Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Home Again

So we arrived back home safely from Ireland this past Wednesday via Aer Lingus & Sunshine Taxi!

I have a few comments about the trip.  First & foremost is, the hospitality of the Irish is everything I heard & more!  They are wonderful host & hostesses to their country & very welcoming, friendly folks.  If I came across anyone who was not, they were most likely another tourist.  Okay so there was one incident of sorts in Dublin that was a little odd, we just kept walking though ( some young girl allegedly need 2 Euro for a hostile & about that time a couple of others about the same age started down the side walk.  We didn't stick around to see what came next.

@ Newtown Farmhouse B&B, Ardmore County Waterford

Driving was quite an adventure!  Narrow roads with tour buses coming at us & sometimes while navigating the outside lane on the mountainside above the Atlantic Ocean or along a hairpin turn, & then you may have one or more pedestrians or bicyclers in the mix.  And the cars parked along the roads were turned every which way to boot!  Never a dull moment driving in Ireland...

The view from the passenger side dashboard! This road was wider than most...

One of the not so wide roads - on the edge of the Atlantic in many places too!

Oh can't forget about the GPS we were using:  sometimes the coordinates were a little off & we were sent down a farm road like this:
Sometimes the GPS sent us on a wild goose chase & we ended up in the boon doggles or we would be going down the motorway & it would be telling us to turn - turn where who knows but it wanted us to turn...
Or it was telling us to go through a round about in 1 kilometer but totally missed the one in 200 meters...
Or it was lost -or should I say it openly admitted to losing it's connection.  It was still a very useful tool to have to navigate with though I would still use the map!

We were even stopped by the Guarda (Irish police) at one point - an actual police road block where they were looking for someone.   The officer started to ask Antonio for his license & some other question when he saw the rental sticker & then waved us through.  My husband muttered something comical about being profiled... He made me laugh!

The car - that was something - in spite of the initial concerns (broken passenger side mirror, the dents, the dead battery on the key less fob) it ran well.  By the time we turned it in Tuesday evening, we had figured out the why of the mirror, dents & scrapes on the car.
The car from the driver's side (yes they go down the other side of the road in Ireland).  I have to say, my husband did a great job getting us around in this car.  He swore though that he would have his "abs of steel" from driving alone by the time we turned the car in at the end of the trip!

We didn't see or here anything that was a discernible ghost though if the one that was known to wake "guest" up at Ballyseede had knocked on the door at night when I got up to use the bathroom, the whole place would have heard me scream as I climbed out the window.
The lower window was where our room was located in the castle.  The entire upper floor in the wing is a banquet hall.  It was set up for a wedding party of 160 the day we left.
Side entry to Ballyseede Castle

We enjoyed the various locations we stayed at & the staff & owners do want you to enjoy your visit & have a wonderful time.  All would help in finding locations, tickets or making enquiries into just about anything for us.  I am grateful to Gerard & Tom at Avalon in Carlow, Theresa at Newtown in Ardmore, Darra & Niall at Sea View in Doolin Clare County, the staffs at Ballyseede Castle Tralee Kerry County, Castle Hotel Dublin & HI Express Dublin for the wonderful hospitality while staying with you!


Another Castle in County Clare - Leehman Castle I believe.  It was on private property so we couldn't walk up into it.  There are a lot of castles & lookout towers all over.  Many built during the Norman invasions though there are a few attributed to as late as Napoleon & even WWII.

Many of the many birds living on the Cliffs of Moher!  One of the things I found absolutely fascinating was both the number & variety (species) of birds lining ON the cliffs.  Each species, with the Puffins being the best known, had it's niche in the cliffs - the Puffins used the grassy areas while one of the other species made it's own cement (the white stuff in the picture is the cement they make not doodoo) & stuck their nest to the cliffs.
Saw this in Kilkenny - had to take a picture (I wonder if I'm related to them???)


Had some wonderful meals with different folks from various walks of life all of this planet ( Australia, Canada, Germany, France, Dallas, Philly, Boston & even some Steeler fans!) 

Yes - I would go again!  Enjoyed the country & loved the folks along the way!
Anyway I'm signing off for now.

Slan! Rita

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