Day 1 - Killarney

Kim had us all in stitches! She was relaying a very funny story about breaking her arm when she was young. The arm was already in a cast! She was afraid of snakes and Daddy had her
watching out for them in his airplane hangar while he was checking out his plane. He thought this was funny because he had a fake one thrown over a beam above the plane. She threw rocks at the side of the hangar trying to scare any away that might be around! All of a sudden, she thought she saw one...actually the fake one...and started running for her life to Daddy's truck. She ran smack into the plane's tail breaking her cast and knocking herself down, popped right back up...says she wasn't down long enough to even get dirty...and kept running! The flowers are gorgeous! The two pictures above are at Muckross Castle & Gardens. This is what Kim, Benjamin, Daddy and Joyce are seeing as we drive...a little disconcerting, huh? They kept thinking I was driving, not Irby! Partial shot of a "roundabout." Instead of the usual neighborhood stores, gas stations, etc. you might see castle ruins in the middle of a typical Irish neighborhood!
Redwood Country House B&B - Killarney, Ireland - Evelyn Murphy, proprietorRoss Castle

We arrived pretty exhausted, but excited! We got our luggage and our van and drove to Killarney...on the WRONG side of the road. It is very weird to turn left and stay in the left lane! We're all thinking that Irby's turning into the wrong lane! Surely we'll get used to this. The Irish have what they call "roundabouts" instead of intersections. You keep driving at the end of a road, no stop sign, and enter a roundabout driving counter-clockwise. When you come to the street or direction you want, you make a left turn and as the Irish told us, "Ahf yah go!"

We arrived at our first B&B, Redwood Country House. It is lovely with a large, well-manicured lawn and garden. We were told that sleeping just a couple of hours after arrival helps the jet-lag and starts getting you on the right time. We were all anxious for that couple of hours! Then we went to lunch and explored the city of Killarney. We visited Muckross Castle and Gardens, had lunch there, found out how to start our Ring of Kerry tour tomorrow, then bought tickets to see "Riverdance" tonight. How wonderful to see this performance in the land of its inception! Below is a short video excerpt. (Don't ask!)