The Cliffs of Moher, 3 Sisters & 1 Mad Cow

Wanda:

After 22 days in Ireland, the sisters (Yoly and Mandy) caught up with us to tour the Western Coast. 
We started at the Cliffs of Moher.  (I don't think they knew what they were getting into...)

The signs should keep you away from the edge of those cliffs.... 

....but not for sister Yoly - she is at the end of the cliff trying for that National Geographic shot.
(I don't think she saw the above signs or  maybe she doesn't understand Gaelic)

All along the cliffs cows were grazing - very picturesque!  --In your mind think of Rich singing Oklahoma ..."the cattle are standing like statues..."  and if you know Rich - he was singing very very loud!  I happened to be talking to this beautiful Kerry Cow trying to take a photo of her - look closely at those eyes - she was looking directly at me, I think we made a connection.  Wrong!!!!!   I have never seen a cow act like a bull before - she started to snort swinging snot back and forth with her head rearing along with her back feet.  Oh my God, she is actually MAD at me (personally, I think it was Rich's singing)  -   she started to charge at me, I thought she was going to jump that small fence and force me down the Cliffs of Moher like those signs.....I SCREAMED! and thanked God her udders were so full of milk she could not jump the fence where I had fallen. Hilarious now, scary then.

We decided the only way you can really see the majesty of the Cliffs of Moher is to see if from the other side.  We took a boat out and saw something we couldn't see from the walk above...

....The Bird Hotel

This stand alone rock was full of nesting birds.  There had to be a "No Vacancy" sign somewhere.  
Maybe this is what inspired Hitchcock!

We ended the day with a beautiful sunset over the cliffs....

....and headed over to O'Connor's for some of the best pub food we have had in Ireland!  
Lamb and fresh fish was our diet in Ireland!

On our way to Galway.....

This is a collage of Burren National Park.
The Burren is composed of limestone pavements with cracks/crevices known as "grykes".  The limestones date from 350 million years ago.  The Burren is rich with historical and archaeological sites. There are more than 90 megalithic tombs in the area, portal dolmens, a Celtic high cross in the village of Kilfenora, and a number of ring forts.

The Pot of Gold was waiting for us in  Galway!..............

Irish Eyes Are Smiling

Rich:

For the last 8 months we have been based in cities, Vienna, Athens, Rome etc..  We have filled most of our time in beautiful buildings and monuments, museums filled with treasures of creativity, talent and the genius of humankind. Time for a break. Time to lose ourselves in Mother Nature, Earth's resident artist.
The Emerald Isle, Ireland, wow, it is really very green. Green in a rich fabric sort of way.  The sky and clouds do seem closer to you and the rugged unspoiled shoreline is testament to the power of nature.  It is in the mystical walks through valley and glen, near seaside cliffs and running streams that we will renew ourselves, recharge the battery, drink some Guinness.

The weather has been extremely kind to us for our first 21 days. The locals are honestly surprised how nice it has been. Other than a few scattered and brief showers, it has been either clear or with clouds and sun and in the high 60's to low to mid 70's ( 15-20 Celsius). I have now tempted the weather Gods to laugh at us.


Wanda:
We landed in Dublin - so we will save the Dublin post as we leave Ireland.  We are staying in a town named Lauragh on the Beara Peninsula.  There is not an address on the house where we are staying -  the directions to get there...  "After you get off the main road turn left at the "pub that was" (Healy Pass) go up the hill on your left about 1 km from the sign Creveen Lodge, you'll see a lovely yellow house"...

"The Pub that Was"

The Lovely Yellow House on the Hill
We would like to thank our friend Maureen Shea who's grandfather owned this home and left Ireland to seek his fortune in America.





Stunning Sunset from our front yard overlooking Kenmare Bay.  The sun sets after 10PM
 or 22:00 (for our European friends), which gives us plenty of light to enjoy long hikes (right!!!)

Traffic in the neighborhood

A friendly game of Gaelic Football in the neighborhood.  A bit like American football, soccer, volleyball, basketball, rugby - it's fast and exciting.

The smallest pub in Ireland where the Leprechauns hang out

Richard looking for the Leprechauns...
Not really, this is a Gleninchaquin Heritage Site, it is a typical cabin of 19th century Kerry found on a steep hillside.  In the early 1800's almost 100 people lived in the area.  Today the population of this area is 2.  The potato famine of 1845 devastated the valley.



A big part of Irish history was 1845-1849  -  The Potato Blight and its effect

Over one hundred stone circles are known in the area where we are staying.  

