Tuesday in Dingle

Can we really be in Ireland? This morning is starting as another cloudless sunny day.   Showers are forecast for Friday followed by more good weather. It’s very odd that Scottsdale has had more rain than the UK and Ireland during our stay here across the pond. Today begins our last full day in Ireland before we head off to Kinsale.

I did some computer housework yesterday. I managed to book our seats on Virgin Atlantic for our flight to London in November. It’s annoying that Virgin Atlantic only lets you books specific seats 60 days before the flight; most airlines let you pick seats immediately when you book. And I have made dinner reservations in the four specialty restaurants on board Oceania’s Riviera for our cruise back to Miami from Barcelona, also in November. You can book those restaurants 75 days in advance. FYI, my little TEP wireless has performed pretty flawlessly. Connections speeds have been good to excellent everywhere but in Portstewart where it must have been using a 2G connection. It has made life a lot easier having an internet connection readily available wherever we go. (The TEP device even runs on battery, supposedly for four hours or so at a time, but my battery won’t take a charge. No big deal to me as I only use it in places where I can plug it in. Oddly for a device provided by a UK company and planned for use only in the UK and Ireland, it came with a European type two-prong plug, not a UK/IE three-prong plug. Again, not an issue, as I have two universal plug converters with me.)

We enjoyed another outstanding breakfast at Greenmount House. Elaine had her usual scrambled eggs and bacon. The eggs here are outstanding and they know how to make excellent scrambled eggs. I had pancakes (more like crepes) prepared with cream cheese and gooseberry jam. Oh, goodness, how good!

Today we decided to drive across Conor Pass (sometimes spelled Connor) to the other side of the Dingle Peninsula, mainly to visit our favorite beach, Ballyquin Strand. It is a relatively unknown location with no signposts but is supposedly a good spot for fishing off the beach. It was deserted as we arrived and still was when we left. We had a good walk on the beach looking for sea glass. On our first visit here back in 2000 we found a treasure trove of sea glass, picking up bags and bags of it. Elaine uses it in her jewelry and craft projects. Since then the pickings have been slim, but she found a few pieces while I amused myself photographing the sheep grazing near the beach and wandering to the far end of the strand.

We drove back to Dingle the other way, passing through Annascaul, the home of the South Pole Inn, a pub founded by Antarctic explorer Tom Crean who was born here. The pub is full of pictures and mementos of Crean’s adventures. We had pints of Crean Lager, a nice beer produced by Dingle’s microbrewery.

Back in Dingle we separated to do some shopping. I bought some books while Elaine found a good deal on a windbreaker in a bag to replace one that is wearing out. We met up again at the Dingle Pub. A pint of Guinness there for me while Elaine experimented with a Jameson’s whiskey served with ginger ale and lime.

Our final dinner in Dingle was back at the Chart House described in a previous post. Again, the food was outstanding.  After dinner we went back to the Dingle Pub for a little music and a farewell to our friend Tom.  We promised to come back within the next two years and stay longer.  Then we moved on to O’Flaherty’s Pub for some more wonderful music.  Mr. O”Flaherty plays numerous instruments and has a wonderful voice.  And, finally, home to bed.