On July seventh we arrived in Dublin, Ireland (again). For the first three days there we just rested and did things like seeing the movie "The Incredible Hulk", shopping and going to teatime. One day we even went and took a look at the hotel owned by Bono (the U2 singer). The reason we were resting so much was because we knew that soon we were going on a one-week bike and hike tour.

After the three days, we got a car and drove to Waterford where we had to take a car ferry to get on the island where our hotel was. The hotel was beautiful because they had a whole golf course, driving range, and near by an equestrian centre on acres of land. It was a beautiful hotel. While we were staying there we went to the museum of Waterford where we learned the history of Waterford and the Vikings. There, we stayed for 1 night and then headed to our next hotel.

On the way we visited the Waterford crystal factory where we learned the following:when a trophy is made for a sport there are three copies made one for the factory one for the sport and one for backup. It takes 25 years for someone to become a good crystal maker. We also bought a picture frame commemorating our trip and it was cool because a carver wrote the names of all the countries we visited on the frame. We also saw sports trophies plus the 9/11 statues of the destroyed twin tours (see photos).

On the way we stopped in another town called Tremor where my dad surfed in the freezing Irish water while Ian & I went on some of the rides in a local carnival.

At the next hotel, called Hayfield Manor,they had little putters and mechanical holes that,when you hit the hole your ball bounces back to you. This was a really good hotel too!

After one more night of resting, the biking company (Backroads) picked us up. They shuttled us to a pub in the town of Inchigeelagh where we picked up our bikes and then we biked around a nearby lake. Then we rode to our B&B in Bantry bay. Our total riding for that day was 13 miles. That night we tasted all kinds of exotic cheeses from Cork & Kerry at a little nearby market. Then we had dinner at the hotel. Also that day, we got to know the family biking with us (the Wisemans). The next day we biked to the place where a boat would take us to Garnish Island. On this island they had little gardens and animals everywhere. After that the parents continued biking while the kids went and met a famous chocolate chef who explained how chocolate is made and then let us make our own. It was a lot of fun and really messy! Total biking for that day was 7 miles for kids and 24 miles for my parents and the Wisemans.

The next day we biked to Glen Inchiquin, which was a 13-mile ride. Then, we rode another 7 miles where we saw Sheep shearing and had lunch near a waterfall. Following that, we took the van to a lake where Ian & I sailed a boat with a guide around the lake. During our sail, we stopped the boat near a trampoline on the water and jumped around for a while.

That night, the adults went out for whisky tasting while the kids stayed In for movie night. We watched Madagascar while we played ping-pong.

The following day the children did a scavenger hunt while the adults walked the queens route. Then we walked the Kilarney/Kenmare trail. The hike for the day was 3.8 miles. The next day we hiked again and it was all mostly uphill and it added up to 6.9 miles.We hiked through the countryside. After the hike we arrived at the Muckross estate, which is the home of Irelands first park. That night we listened to a "Seanachie" or storyteller. A Seanachie is a dying breed of storyteller. The stories he told were passed down from generation to generation, for kids & adults. He has written a book of the stories as well. One of the stories he told us was about a king with the donkey's ears and the looking glass. The last day the adults did a 3-mile hike while the kids drove to Ross castle. After the hike we took a tour of the castle. Here are some interesting facts:

In one of the rooms there was a hole, which was directly above the front door of the castle called the murder hole. When the enemy soldiers would walk through the door, people would throw things like tar or boiling water out of the hole. Sometimes, they would even shoot at them as they came through.

They also had a toilet, which was basically a hole in the ground. When the day was over they would hang their robes over the toilet because the fumes would actually kill bugs and parasites in their robes. Also John MacShane was the name of the man who preserved and donated the land around the castle. After that we took a "Jaunting car" or horse carriage back to the hotel.

At the hotel we said our good byes to the councilors and the Wisemans and then we headed off to Dublin where we stayed in a hotel near the airport. The next day we headed to Boston!

RS