Monday was a lot of time in the car, but beautiful sights. We began with breakfast at the Glebe Farmhouse B&B (she made scones and gave us choices for breakfast!). I opted for the smoked salmon breakfast instead of my 4th Irish breakfast in a row (I can only take so much sausage, eggs, and fried ham before my arteries slam shut!).
We got on the road and drove into the Dingle Peninsula. There was some confusion over what exactly was IN the Dingle Peninsula - it did not have the Cliffs of Moher or the set of ruins that Jason thought were there, but we still enjoyed the rugged beauty of the place. There is a very scenic drive with sharp rocky beaches, sloping mountains, and green countryside, but there is not really anything specific to see there: just the scenery. We stopped at Slea Head at the end of the peninsula to take pictures of the Skellig Rocks from a distance, we hiked up a mountain to get a nice panoramic view of the area, and we walked around the tiny coastal town of Dingle, but that was about it other than lots of driving and stopping at little scenic overlooks.The drive from Dingle to our B&B that night was long, so we stopped in Limerick only for a short time for dinner. Originally, I thought it would be fun to look around for some poetical inspiration (get it? Limerick?? heh heh) but we were both so tired from the long day thus far that neither of us really cared to explore the city beyond walking around to look for food.
In honor of the brief stop in the city, I have composed my own limerick:
A girl from the States came to town
And turned the city upside down
She searched high and low
But spotted no PO-em
So she left Limerick to write her own
(yeah, I know "own" and "town" don't rhyme... and I know I forced the rhyme with the whole PO-em thing... but like I said, I didn't find any inspiration!) =)
Our B&B near Kildare was almost impossible to find. The "directions" to the Eagle Hill B&B said "5 miles from Kildare". That's it. The roads in that area do not have names, so unless you're a native, you're in trouble! We finally got in touch with the proprietress and she coached us in (to the middle of nowhere!). It was well worth the trouble. Julie, the owner, greeted us with tea when we arrived and showed us around. We were on an actual working farm! There were animals everywhere (sheep, hens, a huge workhorse named Bob, a Vietnamese potbellied pig who had escaped earlier that day, and geese). Julie and I talked while I played with her two year old son, John Paul (a good Catholic name!) and she told me about the workings of their farm. They keep the sheep to sell the lambs because the only money in sheep is in the meat, not the wool. I didn't realise that. She said it costs more to shear the sheep than they get in profit from the wool. So instead they keep about 200 ewes for breeding and 6 rams (those are busy rams!).After the lovely evening of tea and visiting, I packed my bags and tried to go to sleep. I'm not sure if it was the strange farm noises, the anticipation of going home, or the caffeine from the tea that kept me awake, but I had a terrible time sleeping. The one advantage of not sleeping well is that I was awake before the alarm clock (and the rooster) made me get up. =)
Date: 30 July, 2007
Location: Dingle Peninsula, Limerick, Kildare
Highlights:
- beautiful scenery
- seeing the statue of "Fungi" the dolphin in Dingle ("Fungi the Dolphin in Dingle" sounds like the beginning for an amusing limerick!)
- a lovely end to my time in Ireland at the Eagle Hill B&B
Thought of the Day: I'm finally ready to go home!
