The Ashe Hotel in Tralee had a wonderful breakfast spread for us. There was a long drive and hike ahead, so we munched down all that we could. While we were eating, we notice a group from Missouri decked out in St. Louis Blues hockey attire. This was not the first time that we had seen Stanley Cup garb on tourist fans. The Boston Bruins were also easy to spot in crowds the past few days.
It was raining as we loaded up the Stonic and we scooted out of Tralee. Our trip plan would be taking us north to Burren National Park for a change of scenery.
Margaux, Katherine, and Andrew
Below is one section of trails in The Burren National Park. I found out later that the longest cave in Ireland is out there somewhere. We just stayed above ground, fortunately.
Once again, we were winding through some twisty country roads with only a waypoint to follow. Cell service was going in and out, but we were fortunate to find the trailhead access point. The rain was coming down stronger now, and the wind was whipping up, so we donned our rain gear and headed out. There were only 3 cars in the area, so we pretty much had the place to ourselves.
More rock fences, but these were some of the oldest we had found. The fence stiles were a treat and made passing through easy.
Another cloudy day, and this time with rain. Some of the trails took you out to the mound on the left, but we stayed on a shorter path that took us through some super creepy old forest. It felt almost like a tropical rainforest, but chilly.
Katherine found a good selection of wildflowers.
And this frog! (EboQ)
Yup, still raining in The Burren
Margaux stomping over the wet, sharp, and sometimes slippery limestone.
We had enough and packed our wet gear back in the Stonic and pressed on to Doolin.
But wait! A castle? Yup, turn the car around, we had to check it out. It was fenced in as private property, so this was as close as we could get.
After a little more driving, we arrived in Doolin. It's a small village close to the shore and provides access to the Cliffs of Moher, and a ferry terminal to get out to the Aran Islands..... and four pubs, which we had to check out.
A little more on the pubs:
We wanted to tour each one slowly and check out all the stuff inside. Each pub has it's own little story. They are always littered with pictures and Irish history on the walls. We talked to a local young woman that had traveled to the USA a few times and was getting ready to go to New York City the next day and was very excited. Funny stuff!
The pub below was nearly silent inside. I think we were there right about noon and only a few people were inside. Everyone was whispering like in a library and no music was playing. I could tell the servers were really enjoying this. On the way out I said whispering, "How quiet." He responded, "It's perfect, isn't it?" I just nodded and walked out. I knew that the silence would not last, since the evenings are crazy with traditional Irish music and tons of people.
Our brief walk to the next pub.
Looking back to the first pub with the creek below.
The third pub was a notorious tour bus stop. We were enjoying ourselves and then BAM! The tour bus unloaded and what felt like 100 people filed in. It was obvious that they had to get their orders in as quick as possible and scarf down their food to adhere to their tight schedule. The staff went into overdrive attempting to keep them all happy. The entire tour group ordered, ate, and left before we had drank our pints. We were really thankful that we are on our own time schedule and had no where to be.
The front of our little apartment.
Heading back out for dinner at the 4th pub after unpacking and starting laundry.
Yes, please! Oysters and mussels from right offshore.
The first music session was Irish Ballads at 7 PM and then a traditional trio coming on at 9 PM. We hung out at the table for quite a while chatting with the patrons and the staff. Most of the people in the restaurant were 60 years old or above. In fact, besides a couple of multi-generational family groups, we were consistently some of the youngest tourists in the pubs and at the sites. Maybe we just beat the school holiday rush. Or maybe Ireland isn't considered cool for younger people. It is though!
Katherine, Margaux, and Andrew
Oh what a beautiful sunset! It was after 10:00 PM.
The second group that played was made up of a fiddle, a button accordion, and a guitar. They were amazing, and played all traditional Irish music. Many people in the pub were singing along as well. I found it interesting that they just play at a table next to you. We had the best seats and thoroughly enjoyed the music and the experience. What a night!
Tomorrow, we plan to hike from our apartment out to the Cliffs of Moher. Most people take the tour busses, or drive out to the parking lot. We have other plans.
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