Smerwick Harbour Hotel Dingle

... the touristy thing to do in Killarney don't you know! We trotted past the race track, which was built on landfill and has a 9 hole golf course in the middle!. We stopped at Ross castle, the scene of many a wedding photo as we found - at least 4 weddings stopped by while we were there!<br><br>So tonight is the last supper with the tour group. Dinner with everyone then out for drinks - just for something out of the ordinary! <br><br>XO

... Randy Leprechaun, but is located right over the road from the village church. So everyone got all offended, and the colour scheme has been muted down. We've all had a good feed and have a night of karaoke ahead. The bar special is the irish carbomb - which is a pot of guiness, into which a shot of whiskey and baileys is placed and you just slam it down - 3 for 10 Euro so will be an interesting night, to be sure, to be sure! <br><br>XO<br><br>

We spent the day driving from Dublin to Blarney and Killarny. All we wanted to do in Ireland was kiss the Blarney Stone in Blarney, but unfortunately we are not wired to take long walks in the pouring rain so the most we could do was pull upto the gates and creep. We continued on to Killarney which is the cutest little city ever...cobblestone streets, super nice people, beautiful little restaurants and bistros, cars parked on sidewalks. We ...

... so I&#8217;m okay with that.<br><br>Coming back, we took Morty&#8217;s suggested route up through the center of the peninsula, going west to east. We went through the Ballycasheen Pass, then turned south to go through another. The road was full of potholes which were nicely marked with yellow paint, but we couldn&#8217;t go faster than 15 m.p.h. After making it through the Ballaghbeama Pass, and skirting the sheep that lined the road, we wondered if Morty was ...

We decided to do the Ring of Kerry trip, a lovely trip around the south west cape of Ireland, approx 160 kms on our own than on a bus.. glad we did they were full of old Americans.. woops!! There was heaps here that we didn't see as we only had a few days until Amy had to head back to Australia. We did the ring in an anticlock wise direction, good in the fact eveyone else goes clockwise, bad because half way around ...

... 20 minutes to get the cash and get back because the store was ENORMOUS! I think it had small grocery store doors on about 6 streets!<br><br>Got some very nice pictures, and stopped at Murphy's ice cream - about which we had read - and sampled the best ice cream ever! Kara and Pat had Irish Coffee Ice cream and I had butter brickle or some such flavor - it was good. The guy at the counter was flirting with Kara - which was cute.<br><br>There is a ...

... of nails, a hammer or screwdriver, a pair of workboots. We sat in Foxy John's and just listened to the locals, immersing ourselves in a culture that carries on regardless. Our walks were some of the most enjoyable we've done, even though there was a lot of road walking. It has its compensations: you get on faster on even ground and don't get muddy boots, and most of the 'roads' were little more than cart tracks, so ...

... again, and although I saw it in far superior weather, I have to say I rate Dingle much higher than the Ring of Kerry. The scenery is spectacular, rolling green mountains and a dramatic coastline, that's even better at the farther outreaches where the surf is stronger and the waves crash against the rocks more violently. There were excellent views everywhere, and the sheep were ubiquitous, so my mom got to indulge her unhealthy obsession. The plan for that night has ...

... a vibrant multi-colored picture perfect small-town Ireland. We pass a few pubs, shops, and eateries, and the look up at the 18th Century church with sports a salmon on its weather-vane. This town loves modern art and it is evident in many unsuspecting places. "Peaceful Panda" this white mammal sculpture which sits on a rock was created as a symbol of friendship and understanding between China and Ireland ...

... myself in the Gaeltacht and study at this cute little desk overlooking Dingle's harbor. Such a romantic notion. Out around town in the pouring rain. Got a phone call from Mark..."Ms Sweet-i-****" ripped open a pillow and a VCR tape cover...Riley, Riley. :) We did a bit a of a pub crawl in Dingle, stopping our shopping to take advantage of dry seats and toilets. Bryan was on ...