June 4th
Is it mandatory to drink Guinness in Ireland? I’ve tasted it, but I don’t really like it! I prefer lagers, or Czech dark ales! Today, I might have raised some eyebrows in a local pub when I ordered a lager while others were ordering that dark beer! Or is it stout! Whatever – I’ll drink lager if I want to…
Today we set off towards the town of Killarney. Part of the journey was on smaller roads, allowing us to see both small and slightly larger villages. The latter part was a faster drive on highways, which was good. We managed to visit the Muckross House & Gardens estate and Killarney National Park during daylight hours. The scenery was magnificent. Mighty pines and other trees! Rhododendrons of various colors everywhere – almost to the point of being a nuisance!
All day, I’ve been admiring the clarity of the local streams. For some reason, all flowing waters here seem to be in excellent condition. As I was cycling back to the campsite in the evening, I observed the calm surface of the river flowing through Killarney. From the bridge, I could clearly see various sized fish (I guess they were trout) picking off insects that had fallen onto the calm surface. The fish population in the streams seems to be just fine.
After our nature park excursion, I quickly freshened up and headed into town to find some Irish music. And indeed, I found it. Traditional and less traditional. But the atmosphere in the pubs was lively, and there were so many people that it was hard to find a seat. Both pubs had a very international crowd. Of course, the majority were locals, but there were plenty of people from across the Atlantic, Africa, and Europe. I raised a toast to finally being here with these cheerful people, enjoying the magical spell of music. I’ve waited 50 years for this!
Eva and Jette stayed at the campsite, so they’ll experience the festivities through live video recordings! Participating in such antics is, of course, voluntary! I’m determined to experience more of this here in the cradle of Celtic culture.
Next, a good night’s sleep, and tomorrow, we’ll continue. Who knows where we’ll end up by tomorrow evening!
Good night!