Desmond Hall and the Ring of Kerry

We started our day with a stop at Desmond Hall. This turned out to be one of those magical unplanned perfect outings.  One reason Lydia and Jared wanted to go back to Ireland was to explore castles and find ruins: enter Desmond Hall.  As we were driving out of town we noticed a cute walkway by a creek leading to an open gate.  We quickly decided to pull over and go explore.  We found the Desmond Hall Visitors Center on the other side.  Mark and I talked to the staff inside and they said a tour was going in about 10 minutes and they could make it as long or short as we liked.  We decided to go for it.  Jared and Lydia ran around the courtyard turning it into an obstacle course while we waited.  There was no one else there and they loved running around. 

Our tour guide was the best.  She made it so interesting for Lydia and Jared.  A lot of the castle has been taken down or sold but there was a tower, part of the chapel, soldiers barracks (very small rooms in the tower) and a banquet hall.  She also let us go out on the roof which was great.   We were the only ones on the tour until about half way through when a dad and his daughter joined us.  The guide recognized them and the dad said that the daughter loves coming here so they came again.  She told us fun facts, offered to take our picture and let us go up where the musicians performed which provided a cool aerial view of the space.  It was so nice.  Jared was asked to be the servant (he did not like that) and acted out washing all our hands with a pitcher and we got to sit at the head table of the banquet and pretend to be Lords and Ladies.  I loved how they have it set up as close as they can to what life was like back then.  It was very informative and fun.

After that detour we made our way to the Ring of Kerry.  I do not love car rides so I knew it would be kind of a long day seeing as how you are basically driving all day. That being said it was very picturesque and I can see why it is so popular but if I am completely honest I would have been okay skipping it or just doing half of it.  We hit a lot of the main sites and listened to a lot of Podcasts!  We were getting short on time so we did not get a stop down by the water which would have been beautiful but we had spent the day before on an island so I think we were okay.

Mark's favorite stop was near the Skelligs.  To get to the Skelligs you have to take a boat and we just did not have time.  A teacher at work suggested going there so we compromised by driving to a look out near them. I am not quite sure it satisfied Mark but at least we saw them. The Skelligs are a rocky, craggy island where a monastery was built and used for 600 years.  The overlook did provide a lovely place to stretch our legs and run around a bit. 

They are off in the distance the 2 islands poking out of the water.  Zoomed in below.

Towards the end of the drive before we reached Killarney was Cahergall Stone Fort and it was the favorite of the rest of us.  Its a fort built near an old castle that dates to 600 AD.  It was massive and its amazing how long it has lasted.  We had such a great time playing there and learning a little history.  It forms a complete circle and we walked all the way around the fort on the walls.  The shape and how the rocks were stacked was fascinating.  It was a cool unique stop. 

Before we entered

Looking inside.  There were little openings you could crawl inside and I was able to go inside and stand all the way up. 

Jared was in heaven.  

One of the openings.  I think I remember seeing at least 3.

Mark matched his surroundings very well. 

Mark really liked this lookout too.

We also enjoyed The Ladies View so named by Queen Victoria after she and her ladies in waiting stopped to enjoy the view there. 

To finish our drive we got ice cream in Killarney.  Then headed to downtown Limerick for dinner.  

The next day we flew home.  Delta has 3 flights to the US out of Dublin: Boston, NY, and Atlanta.  Boston was our first choice but it was oversold. Atlanta looked awful so our only real chance was to make the NY flight. It was really tight not only for seats but also for security.  Even though Dublin lets you pre clear customs (its so helpful) if you do not get on the flight your ticket is for you have to go back through customs.  Not all the way out but back to pre clearance.  We had to be escorted by a desk agent and go back through security.  When we arrived there were no lines but for our second time they were incredibly backed up.  It was so stressful.  Lucky for us the NY flight was delayed by about 45 minutes. We  needed all that time!  When we were a few gates away from ours we heard them call our name.  If they do that and you do not respond they give your seats away so we ran over to the gate to claim our seats.  Then we just waited around for 30 minutes but at least we knew we had seats.  

I ended up in the back row between two older Irish women.  Rosie (73) and Marie (61).  Marie was so loud and talkative and Rosie just looked nervous about flying.  She has only one good ear so she had a hard time hearing so that made Marie end up almost yelling.  Their accents were so thick I had to really concentrate to understand them.  Marie was very kind and solicitous to Rosie but I think Rosie might have liked a little more peace and quiet.  Marie is a talker!  The fight attendant commented that she finally met someone who talked more than her.  At first I wondered if they knew each other and it was really awkward to be in between them but it turned out that Marie just never meets a stranger.  She had quite a few glasses of white wine during the flight and was finishing one off when the flight attendant said she needed to collect it.  The glass was more than half way full and instead of letting the attendant take her glass and dump it she drank it all in one big gulp. She finished and told the attendant (who was American) "I'm Irish" like this explained it all. I wish I could describe the look on the flight attendants face. So it was not a peaceful flight but they were kind and I was happy to help Rosie with her screen and other things.  I was just so glad we made the flight.  It was looking so bad.  During the flight I mentioned that my family was up front at the beginning of our cabin and Marie walked up and started stalking to Mark like they were best friends.  I had walked up to say hi and told them about my seat mates so he had some clue but it was funny to hear him talk about it.  When Marie got back she could not stop talking about how much Lydia and I look alike.  She also said again and again that I should write a book about my flight experience with the two of them.  She was a hoot. 

