Nolan’s B&B, Kilkee, County Clare
Thursday, December 28, 2006
Kevin and I played with the donkeys then checked out of the Falls Hotel with just a little hiccup (personal, private joke, notated here for posterity’s record – sorry no details for ya’ll).
Getting lucky again, the winter drive to Kilkee was graced with beautiful sunny weather. Unsure of what to expect once we arrived at our destination, we would be following the coastline of Western Ireland and that was going to be enough. This was, after all, our final three days in this fine country and we have truly been lucky with every place we’ve stayed so far. Nothing could dampen our spirits now.
Well, the drive to Kilkee was up hill and down dale, through rolling pastures, then along the coast. As we topped a hill and negotiated another dangerous curve, we could see Kilkee straight ahead. Nestled around the hillside along the horseshoe-shaped Kilkee Bay, with a huge public beach, was this amazing village! We could not have been more surprised, nor more pleased.
We found Nolan’s B&B with the help of a local woman walking down the street. Another great surprise, a fine home and our room is all one could ask for and more. After checking in we took right off for some exploring as the skies were threatening rain.
Wait until you see the pictures! Just incredible views awaited us as we followed the Scenic Loop. And with the darkening skies came the wind . . . . Kevin removed his hat and left it in the car but it wasn’t until our return to town and a stop for lunch that we realized that his hat was no longer in the car. How the****? We were devastated. It’s such a fine hat, and was an even greater buy than we expected, and Kevin looks so darn good in it. I couldn’t see how we were going to replace it.
Kevin’s lunch was typical fare; he ordered the special turkey and ham combination. I soon experienced my first disappointment in this fair land; I ordered the mussels only to have the server return with the bad news: no mussels today. They had gone bad, we later overheard. I settled for a chicken salad sandwich which turned out to be delicious.
During lunch we tried not to suffer too much angst about the lost hat and I decided to retrace our drive along the Scenic Loop when we left. It was only five or six miles of extremely windy terrain and we had only stopped a dozen or so times for photos . . . . I was as hopeful as Kevin was not.
Two or three miles into the drive we were racking our brain when I remembered a spot where we pulled off to photo a stone marker remembering two men who died on April 4, (my birthday) 1982. We had speculated that they may have been lost at sea. Optimistically, I told Kevin that was where we were going to find the hat.
The rain was beginning to sprinkle and there was no sign yet of Kevin’s precious Donegal tweed hat by Gerry Moran (the Hatman of Ireland).
I hadn’t remembered the stone marker being on such a sharp, dangerous curve and I was concentrating on the road for that split second it took to negotiate when Kevin hollered “Stop, I see something!” As I pulled over and Kevin jumped out, sure enough, there it was. Twelve inches in any direction and we would never have seen it. It wasn’t even wet or muddy, not that we would have cared. We were giddy with our good fortune. Huzzah!
We returned to town, toured around the town some more, then stopped at Nolan’s Market (any relation to Ann of our B&B???) and purchased take away for dinner, later, along with other incidentals. The employees could not have been friendlier or more helpful supplying local information. (Kevin here) When we asked if there was live music tonight. The deli counter woman turned to the two younger girls and asked that they find out. One of them walked me toward the door and showed me a schedule of music at a local club. Then, in the rain, she walked me outside (wearing socks and sandals) and pointed to the club. These people are SO kind here. One of the biggest adjustments I’ll have to make, back in the usa, is the people. However, I am sure that our stopover at the NJ Airport will be sure to set me straight.
Tomorrow’s “plans” depend on the weather. If we get a decent period of non-rain, I’d like to go to a Chip and Putt course and do some golfing. What exactly is Chip and Putts relationship to actual golf? If we go tomorrow, I’ll let you know. So stay tuned.
Oh, and we know we’ve fallen behind in our postings. It is just not so easy to find a way to connect to the internet. The more beautiful the countryside, the less likely you are to be able to get on that interweb thing.
Now is the time for us to eat our delicious sandwiches, salads and such. Then it’s coffee for me and a cup of tea for Renee as we watch the telly.
