We chose to take our time for Ancient Olympia and stayed another night at the same campground. Both kids walked like champions and we rewarded them with ice cream, a dip in the pool and a feast at dinner time.
Mostly a driving day – down the coast and acoss the Peleponese
Today we moved further in our Greek adventures, down the coast to the small town of Parga. We decided to do our loop of Greece anti-clock-wise. From Parga we continue onto the only Iodian island that you can drive onto via a pier. We made it around to the south to Poros Beach. The campground there was closed but the owner allowed us to stay anyway…and for free on top of it all.
Just another manic Monday. It was so nice to just hang around the campground some more. The sun rose through morning fog, the owner of the campground bought us fresh baguette at the bakery and the kids loved all the opportunities for play they had here.
We didn’t leave before 10am with a long drive to Mont Saint Michel ahead of us. Flo let all of us sleep a bit until we arrived at 11.45am. This is actually our lunch time but we hadn’t stocked up on bread and now we were in the giant parking lot with all these other people streaming towards Mont Saint Michel or the free shuttle buses. I just got caught up in all the commotion and the impressive mountain castle in the middle distance (3km does not look like a lot anymore) so we headed on in without having eaten.
The free shuttle ride was cramped full of people but it’s still a great service that you don’t have to walk the three kilometers with the kids. Plus, Number 3 was excited about another bus ride.
Leaving the bus on the bridge, you have ample opportunity to take in the view (and take pictures) before you actually enter. We arrived at low tide or rather what we thought was low tide but the water retreated even further in the time we spent there.
Going through the gates, you are hit in the face with tourism. Toilets cost 1€ even for the kids, there is overprized food on every corner and quite a lot of people everywhere. Still, the whole thing is impressive. The gate alone is very thick, the wooden doors plated with metal. Followed by layers and layers of fortifications around the hill with an abbey right at the top of it. It gave me quite the Minas Tirith vibe. Climbing up the ramparts, we had great views of the bay and fewer people to deal with. Up and up we went till we were at the steps of the abbey. Thinking it might be good “doing” the abbey before lunch since we were already here now, we bought tickets, audio guides and got in.
The abbey itself is a great structure as well. Many people have added to what was originally there so even here, you have layers upon layers. It is especially visible when you’re on the big west terrace which is also overlooking a lot of the surrounding coast.
Both kids were getting very hungry by now. The Agent had already been nibbling on her pain au chocolat for the past 30 minutes before trying to hand it back to me. A seagull that had previously perched on the low wall as a perfect picture-taking opportunity was suddenly airborn, grabbed the rest of the pain au chocolat, hit Flo in the face with a wing in the process and was off.
The Agent was startled, upset and hungry now. Flo was startled, hungry and hit in the face. At that point, the battery of our camera died. *le sigh* So we decided to get through the many, many rooms of the abbey quicker now to avoid disaster with the kids and only take a few pictures with the iPhone. Pro tip: Only go into the abbey if you have eaten already in order to properly enjoy all of the sights and information. 😉
By the time we left the abbey, we were hustling towards the next eatery. Both kids held themselves with surprising grace and reason so we had no reason to tempt fate any further. The next crêperie was ours for sandwiches and galette, the savory version of crêpe.
Now it was time to leave the small lanes of Mont Saint Michel. Taking the bus back to the gigantic parking lot, Flo and I thought about what to do next. The next rustic campground was half an hour away but in the wrong direction, back towards the Bretagne. In the direction convenient for our travels, it was another 1 ½ hours. Still, we opted for the second campground.
Given that there hadn’t been any charge points for our car at Mont Saint Michel, we planned a top up at a Lidl while shopping for dinner. Through a missed exit from the motorway which added another 20 km to our mileage, we were running REALLY low on charge. Then, the charger at Lidl wasn’t as fast as advertised, meaning we had to spend more time at Lidl while getting less mileage out of it than we had thought.
