I had trouble sleeping in the night. Our bed is probably a bit wider than a twin bed but not as wide as a full. Normally I’d guess it is made for 1 college student, not a married couple. Also initially our room was too hot and there was no air conditioning. Our only solace is opening up a window to let the cool air in.

There is a green night light which shines directly in my face during the night. So I got out my eyemask which I normally use on planes. i felt somewhat of a diva needing my beauty sleep, but in reality it was blocking an annoying light.

After getting ready we had breakfast – 2 chocolate muffins for me and some type of generic multigrain Cherrios for Sharon….which she said tasted nothing like Cheerios.

We were running a bit late for the bus to church so we had to book it. Fortunately the bus was late and empty. We officially started our 72 hour tourist Leap card, which should expire by the time we make it to the airport on Wednesday.

We rode a enormous amount of stops to get to our stop. The bus didn’t even stop most of the time because there was no one waiting. I guess people were still sleeping in from being up late on Saturday night.

After getting off the bus we walked a few blocks to Knocklyon Church of Christ. The church building was in the suburbs and had its own parking lot. A taxi pulled up while we were walking inside. It was two British tourists who came to worship too.

We were greeted by Angela who asked where we were from and got our names and addresses. We were greeted a few more times by members and their preacher, Steve. Knocklyon Church of Christ, like the rest of Ireland is a melting pot. We saw native Irish and emigrants from Africa and India. Worship started promptly at 10:00AM. Sharon and I knew most of the songs and the congregation singing was full for around 50 people; much fuller singing than my home congregation of 1000.

The congregation stood up to pray and there was a loud “Amen” said by the entire congregation at the conclusion of the prayer. Steve’s lesson was on Acts 3 about the lame man being healed at the gate beautiful. Alot of scripture references were given. Steve even made comment that he was a former Catholic but was able to study to find a much truer way. The congregation was led in worship by capable men. Sharon pointed out to me that the congregation was established around 30 years ago so it has had time to grow and mature.

In front of me was a young boy playing with his dinosaurs and army men (G.I. Joes?). I thought to myself, this is what I did 40 years ago, and in a few hours more children will be playing with their toys in church in America as well. Seems to me that no matter where you go some things always stay the same.

After the message we partook in the Lord’s Supper. Sharon and I wondered if they used real wine but I guess we’ll never know.

Angela who we met early walked us to the bus stop and rode the bus to the tramp stop so we could go to the National Museum of Decorative Arts and History. It was very kind of her to do this as she lived in the other direction away from the city.

After riding the bus we decided to stop and eat at O’Briens a sandwich shop. I got a ham and cheese while Sharon got a chicken sandwich.

We then rode the tram to the National Museum of Decorative Arts and History. The tram stop was easy to figure out as it was named “Museum.” These National Museums are somewhat like the Smithsonian in that it is free and houses alot of Ireland’s historic artifacts. We saw several different things from other countries. We learned about Irish soldiers involvement in World War I, British Wars with other countries and the American Civil War. There was even an exhibit on an Irish American named “McGavock” which is who the school and road was named after.

We could have spent hours in the museum, but decided to move on to the other churches. We rode the tram back to Four Points and walked up the Christ Church. It was 7 EURO each to get in. The interior is not as impressive as other Cathedrals, but impressive in its own right nonetheless. The positioning of the roped off areas and non roped off areas allowed us to get up close and personal with almost all areas of the cathedral.

By the time we got out it had started to rain softly. We decided we didn’t have time to visit St. Patrick’s Cathedral. We briefly looked for something to eat before deciding to head back to the dormitory but not before stopping at the local Spar for a pizza and other snacks and drinks.

Tomorrow we visit the book of Kells and Trinity college. Looking forward to it!

Sharon and I had mutually decided to take the 9:05AM bus to Kilkenny. There was a 7:05AM bus but we were much too exhausted to take it. So we headed out at 8AM. We checked out of Lancaster Lodge and went to the Mardyke bus stop. I had routed our journey through Google with the least amount of walking. We caught the 208 bus and asked the driver to take us to St. Patrick Quay (pronounced Key). I was following the route on my phone and after about 3 stops the driver said we should get out as this was our stop.

