Day 9: Ring of Kerry

Today marked the second day of our backroads guided bus tours through County Kerry. The original plan was to tour the Ring of Kerry yesterday and the Ring of Dingle today, but due to the characteristically gloomy Irish weather yesterday, our lovely tour guide Anne called an audible and switched the itinerary. Thank God for Anne and her local intuition because today was almost unspeakably gorgeous. The Ring of Kerry is as scenic as the mountain roads are winding, and carsickness aside, it's safe to say no one had ever enjoyed a four hour bus ride so much. Not only did we have the pleasure of listening to Anne's Irish country lilt guide us through the history and culture of her hometown's greater area, but Kerry spoke for itself. The rolling hills and jagged, rocky mountains evoked a feeling much deeper than the physical nausea of the meandering, bumpy road, though that nausea did test the group's perseverance to stay on the sickening bus. I can't speak for the rest of the group, but I felt a poetic presence all around me, and was deeply moved. The last time I felt so small, I was looking up at the cloudless night sky of Big Bend National Park. I dare say that God outdid his work in West Texas when He created the Irish coast. After a stop at a breathtaking and alien-like ancient circular stone settlement (which was just another day on the job for Anne, who remained in the bus), the group made its way to St. Finian's Bay, the closest we ever came to the island where Disney filmed Luke Skywalker's secluded hideout. It looked to be about a half mile off shore, but the view was as clear as anyone could ask for. More striking than the island, however, was the beach underneath our feet. Jagged rocks, just like those at the tops of the mountains towering over us, jutted up from the sand, providing both a spectacular view and a tricky but dry path to the shore. Language fails in its description of a beauty so profound. Less profound but perhaps more indulgent was our subsequent walk to the nearby Skelligs Chocolate Factory. The kind employees there gave us all samples of just about everything they have to offer, ranging from strawberry and champagne flavored truffles to orange brittle. At first I thought the samples were a gesture of generosity, but after the tasting session, I felt my hand reaching for my wallet before I even had time to consider my purchase. The free samples were generous, but by golly if they didn't sell us a metric ton of chocolate. After our tasty treats and a lunch in town, Anne took us back to Killarney; to call it a scenic route would be an understatement. All in all, it's fair to call today an experience to remember, if not absolutely unforgettable.