First Day (on the Road to Killarney)

---

We were traveling with a much smaller group this trip. Gail assembled a group of 18 people for our tour of Ireland, Scotland and England. We were concerned that EF might merge our group with another smaller group in order to fill a 50 person bus, but she was assured that we were going to be left on our own. They were true to their word.

Around noon we had Tyler drop Gail, her mom and I off at the high school. Like the previous trip we met up with a bus that took us to Kennedy airport. And once again we "shortcut" through a very crowded Manhattan then crawled through Queens to JFK. It took us over 3 hours to cover what normally takes about 2.

Once we all "enjoyed" dinner at Kennedy, we passed through airport security rather quickly. As much as I appreciate the diligence of the security procedures it really has become a major pain in the butt. I always seem to end up in the line with somebody too stupid to empty their pockets and remove their belt when they are asked to so that we end up waiting forever for them to pass through the x-ray machine. It usually takes them 4-5 passes until they are deemed "safe". Meanwhile we have to stand their waiting in line with our bare feet. For some reason I always get spazzed-out waiting in line. Maybe because I fear I'll be the one selected for a strip search. It seems that at least 50% of the time I'm the one they pull out of line for a wand scan.

Waiting in the boarding area we got word that our Aer Lingus flight was cancelled. Instead we were being put on a replacement charter flight aboard North American Airlines. Because of increasingly nasty thunderstorms our departure was delayed by more than an hour. When we did board it took a long time until we left the gate. Then we sat on the tarmac for close to an hour waiting our turn in the take-off line. I assumed that this little fly-by-night airline had a very low priority in the air traffic controllers schedule of take-offs.

The flight over was nothing special. The plane was a Boeing 767 which beats the snot out of any Airbus product. Too bad it didn't have individual seatback entertainment units. We had to watch the same movie we saw coming back from Greece, Ice Age 2. Meanwhile a bunch of screaming kids in the back of the plane kept all of us awake all night. The food was school lunchroom quality and the flight attendants were mostly invisible. It didn't really matter much to me because I was just happy to be off the ground after all the delays in JFK.

In truth, I wasn't all that excited about this trip. Having been to Ireland and England before and not having our kids along made this almost seem like a waste of my time. But anytime I'm not at work is fun and I knew I'd get to sample some interesting beers along the way. I was an English history major in college so I hoped to see some of the places I had only read about in the Northern English countryside and in Scotland. Besides, Gail and I can find tourist junk to buy no matter where we go.

Even though we were running about two hours behind schedule we did finally get into Ireland just an hor late. I had forgotten just how small an airport Shannon was until we arrived there that morning. Irish customs and Immigration is a breeze so we were in the baggage claim in only a few minutes. There were no problems with our baggage so we were out into the tiny airport concourse only half an hour after we touched-down. It was here that we met our tour guide for the next 16 days. There had been a last minute change in plans and instead of getting a guide with a name none of us could discern the sex of, we were put with James, almost a sterotypical Englishman. He was tall, sandy-haired, had the noble English nose and at times, seemed like a character from a Monty Python sketch.

(Our hotel this evening will be The Glen Eagle Hotel of Killarney)

---

Photos

Arrival in Shannon, Ireland
After we deboarded I took a last look at our charter flight just to make sure all the pieces were still on. I was also double-checking to make sure those rotten screaming brats weren't following us.

Bunratty Castle
Once we left the terminal we headed just a few steps to our waiting bus. I was still fearing our merger with another group, especially after seeing the spacious bus we were given. But James assured us that this was just for us. Having my own row of seats was too good to be true.
As we were leaving Shannon Airport James asked if we wanted to make a short detour to see a nearby castle. We unanimously agreed that that sounded good. Just a few minutes away we came to Bunratty Castle.

An absolutely gorgeous day in Ireland
The last time we visited Ireland we were treated to what I considered typical British Isle weather, cool and rainy days. On this trip our first few minutes in Ireland were just perfect - sunny, clear and just a wee bit cool.
The area surrounding Bunratty Castle is totally dedicated to tourists. As you leave the big parking lot where all the buses park you have to walk by a complex of shops hawking all manner of Irish goods. James assured us we'd have plenty of time to come back and browse after going through the castle. On our short walk to the castle we passed by this fisherman preparing to head downriver.

Just what Ireland is supposed to look like
Once we paid our entrance fee at the gate we were free to wander around the castle grounds. In addition to the beautiful old castle, there is a cultural center that exhibits various dwellings representative of the different regions in the Emerald Island. This particular thatch-roofed building reminded me of John Wayne's "The Quiet Man".

Don't paint my house this color
This building looks like a hut in Africa but it is typically Irish.

Luxury suite
Posted signs indicated that this was the bedroom of one of the more wealthy 19th Century farmers in the area. Most slept on straw mattresses spread-out on the floor.

