Our goal was the Cliffs of Moher in county Clare which comes with the reputation of unique beauty. Of course as most know the beauty and colors when driving along the ocean are always impacted by the presence of the sun. The drive was beautiful, the villages were quaint and lovely and the green...green...green everywhere but the sun was just not there. Nevertheless, it was a lovely drive and we enjoyed every minute of it. Well, I should say I did, John was a bit white knuckled at times with the narrow roads, but being the trooper he is, he mustered on heaving a sigh of relief when we arrived at our destination this evening.
Anyone reading this blog has come to know that for us the travel is a lot about the sights, the history, the culture, the food and also a lot about the people we meet along the way. In the end that is always what it is all about isn't it? Today we stumbled on a lovely country inn on the road on the way to the cliffs. Truth is it looked enticing, had a restaurant and I needed a bathroom so we turned in. Oh my goodness, we just wanted to unpack the car and stay there! It was outside the town of Ballyvaughan and sat alone on a beautiful slope overlooking the valley and ultimately the sea on a clear day. It was like being in a rain forest or a tropical spot of some sort with all of the flowers and lush greens. We wandered in and the inside was as lovely and charming as it appeared on the outside. Of course it was almost lunch time on a Sunday so very quiet but we went into their little sitting room/bar and ordered Tea & Scones while I hit the restroom. Well, this developed into about an hour unplanned stay! I began visiting with the Inn Keeper and John with a couple who were guests just enjoying relaxing in the sitting room. They asked to join them and we had the best visit with Pat and Fiona. Oh my gosh it was just a delight! We suspect we will not be back here but for anyone reading this who may be, consider going to Gregan's Castle Hotel. You will not be disappointed. Actually, I wonder if I could get a job going around and checking these places out for others? Hmmm.
So on the road again we enjoyed the drive getting to the Cliffs but as I mentioned it was so cold and blustery and quite a walk from the parking we opted not climb up. We would have enjoyed the climb just not the winds especially when we knew the visibility was not good.
As we continued on towards our destination we couldn't help but remark on the number of B & B's we passed. They come in every size and color and good/bad. It was amazing really. We also found a scene along the cliffs that really tickled us. In this area they have what they call Pitch and Putts, some being a full 18 hole course and all holes being about 75-80 yards long. As we came through the cliffs area with the wind blowing like crazy, very cool and occasional rain there was all kinds of hardy folks on these courses. At first we just assumed it was kids but not so, we saw many very mature or even gray guys out there, some with ski hats! Me, not a golfer just thought 'brrr', but John was trying to figure out how they could hit the ball even remotely straight in the wind that we had. I guess you had to be there but it really was quite astounding.
After a short pit stop for dinner along the way we arrived in Killarney. I just love that name! We had reservations but it took some time to find the hotel in the multiple block 'Towne Center' which was the address we had. Our new and trusty (?) Tom Tom had no clue so we drove up one side and down the other looking. Finally, I saw a cute red haired young man (I'm a little prejudice) about to cross the street and rolling my window down asked if he could help. He stressed a bit to explain, and in fact had a stutter so it was difficult, but he helped us get in the right direction. As we drove away with great "Thanks", he called out "Yah and God Bless!" Oh my gosh....it really IS all about the people! We did get in almost the right spot but had to ask someone along the way one more time for that final push. Never a hesitation or irritation with these wonderful Irish people. Amazing!
We arrived at our hotel The Ross Hotel, and once again it is ultra modern decor, but not the crazy in your face style of The 'G' in Galway. And the setting this time is right in the heart of the village where everything is 'happening'. Funny though....in Galway our view looked out at Woodies and now we look down at the little cemetary by the church here in the village Just kinda made me chuckle....Woodies or the cemetery?
Our goal in this area was to travel the famous Ring of Kerry. We had started to hear from the local people and those in the industry that this area is so over traveled with tourist buses that it is very difficult. It is really beautiful but they all seemed to want to warn us of this challenge. When we got here this evening I was visiting with our front desk/Concierge and she went over two other options here for us, one we were aware of and another that was new. She didn't try to influence us but rather inform us. She also mentioned the option of a driver for the day because the roads are very narrow and can be harrowing. I gathered all the information and reported it to 'my' driver. I think the only decision we had to make was which spot we would see because the idea of a driver to let him relax and enjoy the scenery was a wonderful idea to John.
And so, after looking at pictures and weighing all the variables as best we could we decided on the Dingle Peninsula which is a bit north and of course west of Killarney. This area also came with a big reputation and will be traveled but less so than Ring of Kerry. And so we called down to the sweet girl that was helping us and she arranged for our driver, who she said will be very entertaining, and we will be picked up at 10:00 tomorrow morning right after breakfast.
And so we sign off this evening with excitement and a predication of sun tomorrow as we listen to rabble rousing and singing from the Pubs down the street.
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