Driving

Today was a lot of driving. We woke up this morning to enjoy another breakfast made by Richard.  This time I just had the sausage, bacon, and rice crispies. I also tried the Irish tea. As a non-tea drinker, it was pretty good! Thom had the same as yesterday-except for the black and white pudding.

After packing up and saying good-bye to the Byrnes, we headed to Ennis. Ennis is a town along the way to Dublin. It was raining quite a bit and shopping wasn't the most pleasant.

Then we drove to Dublin, which was only supposed to be a quick 2 hour (maybe a little over) drive. Unfortunately I clicked the thing on the GPS that said "no toll roads" so before we knew it we were in Limerick in the middle of the city in stand still traffic--oops.

We made it to Dublin by early evening and ate in the hotel restaurant. We were going to see Phoenix Park, but it was so rainy it would not have been enjoyable.  For dinner we both had pizza, me-capri, Thom-meat and veggie.

After dinner we packed up our souveniers for the airplane tomorrow. We also returned the car.  The insurance seems like such a waste of money when returning it and don't getting in an accident--don't get me wrong, so glad we didn't get in an accident, just feels like a waste of money.

Then we came back to the room and watched Definitely Maybe. It was a cute movie. Now off to bed to catch a plane tomorrow!

Cliffs of Moher and Galway

Today was very enjoyable.  This morning we enjoyed our first traditional Irish breakfast.  Richard made it, and it was delicious. We got toast (with orange marmalade and a berry marmalade), scrambled eggs, sausage, tomato, black and white pudding, coffee, orange juice, and bacon.  The black and white pudding was interesting,  but I'm glad I tried it! 

After breakfast,we got ready to head to the Cliffs of Moher which was a short 20 minute drive from Ennistymon.  On our way, we stopped at St. Brigid's Well, a popular pilgrimage site.  It was amazing to see all the prayer cards in remembrance of loved ones that were pinned to the walls.

   It was a little rainy while we were at the Cliffs, but cleared up toward the end of our visit. The Cliffs were beautiful! They have been in movies such as Harry Potter and The Princess Bride.  When I had knee surgery many moons ago, Aunt Karen bought me The Princess Bride. It quickly became one of my favorite movies. The Cliffs are during the part when the Man in Black (Westley) has to climb the "Cliffs of Insanity" to try to catch the men who kidnapped Princess Buttercup.  Thom was enjoying my Princess Bride quotes throughout our visit :)

They had a little trail that went out of the property of the Cliffs of Moher, but continued onto the next town Doolin. We didn't walk the entire path, but walked for a bit where you could actually sit on the edges of the cliffs. No worries, we were safe.  But now we have some awesome photos.

After the Cliffs, we decided to drive to Galway. The road was so twisty! But incredibly beautiful and scenic.  Thom did awesome driving, there were so many tour busses that didn't understand what the center line was for. We stopped by a castle, but it was closing as we were arriving, so we didn't do the tour.

I don't think we did Galway correctly...we went to the middle of Galway City. We saw the Latin Quarters, walked by the museum, the square and the Spanish Arch, but it just wasn't the Galway that I was expecting...Still nice, but just not what I thought--this is what happens when we go on the fly and I don't research! 

When we got back to Ennistymon we relaxed for a bit before dinner. It is amazing how much The Cascades have gotten stronger since the rain we got yesterday.  We ate at Byrne's again because it was so good last night! Thom got the traditional fish and chips again--this time I got a bite-it was DELICIOUS. I got the spinach and ricotta cheese risotto.  It was wonderful! I don't think there is a bad thing on the menu! Thom enjoyed a Guinness and I enjoyed some wine.  At the end of the fabulous meal, we found out that Dr. Connors treated us to dinner--So thoughtful!! Thank you, Dr. Connors! 

After dinner we relaxed a bit more before heading to Cooley's Pub and Eugene's.  Thom tried a small batch of black label Jameson whisky and had another Black Bush.  

We have had a wonderful time in Ennistymon. It is a beautiful little town and Byrne's Restaurant and Accommodation is amazing--We highly recommend this stop to anyone!

Ennistymon

Today we left mid-morning to head to Ennistymon.  After packing up the condo and loading the car we hit the road. We arrived at Ennistymon and found Byrne's easily.  It is a beautiful place on "The Cascades",that run through the town under a beautiful 7 arch stone bridge.  It was raining when we arrived so we left our bags in the car and went right to lunch at the Byrne's Restaurant. Thom had fish and chips and I had a panini. Thom said it was the best fish and chips he had ever had--I can't second this...he ate it so quickly I didn't get a bite! The Byrne family are all very nice and welcoming.

