September 20, 2016. Last day in Dublin with Kiwi friends

LOCATION:  Dublin, Ireland

WEATHER:  Perfect!  Sunny. Highs in 60s

What serendipity!  About 8 months ago, our first stop from North America was with our friends Ken and Lynette in Auckland, New Zealand.   Now, our last day before returning to North America, we are with them again.

We took a train to a fishing village about 10 miles north of Dublin.  We did a 5-mile hike around the peninsula.  Beautiful views...This is the ferry sailing into Dublin from Wales..

We hiked in a big circle, and ended back in Howth, a real working fishing town.

This monkfish snagged Ken, instead of Ken hooking it!

We had a lovely seafood lunch near the harbor..

George spotted the sign, confirming that a "pint of plain" means ordering a Guinness.

Back in Dublin, we checked out Dublin's smallest pub, where George ordered his "pint of plain".  

We stumbled upon this tiny Italian restaurant, and had one of the best meals of our lives.  We shared a plate of buffalo mozzarella that exploded in our mouths, and a plate of tiny, hand-filled ravioli.  It was to die for!

Later in our hotel's bar, we listened to traditional music, with fond memories of this trip to Ireland.  

September 19, 2016. Irish history, whiskey, music and dancing.

LOCATION:  Dublin, Ireland

WEATHER:  Mostly sunny. Highs upper 50s

We got up very early to get Alexis and Graham off to the airport.  

We had a day full of Irish-ness......

First we visited the Epic Museum, a new one in Dublin, focusing on Irish emigrants and Ireland's contributions to the world.  Very well-done.

We then schlepped our bags from our apartment in the financial district to a hotel near the River Liffey.  We then walked to Dublin's only whiskey distillery for an interesting tour.

 

Back at our hotel, we went to the Celtic Nights dinner show.  It was hours of traditional Irish music and dancing.

The dancers are from River Dance show.  Very good.

 

It was a great Irish day!

September 18, 2016. A fun visit to the Guinness Brewery!

ULOCATION:  Dublin, Ireland

WEATHER:  Rainy.  Cool. Highs about 60

We walked about an hour through Dublin to the Guinness Brewery.

The brewery tour is rated as the #1 tourist stop in Dublin.  

We met up with our friend Ken from New Zealand.  In this past year, we visited Ken and his wife in their home in Auckland, then met in Oxford, and are now together again here.  How cool!

The brewery tour is 7 floors, where we learned about the Guinness family and the brewing process.m on one floor, we took goofy photos using their advertising campaign backdrops.

The tour is self-guided and very nicely done.  At the end, we attended Guinness Academy and learned how to pour the perfect pint.

Here is master Ken....

And George graduated, too!

We enjoyed our pours at the top of the brewery which has a 360-degree view of the city.  Really nice.

Then, George and I found a pub for lunch that  a Guinness employee had recommended.  We had a good "craic". (Sounds like crack, and means conversation) with a Dublin theater producer.  

Then, a walk through the rain to Dublin's famous Temple Bar.  We listened to some musicians playing "trad" (traditional Irish music".

  

Then, a walk back to meet up with Alexis and Graham.  Today was a big sports event, Dublin vs. County Mayo in the Irish equivalent of Super Bowl.  The pubs were busting with raucous fans.  

We had a snack at a craft beer pub, then bought food from a deli for dinner in our apartment. Graham and Alexis have an early morning flight tomorrow, so it was an early night for us.

 

September 17, 2016. A very international day!

LOCATION:  Dublin, Ireland

WEATHER:  Sunny and warm. High about 70

We got up early and said farewell to Annie's Cottage on the Dingle Peninsula.  We had to drive about 3 hours to Dublin to return the rental car by early afternoon.

We stopped for gas in a strange place.  It was called the Barack Obama Plaza.   His great, great, great grandfather emigrated from that town to the USA.  There were signs and pictures all around the station.  The gift shop had lots of Obama "goodies".  

To add to the strangeness, the plaza had a Canadian-based coffee shop, Tim Hortons, beloved by many Canadians.

