So basically, I couldn't be bothered to update is blog but I've finally gotten around to it... I thought it was time since I'll be heading off on my next holiday in a few days (Portugal with Sophie!). Because we did so much in this holiday, I'm going to post it in parts, and even then it'll still be quite long. Anyway have a read if you're patient enough :P
Dublin - 29th March
Woke early, finished packing up my room, headed to the airport. Arrived in Dublin, waited around for an hour until mum, dad and nan arrived. It was so good to see them after is long, coming through the arrivals gate. First thing dad said was "top o' the mornin' to ya". Love them.
There was a debacle getting the hire car (it involved us waiting in the freezing for a very long time... Nan didn't realise the UK was this cold and was wearing sandals and a cardigan.... Needless to say, she was very cold), and working the GPS, but we made it to our adorable accommodation.
We went to Trinity College to see the Book of Kells (one of the oldest books in the world) and then the library - it's amazing. All really really old books that you're not allowed anywhere near close to. From there, we checked out the biggest shopping district in Dublin where there were these really cool buskers, we saw the statue of Molly Malone (the subject in an Irish song who is believed to be a prostitute), then went to an Irish pub for a couple of drinks. For dinner, we went to a traditional restaurant and mum and dad were in bed at 8:30...
Book of Kells
Old library
Dublin/Cong - 30th March
Ariel House where we stayed, put in a gorgeous breakfast for us today (Sunday) - I had delicious pancakes with mixed berries and créme fraiche with a Cadburys hot chocolate. Divine.
We checked out, and headed to Kilmainham Gaol in Dublin (after taking a few wrong turns, we eventually got there), for a tour which was very interesting. It definitely wasn't a nice place to do your time back in the day. Some people were imprisoned for a couple of days just for annoying the public by asking many questions. Bit harsh.
Mum, dad and I at the gaol
Then we left Dublin for a scenic drive to Cong (Ireland is so pretty, and had the stereotypical paddocks separated by stone fences with lots of cattle and sheep), where the magnificent Ashford Castle is located. Cong itself is gorgeous and adorable; it's a cute little village surrounded by rapid rivers, cute little pubs and cafés, beautiful flowers and multicoloured buildings. We had lunch at a traditional pub and then drove to the castle where we were to stay the night.
A shot of mum as we arrived in Cong for lunch before heading to the castle
Driving up to the castle, we were mesmerised by the beauty and sheer size of it and the grounds. The long driveway cuts through a beautiful golf course and the castle itself is located right next to the bay... Just stunning. We were very impressed to say the least. For dinner, we went to the restaurant at the castle, and had a beautiful meal (duck foie gras was on the menu again, but I definitely didn't order it (I learnt my lesson the hard way... I used google this time to look up what all the other unfamiliar dishes were).
I don't think nan really enjoyed her meal... She said at one point "Why can't they have normal food like fish and chips?" which, funnily, the waiter heard.
The fam was exhausted again, and we headed off to bed. At least 11pm is more acceptable than 8:30!
Fancy dinner at the castle
Cong to Kenmare - 31st March
We began our morning with breakfast in the castle. I had pancakes but I did try some of dad's black pudding (which had been highly recommended by some of the teachers at school), so I branched out a little. It is made of pork blood and oatmeal so I imagined it to be disgusting... But actually wasn't so bad. Duck foie gras is still worse.
Dad then did falconry at the castle and mum, nan and I watched on with our cameras. It was definitely worth doing. Dad had a bird named Hilary who was amazing. We got some really cool pictures and I got some slow motion video of Hilary flying and landing on dad's hand.
Dad enjoying falconry at the Castle
It was time to check out of beautiful Ashford Castle - we saw two other castles today but they were nothing compared to Ashford - and we drove off wishing we could stay longer. We hit the winding roads and beautiful countryside again to make our way down to Kenmare, where we were to stay the night. On the way, we passed through Galway and Limerick (we had lunch in Limerick, although it's not a town I'd particularly like to stay in) and other cute villages.
Finally we made it! We checked in, had some beers, dinner and went to bed.
Kenmare to Kinsale - 1st April
We got on the road after breakfast, pleased with the weather: the sun was out! Apparently it's such a rarity, that we saw some locals throwing their hands in the air and cheering. On the radio, they said it didn't feel like Ireland when the sun is out. We all thought it was very bizarre.
Anyway, we went for a beautiful scenic drive through Killarney National Park, with gorgeous mountains and lakes and forests as our view. We then went back to cute little Kenmare for a walk around the town centre and had a coffee and a scone for morning tea.
Mum and I in the beautiful Kenmare
More scenic driving followed, we drove around the Ring of Beara - absolutely stunning views of the Atlantic Ocean, rocky countryside, colourful summer houses and cute sheep - and then we drove to our next destination: Kinsale.
Kinsale is adorable. Each house and shop is coloured differently, there is an old castle and an old church and the B&B we stayed at was built before European settlement in Australia. We stopped at a couple of traditional local pubs after checking in, then had a lovely dinner at a beautiful restaurant named Jim Edwards.
Family shot in Kinsale as we left our B&B
A cute lane in Kinsale
Kinsale to Kilkenny - 2nd April
We left the adorable Kinsale after driving around and checking out the marina to head to Kilkenny. On our way, we stopped at Blarney and explored Blarney Castle, where dad and I kissed the Blarney Stone (supposedly it gives you the gift of the gab). Well, we blew it a kiss anyway. We were put off by it when mum told us that the locals pee on it and laugh when the tourists kiss it. Gross.
This is mum and nan walking to Blarney Castle... we were lucky and got gorgeous weather
Not a good photo, but this is me blowing a kiss to the Blarney Stone
We took a detour to Cobh (pronounced 'cove' - the Irish are so weird), a lovely little town on the water where the Titanic anchored the last time before it sunk. We went to the museum and walked the steps that the final passengers walked before boarding. On our ticket, we were given a name of one of the passengers that boarded from Cobh (it was called Queenstown) and at the end, we found out if we survived. I had Mary Delia Burns who was lost :(
Me running into a beautiful old church in Cobh to avoid the rain
After lunch, we drove to Kilkenny. I slept most of the way. But we arrived, and walked around before finding a pub with live Irish entertainment... Nan was certainly entertaining when she showed us the Irish dancing she learnt at school. We found a bar afterwards which used to be an old bank.
That was our last night in Ireland.
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