Back in the USA

Well, we have landed in Chicago and we were only an hour late. It was a great flight (mostly because we flew over Greenland, which was ice and snow covered). We really enjoyed the trip but we are happy to be back home.

Tomorrow or Friday, I will update the blog with more pictures and a description of the last few days we were there. Mostly, the trip was about driving (1200 miles in 11 days), food (lots of potatoes, sausage, bacon, potatoes, fish, eggs, potatoes, and fried stuff), clouds, and friendly people. The Irish are proud of their country and they should be (it is an amazingly beautiful, diverse, and rugged country). There were many times where we would arrive at a spot that our tour book told us about and all we could say is: WOW!

There was one instance in particular that we haven't blogged about yet. We were driving to a place that our tour book described as a 'photo op heaven'. As we navigated the one lane road that is actually a two way street, we passed a parking lot where some people had pulled off to hike the rest of the way. We knew we were near the coast and the car in front of us continued on the road toward the spot. As we climbed up a 30 degree incline on a one lane road in our 3 cylinder, stick shift, Toyota Corolla, we rounded a blind turn to find out that we were now on a one lane road with no guardrail on the left protecting us from a 500 ft. cliff and a cliff side on the right leading up. As a person who is terrified of heights, this was an unpleasant finding for me. We did arrive and it was mostly worth the stomach distress and nauseating feelings.

Cayce has had plenty of chances to laugh at me and has taken advantage of all opportunities! We are looking forward to talking to all of you and thanks for the funny comments that made us feel loved and missed! Have a great Wednesday and as they say in Ireland, 'tanks a million'.

Day 8- Inisheer and the Cliffs of Moher

On Day 8, we decided that we were going to drive as little as possible. From the town we were staying in, Doolin, we were able to catch a ferry over to one of three small islands off the coast of Ireland. We went to Inisheer, the smallest of the three. Life on these islands reflects what life was like in Ireland's past. The people speak Gaelic and there are few cars. For the most part, what we were told was accurate. There were few cars and just a small bit of tourism industry.

One of the interesting sites on the island was an old church that was mostly buried under a sand dune. It was in the middle of a graveyard and was the first church on the island. The missionary's tomb was not far away buried under about 4 feet of sand. The doors of the church were only about 3 feet high.

We also came upon an old rusting ship wreck. You can walk right up to it and into it, if you want. We didn't get that brave, but it was impressive. It is just sitting on the beach rusting away.

Next, we took the same ferry to the Cliffs of Moher. They are 700 ft. above the ocean and an impressive sight. We met some other tourists on the boat. One couple was from Australia and their grown daughter was with them (she works in London). The conversation was nice and of course we had to inqure about their holiday (vacation). The rest of the world has it right, if you ask me. Europeans get about 5 weeks of vacation, 4 of which they have to take between June and August. Most take this time consecutively. In Australia, workers start with 5 weeks and after 10 years with a company you get 12 weeks a year. This couple had been out of Australia for 5 weeks when we met them.

Part of the tour of the cliffs took us to this rock which acted like a huge bird sanctuary. There were thousands of birds: sea gulls, penguin looking things, and huge black raven looking things. There was bird poop everywhere!

After dinner in town, we drove out to the cliffs again so we could see them from land and watch the sunset. It was an amazing view. The only issue of the day was the sunburn suffered by Jason, between the direct sun and the reflection off the water in the boat, his face was roasted. Go figure! There's not much sun in these parts, but Jason always manages to find it!

On to Galway...

Day 7- Ring of Dingle, County Clare

On Day 7 we drove the Ring of Dingle, think of a miniature Ring of Kerry with more cliffs and less other tourists.

Ireland is full of wildflowers. We found these next to a beach we stopped by.

Our first stop on the Ring was an old stone fort that was probably first built around 1200 BC. It was made of stone and the most recent improvements were during the first 200-300 years after Christ.
We had another hike to the top of a mountain and as you can see, the wind was blowing hard. I think Cayce should look into getting some hair products that would help her maintain this look when we get back to Alabama.

The view from this mountain was great. The clouds were high, so we had a clear view. The wind was really making the ocean choppy, and as you can imagine the sound of the water hitting these rocks was awesome. There was a large boat trying to make the trip back from the largest of these islands with some tourists on it, and we dubbed it the "vomit cruise".