We flew from NY to DC (not the plan) and took an Uber from Dulles to CHO to get our suitcases and car (only one suitcase made it through. The others came the next day. They were actually in Dulles with us we just didn't know).  We randomly got an Uber driver from Brazil so Mark and he chatted like best friends the whole 2 hour drive home.  It was actually cheaper to get an Uber than rent a car so that is what we did stopping for Moo Thru for dinner on our way home. 

We had a fun trip and think Ireland is beautiful! 

Aran Islands, Cliffs of Moher and Ennis, County Clare

We got into Dublin early Wednesday morning (we left the UK on a 6:00 am flight) picked up our rental car and headed West.  After visiting Ireland last year I got home and felt like we missed out on some great sites in Western Ireland so that is where we spent our time this trip.  We spent our first full day in Ireland near the Cliffs of Moher.   The Flakes recommended a trip out to Aran Island and it turned into a lovely day trip.  We made one quick stop for groceries and ended up barely making our ferry in Doolin.  Mark loves exploring grocery stores in foreign countries. I do too but not to the extent that he does.  We pulled into the parking lot with only 10 minutes to spare and could not find an open spot anywhere.  Time was ticking away so Mark went to the top of the parking lot and pulled into a handicapped spot.  We stopped at the first booth we came too, discovered they were not the group we booked with and they kindly told us where to go.  Mark explained the situation after checking in at the right booth and the guys asked if we had paid for parking yet, we had not.  He said give me your keys and 2 Euros I'll take care of it.  So Mark did.  Talk about great customer service.  We ran down the gangway and hopped on the ferry with not even a minute to spare.

I do not love boat rides and this one started out pretty choppy.  As we got farther from the harbor the water calmed down quite a bit which was helpful.  The ferry was around 45 minutes and when we got to the other side of the harbor we really lucked out and the sun came out and warmed us up and made the water a beautiful shade of blue.  The Aran Islands are well known for a few things.  There is an old ship that crashed in a storm there in 1960 which Jared absolutely loved.  He would have spent all our time on the island there.  O'Briens Castle sits at the top of a hill and there are tons of amazingly well put together rock walls.  We considered renting bikes and riding around but there were some steep streets which would have been tricky for us all but would have really frustrated Lydia so instead we hired a horse and cart to drive us around.  It was a good way to see the island.  The driver thought we were ripping him off and didn't hesitate to tell us but not only were we polite we shared our biscuits with him.  I wish he would have just said no instead of being rude after agreeing to the price we gave before we even started.  It really left a sour taste in my mouth. 

These walls were all over the island. 

Mark really loved them. They were very impressive. 

O'Briens Castle:  When we talked about going back to Ireland Jared and Lydia both wanted to explore and if possible climb on ruins so this did that pretty well. 

We enjoyed exploring the ship and castle and ended our time on the island at the beach.  I did not let them get more than their feet wet much to Lydia's dismay but they loved playing in the sand.  We got some delicious fresh fish and chips from a food truck and also a huge crepe to share.  We got back on our ferry with time to spare and enjoyed the view of the Cliffs of Moher on our way back to the other side. 

 
We were able to pick up our car keys at the ferry office and head over to the Cliffs of Moher.  When we were planning our trip to the Cliffs we had read online that it was best to go in the evening as it would be less crowded.  We arrived there just after 6:00 and it didn't feel crowded at all.  We were lucky again and got to enjoy the cliffs with the sun shining on them which was beautiful.  There were quite a few posted signs advising people to please not take risks when taking pictures.  There is even a memorial there for the people who have died there.  No one in our family struggles with heights but we made sure to stay far away from the edges.  It is a lovely place to walk around and really well maintained.  The sheerness of the rocks and the amazing color of the water were breathtaking. 

From what I read, this cave, or one like it at the Cliffs of Moher was the one used in the Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince where he and Dumbledore are looking for horcruxes. The Princess Bride was also filmed here.

After exploring the Cliffs, (I think Mark could have stayed there all day) we started heading toward our air bnb in Limerick.  On the way we stopped in a charming town called Ennis.  The downtown area was full of colorful and old buildings and they had beautiful overflowing flower baskets everywhere.  It was so picturesque.  It was also mostly shut down which made taking pictures easy but finding a place to eat tricky.  We got there around 8:00 and most the town had shut down for the evening.  It was a nice town to walk around.  

