Saturday 13 April 2924

The morning again was mild and sunny, so we decided to do a trip to Tralee to a market to pick up some food. The market was nine stalls. At one we bought some Irish oak smoked salmon. Except his 3G was not working so we had to revert to cash. The last thereof. Then we spied a bloke selling pies and decided to buy two beef and Guinness pies for dinner at home. 

Flashy asks him if he takes a card. “Oh, yes, I can do that,” he says. “OK, I’ll have two.” Then Mick leans over to the bloke in the next stall and says, “Hey, Pat can you take ten euro on a card?” “Sure, no problem.” Flashy presents his card; Pat takes ten euro off him on his card reader and gives Flashy ten euro cash. Off to the pub for some Guinness he thinks. Is this an Irish deal? No, mate, give the tenner to Michael and he’ll give you the pies. Ah, yes. We get the pies. 

We also buy some sourdough bread and a small supply of veges. Their card reader is both working and on 4G. Then it’s off to Dingle. By the way, we didn’t find the rose of Tralee. I think she went to a convent. In case, if you have forgotten the chorus, it goes like this:

She was lovely and fair as the rose of the summer,
Yet 'twas not her beauty alone that won me;
Oh no, 'twas the truth in her eyes ever dawning,
That made me love Mary, the Rose of Tralee.

Dingle is a lovely seaside village and we arrived after driving over and through some magnificent glacial landscape. Fish and Chips for lunch in Dingle at the Fish Box Restaurant was a very good meal. Then a walk around the seafront, commenting on how busy this place would be in summer. There are pubs every fourth shopfront. 

Anyway, Lady P had planned the Ring of Dingle drive, in a circuitous route around the wild Atlantic coast, back to Dingle, then home again. Apparently, all the advice and requests from the Pope, is that you drive the route in a clockwise direction. Now this makes sense once you have actually driven the coastal road, because it is very narrow, with many tight bends. It would be madness in summer. 

Luckily, there weren’t more than 12 busses and 200 cars on the road. Oh, we drove it anti-clockwise. As Flashy always says, “Better to ask forgiveness than permission.” Stunning scenery and well driven by the pilot in command.

Home via the nice looking pub at Beaumont, just down the road from home. It was good inside too. The sun is streaming through the windows in our loungeroom and another gin is in order.

Views of the wild Atlantic from the mountain top

Now, that's fish n chips!

The route we drove today