Having said that, we clearly made it! And are alive! :) Thelma and Louise are riding well so far. We made it to Dublin on Sunday morning around 04:30, and got our bags, rental car, etc. by about 06:30 or so. We piled into the car and headed towards Kilkenny. Our hotel (graciously!) let us check in our room early to shower and nap, and then we headed to Waterford! I didn't completely spaz out when first driving, so by that time it was already even a little bit automatic. Got to Waterford and took the new crystal factory tour -- this wasn't available in 2009 when I was here, because they were closing up shop to outsource to Poland. They're settled in their downtown location, and now give tours of the actual factory, etc. We saw several vases and glasses actually be made in front of us, all different stages (melting, blowing, cutting, etching, etc.). It was cool! I look forward to using our Waterford tumblers at home that we've had for a while now knowing more about the actual process, not just that I liked them.
We came back to Kilkenny, and ate at Zuni. It was delicious -- the best risotto we've ever had (pear, squash & carmelized onion), plus goat chz app, and dessert. YUMMMM. We made sure to photo document all the meals. :)
Slept well (minus mom's snoring; she now puts a pillow over her head, thankfully), and got up early the next day. Breakfast in the hotel, and then off towards Cork City and Blarney Castle! Got there safely, and up we went to the Blarney Castle! Mom made it all 139 steps, and it was rainy out so they were actually quite slippery, and of course already narrow. She kissed the Blarney Stone, I did not (since I did in 2009) seeing as I think I already have the gift of gab. Eloquence, perhaps not, but gab, yes. On second thought, maybe I *should* have kissed it again... :) Back on the road, and off to Macroom, which happens to be the hometown of my high school/Confirmation priest. Turns out, he has moved to Inchigeelagh, a few km away, and is in the States for the Spring/early Summer; he'll be back in July. Darn! We got his address anyway (very small village) and will drop him a postcard telling him we stopped. Back on our way!
On to Killarney, and after going around the same round-about (literally) about 10 times so we had time to read the signs, and taking a few wrong turns prior, we got to our hotel. It was very nice! We unloaded our stuff, and headed off to dinner! Seeing as the portions that first evening were large, we've split every meal every since, and started doing so that night w/ dinner. We ate at the Smokehouse in Killarney, and it was delicious! Hot goat chz app, burger & fries, and dessert, with a couple of Bulmer's, too (can't forget that!). DELICIOUS, and even splitting, way too much food. Walked back to the hotel, and settled in for a night of extremely deep sleep, which felt GREAT.
Tuesday morning, the 25th, we woke up, had breakfast at the hotel (breakfast is included at each hotel - woo!), and walked down a couple of blocks to catch our Ring of Kerry tour bus. We definitely could have driven it, but then the driver (ie ME) wouldn't get to enjoy the sights as much, etc., so we opted for a bus tour. Turns out, it was a good decision! We were able to relax, listen to the commentary, and enjoy it, rather than be concentrating on not getting lost, following signs, etc. We had great tea, then lunch, chatted w/ some nice people, fellow Americans, and took a lot of awesome pictures -- great scenery!
Got back to the hotel, freshened up, and then went downstairs to the hotel pub for dinner. Split fish and chips, plus had a couple of Bulmer's, and enjoyed watching all the Irishmen glued to the soccer on TV. :) Back up to the room to fiddle around, check out our pictures, and head to bed!
Up early on Wednesday for breakfast again, and discovered our car had a flat tire! We went down the street to the gas station/car wash where we were told we could get some help, and we certainly did! The man there tried to help but couldn't get the lug nuts off. Luckily there was a tire (spelled 'tyre' here) shop right next door -- what luck!! Mark Coyne at Mark Coyne Tyre helped us out for the price of a new tire, 85 euros, reimbursed by the rental car company when we get back. So, after only about 30 minutes, we were back on our way, headed to Limerick! Whew! :)
Got to Limerick, settled into our hotel room, and then walked downtown a ways to the Frank McCourt museum. I've read all his books and am a HUGE fan, so I was really looking forward to it! It certainly didn't disappoint. Cool exhibits, all taking place in the actual Leamy School bldg., where McCourt attended and wrote about in Angela's Ashes. David and Una gave us lots of great information on the tour, and then Una (artist/curator/museum founder) signed prints she painted that we purchased - wow! How cool! Can't wait to frame and display mine! We chatted w/ them a while, and really enjoyed ourselves. Totally recommend stopping in if you know McCourt's work and are in Limerick.
Afterward, we walked back to the hotel and had dinner at the hotel restaurant, ABG. We split an olive plate, some pasta, and Bulmer's. Enjoyed the Shannon River view from our table, and then back up to the room to relax.
Tomorrow (Thursday), we're off to the Cliffs of Moher! We were initially going to drive to it today, but the flat tire cut into our time a bit. It actually worked out great because we in turn booked a bus tour to the Cliffs that includes a couple of other stops and commentary, etc. That will be nice because the Cliffs, though beautiful, can be a bit anticlimactic as it's mostly for your viewing pleasure upon arrival. The entry fee was included in our trip price, so we definitely wanted to see it, but we also want to get bang for our buck and see as much as we can.
Until then! Below are a few favorite pics so far. :)
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