Down for the night in Dingle November 18, 2006

Hi again,  I want to start out by saying I can’t believe all of the people who are reading the page.  I really thought I’d be writing to myself! So when we last posted we were in Cahersiveen, halfway through the Ring of Kerry.   Let me first tell you about our adventures at our hotel in Cahersiveen.  For this trip we had planned on staying in B&B’s every night except for that one night.  For one thing, B&B’s are WAY cheaper in Ireland, unlike in the USA.  For two, they come with breakfast.  It’s a great moneysaver since we’re trying to stick to Rachel Ray’s $40 per day plan (tricky in Ireland and in Euro).  So anyway, we looked up the hotel on the internet and it looked very up to date, beautiful, fancy, and it was right where we planned on stopping for the night.  Let me first say, whoever did their website should win an award for advertising.  They found some good corners for the pictures because we didn’t recognize the place when we arrived.  Everything seemed ok when we got to the room to check it out.  But I knew we were in trouble when Chris pulled the door closed and the doorknob came completely off.  The halls also smelled of something like fried grease and … I don’t know, something.  But with the door closed, the smell muted some.  The next morning I got up first to take my shower only to find that the shower knob was stuck on scalding hot.  I made Chris get up but he couldn’t fix it either.  So I figured ok, I’ll have to take a bath then.  No can do!  I started filling the tub with water and had to drain it fast because the water was yellow.   gross!!  So that morning my hair got washed under the faucet and I tried hard not to fill the sink with water in case I would notice that it wasn’t clear.    We packed up and got out of there as soon as we could.  We left Cahersiveen and started towards Valentia Island.  The weather was freezing yesterday!  In fact, not only did it snow overnight, it sleeted and then snowed in the afternoon.  I drove in it all, on the left side of the road, on the right side of the car, on a one lane road (that’s one lane for BOTH directions, not each!), at 100 km/hr.  If you notice a few more greys when I get home, this should explain why.   Anyway,  as we drove around Valentia Island we were able to see the Skelligs, which was one of the things we were most anticipating.  They are 2 very rocky islands right off the Iveragh Peninsula and next to Valentia.  Here are a couple pictures of us high up on a mountain of Valentia Island.

The next one is as close as we could get to the Skelligs but they still looked really cool.

The monks lived on them even though there is almost no vegetation and the weather was extremely harsh. They were attacked several times too but still managed to live out there in almost complete isolation. 

So we drove the rest of the Ring of Kerry with our next stopping point in Kenmare.  Karen and David, if you’re going to research moving to Ireland, this is the town we want to move to (so far…).  We stayed at Virginia’s Guesthouse which was a B&B that was over a fancy smancy restaurant.  I think this is my favorite B&B so far because it had so much character and our host was really nice, and a great cook!  We had porridge with whiskey cream for breakfast..it was yummy.  Anyway, here’s a last minute shot of Kenmare early this morning, right before we left town.

Before we left, we went to see this really cool “Druid Circle”.   It sits up on a mound and is a set of large stones in a big circle around a dolmen tomb. The dolmen is a really heavy (like in tons) rock that is balanced up on little rocks.  The whole thing can be dated back to the Bronze age with was 2000-1000 B.C.   Can you imagine?  

We drove out of town and back towards Killarney and finally left the Ring of Kerry.  We saw a lot of really interesting sites, but it was time to move onto the Dingle Peninsula.   Again, the landscape changed from beaches and sloping hills and water to cliffs and mountains, Mount Brandon to be exact. Mount Brandon sits right out toward the end of the peninsula and is the second highest in Ireland (first highest is another one we drove around in the Killarney National Park).  Here are some pictures of our adventures today.  Incidently, today the weather was much milder..cold but very tolerable.  Yesterday was bitterly cold.

It was a tough day having to look at scenery like this all day…just kidding! One of the first places we stopped was another fort that was created out on the edge of a cliff.  Chris really loves those forts and really gets into exploring them…literally.

They were able to radiocarbon date this fort back as far as 560 A.D.   It was so easy to imagine a family living inside with the walls surrounding them for protection.  There were little rooms built into the walls and walls on the inside where the little house must have stood.   What was even more amazing was that there was no mortar used to create the walls, it was just great engineering, and here they stand 1500 years later. 

Next we visited some beehive huts that within another fort.  They’re called that because of their shape.  After the huts we just continued along the scenic Slea Head drive which takes you out along the cliffs.

