Today we left Kilkenny for Killarney by way of Cashel, Cobh, and Cork. We were winging it to see what we could and wanted to. Blarney was bypassed in favor of Rock of Cashel. It was a great decision. We loved the Rock of Cashel which was built for Choirs. All our choir friends would love a place like this! When you are there you can envision what it looked like when it was being used. It must have created a wonderful sound for music. It was also the place of a massacre. To cover up the massacre, they set the building on fire. Intending to rebuild after the massacre, the residents had to give up that dream as it was too expensive and there weren't enough people in the community after the massacre to pay for the renovations. Currently it is being restored in some areas in order to save the structure from the elements. Quite a magnificent piece of architecture.
Once we had finished taking about 1000 photos at the rock (maybe a little bit of an exaggeration), we headed toward Cobh. It was beginning to get a little nippy on the water's edge, but we stopped for lunch across from the water at Taste Cafe for coffee and a sandwich. Very tasty. We saw a huge cruise ship in port and toured a Titanic exhibit located on the same pier and ticket office where the Titanic passengers left Cobh. There were some 120 passengers who left from this, the last port of the maiden voyage. We then went up the very steep hill to St. Colman's Cathedral. It took 47 years to complete and was finished in 1915, new compared to many structures in Ireland. It contains the largest carillon in Ireland totalling 49 bells.
We proceeded to Cork where we quickly toured the English Market which reminded me of Pikes in Seattle. I was looking for an Irish Craft store that I read about, but it appears to be out of business. Since it was getting late and many places were closed, we left for our final destination, Killarney. We checked into the International Hotel. An older style grand type of hotel with a beautiful staircase and very nice people. We decided to eat at Hannigans which is attached to the hotel. I had pork medallions and of course there were potatoes! It was awesome! Best meal so far with the best service. We then took a stroll around the streets and found several places (pubs) we will try to visit tomorrow night after the Ring of Kerry tour.
Monday, May 28, 2012
Ed Here: Sorry for the delay for posting but we are still adjusting to the time and quite frankly once Deb is done with her blog entry at night I am already asleep! Technology has made this trip so much more enjoyable. We have been able to Skype to some family members which has come in very handy, especially in keeping up to date with my mother's progress. All is sounding good on that front. I thank my family for coming together to help out in any way they can. Thank you. Now..on to the adventure!
If I were to take away just one experience so far from our trip it would have to be Deb's finger..no not that one.. I see a finger pointing to the right when she feels I am not completely in my lane as I drive on the left (wrong) side of the road. Let's just say I see that finger a lot...no more so than when she was picking out vegetation from the passenger side mirror after our trip yesterday!
Other highlights for me so far has been the food. From the flight over on Aer Lingus (business class) to the pubs we have frequented, I have been pleasantly surprised by the abundance of seafood and the quality of the meals. Seafood pie is the local delicasy I have seemed to focus on. From what I can tell it seems to be a seafood chowder made with salmon, crab, and other ingredients baked with a layer of mashed potato and some cheese. I am also trying to partake in the local, local beers as we travel so for our Kilkenney stay I had Smithwicks, which is available in the US..but just seems to taste a bit better here.
Today we are on our way to Killarney via Cork and Cobh. If you are interested in where that is..get a map and travel along with us! Basically we are in the southeast part of the emerald isle and will be traveling west. Thanks for reading...
If I were to take away just one experience so far from our trip it would have to be Deb's finger..no not that one.. I see a finger pointing to the right when she feels I am not completely in my lane as I drive on the left (wrong) side of the road. Let's just say I see that finger a lot...no more so than when she was picking out vegetation from the passenger side mirror after our trip yesterday!
Other highlights for me so far has been the food. From the flight over on Aer Lingus (business class) to the pubs we have frequented, I have been pleasantly surprised by the abundance of seafood and the quality of the meals. Seafood pie is the local delicasy I have seemed to focus on. From what I can tell it seems to be a seafood chowder made with salmon, crab, and other ingredients baked with a layer of mashed potato and some cheese. I am also trying to partake in the local, local beers as we travel so for our Kilkenney stay I had Smithwicks, which is available in the US..but just seems to taste a bit better here.
