Blogs from County Kerry, Ireland, Europe - page 9

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

Geo: 52.0597, -9.50962Another quiet one today. I was up and packed reasonably early. I went down to breakfast, Patrick, the B&B owner cooks a traditional Irish breakfast. Toast, bacon, eggs and sausage. I've yet to make it all the way through it. Every morning here I've had different breakfast companions. I guess I'm the only one interested in seeing more than the Rock of Cashel. This morning there was a young German couple and and older american couple and me. We were quite the chatty bunch today. We sat and talked about our home countries, our travels, where we have been in Ireland and where we were going to. It was after 10 before we made a move and to be honest I don't think anyone wanted to move. We were quite settled. All good things ... read more

Oh My God ! What a beautiful and peaceful place is Killarney. Last month myself and my husband went to Killarney for a break. We went by our car and it gave us more liberty to get down at different places that we would like to see. From the starting of County Kerry itself was really stunning with mountains and green valleys which were brightened up by the sunshine. Through out our way we could see small small hills with white sheeps which appeared as small cotton balls moving around and eating green ,fresh grass. It was really enjoyable. Towards afternoon we reached Killarney and saw that it is a small , but very busy town with all the tourist from different places and countries moving around. Most of the hotels were located in the town ... read more

Yesterday I spent my last morning in Cork. I had just enough time to walk downtown to St. FinBarre's cathedral before going back to catch my train to Killarney. All told, the train ride was relatively short, and when I got to Killarney it was raining. Hard. I had booked a hostel which was thankfully only a 3 minute walk from the train station. Upon ringing the doorbell, I was greeted by the host, Martin - a young guy with a mohawk and a thick Polish accent, not exactly what I expected to see in Ireland. The hostel itself is very cozy, with a woodstove and dim lighting in the main room - very rustic and good for relaxing. As of checking in time, I had my own 8-bed room to myself! The rain didn't discourage ... read more