Thursday a friend & I went to Giverny, France to visit Claude Monet's garden. I'd heard wonderful things about the trip so I was excited to go. Before visiting the gardens, we made a stop in Vernon which I welcomed. The roads were a bit windy and no matter how hard I tried not to get sick it didn't work. It's one thing to get sick in your own car but on a bus filled with mostly strangers it's just not fun. So I headed straight to the pharmacy & bought some medication. Vernon is a cute little French town to wander through with wonderful artisan bakeries, charcuterie, and of course lots of shops. My girlfriend & I bought some beautiful French ceramic cookware. I was like a kid in a candy shop! I came home with a much needed deep lasagna dish and two other baking dishes in warm autumn colours.
Once we arrived in Giverny, we had some free time to visit the Musee d' Art Americain. In the late afternoon we visited Monet's home & garden. As I imagined the gardens were lush & very soothing. The water garden was my favorite.
Loved, loved, loved the Asian inspired bridge with the wisteria. And the weeping willows made everything so peaceful and calm. There was only one water lily in bloom. I'm sure in July the pond must be an incredible sight with tons of water lilies blooming.
The Irises were in full bloom. So many colours I had never seen before. The gardens seem to be filled with various shades of purple.
This particular lilac was very unique with purple, white, and orange accents.
What I found most surprising about Monet's home were the colours of the rooms like sage, lilac, and yellow. Some of the rooms like the dining room were done in a tone on tone yellow. There is just no way a person could walk into that room and not feel cheerful. Even the dining table was yellow! One of the guides in the home told us the rooms were restored to the same colours Monet had painted them before he began to lose his eye sight & passed away. The house was decorated mainly with Asian artwork. Unfortunately, photos inside the home are prohibited except for the view from Monet's bedroom which were spectacular.
During the trip, I found myself chatting with a Russian acquaintance from my first French class and she told me, "If I woke up to this everyday, I'd have to become an artist. This view would inspire me to paint". I couldn't agree with her more.
Right now the weather in Belgium is absolutely beautiful. So much so that I've tried to be outside every possible chance. When you go without the sun for days you truly begin to appreciate blue skies and sunshine. Let me catch up on the past two weekends...
The first weekend in May was a 4 day holiday here in Europe so we tried to book a last minute trip but had no luck. Everything was booked! So we did the next best thing... spent the day in Reims & Epernay. I'll admit it. I love France. It's a beautiful country. There is just so much to see.
Since we only had a day to explore the area we decided to visit the Cathedral Notre Dame de Reims. The church is renowned for its classical Gothic style and for being part of the
coronation ceremony for the Kings of France. During World War I the church experienced extensive damage. I found it interesting that the restoration was largely funded by contributions from John D. Rockefeller. They even named the street in front of the church after Rockefeller.
This stain glass by Marc Chagall was just stunning to look at. The colors were so rich and vivid. Absolutely beautiful.
Reims is also the center of a major wine-growing region, specializing in champagne production. There was the cutest champagne cafe right in front of the Cathedral Notre Dame de Reims too. Silly us we actually walked by the cafe to see what they served for lunch.. and well.. food wasn't on the menu. Only champagne. See why I love Europe! lol!
Touring the Moet et Chandon house in Epernay was high on S's list which was fine with me. I found Epernay much more charming than Reims. Many of the large champagne houses are all within walking distance.
We had some time before our tour began so we relaxed and played for a while.
The Moet & Chandon tour was insightful considering I don't know much about the production of champagne. The caves were interesting to see. It was amazing how you could just feel the moisture just by touching the cave walls. It was like the walls were wet. Afterwards, we enjoyed tasting 2 different varieties of champagnes. S & I both had different champagnes so we were able to sample 4 total. Out of the 4, one champagne in particular was just amazing. After I had way too much champagne the tour ended in the showroom. Very dangerous. lol! Needless to say we came home with a few bottles. ;)
We spent the rest of the day walking around the city, having a great picnic with our friends while our kids played at a local park, eating a light dinner, and ending the day with some delicious gelato... fleur de lait & cannelle. Yumm!
My sister is coming to visit this summer so we'll definitely be planning an overnight to the area. The big champagne houses are great but what I really want to see are the small family owned houses. I like the idea of being able to sample champagne that aren't available to us in the US. Plus, it'll be a wonderful opportunity to pick up a few bottles for my sister's wedding next year.
