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Published: June 21st 2008
Waterford Crystal
Jackie is in her element. Here she is by a Waterford Grandfather Clock.Thursday, June 19, 2008
Killarney to Waterford, Ireland
We were keen to leave Killarney after one night. So, we plotted a route to the south to Kenmare. This town was recommended to us just before we left by our closing attorney. She said it was a fun town and a good alternative to Killarney. We had already decided that we would not do the famous ‘Ring of Kerry’ on this trip. We were satisfied that the Dingle Peninsula would suffice for this vacation. We needed to leave at least one highlight for a return trip.
As we drove south we entered the Killarney National Forest. Just on the entrance is the “Muckross House.” It is a mansion built in the nineteenth century. Queen Victoria spent three nights there once. It was owned by a rich English family.
We walked around the property and took a few pictures. It is a beautiful building and setting. Apparently, it was here during the last potato famine. Only, no one in this house starved. It seems that all contracts for the delivery of food and other raw material from Ireland to England were met even while many millions of Irish were starving. So, it is
Factory Tour
We did the tour and it was great. We saw the men in action in every station. with mixed emotions that one visits this rich site.
After this brief visit, we continued to drive south to Kenmare. We had many great lake views along the way. The smaller lake was Muckross Lake and the larger Lough Leane.
We arrived in Kenmare in time for a light lunch. It is a very nice little village with many shops and pubs. When we return, this village will be on our itinerary, for sure.
After a short break, we headed east towards Waterford. Jackie had this on her agenda since we started planning our European vacation. On the drive we passed several locations that tempted us. We passed the villages of Kinsale, Cork and Cobr that each have good ratings from our RS guide book. But we were making good time on good roads and decided to save these locations, too.
The only thing we stopped for were more Wexford strawberries. We had first seen and purchased some from a roadside vendor way back near Galway. They are huge and very sweet. They are not cheap but nothing here is. We paid 5 euros for a small basket.
When we arrived in Waterford, we were pleasantly surprised at the clean
Trophies
Many special pieces were on display. little town. Jackie spotted a Ramada Inn as we entered the town and said to stop. I did and we checked and found the rates were good and the amenities too. We had great internet access and the car parked just outside the room. It was a large room with a nice shower. We had been staying in many B&Bs which were great in many ways but bathroom facilities is not one of them.
It was too late to tour the Waterford plant after we checked in. So, we rested a bit and then went downtown to eat and attend a once-a-week performance of an Irish musical. We found the Dooley’s Hotel and had dinner in the bar. The performance started at 8:30pm.
We noticed many tour busses outside and we soon found out why. About 50-60 gray hairs (quit laughing) were already seated in the ballroom when we entered. Our seats were in the back left side. It turned out to be great seats because I had a door at my right which I could use to get over to the bar for pints of beer and the toilet.
The performance, titled “An Emigrant’s Tale” was great. There were
Art Work
Here are more art. five singer/players and three dancers. The dancers were from a local dance group. Two were cute teenage girls and the third was a young boy about 11-12. He was a national champion in his age group. They all were very good and entertaining. So were the Irish songs and jokes.
During the intermission, I thought it would be nice to speak (as Dianne would) to this old woman sitting next to me. She was with another couple. She had a plain face and a look of fright when I asked if she was enjoying the show. She said, “Yes.” So, I asked where she was from and she answered, “England.” Only single word answers! Then I asked if she had Irish roots and she said, “Yes, my Mum.” I thought she was about to cry so I stopped trying to be friendly. Jackie was dying laughing to my left.
We then drove back to the hotel and crashed.
That’s it for Thursday.
Friday, June 20
Waterford, Ireland
In the morning we got a later start than planned. I needed the extra sleep. I did not opt for the breakfast option with this hotel, so after packing we headed
Artists
To have this job there is a ten year apprentist program. You must have a minimum of two years of art school to qualify. for the Waterford Factory. We arrived at 10:00am and noted that the parking lot had lots of tour busses.
We entered the visitor center and got tickets for the next tour at 10:40am. This turned out to be perfect as there was a dining room there that had breakfast. So, we had just enough time to get a good bite before the tour. As we sat there I looked over at another table and there sat the old English woman from the night before. She seemed to still be in shock. Jackie said that probably no one had ever tried to talk to her before, especially a handsome American man. We thought she would run if she spotted me. Luckily her tour group had already finished the tour and we taking a break before loading up on their bus and headed to the next stop.
We loved the tour. It is fascinating how they create their beautiful products. I loved the trophies. They keep copies of everyone that they have been hired to produce. Many of them are for golf tourneys and tennis and soccer championships.
As we entered the quality control room, they asked for a volunteer to break
a piece of Waterford. I quickly volunteered and was selected to handle the deed. I explained to the group that I had experience since I once broke a Waterford whisky glass of ours. It was a sinking feeling when I dropped it into the container. They were explaining to us how many items are rejected for the tiniest flaw. I could not see a flaw in the glass that I broke.
After the tour we landed in the sales gallery. I tried to rush Jackie out without success. It cost me more than 200 euros to get her to the car. Jackie discovered that we could get free delivery if we bought more than 200 euros of items. That’s all it took. We could get free engraving, too. So, come by one day after we return to see our new red wine glasses.
Finished with the tour, we drove north, for the first time, towards Dublin. Mike had recommended golf at the European Club Golf Course. We programmed the course in Bonnie and headed there. The weather was clear and I thought that I would finally get in some more golf
We arrived about 2:30pm at the course. The green
fee was 170 Euro (about $270) plus another 40 Euro for the club rental. I love golf. But just as I was reaching for my wallet, my back developed a spasm. I tried to work it out without success. Man, I have bad luck sometimes. But at least maybe I can use the savings to buy a new set of clubs. Mike warned me of the rates.
Anyway, we drove on into Dublin, another 20 miles or so. We did not have reservations so we needed to find something before it got too late. We drove all around the town and ended up out near the airport. The hotel looked questionable on the outside but great in. So, we lucked out again.
It had been a full day again so we just had dinner at the hotel.
That’s got me caught up. It is now Saturday morning. It is raining cats and dogs. We decided to use this break to do some laundry and that’s where I am writing this blog. I’ll upload when we return.
We have booked rooms in a Best Western Hotel for Sunday and Monday nights. Dianne and John arrive on Monday and will stay with
us. On Tuesday we take the ferry back to Holyhead, Wales. From there we will drive towards London, spending one night along the way.
We have booked flights for departure on Thursday. This means we will have to stay at the Gatwick Hotel on Wednesday night. This changes our plans to return to Romsey to say goodbye to Peter and Hilary. So, we’ll add them to the return list. We will be back.
Cheers,
Tom and Jackie
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Dianne
non-member comment
Your Back!
My back would have spasms too if I started to pay that fee for golf! I can see you right now, Tommy -chuckle!!! We are excited about joining you guys so find the party places as you know me "have wine - will party"!