A Grand Day Out

So, first off, I still do not have my bag and no one seems to be able to tell me where it is and whether or not I'll ever get it back, though they all claim they're working hard to find out. And yes, I did cry when we got back this evening and I still had no bag. But despite that horribleness (and Air France finally telling me they'd reimburse me another 100 euro for purchases), we had a very enjoyable visit to Killarney today. We arrived there just in time to enjoy a pub lunch of fish & chips (Diana) and Shepherd's Pie (Katherine):







We then made our way to Ross Castle, which was not only beautiful and impressive in and of itself, but also located in a gorgeous setting of lake on one side, and lush forest of trees and walking trails on the other.

We enjoyed walking around and taking in the views, and then joined the last tour of the afternoon, making our way through the various levels of the castle and learning all about its medieval features, such as the rushes being dipped in tallow at each end and lit for a source of light (where we get the expression "burning the candle at both ends") and the cubbyhole in the wall of the bedroom, which was where they'd put the baby to keep it warm from draughts. It was also right next to the chimney flue, so would have been cozy. Interestingly enough, their bathroom had seating for three at a time. All sorts of other fascinating facts, but I'm tired, so perhaps those of you nerdy enough to be as interested as we were can ask us more about it in person (like how many people slept in a room and the trundle beds and the fact that only the Chieftan got to sit in a real chair while everyone else perched on stools).

We finished off our time in Killarney by heading over to Muckross House and Gardens and going on a jaunting car tour. According to Michael, our native-to-Killarney tourguide, the jaunting cars were the primary means of transport for the Irish for a good hundred or more years. He enthusiastically pointed out all the different types of trees, although we only understood about a third of what he was saying. It was ridiculously fun, especially when our horse would get excited about trotting down any small hill that came along. He was not so happy any time he had to walk up any type of incline, and one of the photos below shows our driver doing his best to urge him on.

A few more sights along the way: