DebbieK
Registered User
Posts: 14
(5/25/03 10:58 pm)

Debbie's trip -Chapter 4 , April 10-12 (Killarney)

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Day 10 – Kinsale to Killarney
Since we needed to head out first thing in the morning, we gave Mom 45 minutes to power-shop in Kinsale. She managed to fit in 2 or 3 stores in that time, and once again , Dad ended up the big winner – finding a puffy vest that he can wear in Fall and Spring home in Wisconsin.
Kudos to Mary – the owner of the Charthouse B&B. She drew us the best map for getting out of Kinsale. First she gave us a verbal explanation then handdrew a detailed map for us to follow – she even had most of the bends and turns and landmarks.

We drove straight into Killarney - found our way right to the front door of Crystal Springs B&B. ( 1hr 45 min ) Unfortunately, Eileen was not home - she had a last minute thing to attend at her daughters’ school. Her husband was supposed to be there, but didn’t get there in time. After waiting around for about and hour, we headed out to Muckross house. By this time, we were STARVING so we went into the café there and grabbed a bite to eat. Dad was very impressed by the desert selection here as well.
We got talked into a jaunting car ride out to the Torc waterfall. We hadn’t really planned on doing one, but the young guy who was dealing with us was not going to let us go without getting us to agree. Ended up with it costing 32 euros for the 4 of us. About 2 euros off per person. We really felt bad for the horse for a lot of the ride, he kept stopping a few meters from the top of each incline. Then the handler had to convince him to get to the top. He told us to not feel to bad for the horse – it was a normal pattern - whether there was 1 , 2 , 3 or 4 people in the car. After the ride to the waterfall, and the lower lakes, we went through the actual House. Very cool. It is a self-directed tour. You go in in one direction through the house, looking at all the different rooms. Mom & Dad really enjoyed going through all the different rooms.

Finally got checked in at Crystal Springs – we totally lucked out- both bedrooms are on the ground floor – no lugging the suitcases up a narrow flight of stairs. Mom quickly commandeered the ‘Anglers Nest” for us – it had the window on the river side of the house. She loves the sound of the river running by with the window open at night. Dad and Steve’s room was the ‘Brewers room’ which was perfect for the boys. An extra bonus was that both of the rooms had small dorm-size refrigerators in them. Mom was in heaven – she could have cold soda anytime she wanted.
Off to town for dinner and music at Danny Mann’s pub. It was Thursday, which is the night that the Irish Weavers play. They are a wonderful traditional band. Even made Dad long for the days when he played ( from childhood to early 20’s). Mom and I were sure that he would have cramps in his legs all night from the way that his foot never stopped bouncing to the rhythm of the music.
Total Miles today: 92


Day 11 – Ring of Kerry bus tour – Corcoran tours.
Why do I keep trying Bus tours? I don’t especially like riding on buses, and to be honest , tend to get a bit of motion sickness. (Dad also has a bit of a problem with buses – more on that in a bit) Although I will say – I never would have actually driven the ring. Those roads are just too narrow and winding. The road was very ,very rough - much more than I remember from our tour in 2000. Dad was very impressed with the scenery, and the differences from the mountains to the seascapes.
        By the time we got off the bus and back into the rooms Dad started to get really sick. He got really pale and got really chilled. We ended up having to put one of the back warmers we brought along wrapped around his feet to warm him up. ( Come to find out that the heaters in the room were on timers , so no matter how high we cranked it , it didn’t get any warmer.) When we asked Eileen - the owner – for some ice for his soda, she was very concerned and brought him up a small electric blanket. What a god-send. I really think that having that warm blanket is what kept Dad from getting really sick.

I quickly called Deros tours , where we had pre-booked a bus tour of Dingle, and cancelled Friday’s tour. Even had Dad been feeling fine, I was just not up to another all day tour. They were really good about the cancellation. ( I blamed it on Dad’s health) Mom , Steve and I ran into town for a quick dinner at Foleys American Legion and then hustled back to the B&B to check on Dad. Happy to say, when we got back, Dad was looking much more human. Eileen came up when she heard us come in, to check in on the patient, and offered to make him some tea & toast. We were very appreciative.

Day 12. Since we had cancelled the Dingle trip ( just another reason to go back I suppose ), we decided to have a walkabout Killarney town. Mom got an extra day of shopping, and lunch at another tiny little bar. After a full morning of walking and shopping we headed back to the B&B to finish packing up and let Dad take a nap.
        Mom was excited about getting to go to Palm Sunday mass ( okay, okay – it was the Saturday evening service - but still the same mass.) at the Friary Catholic Church. This is an amazing church. The carvings and artwork were so beautiful. Since mass was at 7pm , we didn’t even get anywhere for dinner until after 8. I proceeded to order Salmon for dinner. Duh. Salmon takes a long time to cook, compared to other entrees. It seemed like forever before we were served – probably because we were all really hungry.
Now to search out some music. 1st stop Sheehans. Really crowded, music was late in starting, not really our cup of tea ( or is that Guinness ?). Next stop : Danny Manns. The band that night was Celtic Whisper – good , but VERY quiet and soothing. Not really keeping us pep-ed up and energized to stay out late. Final stop – The Granary, near the Tourist Information place and the car park. At first glance looks like a very modern bar – something you would find back home in America. We decide to hang out a few minutes to see what the music is like, and boy, were we glad. We found a place to sit up front , and while it was REALLY LOUD , it was fantastic. I never did catch the name of the band , but it was 2 guys ( concertina , guitar ) and 1 girl – violin. This girl was amazing, she works twice as hard as either of the guys. Her arm was moving at a mile a minute for at least 45 minutes non-stop. Very impressive.

Michele Erdvig
ezOP
Posts: 1493
(5/26/03 12:03 am)

Very Interesting

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Hi Debbie,

Glad your father wasn't sick for too long and was well taken care of at Crystal Springs. Has he ever met a dessert that he didn't like? Did he try Banoffi? Too bad you missed Dingle.

Michele

DebbieK
Registered User
Posts: 17
(5/27/03 9:04 am)

Re: Very Interesting

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Go figure - the only thing he really doesn't like: chocolate covered cheesecake.
mind you - he loves plain , or fruit covered, but not choc. covered

Apple anything is his all time favorite.