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Katya,
I hope you find the time to finish your trip report - it's terrific. I confess visiting grocery stores is also one of my favorite traveling activities. We were just in New York for a few days (on our way to Ireland from the west coast) and I was thrilled that the second item on my son's to-do list was a trip to Zabar's grocery store! A chip off the old block. Super Valu was my favorite grocery store chain in Ireland :) Ah the cheeses and the warm brown bread! |
Is the brown bread really warm in the grocery stores too?? I thought it would just be warm in the pubs and eateries..just curious..
And Katya--please finish your trip report--we leave in 7 weeks for our trip, so I'm hoping to read several more reports before we go.. Thanks |
katya_NY -- your report is great fun to read and most enjoyable. Thank you for sharing!
Sue (P.S. Michael Collins...really?? Wow!) |
Thanks for the nice comments everyone! This has been a crazy week for both me and my SO, getting ready for school to begin. I think I should be able to write something more today though- after I run a few errands!
PS: Sue- I was surprised, too! We have several old family photos with him, too. It makes my grandfather quite proud! %%- |
Pam,
Yes! the warm brown bread and scones seem to be one of the mysteries of Ireland. Cuisine de France - our theory is that they deliver the baked goods 'ready to bake' and then in the store, they pop them in the oven. Even in gas stations we found warm scones from Cuisine de France. |
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<b> Sunday</b>- We woke up early and had breakfast at our B&B. (Once again- rather strange. For example, everyone was seated with their backs to each other- not conducive for conversation. The breakfasts were the smallest we were served- I don’t eat meat, so when I told them that, they gave me one small scoop of scrambled eggs. On a big plate! The kitchen door was slammed shut every time someone came or went- it was a very strange, uncomfortable breakfast.) Our B&B was located on the beginning of the Beara Peninsula, and the weather was nice. We headed out for a drive on the Coastal Road. It was simply incredible. The road itself was winding and we took it very slowly, but the scenery was just breathtaking. We stopped into O’Sullivan’s Grocery Store in Eyeries for snacks along the road. We enjoyed visiting a 9-hole golf course along the road, too (my SO plays golf, but his dad LIVES for golf!). On the way home, we took the Healy Pass - which we highly recommend for the scenic views. It was a beautiful day, and I think we probably took more pictures on this day than any other. I would highly recommend the Ring of Beara, because I cannot imagine that the Ring of Kerry could be more beautiful! We had another quick prix-fixed dinner in Kenmare, this time at Foley’s (but Coachman’s was better the night before). We did a bit more shopping, and then took a nice drive through the “neighborhoods” in the area. I always like to try to imagine what it would be like to live in the places I visit- Kenmare is nice, but I bet in the winter things get a bit… slow. I think Kilkenny would be a better fit for us! After our drive it was home for some fun Irish TV. Tomorrow- off to Ventry! |
<b>Monday</b>- We were up early again for our drive. We ate a quick breakfast at the B&B and checked out (once again- seemed to be a hassle!). We were ready to see what Dingle had to offer us.
