Ireland 2005 - Part 2

Blarney Castle And Killarney

Saturday - September 10th 2005

Today we had to pick up our rental car. Since we are five people we ordered a Ford Mondeo, unfortunately they had only a Ford Focus left, which was a bit small, but we finally got used to the small space. But there was just one little thing that bothered us. The car had different tires on each side and two were installed against the direction of motion. What happened to that car? After we picked up the rest of the group, we were on our way to our holiday house in Killarney, but before we stopped at Blarney Castle to kiss the stone.

Blarney Castle

Blarney Castle

Blarney Castle

Blarney Castle

Blarney seen from Blarney Castle

Kissing the Blarney Stone

Driving on the left side wasn't that easy at first, but we got used to it. Another problem were the small streets with a wall on the one side and a huge truck on the other side. Finally we arrived in Killarney in the afternoon and moved into our holiday home, Muckross Lakeside Holiday Village, which was really nice.

Muckross Lakeside Holiday Village

Living Room

Kitchen

Our Bedroom

We bought some stuff at Tesco and then we checked out Killarney. After dinner we toured the local pubs and were pleased that they were all smoke free. A couple of drinks later we returned to our apartment.

Killarney

Ireland 2005 - Part 3

Muckross Abbey

Sunday - September 11th 2005

Since the weather was really nice today, sun was shinning and the temperatures were higher, we diceded to hike around the nearby lake to Muckross Abbey. So after breakfast we were on our way. First we thought that will be a nice little walk around the lake, but it turned out to be a day long hike. Nevertheless we had a lot of fun. Maybe we should have brought more water and snacks with us. Muckross Abbey is beautiful old mansion, unfortunately we didn't go inside, the queue was just too long.

Muckross around Muckross Lake

Muckross around Muckross Lake

Muckross Lake around Muckross Lake

Hiking around Muckross Lake

Hiking around Muckross Lake

Hiking around Muckross Lake

Hiking around Muckross Lake

Hiking around Muckross Lake

Muckross Lake

Muckross Lake

Muckross House

Muckross House

In the evening we all were a bit exhausted and so we prepered some pizzas at home. Still we had to go out for a Guinness.

Ireland 2005 - Part 4

Ring Of Kerry

Monday - September 12th 2005

Today we planned to tour the Ring Of Kerry. Along this tour we passed beautiful landscapes, old ruins and small villages. Our first stop was Ladies View where you have a stunning view over the Killarney National Park. During our tour we stopped in several small villages, like Kenmare and in Waterville, to do some sightseeing, to buy some souvenirs or to just sit down in a nice coffee house to relax with a cup of coffee. We also stopped at the Staigue Stone Fort and of course we went swimming in the really cold sea.

Ladies' View

Along the Ring of Kerry

Along the Ring of Kerry

Along the Ring of Kerry

Along the Ring of Kerry

Along the Ring of Kerry

Along the Ring of Kerry

Along the Ring of Kerry

Along the Ring of Kerry

Along the Ring of Kerry

 Staigue Stone Fort

Staigue Stone Fort

Along the Ring of Kerry

Along the Ring of Kerry

Along the Ring of Kerry

Swimming in the cold Sea

Along the Ring of Kerry

Today we spent a quiet evening with good food and many beers at home.

Ireland 2005 - Part 5

Dingle Peninsula

Tuesday - September 13th 2005

For today we had planned another tour with our small, but already beloved Ford Focus. This time we chose to drive around Dingle Peninsula and Mount Brandon.

Along Dingle Peninsula

Along Dingle Peninsula

Along Dingle Peninsula

Along Dingle Peninsula

Along Dingle Peninsula

Along Dingle Peninsula

Along Dingle Peninsula

Along Dingle Peninsula

Along Dingle Peninsula

Along Dingle Peninsula

After we returned, we had a wonderful traditional Irish dinner with Shepard's Pie in a nice restaurant. Later we went to our favourite pub and enjoyed another Guinness.