Day 20, July 18, 2012

Time is passing quickly. We're now at the half-way point of our trip. It won't be long before we'll be leaving the cool, moist weather of Ireland and returning to the hot, dry weather of Northern California.

The fog finally lifted so we thought we'd have another go at the Dingle Peninsula. It was raining lightly but at least the visibility was better. We now have another road hazard to add to our list on Irish roads -- cattle. A whole herd of them marched past our car just like they owned the place (they probably do, at least more than I do). We drove to the west end of the peninsula where we could see the westernmost spot in Europe. 

We completed the circuit on the Dingle Peninsula and decided to head to the city of Tralee which is the county seat of County Kerry. We took some pictures of one of the oldest operating windmills in the world which was built in 1800. 

Next, we visited the Kerry County Museum in Tralee which had some interesting exhibits on Irish history. The city park was next to the museum and it is widely known for it's rose gardens. I also happened upon a photo shoot for publicity photos of candidates for the title of "The Rose of Tralee". They've had a big festival in August since the 1950's where they select one young lady to be the "Rose of Tralee". It's quite an honor because this young lady acts as an ambassador for Ireland and meets heads of state from other countries. There are 32 candidates, included some from other countries such as the United States.

When we returned to Dingle, we decided to splurge by indulging in a 3-course dinner at "Half the Door" restaurant. It was great and I'm still full hours later.