We walked across the bridge and several blocks later we spotted the unmistakeable green Dublin Coach bus. It was parked on a street away from its usual spot on St. Patrick’s Quay due to water pipe installations. Our driver was onboard but taking his time opening the doors. He did finally open his doors and we showed him our ticket on the phone. We had a slight panic moments before because I could not find the ticket PDF on my phone. But we were able to connect to the internet using one of the other bus’s wifi network, so no interruption of our trip.

We stopped at a couple of cities along the way, most notably Waterford which had a great seaside shopping area.

We arrived in Kilkenny at around 11AM. Thankfully our B&B was just a few 100 meters from the bus stop. We went into Butler Court and didn’t find anyone at the reception. Following the directions we buzzed the front gate and was greeted by Yvonne, our host. She showed us to our room which we remarked how grateful we were to have a refrigerator in our room….the first we’ve had since we arrived. She gave us a map and marked the places of interest. Our breakfast was already in the room ready to make. She said she would bring by soda bread later on.

We decided to eat lunch at The Fig Tree. I had a grilled ham and cheese while Sharon had a chicken and bacon panini. We both enjoyed our meals with bottled Sprite.

Next we went to St. Mary’s Cathedral. Surprisingly there was no entry fee. Inside the church were paintings of Jesus’ stations of the cross. There were stained glasses aplenty. I was apprehensive about taking photos with my digital camera because I felt it might make too much sound (I had noticed others there who were silently sitting…maybe praying.

Next we visited the Black Abbey – slightly smaller church but with stained glass (some more contemporary). I too saw a lady in there praying so I tried not to make too much noise.

Next was St. Canice, an Anglican cathedral. We couldn’t get very close because a wedding was going on there. So we headed down and found the Roth House, and sure enough a wedding was being held there too! But we were told that our tour would not be effected. Sharon decided to stay behind while I climbed the stairs to view costumes and the making of tapestry and a skeleton of a long extinct giant Irish deer.

We hung around thinking the walled garden was around somewhere and a employed said she would take us there. Unfortunately it was through the wedding reception making for some awkward moments.

The garden was beautiful with vegetables and flowers. Sharon took several pictures.

We decided we should go back to the room to rest. We made it back to the room and I went out to the Supervalue supermarket to get some drinks. While I was on my way it started raining a bit, but not too hard. At the market I got some apple juice and water and a lemon Fanta for myself.

We took a nap before heading out to Kyteler’s Inn, a restaurant and bar operating since medieval times. I had fish and chips while Sharon had Irish stew. They had a trio of musicians playing Irish music while we ate.

We returned back to Butler Court and saw “Bo” the B&B’s rescue dog. I made a new friend with Bo. At the room Sharon worked on her blog while I went out again to take photos of the castle.

Tomorrow we will finish up Kilkenny by visiting the castle and the museum and St. Canice before catching a bus to Dublin.

We had decided to visit the enormous Rock of Cashel today. This involved a 90 minute bus ride from Cork Bus station to Cashel on Bus Erieann’s X8 service. It was an express bus meaning it made less stops and got there faster.

This involved catching the earliest bus departing at 8AM. So we got up and left at around 7AM to make it from our hotel room in time. We caught a 220 bus from our Mandyke bus stop and got off with a bit further walk to the bus station. (Shouldn’t all buses eventually go to the bus station? Not this one!)

While we were walking I spotted a bakery and suggested we get breakfast there. We had not had breakfast at the hotel because we had left so early. I got a chocolate muffin and OJ while sharon got a croissant with chocolate and a citrus drink. The attendant offered to give us ice in cups. This is somewhat of a novelty as ice is difficult to find.

We made it to the bus station. We ate our breakfast while we waited for us bus. Afterwards I decided to try to find a restroom. I was disappointed to find that the restrooms were pay only with a turnstile. I could have jumped it, but I decided not to for fear of getting caught with close circuit cameras.

