Day 6

Sunday 1/9/11:

I took the 10am bus to Killarney today. Maggie is headed the same way so we decided to travel together. The roads were very icy, but the weather itself was not too cold. We passed about 4 wrecks on the expressway. It took about 4 hours to get to Killarney. There were mountains in the distance covered with snow with green fields spread out before me. It was beautiful to watch the kilometers roll by.

When we got to Killarney we checked into the Killarney Sugan Hostel, which is an old building built in the early 1900’s from the local copper mine materials. It was the first two story building on the street. Inside the hostel is very funky and cool. It is very small and narrow, but the walls are covered with memorabilia and there is a fire burning in the fireplace.

We met two more Australians from Melbourne at the hostel, Jess and Karly. They were going to see Killarney National Park as we were so we joined them on an 8-9 km walk. Killarney National Park is stunning. Forests give way to grasslands in front of a snow covered mountain. Oh, and there is a castle. And red deer fighting for mates not 20 feet from us, I wish it were lighter when we saw them. The girls all posed for me, made me feel like a real photographer. They all are quite good models.

It started raining and was dark, so we turned around and came back to the hostel. I made dinner. On the menu was spaghetti and tomato sauce made with bell pepper, eggplant, and cherry tomatoes, as well as generous portions of onion and garlic. On the side was garlic bread made from Irish soda bread, with a glass of red wine. It was very delicious. We ate in front of the coal fire and they all talked about Melbourne.

After washing up we went out to listen to some music for a bit. There are excellent bands playing every night it seems, even on a Sunday. The plan tomorrow is the Ring of Kerry. Jess and Karly rented a car and have volunteered to take us with them to see it. I’m quite excited.