Off on a day trip again today, to the little coastal town of Kinsale. I seem to be having much better luck with the weather on the southern side of Ireland. It lacks the breathtaking beauty of the west coast, but God it's nice to be out of the rain! Wandered around the town a little and had a late snack before heading on a relatively easy hike out to Fort Charles, which guards the river mouth of Kinsale before it joins the ocean. Apparently quite a few battles w...

Cork, well it's kinda just another city, you know? Nothing about it really stands out as pretty or unique; it's just another faceless European city. No big, there are places nearby worth visiting. I pretty much got here, got to the hostel and dropped my bag, and got on a bus. One of those quintessential Irish things you have to do? A visit to the Blarney Stone. It's actually an adorable town, with beautiful grounds and gardens surrounding the tower that holds the...

Hit up Killarney national park today by bike! I looped around the closest lake, passing (and touring through) an old manor house within the grounds, where apparently the family went bankrupt when they renovated the manor and grounds prior to a visit from the queen (the previous one). Got turned around a couple times but it was a beautiful park and no rain so I hardly minded. By the time I headed back to town I was remembering why I hated biking...my poor seat! Tr...

Well, on one hand, called it on the rain. On the other, it may have been more appropriate to call today a movie day than a tour day. Hopped on a tour bus for the ring of Kerry and did we ever get rained out!!! Gusts of wind, never ending rain (I feared for my camera) and for about half the tour the fog was so dense you could barely see ten feet away, let alone the coast. On the positive side? I wasn't outside in it!

I was kind of sad to be leaving Kilkee today, I definitely could of stayed a little longer, but the kind of travel where you stick around rather than explore is definitely more fun with other people, so we'll just add it back on to the travel list. Definitely sad about giving up the car, but that's a treat that can't last forever unfortunately. Besides, I'll be seeing the coast again, it'll just be under my own power next time. Now I'm finally caught up on the ...