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  • Day 11

    Starting the morning right!

    May 12, 2023 in Northern Ireland ⋅ ☁️ 63 °F

    Starting the morning right. The local bakery, Courtney's, came highly recommended. Spot on! Scones, fresh cream filled donut, cinnamon donut, and an apple tart. 😋 No! We did NOT eat them all right away! Saved some for later. 😆

    Stopped in the church gardens across the street. Just lovely. They have a 200 year old beech tree according to Paudi ("not Paulie" we were told), the grounds keeper. Many nuns are buried under this tree as the building that now has a Catholic school was once a nunnery. The chapel has stained glass windows by Harry Clarke (1889-1931), an Irish stained-glass artist and book illustrator whose works are considered national treasures.

    We left a sunny Dingle to drive into the clouds covering the Conner Pass on our way to the Blennerville Windmill. What we thought was a photo op turned into a really interesting stop. The port here is where the Jeanne Johnson famine ship departed from for other lands (remember we saw this ship on Day 1). At 5 stories tall, this stone windmill is the largest working windmill in Ireland. The mill has been refurbished and is again operational. The miller gave us a tour and demonstrations about how it all functioned. Quite amazing. Even Richard learned something new! 🤓

    The ferry system has been grand.  We took a second car ferry trip today to cut over to the Kilkie Cliffs and Pollock Holes. This was yet another of the amazing "like another world" sites. 

    The Cliffs of Moher are one of the most famous sites and images of Ireland. The sheer cliffs are 700 ft high - second highest in Ireland and has one of the major bird nesting colonies. They are stunning to see! 
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