Before we drove to the Cliffs of Moher, we walked around Dingle Town and did a little shopping. I was hoping to buy a sweater or scarf but I didn't find anything I really loved. But what I did find was pottery. Apparently, Ireland is famous for their pottery. I never knew this. Everywhere we went there was always an eclectic variety of pottery at the breakfast table. I brought home a few interesting pieces I fell in love with in. I'll share some photos of the pieces later.
As soon as it started raining, we hopped in the car and made our way to Kilirush to catch the ferry. Our GPS was pretty useless in Ireland so we had to resort to the good old map. Luckily, there aren't many main roads so we found everything pretty easily.
We arrived in Miltown Malbay, a small seaside town, in the early evening. We had dinner and headed back to our B&B to relax. That night S & I watched a little tv and we stumbled upon a sitcom called, "Father Ted"; it's focuses on three priests exiled to Craggy Island. The episode we watched was called "Cigarettes, Alcohol, and Roller blading". It was hilarious! For Lent the priests attempt to give up their worst vices and well they have a bit of a hard time doing so. Only in a country where the population of Catholics is over 88% could they show a program like this. lol! If you have a chance, definitely watch the episode. I'm hooked on the show and watched a few other episodes since we got back from Ireland. I find it interesting to watch other country's programs and see what they think is funny and acceptable on tv.
The following morning we ate an amazing breakfast as the owner of the B&B was a chef and held cooking classes during the high season. Her house was very charming and on display were various pottery pieces by some famous Irish potters. One of the things I loved about the breakfast was how each person got this mini pitcher with maple syrup. It was so cute! I wanted to take them home with me!
We started the day by driving to the Cliffs of Moher which was spectacular but WINDY!! The cliffs are 214m high at the highest point and range for 8 kilometres
over the Atlantic Ocean. I was grateful they had the protective wall since the edges of the cliffs are naturally eroding and some of the sections are seriously
undercut. We were told pieces of stone ledge or grassland fall into the sea
regularly. And even with this information there are fearless people who go over the walls to take photos and videotape the area.
Lil' C wasn't too happy about the high winds but he did fine as we walked towards the O'Briens Tower. But at one point Lil' C had had enough and started to whine
about how he wanted to leave which was then followed by some tears. We tried to reassure him but he wasn't having any of it. So S
brought him to the visitor's centre so I could walk around a little and
take some photos.
I'm actually surprised my photos weren't all a blur since the wind was knocking me around. The wind was so powerful it was just crazy!! Seriously, the winds were like a natural blow dryer and it took about 10 minutes of whipping my hair all over the place to loosen my curls. lol! Instant flat iron!
You really can't grasp how windy it was that day so here is a little video clip I took. Believe it or not I talk a little during the clip but you can't even hear me.
I met S & Lil' C at the exploratory centre where we learned more about the cliffs and Ireland in general. Very interesting. Once we left I told S & Lil' C how it wasn't very windy towards the other side of the walkway so we made our way to the area and took a few more photos before leaving.
On the way to the Ailliwee Caves we passed a house with pottery that looked similar to the pieces used to serve us breakfast. So we stopped and there were little pots & coffee cups lined up along the house's rocky fence. When I walked into the little room attached to the house there was pottery lined up against the wall everything from bowls to tea cups. And they even had those tiny pitchers our B&B owner used for maple syrup! Unfortunately, most of them had little chips on the top (probably from being blown off the table! lol). There was a sign on the table that said something like... "I had to step out of the house for a while but if you see something you like take a look at my price list and go ahead and put the money in the tin can. Thanks!" How cool is that. You'd never see something like that in the US. I love places that work on the honor system.
Surprisingly, Lil' C loved visiting the cave and he wasn't afraid of the dark not even towards the end of the tour when our guide shut off all the lights. We were in pure darkness for about 3-4 minutes. We would have loved to have seen the Burren Bird of Prey Centre and explore the Burren area but we had reservations for the medieval dinner at the Bunratty Castle.
We arrived at the Bunratty Castle with just enough time to walk around and explore some of the homes surrounding the castle. I love the thatched roof on the traditional Irish homes.
