a couple of drive-by photo shoots of old churches and castles (Leamanah) along he way. Cromwell essentially destroyed much of the architecture of Ireland during his conquest in the 1600's.
Galway Bay
Ruins, ruins everywhere Home for some brief shuteye and then dinner at another "Vaughan's", this one in Liscannor. This one was an odd place. We were seated in a "formal" Briitsh type 4-table restaurant. Expensive prices. Next to us was the bar, with guys drinking Guinness and pouring something from a soda bottle and mixing it with Orange Juice. Behind the bar - Spam, Heinz Beans, and dish detergent. Above the bar - lots and lots of sailing pennants. Around the bar all sorts of old sailing memorabilia - knots, diving bell helmets, ships in a bottle, etc.
Another Vaughan's I liked my dinner - the seafood platter. Smoked salmon & trout, tuna, langoustines, mussels, an oyster, and more - the whole enchilada and very fresh & good. Kristen had a bad hamburger, with no ketchup (none in the house I think it's a pet peeve of the owner) and Jill a mediocre filet of beef with Ox Cheek spring rolls. Overall, very odd. 89€ which was more than we had hoped to pay tonight.
Not locals Tomorrow think we owe Miss K a horse ride and I may find an Internet Cafe - Jill says she saw one in town.
Day 11
Easy day today. We took Kristen Pony Trekking about 11. We had seen a bunch of hand painted signs around the area and we followed about 20 of them out into the middle of nowhere to the farm. It was kind of run down but they had a bunch of horses, ponies and cows. The couple running the place had been doing it for 40 years. They were still going strong.
There was an Italian family there at the same time and others coming and going as well. Kristen and Jill put on helmets, saddled up and got underway. The woman gave Jill a boost onto the horse and I though Jill was going to have a kinniption, but she made it up. Kristen looked good in the pony's saddle. I had the good sense to stay behind.
The girls took about a 45 minute ride down the deserted street leading up to the place. As they passed by on the way back, Jill begged to be excused while Kristen continued. She had a good time and we told her we'd take her back but she's unsure. She'll have to go out on her own next time.
Pony Trekking! I talked to a very nice couple from Dublin - Dave and Nancy. Dave had formerly been the drummer for the band called th Brilliant Trees that had recorded an album in Atlanta and toured the East Coast. He loved New York. He said he had never been outside Dublin (in Ireland) until recently but he and Nancy had started exploring the West of Ireland. He had previously thought the Irish countryside a little too primitive but now likes it (at age 37). He was aghast at the state of the roads.
After that we went to the Burren Visitors Centre and had a lunch of soup and sandwiches and tea in their dining room. Nice until the tour bus of Americans arrived then it felt a little crowded. Toured the Burren exhibit and watched a film. The stuff that passes for museums in this country - it was nice but I think we dropped about $15 on admission which was a bit excessive. Being as we had seen some of the larger sites yesterday, the ticket woman recommended a ride into the National Park which was really just a remote, desolate area, with some holiday homes sprinkled in. Nice, and we also discovered a few ruins of our own. Drove back to Lisdonnvarna, the matchmaking center and sought out the Burren Smokehouse. They smoke fish on premises but no demonstrations. There was a video but we did not see it. We did buy some cheese and smoked salmon, though, since Kristen may now be a smoked salmon fan. A tour bus of French took home a big box of the stuff - I think they have a refrigerator on board for that purpose! I bumped into a woman and said "pardon" (in French), she said "Excuse Me" in English and we both had a chuckle. She said something in French that you say when two people say the same thing at the same time (like "Jinx") but I forget what.
More Ruins Saw an internet cafe in town so decided to take a chance. We had brought our laptop with us to try and back up some photos. I was able to plug right in, get online, check emails (nothing of importance), check the backyard cam (crashed the day we left) and upload some photos for backup purposes. Unfortunately his line must be very slow because it took 2 hours to upload 200 photos. (We've taken about 650). But at least that will back up some of the best ones, and I was able to email the parents with a link that I hope they will be able to view. Had a nice conversation with the Internet cafe guy.
What the hell do I do all day surfing the net if I was able to view 2 weeks of email and anything else I cared about in around 15 minutes? While the photos were uploading we went to a pub for a refreshment, then when we saw the upload was still in process we went across the street for Chinese food. It hit the spot even though it was not the same as what we would get at home. We've had about enough pub food. Wontons, spareribs, chicken curry and beef satay and wine and beer for about 50€.
In the Chinese place Drove home through a beautiful near-sunset, overlooking the ocean. Of course no pullouts but we enjoyed it anyway. Came home, snapped some photos, chased away the cat that has been trying to get in since last night, watched all the swallows and the crow that lifts his tail feathers every time he squawks.
Jill and Kristen are watching TV (pathetic) and I'm enjoying the view.
Views from the house.
Day 12 Got up, eggs, smoked salmon & toast and off towards Ennis area at 11. Jill called and made reservations for Dunguaire (pron: Dun-goor-uh) Castle banquet on Saturday, and extended the house a couple of days. Even though it leaves a little to be desired, it beats the alternative. Picked up a picnic lunch of ham & baguette at Tides supermarket. First stop - Ennis, the largest town in Clare. It looked nice but we didn't really need to shop. Plus we didn't feel the need to find parking, etc. The only stop we made was at the very impressive public toilet where you pay .25 and have the automated toilet to yourself for 20 minutes or till you want to leave. Then it cleans itself for the next passenger. I think this is the same model they will be installing in New York. Kristen and I both gave it the thumbs up. Jill claims we already used them in Paris. Next was Dysert O'Dea, an restored castle tower. We were amazed to have use of out first picnic table of the trip. Amazing, but this is another area where the infrastructure is lacking. I think they never picnic because it's always raining. Enjoyed a quick sandwich, then went inside. Dave & Jill let Kristen climb to the top of the tower; we stayed on the first floor and talked to the guide person.
Dysert O'Dea We didn't really have much of a plan for the rest of the day. Drove past Ennis Priory twice but parking was tough so we didn't stop. Thought about looking for some other ruined ecclesiastical structures (we had bought a book at Dysert O'Dea) but decided that since we were relatively close to Bunrtatty Castle and Folk Park we would go there instead. More driving and crappy roads, but we finally made it onto one of Ireland's 4 lane highways! What a pleasure! It lasted for about 15 minutes, then we were back on crap roads near Bunratty.
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