Moving on up

We didn't have internet capabilities last night so we weren't able to write about our day yesterday which was spent taking in our last moments at our homey cottage in Dingle and heading to the Glasha Meadows B&B in Doolin. Doolin is just north of the Cliffs of Moher and being that we were in the southern part of the country, we had a journey ahead of us. As we were driving we stumbled upon a car ferry that would take us across the Shannon River in about 20 minutes cutting 85 miles off of our drive. We exchanged glances and without even speaking began to dig in our pockets for the ferry toll. Within a few short hours, we were pulling into Doolin, a small sleepy town along the water's edge with a clear view of the Cliffs. The next morning we awoke to a home cooked Irish breakfast and in no time we were pulling in to the Cliffs of Moher parking lot. We know we keep using the words amazing, perfect, gorgeous and beautiful to describe where we've been and this was no exception because the Cliffs are all of that and then some. Whether you are climbing up the wrought iron spiral staircase at O'Brien's Tower or making your way along the narrow path of the Cliffs of Moher, the view is magnificent. Every direction you look leaves you speechless. We promise to have pictures posted soon!

Once we left the Cliffs we didn't have any definite plans so our options were unlimited as to our next destination. Did we start to head East back towards Dublin or head further North? We both agreed that Galway and/or Connemara (North) would be our next stop. In order to get directions punched into the GPS, we had to narrow our search down to a specific town or place. We chose Ballynahinch Castle (as it was between both Galway and Connemara). We were getting closer to our destination so we began to search for B&B's in hopes of finding somewhere to stay for the night in the area. Before we could find somewhere to go, we were pulling into the entrance of Ballynahinch. At first it appeared to be closed, the entrance was not lit and the lights leading up a long dark driveway were extremely dim. As we arrived at the top the car came to a halt. We both sat with our mouths wide open. A beautiful castle/hotel set at the top of a mountain alongside a river and it was sitting right in front of us. One look at the lobby and we were sold. One room for two in a castle please and thank you. We really really promise to have pictures posted soon....we promise!

The Ring of Kerry Round Two (and Killarney National Park)

We took our chances today and drove out to The Ring of Kerry and Killarney National Park. The second time must have been a charm because the weather was perfect almost all day. On our way we stopped in a town called Inch and took pictures of The Inch Strand, a beach and very small peninsula just south of Dingle. We reached The Ring of Kerry which on a straight drive through would normally take about 3 hours, we were there all day. Every corner was more beautiful than the one before. There were points in our drive where we both got out and stood there and watched our surroundings, completely silent. There were no words to describe it. Our pictures, which we thought came out really great, don't even do the landscape justice. It's just gorgeous. We stopped at a local store on the top of one of the mountains called Avoca. We got lost in all of the local jewelry, clothing, food, etc. When we finally got back in the car we realized we were losing daylight and still wanted to get to the park before sunset, and we are so glad we did. By the time we reached Killarney National Park, an entire family of reindeer were eating in a meadow mere feet from the main road. We planted ourselves in one spot for close to an hour and just watched them. A few times they looked up and gave us great photo opportunities but they didn't seem threatened by us or concerned with us at all.

So now we are back at the cottage, it's our last night here and it is bittersweet. We are both extremely sad to be leaving but are very excited about what is still ahead. We have been at this cottage for six days and would have absolutely stayed here for another week had we known how terrific it was going to be. This perfect cottage with the perfect view in the perfect little town will surely be missed. We aren't sure what our internet capabilities will be when we leave here but we hope the next time you hear from us it will be from Doolin and we will have just visited The Cliffs of Moher. More to come soon....we hope!

Second times a charm....we hope.

