Waterville, Ireland

Today we had something new on our to do list. Something that none of us had ever done before, except maybe Karsten, but that was over 20 years ago. We booked riding lessons at the Ring of Kerry Equestrian Center, heading out to Cahersiveen. The interesting part when we got there we were treated in German. One of the riding aids, Melanie, is from Germany. To be exact she is from Cuxhaven and has been living in the Kerry area for over 10 years now. Grant the owner fitted us with helmets and we were lead to the riding pen. Before we knew it, the three of us were on horses and practicing with the youngsters. Standing in the stirrups, sitting back down, holding on to the reins before we went out for a walk. Thankfully the horses were lead and I had Melanie leading my horse Nemo. We chatted about riding and learning to ride and I received a constant reminder that I was holding my feet incorrectly. We were then taken into a trot and I have to admit I found it quite enjoyable. We then headed back to the stables and the pen, where we practiced „jumping“. Thank goodness the horse more or less stepped over the log, but still it was exciting. All in all Karsten and I liked it. For Eric it was ok, but I assume it has to do with the fact, that in our area riding is a female dominated sport. Whereas I learned today that the 14 year old boys are quite fond of riding. Many of them as jockeys. When we were finished we drove to Cahersiveen and visited the Daniel O’Connell Memorial Church. At least I led my family to a church that wasn’t in ruins. My reputation is that I am attracted to ruins and not the newer things that are built. After that we went grocery shopping, had lunch and then headed for Waterville to finally have an Irish Coffee, which we did at The Lobster. From there we headed to the Skelligs Chocolate Factory. Sinfully delicious. I really need to get physically more active here and at home. I can’t burn the calories as quick as they pass my mouth. We drove by St. Finians Church which is a ruin (rno kidding) and continued on following the road to Portmagee which was an incredibly steep climb. We stopped at the Cliffs of Kerry and tried getting a good snapshot of Skellig Michael, but alas, once again it was covered in clouds. We drove back to the house and are now ready for bed again. Fresh ocean air does make you tired.