Princess in a Castle

Wednesday was a rainy, rainy, rainy day. After our last Irish breakfast, we tried to go to a sheep farm... but the next demonstration was in the afternoon and we had too far to drive. Instead we stopped at a little hike to Torc Waterfall. Next stop in Adare... and the castle wasn't open for the season yet. We headed to Bunratty Castle... but it was too expensive. (I may have missed the turn into the castle and taken a little detour through Sixbridges town.) After all that, we decided to finish shopping at the Blarney Woolen Mills.

When we'd sufficiently spent our Euro, Michelle and I headed to Dromoland Castle where we were staying. Yes, you read that correctly. We got to sleep in a castle! We explored the walled garden...

...Mercury...

...Hermit's Grotto...

...the lily pond...

...and duck crossing.

We ate dinner in the fancy restaurant there. The dining hall was exquisite and even had tapestried walls. A few chuckles of the meal... we overheard a British kid call the chips 'french fries'... the head waiter yelling in the kitchen... German waiter enthusiastically unveiled the food when it was served... our waiter confused our orders and kept changing our knives when we would switch them after he walked away. Michelle had potato and leek ravioli, halibut and (sans) prawns while I enjoyed a lobster and prawn salad and sirloin steak. Isn't the food beautiful?

Exploring Ruins

After another traditional Irish breakfast (but with yummy hazelnut yogurt!), we started off on the Ring of Kerry. We couldn't find the turnoff for Derrynane House... somehow missed Glacier Lake... famine villages... other... things. We did, however, find Staigue Ring Fort! It had neat zig-zag stairs all around the inside, which we climbed to the top, making sure to avoid the sheep that we found inside. The next stop we made was at Carroll's Cove to dip our toes in the water. It is supposedly the warmest beach in Ireland. It is still VERY cold. We also drove by a Charlie Chaplin statue in Waterville. Apparently, he lived there a little while. Who knew?We had left early in the morning and then took the Skellig Ring loop to avoid tour buses. All the research we did said that the roads were constantly covered with tour buses, so you are either a) stuck behind them or b) constantly being passed by them on tiny, narrow roads. Luckily our plan worked, because we only passed a handful all day. This loop also allowed us to visit the Skelligs Chocolate Factory where we tried chocolates with Lime Zest and Black Pepper, Sea Salt and Irish Honey.

We passed by a sign that said "the best view of cliffs" in Kerry. Little did we know that we would pay admission, however, it included use of binoculars, so we didn't mind. ;) The view was amazing, but we almost got blown off the edge when a sudden downpour started. A little dog tried to trip Michelle, and another stuffed-animal-looking dog jumped up on me and got me muddy.We passed through a cute little town, then crossed a bridge onto Valentia Island. At the other end of the island, we rode a ferry back to the mainland.
We stopped at Ballycarberry Castle, dating back to the 16th century. This was seriously probably one of my favorite things in Ireland. There are stairs in the back that we climbed up and then in, through, and allover these ruins. Incredibly fun.Great photo shoot site... would be perfect for bridals.We saw two more stone ring forts. These two had smaller buildings inside, one even had a secret passage. We avoided more sheep and even cows at these forts... well, at least their droppings.Loved these yellow irises everywhere.We stopped to shop in Killarney, then had a scenic drive back through Killarney National Park. This was called the Ladies View, with a Leprechaun crossing to boot.

We had yummy dinner at the Coachman hotel, entertained by live accordian music.

We sat between a couple from Holland who were about to end their three-month holiday in Ireland, and another couple from Australia who were on a six-week holiday through Europe. I seriously need to move to one of these places... that's my kind of vacation. ;)

Real Ireland

Monday morning we had a little break from the traditional breakfast and had crepes. We then drove to Cork and went on a walking tour of the city. This statue represented the 700 years of Ireland's freedom with one bird for every hundred years. Crazy to think America would only have two. It was appropriately Memorial Day in the U.S. The wreath below was left for a soldier who died in France. This was Father Matthew, the apostle of temperence... I'm sure he was really popular in Ireland.

We were trying hard to take a picture of this Church of Saints Peter and Paul. It's in a small, curved alley, so it was challenging. This cute old man walking by told us that we should go inside. We took a few more pictures and as we walked up to the doors, he was coming out. He stopped and walked back in with us to show us the handcarved confessionals and point out the organ on the second floor. It was amazingly beautiful.

We got a kick out of this judge with his coattails on the courthouse steps.

One thing I loved about Ireland was all of the flowers growing on everything. It always brings a smile to my face to see tiny flowers poking out of a crack in the wall or sidewalk.This cathedral was very gothic......and creepy. Check out one of the gargoyles.We wandered through the English Market, contemplating what we should try. The breads......or fresh and unusual fruits......or cheeses or other treats. I settled on this:It is a pastry made of yesterday's leftover cakecrumbs, so tastes different every day. Different, but tasty. Michelle decided on some stinky cheese.
We left Cork and headed towards Kenmore, pausing in Macroom. We didn't stay long because parking was a challenge. We had no change for the meter, then got blocked in by a truck, and then almost hit a man when trying to back out to leave. We left there in a hurry. :)
We found Kenmare to be lovely. The B&B was called the Lissyclearig Thatched Cottage and was simply adorable.Complete with the sheep dog in the door.I loved the room keys we had... reminded me of the keys we had in Russia.

In town, we went to the museum and saw the area specialty... lace. This is a sampler that contained all the different kinds they made. It was used to show people making orders.

Next we found an ancient stone circle.

We tried to find a shortcut to a bridge, but the huge cliffs blocking the way weren't on the map. I didn't mind, though. We walked through this field of wild daisies. We looked a little harder and found Cromwell's Bridge. I'm not sure how many people actually crossed it. That arch is taller than I am, so pretty steep coming down. Next we found Our Lady's Well.

The center of the town is an "X", where we wandered the streets, shopped, and had dinner. It seriously is one of the cutest places.

We realized at dinner that night that the waiter-diner relationship requires a lot of communication. We kept having trouble getting our check when we were done eating. I guess people like to sit and chat a while there?