Our first stop was in Killarney National Park. We stopped and walked around for awhile, opting to skip the cart rides for a nice walk. The roads are still pretty tight in places in the park, and we were in no rush- but some people felt differently. We pulled to the side and let a car pass- and sadly, just about a mile up the road, we found that the same car had driven head on into the wrong lane, causing an accident. It caused quite a back up of traffic, but everyone was more or less okay (thank goodness). We definitely kept a slow pace that day, but we really appreciated the natural beauty of the park. My SO came upon some (what we assume were) baby goats- still pure white colored. The park is probably deserving of a full day, but we took an abbreviated tour. It was a lovely drive- but take it slow!!! We drove north on some pretty decent roads (yay!) and it seemed to be a shorter drive than we had anticipated. Of course, today it wasn’t raining, so that helped! It was clear and sunny, and we really enjoyed the drive north. If memory serves, we finally arrived in Dingle Town around 1pm. It was PACKED with tourists and tour buses. Frankly, we were unimpressed! We continued down the road to Ventry to check in to our B&B. We were staying at Ballymore House in Ventry- a very cute house with views of the Ventry Bay. The home owners were very nice and showed us to our room. My SO & I decided, upon the inn keeper’s suggestion, to head AWAY from Dingle until later (when the tour buses leave!). So we drove on, enjoying the scenery of Slea Head. The beaches were great, and while there were a LOT of people in the scenic areas, it was still gorgeous. My SO consented to stopping at Louis Mulcahey’s for a short visit (I couldn’t resist!). We enjoyed seeing the so-called “Famine Cottages”, and just the simplicity of the rugged coastline was beautiful. We returned to our B&B, where they had a wonderful peat fire going (why doesn’t Yankee Candle make a peat scented candle?? They have everything else!!). Our hosts recommended having a bite to eat in town at Moriarty’s, which was great. While the town had a very strong touristy feel, we were happy to find a nice mix at this pub. We sat with a local family and chatted over dinner. After dinner, we decided to call ahead to our next B&B to see if we could come a day early. We were scheduled to spend another day in the Dingle area, but we were concerned about being too cramped on our last two days, and we felt we had seen a good amount of what Dingle had to offer. Luckily, our next B&B had space, so we lucked out! <i> (Our Ventry B&B (Ballymore House) was very nice and understanding about the change- we felt badly leaving them, but then again- it was our vacation, too. As it turned out in the end, they were able to fill our room for the following night, so we felt better. ) </i> My SO and I enjoyed a walk through town after dinner, and planned our attack for the next day! |
I am cracking up about your Yankee Candle comment... when we first got to Ireland, I thought our car was overheating. I kept smelling something that was obviously heated but smelled electric/melting- turns out it was peat fires. I learned to love that smell and would give almost anything to smell it right now.
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You can order a ceramic peat-burning cottage (sort of like an incense burner) from various catalogs and online: http://www.abitofhome.ca/page/C1/PROD/50823-01
http://www.irishongrand.com/detail/107 http://www.irishturfpeatincense.com/shop/ http://irishincense.com/ You can order just the turf: http://www.obriensirishcottage.com/p...emo.asp?id=171 http://www.irishpeat.com/ Enjoy! |
IrishEyes: Thanks so much for your post! I just placed an order for some peat for my SO... he'll be so happy!!
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katya_NY, Did you get the cottage incense burner or the real stuff? Everyone will wonder what it is!
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IrishEyes: I ordered the incense burner, as we don't have a fireplace. I might get some peat for my parents though...
Hopefully the incense will smell authentic! Have you tried it? |
katya_NY, I haven't tried it yet. I like the smell of peat from a distance but too close up can be overpowering to me. I get a ton of Ireland related catalogs and have seen them for sale. I think they are tiny chunks of turf that come with the cottage. It probably smells authentic. You will have to let us know when yours arrives. It would make a great gift.
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Katya,
I'm really enjoying your report, and the banter about the smell of peat!! It makes me anxious to get to Ireland to smell what you are talking about...Not long now. I will be posting soon with final questions, etc. I can't wait to read more!!! Pam |
My husband and I also loved the smell of peat burning. As we drove through Ireland we always knew we were getting close to a village or town when we could smell the peat smoke. We thought of buying a few peat logs, but wondered if they would have been conviscated at customs.
Thank you Irish Eyes for the links, and Katya for the trip report We loved Ireland, and will be returning in 2006. |
celticmoon, Happy to provide the links. It only took a few minutes Googling the proper words to find. Now if only they could bottle that "green" smell from Ireland. I would be in line for that one. I'm off to Ireland again in several weeks. I can't wait for cool weather!
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IrishEyes: to follow up-- the peat burner is adorable, and the smell is warm and rather authentic!! Thanks again for the suggestion!!
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Katya, I can't believe I found your post - you completed a nearly identical trip as my husband and friends are planning! Can I ask some questions?
--We were planning to stay two days in Kilkenny and doing day trips like you did. Sounds like you were happy with that amount of time? I would definitely skip Waterford in favor of a different stop. --How long did it take to drive from Kilkenny to Kenmare including your stop at the Rock of Cashel? --We were planning on staying in Kenmare for three days and doing day trips (Nat'l park, Dingle Penninsula) - good idea or do you suggest a better base? --We planned to take one whole day to drive back to Dublin from Kenmare - bad idea? It's quite a haul but thought it would be fun siteseeing; we'd just plan a really long day. You left off on Monday - what did you do on Tuesday and Wednesday? THANK YOU so much for all the great info and for any info you can provide! -Laura |
Oh,no! I've been caught!! I never did get to finish my trip report... So maybe tonight's the night!
