Arriving in Killarney began an entirely different chapter in our journey. Western Ireland is where we truly discovered the Irish countryside and saw with our own eyes that it's everything they say and more. You can't possibly imagine how beautiful. We arrived in the evening and didn't go exploring the countryside until the next day. Lucy and I were on a live music mission that night in Killarney and found it at O'Conners. We settled in with our Guinness pints and were treated to a mix of traditional Irish and Americana performed by a couple of young gents with incredible talent. As I waited at the bar for our first round, I visited with a local woman. Upon finding out I was American, she told me right away how much she loved Johnny Cash. She wasn't alone. It happened again later when I was visiting with some other locals, who said the same thing to me, "You're from America? Ohhhhhh, I love Johnny Cash!" Needless to say, that night's performance included more than one Johnny Cash song, and of course one of them was his famous tribute to the Emerald Isle, "Forty Shades of Green". Well, thank you Ireland, we love him too. It was a great night in which we made some new friends from Germany and in which I made up for not kissing the Blarney Stone by kissing the Irishmen of Killarney.
The next day we took a bus tour around the Ring of Kerry, an extensive circular drive that takes you past beaches, the Atlantic Ocean with its little islands, medieval ruins, mountains, and lakes. Your head rotates around and around on your neck as you try to absorb every beautiful sight crashing upon you like wave after wave. It was amazing. We stopped for lunch at a little spot called the Vista Bar & Restaurant which claims to have the best view in Ireland. They might be right about the view. Sticking with the traditional dishes of Ireland, we ordered Shepherd's Pie and savored another comforting meal.
Our bus was driven by the fearless and seasoned John O'Connor, a natural-born storyteller with a perfect sense of humor. He took to those little windy roads in that big bus like they were nothing but a lazy river under a yacht. John and I hit it off, and in spite of our age difference, developed a little crush. He told everyone on the bus that the last woman on had to kiss the driver, and well, John made sure I was the last woman on at every stop. Killarney is the town to go to if you want to be kissed. John tried to talk me into meeting him for a pint, but alas, Lucy and I needed to hit the road for our final destination, the castle.
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