After lunch we went up to our room which is super cute. It has a window overlooking The Cascades. The sound of the water falling is so relaxing. I think we've got the best view in the place! We then walked around the town. This town is not touristy, which is really nice. We walked to the different churches, pubs, memorials, and stores.  After walking around a bit, we stopped at a pub called "Eugene's" where Eugene was working the bar.  He and Thom had a lengthy discussion on whiskeys.  Thom tried 4 new whiskeys.  I thought the pub was unique because it's decor was business cards placed all over the walls of people who have visited previously (unfortunately we don't have any business cards as teachers...).  Eugene also did all the woodwork and painting in the bar which was very intricate. The pub is below his house and he invited us up to see the woodwork in his house, which was beautiful.  

We then came back the room to relax.  Seriously, this view is amazing.

Once dinner time arrived, we headed back down to the restaurant. All of the locals raved about the food.  We enjoyed a bottle of wine. Thom got the braised lamb and I got the chicken breast stuffed with feta and wrapped in ham. OH MY GOODNESS! Seriously, OUT OF THIS WORLD. I loved the dinner. Everything was cooked perfectly with delicious flavors. The foodie in me was in heaven.  I then got dessert....because, why not! I got the apple crumble with vanilla ice cream, which again, awesome!!! Such good food. 

After dinner we went to a pub down the road that was to have Irish Music.  There were 7 people in the "band".  There was no singing (except for this cute old man who sang acapella), but the band was fun to watch.  The woman playing the spoons was my favorite- she was concentrating so hard! I also liked her because she reminded me of Grandma Funke.  After a drink at this pub, we went back to Eugene's.  Thom and Eugene get along well and we sat by the fireplace and chatted. Thom said that Eugene reminded him of his father, Joe.

Tomorrow we are doing the Cliffs of Moher. I'm looking forward to breakfast downstairs in the morning! More tomorrow!  

The Ring of Kerry

Today was AWESOME! They say, "You haven't seen Ireland until you've done the Ring of Kerry" and it is true! It was absolutely beautiful! We went through all sorts of terrains. Our cottage is just a couple minutes off of the Ring of Kerry.  We began by going through Killorglin, which is just a little Northwest of our cottage.  Our first stop was a beach called Rossbeigh Strand. It was stunning. The sun was just starting to peek through and the skies were blue.  They had a company that offered horse rides on the beach and a couple people were out with their dogs.  I think it may be my favorite stop on the Ring of Kerry.

Our next stop was Catherciveen.  There we went a little off the beaten path to a castle called Ballycarberry Castle.  Because it was about a 5-10 minute drive off the ring, no one was there. It was a castle, out in the middle of nowhere, from the 14th century.  We were able to climb and explore the castle all by ourselves. It was awesome. This was Thom's favorite stop.  (Look at the picture below to see if you can see Thom on the castle)

We then drove through Waterville to Catherdaniel where we had lunch. The drive from Waterville to Catherdaniel was described in my book as, "squiggle your way for 12km along the Ring's most tortuous stretch past plunging cliffs and soaring mountains to Catherdaniel." That was putting it lightly...We ate at O'Carroll's Beachside Bar.  I ordered the fish and chips and Thom ordered the house special pizza. To those of you who know me well--yes, I ordered fish-be proud. (Laurie and Lynn--I tried this because this meal is what we spent your gift on. We've always agreed experiences are best-especially foodie ones, so I was thinking of you! :) ) On our drive we saw the Skellig Islands. Thom was super excited to see this. Our view for lunch was lovely-the small beach was so cute! 

Our next stop was Sneem. We stopped for some good ol' souvenir shopping. Thom got a Guinness glass, and jersey.  Sneem means "the knot" which is thought to refer to how the river swirls near the bay.  

We continued on to Kenmare for more shopping and Thom found a bog oak sculpture of the Murdoch's Cross from Monasterboice.  He did a paper on this sculpture in Dr. Connor's Irish History Class and was incredibly excited when we found it.  

We then drove through the Killarney National Park (with a quick stop at Ross Castle and the Ladies' View) back to the town of Killarney to come home.  

