Killarney & Dingle Peninsula, Ireland (Day 8)

On the eighth day of our trip, our tour took us out to the Dingle Peninsula.  We stopped at a few stores along the way.  The first one was just outside of Killarney at the entrance to the Gap of Dunloe called Moriarty's.  I bought a couple of instruments for my niece and nephew while there and my sister found a few gifts as well.  The next stop was at a jewelry store called Brian de Staic.  The store specializes in engraving jewelry with words written in Ogham, an early medieval alphabet used to write the Irish language.  We had seen some ancient stones with Ogham letters etched into them on the way to the store on the side of the road.

Stones with Ogham letters

After looking at the jewelry store, we stopped in Dingle for a couple of hours to shop and eat lunch.  I found a gift in a wool shop and Lisa found a few more gifts, then we had a quick lunch before getting back on the bus to continue the scenic drive.

Scenery of the Dingle Peninsula

Scenery of the Dingle Peninsula

Scenery of the Dingle Peninsula

Mom and dad 

When we arrived back in Killarney, we were dropped off at Kenmare Place to go on a jaunting car (carriage) ride through Killarney National Park.  The park is one of the largest areas of natural woodland in Ireland and spans over 26,000 acres.

Our jaunt car driver telling us about the park

Killarney National Park 

Killarney National Park

Killarney National Park

We really enjoyed our hilarious driver, he was quite the character.  Every time we passed someone in the park, he'd greet them with a loud, "Aaaahhhhhh-lowww!"

Ross Castle in the distance, a 15th century tower house

My family with our jaunt driver

After the ride we explored the shops of High Street before having dinner at a place that served fish and chips.  When we were done with that, we headed back to our rooms at the nearby Killarney Towers Hotel.

High Street

Killarney Towers Hotel

Itinerary: "Set off this morning to follow what is perhaps Ireland’s most majestic coastal route – the stunning Dingle Peninsula. Stop at the Gap of Dunloe where you can shop for traditional Irish goods handcrafted by local artisans. Travel to the town of Dingle and then drive the beautiful Slea Head road, where some of the country’s most spectacular landscapes are found."

Blarney & Killarney, Ireland (Day 7)

On Friday morning (Ella's birthday), we packed up and loaded onto the tour bus out of Dublin.  We stopped on the side of the road for a few minutes at one point to take pictures of the Rock of Cashel,

Rock of Cashel

Outside of Blarney Castle

A few minutes later made a 20-minute scone and cappuccino stop, then we continued until we reached Blarney Castle, where we had a couple of hours to explored.  All five of us ended up making the twisting climb up to the top so Ella, Lisa and I could attempt to kiss the Blarney Stone.  I had NO IDEA that you had to lay down on your back and scoot into a sort of hole at the top of the castle and bend backwards to kiss this stone!  Yikes!  Ella ended up being too little for it so she blew a kiss.

Outside of Blarney Castle

Blarney Castle

Ella on her way to kiss the stone

Me kissing the stone

The line to kiss the stone

My parents at the top of Blarney Castle

After kissing the stone, we all made the trek back down and took a few minutes to check out the Poison Garden before going back to where we were dropped off to grab lunch, do a quick gift shop look and get back on the bus.

Mom, dad and me in front of Blarney Castle

Marijuana in the Poison Garden at Blarney

That evening we arrived in Killarney.  I wandered around the town a little bit and bought a couple of little birthday gifts for Ella before heading back to meet everyone for dinner.

Ella's little birthday celebration during dinner

Itinerary: "Begin your day with a brief stop in the town of Cashel for views of the historic Rock of Cashel, the reputed location where St. Patrick preached and converted the King of Munster. Next, journey to historic Blarney Castle where you have the opportunity to kiss the famous Blarney Stone. Legend has it that those who kiss the stone are bestowed with the gift of eloquence. You will also have time to shop at the famous Blarney Woollen Mills, the world’s largest Irish gift store. End your day in charming Killarney."

Dublin, Ireland (Day 6)

On Thursday we started off the day with 7:30 am breakfast at the hotel and then met our guide for the week, Kim, and coach driver Damien.  At 8:30 everyone loaded onto the bus for our tour of Dublin.  On the tour, we learned that Maldron Hotel where we were staying was in the modern part of the city, which explained why everything looked so new on our cab ride in.

46 Fitzwilliam Square

During our ride around town on the bus, Sally told us that one of the fashions many years ago had called for ladies to wear makeup on their faces that was a combination of wax, lead and a touch of arsenic!  She explained that if we visited museums, we might see the screen they had to sit behind while by the fire, a rectangular one at the top of a pole to block their face so it wouldn't melt.  She said the next fad to follow had them wearing mouse fur as false eyebrows... yuck!

