It is a gloomy morning; dark, cool, and grey with clouds that threaten to open up any moment and give way to rain. The weather and my mood are in sync today as I have been enveloped by sadness. The end of the journey is near and I have no doubt it will be harder to leave this year than it was last. Each time I come here, learn more, and explore, I grow more attached to this place and the people who reside in it. I know I am not the only one in my crew that feels this way. I am not altogether sure I can even formulate, in words, how the thought of returning home makes me feel. It is not really even returning home that is so much the problem. I have great family back home and I look forward to seeing them again soon. It is more about leaving Ireland itself. If one could have a ‘soul-country’ rather than a soulmate, Ireland would be mine and it is heart wrenching to leave it.

Yesterday, after much debate, we decided to drive out to County Kerry and explore just a small portion of the Ring of Kerry. We have wanted to drive the ring for a while now, but our love for exploration and the amount of time we would need to spend there, would be impossible to do enjoyably, in only one day. From the cottage, the closest starting point on the ring is about a two hour drive and the ring itself, without any stops, is an additional three and a half hours, making to total trip time seven and a half hours without any stops and not accounting for traffic. It is a conundrum and one we plan to rectify on our next trip to Ireland; however, Audra wanted to see Torc Waterfall, and I was eager to visit Muckross Abbey, so the compromise was made to visit just a few locations and call it a day.

It was a gorgeous drive to the west side of the country where we enjoyed new sights out of the car windows including jaw-dropping views of the mountains. We made our way down narrow, winding roads and arrived at Killarney National Park and after a slight delay to locate parking, headed into the park to see Torc Waterfall; a cascading waterfall formed by the Owengarriff River as it drains from the Devil’s Punchbowl, a corrie lake at Mangerton Mountain. The waterfall sits at the base of Torc Mountain and is quite beautiful. We admired the view for a few moments and began the climb up the side of the mountain. The first portion of this mountain climb is out of stone steps and Ellery and I detoured off at a look out point to rest. She struggled badly yesterday with allergies, so we sat together and rested on a rock and Audra and Kevin completed the half mountain hike leading to a small scenic area before turning around. The trail continues up the mountain but as we did not plan a mountain hike for the day, decided it was in our best interest to head to Muckross Abbey to conclude our trip.

As we headed back to our car, we made the impromptu decision to see more of the Killarney National Park by jaunting tour. We had an excellent guide accompanied by a beautiful horse, named Heather, and wound our way into the national forest, where cars are not allowed to travel, and took a scenic tour of the heart of Killarney National Park, the Muckross House grounds. The Muckross house was originally built for Henry Arthur Herbert and his wife, Mary. It is an elaborate estate, built between 1839 and 1843, situation on expansive grounds that overlook Muckross Lake. It was purchased in 1899 by a member of the Guinness family and later, bought by in 1911 by William Bowers Bourn, an American and owner of the Empire Gold Mine and Spring Valley Water Company of northern California. The estate was then gifted as wedding present for his only child, Maud and her new husband, Arthur Rose Vincent. The family made many improvements to the property during their time at the estate. Maud died of pneumonia in 1929 and her family resided there until 1932; at which time, they presented the Muckross house and its eleven thousand acre estate to the Irish nation in dedication to their late daughter, Maud; thus, becoming the first National Park in the Republic of Ireland, forming the present day basis of Killarney National Park and later expanded by the acquisition of land from the former Earl of Kenmare’s Estate.

We enjoyed our horse drawn tour through the grounds and learning about the history of the estate. There are many activities to explore on the grounds from the house tours to the garden tours as well as a restaurant, gift shop, and craft center. We were content on this trip with our buggy ride, and decided to put these activities and our planned visit to Muckross Abbey off for another time. We headed into Killarney for a late lunch at Kitty O’ Se’s Seafood and Grill Restaurant. I cannot stress enough how much we enjoyed this restaurant. Ellery stuck with chicken goujons and the rest of us went on a seafood adventure. Audra had the Spicy Fish Tacos, Kevin indulged in the Wild Atlantic Way Seafood Platter, which included a wide variety of seafood and shellfish expertly prepared, and I had the Warm Smoked Salmon Salad. As the food was so delicious and we were not quite ready to leave, we opted for desert. Ellery had ice cream served in a waffle bowl, Kevin went with the Rhubarb Crumble and Custard, and Audra and I both chose the Dark Chocolate Raspberry Torte. To say the food experience and service was exceptional would be a drastic understatement. It was beyond amazing and I cannot wait to go back there again.

We journeyed the two hours home, made a quick stop for breakfast supplies and ended the evening with a walk down to the water, snacks, and games. It was an absolutely wonderful day, complete with warm weather and sunshine. Today, despite the rain and chill will be just as wonderful, but only after I finish my cup of tea.