Day 5: Dingle All the Way

OH, sunshine sunshine how I love you!!

Today we went to Dingle which is located on the Dingle Penninsula and so the drive there was on an beautiful (though sometimes narrow) coastal road.  Our reason for going to Dingle was to find Fungi, a bottlenose dolphin that has lived in Dingle Harbour for over 20 years!  The theory is that he was likely seperated from his pod when he was quite young and ended up in Dingle Harbour. Dolphins are very social, and he get his social interaction from the boats in the harbour.  He is never fed, there is nothing keeping him in the harbour and nothing artificial that draws him to the boats.  Cool, right?  AND you get your money back if you don't see him.  Sounds perfect?

After about 45 minutes of cruising around the harbour....yes, in a boat, and YES I was in said boat doped up on Sea Legs with my handy dandy wristbands on. I am a changed women.  Anyways, we hadn't seen Fungi :(  Erik is doing the math tallying up how much money they are going to lose based on how many people were on  the boat, and I am thinking this is going to be JUST as disappointing as when we went to Loch Ness and I didn't spot Nessie, when all of a sudden one of the boatsmen points to one side of the boat.  There was Fungi right beside the boat, jumping and looking around.  It was very cool.  Kind of hard to get pictures too between the dolphin not holding still and the people getting in the way ;)

Waiting for Fungi

Fungi following the boat

The kids even got a dolphin ride in

After seeing Fungi we walked around Dingle which had some wonderful artisan-type shops.  We had lunch at a really cute restaurant where Rowan asked if she could try mussels!  She even liked them!

We then set off to drive around the Dingle Penninsula.  On route we stopped at a couple sites, including the Donegal Fort (an iron age promontory fort) and the Gallarus Oratory (an very early Christian chapel).

Clifftop view from promontory fort

Wall of fort

At the end of the Dingle peninsula

Gallerus Oratory

On our way back there was a serious car accident and traffic was backed up and at a standstill.  It looked like we were going to be there for awhile so Erik tells me to turn around (I am driving) as he knows "another way".  I am immediately suspicious but he thinks it will be faster (he was probably right).  As we are heading up the road which is rapidly becoming a bit questionable, Erik reads out the road atlas legend's description of the road:

Extremely narrow, difficult and dangerous

Great!  Check out our video:

It all ended well, we got home safe and sound and ended the day with takeaway pizza and a glass of wine :)