Ireland: Ring of Kerry

We headed out of the Ring of Kerry. Before leaving, we tried to take the scenic route, as if I needed more evidence that Ireland was the most beautiful part of the trip. More cliffs to stare at. In the distance, you can see Skellig Michael and how close it is on a clear day.

Our destination was the town of Killarney, the closest town with a train station. We visited a very nice house known as Muckross House. It was owned by a very wealthy family. In 1851, they learned that they would be the host to Queen Victoria in 1861 for several months. With over 10 years of notice, they spent a lot of resources essentially customizing the house for the visit. Historians believe this might have been the downfall of the family's wealth. You think?

Killarney was also where we said goodbye to our beloved Nissan Micra who took us across Ireland. We had a bit of a financial scare. On the bill that I signed when we picked up the car, we were charged $120 for fuel. Typically, you get charged for fuel when you return the car without filling it up. Not this time. Luckily, in the fine print, I found the policy that said I would be refunded the fuel charge after returning the car filled up. We refueled at the bargain price of $8+ per gallon. When we returned the car, the fast-moving staff member reimbursed me and took the keys in about 10 seconds flat. The US dollar apparently got weaker after a few days, so we actually made a profit from the fuel surcharge.

Back to big city life. Dublin was our next and last stop.