3/12 Amazing Dingle Penninsula

Hotel breakfast buffets continue to be excellent. Poached eggs and little potato pancakes have been added. In spite of the long bus rides we are averaging 10,000 steps a day and the weather is getting colder, so a hearty breakfast is very welcome.

We had a little time before we had to go leave so Gary, Erin, Joe and ourselves thought we'd exchange more dollars for euros. The weather was not cooperating - it was windy and rainy and hailing, although not at the same time - it literally changed every 5 minutes. 

In spite of the enormous amount of tourism in this small country, currency exchange seems to be a hard thing to do. The first bank we went to didn't do exchanges. The second bank wanted a 20% fee. When we balked at that, someone suggested we try the post office (the sign said "An Post" which I think stands for "The Post"). Nope, they didn't do it either. By then we realized we wouldn't be able to do it before the bus left so we stopped in Tesco for a few things (cough drops for me, Flake candy for Randy).  We still had a couple of minutes left before our bus left so we went to the Aran Sweater Market across from the hotel. This lovely store is full of beautiful sweaters and scarves made from thick, cuddly wool. Just the thing if we were still living in Illinois. But they won't do in Florida at all.

There are laws about how many days in a row that a bus driver can drive so Brendan had scheduled himself off today and his friend Greg took over. Greg looked a lot like Brendan - he may have been a bit taller and trimmer, but not much. And he had a slightly different accent to get used to. According to Brendon folks in this area almost sing their words; they talk with a bit of a lilt. He also said that makes Greg sound like he's about to cry all the time! These guys are old friends. 

Greg was chatty, too. He told us about Jack Duggan, aka Jack Donahue, aka one of the Wild Colonial Boys who he described as an Irish Robin Hood. Jack was transported to Australia and according to the famous ballad he robbed the rich to feed the poor...not sure how accurate that is.

As Greg drove us through Ennis the sun came through and we saw a wide rainbow stretched across a mountain. Not in the air - it was lying across the mountain side. 

Greg thinks well of President Clinton. In 1995 Clinton visited Ireland and worked with others on a peace process. Greg tells that at one point during negotiations people had to block the door to keep others from walking out. 

Greg also told us about The Rose of Tralee. The origin story is that a young woman named Mary was so beautiful that she was called the Rose of Tralee. When she passed away (young), her father created the Rose of Tralee Commemorative Hotel. And there continues to be an annual festival where a Rose of Tralee is crowned. 

Then Gregg stopped so we could get out and admire the coastline. So beautiful. 

Soon we were in a different area and it was time for another stop. Greg found the perfect place to pull off the road for a photo op. And what a photo op it was! This is one of the most beautiful sights ever! This may be my favorite place in all of Ireland. 

Unfortunately we had to get back on the bus and continue to the harbor town of Dingle. And Dingle is no slouch to look at, either. Picturesque as all get-out. 

One of their claims to fame is a dolphin named Fungie. This guy showed up in 1983 and just seems to like people. He's usually out in the harbor but for those of us who are on land, there's an attractive life-size statue of him. 

The harbor is currently home to boats and ships, and a few tourists!

One of the first things to do was get lunch. We trooped into an unknown restaurant and read the dolphin menu.

Fish and Chips and seafood chowder - perfect! Then it was time to walk around the town. It was here that we found a scarf and hat for our dear friends and pet sitters Pete and Donna. 

When it was time to move on, Greg took us to the South Pole. Sort of. It's the South Pole Inn, founded by an extraordinary man named Tom Crean.

The first thing they did was serve us Irish coffee. Good start!

