Rondje Kerry

There are few places in Ireland that can boast of such a feast for the eyes as county Kerry, with the much celebrated Ring of Kerry as the zenith of natural beauty. Alas, such beauty comes at a price, especially over the summer holidays, when domestic and foreign tourists alike flock to the famous peninsula to gorge on its scenic treats. Luckily, being from the Netherlands and having lived in the likes of New Delhi, ‘crowded’ in Ireland has quite the different dimension as crowded in aforementioned previous habitats of mine, which leads me to think that I have witnessed some of Irelands most celebrated wonders in relative tranquillity. And in addition to my indispensable travel companion in Ireland I was this time accompanied by the parents and the least youngest sister who had all signed up for the three day road trip.

Off we went Saturday very early morning, from Dublin to Limerick, which did not leave the best of first impressions by featuring a smelly animal feed producing unit right next to our first and last stop for some fuel for the mechanic as well as the human engine. Having just left the smell behind us it was bye bye highway and on to the N roads which regularly faded into villages with cute colourful houses and bustling market squares. And then, seeing the flat main land disappear in my mirrors, the rolling hills of Kerry greeted us, quickly being transcended by proper mountains. Although quite humble in absolute altitude, Kerry’s mountains rise up straight from the Atlantic Ocean, and let me assure you, 1 kilometre of ragged rock formation towering from the obstinate salt waters is as impressive as any Alpine giants I have ever witnessed. Which has brought us to the most telling feature of Kerry, at least according to me, which is the interplay between mountains and ocean, land and water, beaches and cliffs. And we even managed to secure a particular viewpoint for ourselves, leaving our fellow visitors behind, when climbing a hilltop at one of the most scenic spots along the ring. With our car on the parking lot having shrunk to the size of a miniature toy, the 360 degrees view which was the reward of a short but demanding climb now prominently features as the most beautiful sight of the entire trip.

So that is how we explored Kerry, driving around by car, spending the nights in cute guesthouses, and gorging on sea food and Irish meat alike. Some decent walks Saturday afternoon and Monday morning and the indispensable card games in the evening made it a true family weekend, be it that the youngest piglet was missing. A trip to remember and memories to cherish!

Just as the very best of times are rewarded by an everlasting memory of quotes full of schadenfreude so has the following made it to my list of all-time favourites:

Papa about someone with whom he used to be in elementary school: “Da’s een broer van *** maar da’s echt een lomp varken. Volgens mij heeft die de lagere school niet afgemaakt, hij mocht altijd de plantjes water geven.”