August 2014
I was hoping that I would be able to finish all of the Ireland posts a year after going on the trip. I did it with about 3 months to spare! It's funny how I used to spit these out within a week of going on a trip or experiencing something new, and now that we're removed from our two year adventure and have an active 18 month old on our hands it takes just a little bit longer to write. Anyway, I digress...
The last part of our journey had us leaving County Kerry and heading slightly north to County Clare. It was supposed to be a nice day so we decided to drive up to the Cliffs of Moher and then back down a little bit to our lodging at a farmhouse in Newcastle. On our drive up we stopped in the small village of Adare. Adare is often known as Ireland's "prettiest village". The village is famous for its thatched cottages which were built in the 19th century. Now the cottages house restaurants and small craft shops.
Moving on from Adare we drove a little over an hour to the famous Cliffs of Moher. There are no words to describe what we saw here; it was that stunning and beautiful. So I'll just leave you with some pictures. We have MUCH better pictures on Jon's camera, which I'll be uploading soon! For now this is all I have:
We walked out quite a ways down from the entrance in order to get away from the crowds. There were areas that were a little scary to walk by, and if you took one wrong step you might have just fallen off the cliff!
After the cliffs, we drove down towards the water and went to the small town of Doolin. Our friends had told us that they had amazing mussels here, but after looking at numerous restaurants' menus and specials, and not seeing mussels, we settled on some local grub so we could eat.
For the next couple of nights we stayed at a gorgeous farmhouse in Newmarket in Fungus, about 15 minutes from Shannon airport where we had an early flight two days later. Cahergal Farmhouse is off the beaten path, but still within access of many sights. This farm is gorgeous with such bright greenery, animals strolling around the grounds, and space in the house so we could lounge around without being in anyone's way. This farmhouse is what I think about when I think about classic Ireland. We were greeted with homemade scones and tea, and lovely hosts that gave suggestions on what to do since we had a "free" day during our last day there.
Our hosts suggested we go to Bunratty Castle and Folk Park. This is a pretty complete medieval fortress that contains many 15th and 16th century furnishings, tapestries, art, and dwellings, which capture the mood of that time. We strolled from building to building (a house, shop, post office, school, doctor's office, pub) taking in all of the sights and sounds as they recreated the scene from that time. We watched the tasks of typical rural Irish families and saw the conditions in which they lived. We took a nice walk through the gardens, modeled on the original Regency period garden, which supplied fruit, vegetables, and flowers to Bunratty House.
Before coming to Ireland we had read reviews that this place gets super crowded, to the point where it's not enjoyable at all. We also read that it's not very authentic and is a big tourist trap. Had our hosts not suggested it and really backed it up we probably wouldn't have gone. We got there right when it opened so it wasn't crowded at all, and we thought the way everything was set up with period pieces and "actors" was believable and tastefully done.
This trip to Ireland proved to be just what we needed- a mix of outdoor activities filled with amazing scenery, and a flexible schedule that allowed for the much needed down time we were craving. Time to plan the next vacation!
Showing posts with label Ireland. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ireland. Show all posts
Monday, November 18, 2019
Southwestern Ireland (County Kerry): Killarney, Gap of Dunloe, & the Dingle Peninsula
August 2014
We left Blarney Castle and drove about 1.5 hours to Beaufort, which is about 10 kilometers outside of Killarney and our home for the next three days. County Kerry is full of magnificent scenery, an outstanding national park, and two well-known loop drives - The Ring of Kerry and the Dingle Peninsula. This area is a must for any first time visitor to Ireland.
For our first day we walked the Gap of Dunloe, which is a narrow mountain pass through MacGillycuddy's Reeks and Purple Mountain. We parked the car at Kate Kearney's Cottage, which is a pretty popular restaurant for everyone deciding to attack the Gap (either walking, by jaunting car, bikes, or driving) and set off from there. It's a relatively easy (though long) walk with periods of steep ascents. The sun was shining down so brightly and the beauty is unlike anything we've seen before.