When we finally arrived at the campground, it was late and the car already complained about needing a top up. Pfff, that was a close-ish call but we made it. It added unnecessary tension to an already slightly stressful day. The campground turned out to be lovely though. We got in, plugged in the car, everybody had ice cream for dinner and we got the kids into bed. The fact that you could only pay cash here and we didn’t even have the 25€ for that anymore barely registered with me anymore. In the end, while Flo asked around if we could send anyone money via PayPal and they’d give us some cash, lovely people took pity on him and gave him a 5€ donation.
So good – what a high point to end our Ireland adventure! We love Cork – yes, I am starting with this. Who cares for a minute by minute retelling of our day?
What would there be to say anyway? We packed up and got on our merry one. One last time deciding against the (toll laden) direct route and taking a scenic detour via the coast instead. Same as yesterday, it was really worth it. Not quite Wicklow mountains, but worth it. Probably my last single track roads on the island, framed by the sunny green pastoral landscape of the south.
Even though the reputation of Cork as the foodie capital of Ireland was calling to us, we opted to take it slow and have one last lunch on the road. Once again, a handy beach provided the perfect backdrop for a few sandwiches and some planning ahead. One last chance for the hobbits to get their feet wet on an Irish beach.
At a bit after 1 pm we had made it into central Cork. The drive in was already promising, crossing the river Lee a few times via inner city for a couple of first views. On second try we found a very conveniently located charging station right on the central island and woke both kids to get ready to explore!
If you have read past blogs of ours you will not be surprised that the recommended “English Market”, a still operating market hall selling produce and delicacies, was very much our cup of tea. From there we tried to find a few self-guided walking tours (turns out this was discontinued during Covid) but ended up going our own way anyway. Teatime was up and we chose the delightfully kitschy “Tara’s Tea Room”.
We wandered from here further into Shandon quarter*!”§ aiming for another cluster of sights on the hill north of the main island in the river Lee. This turned out to lead to another brilliant stumble into adventure. The main point of interest here was the bell tower of the Anglican Church on top of the hill. Two unique features – with being able to go up for great views of the city not counting: A – it is an active bell tower, but all guests are allowed to ring the bells themselves. And B: The most adventurous ascend of any tower we had yet – stairwells down to 50cm width culminating in a wild climb through the timber framing of the belfry itself. As you pass right next to the bells, hearing protection is actually provided by the church for any adventurous visitors! I made it even with the Agent in the carrier on my back, with no more than a scraped knee. Nina was mighty impressed 😀
After that unexpected mini adventure, we decided to try our luck and go for one last proper dinner on the Island. Market Lane provided just the right opportunity we needed. So we wandered back down the hill and into central Cork on our way to dinner. Number 3 even got the chance for a second visit at a toy shop he had spotted earlier and where he had fallen in love with a particular wooden train set on display.
Dinner was once again great, including the service. The kids got their own little menus including a colouring section and were distracted for the brief wait. The food was great, too. Even Number 3 went for the edgy choice and had smoked haddock on mashed broad beans (which was very good, too).
The car was fully charged and the campground not far. The kids got to watch their good-night program while we set up the camp and were quick enough in bed that we were only a few minutes late for roleplaying. Even the 4G / WiFi was good enough for a smooth final two hours online with some of our friends before collapsing to bed ourselves.
Our two days in Dublin were over and even our days in Ireland could be counted with only a couple of fingers. Today’s programme consisted of the next city: Kilkenny. It’s conveniently located on the way down to Cork AND it is supposed to be cute and nice to walk along in. We’d booked the city campsite in advance to avoid stress and because I was a little scared it might be fully booked.
Both kids were very tired from our two days exploring the city and Flo wanted to take the scenic route to Kilkenny instead of the motorway so we could see a bit of the Irish countryside between our city stops. Giving the kids time to sleep and us time to admire the drive worked out very well. The Wicklow mountains were very scenic with hills and streams, a great big bog and almost empty of tourists. We really enjoyed seeing so much green and sky again.
