Ireland // Day 4 // Ring of Beara with Dursey and Garinish Island

RELAXED START TO THE DAY
Time is running - we have already arrived at Day 4! There is definitely something to be said for staying in one place for a little longer. This morning, I only had to get ready, have breakfast, and then hop in the car. No more packing!
And I have to mention: Betty's breakfast was by far the best on the whole trip! I think I consumed about 5,000 calories, but it was SO good! Yogurt with apple and All Bran Flakes (I remember those thin brown sticks from my time studying in England), fried egg, brown bread with jam, toast with butter, and, most importantly: pancakes! Unfortunately, I forgot to take a photo because I was so busy eating ;-). They were three thin pancakes, more like crêpes, not too sweet, simply delightful! And I was thrilled to have them again the next morning. I simply ordered the entire breakfast exactly the same way.
There was a very nice couple from Holland and two Americans with me. They were a bit suspicious, especially the woman - she praised the breakfast, but in the next sentence, she called it too greasy and asked for more protein for the next morning ('really delicious, Betty, I so love your pancakes, but for tomorrow I definitely need some more proteins'). I thought she was on a diet and would ask for more yogurt or egg white omelet or something, but no, more protein meant: she wanted sausages! I wonder if that's healthy. But if it makes the American guests happy, Betty didn't seem to mind.

FIRST TIME REFUELING
To replenish my water supply and the nearly empty tank, I drove to the nearest gas station in Killarney. Once there, I had to figure out which side the 'fuel entrance' was on. From the driver's side, it was on the right. I had driven into the mini gas station in a way that made it fit on the left, so I had to maneuver a bit until I was properly aligned.
The Irish men who were there were gentlemen and immediately wanted to explain how refueling works and that I could only use diesel, not unleaded fuel. That was clearly written on the fuel cap, so I could have figured it out myself, but it was still nice of them ;-).
I noted the number of my gas station and went into the small shop, quickly grabbed two bottles of water, pulled out my debit card... but I couldn't pay because my bill showed 0. General confusion ensued, and the two employees kept running back and forth to the gas station outside, but there was no amount to be found. It turned out that they had accidentally charged me for the other gentleman's tank refill. He had already left, so there was no way to correct it. Unfortunately, I still had to pay something, namely his tank refill (they assured me it would be cheaper). Funny, that's how they do it in the countryside!

DESTINATION 1: WATERFALL AND LADIES' VIEW
Just past Killarney, my first stop awaited: the highest waterfall ('Torc Waterfall') in Killarney National Park. I had imagined it to be more impressive, as even the Triberg Waterfalls from my childhood trips to the Black Forest are taller ;-). Nevertheless, the path to the waterfall was beautiful, as it led through a very green and overgrown forest section.
From there, it was only a few minutes to the start of the 'Ring of Kerry', a panoramic coastal road that encircles the Iveragh Peninsula. It is probably the most famous road in County Kerry, where I currently was. But there are also the Dingle and Beara Peninsulas, which are much less crowded. Since the tour buses at the Cliffs of Moher scared me off, I decided to skip the famous part and instead chose the 'Ring of Beara'. At that time, I thought I might also drive the Dingle Peninsula later in the day, but once again, I underestimated the time! I stuck with the Ring of Beara.
To get there, I had to drive a small portion of the Ring of Kerry, which took me to the famous Ladies' View overlook. The way there promised a lot: winding, narrow roads that offered beautiful views of various lakes and landscapes, if you dared to take your eyes off the road for a moment. The view from Ladies' View was really great, although there would be even better ones along the route - although I didn't know that at the time.

