27 Kingspark

"When in Ireland The clouds threatened, the rain tumbled, and the mercury had gone into hiding. Boat tour? Sure! It started at Ross Castle and half our group had already bailed. Fair weather types. I was going anyway. When in Ireland! So along with three other brave travelers, I climbed into a low profile red boat (a three hour tour playing in my head), and wrapped in life jackets, huddled under plastic tarps, we bobbed and bounced across the famed Lakes of Killarney, Lough Leane being the largest and most picturesque. I wondered if the water was fresh or salt. A wave swept over the side and slapped me in the face. "Fresh," I declared. The scenery was unparalleled. Inaccessible by cars; ruggedly romantic. We floated through a scene from an Irish novel. The remains of Innisfallen Abbey lured, eagles soared, and the silence (outside the pounding rain) scraped at our ears. After navigating a small inlet, the boat driver asked us to get out while he tried to guide up river, against the current. I took this photo as he struggled to push under a bridge. Eventually we had to help pull him through the unrelenting water. Our trip ended at Lord Brandon's Cottage where a BBQ awaited. In the frigid weather, hair dripping, fingers numb, the hot steak and potatoes were the perfect remedy, washed down with hot whiskey, of course. We warmed our hands over the coals, then took a taxi through the Gap of Dunloe, and stopped at another pub when we made it through---to warm up some more. When in Ireland!"