We arrived in Kilkenny after (our usually early) lunchtime. But since the kids had slept through most of the drive, we were still okay. I’d picked a recommended restaurant on the road where we headed now. Foodworks was right up our alley, having a farm to fork concept. Lunch was delicious. Flo had pulled pork, I had a veggie stew with eggs and the kids shared two sausages and potatoes. For some reason, the kids’ portions are super big in Ireland.
Kilkenny has a couple of sights, including Kilkenny castle. I felt especially sight-seen out ( :P) and only wanted to stroll through the city in search of postcards. There was another destination named “Truffle Fairy” which was pretty high on my list, though.
So we wandered around High street, down the Butter slip and ended up at the castle anyway. But we only had a look from the outside. It just seemed too involved to get in. Number 3 was disappointed, so for his sake, we checked out the entry. “No credit cards, cash only, sorry” told us that we wouldn’t go in with a good enough reason now.
From here, the Truffle Fairy wasn’t far away. Delicious truffles were bought, carried for a short way and then eaten before we hit the car. To be fair, we decided to check out the campsite earlier than usual today as we had some much needed laundry to do.
Back at the car, we realized that we still had to go grocery shopping anyway. We already stocked up on Guinness 0.0, in case we won’t have time/ the car close by when we go to Cork, along with the usual milk and bread.
The campground turned out to have three horses and two ponies so the kids were instantly sold on staying here. My immediate chore was all that laundry…checking out how it works here, getting tokens for the machines from reception, getting all our dirty clothes into one big pile and then getting all of them transferred into the washing machine.
Flo checked out the horses with the kids and then prepared our bread and cheese dinner. We tried to be on time as another gaming session was scheduled. We managed to game but our connection was frustratingly slow and I was indeed, super tired.
No further text
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Was what I intended to write. But I guess Nina would not let me get away with it. So here the cliff notes: The plan was to take it slow, go a bit past Dublin to Brú na Boinne to check out the really cool megalithic stuff there and then head to Dublin to get set for two full days of Dublin exploration.
Problem Number 1 – I have taken ill, for now with a moderate cough. So everything takes a bit more time, is a bit harder and done with a little less patience.
Number 2 – the curse of overbooking struck again. We failed to check ahead, and so it turned out that the site is booked out for the entire week. Last week before the school year starts and all. In short, we waisted 2 hrs on the motorway and a bit of toll for this folly, to see a bit of an underwhelming exhibition of the place we were locked out of seeing.
Right, so maybe a coffee place on the way back as consolation? Nope, nothing good. Instead, the kids started getting antsy and picking up on the moody vibe. Stern words were exchanged. Campground it was – and, well. That was not much consolation either. The standard “feels like roadside robbery” vibe of so many city camps grounds. At least it had a playground, and we had some peaceful hours before bedtime.
I did not last much longer, apart from a cheerful conversation with a Swiss couple that we kept running into for the last two days. Ever since Mizen Head – what a small world. I’m sick, let’s skip that day …
Camping in Beara was nice despite the slightly abandoned vibe of our campground. We had so much space and quiet, the kids could be as noisy as they wanted during breakfast for a change. To make it even better, Number 3 found a plastic dinosaur another kid must have forgotten. It made both kids very happy.
Beara peninsular also has a ring road (how could they be left out) but we were a bit peninsular-ed out. Instead, we only drove a little bit along the coastal road and then turned inward to take the Healy Pass to the southern side. We had a light drizzle, many clouds and a bit of fog going up. The moodiness suited the landscape a lot! It cleared up every now and then to give us really nice views of the rocks. From the actual pass you could see down to the road which wiggled through the landscape below…quite a bit of awesome road. Probably amazing on a bike. J
Now following the southern coastal road, we got to Ballylickey where the Lonely Planet advertised a foodie grocer with a cafe. Of course, we had to stop there for a second breakfast. The kids and I went for the sensible option of tea and cake while Flo couldn’t resist the sandwich options. In the end, we also bought cheese and bread for the road, all of which looked and smelled delicious.
