Jon and Ann's Great Photos

Hundreds of you have been asking us to show more of Jon and Ann's great pictures...(well actually only 1 of you so far). To anticipate, in fact exceed, the clamor for these photos from the masses, here you go. A few tips: 1st, you can click on each of these smaller images and they will become HUGE on your screen. Do this since Jon has this 85 pound, 17 inch telephoto lens that he's been lugging around Ireland, not to mention the 2 power generators to keep everything charged up, so enjoy the quality of these photos and let him know the workout has been worth it!
2nd, after you've enlarged the photos, go to the back arrow on the top left of your monitor and it will take you back to the blog.

The Irish folks could not believe the run of 3 days in a row to have all this heat and sun. Ann was prepared. The cows and the castle are enjoying the view as well. Many rock structures and stone walls leading down to the sea...this creates a stunning visual actually, when you think of how long these have stood up to the pounding weather.

A purple, mushroom like flower...1st person to guess the name of this gets to be Jon's roadie on the next trip to carry his camera gear...

Beautiful buttercups on our hike to the mini cliffs of insanity

Look at the massive shoulder muscles Jon has now from the lens lugging...

This guy is Bill Mack and he's standing in front of Bill Mack's Bar, but what made this interesting is he is copying the painting of him in the window. I think it's a cheesy gimmick, but hey, to bring in some business why not?

Lovely folk music at a small protestant church..the huge Catholic church is across the street.

Had to throw in the picture of the first B and B we stayed in for Dave's sake. He voted it as having the best potential. Turns out it was excellent, and so were number 2 and number 3 so far. It would be hard to pick the best from among these standouts...we have been blessed!

Returning to a picture of Jon and Ann on Blarney Castle.

Ann became dear friends with Mary, the 84 year old keeper of the beehive huts...

The northern most part of the Dingle peninsula looking out to the Atlantic.

Oh Yeah...it can be very windy!!!

Day 6 and 7...Saturday from Dingle to Doolin!

Three wonderful nights in Dingle, and we could have stayed for a few more. The town itself was lovely and the people were all friendly. Shops and pubs abounded, with our last stop being this potter, who made the coffee mugs we used at the b and b. Here's a sample of the style you'll see when you're at my house watching me sip tea...hmmm that rhymes and is starting to sound like a limerick, but that will come in a moment.Here's the pottery style:

When heading toward Doolin, which is northwest of Dingle, you choose between a long drive or a medium drive with a car ferry. You'll see we selected the ferry. It turns out that by taking the ferry you completely bypass the town of Limerick...so not to bypass it's significance completely, here goes:

Once Gary was traveling with a scarf
He decided to launch from a wharf

He sang a nice psalm
Since the water was calm

Which kept him from having to _ _ _ _ _ (fill in the blanks)

Our next b and b in Doolin is known for it's gourmet restaurant,which we partook of last night, and plan to tonight and Tuesday as well....they are closed on Monday :(

This dish was a camembert and truffle beignet to die for...After the first bite...from deep in the center of culinary bliss came...

.this amazing melted lava of cheese and grilled mushrooms, and speckles of truffles...really yum.

On to the Rack of Irish Lamb
We all had lovely dinners with a very nice Red Sancerre (normally they are known for their Burgundy Whites.)

After dinner, Jon, Peggy and I went 75 meters to the local pub, where we got the power seats, right at the bar and a few feet from the local musicians. We were mesmerized by the speed, accuracy and sheer volume of pints the young bartenders were able to accurately handle. The music was excellent as well, but the real show was watching the 3 barkeeps keep up with pure energy and efficiency. It was such a great show, we will watch them again tomorrow...and hopefully have the power seats again :)

Now on to Day 7, Sunday: We had a late but marvelous unphoto-ed breakfast, and went for a 2 hour hike towards the cliffs of Moher (the Cliffs of Insanity from the Princess Bride as mentioned previously). We knew we wouldn't reach them on this short hike, but we were promised cliffs near the Cliffs of Moher, just mini insane ones. Again the weather was bright, sunny and warm, and the locals could not believe how perfect it could be for this, their 3 day bank holiday. Along the way we spotted cattle, castles and other "wild" life...

The flower of course is for Sam, a true Buttercup, named after the Princess...

The mini cliffs of insanity

and with a beautiful 100 foot waterfall... Now back resting and reading in the b and b before dinner, and having just changed our end of trip plans, we are excited about Irish Castle Lodging (at the Leslie Castle) and gourmet dinnering (since they are a cooking school as well, but unfortunately for the ladies and very fortunately for our wallets, they don't offer their cooking courses until the Fall...). So instead of spending 2 days in Belfast and then to Dublin, we have changed to 2 days at the castle prior to our stay in Dublin. The castle was running a special promotion to attract suckers, I mean tourists like us, and the cost is just under $75 per night per couple...More about the castle of course in future blogs...around the 8th and 9th of June.

Shout Outs:
Our prayer is that you had a blessed day of worship. And Jim, we are pumped about Zoe's graduation this week, and about your family time...we sure do miss you guys. Give Zoe the biggest hug for us! Dave, your line was awesome (wish we were there and you were here...) How about wish you were here with us also here?!!! Until our next blog time together..love to all.

