Surprise!
There’s a “red” storm warning today in effect today in Ireland, so I don’t have classes today! It’s still early yet, so I don’t know what’s in store, but right now, the roads are still perfectly “clear”, and nothing like the “snow” or “ice” warnings I’ve seen in Canada. It’s not actually even raining yet, but perhaps it’s suppose to get worse later on. (update: the trees outside my window seem to be dancing a jig now, and it’s definitely raining. If you’re in an area with a warning- stay safe!).
At the moment, I’m just glad for the one extra day of reprieve.
Due to class cancellation, I finally have the opportunity to share a trip I took to Ring of Kerry with my university’s Medical Society (like a really big club in Canada) a few weeks ago. The Ring of Kerry, otherwise known as the Iveragh Peninsula, is a very famous tourist trail with an abundance of hills, water, and greenery – a favourite of mine, in addition to many smaller cities/villages to explore.
Our first stop was to the town of Killarney. Coloured shops lined the streets, covered by blooming flowers and juxtaposed by carefully crafted signs. I didn’t know this when I was there, but apparently, Killarney is known as “The Town in The Park”. This time around, I had the opportunity to experience the town on the other side of the lens – as a subject, rather than a passive viewer.
Usually, I walk around taking photos of things that catch my eye – pictures of streets, parks, lights, and other “touristy” photos. I’d never really tried to evaluate their quality as backdrops for fancy photo shooting. In fact, the idea of posing was foreign to me; standing in front of a camera – and staying there – is simply not something I do often. This was a completely novel experience for me, and although it felt slightly awkward at the start, I’ll admit I enjoyed it.
Our next stop after was more of a photo stop. I actually have no clue where the exact location was, but it must be somewhere between Killarney and Waterville. There, we had made quick time in taking as many photos of the scener—
A small goat stood there, munching on some grass, and minding its own business. It quickly became the centre of attention. Photos upon photos were snapped, until we all reluctantly returned to the bus. It turns out, there was actually also a small dog there, our group was just too drawn to the small goat to notice. Sorry, little puppy!
We then made our way over to Waterville. As we hopped off the bus, a large, stoney beach greeted us. My first thought was that it reminded me a lot of St. Andrew’s – there’s a large beach pretty much incorporated into the the golf course area. I’m not even sure why, as they actually don’t look that much alike – the beach I visited at St. Andrew’s was mostly sand – this one was actually largely rock. I think, given the chance (and if it weren’t seriously time for lunch), I’d have just sat there for the entire duration of our stop.
Our final stop at Kenmare felt quite short. We only had about half an hour – just enough to get some ice cream at the store with a cow in front of it.
Overall, there was definitely a lot of nice scenery to be viewed – although most of it was through the bus window. I felt like we were on the bus for a lot longer than we were off it — which is to be expected, really, since we travelled quite a long distance. I do wish we had more time at each of the stops, but having time on the bus to talk and get to know classmates was definitely nice as well.
I think I’d go again in the future — although I most probably need to learn to drive/rent a car first.
travelcrumbs 