Day 4 started off MUCH better than Day 3-the bed and breakfast we stayed at had a blow drier for me to use AND the sun was out and shining which was a pleasant surprise since we were suspecting more rain and drizzle. We had spent the previous night in the small town of Dungarvan at a charming bed and breakfast that overlooked the bay. As we had our breakfast we could watch the sun rise over the water and we knew it was going to be an adventurous day.
First up on the agenda was to make it to Cork…the home of the Blarney Castle and the Blarney Stone. This was on my list of things I wanted to do before I die…kiss the darn Blarney Stone just to say I did!! But first it meant we had to FIND our way to Cork County from Waterford County which we found out would be an adventure in itself! We took a few wrong turns trying to get closer to things we saw from a distance, thinking perhaps they may be short cuts and we found ourselves turning around in a side road with a castle! SCORE! We hopped out and broke into ANOTHER castle and went off to explore! Tee he he!
And THEN……we made it to Cork County, home of the Blarney Stone…and the Woolen Mills (yes we did some shopping!!). Those of you who aren’t familiar (like Jereme) According to legend, kissing the stone endows the kisser with the gift of the gab (great eloquence or skill at flattery). The stone was set into a tower of the castle in 1446 and attracts visitors from all over the world to kiss the stone and tour the castle and its gardens. Google it, it’s fun!! 🙂
After all of fun at the Blarney Castle we started to head towards Baltimore (yes in Ireland) where we would be spending the night. Friends of ours suggested next time that we check out the five star hayfield manor hotel cork if we wanted a luxurious stay in Ireland. We passed thru a little town of Macroom where there was a butcher shop-but we didn’t realize it was a butcher shop.We thought we’d be able to stop and pick up some cold cuts to eat for lunch during our drive the next day…but it turns out it was a Butcher shop instead. So we began chatting and the fellas behind the counter was soo awesome with a GREAT sense of humor. So we asked them to point us in the direction of the nearest grocery store. The guy asked what exactly we were looking for at the Grocery Store and I said, “me lucky charms!” AND THEN it happened………the room filled with laughter!! After he was done catching his breath he walked into the back of the room and grabbed a heart (apparently a cow heart) and held it up to his chest and said, “ohhh, you broke me heart!” This is probably another one of those memories I will remember from our trip. We ended up finding the grocery store that they pointed us towards…but I never did find me lucky charms! LOL
Ok, I’ll shut up now…go look at the pictures! Sorry there are a million! LOL
Jereme’s turn to drive!!
Your adventure makes me want to go to Ireland even more. Great shot by the way. Love the framing of the castle!
Hey Jen! It took me a few days but I FINALLY got here to check out your pics from your trip. OH. EM. GEE. You captured Ireland SOOO beautifully. You did so many things there that I’ve been DYING to do. I’m so excited that you kissed the Blarney Stone! I know you’ve only posted up to day 4… and I’m sure there are many more pics to be posted (or I HOPE there are because they are so amazing) but I wanted to comment on some pics that stood out… like the the kid playing guitar in the street (day 1?) with the RED hair…so perfectly Irish =) and the pics of the countryside and the castles. The stones in those are so beautiful and also the pic of the mushrooms. I loved the different colored doors and the pics from the b&b’s. Also, hope you got to see the Cliffs of Moher…I’d love to see your pics of that if you did. AND wanted to ask you, when you photograph someone on the street (like a homeless person) do you ask their permission first? I’ve always wanted to take one, because you can capture it in a very beautiful image…but am kind of afraid to ask. Anyway, Looks like you had such an amazing trip and you guys did A TON of stuff!! Can’t wait to see more pics! =)
Lauren