The Ring of Kerry is a long drive around some very picturesque views of the Irish
countryside and coast. Unfortunately the weather was a bit overcast, but I still got
some great shots of the coast. And sheep. Jeez, the place has more sheep than
people!
One thing that makes you realize you're not in the U.S.: the cliffsides where we
stopped had no fences whatsoever. Comes from not having a breeding lawyer
population, I suppose...
The drive took most of the day, along with a couple of brief stops in Killarney (the "Home of Beauty", and also part of a
Christmas song sung by Bing Crosby), and Adare. We moved on to Ennis, where we would
spend the night.
Before we went to bed, though, there was dinner in Knappogue Castle, where you
experience a "real" medieval banquet, complete with bards and a bit of a show.
It was a lot of fun, actually: especially since I was sitting across from two
gorgeous college girls from New Jersey (it's too bad their parents where with them too:
oh, well!). Actually, their mom was very nice and I spoke to her all evening.
They were just finishing up their tour and were heading home soon.
They pass around some "mead" to start the evening off: even though I don't
drink, I thought I'd give it a try, as it smelled a lot like apples. It was fairly
powerful stuff, but I didn't realize how powerful: I accidentally spilled some on my
camera, which then overheated and fried itself. Fortunately I saved the film!
That medieval mead is certainly powerful stuff...
The banquet starts off with the hosts picking a king and queen of the banquet, who get
to sit at the head table and generally get made fools of. Then they serve the meal
in several courses, with some entertainment and singing (with a bit of humor, too).
You can get your picture taken with a serving wench (which of course I did). A fun
evening!
Day 6: The Ring of Kerry