Killarney Info (Lakes and Ring of Kerry)

Killarney remains one of the top tourist destinations for both Irish and foreign travellers. Tourism is the one factor that basically keeps the town and area alive.

What to expect

Opinions about Kilkarney differ - it is geared towards tourism and nothing else, the perfect holiday for some, a tourist-trap-nightmare for others. Beauty, as ever, lies in the eye of the beholder. The numerous (and sometimes huge) hotels are necessary to cope with the influx of visitors and make the town itself seem insignificant at times. Yet Killarney has its quiet, unspoilt corners, especially in the National Park.

When to visit

Whenever you go, Killarney is bound to be busy. It might be best to avoid the town during July and August and any Irish bank holidays.

Places to visit

The town itself is nice enough for a few strolls but has no real major attractions. Just outside the town is the real place to go. Muckross House and Muckross Farm are popular all year around, the typical horse-drawn "jaunting cars" will take you there. Or head for Ross Castle (built around 1420) and from there take a boat trip on the lakes of Killarney, either a tour of the lakes or a round trip to Inisfallen. On the other side of Tomies Mountain (2,411 ft) and Purple Mountain (2,730 ft) a (careful!) drive, ride or hike through the Gap of Dunloe is a dramatic experience. Coming from Killarney in a car you might be interested to press on towards Moll's Gap, a dramatic mountain pass slightly spoiled by the modern souvenir shop on top. But the views are magnificent and the N71 will take you back via Ladies' View and through several interesting curves and tunnels to Killarney. Hidden in the woods (but well signposted) is the sixty feet high Torc Waterfall, another must-see.

courtesy of http://goireland.about.com/od/corkandmunster/qt/killarney.htm

I think I need this

Last night's "accomplishments"

Well, I made a tentative map once again (I think this is my 3rd attempt), detailing our overnight stops and top tourist attractions.  We've decided to try to hit up the southern part of the country, as the only thing we really heard was interesting in the northern part was Giant's Causeway, which we heard was neat, but underwhelming.

Here's the map:

I also got around to scanning my drivers' license and credit cards for safety purposes (in case they are lost or stolen along the trip.).  I also printed out 2 applications for an IDP (International Drivers Permit) and filled them out.  Our big dilemma is now that our closest AAA location is an hour away, and not open on the weekends.  If we mail the applications in, we may not get the cards back before our trip (4-6 weeks they say it takes).  However, if we go to a location, they say you can go home with them.  So....we're going to try to make a mad dash to Mankato after work some night (once I get my passport) to get them done before 5:30pm, when the site closes.

I'm feeling MUCH less overwhelmed about the trip now, and just getting more and more excited about it all! 

I did some light research on the Cliffs of Moher and Bunratty Castle last night, and it's hard not to be excited when I realize I get to GO there in a little over 5 weeks :)

I CAN'T WAIT!!

Cliffs of Moher Information

We will likely be visiting this attraction while on our way from Galway down to Killarney on our 5th day of our trip.  Here is a website about it, and it looks like it is 8.45 euros to visit (approximately $11USD). 

side note:  I found this great currency exchange calculator here http://finance.yahoo.com/

Looks just INCREDIBLY beautiful! 

Cliffs of Moher

Location: 5km North of Liscannor & 8 kms South of Doolin

The Cliffs of Moher are one of Ireland's top Visitor attractions. The Cliffs are 214m high at the highest point and range for 8 kilometres over the Atlantic Ocean on the western seaboard of County Clare. O'Brien's Tower stands proudly on a headland of the majestic Cliffs. From the Cliffs one can see the Aran Islands, Galway Bay, as well as The Twelve Pins, the Maum Turk Mountains in Connemara and Loop Head to the South. The Cliffs of Moher take their name from a ruined promontory fort “Mothar” which was demolished during the Napoleonic wars to make room for a signal tower.

The Cliffs of Moher are home to one of the major colonies of cliff nesting seabirds in Ireland. The area was designated as a Refuge for Fauna in 1988 and as a Special Protection Area for Birds (SPA) under the EU Birds Directive in 1989. Included within the designated site are the cliffs, the cliff-top maritime grassland and heath, and a 200 metre zone of open water, directly in front of the cliffs to protect part of the birds' feeding area. The designation covers 200 hectares and highlights the area's importance for wildlife.

courtesy of http://www.cliffsofmoher.ie/

Bunratty Castle and Folk Park Information

The Castle is the most complete and authentic medieval fortress in Ireland. Built in 1425 it was restored in 1954 to its former medieval splendour and now contains mainly 15th and 16th century furnishings, tapestries, and works of art which capture the mood of those times. Today, the castle stands peacefully in delightful grounds. The houses and cottages of the folk park spread out at the foot of its massive walls, much in the way that the cottages and crofts of old would have clustered around its base. We invite you to wander through the castle and marvel at the finest collection of medieval furniture in the country which brings to life a vital part of our Medieval past. Bunratty Castle closes each day at 4pm to prepare for the Medieval Banquet

The Bunratty Collection

The Bunratty Collection features over 450 items of medieval furniture and artifacts housed at Bunratty Castle in Co Clare. Superb images of each item have been added to create an interesting and accurate website to record the Bunratty Castle contents. We hope as wide an audience as possible will visit and enjoy the site at www.bunrattycollection.com.

