Tralee to Killarney, Ireland

Tuesday, August 5, 2014 Tralee to Killarney, Ireland

After a grand breakfast, we jumped into the car to head to Killarney, one of the hottest tourist spots in Southwestern Ireland. Larry got to practice driving on the Irish side of the road…the left! The experience of driving on the left in East Timor came back to him in a snap. In Killarney lots of B and Bs, hotels, shops, and restaurants dotted the roads. The village was so quaint. All along the roads you could spot Jaunting Carts, horse drawn wagons that take visitors for tours of the town and the national park.

 

The flowers in Ireland were just gorgeous. Planters and window boxes donned all the homes and businesses. They thrive in the cool temps and the misty rain that occurs most days.

                                       Fushia grow wild here in enormous bushes all along the roads.

 

Ben and Anne had taken the week off and decided to accompany us to Killarney suggesting that we go to see the Muckross House, a 19^th century manor home with gorgeous landscaped gardens.

 

 

The mansion had 25 bedrooms and 68 chimneys. Can you imagine being the servant that kept those fires burning?  This lovely old home had the servant’s bells that reminded us of the BBC’s television show “Doughton Abbey”. 

                                                                           Muckross

                                                                         Our Foley Friends

 Back in the 1800’s the owners of Muckross entertained Queen Victoria and later donated the property and the surrounding  3,000 acres including the three Lakes of Killarney to the Irish government forming Killarney National Park. Queen Victoria’s visit made many aware of the beauty of the area making it renowned throughout the world. 

 

After a grand tour of the mansion, we had a fabulous picnic lunch….fresh bread, cheese, tomatoes, and other delights that Anne had graciously packed.

 

 

To work off lunch we hiked up a pretty trail to the Torc Waterfall, a 60 foot waterfall tumbling from the Owengarriff  River.

 

We hiked further up the mountain to get a grand view of the three Lakes of Killarney. Simply Gorgeous! Just outside the Killarney National Park, lies the Macgillycuddy's Reeks, Irelands highest mountains. We were lucky to catch a glimpse of this on the way into Killarney.

 

 

 

After hiking back down we went to the Lake Hotel, an old Victorian five star masterpiece that was situated on the edge of Muckross Lake. Here we hiked out to a fantastic castle ruins which looked out on the lake. Inside the luxurious hotel, we had afternoon tea and coffee while enjoying the views of the lakes. What a peaceful pleasure with our Irish friends!

 

We enjoyed a final stop at the Ross Castle in Killarney, walking through the ruins and taking a last look at the Muckross Lake. The government refurbished the castle in the 1970’s and continues to maintain the structure. It was a fantastic stately old castle.

 

Whom ever lived in this castle was short...Larry's  too tall for this castle door!

Upon returning to our Tralee home, Ben and a Larry manned the barbecue cooking  pork and beef, Ann made Irish potatoes, and I made peas and carrots. What a fabulous meal we enjoyed outside on the edge of their garden recalling so many moments of our beautiful day!