<b> Tuesday- </b> we were ready to head out of Dingle for northern territories by Tuesday AM. We had an absolutely lovely Irish breakfast at the Ballymore House before heading out. We were driving to the Bunratty area, where we would spend our last two nights in Ireland! Upon an excellent recommedation |
Oops... hit the "post" button... sorry folks, wasn't ready yet!:-p
Tuesday- we were ready to head out of Dingle for northern territories by Tuesday AM. We had an absolutely lovely Irish breakfast at the Ballymore House before heading out. We were driving to the Bunratty area, where we would spend our last two nights in Ireland! It was really nice, and it was such a beautiful day – seemed a shame to leave! The weather was gorgeous, and we headed out toward Tralee. We drove for awhile, and decided to take the ferry from Tarbert across the Shannon River. It was a great idea (Val originally told us about it!). 14E for the 20 minute ride, straight across- avoided Limerick, etc. Plus, we saw dolphins swimming in the water! It was great- then straight on to Bunratty. We checked into our last B&B of the trip- Dunaree. It is in a row of B&Bs along the low road from the castle, and it is gorgeous! We had an en suite room at the end of the hall on the first floor- with a queen and twin bed! The room was great, and it looks out onto the garden. Of course, sheep across the road- even near the touristy spots, farms are everywhere! We unpacked a bit and headed into town. My SO and I had a quick lunch at the Creamery, and then a bit of shopping. Since we knew time was tight, we drove back to the B&B, grabbed our free coupon, and headed back to the Bunratty Folk Village. It was a bit of a rip off, even with one free admission. We went for a ride around the surrounding towns- checked out Shannon (feels like an American suburb) and hit our first McDs of the trip! We stopped in Sixmilebridge, got a few snacks ( aero bars are for the suitcase!) , then back into Bunratty for dessert at Kathleen’s. Very touristy, but the dessert & coffee were great- plus they had TV! Drove to Dunaree, where Michael met the household puppies. Early to bed- off to the Cliffs of Moher tomorrow! <b> Wednesday- </b> Last full day in Ireland, and the weather was fantastic! We got up early for a great breakfast (French toast!) at Dunaree, then off to the Cliffs of Moher. Lots of tourists, but we were there early so we missed the onslaught. Then, drove to the Burren- had some trouble finding “it”, but after awhile, were successful. We made a stop in Lisdoonvarna for lunch-make that ice cream- and then back to the B&B. After walking around town (there is no "town" in Bunratty- just shops!), we headed to dinner. We tried some places but wound up at Kathleen’s again- had our last dinner (fish & chips, bacon & cabbage- with Bulmers and Guinness, of course!) and drove around a bit. The weather was perfect- even a bit warm- all day. We both got some sun, but esp. my SO! Came home to pack, etc. Tomorrow our flight is at 1pm, so we have to turn in the rental car around 10ish, then off to the airport! It was a great last day in Ireland! <b> Thursday- </b> We had a wonderful final Irish breakfast (well, I had crepes- but still lovely!) and made an early strat for the airport. After our "fun" at Hertz in Dublin, we were ready for a less-than-easy time returning the car... and we were right! This time, the agent tried to blame us for a scrape in the wall of a tire (of course, the ONE part of the car that isn't covered by the super CDW!). Well, my SO wasn't having any of this, and I can be pretty feisty, too... so we explained how we had been forced into an upgrade in Dublin, etc... luckily, the agent let us off without an additional charge. That would have REALLY left a bad taste in our mouths!! After checking in for our flight, we strolled through the duty free gift shop... if we come back, I will remember the EXCELLENT PRICES here! I was happy to be able to pick up some brown bread for my mom, though! We flew home, and almost immediately started thinking about our next trip. We definitely want to go north a bit more next time... and hopefully, the next time will be very soon!!! |
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