Now I know why I came to Ireland. The Ring of Kerry was beyond amazing. We had a rare perfect, blue sky day to travel. The guide said he hadn’t seen such a perfect day for the Ring of Kerry for a long time. We did drive through some rain at some point but not when we were off the bus and the rain never lasted very long.
The view was incredible and you could see for miles. The temperature was perfect and it wasn’t windy today. You can’t ask for a better day in Ireland.
We stopped several times at scenic places for photo shoots. Each view kept getting better and better. We were actually able to be seaside at one stop and hear and watch the waves crash on the shore.
We stopped for lunch at a delightful restaurant that was well run and had a wonderful view of the ocean. I had Shepherd’s Pie that was delicious.
We stopped at a sheep farm on the way back to our hotel. They demonstrated the skill of a dog and it’s master herding about ten sheep around a pasture. We then watched a guy shear a sheep. I didn’t watch the sheep much because the guy was delicious eye candy. He had the most attractive eyes. Alas, he was way too young for me but he was fun to watch and adore.
The road we traveled on today was narrow and winding. There were times when the bus had to back up to let someone pass it. We had a very skilled driver that never seem to get rattled. I appreciate the skill he has driving our big bus on these narrow roads.
I got the front row on the bus today. It was a glorious day to have gotten a front row seat. About halfway through a lady from the back of the bus joined me. She was sitting behind someone that had too much perfume on and she had a headache from it. I happened to hear her talking about it and invited her to sit next to me. It was nice to have someone to converse with today.
It is mid-afternoon and we have a free evening tonight. Not sure what I will do. I will need to find a bite to eat at some point but may order room service. I have to stay dressed as I have to go down to the lobby to get my laundry around 7:00. I would be tempted to take my bath now and just chill in my room for the evening. Guess I will do that after 7:00.
Tomorrow we leave at 8:00 for Blarney Stone. We will have lunch and get to spend a couple hours there, Afterwards we go to Waterford Crystal Museum and will spend the night in Waterford. Somewhere along the line we get to go to a Woolen Goods Store that is supposed to have the best prices in Ireland on woolen goods. I could skip the crystal factory and spend my time at the woolen goods store. Saturday we go back to Dublin where I will spend three nights before I head home Tuesday. Sunday and Monday are both free days so I will have time to see some sites in Dublin if I decide to. I will have lots of time to do some shopping if I can’t find what I want at the woolen goods store.
The scenery today more than met my expectations of what Ireland would look like. It was magnificent.
When I started thinking about coming to Ireland last January I had first looked at a walking tour around the Ring of Kerry. Unfortunately you have to book those about two years in advance to get prime spots to stay. When I looked there was going to be days where I would have had to walk up to 20 miles a day as that was the only openings available for overnight accommodations. I chickened out and did the group tour thing instead. The price of the walking tour was higher than the tour I am on and I wouldn’t have been able to see England and Scotland.
Part of me regrets that I changed my mind. I sure could have spent eight days in this area. However, with all the rainy weather they have had the last week or so it is probably a good thing I didn’t attempt to walk it. The trail is considered moderate to high-challenging and I wasn’t in good enough shape to manage that. Maybe another time and year I will come back and walk it.
So very grateful for the beauty that I saw today, grateful for the company of a fellow passenger on the bus today, and grateful for another day of safe travels.