Guess I'll Never Have the "Gift of Gab"

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This morning, my hostess recommended I drive the Ring of Beara instead of go straight to Blarney. So I did, but with the recommended shorter version cutting across the middle instead of doing the entire coast. It was beautiful of course, but still didn't quite match my drive through the mountains yesterday.



Once I made it to town, I headed straight for the Blarney Castle. I had no idea it was such an attraction! I expected just a castle, but there were acres of land turned into gardens and walking paths and so much to see. I climbed up to the top of the castle right away and was so scared out of my mind I was shaking all the way down. Those stairs. Holy crap. Being afraid of heights, I wanted to just cower in a corner and wait for someone to help me down, but of course, I'm alone on this leg of my journey. And once you start going up, you have to keep going. It's single file and there are separate staircases for up and down. I did it though. The employee manning the Stone laughed when I firmly stated that I would not be kissing it. The legend says that you achieve eloquence once you kiss the Blarney Stone. Looks like I'll be soundin' like a Yank forever. (Plus, I have Julianne for eloquence...what more do I need?)



After that adrenaline rush I couldn't handle walking around much with shaky legs and heart pounding, though I did venture into the Poisonous Garden for a few minutes, so I drove into Cork.



I get nervous in the cities, and this one is the biggest one I've been in since Dublin, so I only went one place: Blackrock Castle. Not knowing what to expect after Blarney Castle, I was surprised when it turned out to be only part castle and part science museum/planetarium. Definitely worth the €4.50. I arrived at the perfect time, and got to see the star show and the tour up to the rooftop and down to the dungeon. The guide was both informative and fun without making the history or the night sky boring.



Dinner back in Blarney, Chinese again because I got ignored in another pub - is that a thing? I googled, but couldn't find anything about women being ignored, and my experience in Kenmare was fine, so I'm not sure what the problem is. Anyways, I'm in my room now, ready for bed and an earlier start tomorrow. Off to Waterford and the House of Waterford Crystal. And a launderette…I need to wash some clothes!

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Photos

Blarney Castle
If you look closely, you can see the tiny ant-sized people at the top. I can't believe I went up there. Yikes.

Stairs to the Blarney Stone
They don't look as terrible as they were. I white-knuckle gripped that rope 'handle' the whole way up.