We met a lot of friendly people on the walk and even witnessed a runaway sheep! Poor thing...
The weather held out until we got to a point where we had to make a decision to keep on going or turn around. Although it looked very appealing to keep walking, the skies opened up and it started pouring, and we didn't want to be caught in the mountains during the downpour. So after our three mile walk we turned around and headed back. We dried off and warmed up with some stew and a goat cheese salad at Kate Kearney's Cottage. Yum!
The next day we drove around the Dingle Peninsula. We decided against driving the Ring of Kerry (though we saw many parts of the ring as our bed and breakfast was just off of it) because it was super crowded with buses barreling down narrow roads with us driving a stick with the "wrong" hand on the "wrong" side of the road. We were looking for a stress free vacation! The Dingle Peninsula did just that and had amazing scenery of its own. The coastline is full of towering cliffs interrupted by sandy beaches.
We stopped at Inch Beach at the recommendation of our b&b host. Stretching four miles, Inch Beach is very popular with surfers and swimmers and offers a magnificent backdrop as you look out onto the blue waters. It was a very breezy and brisk day while we took some pictures and walked along the water.
Our next stop along the peninsula was the fishing port town of Dingle. It's a good thing we got here relatively early in the morning because it became so crowded with tour buses and the general public after 12. This is a charming town full of pubs that play live traditional music, and shops that sell a plethora of random trinkets and knick knacks. While strolling the streets we found some beautiful artwork to add to our collection, slipped into a teeny tiny restaurant where we had some delicious chowder, and ate ice cream at the legendary Murphy's Ice Cream shop. We had a beautiful and relaxing day in this pleasant town!
Instead of heading back we drove the Slea Head Loop, which is one of the most famous drives in the area. We headed west from Dingle and hugged the coast as we drove through some of the most breathtaking and dramatic views we have seen. In some places the road was extremely narrow with some sharp cliff-edge bends, which provided some heart stopping moments (although nothing we weren't used to after driving the Amalfi Coast quite a few times!). It was a stunning drive and we're happy that we decided to do it. (More pictures to come from Jon's camera!)
We went into the town of Killarney a couple of times during our stay in County Kerry, mainly for a couple of meals and to walk around the town. I had read that Killarney is swarming with tourists, but it actually wasn't too bad and it's still a nice town to walk around. I don't know if I'd go out of my way to visit it, but since our b&b was so close it made sense to go there. There are quite a few decent restaurants that we ate in and nice streets to walk through.
We had such a nice time in this area of Ireland and wished that we were able to stay longer - isn't that always the case? Next up is the last installment of our Ireland trip - Adare Village, the Cliffs of Moher, Ennis, and Bunratty Castle.
We left Blarney Castle and drove about 1.5 hours to Beaufort, which is about 10 kilometers outside of Killarney and our home for the next three days. County Kerry is full of magnificent scenery, an outstanding national park, and two well-known loop drives - The Ring of Kerry and the Dingle Peninsula. This area is a must for any first time visitor to Ireland.
For our first day we walked the Gap of Dunloe, which is a narrow mountain pass through MacGillycuddy's Reeks and Purple Mountain. We parked the car at Kate Kearney's Cottage, which is a pretty popular restaurant for everyone deciding to attack the Gap (either walking, by jaunting car, bikes, or driving) and set off from there. It's a relatively easy (though long) walk with periods of steep ascents. The sun was shining down so brightly and the beauty is unlike anything we've seen before.
We met a lot of friendly people on the walk and even witnessed a runaway sheep! Poor thing...
The weather held out until we got to a point where we had to make a decision to keep on going or turn around. Although it looked very appealing to keep walking, the skies opened up and it started pouring, and we didn't want to be caught in the mountains during the downpour. So after our three mile walk we turned around and headed back. We dried off and warmed up with some stew and a goat cheese salad at Kate Kearney's Cottage. Yum!