DESTINATION 2: DURSEY ISLAND
I continued, and I had to be careful because the roads were really quite difficult in some places. Luckily, there wasn't much traffic (I was glad I didn't choose the crowded Ring of Kerry!) and I only encountered a few cars and RVs towards the end. But by then, I had gotten used to driving and with a little patience, we managed to pass each other safely. You just can't let yourself get distracted and you have to confidently drive along the Irish roads ;-).
The coastal road was definitely an adventure and well worth it! At some point around noon (at the latest then, I realized that the Dingle Peninsula was not going to happen today), I finally reached the tip. There, I wanted to take the cable car to Dursey Island. Although in my eyes it wasn't really a cable car, but more like a wooden box on a rope - man, did it wobble! Definitely worse than boating in front of the Cliffs of Moher... it was also funny that prayers were hung everywhere in the small cabin, along with signs saying 'pray for protection'. I was relieved when we arrived safely on the other side after 5 minutes! The cable car could only accommodate 6 passengers, and a 'board camera' diligently made sure that everyone got off on the other side and visited Dursey Island before returning. One lady from Austria decided to test it and stayed on the cable car - suddenly a voice blared through the speaker 'Please get out IMMEDIATELY!!'. Even the friendly Irish can be strict.
There isn't much to see on Dursey Island, there is sheep dung lying around everywhere, and the animals roam freely on the grounds. I was particularly taken with a little baby sheep and spent minutes trying to take a good photo - but no luck! The sheep had no interest in tourists and simply turned its behind towards me.
After looking around a bit, I slowly made my way back to the cable car. There was a German woman with her 8-week-old baby - she had come alone with him to Ireland for hiking and thought it was completely normal. I don't think I could ever do that, but I admired her for sticking to her plan! Technically, she and a few others could have fit into the next cabin with me, but then three unfriendly islanders pushed past everyone and cut in line. They looked a bit like the Flodders (a Dutch TV series)! There was a sign explaining that islanders always have priority with the cable car, but they could have been a bit friendlier and joined us!
So, together with an American couple, I didn't fit into the cabin anymore and we passed the waiting time by chatting. He is a financial advisor from near Boston. By the time he told me about his own airline, his home in Cape Cod, and his four children who studied in Princeton, I knew he was very wealthy! And he liked to talk, although he was actually quite nice. In the end, he even said that if he were younger and didn't already have a wife, he would marry me ;-). His wife was completely shocked and apologized multiple times for his 'rudeness', but I just thought it was funny!

DESTINATION 3: GARINISH ISLAND
After this entertaining stop, I continued along the south side of the island. Driving here was much easier, as the roads were less narrow and less curvy. However, the views were nowhere near as beautiful as on the north side. It's a shame that there were so few places to pull over with the car, otherwise I would have probably taken 100 photos!
Since I was making good progress, I spontaneously added another destination: Garinish Island, the Island of Flowers. Luckily, I caught the last boat that crossed at 4:30 PM. Actually, it was more like a noisy rowing boat, with me as the only passenger. The captain, who was around 90 years old, charmingly took me across and as an extra treat, he drove us very close to the seals sunbathing in front of the island in the sun. The captain said he was allowed to get so close because the guys know him! And indeed, some of the seals raised their fins, while the others just lay there, showing off their round bellies and enjoying the good weather.
Garinish Island is a small island with artificially created gardens (for example, there is an Italian garden where you forget that you're in Ireland and feel more like you're in Tuscany). It smells absolutely delicious everywhere, and you can walk around the grounds in an hour on a small circular path. I didn't have more time anyway because the last boat back to the mainland was at 5:30 PM. The captain reminded me of that several times!
So, I sat at the dock 5 minutes early, and soon the boat arrived where I, along with all the other visitors who were still on the island, boarded. Well, I did notice that the boat looked a bit different and that the captain was different... but it wasn't until we docked in a completely different location than where I had boarded that I realized I had taken the wrong transfer. Oops! So, I had to walk along the road until I eventually found my car again. But despite the stress, Garinish Island was definitely worth it and was the highlight of my 4th day in Ireland!

DESTINATION 4: KILLARNEY
Before heading back to the B&B, I made a stop in Killarney - hunger drove me there! After a portion of fish and chips - I had just taken the last bite and was sitting in the village square - a massive rain shower suddenly came pouring down. The Irish people were overjoyed! After the hot days, they had all been waiting for rain. I preferred to take shelter in a pub and listen to Irish music.
And for dessert, I had delicious Murphy's Irish whiskey ice cream, a local ice cream producer. I didn't drink a drop of alcohol throughout the entire vacation, not even trying Guinness beer... but Irish whiskey in ice cream was too tempting ;-).

And tomorrow: One last time Betty's Super Breakfast, and then off to Kilkenny!

OTHER THINGS WORTH MENTIONING
*** Radio: Calvin Harris and Ariana Grande are currently very popular in Ireland, their songs played almost every hour. By Day 2, I could barely stand it, but by Day 4, it was almost hate! *** Taking photos with the iPhone is convenient, but it doesn't come close to capturing the real beauty everywhere. So, add another 100% 'extra beautiful' to the photos! *** Weather: I will probably take all the sweaters back to Germany unworn. I hadn't expected it to be 25 degrees! And therefore, I didn't bring enough t-shirts... *** Focus on the essentials: I didn't want to believe the travel guide that said you need at least 2 days, preferably up to 5, for each region in Ireland. So, halfway through the trip, I will have to reluctantly accept that I won't be able to see everything I planned. And from now on, I really have to thoroughly thin out the route! ***