Ring of Dingle Part 2...

I must invite all readers of this blog to stay at the Milestone House when you come to Ireland. The owners, Michael and Barbara, ex architect and athlete, are so helpful and cook the killer breakfasts that you've seen on the last post. Their B and B is one of the top rated on both Trip Advisor and with Rick Steves... In the front of their property is one of the 1000 year old vertical stones that once you see them all over Ireland, you realize that Stonehenge is no big deal...

The drive for the Ring of Dingle is a very windy, albeit only 30 mile drive, through the very westernmost portion of Ireland...as they say, if you look west, the next parish is in Boston.

One group of islands, the Blasketts, housed about 200 people up until 1953. The government could not longer support them and could no longer ensure their ability to stay alive on these tiny islands just of the coast. All their food had to be imported, even the cows had to be floated over the 1/4 mile span between the mainland. It was so windy there that they actually couldn't open their front doors for a week. Many of the few hundred inhabitants became writers, journaling their experience and then they built a memorial museum to their stamina and way of life..for preservation purposes. I didn't pay the 5 euros to check it out, since Peggy Jon and Ann did want to go, and I wanted to chill from driving...but I did love the huge stained glass window that fronted their exhibit (the photo captures a wall about 30 feet by 12 feet!)

The beehive huts I referred to on my previous post were waterproof and served as great protection against the wind, rain and cold...if you consider staying inside one of these babies to be great... The woman who had these on her property has lived there for 52 years, and prior to that she lived 4 miles away. 84 years within the same 5 miles, and most of the time, collecting 2 euros from visitors 7 months out of the year. Her name is Mary and she was a sweetheart!

The drive around the ring of Dingle...and yes we were blessed with the most perfect weather, had many spectacular views...one of which you'll see at the end of this blog with what else, Peggy kissing me...but the capper at the end of each day, and the total surprise of this trip...is the quality of the food. We never expected Ireland to boast fabulous eats.. Here's Ann's Crab spring roll for example:

Here is my sizzling gambas (shrimp) in spicy thai oil with pesto and fried garlic...Stu would die for this dish:

So good in fact, that even the empty bowl, after 2 pieces of bread to sop up every drop of oil, was worthy of a photo and place in this blog..

The kissing photo is at a location that an elderly Irish couple told us was their favorite spot on the planet. We took a short hike from the "end of the road" and found them, and this view..and it was to die for.

Jim, to answer your question about a short 1 sentence summary of the trip...I guess I would have to say...unexpected sunshine, amazing food, beautiful scenery, enjoyable people and fantastic relaxation. (I actually have become very comfortable with the left handed stick shift driving...although it has scared my companions a time or two!)
So after the lovely dinner, we all went to a folk concert in a small church. 2 hours of amazing Irish folk music made us all believers in the simplicity and haunting elegance of this style of music. I wanted to put some sample on this blog, but learning how to accomplish that is in the advanced course of bloggery.

Be sure to post your comments and let me know if you prefer the large or small photos, if you want more of me and Peggy kissing, or more food shots. Today we have arrived in Doolin, where the famous Cliffs of Moher are located (the cliffs filmed as the cliffs of Insanity in the Princess Bride), and where some of the best music is to be heard from 9:30 at night until 1am in any of the 3 local pubs. I'll let you know more about that tomorrow. A call out to Steve B for his blog response! If Steve can communicate with us, you all have to be able to do so as well...bless each of you today!

Day 5; The Ring of Dingle

There are many Irish wars as to which is the prettiest peninsula drive to take when you visit Ireland. The long 120 mile drive of the ring of Kerry is most well known. However the smaller ring of Dingle, 30 miles, is said to be the prettiest...and the least nauseating as you drive following buses and tourists trying to navigate the 8 foot wide road passing a 5 foot wide car coming in the other direction. But that's not how the day started...let's talk full irish breakfast:

Yes, the 2 lovely looking discs are called black and white pudding. Yeah right! They are lovingly composed of blood and pieces parts of a pig mushed together and formed into finely shaped hockey pucks. Needless to say, only Jon ate them! A few other breakfast plates were ordered and consumed with glee: Bangers Irish soda bread

Stewed rhubarb and prunes

We departed for our 5 hour driving tour, with the first stop being the 1000 year old Dunbeg Fort...and the friendly donkeys:

Jameson Whiskey in Coke Bottle

The sitting room of our Milestone B and B, in Dingle, is quickly becoming the place to hang after dinner. Especially as we sip slowly on our triple distilled, 6 year in the barrel, smooth as silk Jameson!

