Today was a feast for the eyes as we drove around the Ring of Kerry -- a loop around the southern tip of Ireland & the Killarney National Park. Our first treat for the eyes was the McGillicuddy Reeks (mountains) and the River Caragh which flows beneath them. It was such a magnificent view -- peeks of sun through the clouds, mountains covered in heather, cold water rushing below...just amazing!
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| Sun peeking through the clouds in County Kerry |
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Lisa & Rachel at the River Caragh
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The water in the rivers here is cold & a dark green/gold color due to all the tannins in it. We've seen many waterfalls along the way today. According to our driver/tour guide Nigel, it's not due to springs from underground, but rather due to the impermeability of the mountains -- any water that falls onto them ends up falling off again :)
This is truly the Land of Rainbows! We've seen 3 -- 1 full one in County Tipperary (I was the 1st to find it!), and 2 broken ones in County Kerry. The weather is much like home -- cloudy, sunny, rainy, clear -- just wait a few minutes if you don't like it! The temps have been very mild, though, so even when it rains it's not cold.
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| Panoramic view of the River Caragh |
Our lunch break was in Sneem and we ate at the Riverside Cafe -- beautiful waterfall beside it!
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River through Sneem -- Riverside Cafe is on the right bank
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Then we were off to Killarney National Park & Muckross House. The park is 27,000 acres of which the 1st 15,000 were donated by the last owners of Muckross House and it became the 1st National Park in Ireland. It is breathtakingly beautiful!
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| View of Muckross Lake in Killarney National Park |
In the evening, we hit the Danny Mann pub for some live entertainment by the2-man band Celtic Whisper. It was lots of fun and gave us our first taste of Irish nightlife.
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| Celtic Whisper at the Danny Mann pub |
Tomorrow, it's off to Limerick!
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