Dublin in a Day

We had thought we would drive to Dublin to spend the day, but when we found out we could hop on a bus and let someone else do the driving, we decided to go for it. It was worth getting up early! Dublin is a big, vibrant city. There are a ton of things to see and do, but we just picked out what we thought we could manage in a day. (We should have had about three!)  Our first visit was to Trinity College where we saw the Book of Kells - fascinating. The Old Library Long Room is mind boggling  - all those floor to ceiling old books.  I can't imagine trying to go to college with all those tourists all over the place.

Our next stop was a visit to St. Patrick's Cathedral. It's beautiful and full of history. A church has stood here since the 5th century.  Jonathan Swift was dean here between 1714 and 1745.

The garden beside the cathedral was gorgeous.

We walked everywhere, and the longest walk was to the Guinness Brewery.  The beer is no longer brewed in the building that houses the museum, but they have a wonderful walk through display that tells you more than you even knew you wanted to hear about how it is crafted. The tour culminates with a stop at the Gravity Bar, which is on the 7th floor of the building and has a terrific view of the city below.  I was never a particularly big fan of Guinness, but that pint sure tasted great. They say Guinness in Ireland is not the same, and I think I agree. It's better!

We had a great time on our visit to Dublin.  We wandered all over,  got lost a couple of times, and just enjoyed soaking in the atmosphere.

Killarney and the Ring of Kerry

Today we drove to Killarney and explored some of the best parts of the Ring of Kerry, a very beautiful part of Ireland. It is different from the other areas we have seen. There are mountains, lakes and rugged seashores.  Killarney is a charming, picturesque town, and I could have spent a lot of time there. I succeeded in my quest for just the right Irish sweater, so we were able to move on.

This was called Ladies View, and it was one of the higher parts of our drive.

We drove to Castle Cove, where the Kenmare River flows into the wild Atlantic.

Along the way we encountered some free roaming critters. Jim dubbed these guys the Irish Highway Wall Goats.

The sheep preferred to not stay in their own back yard, but they are marked so everyone knows who they belong to. We wondered if this one provided multi-colored sweaters.

Speaking of wildlife...

We found a waterfall close to the road.  We had seen it on the way, but the parking area was full, so we stopped on our return trip. Good decision, because we were the only ones there!

Just a couple more beautiful stops to take a few pictures.

Tomorrow we go to Dublin. It will be a totally different kind of day than we had today, but we're looking forward to it.

The Cliffs of Moher

Today we drove to the coast to see the Cliffs of Moher. This is perhaps the number one tourist destination in Ireland, so of course we couldn't miss it.  We enhanced our trip with a ferry boat trip to the Aran Island of Inis Oirr, just off the coast.  It was a great trip, and gave us the extra advantage of seeing the cliffs both from the sea and from land. They are truly spectacular.  The island was a fascinating place to visit. We took a horse drawn wagon ride around the island. Our guide Tom was so knowledgable and interesting. It's a bit like taking a step back in time. There are stone walls all over Ireland, but more there than maybe anywhere.  It was all about finding a way to survive long ago.

Just driving to the coast is like driving into a picture postcard!

Our ride, the Doolin Discovery (the boat on the left).

Our host Tom.

An example of the extensive wall system on the island, plus a few very mellow cows enjoying their walled piece of the island.

Just a side note - Put me in France, Spain, or even Italy, and I can at least read the signs.  Here when you see something in Gaelic it makes absolutely no sense to me, and if you hear someone speaking it, the words don't sound anything like they look!  I admire anyone who can learn this language!!

The beautiful Cliffs of Moher, from the boat and from the shore, looking down from above.  They are spectacular from any direction.

Our trip back to the room was a little slower. In Ireland, you shouldn't be in a hurry to get anywhere. You never know what or who you might meet along the way.  (Check out the one on the left having a little snack.)

Speaking of cows, these guys were happy to welcome us home! Jim called to them and they came right over. Guess he speaks fluent cow.

All in all a pretty great day!  We've been really lucky to have such beautiful weather.

Two Castle Day

We visited two castles today. The first was Bunratty Castle, built in 1425. We toured the castle and the surrounding grounds, where you can experience the lifestyles of the craftsmen and farmers of the time. Climbing the narrow winding stairs up into the towers, it was hard to imagine doing it in a long dress, and without handrails.

This church was on the grounds at Bunratty.

Jim had to have a little fun with the cannons at the castle.  You have to grow old but you don't have to grow up!

The second castle we visited, Knappogue Castle, was just a short visit. It was too late to do the inside tour.  This one look almost modern because of the glass windows.  It had been recently restored. They were hosting a medieval dinner, which would have been fun. Maybe next time!

Everywhere we go, we see lots of color. Since spring was taking such a long time to come to Michigan, it's nice to see it here.

We finished the day with Jim's birthday dinner at the Abbey Tavern in Quin. He said it was a pretty great birthday!

Tomorrow - the Cliffs of Moher and Aran Island.

Pepper's Pub

We had tons of fun last night at Pepper's. They provide a van at a couple of locations, so we got picked up and then delivered home at the end of the night.  We had a great dinner, then listened to a couple of guys play Irish music for a couple of hours. We met some locals who had all kinds of advice about where to go and what to do.  (In my fantasy world they were Colin Farrell and Liam Neeson!) There was even a bit of dancing involved!

In the afternoon we had a spot of tea!!

Ireland and Beyond 2015

We're off on our next adventure. We've spent months planning and anticipating and it's finally here.  We're in Ireland and have only been here a little over 24 hours and we're already totally enchanted and loving it!  This is our first view of Ireland, and yes, it's that green - everywhere.

It was a challenge getting from the airport in Dublin to our digs, but with some help from the GPS we made it.  When you get off the main roads, many of the side roads look like little farm trails, and there's barely enough room for two cars. Doing your own driving in a foreign country can be daunting, but its all part of the adventure.  For example, this is the "road" leading to our condo.

We managed to find a pub last night so Jim could have his first pint of Guinness!

Another patron at the pub?

Today we went back to Quin (where we found the pub) and visited the ruins of an old Abbey. Quin Friary was built in 1433 on the ruins of a castle, which had been built in 1280. It was a fascinating place to wander around.

It's spring in Ireland, and we're enjoying it all.

Stay tuned as we get to know Ireland.