Europe Day 33

Leaving Ireland day!

This day was hectic and not fun.

But here are some pics from actually the previous night.

This was taken standing in the road in front of our B&B.

B&B pics and travel stories

Europe Day 32 - Part Two

Back to Waterford!

More pics of pretty crystal-making~

Europe Day 32 - Part One

So this morning Lilly, the proprietress, explained hurling to us, because all the streets, houses, buses, everything, was decked out in black and hello flags or black and yellow checked flags (and here I thought they just really like Hufflepuff…). She said those were Kilkenny’s team colours, and that they were in the Irish All Around Final and had had a tie, and the rematch was soon. The sport sounded like a cross between football/soccer and hockey.

So we drove to Waterford!

Where the crystal is made!

Europe Day 31

Cradog! Our next, and final B&B.

I don’t have pics right now it seems, but the scenery was quite different from the previous B&B, now it was all soft rolling hills and fields.

Kilkenny Castle!

Europe Day 30 - Part Five

So remember that abbey seen in the background of the countryside pic taken from the cathedral?

Yeah that one, from slightly closer. Well, from when I first saw it, I was like “WHAT IS THAT! EXPLORING!” so after we left the cathedral proper, we climbed around the walls (all the rock outcroppings  that make it The Rock of Cashel are great for climbing about) and headed on down.

Hore Abbey!

Europe Day 30 - Part Four

Alright, final part of Rock of Cashel.

These final pics will be from the museum, and the room they had set up.

Europe Day 30 - Part Three

Anyway, back to the Rock of Cashel.

So we wandered the grounds after the tour, and took pictures of course.

Even More Castle Grounds!

Europe Day 30 - Part Two

The drive from Kerry to Kilkenny was fairly lengthy, in the afternoon we stopped at The Rock of Cashel! Which is another really cool ruinous castle, so called because it sits on a hill which is a large rock.

St. Patrick’s Rock of Cashel!

Europe Day 30 - Part One

Aww today, we checked out of Taobh Coille.

I really enjoyed our stay there. Agnes, the proprietress, was so fun and charming. She made us all feel very at home and was especially attentive to my gramma.

The last of Taobh Coille!

Europe Day 29 - Part Two

Killarney! We made it!

We stopped off a lot at  likely looking areas and took pictures, tramping off into the wild.

Killarney is a great hiking area and a huge tourist draw, for that reason. Hiking there is one of the things I’d wanted to do that didn’t work out, so, next time!

Killarney & Muckross!

Europe Day 29 - Part One

Day 29! So close to being done with this trip (in the beginning stages of plotting my next trip, which hopefully I’ll be more timely about blogging about…).

In the morning we set out to Kenmare, because there’s a lace museum there that was very highly recommended in the guide book.

Car pic! Probably from my sister. I didn’t take very many pics from the car, as the designated direction giver (which requires constant vigilance, as signs are not always common).

Kenmare!

Europe Day 28 - Part Four

We stopped for lunch somewhere in here, in Knight’s Town, which is the only real… town like thing there. It’s basically a main street. We had soup/sammiches, tea, and desserts, and then we browsed a cute used bookstore. And really… I don’t recall much else being there. Knight’s Town Coffee the place was called. It was nice.

Anyway then we went to the opposite end of the island from where we’d entered, where there’s a bridge back to the mainland. That’s where the coloured houses from last post were. By the bridge is a visitor’s center called The Skellig Experience. The skelligs are these two islands about 2miles or so off the coast that monks settled in the… 12th century I think it was. There’s hundreds of stairs carved into the mountains and the stone huts the monks built are still standing.

They have a shuttle… boat… thing to take you to Skellig Michael, and I reeeeally wanted to go because somehow I missed in the guidebook that you *could* go. But they didn’t have anymore that day, and my mum said we could come back the next day, it was close enough to our B&B, but I didn’t have any sort of suitable clothing with me (very wet, very cold). So, next time!

After the exhibit we crossed the bridge back onto the Ring of Kerry, and saw a sign for a local chocolate factory which sounded eeeepic. We followed the signs and… never found it. But we *did* see a sign for “The BEST view of Kerry.” So we stopped off there.

Get ready for THE BEST view!

Europe Day 28 - Part Three

Continuing on our island adventure, some cows.

Even more pics, but no more cows.

Europe Day 28 - Part Two

Still on Valentia Island!

It’s so pretty, I mean really. (btw, those triangles in the background, pretty sure those are the skellligs :D)

Valentia Island~ So pretty!

Europe Day 28 - Part One

Sunrise from my window!

Man this makes me really want to go back.

Ring of Kerry doings!

Europe Day 27

Even though I’m posting these after the fact, but quite a bit, I’m getting really sad I’m almost done ;_;

Last morning at Azure House. We met some very nice people there, and I wish I had their contact info.

After we said our good-byes and packed and such, it was off to the ring of Kerry.

We only made a few stops, as needed for stretching, food, and toilets. One of the stops was Adare, a very quaint and picturesque town.

And then onto Taobh Coille!

Europe Day 26 - Part Four

Last part of day 26 8D;;

I just took a lot of pictures this day.

Anyway, after Monasterboice we drove down to Trim Castle, but it turned out the last admittance was at 5pm, which was right then almost on the dot. It closed at 6pm anyway, I think, but we thought an hour for E and I to run through it while maybe gramma and mum ate or something would be fine.

It was fine though, E & I walked all around it and then took this “heritage walk,” which was so much fun and took us through some really neat ruins. The above pic of Trim Castle was taken then.

Ruins! This time with added countryside!

Europe Day 26 - Part Three

From Mellifont Abbey a short distance away is Monasterboice, our next location!

This place was a church or abbey or something until Mellifont came along. But mostly it’s known for it’s high crosses!

Monasterboice!

Europe Day 26 - Part Two

From Newgrange we went to Old Mellifont Abbey, which is basically an Abbey in ruin from the 12th century that is special because it’s  the first that used the cross shaped chapel area (that they know of).

There was a tiny tiny visitor’s center with a little museum area talking about the architecture, and the history of the place. Basically it was built onto over hundreds of years before being abandoned after some battle in… the 1600s? Or thereabouts. So there’s lots of different kinds of architecture.

Yay ruins!

Europe Day 26 - Part One

Newgrange day!

It’s a huge mound older than Stonehenge, which is a tomb but also maybe more, oooooh.

You drive up to a museum/exhibit building, which talks about the area and the tomb, and you can get your tour tickets. You can’t get to the tomb except through the tour.

Then there’s quite a, lovely, jaunt to walk to some buses, which take you to the mound.

Here’s the wiki, if you’re really curious: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newgrange

Newgrange~!