Ireland 2012

Dear Family and Friends,

Each year in August, ITER shuts down for a week due to the closure of the adjacent French Nuclear site. This has always been a great opportunity for us to get away since Joe doesn't have to answer emails or worry about what is going on in his absence. This year's break coincided with Nicolas' return to France from scout camp in Utah, so it made sense for us to go north to Ireland where we had only spent a few days a couple of years ago.

 

We pick stopped in Normandy in route to the town of Cherbourg to catch an overnight ferry to Ireland. While in Port-en-bassin, our favorite sea-side fishing village, we found a rocky beach covered with clam shells, decaying seaweed, and rotting lobster shells. As we walked around, Nathaniel gladly proclaimed it "Paradise Beach". Fortunately for us parents, we were able to drive a little ways away and find a nice beach on which both parents and Nathaniel were able to agree.

 

 

Since we were new to Irish ferries, we foolishly booked our trip without a cabin or reserved seating. This meant that we had to get on board as quickly as possible and stake a claim in one of the lounges for a place to spend the night. As our neighbors started encroaching on our territory, we started to worry that we wouldn't be able to get any sleep. Joe decided to try once more to purchase some reserved seating even though it was sold out. Fortunately, the ship's purser had pity on us and gave us the last seats in the ship's cinema where we were able spread out in relative quiet.

 

The next morning, we began the drive to our holiday house in Ballinskelligs in the south-western tip of the country. Along the way, Joe got distracted and had to stop at Lismore Castle and at a trout stream. However, the favorite stop was at the grocery store where we found all kinds of food not found in markets in France!

 

Our house in Ballenskelligs was quite nice. Elyse lucked out and had the whole second story to herself, a fact that did not escape the boys attention. Fortunately, the flower comforters and pink wallpaper helped to avoid a civil war.

Prior to the trip, we were very worried that we had made a mistake in booking a place so removed from the usual tourist destinations like Kilarney. Once there, however, we realized that there were other benefits of being in a quiet village, like a huge beach almost all to ourselves.

Summer in Ireland is not too different from the winter - the weather is constantly changing and rain is always a possibility. The weathermen even forecasted the worst hurricane in years for the last few days of our trip. Still, we were able to find enough breaks in the clouds to explore the Skellig ring, a loop near our house with plenty of views and history. We took a short walk to visit tetrapod tracks in the sea rocks, checked out an ancient Irish stone marker, climbed the rocks surrounding a lighthouse, viewed the spectacular cliffs of Fogher, and drove to the top of Valencia island to see the surrounding landscape.

Each day, we tried to set aside time for the kids to play at one or more of the local beaches. The kids made forts, sandcastles, and explored the tidal pools.

On the third day, the weather improved enough for Julie and Elyse to go horseback riding at Rossbeigh beach. After putting on the mandatory safety gear, Elyse climbed onto "Misty" while Julie got to ride "Tom". On their ride, they crossed over sand dunes, galloped down the beach, and slogged back through the ocean. Even though they had a great time, they both had sore bums when it was over!

A couple of kilometers from home, we took advantage of a break in the clouds to do a short hike. Nicolas led the expedition down a narrow country rode and into the fields full of grazing sheep and cows. Like other hikes we have taken in Ireland, we eventually can to a point where we could no longer hop from grass tuft to grass tuft to avoid the mud and had to turn around. Next time, we'll bring waders so that we can finish a hike.

In Dingle Town, we enjoyed taking a boat into the bay to see "Fungie" the dolphin. Perhaps the most thrilling part of the tour was when the boat went out into open water momentarily. All of the recent storms had created huge swells, which tossed the small boat from side to side before we retreated back to the safety of the harbour.

 

In Killarney, we ate at our favorite local restaurant. We also got to watch Pixar's Brave in English, which was a real treat for the kids.

 

The rough seas we experienced in Dingle Town were a taste of what we were to experience on our ferry ride back to France. Although stabilizers kept the rolling motions to a minimum, the up and down made walking or any other activity difficult. Unfortunately, Nathaniel was a casualty of the voyage and spent the entire evening trying to sleep of seasickness.

Back in France, we stopped in the historic town of Vitre, were we took a short tour of the old castle and walked down the medieval streets of the Britton town.

We also stopped for the night in Amboise in the Loire Valley, where we were able to watch a midieval pagent of the history of the castle that included fireworks, dancing, and an equestrian demonstration.

Joe, Julie, Nicolas, Elyse, and Nathaniel