Bantry Bay Hotel

Well this morning we woke to heavy heads and grey skies. A quick brekkie and we were off on the bus once more. We drove along the Dingle peninsula for a while, which some breathtaking cliffs and scenery. At one stage we got off the bus to take some photos, and Mike closed the doors and drove a little way down the road - enforcing some fresh air and exercise! We also got the opportuinity to climb a rather large hill, covered in sheep ...

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Back onto the (new) bus - we picked up some new travellers today, some canadians, an indian and some hawiaan americans. Not too sure what they thought of us all at the start, but i'm pretty sure everyone has bonded now (karaoke is about to start in the pub next door, so everyone is well full!).

We then crossed the river Shannon from county clara into county kerry - which is just spectacular green rolling hills, along the ...

... coming through, and a rainbow. It is the wierdest weather. How do people live in this fulltime. Back home when it rains we all feel like it gives us a good excuse to lay in bed all day and be lazy...imagine the lives we would live if we were fulltime residents in Ireland.

This trip is going to be a huge test for us girls...thereis going to be some serious trials and tribulations that we're going to come across and it'll be ...

... our driver and Jesse our horse. She was a local lass hadn't been outside of Ireland and had been doing this job for about 15 years, we talked a bit about Australia and said she should come out and visit us!

I thought the roads to Killarney were rough but these were very tight and thin to start off with.. with the locals speeding around behind you I was forever pulling over to let them go past. Anyone that ...

... farm into a ruin with overgrown fields. It is in a prime location overlooking the bay and would be a lovely spot for a B&B.

We had another (expensive, but tasty) meal at the ferry restaurant – Angela very kindly shouted us all with a 100 euro note that she had been saving for a special occasion. She entertained the ladies with tales about the magnetic effects of her latest online acquisition too.

... seen all over Ireland, however, only several are as well preserved as this one. The fort was about 10 feet high, and I climbed up on the walls and had a great view of the ocean. The fort was also surrounded by sheep as it seemed to be on a private property. There were other tourists, but only a handful.
The place we did stop for lunch was called Sneem. It was also right on the water and had a little river that ran through it ...

... a lot of stops to take pictures along the drive today because the countryside was just so beautiful and so green- many shades of green. We also got a little taste of the Ring of Kerry an we had to get on it for a little bit to get to Killarney, but we were saving the entire Ring of Kerry for the next day.
On our way to the hotel in Killarney, we also stopped at the Ross Castle. It had just closed, but we were still able to walk the ...

... as the radio programming seems to come straight from that era, as well. We are treated to Gilbert O'Sullivan, Bread, and for something new, a cover of Loudon Wainwright III's "Werewolves of London", remixed to become a parody of "Sweet Home Alalabama". Oh, and the Beatles' "When I'm 64". Then for comic relief, they played the "Postman Pat" theme. The other feature I find distressing is the announcer cutting in over ...

... B. We were completely knackered, as our lively first two nights had finally caught up with us, and although we would've preferred to spend the evening on our own, we'd already arranged to meet up with Johnny (the Karma Sutra horse trader from the train to Tralee) that night. He arrived in the village soon after we did and we all had dinner together at the South Pole Inn. But the banter seemed forced ...

... going to come home in a few weeks or not! So I have to talk to the temp agency about that. Had supper at an Indian restaurant where I was the only patron (though others came in for "take-away"). The proprietor barely spoke English, or at least he was used to the strong Kerry accent but not the "normal" Canadian accent. Had chicken tikka masala--judging from magazines, it's very popular here although not terribly healthy. All in all, it was a disorienting evening, and I went to bed early.