A sky -- filled up with clouds-- blue and white clouds, patches of blue, cauliflower clouds, gray-violet clouds, and a landscape that could only be found this side of heaven on the Emerald Isle. There is a peculiar atmospheric event here that I have never seen before. I don't know how to describe it clearly, but I'll try. I saw it and couldn't take my eyes from it. It was as though a single chunk of cloud in essence functions as a rainbow. It doesn't arch to the ground and it is not as intense as a rainbow,with its clearly defined bands of color, but it appears to be a diffuse rainbow! I have seen this twice now, and it is really quite remarkable.

Our day started with the sun. Yes, it was still there right where it should be, where it had been behind the clouds. I wasn't really cold once today! Cool, yes, but cold---NO. We took a taxi to the airport to pick up our car in Cork. The driver was like all Irish people we have encountered, very friendly and willing to share anything in conversation. It was a long trip so he asked a few questions which lead to the revelation that my great-grandfather and mother had come to America from Cork.

"Ah," he said. "Did they go through Ellis Island, then?" Well, that I cannot say, says I. "Well," says he, "lots of folks who went through Ellis Island got tagged as being from Cork because that was the departure point from Ireland to America." I smiled, and said, "Well, my family was actually from County Cork cause I grew up hearing about it from my Granddad." We were coming near the church I'd asked the cab driver about the night we arrived. Our driver said, "Did you get to see the Cathedral?" "Cathedral is it, then?" says I...."the cab driver last night didn't know that --- cause I asked him about this church as we passed it on the way to our hotel last night."

"Didn't know the Cathedral!?" says he, incredulous! "Well," Kathy came in to defend the cabbie from the night before, "In his defense, he was from Kenya." When we drove by I tried to see the name of the church, but there wasn't one out front like they usually have, and I said "I guess everyone here knows what church this is." I was just joking--but of course--it turned out to be true. "Well," said the cab driver, "You have to see the Cathedral." and he pulled in off the road to show us the ancient structure. The oldest part was begun in 622 when Christianity was brought to Cork." The fellow seemed quite knowledgeable and told us about how Cork had been a bit like Venice when the Christians first arrived. There were nine islands --- but eventually they were drained and the city of Cork is now standing in those ancient reservoirs!

We got to the airport a bit smarter than when we started --- thanks to a cab driver! We picked up our car and started for Dingle and the Peninsula. The drive was like nowhere we had been. the narrow roads were lined with hedges of flowers ---- orange and red mostly. The color of the Emerald Isle was not green --- it was a profusion of Naples yellow, grumbacher red straight out of the tube, alizerin crimson, and more shades of green than I could imagine! These flowers gave way occasionally to stone walls and vistas of white cottages with hillsides that looked as though someone had laid down a giant green crazy quilt over them. Some of the pieces were swiss-dotted with sheep, cows or donkeys.

As the road narrowed we got our first glimpse of the sea -- looking very much like someone had laid down a piece of iridescent taffeta next to the green of the quilt. Climbing and descending again we passed Inch a village with a beach to rival any we have seen and coves that were the purest turquoise and white with huge caves visible. When we reached the village of Dingle we stopped for lunch at the Marina Pub just across from the bay. I had mussels -- steamed in white wine, garlic, butter, shallots and cream....These were the best mussels I have ever had. They made the ones I had in San Francisco seem like dwarfs. They were huge and the meat was pink and succulent (with the occasional piece of sand in teeth). I asked the bar man where they came from, "The bay." he said, gesturing across the street in disbelief. Kathy had a shepherds pie that was of equal quality and we left for the rest of our journey well fortified.

I was completely unprepared for the beauty we were about to encounter. The sea and cliffs grew more dramatic, as did our road which grew narrower. There were occasional turn-outs at which we never failed to stop. The beauty was incredible! We were pelted with a shower now and again, but only momentarily and then the sun would re-emerge coloring part of the landscape with its warm golden rays as colds cooled the landscape next to the brightly lit patch. We drove around the entire stretch of land that jutted out into the sea. There were islands --- that truly looked like giants had hurled them there, and I could understand how the story of Fin M'Coul making the causeway might seem plausible to ancient people. The stones looked as though someone had intentionally split them for they cleaved neatly along planes. We passed stone cottages that were left abandoned during the great potato famine of the 1850s, and even more ancient dwellings that dated back to 2,000 BCE.

As we made our way in-land, we gained a bit of speed --- but there were very tight moments when you simply had to slow down or pull out to let trucks or other large equipment pass. We arrived in Kilarney at 5:30 and had no trouble finding our bed and breakfast. Kathy had stayed there twice before and found her way around the easily. Adlerhaven sits atop a hill at the edge of the city. A farm that is surrounded by trees it is quiet and the farmhouse is charming, but I think the real reason Kathy returns here is that the owner is a lovely woman who is very solicitous and the place itself is very comfortable and clean. She insisted on making us some tea while we made our plans for the evening and the next day's journey and ushered us into a bright and sunny room where we would have breakfast in the morning. After Kathy made made arrangements for our stay in Doolin. We headed back out for the city center for a look around and dinner..

I pulled in to a space to park just as another car pulled out --- only to discover that it was a loading zone...We didn't have coins for the "Pay & Display" booth, so I went into the restaurant in front of the space....to ask if I could get a wee bit of change. The owner said, he'd be glad to help...but then he walked out onto the street and went to check a sign. He came back and said, "I was hoping it said that you could park there after 6:00 p.m. -- but alas it says 8:00. One thing is for certain the Irish people are some of the most hospitable folks we have encountered. Not only did the man give us change (a real courtesy -- especially since we had not bought anything, but also he went outside to make sure we really needed the money to begin with!)

After we parked in a city lot at the end of the main street, we walked back along enjoying the day, the shops, and the sounds of people engaged in pleasant conversation.

We choose a pub/restaurant which turned out to be in one of the tourist guides as a great place to eat and it was! Back to the B&B and off to bed much earlier than the witching hour tonight.