A Late Post About a Lovely Place

It was like stepping into a fairy tale book, the kind that has hand-painted illustrations on a two-page spread that make you drool as a kid.

For those who argue that poetry can only exist on a page has never visited the Ring of Kerry.

Last Saturday I took a bus trip around the Ring of Kerry. If you’ve never heard of it before, no, it’s not some historical ring worn by a king or something. The Ring of Kerry “is a scenic drive around the Iveragh Peninsula in southwest Ireland’s County Kerry… its 179km-long, circular route takes in rugged and verdant coastal landscapes and rural seaside villages” (yeah, I just Googled that because it says it better than I could).

Basically, the Ring of Kerry is heaven on earth. I’m convinced that God finished the Garden of Eden and then immediately began work on Ireland’s southwest coast. Here’s some proof:

First peek at the hills/mtns in Ring of Kerry

Killorglin, one city we drove through

First stop: A beautiful (and muddy) view of the hills/mtns in the Ring of Kerry

Second stop: A little rainy that morning at the Mountain Stage Viewpoint

Waterville, the most stunning beach I’ve ever visited. Charlie Chaplin had his holiday home here.

I nearly cried when we drove away from Waterville

I was never much of a beach person until I came to Ireland

Near Caherdaniel

Somewhere near here Star Wars “The Force Awakens” was filmed on a large island

Near Caherdaniel, looking out at little islands

Wounded from this beautiful sight

The cutest village, Sneem (An tSnaidhm in Gaelic or “The Knot” in English)

Our road home

Travelling closer to the Magillycuddy’s Reeks mountains

Ladies’ View in Killarney (The name apparently stems from the admiration of the view given by Queen Victoria’s ladies-in-waiting during their 1861 visit)

Lots of sheep near the road (and almost on the road) on this trip!

Driving away from Magillycuddy’s Reeks 😦

The morning started off a little rainy and gloomy, but by the time we reached Killorglin the sun had made an appearance. One of our tour guides told us he had never been to the Com an Chiste lookout when the sun was shining–a perfect day!

Of course, it got better:

On our way back home, we drove right towards a double rainbow. Sorry, we couldn’t find the pot of gold at the end. 😦