After breakfast, we headed outside to the "jaunting cars" - horse-drawn carriages that would take us through parts of the Killarney National Park with stories and folklore told by the "jarvies" or drivers. 
Ummm... I think this was the first activity that we got jipped on because of the fact that we were in the off-season... We were told, and had read many places, that the jarvies were wonderful storytellers - full of humor and stories that were sure to entertain... Ours had one tooth, hadn't bathed in a week, would only leer back at the women in the cart and point to things with a date, "castle... 1400's..." I thought for sure we were in a horror movie and were gonna die! The forest was creepy enough - gnarly old trees, tangled underbrush, muddy swamp, ravens circling overhead, and fog still lingering in the forest and over the lake... 
But, we got some cool pictures so early in the morning - creepy, but beautiful landscapes, some pretty boats on the creek, and Ross Castle. (Oh! And we saw some Red Deer - this is the only place in Ireland to see this native herd - so very cool!)
Ummm... I think this was the first activity that we got jipped on because of the fact that we were in the off-season... We were told, and had read many places, that the jarvies were wonderful storytellers - full of humor and stories that were sure to entertain... Ours had one tooth, hadn't bathed in a week, would only leer back at the women in the cart and point to things with a date, "castle... 1400's..." I thought for sure we were in a horror movie and were gonna die! The forest was creepy enough - gnarly old trees, tangled underbrush, muddy swamp, ravens circling overhead, and fog still lingering in the forest and over the lake... But, we got some cool pictures so early in the morning - creepy, but beautiful landscapes, some pretty boats on the creek, and Ross Castle. (Oh! And we saw some Red Deer - this is the only place in Ireland to see this native herd - so very cool!)(Mike and his mom in front of Ross Castle.)
(Annie found a door just her size!)
Once we were out of the forest, we ended by a little thatched roof cottage (I believe it was a visitor center, but it was closed), and walked over to St. Mary's Cathedral - Beautiful!
(Now that's a pipe organ!)
Then we were off for our tour of the Ring of Kerry - an all day drive through absolutely amazing scenery! Green, lush valleys; rocky mountains; ocean views; seaside towns; old forests; winding rivers - so many wonderful landscapes! 
(VERY windy day - can you tell? Ha ha ha.)
(I think this is my favorite picture of the day - if it's this beautiful when it's still technically winter, can you IMAGINE how beautiful this place is in the summer?!)
We stopped in the town of Waterville for lunch - tuna melt at the Lobster Bar - Yum. This is the town that Charlie Chaplin used to vacation in - pretty cool. The rocky beaches were beautiful (as Tony told us that Ireland's coastline has been receding over the years, many of us had taken a stone or two from the beach to bring home... When he saw that, he said, "Alas... More of Ireland disappearing everyday...").
While on the tour, we learned some more Irish sayings from Tony:
We stopped in the town of Waterville for lunch - tuna melt at the Lobster Bar - Yum. This is the town that Charlie Chaplin used to vacation in - pretty cool. The rocky beaches were beautiful (as Tony told us that Ireland's coastline has been receding over the years, many of us had taken a stone or two from the beach to bring home... When he saw that, he said, "Alas... More of Ireland disappearing everyday...").
While on the tour, we learned some more Irish sayings from Tony:He always answers his cell phone with "how-de-do!"
"Winding him round" refers to a girl tying a guy around her little finger.
"Going for a bit of a ramble" means to go for a walk.
Once we were back to Killarney, we had a little time to visit the shops in town before they closed - a very cute town! Wonderful bookstores! Then, we headed to dinner. We settled on a place called Cronin's Restaurant - a wine bar, no beer! (Whoa! I didn't know those existed in Ireland...)
I had a delicious seafood chowder and Mike had a humongous burger! It was good - but very quiet... (This was the night we finally figured out how waitresses work - they take your order, bring you food - but it's up to you to get your bill when you're ready, and they don't give you a total until you're at the register, so be ready! Especially confusing when you're with a group and splitting the cost - no itemized receipts anywhere!)
I had a delicious seafood chowder and Mike had a humongous burger! It was good - but very quiet... (This was the night we finally figured out how waitresses work - they take your order, bring you food - but it's up to you to get your bill when you're ready, and they don't give you a total until you're at the register, so be ready! Especially confusing when you're with a group and splitting the cost - no itemized receipts anywhere!)After dinner, Mom-in-law and Annie went back to the hotel early so Mike and I walked around town, looking for some live music. It was a quiet night though... We were told that pubs were preparing for St. Patty's Day - stocking up and conserving for the parties - so many were closed, and the ones that were open didn't have music. We finally settled on going back to Danny Mann Pub - but even that was pretty quiet. So it was an early night. Not a bad thing, after the night before...
Things I am thankful for today:
1. Jaunting rides - a fun way to see the countryside.
2. Ring of Kerry - Absolutely beautiful!
3. Good weather - rain continues to hold off til dinner time, and even then, it's usually a mist.
4. Mike holding my hand.
5. Feeling rested after only a few hours of sleep.
6. Time to walk around with Mike at night -not much going on, but still fun.
7. Watching the baby lambs leap around the fields (especially the black ones)! So cute - made me miss my puppy.
8. A second night at the same hotel - makes life simple for a couple of days.
9. Getting a good walk in tonight, after a long day, mostly on the bus.
10. Irish brown soda bread. Yum.
Things I am thankful for today:
1. Jaunting rides - a fun way to see the countryside.
2. Ring of Kerry - Absolutely beautiful!
3. Good weather - rain continues to hold off til dinner time, and even then, it's usually a mist.
4. Mike holding my hand.
5. Feeling rested after only a few hours of sleep.
6. Time to walk around with Mike at night -not much going on, but still fun.
7. Watching the baby lambs leap around the fields (especially the black ones)! So cute - made me miss my puppy.
8. A second night at the same hotel - makes life simple for a couple of days.
9. Getting a good walk in tonight, after a long day, mostly on the bus.
10. Irish brown soda bread. Yum.
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3 comments:
Oh LOL My parents did the Jaunting car on their first trip and their driver was the same. Point to a tree "500 year old Lime tree" "Deer" "rock wall" They had read the same about the drivers being funny and talkative. They must have gotten the same driver as you did. lol
When we went we just walked around and it was in Oct. It was really rainy. The pictures of the river valley you took was all underwater and flooded. The town that we stayed in near Killarney ended up flooding two feet of water later the day we left. Yes I would love to see it in the summer some time.
The history in the country is amazing. I live in the north western part of the U.S. where anything 100 years old is "old" so the sense of age in Ireland amazed me.
Your discriptions and details about your trip are wonderful and make me want to come back so bad. I also took my share of stones and rocks home with me from Ireland too. lol
I like the pic of you and Mike that is 14th one up from the end of your post! Very cute! What beautiful scenery!
These daily reports are fabulous! Love all your pictures, too. How many memory cards did you fill up? I love the bad hair day picture (windy day). LOL!
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