Blarney Castle

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Today we leave Killarney and travel to Waterford, home of Waterford Crystal with a stop at the Blarney Castle. It was a particularly bleak looking day with overcast skies and a drenching rain. At least we will be traveling today. I usually like to watch the scenery and take photos as we drive, but not today. I couldn't keep my eyes open and kept dozing off. Our first stop was at Blarney Castle and the Blarney stone. When we arrived we were given an orientation by Patrick about where to meet and he gave us 3 hours of free time. Peter dropped us off at the castle and as is usually the case, the rain stopped and the sun came out with just intermittent showers for the rest of the time at the castle.

The Blarney Stone is a block of Carboniferous limestone built into the battlements of Blarney Castle. The stone was set into a tower of the castle in 1446. The castle is a popular tourist site attracting visitors from all over the world to kiss the stone and tour the castle and its grounds. The word blarney has come to mean "clever, flattering, or coaxing talk." Irish politician John O'Connor defined it this way: "{Blarney is something more than mere flattery. It is flattery sweetened by humor and flavoured by wit. Those who mix with Irish folk have many examples of it in their everyday experience." In order to get to the Blarney Stone you must climb up a winding staircase of 80-100 steps with only a rope to hold onto. It is slow going so it is not particularly strenuous, but it is very narrow and a little nerve wracking. There are family rooms off to the side that can be explored and from these rooms there is a beautiful view of the gardens below. Once at the top we waited in line and watched as each person was instructed how to get into position to kiss the stone. First, sit down, then lie back and grab ahold of a pole in each hand and then you lower your head into a hole to kiss the stone so your head is below the rest of your body. As you look down you can see the ground below. It happened fast so there really wasn't enough time to worry. What we didn't expect was the dizzy feeling we got when standing up. Nevertheless, we made it and took a few moments to admire the view before descending the winding staircase.

Next we explored some of the gardens. There was a waterfall and a sculpture garden along the path that we took. There were many forest trails and other points of interest along with a Poison Garden to be explored, but as is usually the case, we ran out of time. We had lunch at the restaurant and then boarded our bus for our next destination, Waterford, where we will spend the night.

Waterford is home of Waterford Crystal. It is now owned by Fiskers. We all gathered in the warehouse where we learned of the history and shown several pieces of beautiful glassware. Next, we entered the factory where we witnessed men at work in the varying stages of production. It was fascinating.

After getting dropped off at the hotel, we had dinner where we enjoyed lively conversation with our travel buddies, Carol and Frank. Tomorrow we leave for Dublin to spend our last day in the beautiful land.

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