Ireland

Only two weeks after our return from Italy, we set off for another amazing journey.  This time, we went west, to Ireland.  We flew Ryan Air to Cork, Ireland, only a 50 minute flight from Stansted.  We arrived at a small, yet classy airport where we proceeded to the car hire desks to pick up our rental, a new Ford Fiesta.  When we got in and started driving, we noticed that all over the car and local streets were signs reminding us to drive on the left, which was no problem for us anymore, however, for a mainland-European or American, it was a good idea.  With our own GPS and Ireland atlas from the base library, we made our way through downtown Cork and north to Blarney Castle.  The castle was still in relatively good condition, with only a few sections laid waste to ruin.  This castle had a sense of humour, and a bit of superstition.  All over were references to the difference in the phrases, “Blarney and Baloney.” Here’s the difference:

Baloney? Or Blarney?

Baloney: When you tell an unattractive women that she is beautiful.

Blarney: When you tell the same woman that her wisdom and experience enhance her striking features.

Supposedly, the lord of Blarney castle, near Cork, agreed to surrender the castle to British troops. But he kept making excuses for postponing the surrender. And, he made them sound like very good excuses; “this is just more of the same blarney.”

Along those same lines of superstition, there is the Blarney Stone, said to give the gift of eloquence to anyone who kissed it, while lying upside down over the edge of the tower.  Lindsay was feeling really adventurous so she did it!  I merely blew it a kiss, knowing the millions of people who must have also kissed the same stone.  Nonetheless, it was a fantastic experience. The castle grounds also had a poison garden filled with numerous fatal plants, a 19^th century mansion, and a beautiful lake.  Lindsay and I took a nice hike around the area and we were pleasantly surprised by the amazing landscape.
Blarney Castle:

View of Blarney House from the castle:

Enter at your own risk!

Us at the top of Blarney Castle:

After the castle we drove to our B&B in Killarney.  The host and hostess were very nice and recommended dinner accommodations for the evening on High Street of Killarney.  So, along with dinner, we got to scope out the main drag and spot a few more places we’d like to eat.
Our B&B:

"Boxty", a traditional Irish pancake:

Irish Lamb Stew (also Irish Soda Bread in the back, served with every meal):

The next day was reserved for our car tour of the Ring of Kerry.  We drove anti-clockwise starting with the north side of the peninsula, then rounding the south side.  All along the way, we stopped at various sites and look-outs, and even got to walk the beach for a while.  The vegetation completely changed from the luscious green forest on the north side to a light brown chaparral climate on the south.
Shipwreck on Rossbeigh Beach:

A steep cliffside drive from Rossbeigh:

Lindsay loves sheep (and it looks like they love her back):

Portmagee, where we stopped for lunch:

Fogher Cliffs look-out:

Us on Valentia Island:

Us at the Mt. Geokaun Overlook:

On the following day, we started out by exploring the Killarney National Park. There we saw stunning waterfalls, large mansions, a friary, and more gorgeous gardens.
The Torc Waterfall:

Muckross House:

Muckross Friary:

Muckross Gardens:


After the park, we did a similar drive around the peninsula of Dingle, to the north.  Amazingly, the drive was completely different than the previous day.  We got to see the beautiful sea-side cliffs, ancient ruins dating back to near 500 BC, and our favorite, more beaches!  The landscape was very Lord of the Rings-ish.  Imagine the first part of the Fellowship, after the Shire, but before Moria.  I even spotted a hill ringed with stones that could have been the watch tower of Amon Sûl, (Weathertop). 
Rainbow over Conor Pass:

Ventry Beach (with the Kerry Peninsula in the background):

Dunbeg Fort prehistoric site:

Dingle Peninsula Coastal Drive:

Blake with the Dunloe "Ogham" Stones, with hash marks representing an early form of Irish writing:

The next morning was our return trip from Kerry Airport back to Stansted.  An excited Cooper welcomed us home.  We loved Ireland: beautiful countryside, and the friendliest people in all of our traveling to date.  Another remarkable European trip in the bag; more to come!

~Blake

p.s.  As always, tons more travel photos at Lindsay's Flickr site; just click on the link in the upper-right-hand bar!