A Day on the Ring of Kerry

While at the Muckross Stables we drove around the Ring of Kerry.  We heard conflicting reasoning on which direction to go.  We read that it was wise to go counter-clockwise.  It even said to do so on our map.  But, after speaking to three different locals we decided to go the other way.  We were told it was much more beautiful to go clock-wise.  It was quite the drive.  Because of all of the stopping and going it took us all day.  It was a beautiful drive and I am glad we added it to our list of

 "Places to see".

This is the second place we stopped by on our trip.  It was quite majestic.

This man came up to us asking if we wanted a ride in his boat.  His Irish accent was so strong I barely understood him and we've been living among the Irish for a year now.  If we would have had more time we definitely would have hired him.

I could have stayed here all day.  The serenity of it all was amazing.

                                        
                                          Beautiful Church on the view.

We stopped here and ate our packed lunch.  It was a gorgeous view as you can see.  We didn't see any leprechauns but I'm sure they were hiding somewhere.

                                                                                                        
             On the drive we found this cute little shop across from the amazing view.  After eating our lunch we enjoyed some ice cream and the trying on of some hats.  I just had to bye the sheep hat.  It was just too adorable not to.

The fog kept getting thicker and thicker, which at one point, made it impossible for pictures.  That is one of the beauties of Ireland.  You never know what your photographs will look like.  It makes it worth coming back.

Here are some photos I took while driving.  They might make you a bit dizzy but I wanted to show the greenery that we were seeing.

 Because of the fog, I was able to get very little photos of the ocean.  Here are just a few.

The water truly is that blue-green color.  Absolutely gorgeous!

We happened upon this lake somewhere along the Ring.
 

 I had to get a photo of this sweet little horse.  I had that puppy in the pet store window moment.  As soon as I saw him I wanted to take him home.

I'm pretty sure that miniature horses are for either Hobbits or Leprechauns.

Goodbye little fellow...  We'll always remember you!

Some structures we saw while driving.

Muckross Riding Stables in Killarney

Our first trip we took after arriving back to Ireland was to Muckross Riding Stables B&B in Killarney.  This time we had my Hubby's mom with us (aka Nana).   

The first day we arrived we spent the evening enjoying the views by walking the property.  We also were able to take a peak at all of the animals they had there. 

While eating our very yummy Irish breakfast, the next morning, we were able to enjoy the beautiful serene views of greenery and sheep grazing. 

 They had a play area which was a great relief for our little Tater-Tot

They have a petting zoo and anyone can go to it even if they don't stay at the B&B.

As you can see, this puppy was very excited to see us. 

One of the mornings there we took Tater-Tot out for a quick ride on one of their ponies.  They told us his name was Joey.  He was a wonderfully gentle pony. 

 The kids had a great time playing on the tire swing. 

The Donkey was quite curious as to what we were doing.  He decided to come by and say hi.  We didn't mind a bit.

My two favorite things about this B&B was the animals that walk freely on the property. The horses and donkey were out during the evenings and the sheep roam freely all day and night.  The ponies kept reminding me of the ponies in the book  

Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien.   

My other favorite thing was the scenery.  It was quite lovely.  I could have stayed there much longer had we the time.  This is one B&B we will never forget.  I can truly say it was our favorite place in all of Ireland.

Finally an Update!

For any of you who may still look at this blog, I am guessing you have most likely given up on reading it since I haven't blogged in such a long time.  Please know, I have no intentions of ending my blog time.  I enjoy it quite a bit.  It's wonderful to have a public journal.  I will take breaks at times and some times I may take long ones but I plan on always being back.  One thing I will always have is photographs and something to say.

In April we went back to New Mexico to visit family and friends for the summer.  Our main purpose was to see our oldest daughter graduate from high school.  For those of you who don't know, we homeschool our children.  We chose to go home for the purpose of family and friends to see the graduation. 

My Hubby went back to Ireland while we stayed behind for a couple of months.  We completely enjoyed our time at home although we missed him tremendously.  We are back in Ireland for a little while longer and have been able to enjoy more traveling.  I have so much to post, I don't know where to begin.  My Mom-in-Law was here visiting with us for the last two weeks.  We were able to spend much needed time with her.  What a ton of fun it was, too!  Keep a look out for many more photos and updates. 

The River Near Our Home

 

 

I thought this home was beautiful in the foggy background. 

Where do we get groceries?

 

For my American friends, Tesco is the closest thing we have to a Wal-mart.  It still doesn't have the variety that Wal-mart has but is good enough.  The one below is a Tesco Extra, we also have smaller Tesco's through out Ireland.  The small ones are a very small grocery store.  Kind of what you might expect in a small town in the U.S.

Since we only have one car, I order groceries every two weeks over the Internet.  It is quite simple and includes a small fee.  They are usually able to get me the groceries the day after I order.  I am going to miss that service when I go back to America.

 

 

Below is a photo of the grocery cart that you would use while shopping.

  In order to use one you have to put in a Euro coin. You can see our coin poking out a little.  If you want your coin back you have to return the cart.  There is a chain hanging down with a type of key that you put into another cart.  Once you do that your coin pops out.  It keeps the carts from being left to roam in the parking lot.  We are getting better at remembering to keep a coin always with us.  A euro can come in the form of 1 or 2 so you need both to always be prepared.

 

I didn't mean to make the photo blurry. Sorry about that.

 

Here is a picture of the delivery truck and driver.