The last leg of our journey in Ireland was spent on the Dingle Peninsula. While there were myriad sights to see in that region of Ireland, we found ourselves winding down and enjoying the town of Dingle. The only driving and sightseeing we did, in fact, was Dingle Peninsula itself and a brief stop in Cork on the drive back to Dublin.
All over Ireland, scattered throughout the countryside, are sheep. Scraggly sheep with character. Sheep decorated in bright colors that, if you are as lucky as I was, just might pose for you, and reply with a weary "Baaa" when thanked for their cooperation.
I love how the houses are comfy cozy, smooshed up together. It could be a problem, however, when it comes to searching for a business in a town you aren't familiar with. Many times during our trip we experienced the frustration of not being able to find something that came with quite simple directions. You see, we are used to finding things in California...where most cities are laid out in a grid and buildings have street addresses...not so in Ireland. In Dingle we were to be staying at Murphy's B&B--no street number, only a street name. When we arrived we found 2 Murphy's B&Bs
Right Next to Each Other. What??? We went into one, they acted like they had our reservation and showed us to our rooms. An hour later, as we were eating dinner downstairs, we got a call from Murphy's B&B wondering when we were going to check in. Apparently we were at the wrong one, but really had no way of knowing. We moved our things over, and were much happier with the new place (which is
not the one over the pub, just in case you ever go! Look for the smaller sign next door.)
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| 2 Murphy's B&Bs next door to each other--novel idea! |
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| Just a pleasant row of houses. Smooosh! |
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Chris in Foxy John's--a very traditional pub, complete with
hardware store and bike rentals! |
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| The bartender at Foxy John's was my favorite! |
The drive around the peninsula was amazing. We weren't expecting to encounter anything awe-inspiring, which made it even more incredible to find. The two-way road way very narrow, which made it quite an adventure.
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Beehive huts built 3,000-4,000 years ago, inhabited until
around 1200AD |
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| A cross etched into stone at the beehive huts. |
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| This is one of the scenes that took my breath away. |
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| My favorite Ireland scene. I just can't look at this enough. |
What was the best part of Ireland? Well, the natural wonders abound, constantly reminding you that there are bigger forces at work. I love nature, so this was a huge thing to love about this country. Also, there are a lot of rosy-cheeked people there, so for the first time in my life I didn't have people asking me why my cheeks were so red--I looked normal! And the music was so much fun... But mostly it was just the people. I know that you hear all the time that the people are so friendly, but the people we encountered were more than friendly, they were interested. They approached us to find out who we were, what we were doing, what we thought. This is why you'll hear people talk about the pubs--the Irish pubs are great because they are a place for people to connect.
I procrastinated putting up this last post about Ireland because I don't want to say goodbye to it just yet. This is the place I've longed to go since I was young, and it's the first place that I've so sorely missed upon returning home. To think that some of the people and places now exist only in my mind is a sad thought, so I counter it with the promise of returning someday. Anyone want to go? Let's plan a trip!
Timothy completed 9th grade this year, and officially passed his dad up in the height department. 9th grade was much easier for him than 8th in some regards...especially in the time and attitude management department. This isn't to say that this year was easy, but that somewhere in the 3rd quarter he seemed to come to terms with the fact that school is not fair, easy, or fun. He will be continuing on at Valley Christian for his Sophmore year, which we are all hoping goes more smoothly still. He is glad that next year will not include band or Spanish, bummed that it will include English. You can't win them all.
For Andrew, this was the year of blissful sleep--one of the things he most loves about home schooling (another thing being his delight at being able to finish all of his school work in a fraction of the time a normal school day consumes.) He made huge progress in his writing skills, and is no longer afraid of a 5 paragraph essay. He's looking forward to making friends and taking electives in 7th grade at the middle school next year, even at the cost of early mornings. It's going to be hard on him, but hopefully the benefits will outweigh the frustrations. Personally, I'm glad that it will force him away from his computer--where he's been contentedly immersed much of the year (even with time restrictions!)
