"And so began the journey..." Ireland! (Apr 7: Dublin - Blarney)

Hey everyone!

It’s been a while since I last wrote – but I want to tell you all about my 10-day road trip in Ireland! It was really amazing. I think I took around 1800 photos… ;-)

We flew out on April 6^th in the evening and arrived in Dublin close to midnight. Fortunately our hostel was close to the airport. The next morning, P and I got a bus to the airport to pick up the rental vehicle. Keys in hand, we gleefully opened the doors of a silver Peugeot…only to discover that we couldn’t get it to start! Turned out to be a locked steering wheel, and after that, everything went swimmingly. P wasn’t quite sure how driving on the “wrong” side of the road would turn out, but he did a marvelous job.

Click to enlarge!

Tiny's brother M, E, A, and Tiny!

P, chauffeur extraordinaire!

Map + road signs = happy navigator! :-)

 We loaded all our luggage into the back and we were off! I got to play navigator for the trip, and on the long highway stretches, tried to take as many shots of the landscape as possible as it flashed by.  

We heard Ireland was green...;-)

;-)

Stopped at Cashel for lunch. Lasagna at Granny’s Kitchen. Afterwards, we visited the Rock of Cashel, the ancient seat of Irish kings and site of a 13^th century fortress.  It is said that St. Patrick baptized one of the kings of Munster in 450 AD on this hill. I could have stayed there for hours…

The Rock of Cashel from a distance.

Another view of the Rock of Cashel (part is under restoration).

Lunch with E and A.

"What is strange is wonderful"

E on the side of the hill.

With A in front of the fortress.

 

 

12th century chapel.

The frescos were only recently discovered (1970s).
This kind of art in Ireland is very rare,
and these frescos are in surprisingly good condition
for being hidden under plaster for more than 400 years!

But we had to move on to our B & B near Blarney, a city in the south of Ireland (also the home of Blarney Castle and its famous stone! More on that later.). We turned onto a country road and drove…and drove…until, suddenly – Claragh B & B! Our host was truly incredible. As soon as we brought our bags in, she whisked out a tray with lemon cake and tea! I inquired about Easter Mass the following day, and she was only too happy to let me know the time and location. She then took our breakfast orders for the next morning before advising us on restaurant locations for supper. Amazing!

B & B near Blarney!

E & P. :-)

Self-portraits...

The weather was lovely in the late afternoon, so we went for a walk before supper. Tried our first Irish beer in Blarney (I got Beamish, they got Guinness), and sampled some very delicious desserts. Then back home to our heated beds and a good night’s sleep!

B & B.

On the walk.

 

Beamish! (Thought you'd like this, Dad...:-)