Harry and me

Note to self: when coming back into the hotel room, DO NOT put your hotel room key away - you will need it to turn the lights on. Insert key into the small slot on the wall so that all electrical items function. Brilliant but annoying.


Also note to self: Before you spend 10 minutes searching for your Oakleys check the top of your head.

So today I went out on a boat.  But before I get to the boat, let me tell you how I GOT TO the boat.

I went to a beautiful place in the mountains called the Gap of Dunloe. It is just what it sounds like - a gap in the mountains just near Killarney. The boat I needed to get to was on the OTHER side of the gap, which is a 10 kilometer winding path through the mountains. I had three choices - I could ride in a pony cart, walk... OR I could ride a horse.   No brainer.  I used to ride horses fairly regularly as a kid, so what the heck. 

Harry

So meet Harry. Harry carried me for 10 k's through the Dunloe gap. It was an interesting ride that included our tourguide Michael (who led the ponycart) - and the Swiss tourists that rode behind me in the pony cart - the ride was the absolutely unbelievably wonderful. (yes, Harry and I were leading...scary, huh?) I was in the fresh, cool mountain air on a horse and truly can't remember when I've felt so content. It was great.  Course, halfway up I was ready for it to end for reasons of comfort..but toward the end I didn't want it to end. (Just like a woman, I know)

This was at the end of the ride...didn't want it to end. 

Michael our guide. Nice Irish guy with a VERY thick accent - spoke gaelic to the horses, it was very cool.

The first half of the trip was uphill...too bad for Harry. We were sandwiched on either side by beautiful rocky mountains that were dotted here and there with an unexpected sheep or bunch of purple heather. At the very top Michael said we were at 3,000 ft elevation. Throughout the journey we had to squeeze by other carts and cars that were also making the single-lane trek. Temp somewhere in the mid 60's I would say overcast and breezy - perfect weather to be in the mountains. Harry and I were together in the gap for two hours. Scenery was amazing. Quiet except for the mumble of the swiss and an occasional sheep calling. I reluctantly said goodbye to Harry at Lord Brandon's cottage and settled down with a hot coffee to wait for the next part of my journey. 

Have no idea what this flower is???

The boat that took us through the chain of 14 lakes back to Killarney was a small wooden boat - not totally uncomfortable except for the fact that I had just ridden a horse for 2 hours. 

The water appeared almost black - that may have been due to the cloud coverage. It didn't rain, but the wind was brisk enough that I put my hood up. It was probably around 50 degrees with the wind chill factor - and to this Florida girl that felt freezing.

It was relatively quiet but for the soft hum of the boats motor. Once in a while our boat captain would stop and point out a ruin or talk about the lake. Loch Lein was the largest lake we went through, and at one point he said it was 450 ft. deep, which may have accounted for the color of the water.  There are eagles that nest along the cliffs of the river but we were not lucky enough to see them. 

Our boat guide..he was funnier than he looks in this picture

At one point he stopped the boat and pointed out the thick rhododendron that hugs the bank of the river - he said that these plants are choking out the oak trees. To which one Irish passenger said "they were brought over by the Americans, weren't they?".."yes" said the guide "and they are killing the trees"...there was a moment of silence in the boat when everyone looked at me (the only American)...so I smiled and said "well... I apologize"....it was pretty funny. But I did learn yesterday on the Ring of Kerry that in recent years there was a forest fire that could have been much worse but for the rhodedendrum that stopped the fire. So take that.

Ross Castle

We landed on shore at Ross Castle - a 15th century castle from the O'Donahue family. 

I'll miss Killarney tomorrow when I leave. This is a wonderful town. Today I met an artist, Deborah O'Keefe, who actually gave me one of her small greeting cards as  gift, because I admired her pastel of sheep. She was charming. 


I will be on a train to Dublin early tomorrow so I leave you with the signs of Killarney...
Slainte! Off to find some good craic.

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