The most EXCITING part of the day---(not really)---I got to DRIVE! whoohoo me! It was awesome. I think I did a great job.  Thom thought I was driving a little too close to the edge of the road, but after the Ring of Kerry, he doesn't know the meaning of being close to the edge. (...but it honestly was harder than what I thought it would be)

Let's talk about the roads....Oh  my goodness, I have never seen roads like this before.  They were so squiggly, tight, narrow, confusing, and I cannot even put into words how small these roads were.  Thom did an amazing job driving through them, however, how we got through it without a scratch is beyond me.  I think the world's worst job would be to drive a tour bus on these roads. There were times when we were on cliffs and the road went from a very skinny, narrow two lane to a SURPRISE everyone drives in the middle of the road--it doesn't matter which way you're going. I am so thankful that I was not driving, however if one is claustrophobic (Eric Zoske--I'm thinking of you) you would NOT like being in the passenger seat on this drive.   At one point, there were even sheep (Thom's favorite new meat) and goat on the road! 

We've had an enjoyable stay at the Killarney Country Club and are a little sad to leave our on-site pub friends, however, Ennistymon is calling our name! We cannot wait to meet Richard and Mary who are friends of Dr. Connor's (same Dr. Connor who taught Thom's college class) and Dr. Connor was beyond generous to give us a stay at Richard and Mary's. We are so excited--pictures to come tomorrow!

Blarney

Today we drove the 1.5 hour trek to Blarney to visit the Blarney Castle and the Blarney Stone. It misted a little throughout the entire day, but considering it hasn't rained at all and we've been here almost an entire week-we can't complain.  When we made it into the garden we headed straight for the castle and the stone. The Blarney Stone is at the top of the castle. In order to kiss it you need to lay on your back and lean backwards in about a 1.5ft x 3ft rectangular hole.  Back in the day, you needed to be held by your ankles and lowered to kiss the stone, however this was very unsafe. If the people holding you were to lose their grip, you would fall to your death.  Now, they have installed wire rods so it is much safer. They also have an assistant there which holds your coat and helps pull you back up.  The walk up to the top is 100 steps of very narrow spiral stairs.  They have installed pipes and ropes to help you walk up.  The view from the top was beautiful of course.  Thom kissed the stone first and kept his eyes open and looked down, I couldn't do that--too freaky.  Before us there was an 81 year old woman who was celebrating her birthday by kissing the stone. It is said the stone gives you the gift of eloquence or the gift of gab.  On the way to the top and down there are also rooms that you could stop in. They were labeled with the Earl's Bed Chambers, Young Ladies Room, Grand Room, etc.

When we finished at the castle we went to the Blarney House which still has people living in it. They offer a tour, however, our ticket didn't include the tour, so we didn't do it.  On our way back towards the castle we found a neat tree. It was an red cedar tree with huge arm like branches.  Thom was able to climb on top of it, but I couldn't...That's why I'm standing in the photo.... After the cool tree we found a cave that the Earl used to escape from the castle with the golden plate when Cromwell was seizing it.

Our next stop was the Poison Garden. The sign outside of the garden said to not eat, touch, or smell anything. Next to each of the plants it listed what it was, what it would do to you, and if it had any historical significance. The most interesting poisonous plant was rhubarb.

We then went to the Rock Close. It is a path with many stops along the way that are said to be magical. Our favorite was the "wishing steps". It is said that if you close your eyes and walk down the steps backwards you will have a wish come true.  Both Thom and I walked backwards so we'll see if it works!

After leaving Blarney we headed back to Killarney to have dinner at a restaurant called Murphy's which was recommended to us by a local at the pub last night.  Thom had Irish Lamb Stew and I had Irish Beef.  Both were really good--especially Thom's stew. We then walked around the shops for some souvenir shopping.  Thom got a rugby jersey polo which he can wear to school and I got a Christmas Ornament.

Tomorrow we're off to the Ring of Kerry. Sláinte! (Cheers!)

Sunday

Today we were going to do the Ring of Kerry, however, I think our bodies are confused about the Irish/American Time Zone Change....We went to bed at the time that Irish people go to bed (midnight) however, we woke up at noon or American time zone 6:00am......So yes, we got 12 hours of sleep. Apparently we're exhausted. 

So instead of seeing the Ring of Kerry today, we took today as a relax day.   We decided to go grocery shopping considering we have a kitchen in our cottage and to help save money.  Once we unloaded our groceries we went for a little walk around the area where Thom made a new friend.