On June 21st (Summer Solstice) we spent the day looking for as many of the Stone Circles that we could find.  (A spiritual treasure hunt!)
The period from about 2000 BC - 500 BC is known as the Bronze Age, during this period -  stone circles and related monuments were constructed.  The circles consist of an uneven number of spaced upright stones which vary in number from 5 stones to 19 stones.   Often, the upright stones decrease in height from the north-east to the south-west.  On the north-eastern side an entrance is formed, usually these are the 2 tallest stones in the circle.  Sometimes, the entrance is emphasized by having these stones also called portal stones set at right angles to the circle.  These monuments were orientated to events in the solar and lunar cycles indicating the rising and setting positions of the sun at the Spring and Autumn Equinoxes, Summer Solstice, and times in between.  Fascinating!!!!!

Can't leave Ireland without an Irish Wool Sweater...

....No one really makes Irish Stew like an Irish Mum, but we are told a young lamb makes the best stew.  (Sorry!!!!)

Rich:
The history of Ireland makes you even more impressed with the spirit of its people. First, my ancestors (the Vikings) come in and pillage your village, take your women and rule over you, (On a side note I am beginning to think it was the influence of Irish women in Scandinavian countries that softened the Vikings and gave Norwegians something to smile about). After the Irish take back their lands, (with much civil fighting as well) the English take them over and they suffer under British rule. The potato blight and famine either kills or forces half your population to leave or die. Then you have to mount another fight to get your freedom from British control (with your country split in two). It has been rough going here the last 6-7 years with the Financial boom (called the Celtic Tiger) and then the bust of the financial crisis, but the spirit of the Irish will always remain. Bend but not break, they have endured for centuries and will survive again.

The Vikings return!

It is hard to choose from so many beautiful places we have visited here and photos we have taken, but here are a few others that took our breath away.

The Kerry Cliffs

Coffee break at Waterville, Ring of Kerry

Killarney National Park

Off to the West Coast of Ireland with the Sisters!.......

Under the Tuscan Sun

Rich:

The hardest part of living in Tuscany is WHERE DO YOU START??
When you have done a little research on the towns and villages of Tuscany it becomes overwhelming in deciding which to visit. Each has its own unique food, wine, historical elements and charm that figure into the mind numbing choices. Then you whittle down by distance, bus and train availability, or automotive feasibility (not to mention the economic considerations of Rental cars and fuel) and you realize even a Local hasn't visited the majority of these Italian treasures.
We will just have to return,  I believe we could spend March-May in Italy for the next 10 years and still have places to visit. Italy has 49 UNESCO World Heritage sites, no other country comes close.

Siena's most beautiful Duomo, maybe the nicest in Italy.

The Baptistery in Siena, the Font sculpted byDonatello 

Views of Voltarra, San Ginminagna ( stunning village of towers) and the obligatory Gelato,
These guys won the World Championship.

Wanda:
A wonderful day Under The Tuscan Sun for me was June 2, 2014.  It just happened to be a national holiday in Italy know as Republic Day or Festa della Rebubblica in Italian.  (It celebrates the day when Italians voted to abolish the monarchy in 1946 so their country could become a republic).

Florence was going to be crowded and busy - so what a great day for us to be invited to hang out in the country with our new friends Harpert and Elena:

The first stop is lunch in the country outside of Poggibonsi - Castellina in Chianti.  Elena's mother prepared a wonderful lunch of Ravioli stuffed with ricotta and spinach with butter and fresh sage from her yard, and of course topped with parmesan!!  2nd course was rolled chicken with mortadella and olives, a tomato salad (I helped with), and for dessert, gelato and biscotti with Vin Santo.  

Un pasto meravigilioso!  Vi ringrazio tanto!

Our next stop is a visit down the road to Elena and Harperts friends - Allesandro and Otello.   They own Tenuta Villa Rosa, a winery in Castellina in Chianti.
This was definitely a treat for us.....

We are introduced to Allesandro, as you can tell he and Elena are very close friends!

We are captivated by Otello, as he introduces us to the winery.  
(I think Harpert was looking for the Black Rooster)

We get our own private tasting and you can tell Otello is a very proud Papa of his Chianti Classico 2010 vintage!

 Rich gets the first taste...

Thanks for the tour Otello!  We need more than a tasting now, bring that wine outside....

....More tasting to Allesandro and Otello means a meal with your wine - and not just one wine! - The Chianti Classico Riserva  was just a start. and the ending was Grappa - Molto Buono!  
The Tuscan sun was warm today, so sitting outside with a wonderful meal including fresh fry bread, home-made spicy sausages, BBQ chicken and lettuce fresh from the garden was perfect. 
This day of Tuscan wine and new friends is something we will always remember.

Evviva! to Otello and Alessandro - Grazie!!  
Also, Happy Birthday to Otello, we had a wonderful evening singing birthday songs to Otello!

...and that is the story of Under the Tuscan Sun! 

Thank you Elena and Harpert for helping make our stay in Tuscany a memorable one!

ARRIVEDERCI  ITALIA!!