The next day we drove around the Dingle Peninsula. We decided against driving the Ring of Kerry (though we saw many parts of the ring as our bed and breakfast was just off of it) because it was super crowded with buses barreling down narrow roads with us driving a stick with the "wrong" hand on the "wrong" side of the road. We were looking for a stress free vacation! The Dingle Peninsula did just that and had amazing scenery of its own. The coastline is full of towering cliffs interrupted by sandy beaches.
We stopped at Inch Beach at the recommendation of our b&b host. Stretching four miles, Inch Beach is very popular with surfers and swimmers and offers a magnificent backdrop as you look out onto the blue waters. It was a very breezy and brisk day while we took some pictures and walked along the water.
Our next stop along the peninsula was the fishing port town of Dingle. It's a good thing we got here relatively early in the morning because it became so crowded with tour buses and the general public after 12. This is a charming town full of pubs that play live traditional music, and shops that sell a plethora of random trinkets and knick knacks. While strolling the streets we found some beautiful artwork to add to our collection, slipped into a teeny tiny restaurant where we had some delicious chowder, and ate ice cream at the legendary Murphy's Ice Cream shop. We had a beautiful and relaxing day in this pleasant town!
Instead of heading back we drove the Slea Head Loop, which is one of the most famous drives in the area. We headed west from Dingle and hugged the coast as we drove through some of the most breathtaking and dramatic views we have seen. In some places the road was extremely narrow with some sharp cliff-edge bends, which provided some heart stopping moments (although nothing we weren't used to after driving the Amalfi Coast quite a few times!). It was a stunning drive and we're happy that we decided to do it. (More pictures to come from Jon's camera!)
We went into the town of Killarney a couple of times during our stay in County Kerry, mainly for a couple of meals and to walk around the town. I had read that Killarney is swarming with tourists, but it actually wasn't too bad and it's still a nice town to walk around. I don't know if I'd go out of my way to visit it, but since our b&b was so close it made sense to go there. There are quite a few decent restaurants that we ate in and nice streets to walk through.
We had such a nice time in this area of Ireland and wished that we were able to stay longer - isn't that always the case? Next up is the last installment of our Ireland trip - Adare Village, the Cliffs of Moher, Ennis, and Bunratty Castle.
Cashel, Cobh, Cork, Blarney Castle, Ireland
(August 2014)
We left Kilkenny and drove 45 minutes to the town of Cashel. Our main purpose for visiting Cashel was to see The Rock of Cashel, which we had planned to do first thing in the morning. We arrived at our bed and breakfast and were greeted by an odd, but extremely friendly fellow who showed us around the b&b and to our room.
It was a Saturday night and we must have spent about an hour walking around in circles trying to find a restaurant or pub to eat in. There was NOTHING open! It was so weird. The one restaurant we wanted to go to didn't have anything free until about 10pm - I guess that's where everyone was since the town was dead. It was a complete 180 from what we just saw in Kilkenny a few hours prior. We finally found a pub where we had some stew and some beers. There wasn't much activity, but it had food! The town was a bit of a disappointment, but at least we still had the ROCK to see the next day.
The Rock of Cashel is a set of medieval buildings dating back to 1100. It's literally built on a rock and the site rises up from the rolling plains making it dominate the landscape from below. It really is quite a site to see from the town. The Rock of Cashel includes a chapel, a round tower, a cathedral, and a graveyard. It has a rich history and most of it is in its original rustic condition, though they were doing renovations while we were there.
Since we arrived right when the site opened we were able to see everything we wanted to see pretty quickly. We got on the road soon after and made our way to the town of Cobh. We had not actually planned on going to Cobh (though I had researched it beforehand), mainly because we didn't think we'd have enough time with everything else we wanted to do that day, but someone on our bike tour in Kilkenny strongly suggested that we stop there... and we're so glad that we did! It ended up being one of our favorite stops.
Cobh (pronounced Cove) is a pretty seaside town on the southern coast of County Cork. It served as one of the main transatlantic Irish ports, transporting 2.5 million of the 6 million Irish people between 1848 and 1950. It was also the famous final port of call (then Queenstown) for the Titanic when it set out on its tragic voyage.
