Ring of Kerry

This is a perfect post to write today! My friend visited me a couple of weeks ago, and Ireland did NOT show its best to her weatherwise. At the moment we have storm Hannah about to hit Ireland, orange warning and 130km/h gusts set to hit Ireland this weekend. I did not cycle to work this morning.

Anyway, my friend stayed here for 4 days, from Friday to Monday, and I also took those days off from work. On Friday the weather was kinda ok, also sun was shining a bit! I just showed her Limerick, we walked around a lot, went to see St.Mary's Cathedral (only outside because it was closed), and I also showed her a few pubs :).

Bulmers, nice Irish cider

On Saturday we did the Ring of Kerry. We took the Paddywagon Tour, the price is 45 € / person. The bus departed at 8 a.m (sigh), we drove through Adare (I like that place), and the first stop was Killarney (another place I like). We had over an hour there, so we went to the garden, and then shopping! I have wanted to buy Aran Island sweater, and now I finally did it now when the winter is over :D. But hey, I am sure I will need it in the future!

A few pics from Killarney

Nest stop was Kerry Bog Village, and Red Fox. The best thing there was the 2 very cute Irish wolfhound dogs and they were very friendly :). And also the Kerry Bog ponies! The museum is focused on Irish history and culture. Next to the village there is Red Fox Inn, traditional Irish pub that is famous for their Irish coffee. You should drop by...

This view is from the parking lot of the village and the inn.

Next stop was just a couple of minutes from the Kerry Bog Village, it is called River Caragh.

We stopped for lunch in Waterville, the food was nice but the service not so nice. Or the staff was nice, but it just took a long time... we had to eat our food too hot and in a hurry. And we had no time to see the town at all or to take a pic even across the street, we just had to get back to the bus right away. The restaurant was called Red Lobster. I had grilled fish, and chips :)

We continued our Ring of Kerry, and stopped at the highest look out. Holy shit it was windy! I thought it would blow my head off! I did not go near the edge becaue it was slippery too, but a lot of people did. Crazy fuckers. The visibility could've been better, but it was still ok. In clear weather this view would be amazing!

We also had this unplanned stop, just for the scenery to take a few pics.

And another lookout stop

The last stop was the one I had waited the most, because I've seen beautiful pics; Torc waterfall. I was not disappointed. The waterfall is beautiful, but the forest was just something I have never seen before! For me it was like an echanted forest, just WOW. Of course Finland is full of forests, but the trees are not covered in moss like these ones.

That was a long day, and the weather kind of sucked, but still very enjoyable! Sunday was still rainy... so we just visited Hunt Museum, on Sundays it is free!

Then on Monday my friend left back to Finland :(. It was nice long weekend and I really enjoyed it! Well, finally I have done all the posts for now, and next night I will start my 2 week trip to Central Asia. I am flying to Astana (although now it is called Nursultan), then to Almaty, then to Bishkek, then Dushanbe, and back to Astana. I haven't packed anything yet so it hasn't really hit me that it is NOW. My next posts will naturally be about that trip. I am also now in Instagram (finally) with the name nomad.riitta.

Kilrush - Loop Head - Kilkee

A week after St. Patrick's Day the weather forecast for Sunday looked amazing, so I wanted to do a day trip somewhere. I sent a message to a friend on Saturday afternoon if she would like to join me, and if she has an idea where could we go. She has lived here longer so she knows the nearby areas way better than me. She suggested we rent a car for the day and do a little tour she has done before. So, on Sunday morning she got the car from Shannon airport, we took off at 10 and started driving (not to worry, it wasn't me behind the wheel). We called the car a jar of sardines, but it was ok for 2 for just a day trip!

First I have to show you picture of King Johns Castle, the morning was so gorgeous when I was walking to meet her, I had to stop at the bridge and take this photo!

Ok, then off we drove, and the weather was just gorgeous all day! We took the ferry to Kilrush, saw MANY dolphins from the deck, didn't know you could see them in the river as well. I love dolphins and it is so great I live now so close to their natural area. They also do a lot of research on dolphins here, and you can take a dolphin watching cruise in many places. Or you can just take the normal ferry across the river, way cheaper and you see as many dolphins! In this area they are bottlenose dolphins.

Here's a couple of pics from the ferry ride, didn't manage to get any dolphins in the pic, sorry...

And then Kilrush, a lovely little coastal town near the mouth of the River Shannon. It is also one of the listed Heritage Towns in Ireland. From Kilrush you can take the ferry to the nearby Scattery Island, where you can see a very old monastic settlement founded in the 6th century. Ferries run only at summer, and it also depends on the weather conditions. Nobody lives in the island, hasn't lived in 50 years anymore. Kilrush is so beautiful, and it was so peaceful on a Sunday morning, walking around was just relaxing... In high season I am sure it is full of tourists, but now it was just perfect for me.

Pics of Kilrush

The next stop was Loop Head peninsula, where we also had lunch (nice cod but the portion was HUGE!!!). The view is absolutely breath taking, and the light house there is also beautiful. Didn't go in there, but if you go up there, the view is even better. Again, my dear Wikipedia provided more information: In 2010, the Loop Head peninsula was awarded a European Destinations of Excellence Award, which is an EU accolade for emerging tourism destinations which are developing in a responsible and sustainable manner. In 2013, Loop Head was named the “Best Place to Holiday in Ireland” by The Irish Times and was shortlisted in the Best Destination category at the World Responsible Tourism awards. The Loop Head Peninsula is the only Irish destination listed in the 2014 Global Sustainable Top 100 Destinations and in 2015 took the Gold medal at the Irish Responsible Tourism Awards.

Pretty good, huh?

Kilkee is a small coastal town and a popular seaside resort. There you can find The Pollock Holes, which is also known as Duggerna Reef, three natural rock-enclosed pools, with water that is changed by every tide. It is also a great place for diving, Jacques Cousteau declared that it was the best place in Europe for diving, and one of the top five in the world. So divers, there's a tip for you for your next trip! Speaking of famous people related to Kilkee, in 1962 Che Guevara visited there. Thanks again Wikipedia!

Here are the gorgeous pics from Loop Head and Kilkee

Finally I finished this post! Still have Ring of Kerry, will do that tomorrow...