We started our journey to Ireland 18 Saturday 2011 at 4am. We drove from our house to Stansted Airport and from there barely made our flight to Cork, Ireland. It amazes me how low security is at these tiny airports. I'm not complaining. We flew Ryan Air which is a cheaper version of Southwest. Our round trip flight was about $25 each (you can't get a flight that cheap anywhere in the states). We packed only what we could put in our backpacks. Now Ryan Air maybe cheap in flight s but you pay for everything on the flight. No free food. No free drinks. No free magazines. They talk you into buying a drink and it is an ity bity can of soda. Like a sip. For $7. Rip off. And you can buy most anything on the plane: perfume, bottles of wine, swimsuits etc.
Anyway. After our short flight to Cork, Ireland, we rented a car and began our adventure. One of our first stops was Ross Castle (more of a Guard Tower). These guard towers were placed all over Ireland. Their function was very much apart of the feudal system. The wealthy man of the castle lived here with his family, men and animals. And all lived here inside the small walls of the building.
Our next stop was a little town called Muckrose. Here we caught a horse and trap. Our horse was named Charlie and our driver had the thickest accent. I believe he was speaking English, but man, I couldn't understand a thing he said. It didn't help that while he drove I couldn't see his face. Dad did a good job trying to understand what he was saying and communicating for the rest of us. (My dad served in this area of Ireland on his mission a long time ago). Our tour of Muckrose included the beautiful home and massive estate. Everything was so green! There is a reason Ireland's color is green. The home was beautiful. We didn't actually go inside it. Too expensive and no time, but the grounds were beautiful. Our driver let us get off and walk around. There were some other trap drivers that were a lot younger and cuter than ours. But we were happy with Charlie (and didn't really have an option to change).
After our stop at the Muckrose house we made our way over to Torc Waterfalls. Charlie was a good sport and got us up the hills. There were many moments when we felt bad for the horse having to pull all of our weight. But he survived. Torc waterfall was quite pretty. The surrounding green EVERYWHERE sure framed it nicely. I was expecting a good sized hike to the falls but it was very easy and well trod by the other tourists that were there. By this time (I know only halfway into the first day) I noticed that there were a LOT of Americans in Ireland. A lot of American tourists. They are easy to spot with their clothes and very easy to hear with their loud and proud voices. I've wondered about why there were so many Americans in Ireland. Ireland is nice and all but I feel there is more drive to visit England. However, the thought hit me. There are a lot of Americans with Irish ancestry. Of course they would want to visit their homeland. I was also surprised to see American flags flying all over the place. Welcoming the Americans 'home' I guess.
FYI: Ireland weather is not suited for cute hair and faces. So here we are in our natural element. I smile every time I see the picture on the bottom right.
By now you are wondering... gosh, isn't Angela done yet? Nope. This is only halfway through the first day. :D
Our next and really, final stop was our place we were staying. It was sort of like a bread and breakfast with out the breakfast. I guess people call it cottage staying. Anyway, you rent a house for a week. The house we stayed at was in the middle of no where. It was between two little towns: Beaufort and Killarney. The house is actually on a working dairy farm. The family that lives there were so nice and welcoming. They let us come watch them milk the cows. And their dogs just loved us. Fion, the Irish Wolfhound especially. He went on a walk with us down the street. Stayed with us the whole time. Little did we know until we got back that this HUGE dog was only 14 months old. Still a puppy. The area was beautiful! And for as many cows were all over it didn't smell at all. I don't know what Americans feed their cows... but we should stop cause it sure stinks.
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