Driving to Kinsale

CLICK HERE: TODAY'S PHOTO ALBUM DRIVING TO KINSALE

It was moving day. The sun was out for a minute and half but then the clouds came. The temperature was OK, however. Showered, packed, and went over to breakfast. Talked to a lovely couple who popped over from Oxford for holiday. Mostly Trump talk – Europeans LOVE to talk about Trump – they are just so mystified by the whole ordeal. Of course, England isn’t too much better off at the moment either. Wished them well. Gathered up our stuff and proceeded to walk to the car rental.

After circumventing the city yesterday, we were pros at getting around. Had no trouble getting to the rental agency. It will feel good to sit in a car for a while. Received our little Renault car, which is very basic but comfortable. We got the diesel to try to save a bit of money since everything else was so expensive.

As expected, getting out of Dublin was a bit of the challenge. Geoff was trying to get a handle on the shifting and going the right way. I was loaded down with maps, computer, and the Garmin GPS trying to figure out which way was which. Remarkably I got them all synced up and we managed to get out of town. Still not quite sure how. We are now riding down the coastal route to Kinsale. Lots of greenery not too much coast. It feels good to be out of the city.

Made our way down to Waterford. Parked in one of the lots on the quay and we thoroughly confused as to how to pay. The man in the car next to us showed up, so we asked him. “Apparently, I don’t know how to pay either” he said as he showed us the boot on his car. They changed the system and he never bothered to read the new rules. Good thing we ran into him. I’d hate to be sitting there waiting for someone to come remove the bloody boot. These folks are serious about their parking. I mean a ticket is one thing but a boot for a couple of hours!! We wished him well and moved on.

Across the steet there were several options for lunch.  We chose the Dry Dock Bar at Dooley’s Hotel and had the best seafood pie with pastry puff. Sat next to a couple who summer in Martha’s Vineyard but live in Arizona. She was OK but his nose was a little too high. Finished up and started walking to the Waterford Crystal building – which we heard was really nothing but a big store now. The rain started to come so we got in the car. Noticed that our friend managed to get his car free – good for him. I wonder how much that cost. Found the crystal building after two passes, no parking, we drove by and looked in the front window, saw lots of glass – good enough for us!

Waterford was very crowded and the rain didn’t help. Geoff wanted to get out and I didn’t blame him. I wanted to take some shots of the town but managed to get only the bar. Seems like I am going to have quite a collection of bar shots. The country revolves around booze anyway, so it is just. There appears to be a bar wherever they can put one! I am getting very used to drinking Guinness. It’s super creamy, doesn’t seem as heavy as back home, and it’s cheap!

Riding down to Kinsale now and the scenery has improved although it is still pouring.  The skies clear up and it is pure sunshine in Kinsale. Arrived at around 5:30 and looked for a room. Success! We scored a room at the White House. Geoff, however, had a hell of a time trying to get a good parking spot. The streets are so narrow things got a bit hairy but he did it.

We emerged from our room and took a look around town.  The colorful streets were quiet and devoid of tourists. It was a lovely hour for a walk. I mentioned that the Kinsale reminded me of the walled city of York, England with its curving meandering streets. And sure enough, we found out that Kinsale was also a walled city. Little remain of the wall today.

There is lots of dining spots in town but we chose the pub downstairs for a simple meal  since lunch was so big. We applauded ourselves for making it here in one piece. We'll do a bit more exploring in the morning, but I think it is a good bet we will move on to Killarney. 

CLICK HERE: TODAY'S PHOTO ALBUM DRIVING TO KINSAL

Next time... Biking in Killarney?