Blogs from County Kerry, Ireland, Europe - page 8

Today started with Horseback riding on the beach. Shelly decided not to go but i went anyways. Nicky and Tim also didn't go. It was fun. We used English saddles which I've never used before. I actually think they are more comfortable. One lady (not in our group) fell off her horse. Luckily it was on the beach and not in the mud, the road or the prickly bushes we also road near. The van picked us up and we then drove around Dingle peninsula. Unfortunately the weather of yesterday was not today. It started raining. oh well. We stopped at a place where they had the old beehive style stone houses and the lady that owned the land was there and invited us in her house. She had a picture taken with Tom Cruise when ... read more

We were supposed to take a boat over to the Skellig islands this morning where the 600 - 1200 ad monastery is located. There are 600 steps up to it. Well, the seas were too rough and it was cancelled. Instead we went to the telegraph point (where the first trans Atlantic cable arrived in Europe and hiked up to the point house. We could get a view of Skellig island from there but it is still 8 miles away. Still, the views were great. Next we went to the Skellig Museum in town and got more information on what we were supposed to see. From there we drove to an old abandoned castle that we got to climb thru. We could see the kill hole where they could drop stuff in on invaders, we saw ... read more

Geo: 52.1433, -10.2687We took local advice and just made a quick stop in Limerick (just because you have to stop in any place named Limerick) for a coffee and a piece of rubber pie- actually we passed on the rubber pie and had carrot cake instead, and we were halfway through it when it dawned on us that 'rubber' pie was actually rhubarb pie with a thick Irish accent (among other translations, "tars" is actually towers, and "rats" is actually riots). You might expect that Limerick would have a light and fluffy nickname but instead is saddled with the more ominous "Stab City"- many of the pointy problems that led to this name have been resolved but it was the roughest looking place we had seen so far in Ireland. Limerick, as a name, doesn't fit ... read more

Tuesday. I had read that the short train trip from Cork to Cobh was scenic and worth doing, and since I like train rides, I had included it on my planned itinerary. So I drove back up to Cork in the morning to do this trip. Turned out to be a waste of four hours of the day – the trip follows the coast around, but it is nearly all industrial wasteland and warehouses. The train ride between Hornsby and Gosford is many times better. The worst aspect, though, is it meant that I was rushing for the rest of the day, and didn’t have the time to take things in. I had little idea of how much time it takes to drive anywhere here, the roads being winding and slow. Anyhow, after Cork I headed ... read more

Let me start by saying today was a very long day. Along with that, today was the best day I've had yet on this trip. I began my drive of the Ring of Kerry this morning without a real itinerary, just a list of potential landmarks I could stop at if I felt like it. url=http://www.all-ireland.com/attractions/munster/kerry/gapofdunloe.htmhttp:/www.all-ireland.com/attractions/munster/kerry/gapofdunloe.htmGap of Dunloe wasn't on the list, but I turned off the highway when I saw the sign anyway, and made my way into the most beautiful and majestic place in the world, the Purple Mountains, MacGillyduccy's Reeks, and the Black Valley. After I stopped to photograph the Gap, my GPS said it was barely over an hour to the next city if I wanted to continue on the route I was currently on. So, instead of turning back the way ... read more