I was excited when I got up this morning to some spots of blue sky!!! I just KNEW that the sun god would come through for us today!! We sadly said goodbye to the amazing Parknasilla Resort Hotel. The first part of our journey was back down part of the Ring of Kerry to reach Killarney. The good news is that it wasn’t raining and it was actually a mix of sun and clouds, so we got to see what we had missed in the rain yesterday. Our first stop was for photos at a beautiful lookout overlooking a lake and the mountains.
A couple of hours later we stopped at a coffee shop in Adare for a coffee and bathroom break. We got to take a quick look at some thatched roof cottages as well.
At noon we arrived at the awesome 13th Century Bunratty Castle. We started out with a short guided tour and then we were allowed to roam through the castle. It was really cool to scale the various staircases to each corner and level of the castle. I really don’t think that I would ever choose to live in a castle. They are pretty fascinating but not very comfortable or warm!! The grounds were also very interesting and there were lots of bulidings depicting the way of life from back in the day. We also had to have our lunch during that time. We all wanted to hit the pub called “Durty Nellies” but everyone else also had that idea so only a few from our group got to eat there. The rest of us split off in different directions and we all managed to find somewhere to eat and have a pint!!
The weather continued to be pleasant as as we drove towards the Cliffs of Moher the sun came out more and more. We had a spectacular drive through the countryside. The fields s are so green and there are lovely stone fences and sheep everywhere!!!
As we got near the Cliffs of Moher, the clouds were threatening to cover the sun. However, we actually had some luck and it remained sunny for our entire visit at the Cliffs!!! They are absolutely breathtaking!!! The wind was whipping through some areas so hard that it was hard to walk in spots, but in other spots it was fine. It was quite a hike to walk up to the cliffs and then all along but it was
certainly worth it!!! They also have a really cool visitors’ centre that is built right into the hill so that it is not obtrusive. We ended up spending all of our time exploring the cliffs so we didn’t have time to go through the visitors’ Centre.
After leaving the cliffs we had another 1.5 hours of driving. Since the weather was good, it was so enjoyable to listen to Irish music and watch the colourful countryside roll past.
We arrived in Galway and got settled into our rooms and got ready for our evening excursion.
I will divert for a moment to explain about the medical emergency that we had. A couple of days ago, Brian suddenly lost the vision in his left eye. It was a very scary experience for him and Jacky. Our TD managed to get him an appointment with an optician when we arrived in Killarney. The optician determined that Brian had a detached retina. Arrangements were made and Brian and Jacky got on a bus to Cork and Brian got admitted to the hospital there. They actually did the surgery that night (Thursday). He was discharged Friday morning, they hopped on another bus and arrived at our hotel in Galway at 7:30.
So, going back to our day, we departed the hotel at 7:45 pm and Brian and Jacky were with us!!! We headed about 30 km out of town to Dunguaire Castle for a castle banquet dinner. When we arrived we were treated to a cup of mead and Carl and I were informed that we were the Lord and Lady of the group!! Then we all proceeded upstairs for our dinner. It was a delicious meal and throughout the meal we were entertained with music and stories of days in the castle. It was a fantastic night and enjoyed by all!!! We returned to the hotel at 11:30 pm, so it was a short night!!! That explains why this blog is one day late!!!
A couple of hours later we stopped at a coffee shop in Adare for a coffee and bathroom break. We got to take a quick look at some thatched roof cottages as well.
At noon we arrived at the awesome 13th Century Bunratty Castle. We started out with a short guided tour and then we were allowed to roam through the castle. It was really cool to scale the various staircases to each corner and level of the castle. I really don’t think that I would ever choose to live in a castle. They are pretty fascinating but not very comfortable or warm!! The grounds were also very interesting and there were lots of bulidings depicting the way of life from back in the day. We also had to have our lunch during that time. We all wanted to hit the pub called “Durty Nellies” but everyone else also had that idea so only a few from our group got to eat there. The rest of us split off in different directions and we all managed to find somewhere to eat and have a pint!!
The weather continued to be pleasant as as we drove towards the Cliffs of Moher the sun came out more and more. We had a spectacular drive through the countryside. The fields s are so green and there are lovely stone fences and sheep everywhere!!!
certainly worth it!!! They also have a really cool visitors’ centre that is built right into the hill so that it is not obtrusive. We ended up spending all of our time exploring the cliffs so we didn’t have time to go through the visitors’ Centre.
After leaving the cliffs we had another 1.5 hours of driving. Since the weather was good, it was so enjoyable to listen to Irish music and watch the colourful countryside roll past.
We arrived in Galway and got settled into our rooms and got ready for our evening excursion.
I will divert for a moment to explain about the medical emergency that we had. A couple of days ago, Brian suddenly lost the vision in his left eye. It was a very scary experience for him and Jacky. Our TD managed to get him an appointment with an optician when we arrived in Killarney. The optician determined that Brian had a detached retina. Arrangements were made and Brian and Jacky got on a bus to Cork and Brian got admitted to the hospital there. They actually did the surgery that night (Thursday). He was discharged Friday morning, they hopped on another bus and arrived at our hotel in Galway at 7:30.
So, going back to our day, we departed the hotel at 7:45 pm and Brian and Jacky were with us!!! We headed about 30 km out of town to Dunguaire Castle for a castle banquet dinner. When we arrived we were treated to a cup of mead and Carl and I were informed that we were the Lord and Lady of the group!! Then we all proceeded upstairs for our dinner. It was a delicious meal and throughout the meal we were entertained with music and stories of days in the castle. It was a fantastic night and enjoyed by all!!! We returned to the hotel at 11:30 pm, so it was a short night!!! That explains why this blog is one day late!!!
Comments
Post a Comment