Later in the afternoon we arrived in Doolin, our destination for the day. Doolin is on the coast and is known for its traditional Irish Music. We were able to see two different musical groups play. The first group was just 2 guys, one with a guitar and the other with a banjo. They were excellent. The 2nd group was at least a fiddle, a guitar, and a banjo. We couldn't see them because there were so many people around, but they sounded good. For dinner, we ate at our Bed and Breakfast, which is also a restaurant, and Jason had one of the best desserts he has ever eaten (a chocolate truffle flourless cake with mint ice cream!).

Day 6- Ring of Kerry, Dingle, Connor Pass

Day 6 was the day we tackled the Ring of Kerry (along with every other tourist in Ireland). It is a 200 kilometer, 2 lane (which in America would be wide enough for only one lane) road with spectacular cliffs, mountains, and green pastures. It is the most popular tourist attraction on the island and there are large tour buses that can hardly fit in one lane. Cayce rode in the bushes quite frequently.



This is the highest peak in Ireland, it is called the Carrontuohill. Driving toward is was a good way to start the day.

This is off the side of Carrontuohill, looking over Dingle Bay. Gorgeous!

On one of our side trips, Cayce suggested that we walk along this rock beach to see if we could get around this point to see the open ocean...boy did she regret this suggestion when Jason made her scale up the side of a dirt wall to get to the vantage point. (This is Cayce, and not only did I make a poor suggestion, I was mainly irritated that I had to wear my purse attached to my body because I was in charge of the Passports. Nice of Jason to take pictures.)

On another hike, we went to the top of another small mountain and had a beautiful 360 degree view of the ocean, Dingle Bay, and other greenery.

From the top of the small mountain...can you find us? Stupid Auto timer on the camera! (This is Cayce, and this picture makes me laugh out loud!)

After we left the Ring of Kerry, we went to a small town called Dingle. Along the way there were pasture lands and mountains in abundance. Cayce has an infatuation with sheep and couldn't believe how many there were and that they climb to the tops of the mountains to graze. They also traveled onto some of the main little roads.

I'll leave this last picture for Cayce to fill in the details:

OK. So, this picture just shows the road (you can see the reflector in the middle indicating there are two lanes). There is not enough room for two cars. On the other side of this rock wall on the left is a steep cliff. We traversed this Connor Pass, as it is named, around 9pm and the fog was setting in. We got to this point in the road, and Jason rearranged his seating position. He was sitting crazy upright, with both hands gripped tightly on the wheel. I felt badly for him but couldn't help but laugh. I am such a mean wife!

Day 5- Mizen Head, Mountains, County Kerry

On Day 5, we started the day and ended the day on the beach.
We drove to the southernmost point of Ireland, Mizen Head, after a wonderful breakfast at our B&B. There were more than 20 things on the buffet and about the same number of main dishes to order. As for the southernmost point, we never made it to the spot (because Jason would not pay to be scared to death again). To get to that point, a person is required to cross over a 700ft. suspension bridge. We didn't remember this point until we were pulling out of the parking lot, and Cayce believes that Jason intentionally did not remember (This is Cayce, and I don't believe, I KNOW this was on purpose). We also stopped by this beach on the southern coast. It was a huge sandy beach, and we were able to see a sea kayaker doing his thing in the waves.


We drove up to County Kerry and through the Killarney National Park. During the drive, we were on mountain passes that, on occasion, lead through a one-lane rock tunnel. It was pretty neat, but rather scary.

We arrived at our Bed and Breakfast, which was across the street from the beach. We went down and saw a few kids playing in the waves. Mind you the temperature hasn't been above 65 since we've arrived and it is about 8pm by this point. The three kids in their wetsuits were having a great time.

While on the beach, we noticed that there were so many rocks washed up by the tide. These rocks looked like they belonged in a spa for use during a hot rock massage.

This is the front of our Bed and Breakfast for our stay in County Kerry. The rooms are described as Laura Ashley style. It was beautiful!! We had a long day of driving and are looking forward to the Ring of Kerry tomorrow.

Day # 4 The Rock of Cashel, The Vee

Well, we are back on the Internet, so here is Day 4.

Our first stop was to a town called Cashel which is known for its castle, named the Rock. It was a huge structure that was basically located straight up a hill on all sides. It was originally a church, but then they built a castle on the site as well.

