« European Camp Daddy - Day 4: Cork to Kenmare | Main | European Camp Daddy - Day 6: The Ring of Kerry 2 »
August 4, 2007
European Camp Daddy - Day 5: The Ring of Kerry
We drove half way around the Ring of Kerry today. The climate here is a lot like the Pacific Northwest. Very green with spectacular flowers, most of which I've never seen before. Some I recognize, like the Hydragengas, Roses, Russian Thistle, and Queen Anne's Lace. But may of them I've never seen before.
Along the way, we had a Chicken and Mushroom Pie, a Jambon, and a piece of quiche. Jennifer loved the Jambon and the Chicken and Mushroom Pie. She made me eat the quiche.
Half of the trick to making it around Ireland is to rent the smallest car you can find. The other half is to find out where the side of your car are. The best way to do this is to keep getting closer and closer to the shoulder until the hedges are cleaning the windows on the passenger side.
I did this several times today, going about 70 or 80 km/hr. Jennifer was squealing with delight and each time, the side view mirror on her side would pop out, and she'd have to roll down the window and pop it back it.
But it's a great way to figure out how wide your car is because, you never know when some idiotic American is going to come around the next corner driving a Winnebago and taking up half of your lane. You need to how far you can get over. So cleaning the windows with the hedges is probably as far over as you can get without doing serious damage.
Today, we went to a little beach on the Ring of Kerry and it was about half raining. I wanted to go shoot the beach but Jennifer wanted to stay in the car. I was like..."Look. This is Ireland. You wanted to come here. This is what the weather is like. Deal with it."
So, she changed for the beach and we went tide-pooling and ended up with a bucket full of starfish, crabs, shrimp, and snails.
Afterwards, we tried to drive up the coast more, but the fog set in so thick that we couldn't make it any further and we returned to Kenmare.
We're staying in the Rockhcrest House in Kenmare, it's the cheapest and the nicest B&B we've stayed in so far, with beautiful manicured grounds with flowers everywhere and even palm trees somehow.
Jennifer and I walked into town for dinner. The town is the coolest little town you could ever hope to find in Ireland. All the buildings are brightly painted, and the town is just the right size. There's no real reason to go to any other place in Ireland. Once you get here, you can just sort of kick back and relax.
On the way back from dinner, we found a hilltop covered in blackberries, goose berries, and tay berries. We ate fresh blackberries till we were pricked and bleeding and then wandered home up the narrow lane.
Outside our window in the Rockcrest House, we listened to the sheep in the fields and the toll of the bells from the church down the hill.
Jennifer climbs into her bed.
"Are hiccups contagious?" she asks.
"What is wrong with you? Are you retarded?" I stammered.
"Well, if I am, then so are you. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, unless it's on a hill, and there's no hill between us."
"No. I suppose not."
"I had fun today, daddy."
"Me too baby."
Posted by Rob Kiser on August 4, 2007 at 12:17 PM
Comments