the turquoise trail

{Friday October 10th} We got up around 7:30a this morning again to get ready. We didn't leave the hotel until around 9a, and headed to the Lyon's department store in downtown Sligo. They have a cafe on the second level of the store which was recommended to us.   Paul ordered the traditional Irish breakfast; bacon, sausage, beans, toast, and tomato. I got French toast served with maple syrup... both were very good. After breakfast, we headed towards the Marble Arch Caves. We had a very unceremonious entry to Northern Ireland, lacking even a sign.  Marble Arch Caves We arrived at the caves shortly before 11a and were lucky enough to have a private tour.  Because of the recent rain, the water levels were too high to take the short boat ride in, but we were able to walk into the cave. The water level last week was far above our heads, so we were lucky they were opened again.  The caves are quite extensive and we went through several chambers following the p...

{Wednesday October 8th} We got up around 7a for breakfast at 8a again this morning. We were served a delicious pancake breakfast with fresh fruit at our table overlooking St Finans Bay.  We left the B & B shortly before 9a, and headed around the southern part of the Ring of Kerry. We passed by Muckross House again, and decided to see if the timing for a tour would be any better today.  Ring of Kerry Sights It was, so we had a quick look around the gift shop and then began our guided tour of the house at 12p.  The house was built in 1847. We started our tour in the Victorian-era Dining room. The elaborate drapes were a gift from Queen Victoria when she visited in 1861, along with a large hand-carved, commissioned head board. The dining room table measures 6m x 2m.  All chandeliers in the house are Irish Waterford crystal, and many of tables and desks are traditional Killarney inlay furniture; they have very intricate designs inlaid in diff...

{Tuesday October 7} We got up around 7a this morning to get ready and have breakfast at 8a. The lady of the house here is very nice and offered us quite a selection of breakfast options. I had an apple and pear green tea (delish!), strawberry peach yogurt, and Irish soda bread with black currant jam.  We left our bed and breakfast around 9a to frosty window's and a chilly 4 degrees, and headed toward Mizen Head. We saw lots of rugged landscape, cows, and the end of the rainbow! We arrived shortly after 10a; the signal station and lookout points didn't open until 10:30a, so we walked down the road and through a field to admire the coastline. Thankfully it had warmed up to 12 and was quite nice for a walk.  Mizen Head When it opened, we bought our tickets and headed towards the signal house. We saw a couple lookouts and crossed the bridge which was extremely high. The shoreline was very steep, tall cliffs around the point and up the surrounding coastline. ...

{Monday October 28th}  We got up at 7 this morning to pack up and get ready for the day. Around 8 we went upstairs for breakfast, which was the same as the past two mornings.  Apparently the hotel right across the street was on fire last night and there was a bunch of fire trucks but I didn't hear anything.  Our ride for the next week We met our bus out front at 9am, but by the time everyone decided to get a coffee it was actually 9:20 before we left. We will be traveling 330km to Cannakule today. It should be 5 hours of driving, however the traffic in Istanbul is the second worst in the world so one is never quite sure.  Istanbul has a population of over 14 million people and a diameter of 100km.  By some miracle, we got out of the city without any traffic. At 11 we stopped in Tekirdad for a twenty minute break at a gas station. We had to pay 1 lira to use the washroom but it was very clean.  I also got a Turkish tea and a chocolate bar to...