The Ruckmoss House
After a good nights rest and a big breakfast we were all ready for the Ring of Kerry today! The Ring of Kerry is basically a giant loop that you drive that offers all sorts of scenic views and places to stop and look around! If you were to drive the loop without stopping the whole thing takes about 2 hours. We did it in a little over 8 hours! Needless to say we stopped... a lot! We got started around 9 this morning and stopped in several places to take pictures and enjoy the scenery. We came upon a small town where we stopped for about an hour and a half to look around and get some lunch. The town itself was very small, the main street running through it was probably a half mile to three quarters of a mile.
From there we continued along the winding and twisting roads. Our driver, Patty, told us that coaches can only go around the loop in a counter-clockwise direction because of the narrowness of the road in some areas along with the sometimes tight turns. There were even area where buses and cars could not go by at the same time! And after experiencing the road I think we can all agree there is definitely a reason those rules are in place. So along with the scenic stops we also pulled over at a bog. Patty explained how they would rake the bogs to get all the old vegetation and trees out. Then they would basically pack the 'stuff' together so they looked like pieces of fire wood, same size and all, and then stack to dry out. Once they were dry the would get put in a pile to be sold or used as the equivalent of wood for a fire.
The last stop on our tour around the Ring of Kerry was the Muckross House and gardens. The house itself was beautiful and the gardens incredible! The house sits on a huge estate and looks out onto a lake and mountains in the distance! It was absolutely gorgeous! There were various plant species all over the gardens in a variety of colors, sizes, and textures. It was an incredibly peaceful place to be and a great end to the day.
Once we got back a group of us went out to dinner and then we went to find some happening pubs! The group I was with- Andy, Bin, Beth, and Jimmy- went to 3 different pubs. At each one the guys tried out different beers and at the first Jimmy was kind enough to buy me a glass of wine (I can't say I'm a huge fan of beer so I have been trying those who will let me- I haven't particularly liked any of the beers but the Irish cider is pretty good). We finally settled on a 4th pub after meeting up with another one of our groups, and most all of us enjoyed a pint or two of beer. The pubs themselves are pretty cool. Similar to the few bars I have been to in Knoxville in that they have music and are the big social scene. The biggest difference that I have noticed thus far is that the Irish don't go to the pubs to get drunk, for them (as Garry explained) it is their place for social gathering. The pubs have a long history of not only being for social interaction but also the place to exchange important information and do business. So it was definitely cool to experience it as a social hub rather than as a place to get drunk in a rather socially accepted way.
From there we continued along the winding and twisting roads. Our driver, Patty, told us that coaches can only go around the loop in a counter-clockwise direction because of the narrowness of the road in some areas along with the sometimes tight turns. There were even area where buses and cars could not go by at the same time! And after experiencing the road I think we can all agree there is definitely a reason those rules are in place. So along with the scenic stops we also pulled over at a bog. Patty explained how they would rake the bogs to get all the old vegetation and trees out. Then they would basically pack the 'stuff' together so they looked like pieces of fire wood, same size and all, and then stack to dry out. Once they were dry the would get put in a pile to be sold or used as the equivalent of wood for a fire.
The last stop on our tour around the Ring of Kerry was the Muckross House and gardens. The house itself was beautiful and the gardens incredible! The house sits on a huge estate and looks out onto a lake and mountains in the distance! It was absolutely gorgeous! There were various plant species all over the gardens in a variety of colors, sizes, and textures. It was an incredibly peaceful place to be and a great end to the day.
Once we got back a group of us went out to dinner and then we went to find some happening pubs! The group I was with- Andy, Bin, Beth, and Jimmy- went to 3 different pubs. At each one the guys tried out different beers and at the first Jimmy was kind enough to buy me a glass of wine (I can't say I'm a huge fan of beer so I have been trying those who will let me- I haven't particularly liked any of the beers but the Irish cider is pretty good). We finally settled on a 4th pub after meeting up with another one of our groups, and most all of us enjoyed a pint or two of beer. The pubs themselves are pretty cool. Similar to the few bars I have been to in Knoxville in that they have music and are the big social scene. The biggest difference that I have noticed thus far is that the Irish don't go to the pubs to get drunk, for them (as Garry explained) it is their place for social gathering. The pubs have a long history of not only being for social interaction but also the place to exchange important information and do business. So it was definitely cool to experience it as a social hub rather than as a place to get drunk in a rather socially accepted way.
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