Ross Castle, Cork, Gleninchaquin Park, Derrynane, and the Shannon airport hotel.

We anticipated rain on Monday, so we planned an indoor activity at the Ross Castle in Kilarney. We ventured in to the city to grab a quick lunch at Laurels in Central Kilarney and were pleasantly surprised with blue skies when we walked out of the pub. We spent a short time walking the streets (accidentally stumbling upon a candy shop, sending the kids into frenzies, ahhh! Dave and I scramble to get them out with minimal commotion- we avoid candy shops at all costs). We decided make a pitt stop at a local park before taking on the castle, and to optimize our sunshine time. On our drive to the park, Piper fell asleep, so I stayed in the car with her while she napped and Dave took the kids to play. We finally landed at Ross Castle and quickly realized it was guided tour which currently doesn't work with our family situation, so we played on the grounds for awhile before making our way home. We headed to Coachman's for dinner in Kenmare hoping to catch Irish music (again). Unfortunately, they put us in a side room as the main room had been sold out (so they said ;)). It was fun, and so was the ice cream stop on the way to the car.

We drove to Cork on Tuesday as the forecast there was sun. It was 1.5 hour drive through the country, such lovely views and winding roads through towns and near castles and rivers. My time is spent between helping Dave navigate, managing the kids, and enjoying the scenery. We made our way to a car park, which was about 12 spaces big per floor, we wound our minivan up 5 flights before squeezing (literally) into a mini spot between a station wagon and a wall. We walked the streets of Cork, finding lunch at Thomond Sports Bar and then landing at a town square park where the kids played for 45 minutes, chasing pigeons and making friends with some locals. On our way to the car, we stopped at Dunnes department store so Dave could do a bit of shopping. We stopped at the Sailors Bar (1km from our house) for dinner where we hoped for live music (again), but got placed in a separate room (are you noticing a trend? ;)).

We conquered a nearby state park on Wednesday, our last anticipated sunny day. We drove 30 minutes on a one lane wide, but two lane road into Gleninchaquin Park, actually a private park owned by the same family for as long as anyone can remember. We parked and walked through fields where sheep were grazing to a picnic spot right smack dab at the base of an amazing waterfall. Its truly our best picnic spot to date. We did a bit of hiking over bridges and splashing through some water spots ('but dad, Peppa jumps in muddy puddles!' - Greta). We grabbed a snack and coffee before coming home for burgers on the grill and Moana (score!!) on TV. The kids were all in bed early thanks to minimal car/quiet time today.

Our true full final day was on Thursday and we had originally planned to bag any plans as heavy rain and fog was in the forecast. At the last minute, Dave suggested heading back to Derrynane (1hr drive) to see if we could find a treasure trail, I conceded, although was so sick of the car (the kids, specifically Piper, were too). We ended up a this small pub beyond where we had landed last weekend and it was literally a room, no larger than a hotel room with a few benches and an actual bar. I asked the man where the restaurant was and he said 'this is it!' So, we stayed for cheese sandwiches, pringles, and soda. Fortunately we had the place to ourselves (I can't imagine capacity was much more than 15). Following lunch, I suggested we make our way to the beach up the road, just to check it out. Before we knew it, we were all out, playing in the sand, busy and content when Dave and I simultaneously noticed blue sky. It was another Julie moment and it was just what we needed to wrap up our holiday. We returned and had take out pizza in anticipation of travel days ahead.

Today is Friday and we left Kenmare at 12. We stopped at Kilarney for lunch before driving up to Shannon. We arrived at about 4, there isn't much to do here besides eat and veg, and thats about all we have done. It is obvious we are at the end of a 4 week adventure, we got into the room and everyone was glued to an iPad, iPhone, or tv screen for a solid hour. We are wiped out. We did venture out for dinner to a place called Durty Nellys about 15 minutes from here, but made our way back to tackle bedtime with all 5 of us on in one room, not something we do very often ;). Tomorrow will be a full travel day with stops at JFK and MSP before arriving in Sioux Falls at 8:45pm.

We've had an incredible adventure. Im grateful to Dave for having the dream and to the kids for being so go-with-the-flow (most of the time). They have really made this trip special for us We will always be so grateful for the memories, photos, blog entries, and travel journal (which we have been so diligent about keeping up). I am ready to get home, to have my space, and to not live out of a suitcase, but I know another adventure awaits (not quite as long) in the next few years (Dave is already brainstorming, I'm not quite ready, yet ;)).

