Downtown Bantry and Glengarriff's Bamboo Park

Today was a bit boring for clients but it was relaxing for us, hanging out with Florence in Bantry for the morning, chatting over a cup of organic coffee and a homemade organic scone at Organico. Ireland is on the organic kick as well as the environmental wave – even ATM machines remind you to dispose of your receipt carefully (if you print one at all!) Time alone with Florence was great and we got to know her just a little bit better than the previous trips.

Back at home Florence decided not to join us at The Bamboo Park in Glengarriff, a bamboo garden set on 12 beautiful acres (when the sun is out!) and overlooking a small bay. Claudine, the owner, greeted us and knew exactly who we were as Florence rang up to let her know we were coming. Claudine gave us a map and quick overview of the gardens, the bamboo having been imported from France and adapting very well to the subtropical climate in Glengarriff. The gardens were gorgeous and we walked the perimeter, stopping to bask in the sun and enjoy the views of not only the gardens but the water as well.

Back to the entrance (not sure how we found it!) we stopped in to talk with Claudine a while, opting for a wonderful piece of homemade apple tarte with cream and a cup of coffee. At some point another American couple stopped in for the same as we talked to Claudine. At one point Claudine congratulated us on adopting – word travels fast in a small community and we were happy to share our experience. She asked quite a few questions and we were more than happy to answer them, knowing that our next visit to Ireland will probably be with baby.

Thanking her for the tour, conversation and wonderful tarte we decided to head back to see Raymond and Florence and help prepare dinner. The night was out usual except we decided to pick our next painting which we’ll post online soon. I think this is our 10th painting of Raymond’s that we’ve collected.

Baltimore and Sherkin Island Excursion

Today we set out for Baltimore, a small harbor town about 30 minutes from Bantry. Our goal was to stay local this trip, exploring the smaller towns and going off the beaten path. Bantry is a bit below where most Americans travel and we were immersing ourselves even further, giving ourselves a flavor of Ireland that even we have neglected to see.

Heading toward Skibbereen we took a smaller side-road toward Baltimore, hugging the water as we meandered through the countryside. After about 20 minutes we came across Casey’s of Baltimore, a property which I’ve sold before and now I could see the actual location – on the water and a good location but still a short drive to the actual harbor itself. It would be perfect for those looking to get away from the major towns but having to drive to the center of the harbor might be an issue if a few pints are involved.

We quickly found the harbor, parked on the curb like everyone else as the parking lots were full – knowing that they rarely tow but we could come back to a ticket.
Just as we arrived we saw a boat pull up and we inquired – it was the Sherkin Island Ferry, a place we were told we should visit due to its beauty. Although today is a bit overcast, we figured we’ll head out and explore a bit so we hopped on the ferry (€10pp) and began the short 10-minute journey to Sherkin.

Sherkin Island is known for the ruins of a friary and a church, the friary immediately seen as we landed. From there we decided to walk toward the hotels on the island in search of a bathroom but found them either closed or the bathrooms were locked behind the guest area. There was a group of people staying in the one hotel however they were all practicing Tai Chi in the main banquet room and later outside – probably not a good idea to interrupt them. Seeing a sign for a pottery gallery we started our walk and continued for at least a mile before seeing it was closed and the road ended… thankfully the scenery was gorgeous along the way with nothing but views of pastures, animals and water in the distance.

We made it back to the ferry and took it back to the mainland just as the sun began to burn through the clouds. It’s typical Irish weather in the sense that the mornings will always be cloudy and misty, wet and cool but if the sun can burn off the clouds you’ll have gorgeous skies.

Just at the top of the harbor is a small group of restaurants where we were able to sit outside and enjoy the weather, the people and the views of the harbor – boats going in and out, a group of scuba divers heading out and people milling about on this Sunday afternoon. We each ordered a pizza with fresh local cheeses and a side of chips (French fries – a requirement for all meals!) and when they arrived, our faces dropped! These pies were quite large and good value but way too much food for the two of us. Fortunately a couple from Cork City sat next to us and asked us how we were enjoying out pizza so Bob offered them a taste and they took us up on it! Mind you I’ve never seen someone do that but I liked it at the same time because our offer was genuine… why can’t people just take you up on an offer without feeling obligated? We actually cut up the rest of our pizzas and made them a nice plate which they thanked us for many times, eventually ordering a bottle of wine to enjoy the views and sunshine.