We stopped at this point at the same time another American couple stopped here.  They took this one. 

One of the last things we saw was Kilmalkedar Church.  The church dates back to the 12th century and along with the church was a large stone cross, a hole stone with an ancient alphabet carved into it (called an ogham stone) and an ancient sundial.  We were there late in the afternoon and you can see how awesome the light was as the sun was going down.  You can see the hole stone and the stone cross in front of the church.

After that we stopped at a place called Brandon’s Creek and then headed back to our B&B in Dingle.  And that’s where I’ll stop for tonight.  Again, I’m not sure how soon I’ll be able to post again but I will as soon as I can. 

Before I go, hello to Sissy, Kim, Betty, Andy, Robin, Christina, John, Victor, Freddy, Jo-Bob, and Suzy-Q.  Thanks so much for joining in and reading the page.  Hi to Chris’ parents, we can’t wait to talk to you when we get back.  Cathy, thanks for stopping in too.  We were sad to leave but no worries, we’ll visit again, we had a ball!  Karen, Kenmare is the place! 

A few fast facts…1)  Irish people make the BEST chips (that’s french fries in Irish!).  2) It can go from Sunny to rainy to sleeting to hail (painful when it hits you in the lip..I know from experience) and back again within an hour.  3) The X-Factor is almost as good as American Idol..but not quite.  Leona is going to win it.  4) In Ireland, there is one very small faucet for cold water on the right, and one very small faucet for hot water on the left.  Everyday I want to shout to the world…”ONE KNOB IN THE MIDDLE…WARM WATER!”

Night everyone!

Another quick one. November 17, 2006

Well it’s 8:20am here and Chris is in the shower so I thought I would squeeze in one more post before we leave Cahersiveen.  I’m not sure when we’ll get to another place that has internet so I’m taking advantage of it now.  

Today we’re planning on driving to a town called Portmagee where we’ll take the bridge over to Valentia Islands.   The is where you can go up to a lookout and see the skelligs. The skelligs are a set of islands where centuries ago a group of monks lived.   There are some monastic ruins at the top that you can see from Valentia.  You can go there by boat in the summer but it’s off season right now.   Speaking of off season, it has been snowing in Northern Ireland overnight!  We looked outside and one of the mountains out our room window now has snow on it!  No snow on the ground thankfully, it’s still green. 

After we leave Valentia we continue along the Ring of Kerry and go through Sneem (we’ve been there..it’s another we got lost story), Killarney again and on to our next stopping point of Kenmare.  We’re staying at “Virginia’s B&B” while in Kenmare and I’m hoping to be able to do some laundry.  Our clothes are holding out ok but we’re both down to our last 2 pairs of socks.  

Before I go, I’ll post a couple more pictures. 

Pink sheep in the Gap of Dunloe. 

Ross Castle..yep, we really took this picture.  

Ok, Chris is done so I need to finish getting ready.  We have to get an early start because it gets dark early. 

A few more hellos to Jodie and Susan.   Susan, I’m so glad you were able to find it!  Mom, glad you guys like the pictures.  I am dying to call but we don’t know how!  Anna, I’ll keep up the page as best I can.

Talk to you soon!

Castles and ruins and sheep, oh my! November 16, 2006

I know, I know..it’s been a few days.   It seems in Ireland, at least where we’ve been traveling, wireless internet is still a thing of the future.   Tonight we lucked out though.  We’re staying in a tiny town called Cahersiveen on the Iveragh Peninsula (Ring of Kerry) and they have complimentary internet here at the Ring of Kerry Hotel.  Hooray!  We have both really felt worlds away the last few days. In one sense, it’s a little nerve-wracking.  But on the other hand we have really been enjoying the time away.   Now, where to begin?  I guess I’ll just give a rundown of what we’ve been up to.

