May 13—Another Scenic Peninsula,
and We Roll Into Bantry

Upon arising in Kenmare on Saturday morning, we partook in another Irish breakfast (same as an English breakfast but without the fried bread), did a little more shopping, and hit the road. Our schedule wasn't pressing, since Jess & Bobby weren't expecting us in Bantry until sometime in the afternoon. (Actually, our schedule didn't press anywhere during the trip, except to catch the jets coming and going.) And so...

(Click on the thumbnails for a larger view, and then on the enlarged image to return.)

	Here's a shot of the street in Kenmare where our inn was located. Note the plentiful shopping opportunities. In truth, this morning's shopping comprised a stop at the local bakery for the day's supply of car cookies.
	As you can see from the map, Kenmare is a good-sized town located at the end of a long bay. From there, we drove along the northern coast of the next peninsula and ran into some lovely weather. These shots, and a 1.6MB video clip, were taken at a very scenic cove we stopped at along the way.
	Occasionally, Joe was noticing that our KIA Sportage had a tendency to suddenly pull to the left, usually in the vicinity of a building with a Guinness sign out front. On this occasion, the pub was just opening for business and we were its first customers of the day. The air was cool but the sun was warm, and it was a good way to recover from the sensory overload that the peninsula's beauty afforded. Speaking of Fords, while we were there about three dozen old Fords (not the American ones—the English variety) zoomed by. A family in a Cortina stopped next door for petrol, and said that they were on a Saturday motor tour.
	Carrying on, we made it into Bantry mid-afternoon as "scheduled". Our first stop was at Ma Murphy's, the pub that Jess & Bobby advised was their favorite. We called them from Ma's to get directions to where they were staying. Well, okay, we also had a pint. Doug liked the sunny courtyard out back so much that he thought he might stay forever and get a job cleaning up the place.
	And here it is—the "Stone Abode" where Jess & Bobby have been staying for the past three months, about eight miles out in the Bantry countryside.
	Jess welcomed us with open arms, plus a delicious and zingy stew that she'd made...
	...accompanied by a delightful array of condiments.
	For dinner that night, we met Jess & Bobby at "The Snug", a very popular place, especially since it was Saturday night. Good food and lots of it, and we all had a great time. Our accommodations were right next door at the Bantry Hotel, on the big town square in the center of town. What we didn't realize was that the town square was where all the young folk from Bantry and all of the surrounding towns gather every weekend to get drunk and beat the bejesus out of each other. Must have been over a hundred of them. Very loud and lasted all night, until it finally started raining around 4am. Why none of us remembered to take any photos or video of the mayhem we'll never know.
	Before adjourning to the Bantry Hotel for what was to be our rather sleepless night, we found another joint for a nightcap. Ol' Half Pint's at it again...