
First order of business today was to return the bike to the rental shop. Afterwards was a quick breakfast and packing a daypack for the Ring of Kerry bus tour.
The tour was great. Since a lot of people did not turn out, we ended up taking a little bus instead of a full sized coach. This meant we got to stop at a lot of more places and could go through tiny city streets where the big busses could not go.
Our driver, Pat, was very knowledgeable and helpful, as well as entertaining. We got a healthy does of geography, architecture, history, and everything there is to know about peat bogs and peat in general.
The trip is difficult to describe in words, as it was very picturesque, but throughout its 110 miles it was not without interesting sights for any periods of time.
We took a lunch stop at the tip of the Iverough Penninsula, overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. It was very well worth trip and much better than the experience of some fellow travelers. Joke heard on bus tour from some Irish comedian on tape:
"So my mother-in-law is coming by this weekend. I cut off my dog's tail so he would not show any signs of affection."
After spending some time in the hostel eating and catching up on some matters, I went out. At O'Connors pub I met some people and we talked for a while. One of the girls there was from Hartford, Connecticut, and we ended up knowing some people in common. It really is a small world.
The rest of the night I bounced from pub to pub trying to meet up with the huge Italian group from my hostel. At one of the dance clubs there was apparently a scuffle that resulted in a bunch of bouncers, cops, and a very bloody guy blocking the main entrance along the way out for a cigarette. Apparently this was quite early for a fight and the guy received a more severe than usual beating. At the end of the night met a nice girl named Jennifer and we talked for a while.