A Passion For Pottery

My love for Polish pottery has lead me in a new direction. I'm learning how to make it! (Pottery, that is. Not Poland.) How cool is that? Today was my first class, and I'm hooked. I will add that it's a lot harder than it looks. And messy. Very messy. But that's all part of the fun. Today, we learned how the pottery wheel works, and how to center our clay on the wheel. We also learned how to control the clay a little bit. I know that sounds very simple, but it's not. 95% of the time, the clay wobbles back and forth in a lumpy mess, with white chalky water flying everywhere. It's a work in progress. Luckily, our teacher is very nice and extremely patient. About half way through, he made us coffee and fed us snacks. He rocks. I'm already looking forward to next week. I will become one with the clay. I will find my inner artist. I can do this.

The Turkish Market

Today's weather alternated between heavy drizzle and a complete downpour. Even that didn't hamper the excitement of checking out the Turkish Market. They only hold it twice a month, so you can't be too picky about the weather if you want to attend. The crowds were light when it first opened, but grew steadily as we walked around and visited each stall. They have everything from brightly colored fabrics to the most gorgeous fruits and veggies you've ever laid eyes on! Have you ever tried baklava or turkish tea? Here's your chance! I'll see you there.

Happy Easter!

I hope everyone had a very Happy Easter yesterday! Spring is in the air and new life is all around us. I think everyone in the country was out on the canal and enjoying this fantastic day. Sending warm wishes and good weather your way!

It's Time To Say Goodbye to Ireland

This week flew by, and much too soon, it was time to say goodbye to beautiful Ireland and the lovely town of Killarney.

We stopped off in town to pick up a few last minute souvenirs, and then headed on to the airport.

The clouds turned dark as our plane taxied up to the gate. I like to think that maybe Ireland was a little sad to see us leaving as well.

Goodbye, Ireland. I will remember you fondly. This was the best vacation I've ever been on. I'll miss you.

It was nothing but beautiful blue skies when we landed in Germany and started the long drive back to our beautiful Belgium. Ireland already seems like it was a dream....

Maybe some day, in the not too distant future, we can go back to the Emerald Isle.

But for now, I'll go to bed, remember all the fun we had there, and dream of leprechauns, rocky cliffs, and magical waterfalls. Sweet dreams.

The Cliffs of Moher In Ireland

If you ever visit Ireland, then you have to see the Cliffs of Moher. I think it's the law. It was definitely on the top of our To Do list. The best way to get there from Killarney is to take the Shannon Ferry from Tarbert to Killimer.

It only takes around 20 - 30 minutes to get across the Shannon, and it's very relaxing. You can either take a cat nap in your car, or get out and climb up to the observation deck for a great view of the water. If you have teenagers, you can spend all your money at their convenient snack bar. I'm just saying.

Here is our lovely silver rental car. It's a Toyota. I won't mention who we rented it from, but even if you're on a "budget", you should be careful who you rent from. This poor car had one head light out, the air conditioner was broke, so there was a pool of water in the passenger floor board at all times, and the gears were so stripped out that the reverse was almost completely gone. We told them about it, but they said it was no big deal. She got us all around Ireland, so that's all that really mattered in the end. After disembarking at Killimer, we headed off on the N67 for the scenic route to the Cliffs of Moher. It's not the shortest route, but it's worth the extra time. The views were fantastic.

We just had to stop when we reached Kilkee. It's a gorgeous town built around this bay.

Can you imagine being lucky enough to live here?

A little farther up the coastline, we pulled over once again. OK, we pulled over quite a lot on this drive. You can't be in a hurry when driving around Ireland. It's not about the destination, it's about the journey.

Ahhhh. We made it to the famous Cliffs of Moher. It's hard to see exactly what all the fuss is about from this view, isn't it?

This is the view we came to see. As big as it looks in this picture...it was bigger.

In the distance, you can see O'Brien's Tower.This is O'Brien's Tower on the Cliffs of Moher. It's said that you get the best views from here, but I'd advise against it. It cost a couple of euro to get access to the top, and your views are ruined by the high walls of the tower. You are better off just walking around the main area.

The view back toward town is almost as stunning as the one from the cliffs. Even with the light haze, it was a fantastic day. Nothing can compare to standing on the cliffs, the wind blowing your hair, and listening to the waves crashing against the rocks down below you. It's amazing.

Muckross House, Golf, and More

Russ and I went out for an early walk before breakfast on Wednesday. It was just us and the deer. Quite a few deer, in fact. 6 of them crossed this road in front of us.

This little lady was a tad more shy. After yet another delicious breakfast at the Ross Castle Lodge, we decided to do something a little different this lovely day. The fellows really wanted to play golf, so they took off to the Ross Golf Course, just up the road from the Lodge.It must have been tough on them, having to do all that walking. We really felt sorry for them.We didn't have to walk much at all. We hopped on a Jaunting Cart and took a leisurely tour of the grounds of the Muckross estate. Muckross House was built in 1843, and was once visited by Queen Victoria in 1861. The owners spent over a year and an unbelievable amount of money getting the estate ready for the Queens visit, but she only spent 2 nights there. Now the house is a museum. We toured the inside, as well as the gardens, and it was beautiful.

We met back up with the guys for a late lunch, and then went over to nearby stables for a little horse ride through the Killarney National Forest. It was interesting, but not quite what we expected. Instead of mounting up, the employees walked beside us as we rode. Very unusual. I'm sure that you're laughing at our headgear. I can't blame you. You wouldn't be the first to do so.

This little fella couldn't contain his giggles when he saw us.

After the horse ride, we needed a little more exercise, so we hiked up to Torc Waterfall.

I think the walk up the hillside is just as beautiful as the falls.

I might have even seen a leprechaun on the way. Ahhhhh. Torc Waterfall. Definitely worth the walk. The locals say it's even prettier after a good rainfall, but that's hard to imagine.

Look...clovers. I'm sure that's a sign of good luck. Isn't it?They say that Ireland has 40 shades of green. I think we might have seen all of them today alone. Soon, it was time to head back to the Lodge to get cleaned up for dinner. Another amazing day in Killarney, Ireland. We stopped to ask a couple of locals to recommend a nice place for dinner. These ladies said to try Murphy's. They also said the chicken was delicious.

The Ring of Kerry in Ireland

Tuesday brought more gorgeous weather, so we decided to make the best of it and drive the famous Ring Of Kerry. This is one of the most scenic drives in all of Ireland, and Killarney is the perfect starting point.

We got a little lost when we started out, but this fellow was happy to provide us with directions. You go through lots of little towns while driving the Ring of Kerry, but the main ones you see are Killorglin, Gleinbeigh, Caherciveen, Waterville, Sneem, Kenmare, and then take Moll's Gap back to Killarney. If you ever find yourself in Ireland, be sure and drive the ring. You won't regret it. I won't even being to try to describe all of the amazing scenery we saw along the way, but here are a few pictures...just to give you a taste. They don't do it justice. I got whiplash from trying to see everything all at once. It was stunning.

Yes, this is a statue of Charlie Chaplin. It seems that Charlie and his family vacationed quite often in the little town of Waterville, so they erected this statue of him there on the beach as a reminder of his kindness and generosity to the community. Ireland is definitely a beautiful country, with everything from beaches to rocky mountains. She has something to offer for everyone. We decided to end the day in Killarney, with a walk over to Lough Leane to check out the area where the old copper mines were. I'm pretty sure this is the home of a leprechaun, but he wasn't answering his door. The movie Ryan's Daughter was filmed here near the old copper mines.

Another beautiful and magical day in Ireland. Ahhhhhh. Can life get any better? Not today, it can't. Not today.