Once again, we were very lucky with the weather. It was always on the verge of raining in Ireland, and there would be dark, overcast skies with an occasional burst of rain, but we plan for the worst. And we were pulling out the raincoats and the umbrellas for the last two days of our vacation. I felt bad for John, because of all of us, he appreciates sunshine the most--it must be because he's a runner, and running in the rain isn't near as fun as running in sunshine. I, however, appreciate the rain, because I don't think there would be an "Emerald Isle" if it weren't for all the rain, and goodness, the island was more emerald than I had ever seen.
We grabbed our last bit of non-rain weather (can't say it was sunny) and walked into town to take a jaunting car ride. We took one two years ago with Ethan and Rebecca, and it was great fun. Our driver this time, a chap named Paul, wasn't near as entertaining as our driver before, but it was still so nice to be driven through Killarney National Park. I have to give it to Paul though--he was very informative, and gave me a much-wanted perspective on the political situation between Ireland and Northern Ireland.
We were a bit confused about our horse for a while. We were told that his name was Joey, and indeed her name was Joey (short for Josephine). She was a quick little thing which came in handy when I first asked Paul if he was seriously going to take us around in his covered wagon (yes, it was all closed up and looked like a covered wagon) and we had to head back to the depot to change out carriages. But she was also quick through the park unfortunately.
Killarney is really the hub for a lot of good places to visit. I wanted to hit some that we hadn't seen when we first came to Ireland with the Morans. Torc Waterfall was only a ten minute drive away, so we headed out after lunch...but in the rain. It seriously felt like the rain had been held back just as long as possible for our benefit, but the dam had broken.
It was beautiful. Between the rain, and the green on the trees, and the waterfall, it felt like some scene from The Lord of the Rings, or some place where nymphs would be hiding behind trees. I managed to catch a couple of cutie-patootie leprechauns on the camera :-)
The waterfall was just a short walk from the parking lot, but of course there was a staircase heading up the side of the mountain that we Kennedys weren't possibly going to not explore.
Turns out, it was just part of the series of trails that cover all of Kerry County. We hiked and hiked and hiked through the rain, and the trail just kept going. When we figured we'd seen enough and hiked enough and we were thoroughly soaked, we turned back. It was really lovely. I do have this vision of us coming someday and spending several days, hiking the trails with a packed lunch. However, that vision will have to wait for another time.
Finally, our last day in Killarney (and before we had to head back to Shannon for one last meal at Bunratty Castle), John drove us to Muckross Abbey, another place only minutes from our house. He had found it on one of his daily seven-mile runs and wanted to show it to us. For me, this was a highlight of our trip, and I'm so glad he convinced us to go.
The abbey was originally a friary that was built in the 1440s. It's only ruins now, but it's the loveliest ruins I've ever visited. I actually wondered if people get married there, because it's so stunning. Outside of the abbey, there is a graveyard with old and new graves, and gosh darn it, if my ashes can't be spread over the Caribbean, I want to be buried there for sure!
Just when we thought we had explored every nook and cranny, we saw a staircase leading somewhere. Turns out, it went into the tower, and with no wooden floors existing anymore, it was a four-story acoustic dream. I had the idea that we should try singing (something we can't usually do with people around), and what an experience. I could have stood there singing for at least an hour, but I wasn't sure everyone else was so excited about that prospect. Thankfully, I caught a few minutes of it for Ethan's benefit (but who am I kidding? It was really for me :-))
It was such a lovely way to end our trip.
We grabbed our last bit of non-rain weather (can't say it was sunny) and walked into town to take a jaunting car ride. We took one two years ago with Ethan and Rebecca, and it was great fun. Our driver this time, a chap named Paul, wasn't near as entertaining as our driver before, but it was still so nice to be driven through Killarney National Park. I have to give it to Paul though--he was very informative, and gave me a much-wanted perspective on the political situation between Ireland and Northern Ireland.
We were a bit confused about our horse for a while. We were told that his name was Joey, and indeed her name was Joey (short for Josephine). She was a quick little thing which came in handy when I first asked Paul if he was seriously going to take us around in his covered wagon (yes, it was all closed up and looked like a covered wagon) and we had to head back to the depot to change out carriages. But she was also quick through the park unfortunately.
 |
| For all the times we've been to Ross Castle, we have never gone IN Ross Castle. Maybe next time.... |
It was beautiful. Between the rain, and the green on the trees, and the waterfall, it felt like some scene from The Lord of the Rings, or some place where nymphs would be hiding behind trees. I managed to catch a couple of cutie-patootie leprechauns on the camera :-)
The waterfall was just a short walk from the parking lot, but of course there was a staircase heading up the side of the mountain that we Kennedys weren't possibly going to not explore.
Turns out, it was just part of the series of trails that cover all of Kerry County. We hiked and hiked and hiked through the rain, and the trail just kept going. When we figured we'd seen enough and hiked enough and we were thoroughly soaked, we turned back. It was really lovely. I do have this vision of us coming someday and spending several days, hiking the trails with a packed lunch. However, that vision will have to wait for another time.
Finally, our last day in Killarney (and before we had to head back to Shannon for one last meal at Bunratty Castle), John drove us to Muckross Abbey, another place only minutes from our house. He had found it on one of his daily seven-mile runs and wanted to show it to us. For me, this was a highlight of our trip, and I'm so glad he convinced us to go.
The abbey was originally a friary that was built in the 1440s. It's only ruins now, but it's the loveliest ruins I've ever visited. I actually wondered if people get married there, because it's so stunning. Outside of the abbey, there is a graveyard with old and new graves, and gosh darn it, if my ashes can't be spread over the Caribbean, I want to be buried there for sure!
Just when we thought we had explored every nook and cranny, we saw a staircase leading somewhere. Turns out, it went into the tower, and with no wooden floors existing anymore, it was a four-story acoustic dream. I had the idea that we should try singing (something we can't usually do with people around), and what an experience. I could have stood there singing for at least an hour, but I wasn't sure everyone else was so excited about that prospect. Thankfully, I caught a few minutes of it for Ethan's benefit (but who am I kidding? It was really for me :-))
It was such a lovely way to end our trip.
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