After a 'day at the Fort', we hopped in the car and headed to our next destination, Killarney. Killarney is in County Kerry, one of the more beautiful areas of Ireland. Our luck with driving and finding things without GPS, detailed maps, etc. continued and we found our hotel without trouble. We stayed at the Fairview House which was in the perfect spot - right in the center of town with easy access to everything. The hotel itself was nice as well - a big jacuzzi tub, large room, good breakfast - very happy. And, guess what met us when we arrived? The stroller!! Yahoo!!
We arrived late in the day. So, after we had a little wine in our room, we headed out on the town for dinner. This may have been one of the best dinners we had during the entire trip. It was at Treyvaud's. Everything was great, we all loved our dishes. I had a wild mushroom risotto - so good. Nick had pasta. His comment was "It was the goodest food in the whole world". We seriously considered going there again the next night. Here is Nick chowing down.
The next day we headed out to hit the Ring of Kerry. A beautiful drive that takes you along the coast and through Killarney National Forest. The view from the roadside on the western side of the Ring.
Another view.
Here is our car - it was perfect. Small enough to go along the narrow roads and big enough to hold our stuff.
We stopped in a tiny fishing village called Portmagee. It was super tiny. Only a couple of storefronts. But, of course, two pubs.
Kevin and his guidebook again.
Nick steals the camera.
Another Nick shot. Mommy's Smithwick's, Nick's apple juice and Daddy's black and tan. That's the bar in the back.
After our pit stop we headed up the hill to a place that claims to have "The Best Cliff Views in all of Kerry". It was sort of funny. It was clearly someone's farm that had been turned into a tourist attraction. They sold a bit of food and pastries. And you also had to pay to walk out to the cliffs. Not a bad little business they have going on there. Have to say, their claims were not exaggerated.
Here are the Skellig Islands in the distance. You can take a ferry out there but it's apparently quite rugged with hiking paths on cliffs. We decided it was probably best to wait until Nick was older to do that.
A view back toward the countryside.
And the cliffs.
Nick had fun running around, throwing rocks off the cliffs and seeing the animals (cows and horses).
Cow.
We continued around the Ring of Kerry. Made a quick stop for a late lunch in a town called Sneem. Awesome name. The pub we ate at was called the Blue Bull. Apparently this is one of Andrew Lloyd Webber's favorite places to eat in Ireland. I'm not really sure why, I didn't find it particularly spectacular. Oh well.
We continued on to Kenmare to check out a Druid's Circle. Here's Nick checking it out.
Must. Climb. Rocks.
As one might expect, we saw a bazillion sheep. Nick thought it was funny that they had colors on them so I got a picture of the "pink sheep".
We headed back to Killarney and called it a day. A lot of driving wiped us out. I know Kev will hate me for posting this, but it cracked me up.
The next day after a tasty breakfast, we checked out of the hotel and headed out to see some more sights. First stop was Ross Castle.
Nick checking out the river with a swan and some ducks.
Nick loves him some ducks.
Nick "requested" (i.e., demanded) that I take a close-up of the swan.
Then it was time to attack the castle - off they go at full speed.
We took a tour of the castle (no pictures, alas). Always interesting to hear the history of the castle and how people lived.
After the castle, we headed over to Muckross Traditional Farms. This was great. For a fee (of course) you could walk all around the farm and check out the animals. Here is Nick with the donkey.
We didn't realize it at first, but the fee also included a pony ride. Here's Nick on his pony. Daddy walked alongside to make sure he didn't slide off.
Too bad Kev's eyes are closed.
I wish I had gotten more pictures here. They had some super cute puppies that Nick was obsessed with - he totally pitched a fit when we left. You could also walk through the stable and pet all the horses. Very cool.
After we finished here, we had a quick lunch and then hit the road to our final destination, Dublin!!
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