Vow Renewals & The Cliffs of Moher

We left Killarney very early in the morning in order to make it to Galway and the St. Nicholas Collegiate Church that was to be the site of the Vow Renewal.  We got there in plenty of time,  but we're unaware that there was a market on Saturdays around the church.

The ceremony was very sweet, and I must say that it was surreal to watch them say their vows to each other again 46 years later.  Considering how their first ceremony went,  this was a little more official, at least as far as the church is concerned.  My folks have, as far as I have ever witnessed, always been devoted to each other.  Theirs is the best example of a solid marriage I can think of. 

Afterwards we walked around Galway, checking out the crowds that were there for the weekend market.  We left and headed to Doolin to check out the Cliffs of Moher. Doolin is a small but interesting little town that has a lot of great live music at night. The cliffs are amazing,  but I suggest taking a short one hour cruise to see them from the bottom. The waters can get choppy, and one passenger lost his lunch, but the view was amazing.  Puffins galore, and great views.

We ate dinner at McDermott's in Doolin, watched a little of a rugby match,  and called it a day, crashing in a local B&B.  Tomorrow is somewhat of a free day, but the dinner is going to be a medieval affair.

The Ring of Kerry

The Ring of Kerry is a circuitious drive around southwest Ireland that takes you to some of the more interesting parts of Ireland,  along with quaint towns and neighborhoods.

Most tours and tour guides have you going counter clockwise,  but in order to avoid the crazy tourist schedule and huge tour buses,  we competed the route clockwise,  and it made a huge difference.

We saw a series of three stone forts (not all together in the same place), the Kerry cliffs, some amazing views of the coast, the Skellig chocolate factory (no oompah loompahs), and lots more.  The one thing we did not get to do because we were unaware of the schedule,  was visit the Skelligs.  I hear they are incredible.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skellig_Islands

The drive was long overall,  and the roads were so narrow that when we passed some vehicles,  we'd be so cramped that I'd be picking shrub leaves and twigs out of my hair afterwards.  Very stressful.

The Stone Forts were awesome, with great views of the surrounding countryside.  Those dudes back in the day moved a bunch of rocks.  Which reminds me, one thing that Ireland has in great abundance is rocks.  Lots and lots of rocks. Whole mountains strewn with rocks. If you had the manpower, there would be no issue building a castle from the rocks just laying about in your front yard.

The Cliffs of Kerry were amazing if not a little scary.  In case anyone doesn't know, neither my dad nor me are good with heights.

Crazy moment of the day:  We also almost got stampeded by cows.  I've got video,  but I'll post a still shot as an example.

Early to bed tonight for an early start to get to the Vow Renewal site.  More tomorrow.

Some Scenes around Killarney

I'm taking hundreds of photos each day,  and there is no way to put them all up here until I get home.  The wifi is not terribly strong, and the day goes so quickly that it's all I can do to remember to blog.

Anyway,  here are some of today's photos of some scenes around Killarney.

Killarney and Muckross House

We ate a quick breakfast today after sleeping in and headed into Killarney proper to meet our carriage driver Michael and his horse Jimmy for our ride around Killarney and in the 27,000 acre national park near Castle Ross.  Jimmy was cool and Michael was funny and quick with the usual tourist jokes, but very friendly.

We went briefly through Killarney before entering the park, spending most of our time taking in the natural sights.  "Jaunting Carriages" as they are called over here, is a huge business because of the tourism, and Michael has been doing it for 20 years, although my initial guess at his age was about 35.