Our bus arrived 20 minutes late. We gave our online booking numbers to the driver and he gave us our onward journey and return ticket on the same printout. Others who got on did not have their return ticket to Dublin. They did get a lecture from the driver about hanging on to their ticket, but he eventually let them on.

I slept part of the time as best I could. Other times I found myself listening to Tom Petty on my iPod. The bus stopped at 3 towns along the way – all of which I had not heard of. I’d assuming that those getting on and off at those towns were locals.

Meanwhile at Cahir there was a castle in the heart of the town which might have made for a great stopover coming back if we had planned better. Maybe it will be a stop for a future journey.

We arrived into Cashel about 20 minutes late, but no worries as we had until 2PM to catch our bus back. We inquired from a local where “The Rock” was. She pointed us in the right direction. As we walked we remarked how there are houses which are at the bottom of the hill which are in the shadow of the Rock of Cashel. How unique. But it would be aggravating about how many tourists walk past their house everyday.

The Rock is at the top of steep hill. Midway up the hill was the parking lot and restrooms. Nearby young people played traditional Irish music.

While we were buying our tickets we were talked into getting the free tour beginning in 5 minutes at 10:30AM. Our tour guide gave a very informative. Seems the Rock started out as a royal residence, but later turned into a religious seat. Seems those in power gave up the rock to the religious leaders so that his rival didn’t get it.

Inside the rock we saw roofless shells of buildings. There was one particular religious leader who started off Catholic but switched to Protestant once England took over to the ire of his laymen.

Around the rock was a graveyard. Seems in 1930 the town of Cashel opened up the registers that allowed some residents to opt for burial at the Rock. Only a few of these residents survive and after they pass no one else will be buried at the Rock.

The rock had a chapel nearby. About 10 years ago restoration work began to make it less porous to keep it from having so much mold around. Each brick from the room was removed and catalogued while a membrane was installed to keep it from being so pourous.

Down the back hill from the chapel was the Hore Abbey ruin, which looked interesting the photograph, but unfortunately we did not have time to get to it.

After the tour we walked through the museum and saw the original sandstone cross which had been replaced by the limestone cross at the entrance to the Rock.

After we left the rock we attempted to find the bus stop to return to Cork. After much time we found it and then attempted to find a place to eat. I left Sharon in the town’s commons area while I tried to get Apache Pizza. Unfortunately it was closed. After some debate we decided on The Brian Boru. Both Sharon and myself got a Beef Burger with fries. The burgers were huge! It was served with some type of chili mayo (meant for the fries but just as good on the burger).

Nearby Sharon saw a Guiness which touted “Guinness in Baby Bottles,” which she requested I take a photo of. With advertisements like this it is no wonder why we have rampant alcoholism.

We made our way back to the bus stop and found our bus to be late. While we were waiting there was a man pacing and talking to himself. I thought he was crazy.

Our bus was about 20 minutes late which is much better than expected. I thought it was 2 hours late based on the Bus Eireann real time tracking. During our bus ride I could tell Sharon was not enjoying it as the seating area for knees were cramped.

As we made it back to Cork, we decided to visit St. Fin’s Cathedral. We found the bus that went there and we walked about 500 meters to it. It was very ornate. Sharon took several pictures while I did some videoing.

Afterwards we came back to the hotel room where I took a nap and Sharon tried to post to the blog. The hotel’s internet service provider, Virgin Mobile, is not kind to WordPress.

For supper I went out and got Apache pizza. Our hotel provided us with a bucket of ice so we enjoyed an evening meal in our room.

Tomorrow we visit Kilkenny.

Out of habit I woke up early – at 5AM. I snoozed for a little bit, but eventually got up and wrote yesterday’s blog post. It got to be about 8AM and Sharon was stirring so I told her it was 8AM and it’ll be a good idea to get ready.

