Ring of Kerry, Jaunting Car and the Dingle Donkey

We had a big day of travel ahead of us.  We left Cork heading to the Ring of Kerry which has been the perennial breadwinner of Irish tourism for decades.  The road is a winding coastal,lake laden road with breathtaking scenary....in other words, "Don't look out the window, there's no dang shoulder on the road!" LOL!  Seriously, the ride was GREAT! The weather was clear, sunny and cool!  We drove to Killarney to ride in a jaunting car into the Killarney National Park (motor vehicles not allowed unless going to the Muckross House).  Being the curious type, the old broads googled "jaunting car" thinking  they are early Ford model sedans.......NOOOOO, these are horse drawn buckboard modes of transportation!  We had a very colorful driver named Mick and his trusty steed, Jimmy.  Mick earns his tips by flirting with the ladies in the wagon! Let's just say he is not going to be a rich $$ man!
The driver took us to Muckross House. This Victorian home sits right on the edge of the Killarney National Park. This mansion has 65 rooms and was visited in 1861 by Queen Victoria I.  It took the family 5 years to prepare the house and ground for this three day visit!
We had a stop at a pub called the South Pole Inn, once owned by the Antarctic explorer, Tom Crean. Read up on this guy!  Pretty impressive adventurer.
After the visit , we all shuttled to the bus and off we went like a herd of turtles toward our hotel in Dingle, the Benner Hotel.   This is a very quaint hotel in the wonderful village of Dingle (pop1500) just large enough to have all the tourist services and a steady nocturnal beat of traditional Irish music. As a welcome, the owners of the hotel presented the group with "Dingle Donkeys" ...a tasty cocktail of ginger ale and a new vodka being distilled in the area.
We had a wonderful meal in the hotel and the table discussions again turned to healthcare reform and the decline of the family unit in America.  Lol!

(Since we have decent internet access tonight, we're going to go ahead and update today's activity.)

Tuesday: Not a lot on the agenda today.  We got to sleep in this morning since we were not scheduled to head out until  10:00.  We promptly climbed on the bus at 9:55 and headed out on a bus tour of the Dingle pennisula.   This coast line drive circles back around to Dingle and is absolutely gorgeous!  Rugged, isolated, and very dramatic.  It rivals the coastlne of southern California.   Upon our arrival back in Dingle, we stopped at the Dingle Brewing Company for a tour of the microbrewery with a tasting of a very light pilsner, Crean beer. (Yes, named after the explorer.)  Not bad at all.  They are currently working with distribution agents to get their product in the States starting with the Boston area.   We had lunch at a pub offering very good fresh fish and chips.   After walking around the town and window shopping, we headed back to the hotel to get rested before dinner.  Dinner was a great meal again.  Table conversation was about places we have all visited and adventures we have had.  (A much more enjoyable  conversation than the previous night.)  

Good night to all!

 View of our hotel in Cork. 

 One of the Killarney lakes on the way into Killarney. There are three lakes that can be seen on the descent into Killarney, each appropritately named lower, middle and lower.

 More Killarney Lake.

 Us, happy that it is not raining.

 Deb in the front seat of the jaunting car.

 The jaunting car - yes folks it is a fancified buckboard.

Mick & one crazy broad

 Killarney monastery.

 Muckross House.

200 year old oak in the gardens at Muckross house.

 Dingle bay.

 A pub stop at the South Pole pub named for Tom Cream, an Irishman whose bravery on two south  pole exhibitions is well documented.

 South Pole pub.

Countryside. The criscross patterns are the sheep paddocks.

Ring of Kerry.

Two old broads trying to not be blown off a cliff.

Dingle peninsula.

 Dingle brewery.

Fresh beer tasting BEFORE LUNCH!!!