The kids had a week off of school for their mid term break. Since I was in town, along with my Dad, we decided to load up the car, and make the long drive (4 hours) to county Kerry (in the south west of the country). This area is well-known for a number of sights, including the Ring of Kerry and the Dingle Peninsula. These last two are scenic driving/hiking/biking routes that trace two breathtaking peninsulas. Thus, despite all the rain and cold winds, most of the time was spent in the car. Poor Shaynie was sick the whole time, but was able to relax in the back seat, reading her books or staring out the window as we toured the famous circuits.
In the summer, these narrow winding roadways can be packed with tour buses and hikers. However, we seemed to have it all to ourselves. We found a nice hotel in Killarney, and set off the first day for the Dingle Peninsula. We stopped in the town of Dingle for some warm soup and spoke with the local fishermen. We even learned about the resident Dolphin (Fungie) who has been welcoming tourists to this harbor since the 1980's!
The Dingle is not as popular as the Ring of Kerry, but we loved it. It possessess a wild and rugged beauty. The narrow road hugs the coast line for much of the route, while well-partitioned farm plats take up any bit of flat land they can find. Each field is surrounded by ancient stone walls.
We stopped by a steep chuck of land jutting out into the sea. They say it is the most western portion of Ireland. Rebekah and I decided to go for a quick hike out to the land's end. We jumped a stone wall, and trod through the soggy fields, covered with sheep. The strong gusts of wind kept us on our toes, ever mindful that a mis-step could send us rolling down the steep hills into the ocean below. The sheep seemed to have no reservations about grazing on these cliffs.
Meanwhile, Weston took some time to play in the surf, while my Dad supervised from the shore. Shayne read in the car.
The peninsula is home to a number of ancient 'beehive homes' dating back to almost 2000 BC. Many of these were inhabited until the 1920's. They were much warmer inside then I thought. I suppose getting out of the wind makes a big difference. This part of Ireland was hit hard by the potato famine and has never fully recovered.
Back in Killarney, we took some time to visit Ross Castle. It sits on a lake and is surrounded by the Killarney National Park. We decided to come back later with the kayak's.
Just outside the city was the Torac water fall. Even more impressive to us, was the moss growing everywhere in this forest.
We had some fun taking silly pictures and playing in the small river valley. There is certainly no shortage of water in this area.
We spent the next day exploring the Ring of Kerry. It was Pancake tuesday (a catholic holiday I had never heard of?) so enjoyed some home made hotcakes for breakfast. Not sure why this holiday has not taken off in the US?
The Ring of Kerry has a number of spectacutal glacial valleys, sprinkled with cold lakes and streams. We even had snow in the hills.
There are myriads of old castles, and towers, and churches al over the place. Most of them standing in the middle of some field. Only a handful have anything formal set up for tourists. I can now understand why the Irish Wolf hound (with Rebekah above) was so useful to protect these old manors and keep the wild beasts at bay. However - I think the wolves are all gone?
Rebekah had to stop in Kenmare to enjoy a Dingle Crab sandwich. They tried to sell us more pancakes, but Wes and I went for scones, cream and hot chocolate.
It really was breathtaking, if rough, landscape. I am not sure what it was like to live in day in and day out? We were always able to roll up the windows, turn on the seat heaters and continue listening to the audiobook "Around the World in 80 Days." We did County Kerry in 2?
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