Here's the whole story...Ann realized that we could buy the Ireland discount booklet for the price of an entry into the Jameson Distillery. The benefit to the holder is a two for one price at each of the tourist attractions around the island. So we paid the 13 euros for the booklet and only had to pay 13 euros (instead of 26) to participate in the tour. When the tour ended, they asked for volunteers to compare Irish Whiskey to Scotch Whiskey to American Whiskey (Jack Daniel's Bourbon). Since I was driving, and did I mention a stick shift with my left hand on the opposite side of the road...I chose not to volunteer. BUT Peggy and Jon did get selected. This meant they received 3 shots of those aforementioned beverages each, AND they still were intitled to 1 shot as part of the original entry fee. Not only that, each coupon book earned a free shot of whiskey also. There we sat, after the tasting, with 6 additional, free, untouched shots of jameson whiskey, and the dilemma of what to do with them. Obviously, tossing them out would be foolish, and in Ireland probably punishable by death...so we looked for the closest carrying case we could find...an empty bottle of coke. So now, two days later, in the comfort of our b and b sitting room, after a sumptuous seafood dinner, we can relax and each sip a bit on what is quickly becoming a very empty bottle of coke :)

after an amazing seafood dinner at a seafood only restaurant

Here are some random photos of our trip...doors of Ireland, Peggy and Ann in front of Blarney Castle, a few pints, a lamb burger from an organic Irish pub and there you go:

Just before dinner tonight, we came across the actual statue of Funghi the dolphin, which looks like this:

Tonight's dinner was spectacular. Jon and I are sitting in the b and b lounge reflecting on dinner as the ladies are perusing travel guides. We happen to have 6 shots of Jameson Irish Whiskey in our coke bottle, which is another whole story, but to carry on about dinner...here's the restaurant:

Potato encrusted Haddock, John Dory in mustard cream sauce, Turbot in cream and Basil and grilled scallops with seared carpachio of ahi with the most intensely hot wasabi. Pictures of each dish would be too mouthwatering to show, so your imagination is required here.

Hiking to see Funghi

Oh yeah, we still kiss a lot!

Peggy also got the idea of taking photos of pub doors (not just doors), and so we hope you'll enjoy the first two we've taken so far.

We just finished a 6 mile hike to see Funghi...not what you think though. Funghi is a bottle nose dolphin that has been playing in the bay for over 25 years. Every day, kids and adults get on small boats to see if they can entice Funghi to jump and breach. If you don't see him, you don't pay, so the pricing strategy works. Everyone saw him this day!

On to Dingle

Our first Bed and Breakfast in Cork...the Fernroyd House...received a 10 out of 10 from Ann, eventhough we wanted to leave room for the future scores, we couldn't fault this for any reason...

Now it's Thursday at 11 am in the beautiful town of Dingle on the west side of the island, Peggy and I have taken a short walk from our bed and breakfast on our way to a 5 mile walk, and coming upon this internet cafe realized it's time to get you up to speed on the last few days. Quick update...the credit card company responded with an a okay and won't shut down my card. We spent Tuesday driving throughout the south coast of Ireland, with our first stop being the "midleton experience". Middleton is the town where Jameson Irish Whiskey is manufactured. the front door and below are the colors and levels of the whiskey as it ages from 4 to 6 to 12 to 18 years...The reason it's called an experience is that after the tour, a few volunteers are invited to explore their palate's ability to discern between, Scotch (Johnnie Walker), Bourbon (Jack Daniels) and true Jameson Irish Whiskey. Peggy and Jon both were invited to that tasting panel. Fun times...all this by 11am. On to Cabh or (cove) on the southern coast, known for being the launching point for the Titanic's last/first voyage as well as where the Lusitania was sunk AND where nearly 1 million Irish departed to the US during the great immigration in the mid 1800s. From there we drove to Kinsale, a tiny beach town know to be like Carmel; many amazing shops and great restaurants. It was lovely, once you were deafened by the sound of all the road construction and dizzied by the one way traffic detours. We did finally arrive at our eatery; fishy fishy, for superb fish and chips and an irish coffee. Returning to Cork, we found a local pub that had classic irish music; a group of volunteers just wander into the bar and start jamming...glorious! Wednesday was our check out of Cork and head to Dingle day. Jon's laptop problem with the wifi was finally discovered to be a broken keyboard not putting in the letters for the password becasue his right side was typing numbers instead of letters. This should partially excuse us for the delay between posts....partially...Leaving the lovely Fernroyd House (with their key oops) we headed straight for Blarney Castle to "kiss" the Blarney Stone. A beautiful park, lovely climb up to the top of the castle and after an hour line, we bent over backwards, dipped our heads and came within an inch of kissing the foulest, slimiest, most putrid piece of rock in all of Ireland. FUN! We then took a 2 hour drive to the west, and arrived in Dingle at the lovely Milestone House. The proprietor, Michael, supplied us with tea and a 45 minute amazing explanation of the surroundings, along with prioritized pubs, restaurants, sports bar (to watch the soccer championship...Barcelona beat Manchester United 2-0) and great spots to drive and see the lovely ring of Dingle. A fish and chips, smoked haddock, shepherd's pie and goat cheese risotto meal prepared us for the soccer match, and the post game irish music was just the perfect evening to help us enjoy pints of Guinness.

Which brings us back to this morning...a great breakfast just prior to this hike into town...and now we are off for a longer 5 mile trek to the lighthouse and then back into town. Should be a lovely day, with such a lovely breakfast...

Signing off with Peggy...while Jon and Ann wander and shop...we're off to hike! Bless you all...