Today we are on our way to Killarney via Cork and Cobh. If you are interested in where that is..get a map and travel along with us! Basically we are in the southeast part of the emerald isle and will be traveling west. Thanks for reading...
Sunday, May 27, 2012
Today started as another beautiful day. Our drive to Waterford was easy on the highway. It seems that there are more cows than sheep from what we have noticed. Perhaps when we get to another region, we will see some sheep. The tour of the Waterford factory was fantastic. So beautiful! We spent much of the day walking around Waterford seeing the sights. There were many placed closed because it was Sunday. The countryside is green and lush with rolling hills.
Hook Head Lighthouse was our next stop. There was a shortcut to the lighthouse. Thank goodness for the ferry, because the rest of the road out to the tip of the countryside was winding and very narrow. I am certain that when we return the car there will be my handprint in the seat....permanently. There is so much vegetation around the roads that you can barely see anything beyond the road. Once we got to the lighthouse it started to rain. We were 5 minutes late for the last tour of the day, but they took our money and said go to the lighthouse and knock and someone will let you in. Sure enough, we made it to the tour. The Irish have been very pleasant and accomodating. We are enjoying ourselves and trying some different foods. Ed seems to like the seafood pie. Tomorrow we are off to a new hotel and more narrow roads! Maybe I need a blindfold.
Hook Head Lighthouse was our next stop. There was a shortcut to the lighthouse. Thank goodness for the ferry, because the rest of the road out to the tip of the countryside was winding and very narrow. I am certain that when we return the car there will be my handprint in the seat....permanently. There is so much vegetation around the roads that you can barely see anything beyond the road. Once we got to the lighthouse it started to rain. We were 5 minutes late for the last tour of the day, but they took our money and said go to the lighthouse and knock and someone will let you in. Sure enough, we made it to the tour. The Irish have been very pleasant and accomodating. We are enjoying ourselves and trying some different foods. Ed seems to like the seafood pie. Tomorrow we are off to a new hotel and more narrow roads! Maybe I need a blindfold.
Saturday, May 26, 2012
After a very long day, we are in Ireland! It is sunny and in the 70's. Warmer than predicted, but a gorgeous day. Our travel started the night before driving to Austin. We woke up at 3 am after 2 hours of sleep and headed to the airport for our 6am flight to Boston with a stop over in Chicago. Uneventful flights. After arriving in Boston, we had to get our luggage and check in at Aer Lingus. We had a long layover until 9pm when our plane took off for Ireland. Business Class was nice and we are both spoiled. The service and added room was nice. I managed a couple hours of rest/sleep on the plane. Had dinner and breakfast on the plane. The line at the airport was very long, but we got our bags without incident.
We have a rental car and it is a tad scary driving on the left! Ed is doing well driving, but I am a little anxious! We drove to Kilkenny and went to the design center for lunch which is across the street from Kilkenny Castle. It was a gorgeous day and we walked the grounds of the castle. After lunch we were dragging, so we headed to the hotel for a nap. We ate at the pub in the restaurant which was very good. Enjoying taking it easy. Took a stroll after dinner down the street and it was still light at 10pm. Because of the long days, we should be able to see so much. Stay tuned.
We have a rental car and it is a tad scary driving on the left! Ed is doing well driving, but I am a little anxious! We drove to Kilkenny and went to the design center for lunch which is across the street from Kilkenny Castle. It was a gorgeous day and we walked the grounds of the castle. After lunch we were dragging, so we headed to the hotel for a nap. We ate at the pub in the restaurant which was very good. Enjoying taking it easy. Took a stroll after dinner down the street and it was still light at 10pm. Because of the long days, we should be able to see so much. Stay tuned.
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