I figured it was too good to be true. Our idyllic first evening in Ireland didn’t follow the plan. Following our exceptional dinner (detailed in last night’s post) we returned to our lovely apartment only to be met with street noise that kept us both awake for major portions of the overnight until sheer exhaustion kicked in.
Then we overslept until almost 11:00 am. This is NOT the way to start a turbo tour of Ireland…especially when this was already slated to be the longest driving day of the trip.
Based on all my research, Waterford was a “must see”…oops. Not so much. After driving a couple of hours, we were ready for some lunch and perhaps a little adventure. Lunch was ok…adventure…not so much. Waterford apparently has some Viking history (which wasn’t blatantly obvious – except for a replica of a Viking ship) and is obviously best well known for it’s breathtaking crystal. There wasn’t the time (or really the desire) to tour the factory, so I snapped a few photos of the pieces in the Waterford Crystal retail window and we jumped back into the car and headed west.
For hours.
On twisty, narrow roads.
On the wrong side of the car on the opposite side of the road. Driving faster than is probably legal. It’s anyone’s guess…we’ve seen one cop in 2 days.
Bypassing Cork, Dunmore East, and the Blarney Castle (all on the itinerary)….en route to Killarney.
Which took almost four hours. In a car, whizzing past exquisite scenery, with a really cranky pilot.
Until we finally arrived in Killarney.
At a lovely home, booked into a room you’d put your cousin in if she came to visit. Not that there’s anything wrong with that…we just got spoiled by our private suite in Howth…on our first day in Ireland.
Our host, Cathy, is warm and wonderful. The view (as the listing singularly advertised) is of The Ring of Kerry…which is spectacular.
Mercifully, the town of Killarney is vibrant and exhilarating. Except…there’s some sort of Adventure Race (kayaking, biking etc.) this weekend, and the sidewalks are littered with…um…upset stomach remains. Apparently too much celebrating is an outcome of the “adventure.”
We’re here for two nights so hopefully we will see some magnificent scenery, do only minimal driving, and begin speaking to each other again. (The only conversation for HOURS was an occasional direction from the rented GPS voice with the British accent and perfect diction…it was painful.)
Here’s hoping for a pleasant tomorrow.
WeilStyle 