Quest for Eloquence!

Standing on the castle grounds. Blarney Castle is behind me in the picture.
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I didn't have an organized trip anywhere this weekend, so I decided to head out to Blarney in search for the "Gift of the Gab!"

Matt's girlfriend is here during her fall break, so I thought it would be nice to invite the pair of them so she could see some of Ireland while she was here. Two other American girls heard about the trip and tagged along. The more the merrier, I suppose. We caught a bus out of the station early in the morning. It was 5.25 euro for a round trip, and it took less than half an hour to get there.

A close up of the castle walls.
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Admission into the castle grounds was 6 euro, which was well worth it. We took our time exploring the castle grounds before actually going up to the castle itself. The self-guided tour was a lot of fun, and they had many information signs that were interesting and helpful. The castle was amazing, it reminded me of something from the movie, Tristan + Isolde. I was surprised at how small the castle was! We had to squeeze through doorways, duck as we walked down hallways, and wiggle our way up the spiral staircases (which was my favorite party about the castle).

One of the benches right underneath the platform of the Blarney Stone. This is the group that I went with to Blarney. Hannah, Sarah, Matt and Freda.
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The stone was at the top of the castle, and we got there pretty early, so there wasn't much of a queue. I'm surprised to see so many people passing up the offer to kiss the stone! It was a bit daunting though. There was a guide who instructed you to sit with your back facing the clearing. Then you had to lean back, and use your two arms to support you on either side and slowly lower your head until you reach the stone hanging across. It took me quite some time to find the stone, and I think the guide was getting annoyed with me. I kept trying to lower myself, but I could feel the guide pulling me back up and hear him shouting directions at me. The stone was actually a part of the wall, which wasn't what I was expecting!

Sitting in a hole in the wall in the former kitchen of the castle. I hope I'm not sitting in the stove!
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After receiving the gift of eloquence (though I don't feel no different...=P), we grabbed lunch and headed out to Rock Close, which is a garden on the castle grounds. There were a lot of interesting formation of rocks, that made for fun pictures, though I had to wonder how many of the exhibits were made just for tourists...It was a relaxing walk around the garden, nonethless, and I thoroughly enjoyed my day at Blarney Castle. It's definitely a must-do for anyone who comes to Ireland.

On another note, I'm chugging along with classes and reading. I'm really enjoying the books that I'm reading, and I'll have my first round of tests and essays in about two weeks. Next weekend, I'm going to Killary for more weekend away. The weekend after is my birthday, and Laura has invited me to stay with her in Carlow, so I won't have to be alone on the day of my birthday, which lands on a Sunday. My flat is also going to throw a 'surprise' birthday party for me the Monday after. So, I'm really excited for the upcoming weekends. I will keep you all posted so long as you keep me posted on all of your adventures at home!!