Monday we flew from Brussels to Dublin without a hitch.  Aer Lingus is a really nice airline with the most comfortable seats and a smooth as silk flight.  We grabbed our bags and went to the car hire (that’s Irish for car rental..I’m picking up the language well!) and got the keys to our car.  We were both nervous about driving but I think when we landed in Dublin it changed from nervous to gripped with fear.   We finally found our Ford Focus on the lot and were very happy to see that it had a trunk and it would fit all of our luggage!   Next came the big decision..who would drive.  The winner ended up being yours truely. We decided that I am the much calmer driver in general and Chris was really the planner of 95% of the itinerary and he would be better as navigator.   When we first pulled out of the parking lot at the airport I could feel my stomach in a tight knot and I don’t think I felt better until we finally reached our first destination of Kilkenny, a few hours away.  When you first start driving you have to fight the urge to drift to the left because you aren’t oriented to being on that side of the car.  Driving on the left side was easy to remember but it took me a good day or so to stop wanting to drift.  But, here I am 4 days in Ireland and I still hate making right turns.  They are just wrong no matter how many right turns I make.  Think about it…see!  It’s even hard to wrap your brain around just thinking about it.  Anyway, I’m getting better.  I have mastered roundabouts, parking (sort of), and driving on the left while sitting on the right.  Driving at 100 kilometers per hour down down a one lane road is another story.  Ok ok..enough of the driving.  I have lots to tell!

Monday we drove to Kilkenny and made 2 stops on the way.  The first, our very first historical stop, was to Moone High Cross.  We also stopped at some castle and abbey ruins along the road.  There are literally so many castle ruins you see them everywhere.  They are next to roads, next to homes, in the middle of fields, just everywhere.  And we can’t get enough of them.  We stayed overnight in Kilkenny at a small B&B called Hillgrove and saw Kilkenny Castle,  St. Canice Cathedral  and walked around the town.

We had dinner at the Irish fast food chain, Supermac, and then the next day we were off to Killarney.   On the way to Killarney we stopped at the Rock of Cashel.  One of our favorite stops, the Rock is a Castle that sits high above the town of Cashel and is being beautifully restored. 

Nearby the Rock of Cashel is are the ruins of an Abbey.  We walked down the hill for this picture.

See the Abbey there in the background?  This picture is a great representation of south western Ireland.  When we arrived in Killarney it was dark and somehow we managed to find our next B&B, Ross Castle Lodge.  Our room was very nice and we really enjoyed our hostess, Rosaleen.  She gave us some fantastic suggestions for what to see around town and I think we took most all of her advice.   Her house was literally 2 minutes down the road from Killarney National Park which is where we found Ross Castle.  We stayed overnight and spent the next day touring around Killarney and driving the Gap of Dunloe.  I wish I had time to type out the story of our trip through the Gap but I’ll save it for later.  This post is already getting super long.  About the Gap….it is safe to say it was THE scariest drive I have ever done in my life.  I’ll tell that story another time.   Also on this day we went hiking up to the Torc waterfall. 

It was rainy all day but in Ireland, you just don’t mind.  So that brings us up to today.  We left Killarney at about 9:30 and then went to see Ross Castle and Muckross Abbey.  Then we left Killarney all together and started our drive through the Ring of Kerry.  The landscape has now become more coastal but still maintains the green landscape, and sheep.  There are a lot of sheep in Ireland.  ALOT.   On our way here, we drove out to Rossbeigh to the beach. 

Next we continued our drive to see Cahergall Stone Fort and Leacanabuile Stone Fort.  They can be dated back to the 9th ot 10th century.  Chris really enjoyed seeing those and we have more planned for tomorrow.

Let me tell you..Chris has really become quite a good photographer during this trip. I love this next picture.

And so here we are, tucked away in our hotel for the night.   I didn’t post many castle pictures because I really want to save those for when I’m home and can show them properly. 

Speaking of home…Mom, give Lucy a hug for us. Hope you and Dad are doing well.   Anna, tell Jordan way to go and I can’t wait to see pictures of you in that costume.  Also, make sure you have the ads ready for me for Friday.  Joli, Linda, Pamela, and Helena, I hope everything is going ok at work.  Tell the nurses I hope they aren’t too busy and I’ll be back soon (but not too soon!).  Stephanie, give Logan a hug for me.  I’m so glad you all are reading this!  Please continue to leave comments to let me know you’ve been here. 

That’s it for now.  Hopefully I’ll be able to post again soon.  OH!  Before I go…a few fast facts. 1) There are a lot of sheep in Ireland…ALOT ALOT.  And some are painted pink. (no kidding!) 2. Irish people seem to eat a lot of meat (and lamb, go firgure).  And when they have their meat, it’s often wrapped in meat! Lamb wrapped in bacon, beef wrapped in bacon, pork wrapped in bacon.  And an Irish Breakfast has sausage links, sausage patties, bacon and eggs.  See….lots of meat.  OH, and brown bread which has fish in it…it’s wierd to eat with jelly.  3. My new favorite Irish food item is the chicken and stuffing sandwich.  I’ve had it twice. 

