And now, as promised, we wrap up the trip to Ireland. On our last day of sightseeing, we wanted to stick around the area that we were staying in and do some fun things in that area. Our B&B owners were not only fantastic chefs and hosts, but they also ran a pony riding & trap business. At the end of the small road they lived on, there was an even smaller road that is closed to cars. The road runs between some medium sized mountains, and the families that live on that road run a cottage industry taking tourists like us through the "Gap of Dunloe."
Now, Brian has been itching to do some horseback riding since we moved to Europe, and I think I had hopes that this might fulfill all his hopes and dreams, but unfortunately, I think it fell really short. First of all these were ponies...not "horses." Second, the approximate speed of our ride was .005 miles per hour. Third, though the sky was beautiful and gorgeous at the beginning of the ride, within 20 minutes the rain started again and soaked us good (check out the miserable looking hikers in the above photo). And finally, Brian's horse spent the entire ride with his nose pressed up against my horse's butt, who apparently had eaten some bad grass and had a bit of a gas problem...hahahahahhaahha
But, the Gap was gorgeous. Check out the waterfall in the picture below, in the upper right hand corner of the photo.
Though next time I'd just vote for the trap ride... my butt hurt so bad later that day.
I think our guide/B&B owner told us this was the wishing bridge? It's too bad that the rain has moved in at this point and you can't see the cool view behind.
After the horseback riding, we cleaned up as to not stink like horse before we headed to the town of Killarney to do some sightseeing. Cute town, kinda overrun by tourists, but there were some really nice things just outside town that we focused our energies on.
ROSS! You have your own castle! They're waiting for
you to come back and be king. Seriously, if you can't read the sign, the place is called
Ross Castle. Let us know if you want some renovation help.
Over the ducks. And boats.
Too bad you can't lay claim to the palace down the street. I can't remember the name, but it was gorgeous and had fabulous grounds and views of the lake.
I could live here. I don't think I'd ever get sick of the views.
The grounds were extensive around the house, so we spent some time walking around the lake and on the hiking trails. I couldn't get enough of the clean air, water, and beautiful sky. That combination is pretty much impossible in Madrid.
I told you that you'd see funny faces from Brian.
Am I posting too many lake pictures?
Near the palace/my future home, there was a waterfall that spilled into the lake. We went on a mini-hike up there as well.
And then looked back at the lake a little bit... (I love this picture)
And then stole a few last glances at the lake before heading back to town for dinner and of course more Irish beer.
Guinness,
Murphy,
Bailey and
Bulmer all became good friends on this trip :)
We decided to make the most of our vacation and get a great night's sleep that night. I think we both agreed that touring a lot slower than we normally do was a great change for us. Typically, I like to try to see as much as possible in every single place we go - I don't want to miss out on anything! But, after 6 months in Madrid, I think we were both looking for a change of pace. Sleeping in, eating a big, long breakfast, and then taking our time to go see the one or two things I had planned each day was great for us. We lingered at places, took our time walking around, and had a really flexible day. And, we got a bottle of Baileys and would just hang out at night watching some B-list movie in bed, knowing that we didn't have something we were missing out on, because we were enjoying each other and just hanging out.
A wise friend of mine told me that there is a difference between a Trip and a Vacation. From a trip, you usually need to recover and take a vacation from your "vacation." Taking time to slow down and get to enjoy our days and relax really was perfect for us, and Ireland provided the perfect backdrop. English speakers, great food, incredible scenery, and some of the very nicest people I have ever met. It was great to return to Madrid rejuvenated.
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