20130523 Thursday Baltimore to Kenmare Sunny, beautiful. Owen-Photos Dolores-Photos

Nice breakfast in the dining room overlooking the harbor at Baltimore. Afterward we gathered at the minibus and departed.

The first stop was at Barley Cove beach, a sort of bird preserve with lots of sandy beach and a pontoon bridge across it and a small stream. I don't know if the pontoon bridge is necessary during tides, or if it's just hard to walk across the sand and serves a dual purpose. Our goofy Irishman director/driver (Phil) ran down and scuffed his name in the sand for us to take pictures. A little windy out, but the same system that's generating the wind is also giving us this sun.

Then we went down the road to Mizen Head Signal Station. Because this farthest southwest corner of Ireland is closest to St Johns, Newfoundland, Marconi did radio experiments leading to transatlantic communications here. We walked out the the point and were nearly blown away in the fierce wind around the point. Still, we could see Fastnet Rock Light on its rock some nine miles away. We looked through the gift and bought a small book.

Onward to Bantry, which several of us had heard of previously. We stopped for lunch. Barbara joined D & I in The Quay. They had mussles, I had chicken Grajou with a pint of Smithwick's Irish Ale. Very good. We chatted back and forth until we'd used all our lunch time and had none left to explore.

Into the bus and away!! We jogged off N-71 which we've been roughly following to go over Healy Pass. The pass is only around 2,000 feet but the road is single-lane for a good part of it, with dropoffs on the side, which makes things a little interesting.

On the way up we stopped to look at a spring-fed pool that was really scenic. There were cows around, and after a bit their owner stopped to chat or to look after the cows or to check us out. He was a half-toothed bachelor farmer who seemed to want to chat; Phil cut him off before we chatted all afternoon.

Up at the top of the pass we stopped for pictures; we stopped again a hundred meters further to get pictures on the new side, having entered County Kerry.

I might as well apologize for overloading the reader with pictures. We have the opportunity to take many but not much time to sort out a few for the web site. Thus, you see them all if you wish.

We went downhill and near the bottom I had my picture taken in one of the most well known sites in Ireland.

We were a little ahead of schedule so we took a side trip away from Kenmare to the small Uragh Stone Circle. To get to it, we had to go out a one-lane path and park in a very small space for our Mercedes mini-bus. Then we let ourselves through a gate and walked a quarter-mile to it, past sheep with newborn sheep following them. The mothers didn't seem very worried but the little sheep were skittish.

Again, no one knows the purpose of this stone circle. Again, it's on a hill. Again, the wind was fierce. Again, Phil took off – this time to another hill close by so he could get a picture of us from above.

Then we returned to the mini-bus and went into Kenmare to The Lodge, a four-star place. We were issued room “Heather” which we found to be huge with a single and double bed and well-equipped bath. Very satisfactory.

We walked the tenth-mile into the main street then down and up it. Looked in a woolen shop but what use do we have for wool in Florida. We ate at the Tom Crean restaurant. Tom Crean was a sailor under Shackleton in South Pole exploration and became a hero for his feats of endurance that saved lives. He retired here to manage an inn he called The South Pole so he could go to the south pole every day.

The restaurant was rather plush. D had lobster bisque and roast pork; I had chicken breast wrapped around a leek stuffing, plus assorted vegetables and roast new potatoes, all very good. We waddled back to the room in The Lodge.

Now we'll do our computer chores and to bed.


20130524 Kenmare to Dingle Windy, sunny (again) Photos-Owen Photos-Dolores

Can't believe that we've had no rain in Ireland.

We had a fine breakfast in the dining room of the Lodge, gathered our stuff, and departed.

First we went northwest into the Killarny National Park. The tallest mountain (3,000 ft) in Ireland is there. We had fantastic views up and over the pass, especially of the Killarny Lakes. While looking at the lakes we saw some wild goats on the rocks above us doing mock battles, head-butting and all. Phil said it's unusual to see them.

We stopped and hiked a little to Torc Waterfall (really a cascade) that's quite pretty. We did a group picture here that I hope is sent to us.

In close to Killarny we stopped at the Muckross Abbey, a huge old thing from the 14th century. Just the idea of putting all those stones one on top of another using primitive tools is boggling. In walking to and from it we saw a couple of deer well off to the side.

We took off and traveled a fair distance to our next stop, Sammy's at the Inch. Inch is the town and the sandspit that protrudes into Dingle Bay. The beach there attracts surfers; there were a few present but the waves weren't condusive to real surfing. Sammy's is a bar, store, eatery and does a bang-up business. D & I didn't need anything after the huge breakfast.

Then we went in to the town of Dingle and took two hours for running around and lunch. We procured visitor maps at the information booth and hiked around, window shopping. At one point, I found a superbly arrogant tee-shirt that I simply had to have. It's in Irish, the English translation of which reads, “There will never be my like again”.

D & I stopped at Murphy's pub for a pint of Smithwick's for me and a glass of red wine for her. After that we regrouped at the minibus for another sight-seeing tour out to the end of the Dingle peninsula. This is the western-most spot in Ireland, and super scenic with wide green fields sloping down to the bluffs over the water. Calm water today but the wind was blowing well at our level.

We examined Gallarus's Oratory, a tiny chapel from the 9th or so century. The stones are so locked together and sloped to shed rain; but the wind comes through seemingly without slowing. Slea Head is the end of the peninsula; there were quite a few tourists out and about, including one guy who had placed a sign “Tourist” in his back window. The lanes can be very narrow; we had to back up to a turn-out several times when meeting vehicles who couldn’t back up well.

Back at Dingle, we checked in at Greenmount Lodge and were assigned a large, beautiful room. It has a bow window with sliding glass doors to a garden wherein there is the hot tub building. We didn't bring suits and in any case it would be cold getting to and from the building. A large window overlooks the parking lot. There are two lounges with books all over, including a set of “Transactions of the Institute of Naval Architects”. I suspect the Transactions are a shelf-filler.

We decided to do a group dinner at Fenton's. Victoria walks more slowly than the rest of us, so D & I started out early and walked there with her. We arrived about when the rest of the group did. They put us in two tables for six, back-to-back. We talked and ate and drank and chatted and took more pictures.

Then we walked to O'Flaherty's where a music session was on-going. Himself O’Flaherty was playing (guitar, banjo, accordian as needed) as others sang their favorite songs. Bridget did an Irish dance routine in the small space cleared for her. He finished around 2230; we stayed to talk a little longer, then took a cab back to Greenmount with Victoria.

Off to bed then for a good sleep. I'm actually writing this the following morning.