Hiking in Killarney

The garden right outside the restaurant with the scary crows.
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Yesterday, I went on another Arcadia sponsored trip to Killarney, which is in Kerry county. The bus ride was horrible, because it was long and there were a lot of curves and turns. I felt sick, so it was such a relieve to finally reach our destination. The first thing I did when I got there was look for some food, because I had skipped breakfast. I had a nice view of the restaurant garden as I was eating, and the hungry crows around us kept dancing around our table, making strange noises. I was more afraid of them than they were of me.

The front of Muck Ross House.
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After lunch, we had a guided tour around Muck Ross House. It was like the Hearst Castle of Ireland. It was really big, and filled with rich artifacts with a lot of history, but it was nothing too impressive. I couldn't take any pictures while I was in the house, but I managed to snap a few of the outside. The most interesting I learned was that the original owners of the house--a rich couple--spent 6 years and the bulk of their fortunes preparing for Queen Victoria's 2-night stay at their house in hopes that Queen Victoria would pay them with a title or some more land. However, they got nothing in return, and eventually had to sell Muck Ross House because they had spent so much money preparing for the Queen's visit.

The side of Muck Ross House facing the lakes.
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After the tour, a group of us walked out to explor the lakes. It was really beautiful, I wish I had brought something to read so I could just sit on one of the benches and enjoy my surroundings. We found a trail that led up to Torc Waterfall, and followed it. The trail wasn't too difficult, but it was annoying to walk in jeans and hold a purse and a heavy jacket. The waterfall was breathtaking...and of course, being Americans...we had to climb up to the rocks and spend 10 minutes per person taking photos of it. I think the other hikers were getting annoyed with us hanging around the waterfall, so we packed up and continued our hike.

This is one side of the lake.
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When we got back, I was so exhausted from the bus ride, I wanted to go straight to sleep. But I ended up making fajitas with Matt, and we had a good dinner. We worked out a good system where Matt buys the groceries, I prepare the meals, and we both clean up. It works out because I save money (and I don't mind cooking) and he doesn't know how to cook, but has some money to spare. After dinner, we watched the Rugby World Cup quarterfinals, New Zealand vs. France. It was such an upsetting game, as France won by two points! Now that my team is out of the cup, I'm not sure who to go for anymore...

For 18 euro, you could take a horse-buggy ride around the park.
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There are some other rugby matches today, and I'm hoping to catch them. I bought stamps, so postcards will be going out to everyone soon (hopefully). I miss you all back home!!!