Day 8: County Clare & Ennis
And we're off! Having had a full day driving around the coast of Dingle and Slea Head Drive we crashed hard. We woke up refreshed and ready for breakfast round 2 at the B&B...showered and packed, we headed downstairs. Once again a great meal - afterwards we got to connect a little with our hosts (Aidon & Marion) before saying (and hugging in Marion's case) goodbye and heading downtown for a bit.
Car parked successfully...
Pro Tip: Carry 1 and 2 piece euro coins in bulk...between the 2 and 3 euro fort and sheep visits...and the parking machines that only take euro coins...you'll be glad you did.
Since we had walked the entire town the evening before we had already marked off a bunch of places we wanted to return to, so we could pick up some more unique souvenirs and gifts. There are really some great shops (some touristy, some definitely not) in the town and I think we spread the wealth pretty evenly with them. Over the course of a couple hours we picked up some beautiful items, took some photos of "to be purchased later" things, grabbed a coffee and jumped back in the car.
Ennis is about a two and a half hour drive from Dingle, mostly because of the drive off the peninsula (let me be clear, not highway driving....tiny, thin, narrow, scary cart paths-type driving). There were a few times Brendan thought he was going to fall out of the passenger seat and out into the ocean or down a cliff - but we made it unscathed off the peninsula and out into the more central part of Ireland as we headed up to County Clare and Ennis. Along the way we attempted a bathroom break...attempted being the operative word. After two gas stations both had out of service signs hung on their bathroom doors (also known as toilets, since whenever I say "do you have a bathroom I am consistently greeted with "HEEEHHHH?" until I say "a toilet") we found a small convenience store...attached to someone's home...where they let us use the bathroom...in their home...that had a container of small aftershaves we could choose from before departing. We used their bathroom, purchased a sleeve of shortbread cookies as thanks, and were on our way.
After piecing together spotty directions from our AirBnB host with the navigation system in our rental we managed to find the house. We're in a great carriage house that has been converted into a two-level home behind the owner's main house. WAY more space than we need, but it's perfect for a more relaxing couple days than we've previously had (plus we can do laundry again!).
Having parked, unpacked and relaxed for a bit we headed into town to do some exploring and find a dinner spot. We had spoken with a shop keeper in Dingle who recommended a small Italian restaurant or a small French bistro that happened to be opposite each other. She couldn't recall either name, and only knew vaguely where they were, but we managed to find them both in a matter of minutes:
Passatempo (where we decided to eat dinner)
Ennis Gourmet Store (where we split a cider and had some dessert)
Before we ate though, we walked around town for a bit and happened upon Ennis Craft Works, which is an art and craft co-op in the city where local artisans will put up their products or work for sale - they had truly amazing pieces. Everything from homemade soaps and lip balms, to glass jewelry, to wooden sculptural pieces, to ceramics. We spent a solid 45 minutes in the tiny shop - partly because of the work and partly because of the local woman who decided to engage us in quite the political conversation. It's so very interesting how transparent and boundary-LESS everyone here is.
It's almost refreshing - slightly terrifying...So, having been politically analyzed, dined and wined, we were off to the car and back "home" in a few minutes.
Another great day, and ready for the Cliffs of Moher in the morning!