I had my cameras charged and my GoPro’s suction cup for the car window ready. Sharon and I went downstairs to the dining room for breakfast. As with many hotel dining rooms in Europe, it was small and seating was limited. We grabbed a table near the breakfast bar which helped with refills of OJ and Apple Juice. The cups were one pint, about one step up from a shot glass – or about equal in size to the cups served on airplanes. I’ve never really understood European drink serving sizes. Obviously they have bigger cups for beer. Why not have these sizes available for other non alcoholic drinks?

We had two breakfast options – Irish Breakfast for 10 EURO or continental breakfast for 6 EURO. We didn’t really want to go all out with an Irish breakfast, but couldn’t find anything on the continential breakfast. So we compromised. Sharon had scrambled eggs on toast and Irish bacon (ham) while I had a cheese omelette and Irish Bacon (ham) and sausages.

Having completed our breakfast, Sharon headed to the room to pack the essentials and I headed to Centra convenience store to see if deli sandwiches were available. Sure enough they were so I got a roast beef and cheese for Sharon and a ham and cheese for myself…and water. I got back to the room and packed our lunch in my insulated bag.

We headed to the hotel’s parking lot and attempted to head out. The only problem was that one car beside us sat forever and we weren’t sure what they were doing. Eventually they did leave so we could leave (small parking lot)

The first village we went to was Ventry – a small village with some B&Bs and shops and a beach and mobile home park. Later we took a wrong turn and instead of driving the coastal highway we went inland past a castle ruin and made our way to Ballyferrier which had a small business district with a few restaurants – most notably a shop dedicated to Star Wars.

I mentioned to Sharon that we were way off course and we should go back to where we came to start the tour clockwise. We continued on our way with great views of the ocean and a few pull of spots. One just happened to be the Irish famine houses. There wasn’t anywhere to pull over so we passed it by. I did get to see the beehive prehistoric houses which was up a steep hill. The ticket counter was a small trailer – obviously the bee hive houses were on private land and the landowner wanted some money from tourists. The beehive houses were just as it sounded, shaped like beehives, but put together with stone and no concrete.

Next we stopped at a prehistoric mound and petting zoo. The ticket counter provided visitors with food for the goats and sheep. The animals are not shy. They came up to me looking for food, which I didn’t have. The mound was somewhat of a anticlimax. If I didn’t know any better I would have thought it was a a big ditch.

Then there were drives around narrow mountain lanes. Once we got behind a tour bus who met a car going counter clockwise. Because the bus was so big and couldn’t go anywhere, the car had to back down the hill in reverse so the bus and all the cars could go by.

Next was the Blasket Vistor’s Center. It was getting to about lunchtime so we decided to have a picnic lunch at tables near their cafe. After a few minutes we were asked to leave and given the excuse that the person’s boss would be upset. I guess the tables were meant for cafe guests. I was pretty upset but complied. We finished our lunch on the steps outside which smokers congregate.

Next we were on our way to Ballyferrier for a second time. This time we did not get out and look.

We then found our way to the Gallarus Oratory – a 1300 year old primitive church. We had trouble finding the free parking area. Had we parked at the more accessible parking lot it would have been 3 EURO. Apparently the property owner next to the church found a way to charge admission for parking, but could not control access from the free parking list. The actual exhibit is free.

The church was similar to the beehive houses with stones stacked with no concrete. There may have been mud but I didn’t see any residue of it. Sharon and I hung around until some of the visitors had left so we could get some good photos.

Next was on to the Kilmalkedar Church – a church ruin, ironically in worse shape than the Gallarus Oratory. There was a cemetery around it with very old and very new graves. We took several pictures of the church, tombstones and flowers around it.

We then drove back to our hotel in Dingle. Sharon took a nap, while I went out and took photos of the colorful buildings of Dingle. I visited St. Mary’s church. It was fairly a modern church inside, but on the outside it looked quite old.

I came back to find Sharon rested and writing on her blog. After a while we went out to the Dingle Diner for pizza and then on to Kool Scoops for ice cream.

Tomorrow we drive to Cork while visiting Killarney and Blarney castle along the way.

