Selfish Giant

The children's playground in the park near Oscar Wilde's house has a statue of the shelfish giant.
And so we leave Dublin

Got up at the crack of dawn to go pick up our rental car and get on the road to Kilkenny.
Lunch in Kilkenny

This Inn dates back to the 13th century. Quite atmospheric.
The drive here was not calm but we didn't have any heart stopping moments either.
Smithwick's Kilkenny

This is the site of the original Smithewick's brewery. It is no longer owned by the Smithwick family, and they no longer brew beer here but they will show you how beer is brewed (in theory) and thenLäs mer
Kilkenny town

We did a bicycle tour to see the sights of Kilkenny.
Couples photo

Pick your favorite
First dinner in Kilkenny

We ended up at a great place totally by accident. Zuni Restaurant for the win! Or was that "for the wine'?
Breakfast in Kilkenny

I’m developing a taste for blood. Blood pudding, that is.
The ancient sport of hurling

Russell had a grand time learning the basics of this fast paced sport that is like a religion here.
I, on the other hand, fell early in the outing and bruised my ribs. I don't think I brokeLäs mer
Cycling in County Kilkenny

We cycled about 8 mi out of town to see these cool caves. Let's just say the trip out there was a bit rough on my ribs, but the ride back was much easier due to the wonders of Advil.
The sign in theLäs mer
Last dinner in Kilkenny

A burger and a pint was the perfect end to this long day.
And so we leave Kilkenny

One last hotel breakfast and we will be on the road to Sligo. It is drizzly wet here. Hopefully it will be a little clearer up north
Well this is another fine mess!

I went out to the car to get stuff arranged while R finished breakfast. Got in to the back seat to pull things out of my backpack. Now I discovered that the child locks are engaged and it is beyond myLäs mer
Driving in Ireland

We made it on our 3.5 hour drive. Some of which were on roads that I swear were only 1.75 lanes wide for 2 directions of travel doing 65 mph.
And we are still speaking to each other by the end.Läs mer
Cycling near Strandhill

After a nice lunch, we got on our bikes for a "short" 15 mile ride. My ebike made it a breeze!
We finished that up with a 30 minute yoga session. My complete lack of flexibity and twingey ribs madeLäs mer
Seafood dinner (no picture )

Dinner was at a lovely place next to the hotel so an easy walk back to fall into bed.
Breakfast in Strandhill

Breakfast by the sea. Hotel breakfast was not as expansive as previous ones but the soda bread with jam was tasty.
This is one of the two guides who are escorting us the entire way for the next fewLäs mer
Hotel by the sea

This the view from the patio off our hotel room. Unfortunately it is too cold to sit out there for long.
Cycling through the Ox Mountains

Once again the e-bike was a total win. It made all the hills flat and all the wind be tailwinds. It didn't stop the rain, but fortunately we just had a brief shower.
Russell made a new friend.
Late lunch and pint by the sea

Lunch and a pint was welcome after that ride.
The beach we are at is a big surfing beach. Seems like home.
Quiet night

We were pretty wiped out from our ride (28 miles with wind and hills) so we just napped and skipped dinner tonight.
And so we leave Strandhill

Had a great night's sleep and checked out of the hotel and heading off on our adventure.
Hidden Glen

Went for a hike in a little glen that was completely isolated. It felt like hiking in a Jurassic forest.
Nettles barrier

We walked past the point our guides have been before until we reached a spot where the nettles were thick enough to discourage continuing
Bike ride in County Sligo

After the hike, we headed off on the bikes for a 8 mile ride. It was supposed to be longer but we were totally soaked biking in the rain and gave up and jumped in the van and went to lunch.
Very cool