There were neat archways, great engravings on the rock walls, and some amazing gravestones.

We then hiked to an old abbey, which we had all to ourselves. We located it while we were on the Rock. The ruins were breathtaking, and we had a great photo op.

We then drove up a mountain pass that the locals call the Vee. Once we reached the top, there was an amazing view of the valley below. There were so many different colors of green, and the mountains in the background made for a spectacular view.

Lastly, we ended the day at our new destination, Cork City. The storefronts were, like all other cities, colorful. Our Bed and Breakfast room was adequate, and we walked around looking for a recommended restaurant for 2 hours before finding it. We decided not to eat there!

Day 4 was one of the most beautiful days in terms of scenery, and we will never forget it!

Finally, Internet!

We are staying at a place with internet. We are not sure the next time we will be able to post because it took us 2 hours to update the last 3 days. Also, sorry that I'm such a blogging novice. Bear with me as I learn. We miss everyone!

Love Cayce and Jason

Day 3- Kildare and Kilkenny

Our first stop on Day 3 was to Kildare. It is a small town with a cool old church and tower. The tower was 108 ft. tall and had no foundation. The base is just rocks placed on the ground. We paid $14 to climb up 6 steep, old wooden ladders.










































The view from the top was amazing. You could see mountains in the distance and the small town below. It was very windy, but manageable

















This was as far as Jason climbed. As wimpy as he is, he also finds creative ways to waste money!



























Our next stop was to the National Stud Farm of Ireland in Kildare. These horses are high class racing horses that race all over the world. It was just after foaling for the mares so there were a lot of foals being taught by their mothers.

























Once we arrived in Kilkenny, we checked in and walking into city centre (as they call it). These two boys passed us and I wanted to take a picture. I'm not sure who was more curious me of the boys and their tiny horse or the boys seeing that I wanted to take their picture.



















Our last tourist spot before dinner was to Castle Kilkenny. It is a huge castle that was built in the 12th century. It fell into ruin when the family who owned it for 600 years went bankrupt. It is now being restored and was interesting history. The walls at the bottom are 5 meters (15 feet) thick and no one knows how many rooms are in it (because they keep finding them).

















Day 3 is in the books. Tomorrow we go to Cork in the southwest. Hopefully, we'll be back on soon.

Day 2- Dublin

On day 2 we started on a tour bus that took us around to most of the major sights in Dublin. It was a great deal and we were able to experience a mostly open top, double-decker bus.


















Our first stop was St. Patrick's Cathedral. It is part of the Church of Ireland and was amazing and huge. They were preparing for services so we were able to listen to the choir practice and it brought tears to our

eyes.












We tried to get into the other large church in Dublin, called Christ Church, but they were beginning their services.















Next we went to the Guinness factory and took the tour. The highlight of the tour was the last stop. On the top floor of the brewery there is a 270 panoramic view of the city. We met some people from Sweden and Cayce immediately made friends!










Kilmanham Gaol (sounds like Jail) was also on the tour. It was a sad, but historical place. We saw lots of prison cells and heard many moving stories about the Irish fight for independence from England. The brutality was astounding.

















Dublin Castle was the next stop. It was a neat building but the real highlight was the museum that was attached. It contained religious writings from all over the world and included several pieces of the gospels that were discovered in Egypt and were written around the year 200 AD.























We ate dinner at a place called The Church and and as you guessed, it was a church for a long time. It was renovated and has a great atmosphere.

































Lastly it was back to the bed and breakfast. We were awake all the way until 8pm tonight. Whew, we are beat. See you tomorrow.

Day 1- Dublin

Well, Day 1 in Dublin was interesting. We landed, on time, and got to our rental car. It is an interesting experience driving a stick shift from the right hand side of the car on the wrong side of the road. So far no accidents, but we'll see.


Once we made it to our Bed and Breakfast (which was adequate), we took to the streets to learn about Dublin. We found a few things: there are thousands of people in the city on a weekend (think Times Square on small streets), they are friendly but speak lots of languages other than English, the storefronts are very nice, and there are pubs and historical things everywhere.








After a few hours of walking we had the city pretty well figured out so we headed back to our hotel for some sleep (not too long after Cayce fell asleep sitting up at the National Historical Museum).










We will do the majority of our Dublin sightseeing on Day 2. We'll see you then.