County Kerry: a Beach, a Bog Village, and a Castle

For the first time in our travels we visited a country where our language was the common native tongue.  We left the German Permacloud behind and flew to Ireland, another country that is plagued by the Permacoud.  However, the powers that be forecasted sunshine the majority of our six day vacation, a most favorable prediction of uncharacteristic weather.  Flying to the Kerry Airport was like landing in someone's backyard, there was a single runway and one baggage claim belt; the smallest airport we have flown to, unseating Zadar (Croatia).

County Kerry Flag

Bog Village Blacksmith, complete with 1960's animatronics

When we arrived in the non-Schengen country we got the rare Passport stamp; increasing our total to (a measly) six, twelve shy of our country count.  After clearing customs, we walked through the parking lot to the Rental Car facility.  We confirmed our reservation and the employee perfunctorily offered the insurance at a reasonable €22/day.  However, before I said we should consider it, Julie instantaneously declined.  We knew the roads in County Kerry are the width of a matchbox and I thought it'd be wise to consider the insurance.  The the obnoxiously high credit hold and obscure guidelines that determine claims seemed all too convoluted.  The employee informed us if a scratch was big enough the (entire) hold would be collected due to loss of revenue and a bunch of miscellaneous jargon.

Foal tired of standing

Bog Horse Community

Our first automotive challenge was the simplest of tasks, yet proved difficult; finding the car.  We were provided the make, model, color, and row; however, there were three identical black Dacia's, two of which we thought were ours.  Luckily, the process of elimination prevailed.  With the steering wheel on the right and the stick-shift on the left, we were ready for our journey.   Driving from the opposite seat initially proved a confounding challenge, my depth perception was askew and when I pulled out of the lot I clipped the curb with the rear wheel.  Maybe the insurance would have been a good idea.

Village home

Charlie Bucket family residence

Fortunately, inside the car's windshield lies a friendly reminder to drive on the left, but acclimating to the traffic orientation was the least of our concerns.  Technically, the roadways are two-way passage, however, the lane's constricted parameters made it seem like one.  The overgrowth of unkempt greenery sheathed the streets which induced increasing anxiety.  Julie repeatedly shouted how close we were to the hedges; literally and figuratively always seeming to be on edge.  Every time a truck passed we were forced to drive the car nearly off-road where we grazed the confining flora (maybe the insurance would have been a good idea).  Before heading to our Bed and Breakfast on Valentia Island we had a few sightseeing stops scheduled along the way.

Rossbeigh Beach

Town on the hillside

The first destination, we ventured back in time to the Kerry Bog Village Museum located on the Iveragh Peninsula.  I am not sure of Julie's source, but the words "must see" were synonymous with the attraction; a perplexing commendation for any traveler under the age of 65.  Regardless, we knew there would be Irish Wolfhound and horses on-site.  We entered the village museum with moderate expectations and left with overwhelming disappointment.  The facility has a quaint charm and certainly illustrated the lifestyle of the historical demographic.

No one there to take our picture

Two-way traffic...?

The houses reminded me of Charlie Bucket's home in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, where his four grandparents slept in the same bed only feet away from the kitchen and dinning areas.  The town's Famine Pot (Workhouse Pot) defined the aptly named period when the Government enacted the Soup Kitchen Act in 1847, whereby free soup was apportioned to the starving masses.  The charitable gesture was admirable, but an ultimate failure.  The paltry soups often lacked (any) nutritional value, resulting with extensive outbreaks of scurvy.  While the museum underwhelmed and pondering famine soup depressed, there was one consolation - a brand-new foal was welcomed to the bog's horse community.  If we were forty years older, there is a chance the Bog Village would have amused us, but our youthful disposition prevented such enjoyment.

Castle rocks

Ballycarbery Castle

We left the museum and a ten minute drive along the peninsula had us to our next location, Rossbeigh Beach.  The beach had no "must see attraction" advertised, but did offer some stunning views of the coastline and emerald hillsides in the distance.  Once we left the beach, the narrow roads became narrower - fit for single-lane passage only.  There were occasional dirt areas to pull over when greeted with oncoming vehicles.  Of course our first impasse had to be at the steepest incline, but luckily the other car reversed until they found their designated dirt area.  The remainder of our ride to Cahersiveen went smoothly, only encountering two other cars.

Home sweet ruin

View from inside

Upstairs window

Rounding out our day's tour was a quick visit to Ballycarbery Castle, a fortification that was established in the 14th century.  We were the only people in the neighborhood, just us and the livestock at the lone farmhouse that resides in the shadows of the ruins.  In a few short hours we had seen a beach, a bog, and a castle; but we needed to make our way to the B&B to check-in before the hour was too late.

Portmagee

Walking along the docks

When we arrived at the B&B and Julie noticed some new and unsettling features on the car.  Approximately 300 racing stripes now adorned the entire passenger side of our uninsured rental car (damn unkempt greenery!).  Maybe we should have purchased the insurance.  Was it to late to retroactively apply?  Luckily, the marks were just that, not scratches; I was able to relieve our compounding apprehension by wiping them clean off with a towel.  We ended our evening with a pleasant dinner just off the island in the town of Portmagee.  Following the satiating meal, we needed to rest up for our highly anticipated day two activity; a boat ride to Skellig Michael.

A round of applause

Bringing back the day's catch