At night time the castle is the impressive setting for medieval banquets which are held year round.

Bunratty Folk Park

Within the grounds of Bunratty Castle is Bunratty Folk Park where 19th century life is vividly recreated. Set on 26 acres, the impressive park features over 30 buildings in a ‘living’ village and rural setting. Meet and chat with the Bean an Ti (Woman of the House) and various street characters including the Policeman and Schoolteacher who give the site its sparkle during the summer months. Enjoy the tastes, scents, sights and sounds of this enchanting place as you stroll from house to house or around the charming village complete with school, post office, doctors house, hardware shop, printers and of course the pub! It’s a wonderful experience for adults and children alike with something for everyone to enjoy!

Bunratty Walled Garden

Another very interesting feature is the formal Bunratty Walled Garden, modelled on the original Regency period garden which supplied fruit, vegetables, and flowers to Bunratty House built in 1804 and now refurbished in typical Victorian style.

Courtesy of http://www.shannonheritage.com/Attractions/BunrattyCastleFolkPark/

Dublin Suggestions

We're planning on 2.5 days in Dublin at the beginning of our trip, and then another evening there before our flight back out our last morning in Ireland.  We're hoping to book a room at the Grafton Capital Hotel near Trinity College in Dublin for $96/night off hotels.com.

Suggestions from my friend Rachel for Dublin are:

Dublin castle

Guiness factory

Trinity college

Bus tour to Howth (feed the sea lions)

Chicago Suburbs GTG 2010

I met up with more of my nestie friends in the suburbs of Chicago for a weekend on July 16-18 in Itasca (our hotel) and Roselle (winery tour).

I took off from Windom around noon, and after a shopping stopover in Onalaska, WI, arrived at my friend Coley's place around 10:30 that night.  After a little bit of chit-chat and catching up (and also meeting her hubby, Joe), we drifted into a sweet slumber :)

We spent the next day with 4 other girls - Mara, Amanda, Liz and Carrie - beginning with breakfast at a Dunkin Donuts none of us could find very easily, and then on to a wine tasting and winery tour in Roselle at the Lynfred Winery.  It was so wonderful to see everyone and to meet them after years of chatting on a message board!  They are all such beautiful women, and I feel so privileged to know them :)

After the winery tour, we headed back to the hotel room to test out some of the goodies we brought - nutterfluffer cupcakes (courtesy of Mara), cheesecake (courtesy of moi), carrots and hummus (for nutritional value - thanks Carrie!), and some sadly untouched chocolates (courtesy of Amanda) that were left in the freezer!  Unfortunately, Mara had to take off (or so she thought) after we finished off the snacks, so the rest of us made reservations at ZaZa's Italian Steakhouse for that evening.  Here is our last group shot - so beautiful, yet so sad :(  LOVE YOU LADIES!!

As I said - after Mara left, we headed shortly thereafter to ZaZa's for supper.  It was pretty yummy!!

Amy and Carrie's choice:

Liz's choice:

Nicole's Choice

Amanda's Choice

After supper, we headed back to the hotel room - feeling our age and ready to relax! lol We stayed up almost until midnight solving the world's problems! lol

All of us but Liz met up the next morning at the same Dunkin Donuts that got us all lost in the beginning, then headed our separate ways.

I dropped Coley back off at her place, then headed back to Windom - another long 8 hour adventure turned into 10 hours lol

Along the way home, I stopped at this cute little cheese and wine shop south of Janesville, IL and picked up some yummy cheese and sausage to take home to the hubby :)

As I pulled back into Cottonwood County, I took in the most incredible sunset I've seen, and it felt so great to be home before dark :)

What a whirlwind, but FUN weekend!! Can't wait to see these ladies again, hopefully sometime soon!

Ireland?

We've been struggling to decide where we want to go in approximately 6 weeks.  Until early last week, we hadn't even thought of international travel, but out of the blue, I just went and applied for my very first US Passport!  So all our initial plans for San Francisco and Lake of the Ozarks were pretty well scrapped, and we're leaning toward Ireland at this point in time.  The big drawback:  insanely expensive airfare!  But that will be the case in pretty much any international travel we decide on at this point.

I present to you our very rough, tentative Ireland itinerary!  (And also, the Google map of where we want to go)

Flight from Minneapolis, MN at 10:55am on  September 4 on Air Canada lasting 10hrs 5 min changing planes in Toronto. 

Arrives in Dublin at 8:20am on September 5.  Take bus to Drury Court Hotel to check in bags, then explore the city until official check-in, probably around noon or 3pm.

   2 nights in Dublin at Drury Court Hotel

   1 night in Kilkenny at Launard House

   1 night in Kinsale at Danabel

   1 night in Killarney at Crystal Springs B&B

   1 night in Castleisland at Tailors House

   2 nights in Galway at Clayton Hotel

   1 night in Dublin near Airport at Bewley's Hotel Dublin Airport

Returning flight leaves from Dublin at 9:50am on September 15, changing planes in Toronto, lasting 11 hrs 55 minutes and returning to Minneapolis at 3:45pm.

Cost Recap - 

~$1000 for hotels

~$1700 for flights

~$1000 for food

~$500 for activities (not sure that it will cost anywhere near this)

~$300 for rental car

~$4,500 for entire trip