Ireland

Today we bid farewell to sunny Ireland, after an excellent two week stay.
Overall impression: Generally, the people we encountered were exceedingly polite and gracious, and quick to be of assistance. The countryside was beautiful, and we were struck by how attractive and well-maintained all the homes were in this area. The Killarney area was ideal for a family visit to Ireland, with plenty of kid-friendly activities, and wonderful parks and trails for everyone to explore.
As we travel, we will try to capture our favorite aspects of each location we visit, along with the costs of our stay (for those who are interested in such things). So here we go:

Favorite Food:
A: brown Irish soda bread, toasted and spread with Nutella
B: Irish beef stew
C: fish and chips, and cloudy apple juice
D: fish and chips, and kinder surprises (hollow chocolate egg with a toy inside…probably not Irish, but he sought them out in every store)

Favorite Activities:
A: biking around Killarney National Park
B: biking
C: Kennedy’s Pet Farm, and the Aquadome in Tralee
D: biking and the Aquadome

Least Favorite Thing:
A: sitting in the front passenger seat on the left hand side, going down narrow country roads that were the width of a single car lane in the U.S., having close encounters with any car, bike, or pedestrian we passed.
B: driving. He did pretty well, all things considered. We quickly learned to pull in the left side rear view mirror when the roads narrowed!
C: having to push a button to heat water 10-15 minutes before you could shower (one of many energy saving devices in the home, coolest of which was each outlet had its own on/off switch, eliminating energy drain from plugged in but unused appliances/electrical devices)
D: not having wifi at the rental house (he wanted some new apps)

Expenses: I’m using Trail Wallet, an easy to use iphone app, to track expenses on the trip. It was developed by an interesting couple who engage in full time world travel. Www.Neverendingvoyage.com.

Our expenses for the 2 week visit:

Food and Drink: $650
Transport (doesn’t include flight cost to get here): $725 (rental car, fuel, pony ride)
Entertainment: $335
Lodging (Kissanes Cottage, Beaufort, County Kerry): $1495
Miscellaneous (clothes and other necessities): $117

Currency used in Ireland: the euro, with 1 euro equalling approximately $1.30

We are settling in to our new apartment in the old town section of Edinburgh. A tex mex place around the corner caught our eye on the taxi ride here, so we went there for dinner. Not quite as good as the taqueria in Monclair back in Oakland, but pretty good.

Here are a few pictures from our last full day in Ireland, when we took a ride through the Gap of Dunloe, and finally heard a bit of traditional Irish music when we dined at Kate Kearney’s Cottage for dinner.

At least that is what Daniel proclaimed yesterday, as we set off on bicycles down a tree-lined trail in the Killarney National Park. We all agreed it was a pretty awesome day. Daniel was on a tagalong bike behind Bill, so the only thing slowing us down was the occasional horse-drawn trap that we needed to maneuver around on the path. We picnicked by a castle, and ate popsicles and ice cream to keep up our strength. The weather has been quite unusual for Ireland…sunny and hot, with temps in the 80’s the last couple of days. What a change from our first week, which was the more typical cool, occasionally cloudy and rainy weather one expects here.
Our days have been filled with fun activities. I think the highlight for Caroline was the petting farm that featured puppies, baby rabbits, kittens, and other assorted animals that you could pick up or feed. Bill and I enjoyed the beautiful drive along a section of the Ring of Kerry that passed through the mountains to the quaint town of Kenmare. However, the close encounters with large tour buses on the narrow winding roadways and the carsickness experienced in the back seat convinced us that we don’t need to drive the entire ring. Or take any other long drives, for that matter.
A poorly tossed frisbee that landed in the neighbor’s hedge provided an opportunity to meet the friendly family next door. Daniel and the 3 year old daughter hit it off immediately, and Caroline and the 6 year old daughter enjoyed chasing the young ones in circles around the house. The family lives in Cork during the week, but escape to the country each weekend and holiday, where the girls have more room to roam and play. I appreciated the opportunity to chat with the parents and get suggestions on things to do in the area.
Our time in Ireland is coming to an end; Saturday we head to Edinburgh, Scotland. We’ve enjoyed our time in the country, but are looking forward to public transportation and all the other advantages of living in the city!

Lovin’ the Subway Sandwich

Ladies’ View, Killarney

Innisfallen Abbey

Loved the puppies

Feeding the sheep

Ross Castle, Killarney

Greetings from sunny Ireland! We arrived at Shannon, Ireland on Sunday morning, and then drove a few hours to the house we are renting in County Kerry, near Killarney and the Gap of Dunloe. The drive was a bit hairy, especially when we had to pass through small villages with narrow car-lined streets. Bill is driving…my previous attempt at driving on the left side, some 26 years ago in Sydney, Australia, ended when I ran into a truck, totaling the car. So I’m doing my best to navigate.
Our rental house (spacious 4 bed, 4 bath for around $700 a week!) is in the country…out back is a sloping field leading up to a range of mountains (big hills). It’s quite peaceful. We’ve been exploring the local area, and enjoying the playgrounds we’ve found in the towns. We’ll be here for two weeks, so we aren’t pushing ourselves too hard. The kids are enjoying the BBC and Irish kid channels on the television. They are going through wi-fi withdrawal (which is a good thing). I have limited connectivity on my phone, so we aren’t completely cut off!
We celebrated the 4th of July with a pony ride in the Gap of Dunloe (a beautiful pass through the hills near Killarney), and burgers and fries at an American-styled diner called Eddie Rockets. The weather started out cool and rainy when we arrived, but it’s sunny now, and should be in the mid 70’s next week.
Well, off to tend to my child with a stomach bug…thought we’d avoid such things in Europe, but I guess it can happen anywhere!

Kissane’s Cottage, our home for two weeks

Gap of Dunloe via pony

Not a bad way to spend the 4th of July

Fields behind our rental; not a bad view