As we drove around the city our guide for that morning's tour, Sally, told us that the national emblem of Ireland is the harp, and that the Samuel Beckett Bridge, directly across from our hotel was meant to look like a harp.  We drove along the River Liffey and crossed over the Rosie Hacket Bridge, the only one named after a woman in the city.  Damien drove us by several notable buildings and landmarks including the Custom House, Spire of Dublin on O'Connell Street.  We also went down Grafton Street and saw where the statue of Molly Malone usually stands, but it had been relocated for construction on the train lines.  Sally had Damien stop for a few minutes at an area with lots of doors so we could take picture of one in particular, at 46 Fitzwilliam Square, the most photographed door in Dublin.

From there we went onto Saint Patrick's where Sally led us on a tour through the cathedral.

The floor of St. Patrick's Cathedral

Inside of St. Patrick's Cathedral

Stained glass in St. Patrick's Cathedral

St. Patrick's Cathedral

Once we finished at Saint Patrick's, we were taken to Guinness Storehouse where we were led through, learning how the beer is made and the history of the company.  I really loved the way they presented the first part of the museum that showed and explained each of the ingredients required for the brewing.

Our tour guide at Guinness

Guinness Lisa and I poured

After our tour, Lisa and I used our free beer tickets (comes with admission) to go to "Guinness Academy," where we learned to pour the perfect pint.  Interesting!  I'd seen bartenders pour beer with the cup angled before but never really understood why.  After that the whole family headed up to the top floor to their beautiful Gravity Bar that offers a 360 degree view of Dublin, then we grabbed some lunch.

My sister and me

The view from Gravity Bar

They also had a floor for the company's advertising history, but it only opened a little bit before we had to get on the bus back to the hotel so we didn't get much time to see it.

When we got back to the hotel, we took naps for a while and then I ended up going out to wander up and down the river in the rain.  Burrr it was cold.  But it was the only chance to get to see more of Dublin before leaving the next morning.  I walked up and down the water and saw "Famine," Jeanie Johnston which was a replica of a ship that made 16 journeys to North America carrying 2,500 people with no casualties, and "The Linesman."

"Famine" memorial in Dublin

The Jeanie Johnston replica 

"The Linesman"

At 5:30 we loaded back onto the bus for our "Taste of Ireland" dinner at O'Connells at Donnybrook.  The first course there was a sampling of a ton of different Irish foods, then I had Hake for my main course and an apple tart for dessert.  Yum!  The owner was so sweet, at the very end he brought out a decorated plate and dessert for Ella's doll she's carried everywhere, Abigail.

O'Connells at Donnybrook

Our "Taste of Ireland" menu

All of us with the owner of O'Connell's

When we got back from dinner, I grabbed my tripod (brought it all this way, figured I might as well use it) and headed out to take pictures.  While I was taking pictures of the Samuel Beckett Bridge, a guy stopped and asked if I could take his picture.  We ended up talking for probably 30 minutes and walking around taking a few more pictures; he was a junior in college, originally from New Jersey but visiting Dublin after a job training in London.  After a few minutes longer of pictures after we parted ways, I headed back to the hotel.

Me with the Samuel Beckett Bridge in the background

Jeanie Johnston

Itinerary: "Today, enjoy a sightseeing tour of Dublin, the “Fair City.” Take in O’Connell Street, Grafton Street, Phoenix Park and the city's magnificent rows of stately Georgian town homes. Visit St. Patrick’s Cathedral, which dates back to the 13th century. Your tour concludes at the Guinness Storehouse where you will learn about the brewing process that creates this beloved beverage. This is your chance to discover the training and technique needed to pour the perfect pint and to enjoy one! The remainder of the day is at leisure to relax in one of the world’s most vibrant cities. Take advantage of the opportunity to explore the cultural offerings of delightful Dublin on your own."

Conwy, Wales and Dublin, Ireland (Day 4 & 5)

Tuesday morning we walked to Chester Railway Station and caught a train to Llandudno Junction in Wales, close to Conwy.  It was a beautiful hour-long train ride through the greenest land I've seen and for a good portion of it, it was that land on one side, and the ocean on the other.  Gorgeous.  We were all fascinated to see a huge wind farm 4-5 miles out in the water.. that was a first.  It was the North Hoyle offshore wind farm, the UK's first major offshore wind farm, built in 2003.  It consists of 30 wind turbines that provide enough electricity for 40,000 homes each year!