The park was incredible.  So far, everything around Killarney seems to fit what my initial image of Ireland was like: peaceful,  green, blue skies.  There are a number of deer, foxes, badgers, cattle, and other animals that roam around the park. The oak trees are protected.  And if any trees fall in the park, they are allowed to remain where they fall to return to nature.  The only thing that would change would be if any tree lay across a path, road or fence, in which case it is cut up and moved aside, but even the cut bits remain nearby the original tree to decay along with the rest.  Or as Mom quite quaintly put it, "dissolve into the earth."  :)

Michael dropped us off briefly at Castle Ross, a small castle ruin (thanks to Cromwell back in the 1600's) in the park. In fact, quite a few of the ruins around Ireland are thanks to Cromwell and his army.  Personally, I did not like Castle Ross at all.  It looks cool from afar, but up close it seemed as if it were restored just for the tourist trade.  And by that I mean it seemed like the Branson, Missouri of the castles.  Showy, lots of carriages, boats, buses and tourists about, a lot of them elderly.  It definitely felt Americanized.  I took a few pictures, but not many.

Since the next few days were fairly open, Michael was able to suggest a few other things to visit that weren't as touristy, but still had appeal for those looking to discover more of Ireland.  Muckross House was nearby, as was its abbey and gardens.  He also mentioned the Ring of Kerry,  a circuitious day trip by car to visit many sites in the immediate area.  Reminiscent of the Blue Ridge if I had to guess.

We returned to Killarney proper and got food at Hannigan's at Michael's suggestion.  The food was good, the service sucked, a first for us here.  Even though they suggest in many travel guides that tipping is not expected or necessary,  this was the first time that we left absolutely nothing.

We headed to Muckross House, and decided the first visit would be to the abbey on the grounds.  It was awesome.   The was an attached graveyard with all sorts of stones, crypts, mounds, crosses and whatnot.  The abbey itself was impressive, and inside the center of the abbey surrounded in an inner plot was a very large and old Yew tree.  There were lots of nooks and crannies to explore, no artificial lights, and only enough restoration to make it safe.  No tour guide, no tour markers, no brochures,  no bathrooms, just an ancient abbey, a half - neglected graveyard,  and that was it.  I much preferred that as I could roam about at my leisure with no time table.   I took a lot of photos.

In addition,  as we walked around the grounds of the estate of the house, I took many more photos of the trees and surrounding landscape.  The house and its estate lay across the lake from where our hotel was, so it was fairly close.  Another good reason to stay at The Lake Hotel if you visit Killarney.  Great sites literally within minutes.

The house and immediate grounds were also impressive, and reminded us immediately of the Biltmore House, although Muckross is slightly older but smaller.  Queen Victoria visited the house in the late 1800's, but eventually the house proved too expensive and was foreclosed in 1898.  After being purchased and gifted a few more times, it was donated to Ireland in 1932, becoming Ireland's first national park.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muckross_House

We decided to call it a day, and returned to the hotel to rest early and prepare for The Ring of Kerry, a day trip around the area by car.

Funny moment:  Michael had a few funny but cheesy jokes to share.  Keep in mind that Michael's accent was very Irish.

"Didja know that in marriage there are three rings: the engagement ring, the wedding ring, and the suffer-ring!"

"The other day I accidentally ran over a Leprechaun. I got off the carriage to check it out, and I see him on the ground, butt in the air.  And do you know what I saw? 'Made in Taiwan!' "

"John Wayne made part of the film here called The Quiet Man.  They were going to film a sequel called The Quiet Woman, but they couldn't find one!"

Castles, Cathedrals, Crystals, Cashel, and Lakes Pt 2

Despite the repetitive title,  the second part of today's blog is just about our hotel, simply called The Lake Hotel in Killarney. This is the first hotel in ages, or resort for that matter, that for me has exuded such a vibe of "relax".  The hotel is at least 100 years old if not older, and is very sumptuous without being overly opulent.  You remember the hotel from the movie The Shining?  Like that only not creepy and murderous.

Wood appointments everywhere.  An in-room jacuzzi,  a room view of the lake and on-site ruins, a 4-post bed, etc. We're spending three nights here, and for good reason.

The lake is breathtaking.  My first immediate thought was how appropriate a site it would be for artists to paint and sketch the scenery.  Sunset was inspiring as well.  Honestly, I cant say enough about where we are now.  Easily the most beautiful place I've been here.

Time for jacuzzi, then bed.  Tomorrow we visit another castle riding a horse and carriage.