Geo: 52.6538, -7.24798July 15, 2010Waterford, County Waterford, Republic of IrelandWoke up once in the middle of the night dreaming that a rat was in my bed! Then woke up at 6:45 with a headache! Too much of the strong stuff (Yes, I know, I only had a shot of Whiskey but I'm not much of a drinker!). I had to walk 4 flights down to the lobby since the only elevator in the building was being used to collect the luggage. The usual breakfast foods were available, but this time an offering of thin-sliced cold ham and cheese was available. Along with my scrambled eggs I had a ham and cheese on toast sandwich. Waterford to KilkennyWe got into Kilkenny about 9:12 a.m. It was cloudy and cooler than in Waterford. We spent time taking a ... read more

Geo: 52.2568, -7.1292Waterford, County Waterford, Republic of IrelandWe arrived at the Waterford Crystal Factory at 3:15 p.m. The original factory opened in 1783 and closed in 1851, but reopened in 1947. Then the factory of 3,000+ workers and showroom closed 18 months ago when the company moved to somewhere in the Continental Europe due to cheaper business prices. This new place that we were visiting just opened a month ago. The city hopes to keep the tourists coming to Waterford, so had worked out with the Waterford Crystal Factory to set up this new place. It was a wonderful hour excursion! It had a large showroom where you could purchase the items on display. Even though they had some nice things, I had gotten what I wanted back in Blarney at a shop's Waterford Crystal Department. ... read more

Geo: 51.9308, -8.56701July 14, 2010Killarney, County Kerry, Republic of IrelandI got up at 6:30 and headed downstairs for what I thought was a 7:15 breakfast time with a 8:00 departure time. Instead, it was an 8:00 breakfast time with a 9:00 departure time. I had a whole hour to wait in the lobby before I could eat breakfast. So, I grabbed a comfortable couch and went online. I still had some time to kill, so I worked on the Limerick contest that Dylan said we would do later in County Cork. I got in there kind of last, and sat with a table for the misfits. Now, this group of tourists that I am traveling with has not really formed as a cohesive, fun-loving group. We have the snobs (high pay professionals), the jocks (climb and ... read more

Geo: 51.8373, -9.90187We stopped in Sneem for a lunch that was touted by Dylan as being one of the best restaurants to eat at. The place was owned by a married couple (the husband had grown up with Maureen O'Hara and were friends with her). The restaurant was very pretty inside, but was very small. A basket of sandwiches were already on the table for us along with a basket of scones (large biscuits) and homemade jelly. People could drink either coffee, tea, or water. One had a choice of either a ham sandwich (1 thin slice of ham covered with chopped lettuce and mayo dressing on a wheat sandwich bread that was cut in half) or a tomato cheese sandwich (2 tomato slices with grated cheese (possibly cheddar) covered with a mustard sauce on white ... read more

Geo: 52.0582, -9.93661July 13, 2010Killarney, County Kerry, Republic of IrelandRing of Kerry Scenic DriveI got up at 6:30 a.m. for a 7:15 buffet style breakfast. I told Dylan that I would not be doing the Liam O'Connor show tonight. Of course he said it was up to me, but I was going to miss a great show. (I doubt that…who would want to listen an accordion being played for 3 hours).We left the hotel about 8:15 a.m. for a scenic drive called the Ring of Kerry. As far as the drive along the Ring of Kerry, it had some nice scenic areas. We went through mountainous areas and coastal areas. We stopped at a pub about 9 called the Red Fox Inn in Glenbeigh to have a drink (way too early for that), but they also ... read more