Driving on the Left

Map of Ireland:



Hello dear readers in all parts of the world,

My parents returned home yesterday. We had a nice time together and did a bit more Irish traveling over Easter weekend, since Jon had a couple of days off work.

I've been on 3 separate car trips in SW Ireland over the last month, so I thought I'd do an overview. This is a total injustice, of course, since each trip deserves its own massive poetic essay with adjoining photos. However, I know this is the only way I have any hope of catching up, so my apologies. Please believe me that these places are fantastically beautiful, and touched my heart in a way I did not expect.

As you can see on the map above, the southwest coast of Ireland consists of a group of pensinsulas, some tiny and some biggish (in orange). They are all quite windswept, craggy, oceanic, and rural. The largest and most famous one is The Ring of Kerry:



My first trip was around the Ring of Kerry with Jon & Jen (from Canada) & Christina (from Australia). We had perfect weather that weekend, and were completely blown away by the landscapes. Whether it was the sheep milling about, the waves crashing against the cliffs, or the colorful little villages, we were delighted.








Next, I joined Christina on a trip to discover the other, smaller and lesser-traveled, peninsulas. Starting in the south, they are called Mizen Head, Sheep's Head, Beara, Ring of Kerry (which we had already seen), and Dingle Peninsula. With the exception of Sheep's Head, we covered most of that area on our 5-day trip.









Trip #3 was this last weekend. It was a long weekend because of Easter and my parents were here, so we decided to rent a car and take off on some adventures! They were interested in the Ring of Kerry, so we doubled back a bit, but we also went to some new places around Killarney. The around there is a National Park, so it is very lush and pretty. It actually reminds me of Canada. Also, there are a bunch of historical sites - castles in particular - that we went to see. Very *very* impressive.











(No idea what's up with the size of these pics?! Any help or suggestions from blogger geniuses out there would be greatly appreciated.)

Jon's parents arrive in early May, so knows where life will take us next??

In the meantime, I hope all of you are doing well. I think of you often. Funny how the world can seem so small and so big at the same time.