Looks like a mini version of the White Tower
Even though Bunratty Castle was built almost two hundred years after the White Tower at the Tower of London site, there is a lot of similarity in the construction. Both feature simple square turrets and an overall square shape unlike later castles with rounded turrets and less symetrical walls.

A closer look
The windows were added at a much later date than the construction date of the original castle. In fact the castle was actually used as a home for various noble families until the Twentieth Century.

Inside the Great Hall
Although this looks like it would be the top floor of the castle due to the sloping ceiling it is actually just the second floor. There's another large room directly above this. This room is now decorated as a dining hall but over the centuries it has also been used as a chapel and audience chamber for the castle lord.

Tapestry in the Great Hall
It's either French or Flemish. I don't remember, but it is old and probably never really hung in this castle until the place was restored in the 1950's.

Leuchterweibchen
This chandelier is based on a popular German design that featured semi-naked women with wings made of antlers. You may think that this type of wacky lighting fixture might have been a unique feature of this castle, but a quick Google search shows that this idea began in Germany/Switzerland and was very popular throughout Europe.

15th Century furniture
Not the most interesting photo in the world but just about the only interior shot I took that came out. I really need to start using a tripod.

Time to shop
We moved through the castle rather quickly. Not only did we have limited time but to be honest, the little that information that I had about the castle's history wasn't all that interesting to me. For most of its history the castle was inhabited by nobles loyal to the ruling English monarchy. There were no great battles or sinister plots hatched on this site. Perhaps it was such an impressive fortress that none dared even consider storming it.
After we toured through the castle and castle grounds we walked back toward our bus. Naturally we took some time to eat lunch and the peruse the big store. We mostly just checked-out what kind of merchandise this chain store carried and tried to get an idea of what prices we wanted to beat on such items as sweaters, men's caps, jewelry and other souvenirs.

Leaving Bunratty
It was beginning to get a bit warm..., no rather hot, as we left the parking lot. We would be spending the night in Killarney, but in Ireland there are no real highways - just lots of narrow two lane country roads that never run straight for more than a few hundred feet. And all of them seem to go through the middle of little villages.

Adare
On our big roomy bus we even had air conditioning so we were quite comfortable as we headed through the narrow winding roads toward Killarney. Along the way we came to the quaint village of Adare where we stopped for a short potty break. Since we had a half hour here we decided to take a quick look around town. This was the impressive and beautiful church situated next to the tourist office.

Thatch-roofed homes all along the street
In this very touristy part of town we saw a long row of thatch covered homes and shops. Even though the day was gorgeous and we were in Ireland in the peak of the tourist season, things were kind of dead in Adare. Most of the shops were either closed or looked vacant.

An interesting looking little pub
Since we just arrived in Ireland just a few hours before this establishment seemed quite picturesque at the time. The longer we were in Ireland the more we found that these quaint little places were quite commonplace. And even though each little pub we spotted seemed possessed of its own charm and uniqueness, they all sereved the same 4 or 5 brands of beer. I had hoped for the opportunity to "discover" an unknown gem of a brew but everywhere we went the establishments stuck with Guinness, Bulmer's, Carlsberg (not even Irish), Budweiser and occassionallyu, Smithwick's. I had been told that Kilkenny had a fantastic ale but I never found it on tap anywhere we went. I ended up buying a 6-pack to take home.

Crime monitor
Throughout Ireland and England we would see a lot of these TV cameras mounted on street corners or at crowded thoroughfares. The police monitor crime by watching these strategically located cameras. Not only have they made a significant dent in the crime rate wherever they are located but now the police are using them to trap speeders as they whiz past. In America we'd be screaming about this as an infringement on our privacy but I don't mind feeling safe. I've got nothing to hide and I'd welcome these in my neighborhood.

Killarney Cathedral (St. Mary's)
After our stop in Adare it was back on the bus again. We passed through a number of small villages and miles upon miles of open fields. Sheep were everywhere. As we approached the outskirts of Killarney we passed by this magnificent cathedral. I was hoping we would stay in downtown Killarney since I found it to be a very picturesque but touristy town on our previous visit, but after driving by the shopping district we continued a couple miles down the road to our hotel - The Killarney Valley Hotel and Suites.

What a fantastic hotel
Not that the hotels in Italy or Greece were bad, but when we pulled up to the entrance of the Glen Eagle Hotel at Killarney Valley I felt like we were back in the lap of luxury. It was a huge, modern hotel with huge indoor pool, at least three different bars, a couple restaurants and an attached theater that was capable of hosting Broadway-style shows. I had my own room again and it was one of the best I had during all my vacation time. A nice big room with two full-sized beds, a modern bathroom, satellite TV and a mini fridge. Before we decided to take a walk exploring our surroundings out here away from town, we took a short nap.

Macgillycuddy's Reeks hills near Killarney
After our little snooze, gail, her mother and I took advantage of the beautiful, clear weather and took a walk. We crossed the street (highway) and used a nice paved bikepath to walk in the opposite direction of downtown and toward a big hotel sitting on the shores of a tranquil lake.