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Ladies’ View: A break for coffee and chocolate

Beth Jones Blog, Faith, foodie, Parenting, prayer, Travel, Writing December 6, 2018cafe, chocolate, coffee, dreams, Faith, God, Jesus Christ, Killarney National Park, Ladies' View, mountains, rest, traveling 0 Comment

This is post #13 of a blog series I’m writing including pictures of the recent amazing trip I took with our precious, beautiful daughter Leah. Here are posts:

#1, My daughter Leah and I went to Ireland,

#2, Ireland: Dreams Come True,

#3, We visited Bunratty Castle in Ireland,

#4, Bunratty Folk Park: the waterfall, the lamb, and the fairy village,

#5, The Gorgeous Cliffs of Moher,

#6, Galway Girl,

#7, Galway Girl, Part 2,

#8, Treacherous Corkscrew Hill,

#9, The ferry in Kerry County.

#10, Torc Waterfall, and

#11, Killorglin: flies, a spider, and a moving bed, and a French couple!

#12, Kenmare: Palm trees, a pub, and Irish coffee.

We took so many pictures with our phones that I need to break up the posts, to make it easier for you to read, as I know you live a busy, hectic life like mine and you don’t have lots of spare time!

I hope these blogs inspire and bless you. I thank my Lord Jesus Christ, who made this amazing opportunity and prayer possible.

“Ireland is where strange tales begin and happy endings are possible.”–Charles Haughey

After a long journey, we need to stop and rest. Even Jesus, the Son of God, had to rest at times. Leah and I found the perfect spot when reaching Ladies’ View, a scenic view on the Ring of Kerry, in the Killarney National Park. The name comes from the admiration of the view given by Queen Victoria’s ladies-in-waiting during their 1861 visit.

As I drove through treacherous mountain curves to Kenmare, it rained a little but the sun came out and we saw a beautiful rainbow.

This made me smile as I had prayed before going on this trip that it would not heavily rain, but if it did ever rain for God to give me a rainbow as a sign of His promises and His presence with us.

“I have placed my rainbow in the clouds. It is the sign of my covenant with you and with all the earth.” (Genesis 9:13, NLT)

The mountains were gorgeous but it was a little scary driving through them. Cars were flying around the curves, but around each corner there was another breathtakingly beautiful view. Pictures simply don’t do the beauty in Ireland justice.

In Ireland as you are driving, you have to watch for sheep, goats, cows, and other animals on the side of the highway and roads. Leah and I saw one lone sheep and a lone goat on the highway as we drove, and I slowed down to take a pic. We also saw a funny sign, “Adopt a Sheep.”

After driving up and down the steep mountains, Ladies’ View Industries was a welcome place to stop and relax for a bit, to have chocolate and coffee and browse their little shop for souvenirs, such as wool scarves and clothing, postcards, soft toy sheep, and other cute items!

Leah ordered an iced caramel latte and I got a hot latte. They had scones, chocolate, and other goodies. We shared chocolate fudge with walnut, which was delicious. The tables had pretty, fresh flowers on them, such a nice, elegant touch!

Leah's and my lattes' at Ladies' View shop — Leah’s and my lattes’ at Ladies’ View shop

my latte at table with pretty, fresh flowers

I love coffee and drink it every morning. I also love the smells, sights, and sounds of coffee shops, and think it might be fun to work in one. At home, in the morning after I get ready and cook my cheese omelette, I enjoy “coffee with God,” having that first cup of coffee as I pray and read the Bible. Then at work, I make coffee for the second smaller one! I even have a sign on my bookshelf at work, “But first coffee.”

We looked out the amazing scenery at Ladies’ View for awhile, then went on our way and stopped at another scenic view, this time with mountains and a lake.

gorgeous mountain and lake in Killarney National Park

scenic view of mountain & lake in national park

Leah, Killarney National Park mountains by lake

It was raining softly. The area had huge mountain boulders, that Leah began to climb. Since she was wearing flip flops, I was so afraid that Leah was going to slip, fall, and hurt herself. She was very amused, taking a picture of herself with me in the background, admonishing her to be careful. Thank God she did NOT fall. The picture is funny now!

me telling Leah to be careful climbing the wet rocks in her flip flops — Leah is funny–but she needs to listen! Me in the background, telling her to be careful climbing the wet rocks in her flip flops

As you drive through Ireland, you see stone walls on sides of the roads and highways, a variety of homes with thatched roofs, and so many castles and castle ruins (you can even take a castle tour, attend castle meal feasts, and stay in castles overnight). The sights are interesting, so make sure you have lots of room on your camera or phone to take pics and videos!

you see castles and ruins all over Ireland

In my next post in this Ireland blog series, I’ll share about our last B & B in Kilkenny, where we listened to a woman playing an electric harp on the sidewalk and Leah shared a lesson of truth with me which convicted me. LISTEN TO YOUR CHILDREN’s HEARTS! We also had a near miss with a semi-truck when I stopped at a convenience store for ice cream! God protected us! Stay tuned!