As we were driving around County Clare I could not help but notice these amazing hydrangeas.  There were huge bushes of them in every shade imaginable all over the place.  I became slightly obsessed with them and have who knows how many pictures of bushes like this but they make me so happy when I see them.  We had hydrangeas on top of our wedding cake so I am slightly attached to them.  I had never seen such full and varying shades before. 

Ennis, so charming.

We made it to our air bnb around 9:30.  Unfortunately we got there and could not get in.  The owner told us the key was in the mail slot on the door.  Sadly when the mailman pushed a newspaper in the slot he knocked the keys onto the ground.  We had no phone service or internet and ended up asking a neighbor to borrow their phone.  He was very kind and patient and the owner made it over with the spare key in about 15 minutes.  We were so lucky we found a helpful person to ask and the owner was nearby.  It was a bare bones sort of place which was fine.  We were not going to spend much time there anyway.  It was clean and we all fell right to asleep.  Poor Mark had been up since 3:45 and driven us all over the place. I can't remember if Lydia slept or not but Jared and I had slept a bit in the car throughout the day.  Actually she did not sleep in the car at all but slept on the ferry on the way back which was good for her.  It was a long day but when you only have 2 days you have to make the most of your time!

WB Studios Set The making of Harry Potter.

Like every morning for the past 3 weeks we got up Tuesday morning and pulled up the website for the Harry Potter Studio Set tour.  Like every other day the tour was sold out well into September.  Mallory, Mark and I all had our phones out and once it turned 8:30 we started clicking tickets and refreshing the page.  I think it was just before 9:00 when 2 tickets showed up. I clicked on them and they made it to my basket!  One adult and one child for 11:00. We were shocked! A few minutes later Mallory got two adult tickets for 11:30! It was amazing!  We were hugging and laughing which is so funny to me as I look back on it.  We were so excited and she was just as excited for us! We really wanted to get there.  Lydia read Harry Potter 1-3 by herself this Summer, finishing number 3 at the Grover's house.  Jared read 4-6 this Summer.  (Because I am mean and will not let him read 7 until next Summer) They are big fans and such great ages for this activity.  Then we had a moment of panic because the studio is 1 hour and 30 minutes from the Grover's house and we could not miss our time.  We quickly got Jared and Lydia ready, made some sandwiches to eat on the way, (but left them on the counter), and ran out the door.

It was a totally awesome day.  The tour is self guided and amazing.  Online it says people spend on average 3.5 hours there we were there for 5 and could have stayed longer.  I am not a die hard fan but I do enjoy the books.  Just the gift stores themselves deserve some serious time devoted to them.  It was so fun to provide an experience like this for Jared and Lydia.  We do not often go on a trip and spend tons of money.  We stay with people we know as much as we can, we don't stay for very long because of costs adding up and we definitely travel on a tight budget.  Jared and Lydia do a really good job accepting that there are just some things we will not do and that they are pretty much limited to a key chain for their souvenirs so it was just fun to do something that they related to so well and that they really wanted to do.  They had a blast.  It was just such perfect timing to get to do this.

I don't have too much to say, just tons of pictures and that we loved it. We drank official Butterbeer, had a photo shoot on broomsticks, walked through the Hogwarts Express and posed at Platform 9 & 3/4, crossed the wooden bridge, entered the Great Hall, walked down Diagon Alley, braved the Forbidden Forest, took wand lessons, sat in the Weasley's blue car, toured Number 4 Privet Drive, and so much more.  It was magical and such a fun family memory.

So our day in pictures:

The Burrow: The attention to detail is amazing. 

Potions

Jared and Lydia thought the faceless mannequins were pretty weird. 

I love this picture:

Gringotts Wizarding Bank: 

Lestrange Vault: The details!! 

Diagon Alley

Hogwarts Castle Model

I learned that for many of the aerial shots of the castle/grounds after the first movie they used this model and a green screen for the actors.  It was cool to learn about how they did it.  I thought they just found some really cool old castle somewhere but the secret was this model. 

The last room in the tour is filled with wands.  Every wall is filled to the ceiling.  There is one wand for each person who worked on the movies.  Actors, set designers, costume, make up, directors everyone.  I think they said there were 4,000 wands each with someones' name on it. 

We spent a lot of time and a lot of money here. That being said taking a trip to Florida to go to Harry Potter world would have cost much more.  Plus there would be so many other things we would want to do it would be hard to split up our time and there is something cool about just being on set where it was all filmed.  There is a video at the start of the tour that talks about how the studio set was a second home for so many of the actors and what it meant to them.  They spent so much time there.  I mean the main three like grew up there. It was just awesome.  It was fun to learn some cool insider details too. We totally recommend it, just book your tickets way in advance!!

Taking this tour and spending time with our dear Charlottesville friends made this such a fun trip!  We loved staying with the Grovers and so appreciate their hospitality. We hope they make it back to Charlottesville soon!