Slea Head Drive on Dingle Peninsula, Ireland

If something is super-fantastic, amazing, and really great, then it must be really hard to get, right?  For example, when we go into nature, the best views are reserved for those of us who hike the longest and the highest.  Well, Slea Head Drive, along the coast of Dingle Peninsula in Ireland, didn't get the memo.  Some of the most beautiful views I've seen anywhere are there for the taking.  Just hop in the car and cruise along the coast.  I shouldn't even be saying this, because I imagine it won't be too long before that road becomes one long traffic jam.

We were going to do a hike that day, but before we started out toward the mountain, our B&B hostess said it would be cloudy up there, even though it was sunny elsewhere.  As we drove towards it, we could see she was right, the top was enveloped in clouds.  At the same time, everywhere else had precious, bright, sunshine!  It was one of only two days of our ten-day trip with full sun.  So, we turned around and headed for this other spot one of the locals at the B&B had recommended.

The scene below was just below the narrow cliff top road.  We stopped and walked a bit down from the road to check this out. It probably wasn't the safest place to take a walk, but here we are, so it's all good. 

When we saw this peninsula, we parked and took about an hour-long walk.  After fifteen minutes of walking, you get out of sight of the road and away from most of the people.  Then, all you hear is the wind in the grass, the surf, and the seagulls.  New Zealand has more sheep than people.  I wonder if Ireland does too.

Nice view from the top of the hill.  We walked all the way down to the furthest point of the land in the center of the photo.  There were only a few people down there, and most of them laying back on the rocky slope, a bit down from the top to get out of the wind, and taking a nap with the sun on their faces.  

The view once we were down at the bottom.  The brilliant emerald island is the same one seen in the previous photo.  The sun was shining a spotlight on it through a gap in the clouds.  The rocks in the foreground of this photo are that tip of land in the photo above.  I can still feel how much I loved being in this incredibly beautiful, peaceful place.  Spontaneous joy welling up doesn't happen too often.  This unexpected gem did it to me.  

I loved just watching the water churn on the rocks.  The aquamarine color comes from air bubbles pulled under the dark blue water every time it rolls up the sharp rocks and slides back down.  

I really didn't want to leave.  You can tell, because I'm still standing there taking pictures while Jennifer is flying up the hillside without me!  Of course, we'd never get anywhere if she didn't do that, because I'd always be stopping.  I wish we'd stayed at least a little longer.  A bit of a cockeyed panorama, but it conveys what a narrow, steep strip of land we were on.  

We thought that after that spot, the rest of the drive would pale in comparison, but there was more.  I'd still say the spot above was my favorite, but this place was incredible too.  After walking away from the road, down to the cliffs, we had the whole place to ourselves.  Jennifer just sat down and watched waves crash and listened to the gulls cry while I ran around worrying about photography.  Yes, photography can be a curse in situations like this.  

A little closer up view of the cliffs on the left in the photo above.  The rock looks a bit reddish because, well, because it is.  The area on top looks like another golf course.

This is the view across the valley, with those cliffs on the left.  The three humps in the middle are steep cliffs on the far side.  They're called The Three Sisters.  

This is the fifth and final part of a series on our trip Ireland.

Chapter 1: an unexpected close-up visit with a dolphin. 

Chapter 2: The next has photos from the spectacular seaside cliffs of Mizen Head. 

Chapter 3: Another describes our hike around Lamb's Head, at the tip of the Beara Peninsula, in County Cork. 

Chapter 4: Connemara National Park, Cliffs of Moher, and Achill Island.

[Note: If the photos are too big for your screen, you can click on one of them for a slide show view.]

Photos from Southwest Ireland: Connemara National Park, Cliffs of Moher, Achill Island

Here are a few shots from three different locations along Ireland's west coast.

First are three from our hike in Connemara National Park.  It was cloudy and grey, as you can see.  We kept saying, "At least it's not raining."  On the right, you can see some hikers coming just behind us.  It was a pretty busy trail.

Amazing how smooth and green that valley was.

Nice view from the top.  

The next two photos are from the Cliffs of Moher, which are arguably the most famous natural attraction in Ireland.  Of course, that means they had a giant parking lot with fees, and a traffic jam.  The parking lot filled up before we could get in, but luckily, we found a little side road that led a few kilometers down to a farm with a tiny bit of overflow parking.  It was so far away, we thought we must be going the wrong way.

