Day 6: The Road to Dingle

After finally finding our way out of the Gap of Dunloe (only the fifth time my navigational failures led to at least twenty minutes of y-turns, staring hopelessly at the road map, and frantically pulling over at the first sign of human activity) we were on a normal size road once again and could actually drive the speed limit. This part of the Ring of Kerry was less curvy than the beginning, but still very mountainous and beautiful. As we got further toward the West coast, we started to catch glimpses of the beautiful blue water and we were passing through fewer and fewer small towns. So when our tummies started to grumble, we knew that we should stop at the next village we reached.

The road led us to Sneem, a small sleepy town. We parked in front of the Blue Bull pub and walked in to find a group of four Irish men seated near the bar and speaking in mainly Gaelic. They were the perfect study in Irish men Sunday behavior and I attempted to capture it on our camera without being uber creepy. The only other people in the pub were American college students, the first we had seen on our entire trip. We chose not to associate since we interact with plenty of people like that back home.

We ordered. For me, a grilled cheese and chips. For Chad, Irish bacon and cabbage. Our food was tasty and we took our time eating, observing the Irish men since we couldn't understand them. The Americans were attempting to plot their next destination while discussing the soccer highlights that were playing on the tv. We knew exactly where we were heading: Dingle. Described by National Geographic Traveler as one of the most beautiful places on Earth, Dingle was the one place that I did not want to leave Ireland without seeing.

We headed back out in the misty Irish weather and began driving on the Ring of Kerry once more. A little further down the road, a car flashed its lights at us. We were slightly perplexed because our lights were already on. Yet as we drove around the corner, we discovered the reason for the cars warning. Ahead of us was a farmer herding his three huge cows down the middle of the road. We came to a stop and waited as he prodded them over the right lane. It was fun to observe their leisure pace and watch the cows heads bob past our windows.

If you happened to read Chad's post about our morning of leaving Bandon and touring Michael Collins sights, you will recall that I spotted a Charlie Chaplin bar as Chad was focusing on the road. While driving through Waterville, it was Chads turn to spot another Charlie Chaplin gem: a statue of the Little Tramp along the waterfront. Chad quickly pulled over and hopped out of the car to examine the statue with me right behind. Apparently, the people of Ireland adore Chaplin as much as my own husband, another amazing similarity which indicates that Chad's true place in this world is in the Emerald Isle. Historical Sidenote: Chad has just informed me that Chaplin used to take daily walks along the ocean front in Waterville when he lived there.