Killarney (Cill Airne - in Irish)

Killarney was about resting up for me, and catching up on emails and stuff. My room has a comfy bed, internet access, and a nice big bath tub with lots of hot water! I put out the "Do not Disturb" sign and slept for 10 hours. Feeling rejuvenated, I got some food (Indian), got a taxi, and asked him to drop me off someplace for a nice hike outside of the city center. He took me to the Killarney National Park (the biggest in Ireland, so he told me - but I'm starting to notice that I hear that in almost every town about some particular land mark. Hmm). Gorgeous hillsides and lakes, lots of trails for wandering.

Muckross House is there, as well as a working farm, and Priory complete with ancient grave yards. 

i imagine monks in dark robes walking this hallway

i decided to take a picture of the not so pretty head stone. see the energy orb?! they appreciated it.

There was a doorway that led to one of those lesser roads I like to take.

arrow pointing to Heaven

sometimes you just gotta lay down under some trees to get a better perspective on things

I walked along the river for about a mile or so. The path ended at the main road into town. There was a horse and buggy hanging out there, so I asked for a ride. Donal O' Shea and Molly carried me by some waterfalls (sorry, Ireland, no comparison to what we have in Oregon!), then dropped me off close to the Race Track, where I tried my luck on the ponies.

place your bets!

I watched a couple of races to get the hang of things. I picked the favorite, Warcraft, in the third race to win. The betting thing can be very complicated. I only had a fiver, so I placed my bet and crossed my fingers. If my horse wins, I would make 16.25! Whoo hoo! cab ride back into town baby, no more walking for me! I made my way over to the viewing ring where you can get a look at the horses before the race. Warcraft is gorgeous, sure to win!

go warcraft!

warcrafts rider talking strategies with the owners, and trainer

I took my place by the fence, and the race started. It's an amazing thing to stand next to a herd of horses racing by you. You can feel the vibrations of the earth, the sound, and the way the air moves around you is cool! Warcraft was comfortably in the middle for most of the race.

 

As they made the final lap, folks started getting really excited, the announcer was calling which horse was where, "Warcraft is making his move.." Sadly, the move wasn't into first. 

Warcraft coming in second.

Oh, well, I guess it's not that far of a walk back into town. Poor Warcraft. I hope he/she didn't get in too much trouble. There will be other races. Buck up little camper.