We walked around the town for a while and went to a small market on a plaza on the water. Next to this market was the "Titanic Experience", a unique experience detailing the history of the ship and its unfortunate journey. It's located in the original White Star Line Ticket Office, which was the departure point for the final 123 passengers who boarded the Titanic. The first part of the experience retraces the steps of the passengers who boarded on April 11, 1912. We experienced what life would have been like for the different classes of passengers and saw replica set designs of rooms. The second part examines what went wrong the night the Titanic sank. The tour was extremely informative and we really enjoyed it!
We left Cobh and drove to Cork for lunch. We went to a delicious restaurant where they use most of their ingredients gathered from The English Market (we really wanted to go to this market, but it's closed on Sundays). We walked along the water a little bit, but to be honest we didn't spend too much time in Cork as we needed to head to Killarney and wanted to stop at Blarney Castle on the way.
We had heard many things about Blarney Castle, including its famous Blarney Stone. It was built nearly 600 years ago and has become one of Ireland's most visited treasures. Blarney Stone might be some of the reason for it's popularity; the Stone of Eloquence is found at the top of the tower. Legend has it that if you kiss the stone you'll never again be at a loss for words (the gift of eloquence or the skill of flattery). The word blarney has come to mean clever, flattering, or coaxing talk sweetened with humor or wit. We were fortunate that we arrived later in the day and had no crowds to battle with since August is their busiest month and one can find themselves waiting two hours just to get to the top of the castle.
The ritual of kissing the stone has been performed by millions of people, and luckily now there are safeguards in place to prevent people from plummeting to their deaths, which did happen. I was very hesitant to kiss the stone; not because of the height, but because of the millions of people who had kissed it before me. I had planned to get into position and put a tissue between my lips and the stone, but I needed both hands to hold onto the railing. Nowadays though, they actually have people cleaning the stone with antibacterial spray after each person's kiss. It still skeeved me out a little bit, so I didn't exactly touch it, but came close enough!
There's a lot more to this castle than meets the eye! The grounds have expansive gardens, each with different names and purposes. Behind the castle is the poison garden. It contains a collection of poisonous plants from all around the world, which are labeled with information about their toxicity and traditional and modern uses. Some of the plants are so dangerous here that they have to be kept in large cage-like structures!
We also walked around Rock Close, which is an enchanting and almost magical area to be in. As you walk through you can find yourself in a shaded nook, standing on a terrace above a creek with slivers of sunlight peeking through old trees. Here one can find an ancient sacrificial alter, a Druid's circle, a hermit's cave, a witch's kitchen, and wishing steps. It was definitely an unexpected find and one that we're glad we stumbled upon.
Jon made a wish, closed his eyes, and went up and then down backwards (with eyes closed) in order for his wish to come true!
This was one of our favorite days out of our whole trip to Ireland. Taking a slight detour from our plans to visit the small but delightful city of Cobh, having lunch with fresh market ingredients in Cork, and exploring an old castle while engaging in a centuries old tradition, really stood out during our time in this exquisite country.
We left Kilkenny and drove 45 minutes to the town of Cashel. Our main purpose for visiting Cashel was to see The Rock of Cashel, which we had planned to do first thing in the morning. We arrived at our bed and breakfast and were greeted by an odd, but extremely friendly fellow who showed us around the b&b and to our room.
It was a Saturday night and we must have spent about an hour walking around in circles trying to find a restaurant or pub to eat in. There was NOTHING open! It was so weird. The one restaurant we wanted to go to didn't have anything free until about 10pm - I guess that's where everyone was since the town was dead. It was a complete 180 from what we just saw in Kilkenny a few hours prior. We finally found a pub where we had some stew and some beers. There wasn't much activity, but it had food! The town was a bit of a disappointment, but at least we still had the ROCK to see the next day.