Thom decided to go for a jog so while he jogged, I read outside. I'm reading a book called "The Fault of Our Stars". It was on a bunch of popular book lists.  I enjoyed the view while I read.

 Thom said his jog was beautiful. He saw many green rolling hills, farms, and cows. He said when he ran by the cows would come up to him with a mouth full of grass.  He has also been collecting rocks from our different destinations.  When he got back we went to Killarney town for dinner.

We ate at a restaurant called Danny Mann's.  Thom had a lamb burger and I had a minute steak. Both were very good. I then got a dessert...I can't remember what it was called, but it was like cream puffs with chocolate sauce and shaved chocolate. It was awesome!

Our goal is to eat mostly authentic Irish meals from here on out...We then waited for the live music.  After listening to the live music for awhile we went for a walk around the town, where we will do shopping tomorrow.  

We are currently sitting at the on-site pub at our cottage because the internet is iffy in our cottage.  Thom is enjoying a Guinness and says it is one of his new favorite beers.  He says it almost has a caramel after taste.  Much better in Ireland than in the States. 

More tomorrow.  :)

Dublin/Kilkenny/Killarney

Yesterday was a day of driving. We began the day by waking up and enjoying breakfast at "La Pizzeria". Thom enjoyed the breakfast special which included eggs, sausage, bacon (which was more like thicker ham), tomato, toast, beans (baked) and coffee. I enjoyed a breakfast panini which had sausage, bacon, and cheese.  After checking out we began our journey to the General Post Office followed by Kilmainham Gaol.

At the General Post Office (GPO) we saw the gun bullets where people were shot during the 1916 rebellion.

Kilmainham Gaol was amazing. The history behind it is powerful. We learned about the 1916 Rebellion/ Uprising. It was also home to the President of Ireland for awhile.  There is also a popular song called "Grace" written about a woman who was wife of a prisoner there. They married just hours before his execustion for being one of the leaders in the rebellion.  Thom really likes that song. We stood where people were the 14 rebellion leaders were shot, where people lived in cells, and where they had "exercise" (which consisted of walking in a circle and chipped stones). Our tour guide did a great job.

We then walked through Memorial Park (we thought we were in Phoenix Park). It was a beautiful park with fountains and gardens.  So many people were out with their families.

This began our trek to Kilkenny.  We arrived in Kilkenny mid-afternoon.  Our main stop was the Kilkenny Castle. It was beautiful! Unfortunately, we didn't get many photos because I found out (by getting caught) that taking photos was against the rules--oops.  In Kilkenny Castle we saw real paintings of Charles the I and II. It was owned by the Bulter family.  (can you tell what details Thom wants me to include in the blog....?)

After our tour we were hungry, so we ate an early dinner at Key Largo, a restaurant recommended to us by the local bookstore worker.  Thom enjoyed a spicy chicken, ham pizza with chips and salsa and I had spaghetti carbonara with a swiss salad. It was very good. Due to time, we had to leave Kilkenny rather quickly to get to Killarney.

The drive from Kilkenny to Killarney took over 2.5 hours. The roads were very narrow and windy. Thom did a FABULOUS job driving. It was amazing how some of the streets said the limit was 100kph, but we were going like 70 and it felt like flying. No way could we have ever done 100kph without flipping. It was very enjoyable because it was country roads.  It was BEAUTIFUL. Along the way we saw many rolling hills, sheep, cows, and cottages.  The Irish must take pride in their homes-every house was in perfect condition and very well kept.

We arrived at the Killarney Country Club a little bit before 9:00.  However, the reception had already closed so they left us a nice note informing us how to get into our cottage.  Our cottage is super cute.  It was stone outside, two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen, living room, and dining area.  It is two stories.  After we got settled a bit, we went to the onsite pub (which is primarily attended by locals).  It was quite a fun experience. Thom and I met many locals. There was a golfing tournament, so they came here to present the awards.  I made friends with the golfing ladies and wifes and Thom made friends with the local farmers.  They called him "Thom-boyo".  It was a little bit difficult to understand them (the accent is stronger in the south).  Thom compared types of farming with them--they did not know what soy beans were. A lingo here is "You alright?" but they aren't asking if you're alright, they're saying "what's up".  They also call Guinness "porters" and pretty ladies "lassies" or "lambs".  I am finding the grammar interesting. They do not make the "th" sound. So "think" sounds like "tink", "they" sounds like "tey" etc.  Irish people really are friendly--they bought us a drink for our honeymoon. We haven't met any unpleasant Irish person.