Killarney – HIKES & HAMSTRINGS

Well, we didn’t really, but that phrase came up at some point, which made us laugh. I think it was in reference to yet another full Irish breakfast that probably didn’t do wonders for our stomachs. I guess in colloquial terms, we could say that we farted around the rest of the trip, because after Killarney, we were exhausted. Just done. As much as we love vacationing, fatigue had set in at that point- from different hotels, to eating at restaurants, to driving, to seeing yet another town. We were zombie-walking. And we couldn’t wait to eat some home cooked meals once we got back to Canada. Alas, there were more sites to see, and we made sure to make a good attempt at finishing the trip strong! I think we did a good job. After Killarney, the next few days went like this:

Day 12: Left for Kilkenny with a stop in Cork for lunch. Checked into the Kilkenny Ormonde Hotel. Went for a walk, found a mediterranean restaurant and had a chicken kebab. Yum!

Day 13: Explored the grounds of Kilkenny castle and visited St. Mary’s Cathedral. Then it was off to see the Rock of Cashel, a medieval cathedral set upon rocks. We headed to Waterford, where we checked into the Faithlegg House Hotel outside of the city and napped. We ventured into Waterford and had a nice dinner at Emiliano’s (bruschetta for a starter, funghi pizza and pasta for mains with tiramisu and pistachio ice cream for dessert). I also ran through a red light! Oops.

Day 14: Not a great breakfast at the hotel. The atmosphere also reminded me of a scene out of the show The OC- a country golf club where everyone seemed to know everyone and there was an air of gossip. Weird. Sent a postcard or two, walked around the Parade Quay and city square in Waterford, then headed to Glendalough (a medieval monastic settlement) in the Wicklow mountains. Then it was off to Dublin to check into the Clarion Airport Hotel and return the car. We were super hungry that day as we didn’t eat for the majority of the day… and it felt like near death ;). We gorged on club sandwiches and scones at the airport, and finally tried Irish coffee, which is pretty much coffee and whiskey. It was strong! That night, we watched Denmark win Eurovision 2013. If I lived in Europe, I’d be hooked!… though I didn’t quite get Romania’s flamboyant entry.

Saying goodbye to our VW :( — Saying goodbye to our VW 😦

The next day, we had an early morning 6 am flight back to Calgary. We were quite tired, and we would be for the next many hours as we had two flights and a 4 hour layover in Amsterdam. As much as I was sad to see the vacation end, I was happy to be heading home. But what a great vacation it was! According to the odometer, we drove about 2255.3 km around Ireland! When coupled with my road trip across Canada, I have been in a car for almost 6000 kilometres in 3 weeks. Needless to say, it was good to take a bit of a rest this past week.

I can’t say that Ireland was at the top of my travel list, but I’m so glad that it was on Robbie’s list. As I began researching, Ireland began to grow on me. Travelling through the country, with it’s greenery, amazing history and wonderful people allowed me to experience Ireland in a way that I never imagined prior to this trip. The vacation was wonderful, and it was really special to share it with Robbie. So thank you, Robbie, for a great trip, and for experiencing Ireland with me! We have so many amazing memories and I wouldn’t have had it any other way.

By the time we arrived in Killarney, we were tired. A driving trip of Ireland is a great way to see the country, but up until that point, we had been on the go… going from place to place, and from hotel to castle to hotel. So Killarney was a welcomed stop, as we would be there for three full nights. The first day was a relaxing one. We dropped off some laundry and walked around the town. Killarney is located in the southwest area of Ireland in County Kerry, which contains Killarney National Park and some of the largest mountains in the country. The town itself, with its proximity to surrounding peaks, reminded me of Banff, which was quite comforting. We opted for a few sites in and around town- a tour of Ross Castle, lunch at Lady’s View, and a quick rainy stop at Torc Waterfall. Then we had a much-needed evening in by ordering room service and playing cards.

The next day, we thought about driving the Ring of Kerry, but with so many kilometres already, we needed something different. I had read online that the Gap of Dunloe was a must-do when in the area. It’s a narrow mountain pass that’s accessible by foot, bike, pony traps, or by car, though car is not recommended. Some sort of physical activity sounded amazing and the weather was scheduled to be sunny, so biking it was. Funny enough, I had owned a bike for months at that point, but this would be my first bike ride of the season!

We headed west to Kate Kearney’s Cottage and ate at The Coffee Pot before embarking on the gradual uphill ride through the gap from north to south. The scenery was absolutely gorgeous; the mountains were a combination of browns and greens with lakes below and sheep everywhere. The winding roads made for many great vantage points from where we would take photos. This ride was definitely one of the highlights of the trip for me.

After reaching the head of the gap, we descended to Lord Brandon’s Cottage in a crazy downpour of rain and hail (reminiscent of my Peru experience!). At the cottage, we had some hot tea before heading through the forest and back to town via the N71. Robbie had a near accident on the road which had me worried, but it was all good and we were safe. All in all, the bike ride was about 50 kilometres, which was insane since I hadn’t biked in years at that point.

The rain and hail storm was slowly arriving at this point

The evening ended with another trip to Genting Thai and a stop at a local pub to listen to some traditional Irish music with some Guiness and coke in hand. While we sat there, Robbie made a comment about how crazy it was that we were in a local Irish pub, listening to music, in Ireland, after completing a 50 km ride through the mountains in Kerry. Reality seemed so distant at that point. It was one of those moments that despite all the going-ons of the past and things to come, living in the present felt amazing. I wouldn’t have wished to share that moment with anyone else :).

Tag: Killarney

Ireland: Farting Our Way Back to Canada

Biking the Gap of Dunloe