The Cliffs of Kerry.
Our first day in Ireland was like an episode of Amazing Race. By the time we landed in Shannon, got the rental car sorted out, Fred reacquainted himself with shifting a car while driving in the left lane, and I figured out how to read the road signs, we were racing against time to get to our hotel before dark.
This was not, however, unexpected.
We were staying at the lovely Ard na Sidhe Country House on Caragh Lake on the Ring of Kerry. Ard na Sidhe (translates to “Hill of the Fairies”) was the dream home of Lady Gordon who built it to her specifications in 1913. Restored by its current German owners in 2011, today it’s a luxury 18-bed manor home on 32 acres of gardens and, of course, the beautiful Lake.
Ard na Sidhe.
We arrived in plenty of time to unwind in the living room (now lounge) and enjoy a gourmet dinner in elegant style on their custom Wedgewood china.
We are finally in Ireland.
Our first full day on the Emerald Isle was going to be a busy one, since we planned to see as much as we could cram into a day. You could easily stay here for a month, there is so much to see and do, but we are working with the time we have, so we got an early start. After reading as much as possible and speaking with the incredibly nice staff at Ar na Sidhe, we refined our plans a bit and headed off for the Dingle Peninsula.
This is the heart of Gaelic Ireland, and let me just say this language is impossible to make any sense of . . . see examples below.
After Checking out Inch Beach and Minard Castle, we made our way to the scenic Slea Head Drive (Slí Cheann Sléibhe in Gaelic Irish). It was absolutely beautiful and put us on the Western most point in Europe. You can see why they call this the Emerald Isle, with so many colors of green, the farm fields look like beautiful patchwork paintings.
Minard Castle, built in 1641 and destroyed by the forces of Oliver Cromwell.
The temperature is just like NC, 60s today, and the roads are lined with many of the same wildflowers we all have in our gardens – but in such profusion. Bright red giant Fuchsia everywhere, purple Thistle, orange Montbretia (Crocosmia to us), etc., all growing wild everywhere. You can smell fresh cut grass, feel a fresh breeze and see cows and sheep in pretty much every vista. There were a few brief spritzes of rain, but mostly sun and blue skies.
We had a seafood chowder lunch at Murphy’s Pub in the quaint colorful town of Dingle and then stopped in at another Murphy’s, which is a well-known local ice cream shop. They make all their own, and flavors are distinctly local (for example, their own sea salt and brown bread flavors). But what they call their “chocolate sorbet”, made with fresh Irish rain water, was the most incredible, rich, decadent, best chocolate ice cream I have ever had.
We then headed back to the Ring of Kerry (An Mhór Chuaird in Irish, see what I mean), and to the Skelling Ring, a scenic drive at the westernmost tip of the peninsula, where tours busses are not allowed. The ultimate reward, seeing the impressive Cliffs of Kerry.
Dinner was some more local seafood (garlic crab claws this time) at the Tower Hotel bar in Glenbeigh.
It’s true the roads are narrow and you do have to pull over occasionally to let the on-coming vehicle pass, but Fred got the hang of it pretty quickly. Part of the trick to driving the Ring of Kerry is to travel in the same direction as the tour buses (counter-clockwise), so you don’t encounter them as one of those on-coming vehicles. Part of the reason we are here at this time of year is so the crowds are reduced, school has started, and the summer rush is past.
To our Irish friend, Pauline – we love your country!
The very tiny flat part in the middle-top is Pulpit Rock.
Lysefjord.
Hard to believe our last port in Norway is already here . . . and again, we have been blessed with wonderful weather.
Today we walked around the Gamie Stavanger (Old Town) with its quaint whitewashed timber houses and colorful flowers. Most of the 156 buildings are private homes, so you can’t go inside, but you can walk around the winding narrow cobbled streets and appreciate the efforts to maintain this 19th century seafaring neighborhood in such prime condition.
One of the 70 canneries that was active in the 1920s now houses a canning museum in Old Town. Sardines used to be big industry here. Besides Norway taking ownership for inventing the cheese slicer (which are sold in abundance in every shop in Norway), the sardine can key was invented in Stavanger.
We booked an excursion on-line with Rødne Fjord Cruises for a trip on Lysefjord, where the famous Pulpit Rock is located. Pulpit Rock is often seen in those crazy/beautiful photos that go viral on-line, with people standing at the edge of a very, very high, flat precipice. There is no way I would ever want to be at the top of that rock, and if I was, I’d have to lay on the ground at the very back. I can’t imagine the kind of person who could sit or stand on the edge. In any case, I can say I saw it. Safely. From the fjord.
It was a wonderful trip into the Lysefjord with its dramatic cliffs, waterfalls and caves. On the way we had a nice view of the area and the wonderful summer homes that dot the coastline. Most of the homes seen today are grandfathered in, as new dwellings are not allowed so close to the water. In Norway, the public owns the shoreline.
We set sail for our return to Southampton and our flight from London to Shannon.
I never would’ve guessed that one of the world’s great collections of Art Nouveau architecture would be in Norway. But it is, in Ålesund.
In 1904, the city was completely destroyed by fire. It took just three years for the city to be rebuilt, with help and donations from the European community. Because it was 1904, the style was Art Nouveau. What surprised me the most was the variety of features, no two buildings are alike and they have been extremely well-maintained. What a treasure. Anyone who loves Art Nouveau needs to research this collection of buildings.
My favorite Art Nouveau façade.
The pretty fishing port town covers several islands and is a delight to walk around. We came upon a street food fair featuring all sorts of local meats, fish, waffles, and more; everything smelled delicious. Having just eaten, we just enjoyed looking and watching.
Today was a picture-perfect day for what is often-cited as the most beautiful fjord in Norway, Geirangerfjorden.
The 10-mile fjord terminates in a tiny storybook village, and is a gateway to a wide variety of outdoor activities. Popular with Norwegians, as well as tourists, this UNESCO site has become a favorite stop for cruise ships, and the reason is clear.
We took a heart-stopping bus ride on numerous hairpin turns to reach Mount Dalsnibba, at 4,500’ with incredible views of the surrounding snow-capped mountains and fjord far below. But the best photos were from Flydalsjuvet about 1/3 the way up. The faint of heart could stop right there.
Later, we changed our perspective, getting out on the water in a RIB boat (think Zodiac). It was a real experience to speed around the fjord. It was not so exciting to get splashed with freezing salt water, although we were well-protected it thermal gear, resembling an arctic expedition team in bright blue suits. Our captain/guide was interesting, and told us quite a bit about the remote farms that, incredibly, are scattered along the cliff-sides. It was a treat to be able to go right next to the Seven Sisters Waterfall, and because it was high tide, we had the incredible thrill of getting up close and personal with the Suitor Waterfall, literally up against the granite rock face as the thundering cascade roared down into the fjord.
We had seen these famous waterfalls on our sail into this spectacular fjord when our ship arrived, but getting this close was an amazing perspective.
From clouds to glacial water – our favorite Norwegian experience so far.
At the Top of Dalsnibba.
The Seven Sisters Waterfall.
A crack in a nearby mountain is being closely monitored by geologists. If is continues to grow, and the rock face collapses it will cause a huge tsunami that is predicted to devastate the area in 40 – 60 years.
Typical farm.
