Another morning, and another blogpost.........where do we start and how do we find a way to present the 'experienced' energy in a new and engaging way? Is there a rhythm that needs to be kept? or can we move in other directions to explain how our travels advance our sense of who we are? For so many years our blogs have been true to the spirit of a type of 'travelogue' which serves to record our 'diary' of travel experiences. We typically 'reiterate' in this format as it has become an effective way of recording our daily experiences with a combination of photos and narratives. This is not a comment on the effectiveness of our presentation/recording, but rather a question of content. After having reflected on yesterday's exposure of the rather stimulating paths of Yeats and Pound.......we wonder about whether there might be more creative ways of expressing our experiences.
We have painted and sketched on all of our recent travels, but the expression of these overtures remains somewhat personal, and reflective of fragments of our experience and not a comprehensive explanation......consequently we tend to keep these explorations out of the blog presentation. The value of these efforts, however, is very important to our interpretation of the experience.
The question in our minds is inescapably rhetorical......and does not need an answer, merely a commitment to think a bit more about how our travel experiences affect our sense of personal 'definition' and growth as individuals and as a fantastic married 'collaboration.' Coincidentally, we just celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary after returning from this trip......so are extraordinarily grateful for our successful partnership!
There is no question that our travel experiences have exposed us to a diversity of values which have been quite influential and unquestionably formative to us becoming who we are at this point in our lives. We are fortunate in being able to look back and think about how this happened and how we can move forward in the most energized and constructive way. That being said.......we are not trying to rethink ourselves through reflection.......but rather to understand better what we have learned from our exposures to history, place and culture during our 'journeys.' The process remains active and energized for us....... always looking to expand what influences who we are.
This 'rambling' may be an unexpected diversion in the flow of this blogpost, but is somewhat of a pleasant detour for us.........and was definitely stimulated by yesterday's "When Pound and Yeats Ate a Peacock" story. It is wonderfully appropriate to allow this intervention to incur in our flow of travel stories. The episode reminds us that we always need to find time to incorporate the unexpected!
OK..........enough of the reflective jargon.....we need to get on to what was a really extraordinary experience on our trip.......a venture over the Healy Pass!
We woke to another atmospheric day of sun and clouds in the early morning.....with the sun clearly starting to exert its influence! We strolled around the grounds and arrived for breakfast breakfast in the dining room about 9:00, which was wonderful......great table overlooking the falls!
As parts of this blog is being written several weeks after the experience (lazy us!) the details here are getting a bit fuzzy........but I do know that as we were leaving the main lobby after breakfast we got into a discussion with one of the bellman. We asked about whether it was worthwhile to tackle the Ring of Kerry driving loop (totally hyped up in all the tour books). We said were were not up for a full 8 hour tour drive........and was there an alternative?
He offered a few diplomatic comments (wish I could remember his name!)......such as 'The Ring of Kerry is great if you like to be escorted by tour buses!' This went on for a while and we arrived at 'Are there other adventurous explorations?' He said, as he lived on the Beara Peninsula......that this might be a great choice. The Beara Peninsula is a slightly smaller and much less visited promontory just to the south of the Ring of Kerry. He actually outlined a possible excursion for us that would probably be a bit less than three hours, driving through the central section of the peninsula and over the Healy Pass. He clearly chuckled a bit here and said he was not sure if we (Americans) would be comfortable with the challenges of the narrow and twisting roads here. We discussed further and decided this was just the route for us!
We packed up and jumped in the car. The first few kilometers were on the flat coastline. Then, somewhat gradually, we started to rise.......and the road started to narrow. By this time the sun had clearly cleared through the fog and clouds and the views became spectacular.
It was without a doubt a 'harrowing' rise towards what the bellman said would offer some amazing views. Most of the way the twisting, hairpin turn road was not wide enough for two cars to pass each other. We had to pull off to the shoulder to allow a few vehicles to pass. For the most part, however, there was almost no traffic encountered in our venture to the pass! We could have not imagined such a contrast to the tourist experience of cars and buses on the Ring of Kerry........no bus would make it through this backroad adventure!
This is probably enough of the 'description' to get the point of our adventure........it was truly extraordinary, and one of the most scenic trips we have ever taken. In terms of experiencing a unique and colorful introduction to the countryside of Ireland........it could not have been a more dramatic and memorable exposure. We both agree that this was one of the most stimulating and beautiful landscapes we have ever seen. As we approached the summit, the scale of the distant views was amazing, while at the side of the road we had to stop to allow sheep to meander to their own rhythms and destinations. Seriously, for those looking for backroad adventures, this is as good as it gets!
and we should let the pictures tell the story!
During our drive we stopped at several 'rapids' or 'falls' on the south side of Healy Pass. We stopped to take a few pictures and were approached by this elderly man. At first we were a bit taken aback.......as we were nowhere near a village or even a visible house. The man was accompanied by what looked like a small sheep dog. He said hello as we pulled over at one of the falls. I parked and took a few shots and wandered back to our car and started talking! We probably talked for the better part of ten minutes. He wanted to know everything about us, and was amiable and genuine and offered some rather profound commentary on how lucky we were to have been married for 50 years and have such a nice family. It started rather awkwardly, but we ended up enjoying the encounter. He must have been at least 90 years old......just going for a morning walk in the hills!
We actually made this round trip in almost exactly 3 hours........just as the bellman suggested! That put us back close to the hotel in Kenmare in time for lunch. We had driven through town first thing in the morning, so had an idea of the layout. We had also been told at the hotel (same bellman!) that the best place for breakfast or lunch was the Maison Gourmet, a French pastry shop. We lucked out and found a parking space on the street right next to the cafe.......and proceeded to have a wonderful lunch at a sidewalk table.