We didn’t have a real plan for Bantry. The Lonely Planet suggests the Bantry House which didn’t appeal to us. Instead, we opted for a fast charger, a bit of shopping at Supervalu and lunch at Organico, a zero waste organic place. During lunch Flo chatted up a couple on motorbikes so we had a lovely conversation about places we’d been.
Going further south, Mizen Head was our next destination. It was a while away and offered a good opportunity for me and the kids to have a nap. The night had been short and full of terrors. The Agent of Entropy had been too cold and then wet and all of it had cost the rest of us valuable sleep. So against our habit on the road, I had a nap as well. Only Flo needed to drive. I like to tell myself that he enjoyed the quiet time but he was probably also very tired.
We woke up shortly before we stopped at Mizen Head. I was still a little wobbly and disorientated when we moved into the visitors’ centre. I knew it counts as the southernmost point of Ireland as the races seem to be Malin Head to Mizen Head. However, from the visitors’ centre you could walk over a bridge to Mizen Head Station on a tiny island. So we did. It was very cool even though the bridge worsened my wobbly legs. It had the “end of the world” feel to it. Mizen Head Station is a signalling station that isn’t manned anymore these days as everything can be done remotely.
As we had gaming on tonight, we’d picked a nice campground but when we got there, we weren’t too sure anymore. It advertised its glamping opportunities but it felt unstructured, more like a side project than a tightly run business. It was expensive, had no wifi or signal and seemed to be much busier than we would have liked it to be. We were too tired to debate or move again so gaming had to be cancelled or rather postponed unfortunately.
The Forest Park was a nice spot and both kids were keen to go back to the playbus. So we took our time this morning to blog a little, let the kids play and go on a walk through the forest. The small loop track that Flo had picked didn’t lead through the forest unfortunately but meandered through the Arboretum of a now-abandoned manor house. Not quite what we had in mind for this morning.
From here, we went back to the coastal route. It was nearly lunch time already. After stocking up on groceries in a tiny supermarket (and gummybears. Always gummybears. Grandma had given a tiny bucket full of them to the kids before we left and it needs to be refilled regularly), Flo followed a roadside viewpoint sign to Carrigafoyle Castle. Another lovely picnic spot for us plus a “castle” for Number 3 to explore. It was actually quite cool to see how much of the ruin you could still explore.
Further down the coast we went, now in the county of Kerry. Kerry is full of things to do and see…just not right here. So we continued until we hit Tralee. The Lonely Planet recommended the Tralee Bay Wetlands Centre as an activity plus a location for coffee. We got to the parking lot, plugged in the charger and nearly collapsed. With the sleeping kids in the back, we seriously considered just taking a nap. Instead, Flo and I planned the next campground. The response we got was encouraging, basically saying “no need to book there will be spaces on the day”. This is our preferred way of travelling so I’m quite happy we can just see how far we get and then check for campsites there.
Finally, we went in. It was actually quite lovely to just walk around in the wetland. We saw a heron and a moorhen with chicks and lots of things that are common in Ireland. Number 3 had a sheet with all the flora you could see and the Agent had a sheet with all the birds you could spot…both of them took their jobs seriously.
Getting coffee was a harder task. The cafe in the Wetlands Centre was closed, the first recommended cafe in Tralee as well. In the end, we wandered around and had coffee in one of the many coffee places the pedestrian zone had to offer.
Our next scheduled campground was at Inch Beach at the start of the Dingle Peninsular loop. It had been a weird day without any real highlight but a lot of things to see anyway, so I was happy to just hit the campground a little earlier than we usually do.
It is right opposite the beach. The weather was still fine and I opted that we’re going to see the beach in sunshine. Flo protested meekly because going to the beach now meant we couldn’t cook dinner and had to improvise. However, the kids ran around ecstatically so this time, Flo also put his feet in the ocean.
On the way back, we chose convenient dinner from a fish & chips food truck at our campground. Expecting the usual grub, this one pleasantly surprised us with its quality. They only need to work on their trucks presentation a bit …
