Creacon to Kenmare, Ireland Nov 9, 2011

Our last morning at Creacon.  All too soon the visit ends, but before we leave I walk the property taking in it’s beauty.  Hidden wood carvings of old monks are here and there.  A hammock hangs from under one of the covered walkways.  Swings and sitting areas dot the various lawns and by the Healing House.  While the weather this morning is rather gray I can see how wonderful it would be to sit in one of these areas or swing in the hammock on a warmer sunny day.

At 10:30 Johnathan offers to show us the 5 Tibetans yoga moves that are purported to reverse aging, keep the weight down, muscles firm and flexibility at peak condition.  I join the class while Cat takes pictures outside.  As in anything worth doing this is not an easy routine, but I can see how it is a benefit so will work with it when I get home.

At noon we wave good-bye and are off to Kenmare where we will spend the next four nights.  This is where we will be at 11-11-11 at 11:11 GMT.  The drive is great until we get to Cork where I am in the wrong lane and am forced to take a different exit on the roundabout.  My Tom Tom valiantly tries to get me back on track, but it becomes very confusing and after the 4th or 5th wrong turn I pull off in extreme frustration.

Swearing at the GPS and pounding the steering wheel is not how to get where I want to go.  Cat hands me the map of Ireland so I can at least see what route we need to take out of Cork.  The Tom Tom keeps wanting to get us on Route 28, but we don’t see any signs for that on the roundabouts.

After calming down and taking some deep breaths I discover that it is route 22 we need to take.  Then as I enter the roundabout AGAIN we spy the fine print on one of the signs leading us to Route  22 and manage, at last, to go in the right direction.  Once on the right route we can, once again, enjoy the scenery.

The scenery is changing rapidly as we pass big hills and rock formations.  Cat gets a chill as we pass two tall hills that come together to from a pass through.  She has talked about a dream she had of Ireland and what it looked like describing the hills we are now passing.  As we round a corner I spy a statue of a rearing horse high up on the edge of a ridge.  She snaps a picture and captures it.  As she views the picture it looks like a unicorn instead of a horse!  We are on route 22 (her favorite number), the hills in her dream are there, and a Unicorn has long been her favorite animal.  Talk about woo woo!!!

We finally arrive 3 1/2 hours after leaving New Ross in Kenmare.  Tom Tom says make a left, I do.....onto a one-way street with traffic coming at me!!!  Two Garda (cops) are on the corner.  I stop short, roll down my window and say sorry, sorry.  One of the Garda says it isn’t a two way anymore - guess I need to update my Tom Tom European Map!  I back up and go to the next street which is Henry and the one I want.  It is one-way the direction I need.

Breathing a sigh of relief I park the car within 1/2 block of our hotel.  And there it will stay until 11AM tomorrow when I will need to move it.  We check in to the Coachmens Hotel and go to our room.  It is large and lovely with one double bed and one twin bed, a wardrobe, desk and bedside tables.  The bathroom is very large with a tub/shower.  It has the requisite electric kettle and tea and coffee makings.

After settling in we decide to walk around the town.  We come upon McCarthys Pub and Restaurant.  Since McCarthy is Bob’s Mom’s maiden name, we decide to go in for a drink.  Cat has read that McCarthy is a common name in County’s Kerry and Cork.  There sure are a lot of businesses with McCarthy on the door or truck.  We have chosen  a pub full of locals and it is fun to watch them interact with each other and the bar tender.

Foleys Restaurant is across the street and looks like a great place to eat.  We tuck in there to get our dinner.  Cat has a very tender and tasty roast beef dish, I have fresh local oysters and rack of lamb.  County Kerry is known for its lamb and its seafood.  Our meals are delicious and we end them with sticky toffee pudding.  Pudding is what all desserts are called in England and Ireland.  Sticky Toffee Pudding is a cake soaked in rum with toffee caramel sauce under it and vanilla ice cream over it which is drizzled with the toffee sauce.  YUM!!!

Tomorrow we will make the trek out on the Ring of Beara to see if I can find “my” stone circle that I visited in 2005.  This is where I want to meditate at 11:11 day after tomorrow (11-11-11).