Fingers crossed for a smooth travel day tomorrow.

Ross Castle in matching jerseys, of course. 

Ross Castle again, so lovely . 

Parking hell. 

Pub lunch. 

St. Patrick's Bridge in Cork. 

The kids an I on Oliver Plunkett Street in Cork. 

Greta and her 'Apple Potion Juice.'

164/180 timed family photos near the house. 

Gleninchaquin Park.

Hiking success. 

Picnic spot. 

Me and my babe. 

The bench/table at our lunch spot near Derrynane. 

Cleaning off seashells. 

Blue sky, family fun, and Julie's presence.

Making sand castles. 

The last moments with the rental car (yay!!!).

Veg session. 

They sleep!
Three in the full bed while Dave and I are in twins on each side, haha! 

Parknisalla, Ring of Kerry, Crag Cave, and Derrynane.

We continue our daily adventures, setting out midmorning, discovering new towns, beaches and other gems Ireland has to offer. Our road trips consists of the Moana soundtrack, naps, 'Isaac and Anna's house' games, and when all else fails, iPad time. 'Isaac and Anna's house' is a favorite of Sullivan and Greta's. We each take on our respective rolls and Greta tells us the scenario. Yesterday it was "mama, you be Maggie, daddy, you be Jeff, I'm Anna, Sully is Isaac and Piper is Rudy. And today Isaac and Anna and Rudy go over to Sully and Greta and Piper's and on our way our car transformes into an ice cream truck...' She speaks with such precision and by the time it comes to actually playing out the scenario, she is so enthusiastic about the outcome. Its a great way to pass the time, except when they call Piper 'Rudy,' Piper immediately says 'no!' ahhh, the joys of being the baby ;).

Thursday was another great day. We headed to Parknisalla, a beautiful resort about 30 minutes SW of our house. They have amazing grounds and have designated 'treasure' and 'fairy' walks. It is a really great way to explore with the kids and to keep them interested. We were all in awe of the fairy home charm. The had little homes built into tree trunks, hanging from trees, and just tucked into any sort of nook. It was so cool. We also had lunch at the resort at this bar/restaurant which is about 4 times fancier than we are used to. The kids did quite well and the resort is so family friendly that we actually fit right in. I definitely hope to return there at some point in the future. 

We hired a private tour for the Ring of Kerry on Friday. It was asking a lot to expect all three kids to tolerate an 8.5 hour mostly driving tour, but they really did great. We stopped at the Muckross House and Family Farm early in the trip and wore the kids out running and exploring before grabbing a bite to eat. Paul, our guide was very patient and kind and even helpful with the kids. We were able to take in the views without having to stress about navigating or driving (Dave). We enjoyed every bit of it (until Pip got carsick about 30 minutes from home :(, fortunately, she pulled through). The Ring of Kerry definitely lives up to the hype, it was an awesome adventure.

We woke up on Saturday morning to thick clouds and a rain forecast, so brainstormed ideas for the day and landed on Crag Cave in Castleisland, a little more than an hour from Kenmare. We arrived in time for lunch and quickly discovered a back space full of tunnels, slides, and bounce houses. We ate and let the kids play for two solid hours. Sully met a little guy named Connor who had a Ninja Turtle shirt on making him the coolest kid there. He checked in every 20 minutes or so, but otherwise was completely entertained. We followed the play time with a cave tour. The kids did really well and actually retained some info (on our way to dinner, Sully pointed to something in a store window and excitedly showed us that it looked just like a stalagmite). We stopped at O'Donovan's pub to eat (and hoped for some Irish music, but picked the wrong night) and then returned home for bed.

Today we ventured to Derrynane Beach on the Ring of Kerry for more playtime. The weather called for clouds, but relatively warm, so we opted for an outdoor agenda. On the drive over, Sully asked about the friends he has made on this trip and wondered if we would ever be able to play with them again, we told we hoped our paths would cross again, fortunately he was content with that answer, my heart sort of melted at how sweet he is. We made it in time for lunch, so stopped at The Blind Piper pub before hitting the beach. Fortunately, the kids could care less about the weather, because it was indeed socked in with fog, but it was still really fun. Piper was in her own heaven playing in the wet sand while the kids ran around jumping over waves and exploring. We stopped at the Derrynane House for coffee and an ice cream treat before making our way home in time for dinner.