On to Dublin, where we got totally lost.  We finally found our apartment/hotel, conveniently located in the financial district.  The area is called The Docklands.  It think it was probably once seedy, but has been recently gentrified.  Chock-full of new condos and apartments.  

We walked down the street to check out their Oktoberfest.  It was packed. 

Everyone was drinking German beer, not Guinness today.

For dinner, we went to a Korean BBQ.  We were the only non-Korean customers, a good sign.  We shared "hot pots" with interesting pickled side dishes like tofu and kimchi.  Really good, but we ate totally too much.   

We are staying in a residential area.  It appears to be mostly ling-term residents, with  a few apartments converted to short-stays, like ours.  Very nicely-appointed.  

September 16, 2016. Hiking on the Dingle Peninsula......in the rain

LOCATION:  Castlemain, Ireland, on the Dingle Peninsula

WEATHER:  Light rain on and off, all day. High around 60

Today's plan was to take hikes around the peninsula.  We packed a picnic lunch, and we were off, once there was a break in the rain.  We crossed the peninsula through the small mountain range.  It was beautiful, stark countryside.  The road was really narrow, and I just prayed we wouldn't encounter another vehicle on the sharp curves.  We wanted to climb one steep hill to the top to the remains of an old castle.  This was the muddy start...

And this was our destination, on top....

The mud path  didn't improve, and we sunk in the boggy grass.  We gave up after a short while, as we couldn't afford to get our only shoes wet.  So, plan B.....picnic in the car.

We drove on to the beach near our house.  Sammy's is a fun beach restaurant/pub there.  We walked along the beach some.

The highway around the island is called the Wild Atlantic Way.  Many people speak Gaelic here, and everything is written in both Gaelic and English.

Back home, we played with the animals at the cottage.

DINNER:  We drove to another village for a seafood dinner.  George had fish & chips (hake) and I had steamed mussels.  Yummy!  Served by a very nice Irish lady.

September 15, 2016. Exploring the Dingle Peninsula

I LOCATION:  Castlemain, Ireland on the Dingle Peninsula

WEATHER:  Cloudy in AM; Sunny and beautiful in PM. Highs in 60s

Today's plan was to drive around and see the sites.  We are near the Ring of Kerry, so we started the day with a drive around part of the Ring. Kerry is the peninsula next to us and the Ring of Kerry is a famous scenic drive around the perimeter.   From there, we returned to the Dingle  Peninsula and headed farther out.  

They say that there are "50 shades of green", and I believe that is correct.  The fields are lush.

Our drive had beautiful views of Dingle Bay, then father out to the Atlantic.

We stopped in the town of Dungle for lunch.  This man was playing the fiddle and letting people feed his donkey.

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We had local fish for lunch, then found (of course) the local brewery...

We followed the road around the end of the peninsula.  We checked out these "bee hive huts" built about 2000 years ago.

Back home, Alexis fed our donkeys.

For dinner, we went to a nearby pub and had a traditional Irish dinner of ham, cabbage and potatoes.

September 14, 2016. The Cliffs of Moher

LOCATION:  Castlemain on the Dingle Peninsula

WEATHER:  cloudy in AM. Light rain in PM

We left Galway and headed south toward Dingle.  On our way, we detoured slightly in order to visit the Cliffs of Moher.  They are quite breathtaking....

It is a popular tourist attraction...

As we were finishing our visit, it started to rain.

We scooted to the car and drove on southward.  We stopped at a cute pub for lunch.....fish & chips, scampi and delicious seafood chowder.

Our VRBO is located at the beginning of the Dingle Peninsula.  We stopped in a nearby village to call the owners to let them know we were on our way. The pub was about the only open place in town.   The owner and the sole customer welcomed us warmly, and talked non-stop with a strong Irish accent.  They were so happy to see us and loaned us their cell phone.  As we left, we shook hands all around.

Our VRBO O is called Annie's Cottage, and is truly a cute country cottage.  The dog, cats, donkey and sheep welcomed us.  We met the owners for an orientation, and settled in.

DINNER:  We had planned to shop in the village, but the grocery store had recently closed up.  So, we had leftovers from last night.