Seeing as how we'd been awake for over 24 hours, we let ourselves sleep in a little on this morning. Our accomodations happened to be right between two great Irish towns, Kenmare and Killarney, so we had to decide which way to go first, left or right. We went right and headed into Kenmare, and it just so happened to be their market day! We had a great time walking around and perusing the various wares vendors had to offer, not to mention all the fun things in the shops that are there permanently (a little side note...Ireland has a "tidy towns" award, so most of their towns are now pretty tidy and colorful. Many towns we drove to proudly displayed their plaques listing years they had won or had been the runner-up for this award).
After taking our time there and buying a little doily (yes, I bought a doily), we hopped in Penny and drove through the Killarney National Forest. There are so many beautiful views along that drive, so we really took our time stopping and taking pictures. There is one point called "Ladies View" and is named after Queen Victoria's ladies-in-waiting who loved the view so much. As we were taking pictures there, I noticed a doe eating the grass. Slowly, I walked toward her, and she never moved! She let me get so close! I didn't push my luck too much though, because there were other people taking pictures of her, and I didn't want them to be mad at me for scaring her off. 
After a few more photos and self-timer shots (one including a beautiful Irish rainbow), we drove down to an old little church on the side of the road. Though the church was pretty in and of itself, I was totally amazed by all the wild blackberries surrounding it. I saw some German people eating them, and they looked okay, so I figured I'd go for it. Man, were they good! They were so plump and not at all tart like ours. Also, in Ireland, they call them "blackcurrants". Maybe they're a different fruit altogether, I don't know, but they sure were tasty. I felt like that blueberry girl on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Luckily, I didn't turn purple and roll down the hill. 
As we were walking around the church, we could hear water across the street. So, we crossed and found this beautiful little waterway rushing over these giant rocks underneath a lovely old bridge. We walked along it for awhile, and then Zach discovered a trail. Naturally, he wanted to see to where it led. So, off we went into, what looked like, Middle Earth. I told Zach that he could be Gandolf, and I could be Frodo (we're huge dorks, I know). The hike was so fun. We saw crazy twisty holly trees, rocks covered with green moss, stone walls covered with green moss, ruins of old stone cottages, old bridges, and more of God's beautiful creation...truly breathtaking and one of the major highlights of the trip.
Satisfied with our exploration, we turned around and headed back for the Ka. Zach drove us into Killarney, where we walked around and tried to find the hotel where he had stayed several years back. To be honest, Killarney was pretty touristy and a little disappointing. For some reason, it wasn't what Zach had remembered either (somehow, things are a little different when one goes places himself or herself than when going as part of a tour, as we both found out). So, we walked around, checked out an old cathedral, then drove back home, where I enjoyed Monarch of the Glen on the BBC before calling it a night. It was a good day. 
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