Its hard to believe we are beginning the wind down process of the trip. The last three weeks have flown. We intend to make the most of this final week.

Thursday- exploring Parknisalla. 

A fancy lunch with anything-but-fancy kids.

Fairy walk. 

Discovering more fairy houses. 

Friday- Muckross Family Farm

Checking out the pigs. 

Stinky pigs. 

Farmhouse. 

Ring of Kerry- so sunny! 

Pointing out Skellig Michael- Star Wars filming location. 

Ring of Kerry family photo.

Saturday- Cave fun. 

Heading to the car- still raining. 

O'Donovan's Irish Pub in Kenmare. 

Sunday- pub lunch near Derrynane House. 

Piper and Piper :).

And Piper again!  Near the beach this time.  

Me with my wild three. 

Dave and the kids exploring Derrynane Beach. 

Waving through the fog. 

Really happy kids after a day of beach fun. 

Kenmare, Bantry, Glenagarriff, Killaha Pass, Ring of Beara, and the Torq Waterfall.

We were so glad to wake up on Sunday morning to our gorgeous spot on the Kenmare River and to take on our surroundings. Kenmare is so charming, colorful pubs and shops line the quaint streets. We had lunch at Foley's pub before wandering and landing in the town square for some time to run off steam over a chocolate bar and coffee. It started to sprinkle so we made our way to Lidl for groceries which was basically a disaster. Only two of the five of us made it through the store without having to be taken out...ahhh travel exhaustion ;). If only we could convince the kids to sleep in. We returned in time to grill burgers, play soccer, and enjoy dinner on the patio with an incredible view.

We made the one hour road trip to Bantry on Monday morning, a drive with breathtaking views. We arrived in time for lunch at Brick Oven Pizza, the perfect family friendly choice (we were one of about six families with small children in the restaurant, hah!). We strolled though town after lunch, picked up meat from the local butcher and found an old water wheel before hitting the road for home. On our way over we had passed a small park and kept it in mind for the way home if it wasn't raining. Fortunately, we were able to stop and it was a major hit. The equipment was adequate for each kid and we had to fight them all to leave. We followed the GPS on our way home and ended up on the Killaha Pass which was maybe a one lane road, but two way traffic. It was an experience, glad to have it behind us. We returned for pizza, tacos, and a cookie scavenger hunt. 

On Tuesday we headed west on the under appreciated Beara Peninsula while listening to Moana (the official soundtrack of our Ireland trip). It was so lovely, much less crowded than anticipated, except for Pat the Baker who raged toward us in his work truck. We drove through Eyeries to Allihies on winding roads with amazing views. We arrived in Allihies before the pub opened, but found a playground across the street (mega luck). Lunch was at O'Neills before finding a road to the beach. The first one was flooded, but the second was the one we needed. I struggled to keep Piper awake on the short 5 minute drive, and before we knew it, we had stumbled onto this little gem, Ballydonegan Beach. We splashed and played in the sand for nearly two hours before finally deciding to venture home, stopping for a few photo ops where Greta stepped in sheep shit and we all got a laugh. The sun shined all day, it was a smashing success- a Julie day in our book.

Wednesday brought the Kilarney National Forest and the Torq waterfall, a short 10 minute hike from the parking lot which was suppose to be simple and fun, but was more of challenge than we could have ever anticipated. Piper was having issues with having to wear shoes and Sully wanted to climb on slippery wet rocks. Dave did manage to educate Greta on tree rings and then we packed it in for the drive home on a short stretch of the Ring of Kerry. We hopped out for a photo at Ladies View, which was a nice diversion before heading home early to regroup (majorly needed ;)).

Stay tuned, more Ireland fun to come.

Monday- Getting cozy in our Ireland home.

Piper gets a haircut- with a view from our patio. 

Dave, Piper, and Sully in central Kenmare. 

Kenmare Square.

Lovely surroundings. 

Monday- Bantry

Rainy and quaint. 

Tuesday- Allihies, Ballydonegan Beach. 

Family photo op. 

Team Munce

Returning on the Ring of Beara, snapshot with my girl. 

Photo fail at Torq Waterfall ;).

Ladies View lookout. 

All 5 at Ladies View.

A travel day from hell.