A couple more quick facts…there are only 5 regular TV channels here.  One always has soccer…er, em, football.  One always has some political talk on it with old men, and one seems to always have some crazy guy touring Australia but he speaks in gaelic Irish with English subtitles.  And the most popular show here right now is “I’m a Celebrity, get me out of here.”  It’s a bad bad bad reality TV show and what’s wierder, one of the celebrities on the show is David Gest, Liza Minelli’s ex-husband, and he’s American.  We’ve watched it every night!

Parlez-Vous Français? November 12, 2006

The answer to that question is a big fat no.  The day started with the four of us up and ready to go, bright and early, for our day in Paris.  We took a taxi to the train station and by 10:50 we were boarding the fast train from Brussels to Paris.  We bought 4 tickets which gave us 4 seats around a table for the ride but when we found our seats there were 2 men already sitting in them.  Jason was nice at first and politely said “Excuse me, you’re sitting in our seats.”  In accented English, one of the men responded with “we came all the way from Bonne.”  So Jason said, “well you’re in our seats”, and showed them our tickets.  Suddenly they started speaking in French and began gesturing for us to find other seats.  Well a hungry Cathy grabbed the tickets from Jason and laid the smackdown on our new German friends.  She grabbed the manager and showed him our tickets, who then made the STILL arguing men who had NO tickets and only a receipt, move to different seats.  Chris and I were standing back but when we walked by to sit down with Cathy and Jason we heard quite an animated conversation about “de Americans” that I’m pretty sure didn’t include the words “we love them” or “they are awesome”.

An hour later we arrived at the Gare du Nord where the train dropped us off.  We knew we would have to take the metro to where the tourist areas were, but with the signs in french, we were a little confused on how to find the right stop.  We couldn’t find anyone nearby who spoke English so we just looked on the map for anything that looked familiar.  We finally found the Louvre stop, paid our 1,40 euro and hopped on the subway.  We traveled a good 40 minutes before we finally got to our stop.  We headed out of the metro gate and I kept thinking, wow, I thought it would be much more like a city.  We quickly realized we had arrived at the Louvre…THE TOWN Louvre!  So back we went towards Paris and finally reached a downtown stop. 

We walked along the Seine to Notre-Dame cathedral, which was just amazing.  Actually, the whole city is amazing.  Once we found it, I loved every second we were there.  You can really spend a week there and never run out of interesting things to see.  We went inside Notre-Dame and again, it’s just beautiful.  We walked further down the river to the Louvre and saw the Mona Lisa and the Venus Du Milo to name a few things.  I even got an illegal photo of the Crown Jewels of one of the Louis’.  Next we walked to the Obelisk and fountains and walked along the Champs-Elysees.  We took pictures of the Arc de Triomphe and the Eiffel Tower.  We tried to walk all the way to the Eiffel Tower but it was getting late and we started having visions of sleeping in the train station so we got as close as we could and then jumped back on the metro to make the 20:55 train back to Brussels. We both loved Paris and wish we had more time to spend there.  But mostly we wish we had more time to spend with Cathy and Jason.  I also wish I had taken some French in high school!

Here are a couple of fun facts:  1. Europeans seem to love mayonnaise..a lot!  They don’t use ketsup on frites (french fries), they use mayonnaise.  2. French people seem to love butter..a lot!  We had a wonderful baguette with ham and cheese on the train home but I was a little startled when I realized it was ham, cheese, and butter.  But it was good!  Who doesn’t like butter?  3. There is such a thing as rotisserie chicken chips.  And they’re made by Lays!  And they taste just like rotisserie chicken. wierd.

We had a great time for this first part of our trip.  Tomorrow we fly to Dublin and are on our own in Ireland.  I think the last few days were a good crash course in getting around in Europe where people mostly spoke Dutch or French.  We’re now seasoned travelers who should have no problems in Ireland, right? 

Here are a few photos..

This is us in Brussels.

 And us in front of the Obelisk and Eiffel Tower.

 I’ll have lots more pictures to post later, but right now it’s time to sleep.  We have to get up early tomorrow.  Ireland here we come!