The Rock of Cashel is a set of medieval buildings dating back to 1100. It's literally built on a rock and the site rises up from the rolling plains making it dominate the landscape from below. It really is quite a site to see from the town. The Rock of Cashel includes a chapel, a round tower, a cathedral, and a graveyard. It has a rich history and most of it is in its original rustic condition, though they were doing renovations while we were there.
Since we arrived right when the site opened we were able to see everything we wanted to see pretty quickly. We got on the road soon after and made our way to the town of Cobh. We had not actually planned on going to Cobh (though I had researched it beforehand), mainly because we didn't think we'd have enough time with everything else we wanted to do that day, but someone on our bike tour in Kilkenny strongly suggested that we stop there... and we're so glad that we did! It ended up being one of our favorite stops.
Cobh (pronounced Cove) is a pretty seaside town on the southern coast of County Cork. It served as one of the main transatlantic Irish ports, transporting 2.5 million of the 6 million Irish people between 1848 and 1950. It was also the famous final port of call (then Queenstown) for the Titanic when it set out on its tragic voyage.
We walked around the town for a while and went to a small market on a plaza on the water. Next to this market was the "Titanic Experience", a unique experience detailing the history of the ship and its unfortunate journey. It's located in the original White Star Line Ticket Office, which was the departure point for the final 123 passengers who boarded the Titanic. The first part of the experience retraces the steps of the passengers who boarded on April 11, 1912. We experienced what life would have been like for the different classes of passengers and saw replica set designs of rooms. The second part examines what went wrong the night the Titanic sank. The tour was extremely informative and we really enjoyed it!
We left Cobh and drove to Cork for lunch. We went to a delicious restaurant where they use most of their ingredients gathered from The English Market (we really wanted to go to this market, but it's closed on Sundays). We walked along the water a little bit, but to be honest we didn't spend too much time in Cork as we needed to head to Killarney and wanted to stop at Blarney Castle on the way.
We had heard many things about Blarney Castle, including its famous Blarney Stone. It was built nearly 600 years ago and has become one of Ireland's most visited treasures. Blarney Stone might be some of the reason for it's popularity; the Stone of Eloquence is found at the top of the tower. Legend has it that if you kiss the stone you'll never again be at a loss for words (the gift of eloquence or the skill of flattery). The word blarney has come to mean clever, flattering, or coaxing talk sweetened with humor or wit. We were fortunate that we arrived later in the day and had no crowds to battle with since August is their busiest month and one can find themselves waiting two hours just to get to the top of the castle.
The ritual of kissing the stone has been performed by millions of people, and luckily now there are safeguards in place to prevent people from plummeting to their deaths, which did happen. I was very hesitant to kiss the stone; not because of the height, but because of the millions of people who had kissed it before me. I had planned to get into position and put a tissue between my lips and the stone, but I needed both hands to hold onto the railing. Nowadays though, they actually have people cleaning the stone with antibacterial spray after each person's kiss. It still skeeved me out a little bit, so I didn't exactly touch it, but came close enough!
There's a lot more to this castle than meets the eye! The grounds have expansive gardens, each with different names and purposes. Behind the castle is the poison garden. It contains a collection of poisonous plants from all around the world, which are labeled with information about their toxicity and traditional and modern uses. Some of the plants are so dangerous here that they have to be kept in large cage-like structures!
We also walked around Rock Close, which is an enchanting and almost magical area to be in. As you walk through you can find yourself in a shaded nook, standing on a terrace above a creek with slivers of sunlight peeking through old trees. Here one can find an ancient sacrificial alter, a Druid's circle, a hermit's cave, a witch's kitchen, and wishing steps. It was definitely an unexpected find and one that we're glad we stumbled upon.
Jon made a wish, closed his eyes, and went up and then down backwards (with eyes closed) in order for his wish to come true!
This was one of our favorite days out of our whole trip to Ireland. Taking a slight detour from our plans to visit the small but delightful city of Cobh, having lunch with fresh market ingredients in Cork, and exploring an old castle while engaging in a centuries old tradition, really stood out during our time in this exquisite country.