My beautiful, precious daughter Leah. I love her so much! — My beautiful, precious daughter Leah with her souvenir necklace from Ireland. I love her so much!

Kenmare: Palm trees, a pub, and Irish coffee

Beth Jones Blog, foodie, Parenting, prayer, Travel, Writing December 5, 2018B & B, Ireland, Irish coffee, Kenmare, mountains, pub, shopping, traveling, vacation 0 Comment

This is post #12 of a blog series I’m writing including pictures of the recent amazing trip I took with our precious, beautiful daughter Leah. Here are posts:

#1, My daughter Leah and I went to Ireland,

#2, Ireland: Dreams Come True,

#3, We visited Bunratty Castle in Ireland,

#4, Bunratty Folk Park: the waterfall, the lamb, and the fairy village,

#5, The Gorgeous Cliffs of Moher,

#6, Galway Girl,

#7, Galway Girl, Part 2,

#8, Treacherous Corkscrew Hill,

#9, The ferry in Kerry County.

#10, Torc Waterfall, and

#11, Killorglin: flies, a spider, and a moving bed, and a French couple!

I hope these blogs inspire and bless you. I thank my Lord Jesus Christ, who made this amazing opportunity and prayer possible.

The year is wrapping up and I’d like to wrap up this Ireland blog series soon. I hope you’ve enjoyed this series as I’ve shared the amazing journey I had with our precious daughter Leah for our first trip to Ireland. It was so gorgeous (pics don’t do its beauty justice!) and so fun, and I pray we return again soon. We’d both love to go back!

There are two more B & B’s in Ireland, where we stayed that were so peaceful. I’ll share about them and Ladies’ View in the mountains.

The next B & B where we stayed was nestled among the mountains just outside the town of Kenmare. The land also has palm trees, which I love.

beautiful Kenmare mountains and palm trees

It was one of the prettiest B & B’s we stayed at in Ireland. It also had one of the best breakfast meals.

As usual, the flowers outside were gorgeous and the hostess had a crystal vase of lovely yellow ones in her home.

The flowers thrive in Ireland due to rain

This is the outside of the B & B in Kenmare. Leah told me that I shouldn’t park on the left side of the parking lot, but I thought it didn’t matter. Well, she was right! The owner asked me to move the car as soon as we stepped inside and met her! Yes, listen to your children!

The B & B owner also had a bookshelf filled with books. I love books (being an author, of course I do!), and normally I’d read, but I didn’t that night. Instead, Leah and I organized all our stuff because we were getting near the end of our trip. You often go home with more than you brought, from buying souvenirs for family and friends.

Be sure to not buy large, bulky souvenirs (or extremely fragile ones), because you may have to pay extra for luggage on your flights home. You also have to declare anything you purchased in other countries when you go through U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

I had bought a few postcards for family and friends, and loved the little desk in our B & B room to write on.

The hostess set such a pretty table the next morning, with fresh juice, scones, and biscuits for her guests. There was an abundance of fresh fruit, cereal, different types of teas, coffee, and she offered a full Irish breakfast as well as other items for the menu. Leah tried an egg benedict with smoked salmon and hollondaise and liked it.

We went shopping in the town of Kenmare before we left for our next B & B in Kilkenny, the last place we stayed before flying home. The towns look similar with the town square, colored buildings (such as pink, green, or yellow), but they are all different. I saw a bistro with the name of our daughter Heather and a shop with our granddaughter Annabelle’s name (although the spelling was different on this one) and I laughed, taking pics of them.

Here we found a post office to mail my postcards, which was interesting. They were about 1.50 pounds each to mail to the U.S. I bought Leah a little sketch book here as a souvenir.

Any time you visit another country, the smallest things can seem intriguing—such as the post office or what gas pumps look like! Gas is called “diesel” or “unleaded petrol” in Ireland. If you ask where a gas station is, people may not know what you are talking about so say “petrol.”

You MUST put the right kind of petrol into your car or it can wreck your engine! Don’t turn on your engine if you do this! You’ll have to get it drained, which is very expensive. Thank God I didn’t do this! Diesel has a black pump and unleaded has green. They are clearly marked, and prices vary.

At one convenience store, I had to enter a code to use the public restroom, located in another building outside the store! I guess they use codes instead of keys, like U.S. public restrooms at stores have.

mailing my postcards at the post office in Kenmare

The other thing I found strange and funny was that there are often little laundry mats in the parking lots at convenience stores!