Yesterday was a big travel day for us. It was our first time going it on our own (no extra helpers or hands to help us navigate). We conquered Heathrow like a group of champs, passing out Rice Krispy treats and suckers by 9am to keep the kids occupied and in good spirits. We were weighted down with kids, bags, and so much crap (half the time I feel like I have under packed for this trip, until it is time to move us and all of our stuff). Everything went off without a hitch. We landed in Shannon, Ireland with no issues and settled into our rental car for the 2.5 hour trip to Kenmare. Dave managed the clutch with minor irks and jerks and quickly became accustomed to the left hand lane, until we turned onto N22.

We were 13km north of Kilarney, about 45 minutes from our destination when Dave couldn't get the car in gear, I told him we were in neutral and needed to find a gear when he said he couldn't even find the clutch pedal. It was stuck in the engaged position. I immediately suggested pulling over, which he did and we were stuck. He realized what had happened and disengaged the clutch but all gears were shot. We were pulled over near some overgrown foliage, so the car was alarming that we were too close to something and the noise about put us over the edge. Dave pushed us 12 feet forward to stop the alarming, all along this narrow two lane busy highway.

I immediately called the roadside assistance number and they assured me someone would be out within the hour (the hour!!!). Within about 30 minutes, a man showed up to assess the situation. He quickly conceded the clutch had 'gone flat' and that we would not be driving that vehicle. We would need to wait for a tow truck to tow both the car and us to Tralee to get a replacement. Meanwhile, we kept the kids busy with coloring books, iPads, eye spy games, and songs. Everyone took potty breaks on the side of the road, and someone even managed to go number two while hovering out my door. We were briefly entertained by a bumble bee who managed its way into our car, and quickly made its way out. Another hour goes by before O'Sullivan's tow truck showed up only to notify us that he is not equipped to take our children and we would need a taxi for that, one had been called and would be there in 20 minutes (gasp).

The tow truck driver came to the side of the car just as the last potty goer was finishing up and said he needed to move us as we were sitting in a very dangerous spot and he didn't feel comfortable leaving us there for another minute, I politely told him I had been feeling that way for the past two hours. He took the driver seat, Piper had been in my lap and he didn't even give me a chance to get her back into her seat. Dave had to climb in on Sully's lap and this man was more aggressive with the vehicle than I had ever seen. He rammed it into different gears, revving the engine, swearing and grunting and acting fast. I buckled Piper and I in and felt ever muscle in my body. I was so anxious. He did eventually get us to a safe grocery store parking lot where the car completely died. If there had been any chance left at its life, it was now gone. He told us to unpack the vehicle as a taxi would be along momentarily.

When the taxi driver arrived, we were told that rather than going to Tralee, we would instead be going to Kilarney as they had a vehicle there for us. I called Enterprise four times on the drive, getting disconnected after telling my story each time. Each operator asked who told us to go to Kilarney and my explanation seemed to complicate things. As it worked out, Enterprise was closed in Kilarney and wouldn't open for another 36 hours.

Fortunately someone from the Dublin office called me back and was able to connect me with the manager of the Kilarney location who showed up just in the nick of time...but the only vehicle they had was a compact car (lol). He said that in fact there was the proper vehicle in Tralee, 1.5 hours round trip from Kilarney and that was basically our best (and only option until Monday evening). This was when I lost it. I started crying and everyone involved was now feeling terrible.

After some contemplation, we decided it would be best for me to stay with the kids at the Gleneagle Hotel in Kilarney while Dave went to Tralee with Aubrey to retrieve the vehicle. The kids did well, considering. There was a fancy wedding going on and the fashion and gowns were incredible. We had dinner in a restaurant (a first for me, three on one in a restaurant), played in an arcade, ran around outside, and found Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on in the hotel bar area. Before we knew it (;)), 2 hours had gone by and Dave had returned with a replacement vehicle and a few groceries.

We set off toward Kenmare, getting in a small portion of the Ring of Kerry, which means curvy roads, sheep crossing, views, and driving through clouds. All awesome things, unless you have had the day we had and only wanted the quickest and most direct road home. We arrived at 8, 5 hours later than planned. But we did arrive and were so happy to be there.

Silver lining- at the last minuted, we paid double for our rental and opted for the full coverage/roadside assistance insurance route. And, it was worth it. This place is amazing, the views, the sea, the space. Its incredible.

2:30- Roadside selfies, still smiling.  

Sweet Greta, taking in the view from my lap. 

4:15- Action shot. 

5:15- Three on one. 

6:00- Blew the budget at an arcade. 

6:30- Gleneagle Hotel

8:15- We've arrived! 

Major silver lining.