Advertisement
Published: July 20th 2009
Edit Blog Post
Today was definitely an adoenture, for lack of a better word. We started out after breakfast from Kilkenny to the Rock of Cashel. The drive from one to the other is pretty easy (I still hadn’t done any of the driving at this point). The Rock of Cashel is a group of medieval limestone buildings that gained prominence during the 4th and 5th centuries as the seat of the kings of Munster. If you visit Cashel, get there as early as possible as tour crowds start filing in at about 11am Also, make sure you use the toilets by the parking lot as you come in since there aren’t any once you walk up the hill.
After Cashel it was my turn to drive (eek!). It’s actually pretty easy to get used to the idea of driving on the right side of the car (and on the left side of the road). The trickiest part seems to be getting used to the turn signals and windshield wipers being on opposite sides of the steering wheel. I can’t count the number of times so far that I’ve tried to signal a turn and turned on the wipers instead. The most difficult
part of driving in Ireland is definitely the roundabouts. Some of them are pretty straightforward, with one or two lanes going around. But one that I crossed on the way to Blarney today was a doozy. Four lanes going in and about 5 different exits going around. I ended up exiting one too soon and then had to turn around and go back through again. I made it though, and that’s what counts!
Our next stop was Blarney Castle. We originally wanted to just stop for a picture (because I had no intention of kissing the stone, which is voted as one of the germiest tourist sites in the world), but you can’t see the castle unless you pay the admission to go into the park. It was 10 euro to go in (8 for seniors and students) and it ended up really being worth it. The castle has all kinds of nooks to explore on your way up the long spiral steps to the top (where the Blarney Stone is located). We walked up to the top and made our way through the queue to watch many of the other people lean backward to kiss the stone (Ew).
It is a long drop down (!!) but there is a man to hold you and bars to hold as you go upside down. I took a photo of someone else doing it and had no regrets about not doing it myself. It was incredibly entertaining to watch and I’d definitely recommend going up, whether or not you choose to kiss the stone.
There is also a really nice park surrounding the castle. We walked around for a bit and then set off toward Kenmare, our final destination for the night. We had some trouble finding the N22 and ended up driving through Cork trying (and eventually succeeding) to find it. Cork looks like a really nice (and big) town but we didn’t stop to do any exploring since we had somewhere else to get to. Then on our way along the N22, traffic suddenly came to a dead stop just outside the town of Macroom. We sat parked for about 45 minutes and found out from a girl passing by that a woman had been “knocked down” in the town center and that it would be some time before we’d get moving again (she said “probably 10-15 minutes”…it
was at least another 45). An hour and a half after we’d gotten stuck, we were finally on our way again. (Edit: I found out the woman’s name was Mary Buckley from Killyvouney. She was killed instantly after being hit by a lorry and was supposed to attend her son’s wedding next week).
By this time it was almost 4:30pm. By the time we got into Kenmare it was 5:30pm and we managed to get lost trying to find our B&B (the Rockcrest House) and then had a near-death experience while trying to go back in the right direction (I should note that I was NOT driving at this point!). Two stops to ask for directions and a minor heart attack later, we made it to our B&B and checked into our room. The B&B is really nice, probably one of the best we’ve stayed in so far. We settled in and then walked a short distance to the town center to find dinner.
We ended up at a pub called PF McCarthy which had its own local beer that we tried (a lighter beer, quite good) I had the Pitta Bread (spicy chicken) with chips and salad.
There was a band playing traditional Irish music and this adorable little dog wandering around the pub begging for food. This was definitely the first time since we’ve been here that I’ve really felt like I’m in Ireland.
We walked around the town a bit (everything stays open late here!) and then back to our B&B. One note about Ireland since I didn’t mention it earlier…everything here is SO expensive. You will spend way more than you’ve intended if you come here, I almost guarantee it. It is a beautiful country though and the people are incredibly charming. It is definitely worth a visit (as long as you are financially prepeared!).
Tomorrow we drive the Ring of Kerry!
Advertisement
Tot: 0.074s; Tpl: 0.014s; cc: 14; qc: 31; dbt: 0.0386s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
Michael
non-member comment
Blaaarg! World's germiest tourist attractions?!? Why would wanyone make a list like that? Imagine getting cooties from a rock. I'm glad you survived driving in Ireland, that roundabout does sound a nightmare to experience when you're just getting used to them. What was the near death experience though? Gorgeous pictures of the Rock of Cashel!