Killarney & The Ring of Kerry

So we had decided after our little experience at Kildare that it was time to pick up the pace and get into turbo-tourist mode.

We have been in Ireland since June and haven’t seen a fraction of what this country has to offer. So after Electric Picnic, we decided we would head to Killarney and The Ring of Kerry.

Tuesday, September 3rd, 2013

We did a bit of work at the hostel in the morning and then rented some bikes for the day.

We cruised through Killarney and then headed to Muckross House & Gardens.

We got a bit distracted along the way (well voluntarily lost down this appealing little road) and enjoyed this hidden hotel and grounds before carrying on.

The bike ride was beautiful, weaving through green fields, dark forests, and alongside Muckross Lake.

We again got distracted and stopped at some old ruins. We walked through Muckross Abbey, some impressively preserved church and tower ruins and presently used graveyards.

We finally made it to Muckross House & Gardens. The place was absolutely stunning (and there was no €6 entrance fee). We parked the bikes and spent a good chunk of time acting like retired people enjoying the view.

After strolling around we jumped back on the bikes and headed towards Torc Waterfall.

We spent the rest of the day cruising on bikes around Muckross Lake.

We made it to Dinis Cottage and Old Weir Bridge.

We made our way back and hung in Killarney and waited to meet our new host, Jim at 6 p.m.

Jim picked us up and we jumped in his car and he took us towards his cafe in Castlecove. We stopped several times along the way to appreciate the views that The Ring of Kerry had to offer that evening.

We got a flat tire and of course I was delighted at the photo op.

We quickly were on our way and made the cafe our new home for two nights.

Wednesday September 4th, 2013

We were happy at work on Wednesday working on creating a website and taking photos. Jim was nice enough to take us to Waterville and the nearby areas in the evening.

Thursday September 5th, 2013

After an unexpected, crap-your-pants, rattling emergency, we left the cafe and returned to Killarney.

We spent the night talking to our closest family and friends and counting our blessings.

We are aware that we have been extremely lucky throughout this trip and have been safe, happy and healthy. We were a bit shook up after this event, but having one another made the world of a difference. Gushy, yeah, I know. But honestly through the crap like this we are closer, happier, stronger, and taking better care of one another.

Thank you friends and family for your love and support from home. We truly appreciate you and miss you more than ever!

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