Out of the grey, and into the blue

The morning started, as they all tend to, well before lunch and under a dispiritingly grey sky. A less optimistic day would probably have gone straight back to bed, but like I, then been compelled to get on with it anyway.

We headed for the Dingle Peninsula, reputed to be one of the most beautiful spots on the Emerald Isle, and one of the main reasons for our being in this part of the world, so I was feeling particularly disenchanted with the weather. Mum proposed a conclusion that as it had started grey yesterday and got better, that that was how the weather works here, and that all would ok. I remained sceptical, noting that the base size for such observations was N=1 (and that required excluding the first few days where it just rained the whole time).

Crossing the Connor Pass (the highest in Ireland!), it remained steadfastly grey.


We saw crazy people...


We saw blue sheep (though, alas, could not locate Green Sheep)...


Eventually, as we cleared the saddle and began what I thought of as the downslope and Justine (who was driving) saw as a substitute for a toboggan run, we saw something that brought a smile. It looked like it might be at least only 'mostly cloudy' on this side!


And sure enough, on the far end of the peninsula, quite literally the westernmost point of Ireland (possibly of Europe, and possibly of the entire world depending on who you asked, and when), we sashayed into the blue. What a time and place to do it.


In between all that was a brief stalk around the town of Dingle, where I failed (again) to locate a suitable traditional looking pub serving Guinness Pie for lunch and had to settle for Irish Stew, and the kids had an aquarium stop (or, as Lauren put it, a Canarium, and then a Pyramidium stop).

Some other stuff happened:

1. Lauren chased goats...


...which made her happy.


2. Aidan was asked to hop down from the priceless prehistoric megalithic monument...


...which momentarily made him the most depressed human being on the planet.


3. We saw a 2,500 year old defensive fort built on a little promontory above a rocky coastline.





4. We had coffee and scones at a cafe which had a view.


5. Lauren saw cows, and by the end of the day was spotting them as far away as Saturn.


6. And Aidan finished the day in his favourite way - lying almost in the fire reading until well after Justine's bedtime.



Thinking back on the day, there are a couple of key thoughts. I am starting to see the attraction of this place, though it increasingly has the feel of a theme park for tourists rather than a real part of the world. More significantly though, this lack of Guinness Pie issue is starting to become serious. It is looking like a weekend in Dublin is my only hope. Maybe it is like sweet and sour pork - a staple anywhere but China, but unknown there? I hope not, I'm kind of hanging out for one now. I'm happy to solve the problem in Dublin, but it is leaving precious little margin for error.

Location:Dingle Penninsula