Then the current owner told us the story of Tom Crean. The farmer's son enlisted in the navy at 15 and did some regular sailing. Then, when one of Scott's men deserted from his ship Discovery, Tom volunteered. That ship went to the Antarctica where in 1902 she became locked in the ice, and Crean and some others remained there until February 1904. The next big adventure was on the Tera Nova, going back to the Antarctica. When things went wrong there Crean walked out with a little chocolate and 3 biscuits to get help. Over 30 miles and 18 hours later he arrived at camp and sent help back to the others. Not done with the cold life, Crean followed this up by sailing on the Endurance...back to Antarctica. When that expedition went south (pun intended), Tom was again walked out for help. This time he had a couple of buddies but it was 30 miles again. A couple of years later when Shackleton invited him to go on yet another expedition, he declined - his new wife was expecting and that seemed like challenge enough.  Instead he started this charming public house, which thankfully is still in business. 

Then it was time to go. Greg drove us along another wild coastline - the phrase "Wild Atlantic Way" is used to describe this area, and it fits. The coastline reminded us of the rough Oregon coastline. 

From the bus we could see hardy sheep waiting for the sun to come out. Farmers use dabs of paint to tell them certain things about their sheep. The only one I remember is that paint on their rump indicates the local ram, who wears a bag of dye under his belly, has done his thing. 

Then Greg did something that made him my very best friend. He stopped at a roadside attraction of a couple of Clochans, which are "beehive" huts made by dry stacking stones into an igloo shape. Greg said they were prehistoric. I don't know about that but when he asked if anyone wanted to get out to take pictures, I said yes! I was the only one who did, perhaps it was on private land and costs money, or maybe because I had to run across the road to get there. When I stepped into the yard the sign said it cost 3 euro. Fortunately I had exactly that amount in my pocket. I handed it to a guy, laughing about how I was just handing out money when I didn't even know if he was the right guy. He smiled and said yes, he was the guy with milk bottles in his pockets. While I was wondering what that meant, he led me into a little stable, reached down into a pen, picked up a lamb and plopped it into my arms! WOW! The little thing totally relaxed and let me cuddle him. He was clean and fluffy and warm. The guy automatically took my camera and snapped a few photos. I never give my camera to someone I don't know but thing time I didn't hesitate. The lamb's mom and sibling watched quietly - no stress here. I couldn't get enough of how soft and sweet that little black-faced lamb was. I am such a tourist!

Oh, yes, they have stone huts, too.

The bus driver was ready to leave so I snapped a couple of shots of the huts before running back across the road. I will always remember that cuddly little lamb!

As I came down to earth, we continued along the wild coastline, with the weather changing every few minutes. 

We passed the remains of some famine huts, and I tried to take a photo through the bus window to remind me of these poignant relics. 

On the horizon was an island nicknamed the Sleeping Giant. Yep, I can see that. 

And on and on, more beautiful coastlines. The Dingle Peninsula is truly beautiful. 

Somewhere along here we passed what is known as Smuggler's Cove, although I don't really where it was. Maybe here?

How do they farm that far up the mountain?

For dinner Greg stopped at Foley's Restaurant, where they were expecting us. Every nice restaurant and most pubs we've stopped at have a fireplace with a warm, cheerful fire going, and Foley's was no exception.

Our group settled down in for a nice dinner and entertainment.

Randy ordered the Vegetable Spring roll salad and chili sauce, Dingle Hake with veggies and potato, while I had the soup of the day and Beef and Guinness stew. The food was excellent, although I liked the soup better than the stew. 

This was followed by trio of sweet little desserts - chocolate cake, cheesecake, and whipped cream with a strawberry (still no sugar in their whipped cream).  And of course, Guinness.

And that was followed by live entertainment. We had been wanting Irish music and this time we got it. A young couple carrying guitars came in and proceeded to sing a what sounded like Irish folk songs. The guy was good and the girl was even better. They even sang one song in Gaelic. After awhile one of the owner's daughters came out and, playing an accordion, joined them. I didn't know an accordion could sound so sweet. 

Next her twin sister stood up and sang, acapella, a lovely song. Not to be outdone, Chef Mary came out of the kitchen to sing.

And for the final number, the owner stepped out and sang another song, accompanied by her daughter. Gee, I love this place!