Prague

We finally made it back to where Susan fell madly in love with Chris!

Day 1 of 4 in Prague and we saw Susan's old apartment, favourite restaurant and restauranteur, Sam at U Cedru, a must stop if you are in Prague, and Matt Hayes (our mutual friend who introduced us) and his family. 

Ride from the airport in the van - Declan's highlight of our sabbatical so far - riding with no car seat. Big Kid

Looks like we finally hit a home run with accommodations - gorgeous apartment rental as part of the Ungelt Hotel with 12 foot ceilings and plenty of space. Plus, we are about 2 minutes from the old town square and 10 minutes to the Charles Bridge. 

Check that - Declan's highlight shifted from the no car seat ride to finding a bidet. 

Our apartment is right behind Tyn Church, pictured here behind the horses that are behind the horse people. A few steps from the town square

Check that - first subway ride is Declan's favourite new experience!

Matt and Kat'a 

Jacqui and Ika with the Bowies

The Ring of Kerry and The Skellig Ring

Some incredible views along the Ring of Kerry and The Skellig Ring

We have seen a number of fairy gardens on our tours and will be building our own in the woods on our property after seeing the sheer joy as kids discover them hidden among trees and decorated with a range of kitsch and cleverness. 

The roots of a tree, still alive and formed to create a tunnel along the fairy garden path 

The Skellig Rocks - a site where Christian monks established monasteries from the 6th to 12th century. Amazingly isolated and impossibly barren, it is a marvel that they could have been inhabited. Currently there are tours (next time for us) and it is one of the most important bird sanctuaries in the world, as well as a UNESCO world heritage site. 

Along the Ring of Kerry, a ring of Stella's hair circled the Skellig Rocks in this photo. Good to be lucky.

A day at the races

We went to the Point-to-Point race on 12 April. The kids had room to run and horses to catch a glimpse of as they raced by. We tried some small wagers but only Seamus came up with a big win on the last race of the day.

Getting a Keela's eye view of the contenders 

Ronan using four of his senses to 'see' the race

A quick movie by Seamus to capture the day:

http://www.magisto.com/album/video/PjU6VFBNCQI_OHAHDmEwCX1_

Lovely day for a ...Murphy's?

In the left corner, Murphy's Irish Stout. In the right, Guinness.

We've enjoyed the true Guinness experience during our trip. Although many think the beer must taste dark and be heavy due to its color, it is actually among the lowest calorie and lower alcohol content beers. It is much smoother in Ireland and the classic foam head tends to be more robust and linger longer. It is also high in Iron, which, of course is why it gives you...strength.

On the tour around County Cork, it was surprisingly not easy to find a Guinness. Murphy's is a rival stout made in Cork. It has more of a toffee flavour. I tried it but then pivoted back to Guinness at a pub that offered both. I noticed the missing traditional Guinness logo on my tasty pint, and the barman shifted from a smiling "now, here's your Murphy's, enjoy" to "here". I hesitated and decided not to ask him which he preferred. 

It's not so long to Tipperary

 

The first leg of our 5 day tour from Annagassan to Kildare to Tipperary to The Glens of Aherlow, to Kinsale, to The Ring of Kerry, to Limerick!

The Girls found a tackstore and saddlery they fell in love with. Indeed it felt like a long-term relationship...

Ronan ended up with a necktie at the tack shop, but repurposed it as a Michael Jackson tie for dancing. 

Quick stop in Kildare for lunch and some racing and screaming around sacred sites.

Finally we arrived at Pat and Joan Ryan's house. This lovely couple are friends made during one of Bill and Barb's visits as they stayed at their B&B. Best story of the trip - Pat Ryan telling us that there are 132 other Patrick Ryan's at his bank alone. In Tipperary alone!  Almost as startling as Chris running into the same man in the checkout line at the grocery store three hours apart. Ah, Ireland. 

The Ryan's have a lovely AGA stove in the kitchen. When we toured Ireland with Tom Bowie 8 years ago the Ryan's treated us to a traditional Irish breakfast cooked with this stove. 

Oh, and there are horses. Patrick Ryan (Pat Ryan's son, naturally) trains a few of these beauties for steeple races. They were lovely with the kids, who each claimed one to take back to Canada.  

Joan Ryan with Ronan

Barb had dinner with the Ryans as we checked in to our house rental - part of a hotel complex called the Aherlow House. It brought some beautiful views, as long as you were not inside the house. Let's just say the economic crash was not kind to the place. Anyway, it was a place to rest and get ready for more adventures. 

Bubba and Stella - perfectly paired travel companions

The Curragh - a racecourse and training facility famous in and beyond Ireland

Sometimes sheep are not fenced. Sometimes these sheep run across the road. Protocol is to avoid them. Seems many of the Irish drivers do this without having to take foot off the gas.

Kinsale

Kinsale immediately joined our list of favourite towns on our 5-day tour of southwestern Ireland. The tiny village a wee bit west of Cork has important historical links with a few castles and fortresses. We chose to skip those big old hunks of stone and spent our time in the sinuous streets, wonderful shops, market square, and Fishy Fishy! This restaurant is world class and although they only serve Murphy's Stout (can't you tell that isn't quite Guinness in the picture above?), the Chef, Martin Shanahan, knows what he is doing. All three adults ordered the seafood chowder (best any of us has ever had) then progressed to our main course with the tuna, prawns, scallops...I have to stop or I'll get back in the car and drive 3 hours back there now. 

We stayed at the perfectly suitable Actons Hotel, where the much advertised harbor views were apparently not a part of the family rooms. All forgiven with a lovely breakfast and the pool for the kids. 

Some shots of our stroll through Kinsale. Unfortunately these pictures do not give the full feel of how charming the town is as we made our way through the streets doing our best to not be bounced off of the cars that often drive up on the sidewalk to pass parked cars. The kids continue to develop their street smarts with no room for a learning curve. 

Indeed.

Farmer's Market

As we left Kinsale for The Ring of Kerry, we took the slow way, through the Old Head of Kinsale, which provides panoramic views of the coastline from a gorgeous looking private golf course.

On the way there, farmers have the right of way.

Ronan sat in the third row by himself and was a gem over the 15 or so hours we were on the road. Having an adult in the second seat also made for a happier Declan on the road. 

One last shot of Fishy Fishy!  We met the chef, Martin, and grabbed a signed copy of his cookbook for Helen