Our ferry to Doolin was at 11:30AM, so we slept in until around 8AM. While Sharon was getting ready I decided to see if I could get boarding passes for the ferry. I lurked around the pier but there was no Doolin Ferry office. So I went back to the room.

The magic time this morning was 10AM. That was when the Spar Grocery Store opened (so I could get a deli sandwich for lunch) and it was when the tourist information booth opened so I could ask about the boarding passes.

While we waited on these things to open Sharon and I decided to get breakfast. We decided on the full Irish breakfast – egg sunny side up, black pudding, sausage, baked beans, toast, hash brown, tomato (neither of us ate that), and Irish bacon (Americans would call this ham). I tried most everything, but really only ate the ham, toast and eggs. Sharon was more liberal in her choices, trying the ham, toast, hash brown and baked beans. Geraldine had another lady helping serve us. Later one we saw this lady helping to clean the rooms.

After breakfast we had a short communion service and thought for the day. Sharon and I had both thought it was important to remember to worship our Lord today being the Lord’s day. I’d be amiss if I didn’t say this was the most important thing we did all day.

After our devotional it was 10AM, so I went by the tourist office and found that the ticket printouts that I had were my boarding passes since Doolin Ferry didn’t have an office on Inis Mor.

Later I went by Spar and got a deli sandwich for Sharon and I to split for lunch either on the ferry or afterwards.

It got to be about 10:45AM so we decided to check out. Geradline’s credit card machine was down so we paid her with cash and headed to the port.

At the port there was a bit of confusion on what side the Doolin ferry was one. Some of the ferries stopped at Inis Man and Inis Mer while others went straight to Doolin. An American lady from Indiana was trying to go to Inisheer. When the first ferry came she was told that the other ferry was to go to Inisheer. But when the second ferry came they weren’t going to Inisheer. But somehow the crew got talked into stopping at Inisheer.

Sharon and I grabbed seat on top of the ferry. This helped with her seasickness, but caused me a bit fearful that the boat might sway and my backpack might go overboard. I held it most of the way and took photos and video.

When the boat pulls up to port sometimes those waiting at the port (passengers) will help secure the ropes to the port. There was even a guy (assuming passenger) helping the first mate help secure the gang plank on each drop off of passengers.

Sharon and I both agreed that should we come back we’d try to go to Inisheer, as it looks like the next to the most interesting island behind Inis Mor.

We arrived at Doolin port and walked back to our B&B – Atlantic View Guesthouse. The receiptionist met us at the door and showed us to our room – a nice spacious room on the 2nd floor. There was even a view of the Cliff of Moher which made us even more excited to see the cliffs.

After our lunch from Spar in Inis Mor we deduced to see the cliffs by catching the 3PM Bus Eireann from the Doolin Pier campsite (according to Google). After asking around we planted ourselves at what we thought was the correct stop. The bus came along and I waved the driver down. The bus turned around but did not even open their doors. This left me furious. I then asked around and found the Pattywagon was supposed to stop at Doolin pier in 15 minutes so Sharon and I decided to go there to flag down the Pattywagon.

It was 8 euro each to ride the Paddywagon – a tourist minibus to the Cliffs. The driver told us that the Bus Eireann just used the campground as a turn around spot and it wasn’t officially a stop except first thing in the morning. Our driver was kind enough to point out where at the Cliffs the Bus Eireann stopped at.

We were dropped off slightly further down the cliffs to an undeveloped and unpaved portion. This was because the Cliffs of Moher Visitor center has started their own bus service and no longer allowed the Pattywagon to drop off people at the visitor’s center.

Our view of the cliffs was spectacular, but very crowded. We didn’t know it, but Sharon and myself were cooking in the heat. Afterwards Sharon came out looking like a lobster. I can handle some sunburn without too much trouble. Sharon has fair skin and it effects her much more.

Sharon was afraid of me getting to close to edge and at this point I was a bit apprehensive too. So I stayed close.

