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Published: March 15th 2011
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Today was our last day of traveling the island. Kinda sad and kinda happy not to be in a car for 4-6 hours a day.... Mixed emotions, but we've seen a lot and have had a great trip, so I'm mostly happy.
Today we left Limerick and traveled to the southeast of Ireland and visited Ireland's oldest city, Waterford, home of Waterford Crystal. 😊 Our GPS is not the most reliable and doesn't recognize the newer, major hwys so we've had a bit of trouble these past few days deciding whether to listen to the GPS lady or go with the signs. Just an FYI... follow the signs. 😊
We make it to the city centre of Waterford and go in the Waterford Crystal store. The next tour isn't for an hour or so and we don't have the time, so we just browse. I loved it, Greg was bored.
We then walk around the city and see the sights starting with Reginald's Tower. Waterford is said to be founded by Viking invaders in the 9th century, and since Greg is from Minnesota, he likes all things Viking. Reginald was a Viking govenor who built this tower. It
Ms. GPS
She doesn't know where we are! is circular with three stories has never fallen into ruin, making it Ireland's oldest standing building in continuous use. It was kept up very nice and made for a great tour as we made our way up the circular stairs all three stories stopping at each to read about the history.
After the tower, we kept walking around the city viewing the sites and taking in various cathedrals and another St. Patrick's Church! This was one of the most beautiful churches I've been inside with all the detail and statues.
We grab a pint and a quick lunch before we get back into the car and head to County Kilkenny where we are supposed to tour the St. Frances Abbey- Brewery (also known as the Smithwicks Brewery) at 3:30pm. Again, ignoring the GPS lady and following the signs, we make it in plenty of time to Kilkenny. It didn't matter, however, as the brewery was not open for touring. Boooooooo hisssssssss! We also meet up with Jose and Carrie here where they have a B&B for the night. We get to tour the Kilkenny Castle which is HUGE and very beautiful. The grounds are very large and we
Waterford Crystal
I couldn't afford anything. walk around them and see a small cemetary holding 6 grave sites and one small one for "Sandy", someone's beloved pet.
Across from the castle we find a craft centre that has a few shops and a very nice, friendly silversmith store owner who shows us the secrets of making beautiful silver pieces. I get a good amount of my shopping done and we hit another pub that was recommended by their B&B owner before Greg and I hit the road for the final time to Dublin.
A short hour and a half later, we end up at Ireland's highest pub, Johnnie Fox's Pub. This was recommended to us by my dad and I must say- he did good. It was a climb in our little Nissan Micra, but we made it and it was worth the extra time. The decor and food were both amazing, but unfortunately we weren't able to see one of the shows they do there nightly.. Hooley.
Back at the Burlington for the night before the whole crew gets here in the morning. Excited to see other faces and hear other voices (not that I don't adore Greg's face and voice, but
24/7 Greg.... 😉)
Cheers! 2 days til St. Patrick's Day!
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