Met for breakfast at 8 am and we made the decision to go ahead and do laundry at the launderette at the gas station since the weather was crappy this morning.
We went to Revolution Launderette, of which is a chain all over the UK, and there was a lady there using the big washer (there is a smaller one as well), which we needed. We waited as hers was almost done and then put laundry in while she then used the dryer (there is only one dryer, go figure!).
We went back to the BNB and planned what to do today while waiting to put our stuff in the dryer. Got the clothes in, did them for 30 minutes and grabbed it all and folded them. Hopefully we will be good for the rest of our trip!
Got back on the road for the Ring of Kerry and stopped at Skelligs Chocolate (Ballinskelligs in Co. Kerry) and had a dark hot chocolate and some chocolate samples. I ended up buying dark chocolate with mint and white chocolate with lime! We continued on the route, eventually crossing on a ferry in Knight’s Town, then back on N70 to take us back to Waterville. (Since we will be heading to Westport tomorrow, we are saving the last of the route.) We had lunch at Dooley’s (back in Waterville), just a salad for me and soup for John.
We went to McGills, which is a local brewer in Waterville, and although it said it was open, no one was there so we headed back to Dooley’s and had a beer outside facing the water. It was nice as the sun was finally out and it felt great!
Headed back to the BNB and got ready for dinner. John and I had the seafood mix again, but this time without the pasta and a salad and it was just as good as last night!
After dinner we played some Hand and Foot and the girls lost. Oh well, can’t win them all 😉
We are ready to head to the next stop, which is Westport.
Thank goodness for Revolution Launderettes!Today we are going from Waterville, to Ballinskelligs (near the Skellig Ring), on to Valentia Island and then crossing over from Knight’s Town, via ferry, to pick up N70 to head back to Waterville. On the way to Skelligs Chocolate, in Ballinskelligs.Woo hoo, chocolate!She was getting chunks of chocolate off the belt.Dark chocolate hot chocolate, yummy!Back on the road againCatching the ferry in Knight’s Town.Off the ferry, so back to Waterville!Back in Waterville where we spent the remainder of the day walking around and enjoying the weather.Waterville was a major cable landing point for transatlantic communications. The marker explains that the shore ends of Commercial Cable Company transatlantic cables were brought ashore here. Those cables connected Ireland to other cable hubs, including the UK, France, and the Azores—with a specific cable era called out around 1901. The cables didn’t just sit on the beach: they ran underground to a nearby cable station, where messages were handled and routed onward. There’s also a note that winter storms in 2014 uncovered shore-end cables, which is a neat reminder that pieces of this infrastructure can literally reappear when the coastline shifts.The Waterville seafront promenade.Charlie Chaplin first visited Waterville, County Kerry, in the early 1960s. He was living in Switzerland and having retired from filmmaking, was looking for a quiet, scenic place away from Hollywood. Chaplin found what he wanted in Waterville and returned repeatedly over several years and it became one of his favorite European retreats in life. Love this pic of Michelle and Vance!Sitting outside on Dooley’s deck with a great beer enjoying the sunshine!Another great meal from Mary – will miss her cooking and her great personality!
