Thursday, July 31, 2014

Breathtaking views of Killarney and Kenmare on the Ring of Kerry

We were lucky enough to have Brian’s distant cousin, James, as our tour guide for the day, and we were taken around parts of the Ring of Kerry (a very scenic drive), to Killarney National Park, and through downtown Kenmare & Killarney. We had a busy day of seeing scenic Ireland, and had so much fun! Thank you again James!

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We were nervous when the day started out pouring, but it cleared up within a half an hour, and the day turned out beautiful! We were told MANY times how lucky we were to get such great weather this week!

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Killarney National Park was beautiful, with the majestic 19th century Victorian mansion, called the Muckross house overlooking the lake. Evidently, Queen Victoria even stayed here in 1861! We enjoyed walking around on the grounds, and even enjoyed some tea and scones in the garden!

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The landscaping was beautiful, although there were many things growing there that we had definitely never seen before! Look how huge these leaves were… we felt like we were in the movie, “Honey, We Shrunk The Kids”!

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The cobblestone paths were even beautiful!

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When we reached the scenic overlooks, we could see why the Ring of Kerry is a popular road for tourists! It was breathtaking!

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We enjoyed all the sheep that could be found on the side of the road… they were all spray painted by their shepherds so they could eventually round them up someday. I can’t even to begin to imagine how difficult that job must be… they were EVERYWHERE!!!!

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Our wonderful tour guide and cousin, James!

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This was taken at a spot called “Ladies View”!

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We went down to wade in the Lakes of Killarney… just to say we did! Smile

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A trip to downtown Kenmare and downtown Killarney for lunch and a bit of shopping made for a great end to our day trip!

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I even bought myself a claddagh ring! The symbol is supposed to correspond to the qualities of love (the heart), friendship (the hands), and loyalty (the crown).

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What a beautiful day we enjoyed! With only one day left, we were ready to rest up so we could continue up north to County Clare to see the Cliffs of Moher!

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