|
|
TRAVEL BLOG ENTRY
|
|
“Many of the starving Irish immigrated from this port to America and Canada during the Great Famine” |
Today our tour began early as the drive from Killarney to Blarney was going to take a bit of time.
When we arrived in Blarney we were let off at the Blareny Woolen Mills and encouraged to shop there. Some of the older folks on the tour opted to shop but we instead went to Blarney Castle.
My parents had never been there but I had been on a trip in 2005. The day was grey, overcast and threatining rain. We decided we wanted to go kiss the Blarney stone before it started to pour, there would be time to shop later.
The grounds at Blarney Castle are beautiful, perfect manicured lawns, tons of trees, various bushes and shrubs and tons of flowers with a cute little stream flowing through the middle. We stopped to take a few pictures on the walk up to the castle.
The climb to the top of the castle, where the Blarney stone is located, is compromised of about 150 narrow stone steps going up an even more narrow spiral staircase. My mom was furious with me! She doesn't like heights and did not like the climb to to the top.
There is always a line to kiss the Blarney stone! We waited our turn and when my mom's came and she saw that you had to lay down and bend over backwards to kiss the stone, she chickened out. She kissed another wall instead. The view from the top of the castle is wonderful. We took a few pictures before making the even more treacherous trip down the castle stairs.
We walked around on the castle grounds a bit before it started to rain. We had some time left so we went to the Blarney Woolen Mills to shop and grab a bite to eat. The Mills is the closest thing I've ever seen in Ireland to a strip mall.
There were lots of different shops inside that sold tweeds, wool sweaters, hats and scarves, there was pottery, crystal and picture frames. We bought a few souvenirs and stopped in the cafeteria to get some lunch. It was a cold day so we got some great Irish stew to warm us up. Afterwards the bus departed for the journey to Cobh.
Cobh is a small port town located on the southern end of County Cork. It's a city with alot of history. Many of the starving Irish immigrated from this port to America and Canada during the Great Famine. It was also a last port for the Titanic before it sank. The Cobh Heritage Center relays the history of one of the worst emmigrations and the fate and health conditions of the starving Irish who were forced from their home into a strange land. The center is situated in a pretty area and had it not been raining it would have been nice to take pictures outside.
After the tour we got on our way again and travelled through Youghal and Dungarvan, both Irish speaking areas to the city of Waterford.
We were all staying with different host families at bnb's just outside of the city. We were dropped off at our bnb's for the remainder of the night.
We unpacked and got showered before our hosts prepared dinner for us. We got a wonderful family and the man was extremely funny and told so many dirty jokes and his wife cooked so well.
After dinner we took a taxi into Waterford to walk around the city, take some pictures and go to a pub. Tony, our guide, recommended a place, T.H. Doolan's, as a good pub and a great place to hear traditional music.
We got some pints and settled in to listen to a one-man band perform for the night. The pub had a wonderful mix of locals and tourists and was a very fun and cozy place to spend the night.
previous travel blog entry
Would you like to comment or ask a question?
Sign up for a free account, or sign in (if you're already a member).