One shop’s window display had little musicians statues and a miniature drum set, which I thought were cute and pointed out to Leah since she plays the violin.

store window display of musician statues

Our granddaughter Annabelle wants to learn to play the harp. I took a pic of one in a store for her.

In Kenmare, Leah and I ate lunch in a pub, since they are often less expensive than restaurants. She tried an Irish coffee with Bailey’s Irish cream instead of whiskey. She liked it. It looked so good, but I knew I would be driving so I waited until we were at the airport to try one!

Leah's Irish coffee — Leah’s Irish coffee

We found a cozy corner to sit in for more privacy where we could chat and eat. The pub had a beautiful stained glass picture by our table. Here is Leah playing a game on her phone as we waited on our sandwiches. She downloaded new games in Ireland, that she thought were a lot of fun. She ordered a tuna panini and I got a chicken/red pepper/cheese panini and we shared “chips” (french fries). It was tasty! The french fries in Ireland are SO good!

our panini sandwiches and "chips" (french fries) — our panini sandwiches and “chips” (french fries)

There were a couple of men who came in and sat at the bar, drinking beer (probably Guinness!) and watching sports on TV while we ate. I took a pic for my sister Maria, which embarrassed Leah that I was taking pics of random people. I later joked to to Maria that I’d found her some Irish men and she needed to be there! Next time I go to Ireland, maybe she will go with me and find her Mr. Right!

Irish men for my sister Maria, drinking beer at pub

The Irish cuss. Like, a LOT! Before going there, I’d watched a travel video on Ireland, where the guy warned you about this and other cultural differences from America (although this seems to be common in the US, too, though not as frequently as in Ireland). Men, women, teens, and kids cuss constantly. You hear it everywhere, especially the “F” word. In one store window display, I saw this hoodie with what seems to be the Irish motto. I took a pic of it too for my sister’s amusement. Ireland was indeed GRAND! I can’t wait to go BACK!

The Irish cuss a LOT! Hoodie inscription

I saw this book in a store window display and thought the title was funny: I’m Dead. Now What?

These cute heart dress and rain boots in a store window display would look cute on our granddaughters Annabelle, Violet, Piper, and Willow.

Irish white lace is beautiful, such as this slip or night gown. I saw quite a bit of lace in stores. It is not cheap, but very well made.

In my next post in this Ireland blog series, I’ll share pics with you of Ladies’ View in the mountains and the cute cafe there, where Leah and I stopped for chocolate and coffee (actually before we arrived in Kenmare, driving through treacherous curves in the mountains)! A much needed treat and place to relax!

Killorglin: flies, a spider, a moving bed, and a French couple!

Beth Jones Blog, Ebooks, Faith, Family, foodie, Parenting, Travel, Walking With God, Writing November 18, 2018November 18, 2018B & B, dreams, Faith, family, fine dining, God, Ireland, Jesus, Killorglin, restaurant, travel 0 Comment

This is post #11 of a blog series I’m writing including pictures of the recent amazing trip I took with our precious, beautiful daughter Leah. Here are posts:

#1, My daughter Leah and I went to Ireland,

#2, Ireland: Dreams Come True,

#3, We visited Bunratty Castle in Ireland,

#4, Bunratty Folk Park: the waterfall, the lamb, and the fairy village,

#5, The Gorgeous Cliffs of Moher,

#6, Galway Girl,

#7, Galway Girl, Part 2,

#8, Treacherous Corkscrew Hill, and

#9, The ferry in Kerry County.

#10, Torc Waterfall

I hope these blogs inspire and bless you. I thank my Lord Jesus Christ, who made this amazing opportunity and prayer possible.

The recent trip I made to Ireland with my precious daughter Leah for the first time in our lives was incredible. I had booked our trip through Great Value Vacations, choosing their B & B’s package, which I believe was the right choice. It allowed us to travel throughout the southwest of Ireland at different Bed & Breakfast places.

I read lots of reviews to decide which ones to stay at as we traveled in a direction that resembled a Shepherd’s Hook. Every one of them was immaculately clean, with a full Irish breakfast served in the morning and tea/coffee and cookies in the afternoon to welcome us there.

There was only one B & B that we stayed at where I couldn’t wait to leave! It was in the town of Killorglin, which is located in County Kerry, located on the famous Ring of Kerry and The Wild Atlantic Way. It is founded on the River Laune, known for its salmon and trout fishing, and the Reeks District is renown for outdoor activities, mountain walks, and sports activities.

I loved the canopy of green trees driving to this B & B, pictured above, as well as the unusually beautiful roses in the driveway. It was beautiful.

There were palm trees and beautiful, majestic, blue-purple mountains in the background. It was one of the prettiest places we visited.

