Ireland ~ Part 2 ~ Blarney Stone

For breakfast, I ordered the kids and I a crepe-like pancake that had a hint of lemon in the syrup. None of us could finish it but it was so good! I would recommend ordering one and and then getting the eggs over toast and sharing the two because the pancakes were like dessert but you have to try them.

We had a big day planned and thought it was best to start off at the Ladies View, which is a scenic point along the N71 portion of the Ring of Kerry. The name apparently stems from the admiration of the view given by Queen Victoria's ladies in waiting during their 1861 visit. I think Tony told us she had over 30 ladies in waiting...quite an entourage, I'd say.

This area of the National Park has a load of hiking trails. We could have spent a week checking them all out but unfortunately we only had a few hours.

Gabe explaining how to navigate the rocks

The boys checking out the trail options

Ladies View

We did not see any Leprechauns on this trip...

Or did we??

Of course the boys want to get close to the edge...

Here's one of my favorite family pics from this trip. Taken by a couple from Switzerland.

 

Let's warm up a little...

Inside the Ladies View Cafe they sold Irish coffee. Yep, it's 11 am and I'm having a shot of whiskey!

On to Blarney Castle to kiss the Blarney Stone!

It's a 40 mile drive to Blarney from Killarney and well worth the drive. There seemed to be plenty of parking outside the estate but they may be because we were there on a Sunday. We paid €24 for our family to enter. Honestly, I didn't expect it to be as impressive as it was.  I would plan on spending at least 4 hours there. There is so much to see.

At the top of the Blarney Tower where the stone is.

My little guy and I.

I brief overview of the stone's history.

Dylan had no reservations about hanging upside down over the stone

Gabe was next...I captured the kiss :)

Little RyRy was a little hesitant. He has a fear of heights.

Gabe didn't quite capture my kiss so we bought the €10 photo from the gift shop.

Dylan was fascinated by the poisonous garden.

This is Dylan "pre-fall"...he landed in a heap on the ground shortly after this photo.

Me and my boys by a 1000 year old tree.

It is said, to make a wish at the "Wishing Steps" one has to walk to the bottom, and return walking backwards with eyes closed and a wish would be granted by the Fairy's or Druid's

Gabe wishes our friend John's deployment would get cancelled...a wish John himself made last month.

When we were done exploring the castle we called Gabe's friend, Maria who lives 5 miles away in Cork. She met us out for a quick drink where she told us stories about her experiences in Portugal and her impression of Americans ;-) She's a super cool chic and hopefully we can plan another get together when we have more time.

It was time to head back...it was raining, dark and I knew it wasn't going to be an easy drive back. I had white knuckles the whole way but we made it back and I had a large glass of wine before settling into bed.

Here is just one of the many challenges we have living in Europe. I wasn't thinking when I packed. I threw in this U.S. charger for the iPhone/iPad with a German 220V adapter (what I use at home) forgetting that, although Ireland uses the same currency, they do not use the same plugs. I had to get creative and attach yet another 3 prong adapter to make it work. Thankfully, it did not blow up :-)

We had an hour to burn before we boarded our flight home. Gabe is enjoying his last "Proper Guinness" in Ireland.

Gabe was "adopted" by an elderly couple at the airport. They told us we could come and stay with them anytime. He said to just look up "Paddy Welscher" in the phonebook next time we are in Ireland.

I love the Irish, I wish I were Irish. We will be back! Until then I guess I'll have to settle for St. Patrick's Day.

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.