Ireland: Dingle Day

It’s been a very long while since we posted much. We’ve been very busy with various things, half of which I can’t even discuss. I hope I can someday. At the moment, I have a bit of random time to spare, so I hope I can catch up on a few more blog entries.

Right. Okay. So we are still in Ireland, hanging out at Dingle peninsula. On our third day in Ireland, we headed across the Connor Pass to Dingle Town and to drive the Ring of Dingle. It’s a mini version of the Ring of Kerry, but just as exciting if not more.

We were lucky with weather once again, being blessed with a dramatic backdrop of clouds all around us. It did sprinkle a few times, but it’s not a problem if you are wearing good raincoats.

It is about 30 miles, I believe, to drive around Dingle following a specific scenic route, so not completely all around. We started with assessing the situation of how far it is to roll down the hill… at least this is what I think of when I look at Robert’s facial expression here.

Beautiful views all along the coast.

Mark and Alex.

One of the scenic spots marked with a large cross.

A ruined house with a view of the ocean.

We came across a beautiful beach, famous for the movie that I have not seen “Ryan’s Daughter”. We decided to stop by here, eat our packed lunch (picked up stuff at Dingle Town on the way) and let the kids play.

Seriously, that’s all that the kids need—a rock and some water.

Just admiring the water.

Love teaching my kids to be happy with simple things.

Mark just wanted to get his pictures taken so he could show them to his class (since he was missing three days of school for this trip).

Which kid is this? So high! It’s Alex, I remember. He is being so safe climbing in his wellies…don’t know where his parents are.

Our self-timed pictures. We are all getting better and better at them, right? haha

My monster and I.

And then we found another rock to use as our camera tripod and took a few more pictures.

There is always time for a silly picture.

And then…the “high jump illusion” pictures begin. I mean, seriously, I am sure I don’t jump that high. But who knows?

Oh we are having so much fun!

Getting our exercise for the day.

These two are loving it.

Mark’s new passion-writing… “Mark at Dingle”.

Our traditional picture through the ages.

Cleaning up after our sandy trip down.

Yay, he still loves me after I drag him everywhere!

A few kilometers further down the road, we stopped at this fabulous stop for hiking. And this was the kids’ favorite spot to play.

Hide-and-seek among the boulders—the best game ever.

Robert and I just relaxed on the top, taking a few pictures and talking to a friendly Irish guy from County Claire.

After driving the Dingle loop, we stopped again at Dingle Town. This is a harbor town with fantastic views and a very friendly atmosphere. It’s has its own pet even! This Fungie the dolphin. Apparently, he lives in the waters nearby and boats go out regularly with tourists to look for Fungie playing in the waves. And if they don’t find it, you get your money back.

We walked around town for a while longer, got ice cream and decided to go find some more beaches. We were looking for one particular spot that Rick Steve’s told us about, but somehow the map that he had in his book was leading us to the wrong place. I even stopped at a convenience stop and asked for directions but they turned out to be way off course. Instead, we went to this old ruined castle called Menard.

This medieval castle stands right on the coast with majestic views of the bay and Kerry peninsula. Because the tide was low, the kids had lots of rocks to play with, build with and throw into the water.

We all know who had the most fun.

I am telling you..Dingle is just beautiful, especially when it’s so sunny.

Here is a picture of some Irish cows for you, waiting for us by the car.

We drove home through Connor Pass, the infamous crazy road across the peninsula. Well, actually, it was not as bad as people made it believe on Tripadvisor, and possibly it’s crowded and more adventurous during summer months. One thing for sure—it gives us beautiful views of the valleys on the sides.

And this is to remember we crossed the peninsula via the pass…twice. Pictures don’t do it justice, you’ve got to see this country in person.

We had a full day of sightseeing, using the fact that the days were still quite long, although it was middle of October. We drove home, got dinner at a local restaurant and watched X Factor again (our traditional program to watch on vacations).

Bye for now.

Lyana.