Dublin, Kilkenny, & Cashel, Ireland
(Written August 2014)
So it's been just over a year since we moved out of Italy and back to the United States, but that doesn't mean the travel stops, right? Believe it or not, there are about five different areas of Europe that Jon and I had on our "list" that we didn't get to in our two years of jet-setting around the continent. Ireland, various Scandanavian cities, Scotland, Western France, and Iceland. We were all set with a deposit on two different cruise lines to a lot of Scadanavian cities, but I just didn't want to leave the baby for the 15 days it would take for us to complete it all. Ireland was next and we figured that we could do a nice eight day trip starting in Dublin, working our way south and west, and flying out of Shannon. It's also less than a six hour flight from Newark and only a five hour time difference. I planned for the trip to have a nice balance of sightseeing and relaxation since the last nine months with a new baby, while utterly amazing, didn't leave a lot of room for downtime.
Our flight arrived in Dublin at around 6:00am. After going through customs we picked up our rental car and were ready to start. Driving on the left side of the road was... different. The roundabouts were tricky at first and anytime we had to make a turn we looked both ways multiple times because we just kept forgetting which way cars were coming from! There are signs all over the right side of the roads that say "Wrong Way" and "Turn Around" for everyone not from the area. It was pretty entertaining. Jon did an amazing job!
After dropping off our luggage at the hotel we made an early visit to the Guinness Storehouse. We figured it wouldn't be that crowded at 9:30am (it wasn't) and we wanted to enjoy it while we were fairly awake. We learned all about the history and brewing process of making a true Guinness and even got a certificate for perfecting the perfect pint of Guinness - meaning they taught us how to properly pour a pint. It was a fun and informative hands-on experience!
After walking through the storehouse we went up to the rooftop bar with our beer and enjoyed the panoramic views of Dublin.
We walked outside to find ourselves in a rainstorm. Rule number one when visiting Ireland: Always carry an umbrella or raincoat. There is always some passing shower overhead! We took a cab to another area of the city and went to a delicious restaurant based on the recommendation of local. After lunch we went for a quick walk around Trinity College. We were so tired from our overnight trip (and not sleeping) and our heavy beer and lunch that we went back to the hotel afterwards and crashed until dinner.
The next morning after breakfast we walked to St. Patrick's Cathedral, a beautiful cathedral dating back to 1191. We opted not to go inside, but the outside was very impressive.
After walking around the city a little bit more we checked out of our hotel, got in the car, and headed towards Kilkenny, which is about 1.5 hours away. Kilkenny is a busy, but charming town built on both banks of the River Nore. We really wish we had more time here, rather than rushing off to spend the night in Cashel (more on that later), but I don't think we realized that there was so much going on here.
We took a two hour bike tour of the city in order to get a quick overview since we didn't have much time. We used scenic riverbank paths as our roadways, which took us not only to the town center, but to sites such as Kilkenny Castle, the Design Centre, Shee Alms House, The Tholsel, St. Mary's Church, Rothe House and Gardens, The Courthouse (Grace's Castle), St. Francis' Abbey, The Black Abbey, and St. Canice's Cathedral. We had a really nice time with the diverse group of travelers and our fun guide!
Our last stop on the tour was to St. Canice's Cathedral and the Round Tower. The site was founded in the 6th century and worship has taken place here for over 800 years! The Round Tower is the oldest standing structure in Kilkenny and we were able to climb to the top and take in some nice views!
We were hoping to get to Smithwick's Brewery after the bike ride, but we ran late and JUST missed the last entrance for the tour. Since we had reservations at a bed and breakfast in Cashel that night we couldn't stay in Kilkenny to tour the next day. Instead, we bought some beer glasses and went on with our journey!
We were so excited to be back in travel mode and even more excited to be back in Europe after a year of not living there. Dublin and Kilkenny were great cities to start our trip with, though we wish we had more time in both. But, we had decided to focus more of our time in the west, and with a limited amount of time something has to be cut, right? Next up Cashel, Cobh, and Cork!