We had decided yesterday to drive The Ring of Kerry. The weather was not on our side. By the time we had reached the beginning of our route, we had hit scattered showers, tons of fog, and had two unhappy people in the car. We went anyway and took as many pictures as we could but knew that if the visibility was a bit better, if the weather was just a little clearer, we would be able to get some really beautiful shots. But the day was not lost. When we returned to Dingle we stopped for dinner at The Old Smokehouse. It didn't appear to be open and many other storefronts seemed vacant. Because of the weather there were not a lot of people out and businesses had either closed early or hadn't opened at all. We went in anyway hoping for the best and were pleasantly surprised. The owner greeted us at the door and as we were the only patrons we had our pick of whatever table we wanted. We sat in the patio section made up of floor to ceiling windows overlooking a tiny bridge with a small stream running through it. The walls were covered with amazing local artwork and even with the rain pouring down outside, it was perfect. Our meals left us speechless. It was a perfect end to a gloomy day.

We made eachother a deal. If we woke up in the morning and the sun was shining, we would give The Ring of Kerry another try. If not, we would find something else to do. Good news, the sun was out this morning!

Better to be safe

Today we had planned on going to The Ring of Kerry and our plans were quickly halted when we looked out the window this morning. What was once a beautifully blue and cloudless sky was now ominous, gray, and like nothing we'd ever seen. That is how quickly the weather can change here in Ireland. Within 30 minutes, it can go from pouring rain to sunny and warm, back to cloudy again. So we figured we would wait it out, the weather was bound to get better as it had done each day since we've been here. It was windy and cloudy but not rainy so we decided to start our day off with a walk along the cliffs to take a few more pictures, get some exercise and maybe by the time we got back, the weather would shift...and shift it did. As we walked and more time passed the wind began to whip around viciously. All of the sheep that would normally stand were either laying down individually or huddled together. By the time we had made it from one end of our area of the peninsula to the other, we could barely stand up without being blown over. The wind was rippling up the grassy hills and the waves were crashing hard against the shore. Neither of us have ever seen waves this big at any east coast beaches we have been to at home. Right then and there we decided it would be best to stay at the cottage where it was safe and warm. However, we are determined to go to The Ring of Kerry tomorrow, rain or shine!

That's a bunch of Blarney!

Today we traveled out to Blarney Castle which is about 3 hours from our cottage in Dingle and it was totally worth the drive. We were so lucky to have beautiful weather all day. Not a speck of rain or a cloud in the sky. We took our time, stopping off to take pictures of surrounding towns and reading about local legends in each place. There was a little driving lesson as well, and it was not Brian that needed to be trained on how to drive on the wrong side of the car on the wrong side of the road. Not only was the weather gorgeous, but Blarney Castle was almost completely empty. It is usually jam packed with tourists because it is home to the Blarney Stone and every American that visits usually goes about 2,000 people per day during busy season. We were shocked when we arrived that there was not a single person in line. It was so quiet there that the staff let us each smooch that filthy rock not once but twice! Once you make the decent back down from the top of the castle where the famous stone is located, there are several amazing trails to walk through. We decided to walk through "Rock Close" which is full of ruins, Irish folklore, waterfalls, gardens, etc. The original plan was to go to The Ring of Kerry on the way back to the cottage but it had gotten too dark so there will be more to come on that tomorrow. Instead we stopped off in Killarney for some shopping and dinner. The "Failte" Pub had amazing food, plenty of rowdy Irishman and great music. Now we are back at the cottage, settled in for the night and will sleep well knowing it was another day very well spent in Ireland!

