Taking it easier

Planning a trip like this is half the fun and gets me fired up about where we are headed. My original planning this time produced a multi page spreadsheet (maybe 15 pages?) and although distances seem short on paper, the reality is quite different. Plus we have found that lunches and any conversation with a local cannot be expected to be short.

The final blow to the spreadsheet agenda was laughter and multiple statements of "oh, my" by Cornelia. She said, first, it was not achievable and, second, it would not be enjoyable. Relax. She got us to eliminate a few things and adjust our expectations. I'm good with that. 

First, an item of interest from the cemetery we visited. Many of the graves had these globes, filled with flowers and water. They kind of looked like bubbles across the cemetery.

Moving on down the road, we would suddenly find something of interest, like this tomb from around 2000 B.C. It was later used as an altar by Catholic priests during the time when it was illegal to conduct a mass. They would hold mass out in a field like this.

We then headed southwest to the most southwestern tip of Ireland, where one finds the Mizen Head signal station, some incredible ocean views, and, in our case, some pelting rain. This is the walkway to the station. What you can't see is how high above the rocks and water we are. My photos won't/can't show that.

Apparently, there was some reonvation going on at the signal site. King John perhaps?

And out in the middle of that bridge, a lock. ?

Back to Crookhaven for lunch. Ourr directions were to drive into town to the pier and to the end, where we found O'Sullivan's pub. I had my first Irish coffee and Vicki and Cody found a new cider. Ireland is enjoying a craft cider revival, much like the States are enjoying a craft beer surge. 

Again, just driving along, we spy a sign for the Kilheangul Burial Ground. We don't pass these by, especially with Vicki on the hunt for her royal ancestors. This old celtic cross stood out, especially in contrast to the new marble behind it.

We had heard that we might encounter farm animals as we drove and sure enough, on a road already too narrow, we encounter cows that would nonchalantly wander out in front of you. I snapped this with the iPhone as we finally got this one to move over.

The main drag of Kenmare, our location for the next 2 nights.

Kenmare has a very old stone circle in town, but on the way there, we encountered this one in the middle of a road. I don't think it is nearly as old as the othe one, and unless there is a lot of rock attached to these underground, it wasn't nearly as hard to build. 

And then there was this at the edge of the stone circle area. All kinds of gods were worshipped; why not Santa as well?

This morning, we went down for our breakfast at our B&B. Cody had ordered the Irish porridge - but requested a fried egg on it. Our host had never heard of savory oatmeals and this threw her for a loop. But it was good, and it may be that Cody just started a food trend in Kenmare!