Day 16- Kenmare, Killarney, Barefield and Galway!

We woke up early and packed our bags before heading down to breakfast at 8:00 AM.  The caretaker of the guesthouse had prepared the most delicious meal for us.  We enjoyed coffee, greek yogurt and fresh fruit, porridge prepared in traditional Irish fashion with cream whiskey liquor, scrambled eggs with smoked salmon and toast.  Whoa!  

After breakfast, we bought some cheese and bread at a local cafe and got back on the road.  Kenmare is an enchanted town and we were truly sad to be leaving it so quickly.  We're sure that we could have stayed there for weeks and explored the biking, boating and hiking possibilities.  As we drove out of town, the sun was shining down on the storefronts of the main street and the locals were out grabbing coffee and setting up produce stands, we could hardly stand to go.

We had another clear, sunny day on our side today.  As we drove out of Kenmare, we quickly realized how magnificent the scenery was!  We drove up through farmlands, gaining elevation and heading towards Killarney National Park where we planned to take a morning hike.  As we descended into the park area, we were floored by the beauty that surrounded us.  Sheep walking on the side of the road greeted us with their, "Baaaah's".  Where were their shepherds? The road became windy and narrow as drove into the most wonderfully green peet pastures that opened up into a system of lakes.  We drove by one huge lake after another and we were blown away by our luck to be there.  At one point we stopped to get out and touch the water rushing down past the road from a waterfall.  The mist was floating in the air...it was magical.  

Soon, we came to the Torc Waterfall parking lot.  This was our stop as the trail head was nearby.  We were greeted by a horse and carriage offering to take us on a guided tour.  If we weren't jonesing so badly for exercise, we would have considered it.  Nevertheless, we carried on with our journey.  After briskly walking to the nearby waterfall and snapping a picture, we turned around and walked towards the trail head which our hiking guide book told us was the Muckross House.  

Looking for the Muckross House, we hurriedly followed the horse path along the side of the road.  In about 20 minutes time we had no signage and began to wonder if we were on track.  We had lots of plans for the day, so we didn't have time to spare.  It was then that we encountered two elderly sweethearts out on their morning walk.  The man had his walking cane in hand, the woman wearing her crystal earrings.  In our best non-stressed out American attempt, we asked if we were heading the right way. They told us that the house was right around the corner.  Shew!  Thank you universe!

Not only is Muckross House absolutely gorgeous- the grounds are very well manicured and maintained.  Now there were several horse and carriage's waiting to be hired.  We talked about how we hoped someone would fancy a tour really soon as we felt sorry for the horses just standing there with their blinders on.  Poor guys!  We scooted past the house and continued on our walk.  The path took us through a wooded area and around the lake, eventually winding back to the parking lot near the Torc Waterfall.  Along the way we sang songs and tried to tempt the local wildlife- specifically- the Pine Martin, an adorable fuzzy little tree-living, squirrel-like cuddly creature to come out and play.  We had fun singing but were unsuccessful in our attempt to make friends with the locals.  We trekked on, in and out of the rain for a few hours before the hike was over.

After the hike, we drove to Ross Castle in Killarney for our lunch picnic.  What an unbelievably stunning setting for a castle, nestled right up to a lake .  Swan's swam nearby, there were boats for hire and the foot traffic was minimal.  We sat and ate slowly, sharing a 1/2 bottle of wine and enjoying this slow-paced life.  What a treat!  

Back on the road, our next mission was Barefield, Ireland.  We drove through the most amazing farm land and listened to pop music on the radio.  When we reached Barefield, Carmen began to fiercely snap photos of each traffic sign with the word- BAREFIELD written on it.  It was so exciting for her to see her name everywhere.  The town is very small, mostly just a road with a few houses, a church, 2 bars and a pre-school.  We pulled the car over and walked into the church.  To be noted, we didn't have any prior arrangements or plans coming into this situation, just intentions to try and talk to the locals about the last name Barefield and it's presence in the community.  Luckily, we ran into a nice woman in the church who was happy to talk to us.  She lived in town and told us that she did not recognize Barefield as a family name. Hmmm.  She said that we should contact the local library down the road and speak with their genealogy specialist about the name and it's relationship with County Claire.  We didn't really have enough time to get there before their office closed for the day, so we decided to take a few photos and continue on our way to Galway.  As it turns out, Carmen has more research to do concerning her roots.  Barefield was a great stop though as it led her in a better direction in her pursuit.  

We drove another hour or so before pulling into Galway and hitting major traffic.  How unexpected!  This must have been the first traffic pile up on our trip yet!  How unfortunate after our long day of driving.  Gavin, being the expert European driver that he is took this opportunity to get us out of there!  As soon as possible, he turned the car onto a side road and we were outta there!  Our search for a nice, yet affordable hotel was on.  Two stops into our search we found our spot- a nice, modern hotel in the heart of town with a comfortable bed, parking and breakfast, perfect!

We unpacked our bags and went out for a stroll on Quay Street.  Quay Street is a very popular street with lots of shops, restaurants, bars, live music and typical tourist attractions.  As we strolled down the street, we looked at the restaurant menu's and noticed how many people were out and about.  We continued walking, crossed a bridge and found ourselves in the West Side of town.  Again, there were several bars and restaurants to choose from.  Although on this side of town the bars were smaller and the restaurants looked like they were the up and coming spots.  We stopped into a bar and had a Guinness poured for us by an award winning bartender whose "perfect Guinness pour" had won in Galway for several years in a row and his trophy's were displayed about.  We tried to eavesdrop, but most of the men in the bar were discussing the news which we had sworn off during our honeymoon.

