Like zombies, we walked downtown to catch the bus all the while hoping that we'd be able to go back to sleep on the bus. We had no idea what kind of bus ride awaited us. I have come to the conclusion that anyone around here can get a license to drive a bus! This bus driver (and every driver for the rest of the trip) seemed to have a personal problem with people sleeping on the buses. At every stop, it seemed as if he was slamming on the brakes! There was one time that I was drifting off to sleep as he came to a stop, and I actually fell off of my seat! Every time the drivers would start going again, it seemed as if they were trying to peel out. Needless to say, it was not the most restful bus ride.
By the time we got to Killarney (six hours later!) we were completely and utterly exhausted, BUT we knew that we did not want to waste an entire day so we decided to go visit Killarney National Park which was only a stone's throw away from the hostel we were staying in. Here's where we were!
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If you can see it, underneath the "A" is a green spot; this is Killarney National Park. It may seem small on that map, but it is actually 25,425 acres. It was Ireland's first national park, and was established in 1932 when the Muckross Estate was donated to the Irish state.
On our way there, we walked by St. Mary's Cathedral. Construction of this cathedral began in 1842, but had to cease in 1848 when the devastation of the Great Potato Famine was at its peak. Its construction resumed in 1853 after the famine had passed and was not finished until 1912.
In one side of the Cathedral is a large tree planted over the mass grave of many famine victims (it is not visible in this picture). It is a memorial of all of the children lost to starvation and disease during that tragic time.
From there, we walked into Killarney National Park. This cute little building greeted us in the entrance:
I don't know what it is for, but it was definitely cute. The park is a lot different than some of the virtual tours I've taken you on in the past because we had no tour guide ourselves so I don't know many of the little details (although I tried my best to find out some things).
When we turned the corner, we saw the most breathtaking sight! We had no idea that there were snow-capped mountains in Ireland! Actually, I believe it was snowing on them at that moment.
Again, the pictures do not do it justice. We could have taken a billion pictures and never captured the majesty of these mountains. I found out later that this particular mountain range was the tallest mountain range in Ireland called the McGillicuddy's Reeks (which reminded me of Miss Binder and her class!). Three of the tallest mountains (the only three over 1000 meters) are in this mountain range, the tallest being 1038 meters.
Before we came to the park, the receptionist at our hostel told us that there was a castle in the park that was within walking distance (as most of the attractions in the park are NOT within walking distance because of its immense size). We thought it would be a nice visit, and short enough so we could rest later!
We continued walking toward the McGillicuddy Reeks toward our ultimate destination, Ross Castle. When we finally arrived at Ross Castle, we were greeted by over 20 swans (22 to be exact, yes I counted). I have never seen so many swans in one place!
Ross Castle is on Lough Leane and is open for tours in the spring and summer, but is going through renovations at the moment. In the summer, it is also possible to take a boat tour from the castle to Inisfallen Island. It's a shame that this was not an option on the beautiful, sunny day that we were there.
There was a beautiful view of the McGillicuddy Reeks from the back of Ross Castle:
Because of how tired we were and how beautiful the day was, we just sat in back of the castle on the rocks near the lake and stared out at the sparkling water as we soaked up the warmth from the sun.
Eventually the clouds and the wind got the better of us and we headed back to Killarney where we explored the town and went back to our hostel. Here is a picture of downtown Killarney:
or two pictures rather...
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