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- Killarney Girls
We awoke in Killarney and went to bed in Killarney. It was lovely!
Today was dedicated to the Ring of Kerry. It is a 134 miles of gorgeous in County Kerry. The road circles around and through mountainous landscape. Cliffs give way to the beauty of the sea or a hidden lake. It is just marveling!
I don’t believe I did the Ring of Kerry last time I was here. I’m unsure because when you’re driving in Ireland that is your sole focus. Last time, I came with Bill and we did our own makeshift tour from Dublin to Galway. We circled the bottom-half of Ireland. Bill did most of the driving except for one day. He was sick so I drove. In Ireland, the driver is on the right side of the car and the left side of the road. This is hard enough but throw in the occasional roundabout. And EGADS! I would go around and naturally go back to the other side of the road. Bill got sicker! So, I believe we skipped the Ring and went on to the Cliffs of Moor, which are also breathtaking spectacular.
The bus is the ideal way to experience the Ring. The drivers are experienced. The turns are sharp. There are no guardrails between you and the edge of the cliff. And there are bikers… insane bikers. As I understand from Killarney Katie the normal person bikes the Ring in 8 hours. Not only would it be incredibly strenuous. It’d be scary and dangerous. I was happy that we even had a relief driver for the day. Being alert and fresh is key.
We drove through Waterville where Charlie Chaplain used to frequently visit. His granddaughter Geraldine has a house there. The town has resurrected a statue in his honor. They also have started an annual comedy festival as a Chaplin tribute. We stopped at Scarriff Inn for lunch. Their sign boasts “Irelands Best Known View (Fog Permitting).” This was my Aunt Micki’s fifth visit and the first time seeing the view. The weather in Ireland has been unusually sunny. The locals keep commenting on it. Oh and we also ran in to our Elkhart/Purdue kids at Scarriff that we met yesterday at Sheehan’s. It’s funny in a creepy way.
Speaking of locals, after dining with the family at the Killarney Avenue restaurant, Jenny and I went out for craic. During the outing, we met some lovely girls. Caroline was celebrating her birthday with her gaggle. We were made official Killarney Girls. The designation didn’t come with certification but it did come with shots. 😉