Sharon was not having a good time and we headed back to the vistor’s center for ice cream and to cool off. Sharon waited for me and shopped while I went back up to the Cliffs of Moher to where the castle was (2 EURO to climb – I declined). Just beyond the cliffs is a sign saying it the effect “You’re leaving the vistor center portion of the Cliffs of Moher. Depart at your own risk.” Just beyond the boundary someone had setup a trailer selling snacks and hotdogs.

Afterwards I went back to check on Sharon and to visit the exhibit showing the history of the cliffs. Sharon didn’t want to join me because apparently we did not go by protocol and purchase a ticket to the visitor’s center and therefore really weren’t allowed to visit the exhibit.

Sharon and I were very tired to we decided to get the next (and last) but back. The bus was slightly late, but we did manager to catch it.

We ate at Gus O’Connor’s in Doolin on the way back. The bar’s walls are covered with dollar bills for some odd reason. I ordered our food at the bar and sat at a table in a crowded room. Nearby live music was playing. I had fish and chips while Sharon had chicken tenders and fries with some type of garlic mayonnaise. Sharon if you are reading this, please get the recipe.

We walked the long distance back to the hotel room. At our hotel we noticed it was still light and it was 10:15AM. Ireland has really late sunsets.

Tomorrow we are driving to Dingle via Ennis, Shannon, Limerick and Tralee. It’ll be a long drive but will probably be worth it.

I got up early to get breakfast at McDonald’s on Shop Street in Galway. On my way there a drunk was walking along asking “Where you going? Where you going?” I ignored him. I found my way to the McDonald’s and proceeded to place my and Sharon’s order on the Kiosk. The Kiosk wouldn’t take 2 of my credit cards before finally taking my debit card. Ahead of me the drunk had proceeded to try to place his order at the counter. He seemed to be surprised that they wouldn’t be serving hamburgers and reluctantly opted for breakfast instead. It is at this point that I really question by some people decide to get drunk and make fools of themselves. Is it really worth it?

With an Egg McMuffin and Coke for Sharon and a Ham and Cheese Toastie and OJ for me I went on my to our room. After breakfast we got our stuff together with me carrying our laundry bag of dirty clothes and sharon carrying the clean clothes.

Sharon and I walked to Eyre Square. I left Sharon at the Square while I was off to get her a Mt. Dew (yes I found Mt. Dew here!) and Subs from Subway. We then went to the bus stop for the Rossaveal ferry transfer. A bus came along and we got on but was told to get off as the bus was needed elsewhere. A second bus came along a few minutes later and we squeezed on. The bus’ seats did not have enough room between the rows. I’m not sure it would have passed US standards. The drive seemed to take an hour, but maybe it was because it felt longer as I was holding a heavy suitcase while Sharon was holding both of our backpacks.

We found the ferry to Inis Mor. We found some seats underneath and parked ourselves there. In front of us they rolled up a metal window revealing a snack stand. Sharon is prone to car sickness, and in this case sea sickness therefore she closed her eyes the entire time. I took some video and photos at various parts of the ship.

After a while we arrived in Inis Mor. As we were walking to our B&B we were asked twice if we wanted a pony cart tour. I suspected this would be the case so I didn’t prebook any tour for fear of arriving late and them charging us for a no show.

Past the bars and sweater shop was our B&B – Seacrest. Our host Geraldine was moping the floor. She gave us tickets to Dun Aonghasa, an ancient fort at the other end of the island. Sharon asked about a pony cart tour. Geraldine’s husband runs a pony cart tour business and she was happy to call him to schedule a tour at 4:30PM.

As our room was not ready we sat and ate our Subway sandwiches for lunch. I saw 2 cats which I tried to pet, but they were a little skidish.

Since our ponycart tour was not until 4:30PM, we decided to explore the island. We stopped at a sweater shop for Sharon to get gifts for herself and loved ones. In the harbor there is a old ship which ran aground. I went on the beach and snapped a few pictures of it and collected shells for Sharon.

We then went by the Spar – the only store on the island. As it caters to both islanders and tourists, the prices didn’t seem too over-exhorbant. There was a little of everything there including a deli which I would utilize later on for our trip back on the ferry.