Friday 11/12/10 - Dingle or bust

We woke up with 12 hours of sleep in us and May's Irish breakfast to fuel us up for our road trip across Ireland. We drove through so many beautiful and unique towns that we still can't decide which was our favorite. By the time we got to Dingle it was starting to get dark and as we made our way around the Dingle Peninsula where the cottage was located, it was completely dark. The cliffs edge was immediately to our left, mountains of rocks and stone to our right. Narrow does not even begin to describe the width of this road. We looked for all of the markers that Bill and Susan (the people that rent the cottage) had given us and we could not find the cottage anywhere. Finally after turning around three or four times, we found it, realizing we had passed it already about three or four times. We were ecstatic but starving from our trip. So we dropped off our bags and headed back out to a local pub called Murphy's for some dinner. We realized as soon as we drove into town that our mission for the next day was to go back and walk around. It is a small town that has a marina along the most beautiful cliffside you could imagine - pictures will be coming soon. We arrived back to the cottage to take our first hot showers in days. But before any of this could happen, the power went out. The wind is incredibly strong here as we are located about 20 feet from the waters edge. We cracked a bottle of wine and started a fire. Within a very short time, the power came back on but it didn't matter. We were at an amazing cottage in an amazing country after having another amazing day. We are both going to sleep tonight with smiles on our faces.

Thursday 11/11/10 - Meeting Aunt May

After a very chaotic first day, it was nice to have a place to stay where we immediately felt welcome and at home. Brian's 91 year old Aunt May was kind enough to let us stay with her for the night. We sat with her and talked for hours about everything, she made us tea and toast and could not be sweeter if she tried. May told us all about her family, her life in Ireland, and we sat in awe and just listened. She gave us a coat and tried to give us money but we would have none of that. We loved her and her home so much we will be staying with her again for our last night in Ireland. If she's up to it, we plan on taking her out on the town! Verdict - we love LOVE Aunt May!

P.S. Side note/Story - Aunt May's doorbell rang while we were visiting and two of her visiting nurses came to give her a shot. May looked right at us and said "I hope you don't mind seeing me bum, that's where the meat is so that's where they give me the shot." All of us started cracking up. 91 and smart as a whip. Luckily for May, the nurse didn't bring the medicine for the shot so she escaped for at least another week.

Wednesday 11/10/10 - Our First Irish Morning

Winsted to Logan Express to Logan Airport to Dublin Airport was a full day experience but went extremely smoothly and with not a single issue. It actually went so well that we had time to grab dinner and drinks before our flight at O'Brian's Pub (we had to go for obvious reasons). We arrived in Dublin at 5:30 a.m. Upon arrival we were bused to a nearby Dollar Rental Car. Though we had a long day of traveling, we were in Ireland and ready to go. Dollar Rental Car was clearly not on the same page as us. They informed us that our $236 rental car was now going to be $1800. At 6 a.m. after driving/riding/flying all day, this is not something you want to hear. After much negotiating, they lowered the price to $700.  Mission one accomplished, we now had a car. Next hurdle, driving on the wrong side of the car on the wrong side of the road which has been adjustment but we are managing, we'll keep you posted on that one.

We were finally settled in our vehicle and had no idea where we were going but we didn't care, we were in Ireland and we had a car. We decided we should call our families to let them know we were safe. That's weird, the phone doesn't work. The global cell that Verizon assured us would work overseas has no service anywhere. So how do you call Verizon to tell them your phone isn't working when your phone doesn't work? Answer, you don't. In the midst of this we realize we have zero cash. Nada. None. We swing into a gas station and try the atm, both cards are rejected. Now what? We'll tell you what. We're Irish dammit! We put our game faces on and walked until we found an atm that worked. Now we have cash and a car. Still no phone. At this point we're on a roll and feeling pretty good about ourselves so we jump into a payphone, swipe the credit card and dial Verizon. We spoke to a fabulous lady by the name of Dee that walked us through the manual activation process and boom...a call to both homes within minutes.

Did we mention this all happened before 9 a.m.? After you've had a pretty hellish morning, what's the best cure? A drink. We headed straight for the Guinness factory and finished the day off properly!

The night before

So we are both just about packed and ready to go. A few minor things, like, um, a camera, is all we have left to get. But we are going tonight to get our last minute things. We are both SO excited and can't wait to get on that plane. By this time tomorrow we will be flying over the Atlantic. Brian snoring to his Ipod, me fully engrossed in Harry Potter....again. The next time you hear from us we'll be in IRELAND!