The owners of this B & B near Killorglin had a sheep farm; they had a sheep dog, a breed of dog that Leah loves. To my amusement, they also had a cat that looked just like my black cat Natalya. She even had green eyes and the little tuft of white hair on her chest like Natalya’s!

The cat in Ireland that looks just like my black cat Natalya!

I noticed a pretty topiary plant at the entrance of the front door, which are plants pruned or shaped into certain forms. To me, this was a symbol of the entire house’s decor: elegant.

As soon as we knocked on the door of this B & B and entered the house, though, I noticed right away one disturbing thing: flies. HUGE flies–everywhere! Maybe it’s because this was a sheep farm. Leah said it was because they had the front door open when we first arrived. I assume this was to let in fresh, cooler air; most places in Ireland don’t have central air and heat.

Even though there are flies in the United States, LOL, and we have had flies in our house at times if the door is left open (especially in summer), the flies left a really bad first impression in my mind. I tried to just ignore them and be gracious, mindful that I was leaving an impression too–as a guest and an American.

The hostess was wonderful and so welcoming. She had tea and cookies for our arrival, as did the other B & B hostesses. However, she didn’t have enough tea and sugar set out for us. I wondered about this, as she knew we were coming (along with other guests there).

The room she gave us was beautiful: two single beds, as I had requested. It had large windows letting in the sunlight, and the decor was in beautiful, lacy white.

In fact, the room was so beautiful and clean and WHITE that I was afraid to touch anything. I didn’t want to dirty it with our muddy boots!

Leah was intrigued with the pretty lamp with faux glass on our table beside the beds, that resembled a chandelier.

We brought in our luggage and settled into our room, and then decided to go into the town of Kilorglin, which was only a few kilometers away. Leah really liked the fine dining restaurant that we went to there. They were so polite to us and seemed to go out of their way to serve us well. It also had a very nice atmosphere.

They had HUGE cheeseburgers, which we both got. As usual, it was served with some type of potato, so we chose French fries. We noticed that a small, fresh salad is often served with any entree in Ireland, which I enjoyed.

Leah ordered a drink called a “Double Dutch,” consisting of gin and watermelon flavor. She liked it. I love the pretty glass bottles which water is served in and the little table lamp, pictured above.

The older couple in the picture below chatted with us, with all of us laughing over how big the cheeseburgers were!

We sat awhile in this restaurant. Leah seemed to relax here. Then we went back to the B & B, and as Leah was doing her college homework, suddenly a giant spider fell on her bed and then ran under it. We both screamed. I tried to kill it with a shoe, but to no avail. We couldn’t find it. I think it came through the window, which we had opened to cool off the room. I prayed the Irish spider wouldn’t crawl on or bite one of us during the night!

Then I went into the bathroom, which–oddly for a B & B–was across the hall. I got locked into the bathroom! Leah and the owner had to help me out. The owner tried to tell me that I just wasn’t unlocking it correctly, but Leah told her she had trouble with the lock, too, when she tried to come out. This is definitely something they need to fix if they are going to have a B & B for guests!

As I tried to lay down to sleep, each time I rolled over, the little single bed squeaked and moved, bumping into the wall! There was a couple in the room next to ours, with a little child. I was afraid the noise was going to wake them. I felt frustrated. Despite the spider, Leah liked this place. This was the one B & B that I could not wait to leave!

There was another full Irish breakfast the next morning (you could also order other items of your choice). We met other guests staying there, among which there was a young French couple. To my delight, I was able to speak to them briefly in French as we were leaving. It blessed me to be able to show Leah that if you study a foreign language, even a little bit, you can converse with foreigners. I need to brush up on my French again—and maybe learn Gaelic, too! (And Spanish!)

I apologized for our noise to the couple who were in the room next to us, and explained about the squeaking bed and then the couple. They said I didn’t wake them or their child, and laughed about the spider. Then they shared their own horror story of having a flying roach in their hotel when they traveled to Hawaii.

The hostess came into the room then to serve us more hot coffee, smiling and pleased that her guests were laughing and obviously enjoying themselves, but having no clue what we were laughing about. After my incident with the locked bathroom, I didn’t have the heart to tell her about the spider!

As I looked later at the key that was supposed to unlock the bathroom, I thought how Jesus is the key to everything in our lives! After we left there, Leah and I laughed about the things that happened at this B & B, but at the time it wasn’t funny! But this place stands out as one of our vivid memories in Ireland!

I decided that the next morning we’d retrace our steps and go back to the town of Killarney to shop, which was only about 25 kilometers from Killorglin. In my next post on this Ireland Blog series, I’ll blog about the town of Killarney which I loved and share pictures of beautiful Saint Mary’s Cathedral with incredible stained glass windows.