Live from Ireland – Day 2 – Dingle
Location: Dingle, County Kerry, Ireland
Population: 1,920
Random Fact: There are 52 pubs in Dingle.
Accommodation: Pax Guest House, Dingle
Note…we’re having Internet issues and sadly I can’t get photos to upload (which is why this post is late). I’m going to try again later but for now, you’ll have to imagine it : )
Hi friends! We’ve made it to our second stop – Dingle. Last night we ventured out to Murphy’s Pub in Doolin and had some amazing Irish stew with brown bread and of course, a pair of pints of Guinness.
Then we promptly fell asleep on the bar and were told to go home.
Not really of course, but we could feel it coming so we stuck around long enough to hear a pair of musicians play some live music, then we called it a night fairly early.
A good night’s sleep made a world of difference and we were feeling much happier this morning. We has long breakfast chatting with two lovely women from the Washington DC area who were also on their first trip to Ireland. I think getting to chat with other guests over breakfast will be one of the neatest parts of this trip. (In fact, we just finished tea with a large family from India. Go figure.)
We set off for Dingle around 10 this morning but after numerous stops to take in the view and shop a bit we finally arrived in Dingle around 4 p.m. Only about 2 hours later than expected! Happy to say though the driving has gotten much better! We’ve adjusted fine to the left-side driving and even to the teeny tiny lanes. We even went so far as to actually drive the speed limit and even pass another car! Progress, I tell you!
The weather changes in the blink of an eye. It goes from raining, windy and gloomy to gloriously sunny literally in an instant. At one particularly gorgeous spot we pulled over to take some photos of the view. The wind was so intense it ripped the car door from my hand and I’m pretty sure we have a bit of door damage : ) Zac had to hold me up right to make sure I didn’t blow away and the rain was coming at us so hard I think it left a bruise. Don’t know that I’ve ever felt wind like that.
Then, after a few clicks of my shutter, the rain stopped and the sun came out and voila! a rainbow!! I snapped a few shots, stared in amazement, then jumped up and down and squeeled “I just photoed a rainbow in IRELAND!! EEEEeeee!!”” -Cue blank stares the dumbfounded German tourists 15 feet away- The rainbow was so close it seemed like we could have reached out and touched it. But I didn’t try, given the grade of the cliff below : )
We drove through Lahinch this morning which is famous for its golf course. It was beautiful with tons of little rolling hills. It looked like you’d have to be in impressive shape to walk it, that’s for sure!
Not far past that, the views of the Atlantic became gorgeous and we were craning our necks out the window. Then we spotted a car with a surfboard and followed it into a small parking lot. The view was, again, incredible. We found a muddy little foot path warn in the grass, right along the edge of the cliff, so we followed it a ways to get different views of the sea, cliffs and surfers below. There were smashed beer cans and cigarette butts along the way and it was obvious is was a popular spot to hang out. I imagine it’s where the Irish equivalent of my brother and his friends would sit drinking and shooting the shit on a Friday night : )
The rest of the road adventure was a great mix of rain, sun and wind. The scenery is unlike anything I have ever seen and I doubt that any description or photograph that I come up with will ever do it justice. What has struck us most is that while there are plenty of pretty places elsewhere the view is usually in one direction. Here, the view is 360 degrees and I’ve learned that when I think I’m looking at the most beautiful thing ever, I should probably turn around and look the other way too!
We’re checked into our B&B now – Pax House – and it is gorgeous. We have a sea view room with a patio (our big accommodation splurge on this trip) and the view is gorgeous. Big green fields, a beach, straight out to the sea. Though the wind is blowing so hard right now I think I’d be blown straight off the patio, so we’ll save those pictures for when the sun comes out. The host says there’s nothing between this room and Boston, so there’s plenty of room for the wind to blow.
We’re about to head off and get the lay of town and find a good spot for dinner, drinking and music this evening!
Thanks for following along, or as the Irish say…Tank Yahs.
COMMENTS