Ireland ~ Part One

We finally made it! Ireland was at the top of the list so when Gabe called me a couple months ago and said, "I booked our tickets!" I was stoked! We have both heard so many great things about Ireland...how beautiful it is, how wonderful the people are and about their strong, proud culture. All of which are true. When I moved to California when I was 19 years old, 3 of my closest friends were Irish. They were the first people to welcome this girl from Wisconsin and I quickly learned they would give you the shirt off their back if you needed it. And the same holds true in their native country...as we would soon learn...they are THE friendliest people we've ever met.

We flew Ryan Air (again) out of Frankfurt Hahn. Funny how different it is flying to Ireland than it is to Italy. People actually form lines and use common courtesy. It was actually quite painless this time because there was no shoving. The flight was quick and before we knew it we were in Kerry County.

I made the mistake of telling Gabe that I had driven on the left side of the road years back in Japan. I also was the only one of us to get our International drivers license so "lucky" me...I got to drive the whole time. Here's the thing, I drive all the time but in the 12 years that we've been married I have not driven with Gabe in the car but maybe a few times and only for short distances. It's the way both he and I like it. I'm perfectly comfortable kicking my feet up, reading a magazine while he takes the wheel so for me to not only drive but to drive an the left side of the road with a manual transmission in a foreign country with NO shoulders on either side of the road was a HUGE deal. I did a great job...well, I didn't hit anything anyway.

We checked into the Gleneagle Hotel and let's just say, we were less than impressed. The website made it sound and look like a premiere place to stay....it was not. Think "Old Vegas" (we stayed one night). I'll get to that later. We dropped our bags off and headed out.

Our first stop was the Muckross House. We decided to take the horse and carriage ride (€30/family) to the house, around the lake and to the Torc waterfall. Tony, our driver, gave us the history of the house which was very interesting. In the 1850's the house was renovated for Queen Victoria's planned stay 6 years later. I believe she only stayed for 3 nights. It pays to be The Queen...except she eventually went bankrupt...wonder why?

The grounds are amazing. Flower gardens, walking paths, wildlife...so much to see...

Torc Waterfall is one of the stops we made but it can also be seen in 5 minute walk off the N71 Killarney Kenmare road. The waterfall is some 70 to 80 feet high and the Owengarriff river which feeds it rises in “The Devil’s Punchbowl” on nearby Mangerton mountain. The waterfall is a short five minute walk from the main road through a scenic wooded area. If you want a good viewing point of the lakes then push yourself a little further and climb the 100 or so steps immediately to the left of the waterfall to get some excellent views of the lakes. 

The lady taking our picture cut off my arm :(

After our tour of Muckross, we headed into Killarney for an early dinner. With so many choices we had no idea which place to eat at. I normally do a "Trip Advisor" search ahead of time but forgot so I did the next best thing. I stopped a lady and asked her if she was from Killarney, she said she was so I asked her, "If you were to pick one place to eat on this street where would you go?" She told us she happened to be headed to The Smokehouse. So, that's where we went :-)

We weren't disappointed. The food was excellent and the service was great. I would highly recommend it. Gabe had what he claims to be "The best seafood chowder" he's ever eaten. That's saying a lot coming from a guy raised in New England.

After we ate we walked around the main shopping areas. The boys wanted to stop in the candy store. I got the worst fudge ever but the kids liked their lollipops.

When the day was over we went back to the hotel and ordered a pizza. BTW, the pizza menu included what they titled "The American" which had double peperoni, double sausage and double cheese!...really! Yep, that's what the Irish think of us :-(

After a crappy night's rest Gabe rolled over and said to me "We are NOT staying here another night." OH, Thank God! I didn't want to be some Prima Donna but staying there was not how I envisioned my stay in Ireland. We asked the hotel for a refund and quickly did a search for new accommedations. To our delight we found this place...

Crystal Springs Bed and Breakfast. Eileen , who owns the B&B, was the sweetest lady. She was welcoming, warm, friendly and can cook a mean breakfast. I can't say enough how much I loved her place and her cooking. She also told us to call her next time or just ring the bell to book a room because Booking.com makes 15%...we could have saved that by ringing the bell. Oh, well...still worth every penny. She also had 2 little kittens on the premises...a bonus for the boys.

 

 We dropped our bags off and on to Dingle to see the coast.

When driving in Ireland you don't get to see much. The roads are narrow, there are no shoulders and tour buses are always coming straight at you. With little room for error, I was busy concentrating while the boys enjoyed the sights. Every now and then we could pull over and I could catch a view.

Here is downtown Dingle. They were having a street festival with food vendors. We all tried both black and white pudding. The guys wouldn't tell us what was in until we all ate it. Glad he told me after :-)

We drove to the Gap of Dunloe. We decided not to take the tour because we were running out of daylight but we still enjoyed the local scenery. Met a really nice lady who told us some history and explained the significance of the phoenix we were seeing around. Something to do with their Pagan history and the rising of ashes into a new form. This is also where we ordered Bangers and Mash and a couple of beers. 

On the way back we saw this sign and had to get a photo of Dylan underneath it...

"Wild Colonial Boy" is a traditional Irish folk song.

We got back to the B&B and settled into our nice warm comfy beds...getting a lot of rest for the busy day we had ahead of us.

Part 2 to come.

Pin It