We took the southern route along to Schull and stopped for a bit before heading through Durrus where they make a fine hard Irish cheese and on to Ballylickey. We then made it back to Ballylickey dinner was being prepared, roasted duck and wine. We settled right in, telling the day’s story and sipping wine as we tried to help out when we were allowed.

Visiting Raymond Klee in Ballylickey

The weather has been extremely unusual for Ireland – sunny and warm! In fact I think I might be getting a slight tan as we sit outside with our friends Raymond and Florence.

Let’s see, we drove from Doolin to Ballylickey in about 4 hours and this is where distances versus time is quite deceiving. We were in Limerick around 11:00am south on the N20 which is a nice-sized motorway. The total distance to our turn-off was about 105km, maybe 60 miles and it took us about two hours. The motorway narrows through villages with traffic here and there. Once off the main road the traveling was even slower through winding mountain roads until we emerged into Ballylickey.
Raymond and Florence were in the kitchen when we arrived so we walked in, made ourselves at home and began the process of catching up on the past year.

Unfortunately Raymond has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and his memory is not what it used to be, though he did remember the two of us. My fear was having him wonder who we were and why we were staying in his house. He had none of that and within the hour Raymond was whisking us off to his studio to show us the works he’s completed and what he was working on now. In fact he painted a wonderful seascape which he allowed me to get on film!

Oh, wait… I had a woman, Judy, contact me through the Internet to find out more about a painting of Raymond’s that she purchased through a thrift store. We emailed quite a bit within two days, me receiving digital photos and a letter to bring to Ireland for Raymond. I decided to go one step further and get his reaction on video, knowing full well that he would give me a show for Judy and that he did. I began reading the letter and his eyes would open wide and he would give me one of his grins indicating the show was about to begin. Just as I came to the part asking about the name of the painting he paused, full-grin and slowly gave the name… “Oil” … “Painting” and that was the end of the letter and questions. Sorry Judy! That is when Raymond went back to his oil painting and the video taping continued.

Trip #14 to Ireland - Staying in Doolin

Flying to Ireland is a mere 5.5 hours from Philadelphia when the tail-winds are good – short flights are great but when it’s overnight, you really feel the effects of jet-lag. No sooner do you get settled into your seat, watch a movie and then drift off to sleep … and you’re being waken with coffee, tea and a transfat-laden donut. My adrenaline kicks in and I’m ready to hit the ground running from that point on. In fact, our luggage was waiting for us as we went through Customs, a mere minutes in line and one or two quick questions, grab the luggage and on we were.

Dan Dooley had a larger car for us than expected, a Ford Mondeo which is the size of a Volkswagon Passat back at home – much larger than my MINI Cooper that I’m accustomed to driving. I adjust to the left too quickly and we were exiting the airport within minutes.

I brought the GPS just to see how it works and make recommendations for clients. It has its good and bad points so it’s still going to be individual decision on whether or not to rent one but on future trips, I’ll leave mine at home and stick with the car rental map. It helped us navigate out of Shannon Airport without a problem but it did not tell us to take our usual exit for Doolin by way of Ennistimon. Instead we went another 4 miles before exiting the highway and backtracking through Ennis from the north – slightly out of the way but staying on the N85 would have made more sense. At that point I turned off the GPS and navigated by towns again. I suppose it’s a good feature for clients who have no clue that they’re a bit out of their way.

Within the hour we were in the centre of Doolin, checking in to Tir Gan Ean, our favorite hotel within walking distance to everything in the village including O’Connor’s pub near the docks and McGann’s in the village. With gorgeous weather (sunny and not a cloud in the sky!) we decided to head toward the dock but only made it just past O’Connor’s Pub and decided to call it quits, grabbing a small bite to eat and sit outside in the sun before heading back to Tir Gan Ean.

We napped from noon until 5pm to try and get rid of the jet-lag but not sure if it hurt or helped. I typically stay up the entire first day to help with the jet-lag so this is new for me. We went to McDermott’s for dinner, pub grub being the most economical meal when dining out. Afterward we sat outside just as the sun was setting, chatting with two married Canadian women who were staying in Lisdoonvarna during the Matchmaking Festival, a location they advised against due to the non-stop partying from 11:00am to the wee hours of the morning.

Back to the hotel we had a cup of tea, Banoffie Pie and went right to bed afterward.