After our drink, we walked back to Quay Street for dinner which was a two stop journey.  First, we had oysters and a glass of wine at one very busy restaurant and then we walked around the corner for Indian food.  We had intended on going out to hear live music, but after dinner all we could think about was our cozy bed.  So, we let ourselves off the hook and went home to snuggle.  What an eventful day!

Day 15- Bantry to Kenmare

Today, we woke up with intentions to drive from Bantry Bay towards Kenmare, stopping to take a hike or bike ride somewhere beautiful along the way.  We were so jazzed on the biking possibilities in the area after yesterday's drive to Sheep's Head Lighthouse where we drove along the most pristine biking roads you could imagine- world class! Yesterday was a bit painful to not be on a bike on such lightly traveled back roads.  So a bike ride or hike was on our list of to-do's for the day.

After breakfast, we packed our bags and said goodbye to our lovely penthouse hotel room in Bantry and hopped in the car.  The weather had significantly changed from sunny and clear to gray and drizzly.  We decided to start driving a loop around the edge of the Beara Peninsula (just north of Bantry Bay), and stop where we felt inspired. We had a beautiful drive out to the tip of the Peninsula, stopping at a number of spots.  We came across the most gorgeous kelp filled cove replete with funky old wooden boats, great for photographs and bird watching. A bit later, we came upon a large protected inlet near Adrigole with a shop advertising canoe, kayak and boat rental shop.  Gavin quickly pulled the car over and got out to investigate hiring a boat for a bit of a float, only to find out that the shop was closed for the season.  Arg!  We drove on...

We arrived at Castletown-Bearhaven, a medium size fishing town, with a great smell of fish in the main plaza and a busy harbor. We got out to grab food for a picnic lunch and passed a woman on horseback with a guitar in a case slung over her shoulder and a pack horse trailing behind. We heard a local call, "hallo!" and ask where she might be going. "I'm going a wandering!", the woman on horseback replied. Adventure, all around us.  We walked on, entering a gourmet deli and stocked up on delicious cheeses, nuts, fruit, wine, crackers and olives, then drove up the road to another 3000 year old circle of standing stones (the Derreenataggart Stone Circle) we had heard about in the area. When we arrived, we saw hundreds of pieces of string, ribbon, beads, etc tied to a tree near the standing stones. We decided to add out own items to the tree for luck, then approached the stones. The stones occupy the top of a small rise on a hill, are surrounded by good pasture land and have views to the mountains at the center of the peninsula and out to the sea. It's amazing to think how long people have been living near and visiting these stone circles, and how long people must have lived in the area before attaining a level of social organization to built such a lasting monument... And what a thought to imagine that these stone monuments have been here for so long with out a fence or guard of any sort and no one has spray painted them or defaced them in any way!  We enjoyed feeling very small and enjoyed our moment in time, then closed our eyes and tried to feel a difference in the energy of the standing stones. We both found a favorite stone, then said goodbye and jumped back in the car to continue our drive out to the tip of the peninsula and to find a hike.

As our drive continued, the road got smaller and smaller and the views better and better. Soon, we were passing through steep pastureland looking down on crashing surf, past cows, sheep and horses unperturbed by the continuing rain. When we reached to tip of the peninsula, we were rewarded by the view across the small gap of water separating the Beara Peninsula from nearby Dursey Islands. The peninsula and the island are connected by an old funicular which travels slowly along cables about 100 ft above the seething sea. Apparently the cable car is used primarily to transport livestock to and from the island, which is uninhabited, save for sheep. As we arrived, we were lucky enough to get to see the cable car in action, slowly crawling back along the old wires, returning from a trip to the island.

There was a parking lot near the cable car, amazing ocean views, lots of sheep and rain, and a hiking trail that led around the tip of the peninsula. We walked out onto the trail and had some great explorations, then returned to the car to avoid becoming overly soaked and shivery, hoping we'd be able to hike more in another spot when the rain let up a bit. So, we hopped back in the car and headed towards Kenmare, following the smallest roads we could find on the northern side of the peninsula. What another spectacular drive! But, how it pained us to be sitting in the car watching this AMAZING scenery go by without getting to smell, touch, feel, sweat in it! We wished we had bikes! We wished we were hiking it! But, we were driving it and now it was nearly dark. We both felt a bit let down to not get to have more exercise in such a phenomenal setting, but accepted that this is the hard truth when traveling - you just can't do it all. It was one of the few times on the trip we regretted not planning ahead.

When we arrived at Kenmare, we found a sweet little Bed and Breakfast on the main drag in town to call home for the night.  We carried our bags in, unloaded, signed up for breakfast and walked into town to find dinner.  After searching for a quant location that inspired us, we decided on the restaurant underneath our B&B.  We were seated in a private booth and received wonderful service and shared a lovely meal- one of the best of the trip!  The wine was great, the chef presented us with an amuse-bouche, we had yummy fresh fish and sushi and completed the meal with a dessert.  It was divine.  

After eating like royalty, we headed back upstairs to our humble B&B room and retired for the evening.  We were looking forward to our hike in the are the next day, determined to prioritize exercise above all else.