Boo’s Blog

Today we left the Temple Gate Hotel in Ennis and headed to the Dingle Peninsula. Our first stop was in Adare where we took a tour of the Adare Castle (see pic below). I loved the open area where the Yew tree grows. In Adare we stopped at a grocery store where we went up and down every aisle comparing it to the American stores. The cereal aisle (or lack of a full aisle devoted to cereal) was what struck me the most. It was here we found one thing on my Ireland quest, Magnum ice cream bars. Mine was white chocolate covering vanilla ice cream – enough reason for me to move to Ireland. We then headed to the Dingle Peninsula where we mostly followed the tour in Rick Steve’s Ireland guide. Our energy was flagging until we had tea at the Stone House Restaurant. From there we drove and saw the Blasket Islands, remains of the Reasc Monastery (amazing Celtic pillar c. 500 B.C.), the Gallarus Oratory, and the church at Kilmalkedar (where we renewed our vows at the ogham stone). Whew. We drove into Tralee where we are spending the night at the Grand Hotel. Dinner was at a pub called The Abbey (see below).