Ida & I have both had prior experience driving in Ireland and opted to take the route of hiring a driver for this trip which was a brilliant decision. Our driver, Trudy, picked us up at our Dublin Hotel in a VW people mover with plenty of room for us & the luggage. In addition to her driving skills, Trudy is a genealogist, tour guide and has connections for arranging everything.
She mapped out our drive from Dublin with stops at the Rock of Cashel, a jaunty cart tour in Killarney of the National Park, the beach in Inch and ending with our stay at a 100+ year old self farm cottage just outside of Dingle. The farm house is heated by two fireplaces that burn wood, coal and peat. Fortunately for me, Ida and the Mississippi crowd are well versed in the art of building and maintaining a fire.
Knowing it was going to be a long day in the car, Ida and Trudy also arranged to have Caroline, a private chef, handle the dinner. From the start with a Dingle gin tasting & cheese board the meal was a five star event. All locally sourced and freshly prepared the multi-course meal included seafood chowder with brown bread, a trio of salads (potato salad, quinoa, and heritage beets salad), main course of rack of spring lamb, broccoli purée, and a trio of potatoes (mashed, mashed sweet potatoes and roasted potatoes and carrots). It all wrapped up with Kerry apple cake and brownies topped with fresh whipped cream. In addition to her extraordinary cooking/pastry skills, Caroline also entertained us with traditional Irish songs and a tin flute. It was the perfect introduction to the west of Ireland.
No comments:
Post a Comment