Ring of Kerry, Ireland

After our first night and full day in Killarny, Ireland, we could not wait to see more.  This is how excited we were:  We were like little kids on Christmas Eve, anticipating the morning so that we could just get going already.  On our second night, I woke up in the middle of the night, SO excited... I felt wide awake.  I thought, "It must be about time to get up already", so I nudged Zack, who also seemed awake and ready to go.  It was TWO thirty in the morning.  We looked at eachother in disbelief, both not wanting to believe it was only 2:30am (and I'm a girl who loves her sleep!).  This happened two nights in a row!  By our third night, we decided if this happens again, we're getting up.  Needless to say, I'm glad we didn't have any 2:30am wake ups the third night, but we did continually rise earlier as the days went on, trying to make the most of being here.  Adventure was calling and we had to follow!  

So what was next on the list of adventure?  The beautiful Ring of Kerry.  This is a popular 200km scenic route that I would highly recommend to anyone who visits Ireland.  The route takes you through the mountains of Killarny National Park, and along the beautiful southwestern coastline, where you'll find outrageously high cliffs and beautiful beaches.  We also stopped in some very quaint and colourful seaside towns and did some beautiful coastal walks.   We stopped for lunch in a town called Portmagee, where we indulged in some delicious smoked salmon pancakes for Pancake Tuesday!  We explored until darkness began to settle in, forcing us to move onwards to our next destination.  It was a full day, but oh, such a good one.  

Torc Waterfall, Killarny National Park

Ross Castle

Muckross House.  We stopped to take a walk on the beautiful grounds.

The tiny town of Sneem!

We pulled over to say hello to these beautiful horses.  They liked Zack's sweater :)

The beach at O'Carroll's Cove.

We drove some extremely steep hills to reach the cliffs of Kerry.  The views were breathtaking. 

In the distance you can see Valentia Island.  This is where the very first communication occured between Europe and Canada.

Portmagee, Ireland.  

Smoked Salmon pancakes for shrove Tuesday!

Our walk on Valentia Island.

Walking Valentia Island was definitely a highlight.  Along with the beautiful views, it is crazy to think that this was the very spot where a Transatlantic telegraph cable was laid across the ocean floor to communicate with people from Canada (using Morse code).  We walked right out to the tip of the island and stood looking into the vast Atlantic Ocean.  For all of you reading this in Canada, I waved :).