Many of our trips are remembered in my mind by where we stayed, specifically our lodging. I may not remember a lot of the details of any trip (thank goodness for this blog), but I will always remember our hotel, or bed and breakfast, or a home.
I found the most delightful place in Killarney called The Priory. As with most older buildings in Ireland, The Priory once served a religious purpose: it was a nunnery. Of course, it's all been modernized for our benefit, but I still wish those walls could talk.
We were so happy when we first walked in. I always wonder if pictures on websites are accurate, but this place superseded all of my expectations. A modern kitchen, a washer and dryer, and three full bedrooms, all contained in rock walls with a working peat stove. I'm sure we would have enjoyed the yard and gardens more if it hadn't been raining so much, but they were still lovely to pass by from the car park to the front door.
The only downside? I really don't believe that the Irish believe in heating their homes. It must have something to do with the million and one stores that sell wool sweaters. Our landlady insisted that the stone floors were heated, but it was definitely a lie. And seeing my breath in the morning while drinking my orange juice?
Thankfully, Glo took it upon herself to keep the peat stove going. She was making daily treks outside to fill the pails with more wood and more peat. Even when we came home for only an hour or two for lunch and a rest, she had the fire going full steam. Combine that with the wool blankets and down comforters that we dragged down to the living room (the room with the stove), and we managed to thaw our frozen limbs.
You'll notice the TV behind Glo. This is going to sound ridiculous, but one of our favorite activities in Ireland in the evening is to turn on the TV. I do believe we enjoy the commercials more than the actual TV shows, but it might be a toss-up between the commercials and the game shows. We watched The Chase and Catch Phrase. And the best part? Their game shows last an entire hour each. So after a long day, it was very fun to sit in front of the stove and the TV and just relax.
Another thing we did? After eating out for every meal in Germany, we decided to save a few bucks (okay, who am I kidding--we saved hundreds of dollars) and eat in. We went to Tesco the first day, bought everything we would need for the next five days, and ate at home. We probably shouldn't have gone shopping when John was hungry, because he bought a heck of a lot of meat. Two whole chickens, and four steaks, and three six-pack cans of pop. On our final day, he still had those steaks to finish off (after cooking the two chickens the night before for all of us for dinner), so he made himself a lunch. Four steaks, and a can of orange pop. As Elder Fingleton commented, "What we in Ireland call a balanced meal." :-)
A beautiful part of Europe that I miss is the cost of produce. On the first night, Glo and I walked over to a "Fruit and Veg" store just two doors down from Tesco, and we bought seven apples, seven oranges, and seven kiwis, all for SIX EUROS. And believe it or not, it was delicious fruit. Glo would eat at least two kiwis every morning for breakfast.
One of the best parts though about the Priory was the fact that it was only a 5-7 minute walk into town. No need to find parking. When we needed something from the store (more kiwis for Glo), we just walked there. And The Priory was far enough off the main road that it was completely quiet. Plus, you have to love a landlady who brings you warm scones on a rainy day, and who gives you a beer glass and a wall hanging FREE from her own home simply because you ask her where she got them.
I found the most delightful place in Killarney called The Priory. As with most older buildings in Ireland, The Priory once served a religious purpose: it was a nunnery. Of course, it's all been modernized for our benefit, but I still wish those walls could talk.
We were so happy when we first walked in. I always wonder if pictures on websites are accurate, but this place superseded all of my expectations. A modern kitchen, a washer and dryer, and three full bedrooms, all contained in rock walls with a working peat stove. I'm sure we would have enjoyed the yard and gardens more if it hadn't been raining so much, but they were still lovely to pass by from the car park to the front door.
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| Our home was the yellow house, but we accessed it through the stone archway on the right. |
The only downside? I really don't believe that the Irish believe in heating their homes. It must have something to do with the million and one stores that sell wool sweaters. Our landlady insisted that the stone floors were heated, but it was definitely a lie. And seeing my breath in the morning while drinking my orange juice?
Thankfully, Glo took it upon herself to keep the peat stove going. She was making daily treks outside to fill the pails with more wood and more peat. Even when we came home for only an hour or two for lunch and a rest, she had the fire going full steam. Combine that with the wool blankets and down comforters that we dragged down to the living room (the room with the stove), and we managed to thaw our frozen limbs.
You'll notice the TV behind Glo. This is going to sound ridiculous, but one of our favorite activities in Ireland in the evening is to turn on the TV. I do believe we enjoy the commercials more than the actual TV shows, but it might be a toss-up between the commercials and the game shows. We watched The Chase and Catch Phrase. And the best part? Their game shows last an entire hour each. So after a long day, it was very fun to sit in front of the stove and the TV and just relax.
Another thing we did? After eating out for every meal in Germany, we decided to save a few bucks (okay, who am I kidding--we saved hundreds of dollars) and eat in. We went to Tesco the first day, bought everything we would need for the next five days, and ate at home. We probably shouldn't have gone shopping when John was hungry, because he bought a heck of a lot of meat. Two whole chickens, and four steaks, and three six-pack cans of pop. On our final day, he still had those steaks to finish off (after cooking the two chickens the night before for all of us for dinner), so he made himself a lunch. Four steaks, and a can of orange pop. As Elder Fingleton commented, "What we in Ireland call a balanced meal." :-)A beautiful part of Europe that I miss is the cost of produce. On the first night, Glo and I walked over to a "Fruit and Veg" store just two doors down from Tesco, and we bought seven apples, seven oranges, and seven kiwis, all for SIX EUROS. And believe it or not, it was delicious fruit. Glo would eat at least two kiwis every morning for breakfast.
One of the best parts though about the Priory was the fact that it was only a 5-7 minute walk into town. No need to find parking. When we needed something from the store (more kiwis for Glo), we just walked there. And The Priory was far enough off the main road that it was completely quiet. Plus, you have to love a landlady who brings you warm scones on a rainy day, and who gives you a beer glass and a wall hanging FREE from her own home simply because you ask her where she got them.
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