Bunratty Castle was built in 1425 and restored in 1954 and was the location of our medieval dinner. It was definitely a very touristy thing to do but a lot of fun! I would highly recommend it. As soon as we got to the castle, they served us a delicious drink called Mead which is a fermented alcoholic drink made from honey, water, and yeast. The first known description of Mead dates back to 1700BC s and was best known as the preferred drink of Vikings and Celts. In many parts of Europe it was a tradition to supply a newly married couple with enough mead for a month, ensuring happiness and fertility.
Before we made our way to the dinner area we were also treated to a wonderful musical performance.
Our dinner was actually really good too. We had fun eating our dinner with our hands. The two families sitting next to us were also from the US so it was fun talking with each of them about their trip to Ireland. Lil' C really got into the show and because quite alarmed when they sent a fellow diner to the dungeon for flirting with too many woman! Lil' C kept asking me, "Why are they sending that man to the dungeon? What's going to happen to him?" The man was release once he promised to sing a song to the guests. He was actually a really good singer and with a great deal of passion sang "Dannyboy".
Lil' C absolutely loved all the princesses but there was one that really caught his eye. When dinner was finishing he asked me if he could take a picture with the princess in the blue dress. So while the coffee was being served we found the princess in blue and Lil' C was so excited! Look at that smile and he's looking directly at the camera... that combination is almost impossible. lol!
While everyone drank coffee they had a young man playing some beautiful tunes on the bagpipe. Dinner at Bunratty was a great way to end our trip.
So far Ireland has been my favorite trip yet. The country is so beautiful and the Irish people are so warm and friendly. I will always have wonderful memories of our trip. ;)
When planning our trip to Ireland I was torn between the Ring of Kerry and the Dingle Peninsula. But based on all my reading many travelers preferred Dingle since it's smaller and not as touristy and I'm all about avoiding the crowds. It rained almost the entire way to Dingle which wasn't too bad although I would have loved to stop & play at Inch Beach. Maybe next time.
Around noon I contacted the B&B we reserved to let the owner know approximately what time we'd arrive. When I reached her she wasn't exactly pleasant and she told me there was a fire in her garage and she lost everything. She ended the conversation by reminding me that I couldn't check in before 2pm. As soon as I hung up I told S about the fire and I said, "I don't want to stay there!" I was already getting a "Nightmare B&B" vibe. So I started calling some B&B's in my travel book and luckily a few looked familiar and had received good rating on Tripadvisor. I called about 3 of them and the last B&B owner I spoke with was so friendly on the phone that I booked it right on the spot. I got a good vibe about him. Staying at a B&B with a great host is so important and makes a world of a difference. When I contacted the B&B we reserved to cancel I explained that we had a change of plans and as nicely as I could I explained that I just didn't feel comfortable staying in a place where there had been a fire especially since I had a little boy. How could I possibly sleep well knowing there had just been a fire the previous night. And what about the smell. Well, the woman wasn't too happy but in the end it turned out to be a blessing in disguise.
The view from our B&B.
The B&B we did stay in was absolutely grand! The view was exactly what I was hoping for while in Dingle. We had our own patio with a great view of the Dingle Bay along with a big field of sheep. It was right out of a tourist photo book. And John, the owner was fabulous. He greeted us with homemade (right out of oven) scones, fresh jams, tea, coffee, and hot chocolate. John even included a cup full of mini marshmallows for Lil' C. Too sweet.
Immediately, Lil' C fell in love with John's dog, Roi. The two of them got along wonderfully. Lil' C never got tired of throwing the ball and Roi enjoyed fetching the ball for at least an hour or more.
Dingle itself is very a charming intimate town which I love. In 2005, Dingle officially became known by its Gaelic version, An Daingean (pronounced awn-DANG-in), which means The Fortress. All of the road signs are now in Gaelic. I even saw a few signs with the English word sprayed painted so only the Gaelic word was displayed. Apparently, this change was met with quite a bit of resistance from the locals who were concerned the change would effect tourism. The government refused to change and basically said that "patriotism came at a high cost". I actually think it's great that Ireland is trying to preserve its original language and is making it mandatory for future generation to learn.
Local Dingle Pub
One thing
John told us that I found extremely interesting was that the original
pubs were actually stores converted to pubs without changing anything
inside. One of the pubs we passed truly looked like a hardware store
from the outside. I love how these pubs never changed a thing so the
way you see it now is how it was hundreds of years ago. So cool.
