BOB CORBETT'S TRAVEL JOURNAL 2005

Travel # 2 -- March 22, 2005
Planned itinerary followed by the actual ininerary we followed

By Bob Corbett

PART 1: THE ININERARY WE PLANNED

It's a very rainy day here in Dogtown as I pack and get ready for tomorrow's departure. Would you know, I have clothes to pick up at a seamstress on the Italian Hill and it's raining too hard to take my bike. Thus I get to practice for Ireland today with a 40 minute walk each way to get the clothes. This should be interesting. At least the rain will be WARMER in Ireland. :)

Below is the TENTATIVE list of where we will stay in Ireland. I say tentative for two reasons:

1. I have not yet received confirmation from with Galway City or Donegal Town. Fortunately these are a bit later in the trip, so even if I don't hear now, I can telephone them in Ireland. (When I went over to Ireland in November when John and Terri were injured, I purchased a cell phone, so I will have a phone in Ireland!)
2. Sally and I might well change our plans along the way and we will not let some minor penalties for breaking a reservation deter us from doing what we feel like doing.

However, I would be a bit surprise were we to change this very much. It is for a trip to some wonderful places.

I hope you will check out some of the web pages and see where we will be staying.

====================

• B&B – Killarney, Ireland ---- Northwood House   March 24 – 25 - 26
  
  Our plan for Killarney is to just walk around a bit the first day, then the next two days to take a bus tour of the Ring of Kerry and to take a horse and trap (buggy) trip into the Gap of Dunloe on the other.
  
  
• Dingle Town -- no reservation made
  
  March 27th and back again on March 31at
  
  Will just pick any one of many lovely one’s on main street. No reservation needed
  
  
• The Old Pier
  
  B&B – Slea Head area of Dingle Peninsula
  
  March 28 – 29 – 30
  
  This is one awesome place. A very remote B&B on a cliff overlooking the Atlantic. There is no town within about 20 miles and the lady there prepares gourmet meals for dinner.
  
  
• B&B – Tralee, Ireland ---- Sion Lodge
  
  April 1 - 2
  
  We are staying directly across the street from the Kerry General Hospital where John and Terri were and plan to visit the hospital staff. Also we just happen to be in Tralee in the middle of an Irish music fest, the major dance contest and fiddle contest on the two nights we are there.
  
  
• B&B – Doolin, Ireland ---- Killilagh House
  
  April 3 – 4
  
  Music, music and more music, plus a day-time trip a few minutes down the coast to the Cliffs of Moher.
  
  
• B&B – Lisdoonvarna, Ireland ---- Gowlaun Guest House
  
  April 5 – 6 – 7 Three days of biking in The Burren
  
  
• B&B – Galway, Ireland – Killcullen House
  
  April 8 – 9 – 10 – 11
  
  Staying in Galway, but one day out to Aran Islands
  
  
• Donegal Town – Atlantic Guesthouse
  
  April 12 – 14 and more.
  
  Very unsure of what we're doing here. One day we will take the bus to the end of the road and walk the last few miles to Slieve League, a gigantic cliff structure much taller than the Cliffs of Moher.
  
  But, getting around this area by bus in the off-season isn't easy.
  
  
• Dublin – Fly Over Bed and Breakfast
  
  April 16 - 21
  
  Local bus stops at the door, and there is a lot to do in Dublin. We might even attempt to find Corbett's pub which I did find and visited in 1987.
  
  
• That's it. April 22 flying back home to St. Louis via London.

PART 2: THE ACTUAL ININERARY WE TRAVELLED

• B&B – Killarney, Ireland ---- Northwood House   March 24 – 25 - 26
  
  This was a very pleasant B&B with a gracious and helpful hostess. She helped us arrange two tours and she picked good companies.
  
  Our room was marvelous since it had a front balcony on the second floor and a great view of the mountains and lakes of Killarney.
  
  Breakfast was especially nice since she offered hot oatmeal, yogurt and nice fresh fruit.
  
  
• Dingle Town -- An Capall Dubh
  
  This is a simply marvelous B&B run by a young couple. The B&B sits at the end of a pleasant garden, which one pass to by going into a roofed passage to the courtyard.
  
  They have no web page, but the contact information is:
  

  An Capall Dubh
  B&B and Courtyard Appartments
  Patrick & Helena Curran.
  Green Street,
  Dingle, Co. Kerry
  Tel: 066 915 11 05

  
  
  We were there on two separate days, March 27th and back again on March 31at
  
  
• The Old Pier
  
  B&B – Slea Head area of Dingle Peninsula
  
  March 28 – 29 – 30
  
  This is one awesome place. A very remote B&B on a cliff overlooking the Atlantic. There is no town within about 20 miles and the lady there prepares gourmet meals for dinner.
  
  
• B&B – Tralee, Ireland ---- Sion Lodge
  
  April 1 - 2 - 3
  
  We are stayed directly across the street from the Kerry General Hospital where John and Terri were and visited hospital staff. Also we just happened to be in Tralee in the middle of an Irish music fest, the major dance contest and fiddle.
  
  
• Cork, Ireland, April 4th
  
  A short visit to Cork, a place I just don't much care for. We had hoped to use Cork as a base to tour Bantry and other southwester towns in Ireland, but the bus schedule for that was not avaialbe in the off-season.
  
  We stayed in a pleasant enough little B&B close to the bus depot, but it was up a very steepl him across the river, and I doubt I'd go back.
  
  
• Ennis, Ireland: The Grey Gables B&B.
  
  Hostess Mary does not have a web page, but she does have a marvelous B&B. It is very close to the town center, just 1 1/2 blocks from the Bus Station
  
  We stayed here on April 5th and 6th and returned for two more nights, April 9 and 10.
  
  
• Cong, Ireland. April 7th. We stayed at Ryan's HOtel on the mainstreet. It has no web page. Nice enough. Very simple and fairly old, but adequate.
  
  Central activity which pleased us was the Cong Nature Walk, behind the monastery ruins in town.
  
  
• Clifden, Ireland. April 8th.
  
  The Arch B&B>
  
  This was a pleasant off-street place. Small rooms, but quite adequate.
  
  We had gone to Clifden more for the scenery on the road between Galway and Clifden which goes through the Connamara National Park.
  
  
• Returned to Ennis for two days.
  
  
• B&B – Doolin, Ireland ---- Killilagh House
  
  April 11-12-13
  
  Music, music and more music, plus a day-time trip a few minutes down the coast to the Cliffs of Moher.
  
  
• 
  
  B&B – Galway, Ireland – Killcullen House
  
  April 14 – 15 – 16 – 17
  
  Staying in Galway, but one day out to Aran Islands. More time than we needed in Galway/
  
  
• Dublin – Fly Over Bed and Breakfast
  
  April 18 - 21
  
  Local bus stops at the door, and there is a lot to do in Dublin. But it turned out four days was a bit more than we needed.
  
  
• That's it. April 22 flying back home to St. Louis -- Dublin to Chicago to St. Louis.

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