Geo: 52.8443, -8.98299After some last-day shopping for gifts in the morning, we had another long day of driving ahead of us.Drove at cliff's edge for the 2-hour tour around Slea Head at the far southwestern tip of Ireland (and western most edge of Europe), an area marked by stonewall fences between farm properties, rocky slopes dropping off into the sea, numerous significant archeological sites dotted with ancient beehive stone dwellings, and a stone church dating back to 800 AD, Gallarus Oratory.Then onto the 3-hour drive from Dingle through Tralee to Ennis, including a ferry crossing of the River Shannon. Arrived at our lodging in Ennis, The Old Ground Hotel, just before the kitchen closed. At the hotel restaurant we were treated to a seafood chowder so thick with salmon, cod, and crab that it was almost ... read more

Geo: 52.6538, -7.24798Woke up today and decided we wanted to spend more time in Kilkenny than just one day. Such a quaint and interesting small city with so many historical treasures to see, and we just didn't want to rush through it all in a half day. Plus, with a 5-hour drive to the Dingle Peninsula ahead of us, we thought it'd be smart to get an early start.So, after checking to see if we could stay on another night at the wonderful Butler Court in Kilkenny and successfully cancelling our first of two nights in Dingle, we were changed travelers.Today was more typically Irish grey skies and drizzle, so the primary destinations of our walking today was touring Kilkenny Castle near our lodging on the south end of town and St. Canice's Cathedral at the ... read more

Geo: 53.3441, -6.26749It was another brilliantly sunny day in Dublin (really . . . couldn't make this up), perfect for a self-guided walking tour of the city.The Cassidy Hotel is about a 10-minute walk north of the River Liffey, So, after breakfast we headed over the river for art, architecture, tarts, and ale. First, to Trinity College and the Book of Kells. Jack, a 3rd year student at Trinity was our guide for a tour through the campus of the largest university in Ireland -- and a top 50 university in the world. He seemed quite proud of two Oregon maples near the bell tower, including the largest and oldest one in Europe, and was pleased to have two Oregonians in his tour group. The tour ended at the Old Library where the Book of Kells, ... read more

Geo: 45.0236, -123.113We depart from home in Salem in one hour.All that's left to do is wash the dog and narrow down the number of Ireland guidebooks we're actually going to pack. The challenge is made greater by our self-imposed limit on luggage -- one 21x14x9 carryon and one personal bag each. No side trips in Paris for our bags! Tried to stay light and lean on this trip, so we'll have to see how this works out.Flights out of Portland and Salt Lake City were PACKED (in fact, we could have taken an $800 voucher each to give up our seats PDX-SLC, wait a day, and leave from Seattle instead), and it started snowing as we left Salt Lake City on the 10-hour, overnight flight to Paris.Geez, what some people will do to get a ... read more