After the Spar we ventured further into the island, walking past a ruined Protestant church and abandoned bar – The Lucky Star Bar. I love taking photos of abandoned buildings and urban decay so I snapped quite a few.

Sharon and I saw a cat behind a gate in the nearby woods and we tried to coax it into coming to us but we had no luck. We went as far as Joe Watty’s Bar and Restaurant before heading back but not before stopping at another more modern church in the area. The sexton appeared to be there so we decided not to bother going inside the church.

We went back to our B&B. I took a nap while Sharon surfed the web. Right before our scheduled pony cart tour, I got hungry and got Sharon and myself “Smooches” (like DQ Blizzards) at the local Spar.

We met Geraldine’s daughter who gave us a tour during the first portion of the tour. Geraldine and Thomas’ daughter had been born in Rhode Island but moved back to Inis Mor when she was 3, so this is the only life she remembers. She showed us the ruined Protestant church and stopped at an art shop near Joe Watty’s Bar. Afterwards we went to a 9th century church while Geraldine’s daughter went back to the horse shed and Thomas continued our tour.

Throughout the tour we saw rock walls seemingly separating property lines or fields. Thomas was kind enough to stop at the beach area where seals congregate.

We made it to the foot of Dun Aonghasa where there were some shops and snack stands. We went through the vistor’s center and gave the tickets Geraldine had given us to the attendant before hiking up.

It was a rough hike. I was worried that Sharon was having trouble, but like a true soldier she pushed through and made it.

Dun Aonghasa is at the top of a cliff with no barrier between the visitor and falling off the cliff. Sharon was very nervous when I got near the edge with my GoPro, but I was able to stay just far enough away to give myself a thrill and still be safe.

We headed back down where Thomas picked us up again and took us back to our B&B while pointing out churches and abandoned ruins along the way. It was a different way back than the way we came. We did see a new stone wall being put up by a 4th generation resident. Thomas said this was very unusual as new rock walls are not usually put up.

We came back to the B&B and paid Thomas 60 EURO (30 EURO Each) for the tour – a real bargain for the experience.

We then headed to “The Bar.” We researched places to eat beforehand and “The Bar” had food that both of us would eat. It was wall to wall people inside so we grabbed a table outside. It was a bit chilly, but we had a good time eating the burger for me and chicken with spinach and cheese for Sharon. We had a short walk back to the B&B before finally turning in for the night.

Tomorrow we catch a ferry to Doolin to see the Cliffs of Moher.

My day started early. I got up at 5AM to get a shower and get breakfast at McDonald’s. The only problem was even though McDonald’s said they were open 24 hours on Friday, that means that they didn’t open until 7AM on Friday…and they didn’t close until Sunday. While was there a older man told me they were closed. He asked me what time it was…5:30AM and I said “They probably don’t open until 7AM.” He then asked me what other places are open. I guess I looked like I knew what I was talking about, but I assured him I didn’t know. He later asked two passerby’s what was open and they directed him to another shop off.

My wife Sharon had planned ahead and downloaded Google Maps of our route on her phone. At around 7:12AM we proceeded to Eyre Square to catch the bus to the Enterprise car rental place. We arrived a bit early so we waited 10 minutes until we were welcomed inside to check out our rental. I got additional insurance on the car – a Hybrid Toyota SUV to make my deductible less. I thought it was a good plan for a small additional fee.

Driving a car in Ireland is a bit confusing at times. They drive on the left and the steering wheel is on the right. I had been warned that the windshield wipers and turning signal were reversed, but it just so happened not to be the case on my car.

Meanwhile roads in Ireland can be narrow with no shoulder. I had been warned about this. When I took a minor road to get to my main route, I met 2 cars suddenly and had to brake quickly.

We ate breakfast at a Centra gas station which consisted of muffins and orange and apple juice. We then headed to Cong. Surprisingly I felt as though I did really well getting to Cong. I had brought my iPod which was nice to have my music playing while I was driving.

