the turquoise trail

{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...

Turquoise trail represents the path taken; stars represent the attractions mentioned in my previous post. {budget} This trip is a bit difficult to give a total value to, as my parent's were already in Arizona, with an RV, and a fully-stocked fridge.  However, I'll do my best.  The flight from Buffalo to Phoenix was roughly $340, round trip.  Dining is pretty typical of any North American pricing, more expensive in the cities, but it depends on where you are wanting to eat.  We mostly bought groceries and cooked our own meals, which is very cost-effective.  As for attractions, it depends on your interests, but I would plan on spending approx. $150; more if you plan to attend a professional sporting event.   All in all, this trip cost me approx. $600 for the 9 days, but I didn't do a lot of shopping or other extras.  {nutrition} Probably not much different than other North American places.  If you have dietary restrictions then ...

Turquoise trail represents the path taken; stars represent towns where we stayed.  {budget} I purchased this trip as a bus tour on teambuy.ca for $2298.  This included the flight, all breakfasts, all dinners, and all of the mentioned attractions with the exception of the turkish bath.  It also included the tour bus and all our hotels.  In my opinion it was an extremely fair price for what we received and I don't believe that I could have done it for less myself.  The tour company recommended tipping our guide a couple dollars more /day than google seemed to suggest was standard; so I would suggest doing your own research to find what you are comfortable with; plan at least $7/day total.  If you are interested in a hot air balloon ride, you can plan to spend approximately $200.  If you are hoping to find a rug while in turkey, you should budget accordingly.  There is a huge range in prices depending on where you buy it, size of rug, quality, ...