So it's been just over a year since we moved out of Italy and back to the United States, but that doesn't mean the travel stops, right? Believe it or not, there are about five different areas of Europe that Jon and I had on our "list" that we didn't get to in our two years of jet-setting around the continent. Ireland, various Scandanavian cities, Scotland, Western France, and Iceland. We were all set with a deposit on two different cruise lines to a lot of Scadanavian cities, but I just didn't want to leave the baby for the 15 days it would take for us to complete it all. Ireland was next and we figured that we could do a nice eight day trip starting in Dublin, working our way south and west, and flying out of Shannon. It's also less than a six hour flight from Newark and only a five hour time difference. I planned for the trip to have a nice balance of sightseeing and relaxation since the last nine months with a new baby, while utterly amazing, didn't leave a lot of room for downtime.
Our flight arrived in Dublin at around 6:00am. After going through customs we picked up our rental car and were ready to start. Driving on the left side of the road was... different. The roundabouts were tricky at first and anytime we had to make a turn we looked both ways multiple times because we just kept forgetting which way cars were coming from! There are signs all over the right side of the roads that say "Wrong Way" and "Turn Around" for everyone not from the area. It was pretty entertaining. Jon did an amazing job!
After dropping off our luggage at the hotel we made an early visit to the Guinness Storehouse. We figured it wouldn't be that crowded at 9:30am (it wasn't) and we wanted to enjoy it while we were fairly awake. We learned all about the history and brewing process of making a true Guinness and even got a certificate for perfecting the perfect pint of Guinness - meaning they taught us how to properly pour a pint. It was a fun and informative hands-on experience!
After walking through the storehouse we went up to the rooftop bar with our beer and enjoyed the panoramic views of Dublin.
We walked outside to find ourselves in a rainstorm. Rule number one when visiting Ireland: Always carry an umbrella or raincoat. There is always some passing shower overhead! We took a cab to another area of the city and went to a delicious restaurant based on the recommendation of local. After lunch we went for a quick walk around Trinity College. We were so tired from our overnight trip (and not sleeping) and our heavy beer and lunch that we went back to the hotel afterwards and crashed until dinner.
The next morning after breakfast we walked to St. Patrick's Cathedral, a beautiful cathedral dating back to 1191. We opted not to go inside, but the outside was very impressive.
After walking around the city a little bit more we checked out of our hotel, got in the car, and headed towards Kilkenny, which is about 1.5 hours away. Kilkenny is a busy, but charming town built on both banks of the River Nore. We really wish we had more time here, rather than rushing off to spend the night in Cashel (more on that later), but I don't think we realized that there was so much going on here.
We took a two hour bike tour of the city in order to get a quick overview since we didn't have much time. We used scenic riverbank paths as our roadways, which took us not only to the town center, but to sites such as Kilkenny Castle, the Design Centre, Shee Alms House, The Tholsel, St. Mary's Church, Rothe House and Gardens, The Courthouse (Grace's Castle), St. Francis' Abbey, The Black Abbey, and St. Canice's Cathedral. We had a really nice time with the diverse group of travelers and our fun guide!
Our last stop on the tour was to St. Canice's Cathedral and the Round Tower. The site was founded in the 6th century and worship has taken place here for over 800 years! The Round Tower is the oldest standing structure in Kilkenny and we were able to climb to the top and take in some nice views!
We were hoping to get to Smithwick's Brewery after the bike ride, but we ran late and JUST missed the last entrance for the tour. Since we had reservations at a bed and breakfast in Cashel that night we couldn't stay in Kilkenny to tour the next day. Instead, we bought some beer glasses and went on with our journey!
We were so excited to be back in travel mode and even more excited to be back in Europe after a year of not living there. Dublin and Kilkenny were great cities to start our trip with, though we wish we had more time in both. But, we had decided to focus more of our time in the west, and with a limited amount of time something has to be cut, right? Next up Cashel, Cobh, and Cork!
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