Good Night from Ireland
Kevin and Renee
Thursday, December 28, 2006
Kevin and I played with the donkeys then checked out of the Falls Hotel with just a little hiccup (personal, private joke, notated here for posterity’s record – sorry no details for ya’ll).
Getting lucky again, the winter drive to Kilkee was graced with beautiful sunny weather. Unsure of what to expect once we arrived at our destination, we would be following the coastline of Western Ireland and that was going to be enough. This was, after all, our final three days in this fine country and we have truly been lucky with every place we’ve stayed so far. Nothing could dampen our spirits now.
Well, the drive to Kilkee was up hill and down dale, through rolling pastures, then along the coast. As we topped a hill and negotiated another dangerous curve, we could see Kilkee straight ahead. Nestled around the hillside along the horseshoe-shaped Kilkee Bay, with a huge public beach, was this amazing village! We could not have been more surprised, nor more pleased.
We found Nolan’s B&B with the help of a local woman walking down the street. Another great surprise, a fine home and our room is all one could ask for and more. After checking in we took right off for some exploring as the skies were threatening rain.
Wait until you see the pictures! Just incredible views awaited us as we followed the Scenic Loop. And with the darkening skies came the wind . . . . Kevin removed his hat and left it in the car but it wasn’t until our return to town and a stop for lunch that we realized that his hat was no longer in the car. How the****? We were devastated. It’s such a fine hat, and was an even greater buy than we expected, and Kevin looks so darn good in it. I couldn’t see how we were going to replace it.
Kevin’s lunch was typical fare; he ordered the special turkey and ham combination. I soon experienced my first disappointment in this fair land; I ordered the mussels only to have the server return with the bad news: no mussels today. They had gone bad, we later overheard. I settled for a chicken salad sandwich which turned out to be delicious.
During lunch we tried not to suffer too much angst about the lost hat and I decided to retrace our drive along the Scenic Loop when we left. It was only five or six miles of extremely windy terrain and we had only stopped a dozen or so times for photos . . . . I was as hopeful as Kevin was not.
Two or three miles into the drive we were racking our brain when I remembered a spot where we pulled off to photo a stone marker remembering two men who died on April 4, (my birthday) 1982. We had speculated that they may have been lost at sea. Optimistically, I told Kevin that was where we were going to find the hat.
The rain was beginning to sprinkle and there was no sign yet of Kevin’s precious Donegal tweed hat by Gerry Moran (the Hatman of Ireland).
I hadn’t remembered the stone marker being on such a sharp, dangerous curve and I was concentrating on the road for that split second it took to negotiate when Kevin hollered “Stop, I see something!” As I pulled over and Kevin jumped out, sure enough, there it was. Twelve inches in any direction and we would never have seen it. It wasn’t even wet or muddy, not that we would have cared. We were giddy with our good fortune. Huzzah!
We returned to town, toured around the town some more, then stopped at Nolan’s Market (any relation to Ann of our B&B???) and purchased take away for dinner, later, along with other incidentals. The employees could not have been friendlier or more helpful supplying local information. (Kevin here) When we asked if there was live music tonight. The deli counter woman turned to the two younger girls and asked that they find out. One of them walked me toward the door and showed me a schedule of music at a local club. Then, in the rain, she walked me outside (wearing socks and sandals) and pointed to the club. These people are SO kind here. One of the biggest adjustments I’ll have to make, back in the usa, is the people. However, I am sure that our stopover at the NJ Airport will be sure to set me straight.
Tomorrow’s “plans” depend on the weather. If we get a decent period of non-rain, I’d like to go to a Chip and Putt course and do some golfing. What exactly is Chip and Putts relationship to actual golf? If we go tomorrow, I’ll let you know. So stay tuned.
Oh, and we know we’ve fallen behind in our postings. It is just not so easy to find a way to connect to the internet. The more beautiful the countryside, the less likely you are to be able to get on that interweb thing.
Now is the time for us to eat our delicious sandwiches, salads and such. Then it’s coffee for me and a cup of tea for Renee as we watch the telly.
Good Night from Ireland
Kevin and Renee
posted by Project-Ireland at 5:48 AM
1 Comments:
Hats off to you both, for another fine update on your journey to wonderland.
ysj
Post a Comment
<< Home