Monday, November 5 – Dingle is the shiznizzle.

Ok…brace yourself for more best ever’s and amazement.

Last night I returned to Out of the Blue to find the shellfish selection rather sparse. Still, I had an amazing pan-fried squid salad and the lobster for a main course. It was definitely the most expensive dinner of the trip, but I figured…what the hey…when in Dingle, eat seafood. Both were fantastic. The lobster was great with a garlic-cream sauce inside the emptied carapice. Also, my lobster happened to be carrying roe, which the chef augmented with some other kind of egg to make a beautiful red and black alternation. The lobster was served surrounded by several other small dishes, which were all interesting, though a bit off of my taste. I took the long way home, posted the blog, and went to bed.

This morning I woke up to blue skies and went down to breakfast to find three Americans already seated. I introduced myself, and one of the other Americans, Roz, happens to be from Denver as well! What are the odds? She is in Ireland for a medical conference in Dublin because she works as a medical librarian at National Jewish. I sat with Roz at breakfast, and we really hit it off. Angela (the B&B hostess) came in to say that the peninsula tour that Roz had asked about might not go for lack of people. I said that I was planning to do the drive today and that she was welcome to join me. She gladly accepted, and Angela was so proud that her guests were intermingling. So, we made plans and got ready to go. We first headed into town to stop at the grocery to get some lunch supplies and then were off.

As soon as we left town, it started raining. The morning had gone from the clearest yet to the first precipitation I’ve seen in Ireland. It was wet and miserable as we stopped at the first few stone forts and beehive huts, but there were adorable dogs at both “pay here to see” stands. At the second stop, we ran into a couple, Wayne and Susan, who live in Omaha, but grew up in Fort Morgan and Boulder, respectively. Again, what are the odds!?!?! Moreover, I had seen Wayne and Susan at the first ring fort on the Ring of Kerry. They were the people just leaving as I arrived. I can’t believe this. Did all of Colorado decide to come to Ireland in November? Anyway, after hopping and skipping back and forth at each stop with Wayne and Susan, we gave up and formed one big posse. It is too bad we all didn’t take just one car.

We stopped at the Slea Head and hiked out to the westernmost point in Europe, which also happens to be one of the most beautiful places on Earth. I can’t even describe how amazing it was. Yes, the Blasket Islands are off the shore to the west, but they have been deemed uninhabitable, and the last settlers left in 1953. Of course Beaker had his picture taken at this amazing locale. Thought the peninsula was extremely windy, we found a nice, sheltered, leeward spot and set up our little picnic. Wayne and Susan joined us, and we had a fantastic, magical, cleansing time. The whole thing was amazing! And during our picnic the sun reappeared. We even spotted a friendly seal. Roz, Wayne, and Susan are all great. The next time I’m headed through Omaha, I’m definitely staying with Wayne and Susan!

We all continued on afterwards, stopping at a pottery shop and several other ruined monasteries and churches. Though these old structures are amazing, they pale in comparison to the scenery surrounding them. Still, their construction is admirable. The stones are placed so as to shed water, and it actually works.

I can say, with few reservations, that the Dingle Peninsula is superior to the Ring of Kerry. If you are headed to Ireland, see both, but make sure you do Dingle. It really is the shiznizzle.