Definitely a very different look from what I originally thought a
traditional pub would look like.
After chatting with John, the weather improved so we took full advantage and drove around the Dingle Peninsula. Poor Lil' C was exhausted so he missed the entire drive. The scenery was just spectacular.
The Peninsula was just so beautiful I couldn't help taking dozens of photos.
As the sun played hide & seek the lighting changed making everything look so different.
Take a look at these huge waves. S was captivated with these waves.
The following morning I couldn't help feel sad that we only planned to stay one night. It was just so beautiful I didn't want to leave. Plus there were so many sites in Dingle we didn't get to see due to weather & time restraints.
Roi didn't want Lil' C to leave either. He couldn't wait for Lil' C to finish his breakfast so they could play one last time.
The weather in Ireland is completely unpredictable. In fact, one night
I saw a commercial encouraging locals to go out and have fun regardless
of the weather because "no one ever knows what the weather will be
like." Not knowing if the morning rain would continue throughout the
day we decided to skip the gardens and go to the Muckross House. At
least we'd be indoors during the tour. The house was well preserved and
the grounds were simply beautiful with a rock garden and great trails.
Afterwards we went hiking at the Killarney National Park.
We came across several waterfalls on our trail. So peaceful.
Incredible how almost everything was covered in moss. So beautiful.
While making our way to Kenmare, another picturesque little town, we stopped at the Bantry House. It's a beautiful home. Imagine what it must have been like to live here in the 17th century and wake up to this view.
The grounds looked beautiful with the tulips in bloom.
I'm sure it's even more amazing in the summer with all the flowers blooming.
Even Lil' C enjoyed touring the house. One of the guides challenged him to find 5 things in the house. The challenge was a great idea! I've never seen him so excited to explore a historical home before! lol! Every time he found an object he ran back to the guide and told her which object he'd found.
Love the color of this china.
And the cobalt blue in this room is very eye catching. Love it!
S & I lived in Maryland for five years and throughout those years we really fell in love with the Baltimore area. It reminds me of NYC but on a smaller, more doable scale. We have lots of good memories of our time there. So when I found Baltimore & Dundalk on Ireland's map I thought of our friends in Baltimore. It also made me wonder how many other cities in the U.S. are named after towns/cities here in Europe.
On the advice of M (B&B owner in Kinsale) we stopped in Baltimore in route to Kenmare. Baltimore is a beautiful little fishing village and a popular vacation spot for Irish families. In 1631, this cute little village was attacked by Algerian soldiers; as a result watchtowers were installed at the harbor mouth.
The road to the Beacon was extremely narrow but then again all the roads in Ireland look similar to this one even major roads. God help the person who comes across a car going in the opposite direction. Thank goodness, S drove. I don't think I could handle driving on the left and these narrow roads. It made the roads in Belgium look like lanes on our major US highways! lol!
You think after seeing this sign & someone warning us how windy it was at the top we'd get back into our cars and head right out of Baltimore. But those cliffs were one of the reasons I wanted to see Ireland! lol! Walking up to the Beacon was a little difficult since it was really rocky and the wind was pretty strong.
Here's a photo of Lil' C and I making our way to the Beacon. As you can see from his expression he loved the wind and was having a ball. But that all changed once the winds got stronger. Look at his expression once we got closer to the top.
And right behind the barbed wire, you could see this... Yikes, that's a long way down.
and this....
The winds were incredibly fierce. Winds so strong I lost my balance several times. I really thought the wind was just going to pick me up and blow me into the ocean.
Sometimes Lil' C & I sat down so we'd have a little more control of our movements. With the winds so out of control we left after about 10 minutes.
I really wanted to get closer to the edge but I knew if I did well... I wouldn't be posting this entry. This is about as close as I came and I'm sure I'm using my zoom lens. The view was spectacular.
The more I read about Ireland the more convinced I became it was the countryside I wanted to experience. Not that Dublin wouldn't have drawn my attention especially since I'm a city girl at heart and I LOVE city life. But I felt drawn to every photo I saw of the sea, rugged mountains, dangerous cliffs, and the experiences that go along with being in small towns. And of course time wasn't working with me. A week just isn't long enough. So we skipped the big cities and focused on quaint little towns. And to maximize our time we flew from Dublin to Cork where our journey began.
