Killarney, Ireland, June 22

Thanks very much to the following people who have written me since yesterday: Suzanne (yes, the pureed soups are fabulous, and good luck in sorting out your 1000+ pictures); Ann (drifts sound amazing, and it seems as if you have really been busy; thanks for checking on the mountain passes); Kathleen (here's hoping your social worker has answers to your questions); and Jean (sorry about the 100 degree weather; Acropolis is open to the public, although there is quite a bit of scaffolding; did not try local wine, but others in my group did and liked it, although I don't know what they tried; will be sure to watch "Leap Year").  Sorry my responses sound frenetic, but I am trying to thank everyone and comment, and this is the best and most efficient way I know to do both.

This morning we had breakfast and then had a long conference with our helpful hotel proprietor concerning how to get out to Muckross House.  A double-decker bus was running there at 1:00 p.m., so we decided to go shopping in the interim.  I ended up with a book on Irish history, a bottle of Inis Or Irish eau de cologne, and some notecards with watercolor Irish scenes.  Nancy bought a cap, a scarf, and socks, all coordinated; a scarf; and four candles of Irish scents for various relatives.  Then we bought a quick lunch to go, which consisted of sun-dried tomatoes, goat cheese, and chicken on focaccia bread, and two waters.  We bought tickets for the double-decker, which made stops at four different places--Aghadoe, with its lovely cemetery and view of Lough Leane and the Macgillicuddy Reeks mountains; Ross Castle, where we had visited yesterday; Torc Waterfall; Muckross House, where we wanted to go today; and back to our initiation point in downtown Killarney.  The good thing about this bus was that your ticket gave you the chance to get on and off at will.  We got on the top deck and were out in the open, enjoying the sunshine and the wind as well as the scents of flowers and vegetation that were new to us.  

Muckross House and Gardens lie within the confines of Killarney National Park, a Biosphere Reserve under the UNESCO Man and Biosphere Programme.  On its grounds is Muckross House, a 19th c. Victorian mansion set against the beauty of that park.  It stands close to the shores of Muckross Lake, one of Killarney's three lakes.  It was built for Henry Herbert and his wife, the watercolorist Mary Herbert.  It was actually the fourth house the family occupied at Muckross for a period of almost 200 years.  William Burn, the Scottish architect,designed it, and it was built between 1839 and 1843.  During the 1850s, the Herberts undertook extensive garden work in preparation for Queen Victoria's visit in 1861.  We toured some of these gardens, and had an hour-long tour of the house as well, but are certainly not finished with that area at all.  Tomorrow we will return to see the rest of the gardens, explore Muckross Abbey, and tour the Traditional Farm area, featuring farming in Ireland during the 1930s and 40s.  The area is so beautifully situated, so green and lush, and the shank of the afternoon, so mellow, is a pleasure to experience.  

We returned to downtown Killarney at about 6:00 p.m., and asked the bus driver where to eat.  He pointed us to Murphy's Pub, where I had stuffed pork, broccoli, carrots, and potatoes, while Nancy had haddock with French fries and a salad.  Good, stick-to-the-ribs fare, and we have been walking so much that we are feeling unstressed, unencumbered, and mind-altered here!  Currently, the sun is going down and we are planning tomorrow.  Tomorrow night we are going to hear a group called The Irish Weavers perform at a Killarney pub downtown, and on Wednesday we are off to see Irish dancing performed.  What craic!!  As ever, Sylvia