Driving on the wrong side of the road is a little frightening. Well, actually, let me clarify. Riding on the wrong side of the road was a little frightening. My bad-ass husband driver was awesome.
I thought the rainbow was probably a good sign. At least we wouldn’t have a flood.
We headed to Newgrange in the morning, at the advice of some friends. Newgrange is a prehistoric (Neolithic) monument with a stone passageway and chambers inside. It was interesting, and very very very old. The chambers fill with light at the winter solstice – people a long time ago knew how to arrange for those sorts of things. They were much smarter than I, apparently.
Can we just all agree to not be this guy here? Taking a photo with a whole entire laptop. He had an iPhone with him, but the laptop was the camera of choice. I can’t.
We drove across the beautiful Irish countryside to a small town called Abbeyfeale. We had no real reason to stop other than it was just a short drive to Dingle, our next destination. Tea and soda bread and marmalade make for an excellent breakfast.
Our little B&B in Abbeyfeale was just darling. I warned Tom & Noreen, the owners, that I may try to buy the house from them some day. #bighairyaudaciousgoal Tom sent us on our way in the morning with instructions to take the Conor Pass route along the way to Dingle.
Turns out, Tom knows what he’s talking about. Ireland is so pretty, you guys.
SO happy to be on vacation.
The roads on the Dingle peninsula are no joke skinny. That’s technically a two-lane road right there.
There were cows and sheep in fields right on the beach. Adorbs.
Hey sheep, imma need you to move…
The drive into Dingle was so picturesque. I snapped this at 45 mph with my iPhone stuck out the window, holding my breath and praying I didn’t drop my phone. I like to live on the edge.
We ended up at Murphy’s Pub for fish & chips, then walked around town in the dusky afternoon.
I really like taking pictures of bicycles on vacation. Apparently I like boats too.
All the buildings in Dingle are painted bright cheery colors (in the background above). I’ll be it’s hopping in the touristy summer, but it was a sleepy little town in the fall. This is exactly why we vacation in November.
I think I’d like a purple door someday.
The harbor waters were calm and still in the late afternoon light.
And then came one of the most brilliant sunsets I’ve ever seen. I kept running out to our deck to take pictures.
And then 5 minutes later the setting sun filled the hazy little town with radiant light.
It was a Shekinah glory kind of moment, one I won’t soon forget.
Our room at the B&B had the most amazingly soft sheets and comforter. I did not want to get out of bed the next morning.
Our little breakfast room with a view.
We took off on a legitimate (almost) two-lane road the next morning to finish the Slea Head loop around the peninsula. A friend warned us before the trip that we had put together an aggressive driving itinerary, but riding in the car with my husband is one of my favorite things, and we covered far fewer miles on the trip than in a normal work week these days, so the trip felt normal-to-leisurely for us.
It looks like a postcard pretty much the whole time. All the shades of green and blue.
Do you think these sheep even know how amazing their view is? I kept asking them, but they didn’t really answer me back.
Ah. So pretty.
Who needs makeup on early morning vacation day drives? Not me.
See? I like boats.
Well, see ya later, Dingle. You were really nice.
AMAZING photos!! I am so jealous! I love to travel! And one day would LOVE to go here! I actually had a friend who lived in Ireland and we would chat online quite a bit. The photos he always had were just unbelievable! What a trip of a lifetime! Thanks so much for sharing! I am hoping our spring trip we are throwing around happens! 🙂
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