We parked our car at a public (free) parking area in Cong. It was almost empty when we arrived. We walked up to Cong itself and looked around at some shops before proceeding to the Quiet Man Museum. Upstairs at the museum was a souvenir shop. Downstairs was the museum which consisted of some props from the movie and furniture and costumes similar to the ones in the film (read not original). Sharon loved it. It was great seeing her face light up from one of her favorite movies.

Afterwards we walked around and went to the Cong Abbey, a ruined Abbey in the heart of the city. There were many grave markers all around and in order to walk around the Abbey you had to step on graves as they were back to back.

Coming out of the Abbey we visited a ruined church across the street. Nearby sat a few motorcyclists working on their bikes near a ruined Abbey. New and old come together in Cong.

There was a statue of John Wayne carrying Maureen O’Hara near the tourist office. We got a few pictures before going to the tourist office. The tourist office worker told us that Ashford Castle charged 15 Euro just to come on the grounds. We decided to pass and go on to the ruins of the Monk’s Fishing House near the ruined Abbey. Consequentially there was a modern day fisherman there casting his reel. “If only the Monk could see his house today.” I thought to myself. The more things change the more they stay the same.

We then went to Pat Cohen Bar and Restaurant. We expected it to be busy, but it was us and a few patrons at the bar. I saw they had “Ham and Turkey” as the special for today. Thinking it was a ham and turkey sandwich I ordered it, while Sharon got the fish and chips. My order of “Ham and turkey” was actually ham and turkey with brown gravy along with mashed potatoes. I ate it without complaining to the staff. Sharon’s fish from the fish and chips was massive.

We then proceeded to Kylemore Abbey but not without getting caught in a traffic jam in Cong. I guess the streets are so small that if there was any obstruction it can cause a lot of grief for those behind the others.

The drive to Kylemore was wonderful. We drove by lakes and mountains and saw sheep along the way. Owners must dye their sheep with a small spray of color to distinguish it from the others. In some areas the sheep seem to roam free and sometimes hang out near the road way…even on it. So you have to watch for animals. I had a close call with a dog that jumped in my path, but no one (including the dog) was hurt or injured.

We could see Kylemore Abbey in the nearby scenery and slowed down to take a photo. We parked in the Kylemore Abbey parking lot and noticed there was a car of similar color, make and model as our rental car. So I took a photo of our license plate for reference when we came back. I also took a photo of an old Citroen car for Instagram.

Kylemore Abbey is a working Abbey which was gifted by a wealthy family in 1921. It consists of the main Abbey (former manor house ), gothic church and Victorian Walled Garden (about 2 miles away, accessible by a shuttle). We saw the Abbey and gothic church, but passed on the garden as we were running low on time. Sharon and I both agreed that the inside of the Abbey and Church was not as spectacular as the outside and it would be just as well to stop and take photos but pass on the tickets.

We then headed back to Galway, but not before stopping at a bridge made famous by being a setting for “The Quiet Man.” The bridge was quaint and seemingly not descriptive had it not been in the movie. We took several photos of the bridge.

Along the way back we had to drive up on a side walk (took the queue from the driver in front of us) to make way for an ambulance coming through. There wasn’t many other options. Europe is strange like that. The amount of space for cars is very limited.

After returning the car (with less than 1/6th of the tank used (thanks to hybrid cars) we tried to find our way to Shake Dog. The Enterprise folks didn’t really know how to get there (which bus to take) but offered to call a cab which we declined. Luckily we found a passing open wifi signal and got directions on the soonest bus. We walked quite a while to get to the correct bus stop only to be dropped off at around a 10 minute walk to Shake Dog.

Shake Dog is a 50s diner. The burgers and fries were ok. Sharon said the fries came from a bag and I’d ten to agree. The milkshake was wonderful

Afterwards a nice passerby told us the current bus we were waiting on was going to arrive in 20 minutes, but another bus was coming at another bus stop in 7 minutes. We decided to switch bus stops and buses, and made it home to write this blog.

Tomorrow will be our ferry ride to Innishmore. Looking forward to some down time.