Along with the beautiful green grass and ocean views, we also saw soo many sheep!  They were all over the place.  There was also this huge old ship covered in graffiti that we passed but unfortunately couldn't catch a photo of it.

Graffiti in the tunnel

When we arrived at the Llandudno Junction station and walked out, we saw an antique store so we went in for a few minutes.  After finishing browsing, we continued on to a tunnel that took us under the road.  The tunnel was COVERED in graffiti art.  I was searching for "Conwy" to take a picture, but ended up finding "Lauren" instead!  We also found a painting of the castle and all took pictures with that before we continued on.

We couldn't have asked for a better day.  We had planned to go the day before but it was stormy, and the day we traded for was beautiful and sunny... perfect!  We took a bunch of pictures of the castle from afar, an arch and the rising tide before walking across.

All of us across the water from Conwy Castle

When we got across, we immediately went into the first gift store we saw, across the street from the castle, The Knight Shop.  We ended up spending so long in that store that dad wandered off and started texting asking if anyone wanted to see the castle!  Whoops.  Unfortunately, even though it was in the town of Conwy, it didn't have anything for that family name!  Ugh.  After probably 30 or more minutes there, we went over to the castle entrance where we met dad.

We spent the next two hours or so wandering around Conwy Castle.  We were all so happy to get to see it since my mom has wanted to go for so long.  We climbed Prison Tower and then walked around the castle walls, then went down to the bottom and explored there as well.  At one point we stopped for a snack break to find that our crackers weren't good.. so dad and Ella had a good time getting rid of the crackers, sharing them with birds.

Conwy Castle

Inside of Conwy Castle

Dad and Ella feeding the birds

From there Lisa, Ella, mom and I went up into Chapel Tower and saw some stained glass windows that were put in a few years ago.  Once we were done there, we all headed back down and out to the castle's giftshop where I bought an etched Conwy Castle regular and shot glass, and Lisa and mom bought several other Conwy items.  Then we had to go back to The Knight Shop across the street to pick up the merchandise we had bought there: I'd gotten namesake socks and keychains for several people, plus a bottle of Conwy Mead and Conwy Mead Whiskey (the only things with "Conwy" in that store other than some little stones that had it engraved which my mom bought!).

Conwy mead and mead whiskey

When we finished up there, dad said we needed to head back to the station so we didn't miss our train back to Chester.  A couple of locals helped tell us which bus to get on and where we could eat dinner: Old Station Hotel.  After fish and chips for a couple of us and other dishes for everyone else, we caught our train back.  After walking back to the B&B in Chester, mom, Lisa and I shared my bottle of mead so I didn't have to carry the full thing back.

Ella with her dessert

Th next morning, we had our last wonderful breakfast at Stone Villa and then got all of our bags out to take a taxi back to Chester Train Station.  We got to the station a little early, so we had some time to wander.  I went off on my own to look around and see if I could find travel bottles for my sister who had a couple of bottles that were leaking.  After venturing into a convenience store and thrift store, I finally found them in a grocery store, then walked quickly back to the station.

In front of Stone Villa

Right before we went to the platform to catch the train, my sister realized she still had the keys to our room at the B&B.. Whoops!  Thankfully I had a few pence and the business card with their number and there was a payphone nearby, so I called them and they were able to come before our train.. though when I met everyone at the platform, the train was already there!  We rode on the train back through the Llandudno Junction station to the end of the line in Holyhead where we caught a three-hour ferry to Dublin and thankfully were able to check our six bags.. wohoo!

A few minutes into sitting on the (huge) ferry, I saw a family walk by that immediately reminded me of all the gypsies I'd seen and been warned about during my study abroad.  Probably 40 minutes after that, my dad walked up from exploring the ferry and said, "This nice boy bumped into me then asked if I could buy him lunch."  Of course, the "nice boy" was part of that group, I knew immediately.  Thankfully dad still had his wallet.

The view from the ferry

A couple of shared pizzas and several hours later, we arrived in Dublin.  On our way off the ship, Ella was able to get a second stamp on the passport Ella had made for her American Girl Doll.  When we went outside we had to wait for a long time for a taxi, only for everyone who was waiting in line to find out that we had to call the taxi companies to tell them cars were needed!  It took a long time to get one, and we arrived at the hotel an hour or more after we were supposed to be there for dinner with our tour group.  Thankfully we didn't miss dinner though, it was one of my favorites of the trip.

Menu for our first dinner in Ireland