Ah, don't you just love those images from the window seat. Before there was a Lil' C I usually opted for this seat but now I'm happy to let him enjoy the show. Lil' C was soooo incredibly excited about flying. His eyes lit up when we took off and you could just see how he loved feeling the pressure when the plane left the ground. I think I was just as excited when I saw my first images of Ireland and the blue skies. lol! I was concerned we'd be greeted by the same dreary, wet weather we'd left behind in Belgium. But luckily that wasn't the case.
Our first day we spent exploring Kinsale, a beautiful little medieval town that is well known for many reasons among them being it's fabulous gourmet restaurants. That's right... you can't forget about the food and beer. lol!
The next morning we drove out to Old Head per a recommendation from the owner of the B&B we were staying in. Old Head was exactly what I pictured when I think of Ireland.
Photo compliments to Lil' C. He did a great job!
The view was stunning. Although S & I were pretty anxious since there aren't any fences to prevent someone from falling off these gorgeous cliffs. Poor Lil' C didn't really get a chance to explore much on his own and those feelings came through in some of the photos.
Right over that dirt area behind us is this...
Beautiful but a little scary.
Before we left we did let Lil' C walk around a bit (like for 2 minutes! lol!) on the other side of the hill where there was a nice big field but believe me we were watching him like a hawk!
We got back into the car and drove to a nearby beach.
Lil' C had a blast running around and picking up rocks. We found the most unique rocks. I especially loved all the flat, smooth, black rocks with decorative white strips.
Lil' C had fun creating some beach art while I collected some rocks to take home (which most were unfortunately taken away by airport security on our flight home). ;(
S started getting cold so we left the beach and drove to Blarney Castle.
One of the traditions of visiting this castle is to kiss the Blarney stone as it is said to give the receipient the "gift of gab"! I'm not sure I really needed to do this especially when I saw how high we were and how much they lowered you to kiss the stone. S went first and of course everything went well but I had some reservations. Lately I've noticed heights scare me a bit. I mean it's a long way down.
But then I thought when am I going to get this chance again. So before I could change my mind again I went for it.
I tried to take the easy way out and lower my head and give the stone an air kiss but the stone keeper wasn't having any of that and told me I had to go lower! Of course everyone is laughing but me. So as I close my eyes tightly I continue to bend lower and finally he tells me to kiss the stone. It was a quick peck but hopefully it was enough to receive the gift of eloquence. lol!
Lil' C had a ball walking through the castle. He kept making references to the rooms being similar to some of the rooms in his fairy tale stories.
The grounds surrounding the castle were beautiful too. Lots for young kids to explore.
Our first full day in Ireland was great. We ended the day with a nice dinner in Kinsale and ready to see more of Ireland.
We just got home from spending 8 amazing days in Ireland. What a gorgeous
country!! I'm completely smitten with Ireland's countryside. I'm like a girl who accidentally fell in love and wants to share all the details with her best friends. ;)
The trip was completely planned on the spur of the moment. One night playing
around on Ryanair's website I found a 1 Euro cent trips to Dublin. Of course I booked it right away! Even when you add on all the extras like baggage, priority seating, seat belts (I'm joking) it was a little over $200 for all three of us to fly to Dublin roundtrip. You just can't beat that price! The fact that I didn't know much about Ireland was just a small detail. With a few weeks to research the country, I'd have plenty of time to book accommodations and figure out what we wanted to see. Little did I know this country would capture my heart. It was a wonderful surprise.
I have so much to share and hundreds of photos to download but it's getting late and I must get to sleep. More tomorrow.
Thursday a friend & I went to Giverny, France to visit Claude Monet's garden. I'd heard wonderful things about the trip so I was excited to go. Before visiting the gardens, we made a stop in Vernon which I welcomed. The roads were a bit windy and no matter how hard I tried not to get sick it didn't work. It's one thing to get sick in your own car but on a bus filled with mostly strangers it's just not fun. So I headed straight to the pharmacy & bought some medication. Vernon is a cute little French town to wander through with wonderful artisan bakeries, charcuterie, and of course lots of shops. My girlfriend & I bought some beautiful French ceramic cookware. I was like a kid in a candy shop! I came home with a much needed deep lasagna dish and two other baking dishes in warm autumn colours. 