Before I got there, I didn't realize the cliffs are several kilometers long.  You can hike along the tops of the cliffs on a trail just on the other side of the fences of bordering farms.  It was a hazy day, so not many photos.

This last photo was on Achill Island, about an hour and a half northwest of Galway.   We found the place a bit unimpressive after having seen all the other stuff, but this scene appealed to me.

This is the fourth in a series of posts on our Irish vacation.

Part 1: an unexpected close-up visit with a dolphin. 

Part 2: the spectacular seaside cliffs of Mizen Head. 

Part 3: our hike around Lamb's Head, at the tip of the Beara Peninsula, in County Cork. 

Part 5: I saved the best for last, the seaside cliffs and islands along Slea Head Drive.

Paris Nuit Blanche (Paris All-Nighter) 2015

Once a year, Paris holds an all-nighter of art.  From 10PM to 7AM, temporary art installations open their doors to the public.  This year, they actually painted a blue line on the sidewalks that stretched miles across the city, linking together the various art installations, passing cafes, neighborhoods, and food trucks along the way.  We were lucky enough to get excellent tacos from one of the best food trucks in the city  - California Cantine.  We had excellent tacos, a rare treat in Mexican-food-averse Paris.

[For incredibly cool clips from La Nuit Blanche Paris 2014, check this post from last year.]

Around 12:30 AM, after having walked a few miles, we came to the main attraction. There were about 3000 people in line.  There was a brief discussion of giving up and going home, but our friend Pringle rallied our spirits.  We're all glad she did, as it turned out to be a pretty amazing atmosphere of blue, laser-ised waves of clouds.

This installation was designed by Dan Roosegaarde, a Dutch aritst.  Since he's from the Netherlands, he's representing how his country may be under blue waves some time in the next fifty years due to the impact of climate change.  The Netherlands is already being kept above water with a system of dikes and pumps, sort of like New Orleans before Katrina.  So, the threat looms large in the Dutch psyche.

If the photos are too large for your screen, click on one to get a resized slide show.

A Cloudy Lamb's Head Hike on Beara Peninsula in County Cork, Ireland

After we visited Mizen Head, we headed over to the Beara Peninsula, which is one of five huge peninsulas along the southwest coast of Ireland. These are all part of the recently-branded "Wild Atlantic Way."  To get a sense of how large the peninsula is, driving from the base to the tip took about an hour.  There's a famous cable car there, crossing from the mainland to Dursey Island.  They say it can take four people, or one cow.  There's a hole in the bottom so they can rinse out any manure left behind by the previous occupants.  Anyway, we didn't end up taking the cable car; it looked like it was about to fall down.  We hiked over and around the hill at Lamb's Head instead.

The drive consisted of the usual narrow, winding roads, with drowsy, spray-painted sheep in all directions.

The hospitality committee.

It was cool, with gusts of wind up to about 50 MPH, which was nothing compared with our death-defying snowshoe hike in the Alps last winter.

The hike took us through fields with views of islands, bays on all sides, and the next peninsula.   Lichen thrives on the rocks.  Bright orange, fuzzy gray-green, and white everywhere.  I like how green the grass is on the top of this little island.  It reminds me of posters of imaginary golf holes in impossible places.

After being in hyper-compressed Paris, where there is never a moment without a power tool or truck engine nearby, it was great to be here, with no one at all around.  We were the only people on this hike.  There are small houses and farming buildings here and there, but nothing more than two stories for miles and miles.

It was windiest up here.  Cool to be on top of a hill with the ocean directly below.  We tried not to get too close to the edge, unless it was worth it for a better photo.

This boat was laying in the high grass next to the road.

We saw this sign while trying to get close to the water on a little side road.  Jennifer took the photo while I wandered over to check it out.  They weren't kidding.  The road ends in stairs down to the water.

[If the photos are too large for your screen, click on any photo to see a slide show automatically resized for your screen.]

The first post on our vacation to Ireland was about a close up encounter with a wild dolphin. 

The next has photos from the spectacular seaside cliffs of Mizen Head. 

This one has photographs of Connemara National Park, Cliffs of Moher, and Achill Island. 

I saved the best for last, the seaside cliffs and islands along Slea Head Drive.