Today is Day 5 and we had a change of plans. I know, I know. It is a shock for those of you who know me well, but I can at times be flexible and adjust my schedule as needed. Take for example when you wake up the morning that half of your group is to go fishing and there are wind gusts that knocked over our chairs, grills, and made it hard to stand betting to the car. I just thought maybe fishing wouldn't be enjoyable today..... plus Stevie and I didn't really want to have the car blow off of the side of the Kerry Peninsula, so we decided to flip days and headed to County Cork.

First, we visited Blarney Castle. Stevie and I had been here 5 years ago, but we wanted the guys to be able to "kiss the blarney stone." Plus I think the gardens and grounds are beautiful. We visited the castle and climbed the 100 stairs to the top. The views from atop the castle were amazing. I simply can't get over the lush greens that exist in Ireland and how that just makes the vibrant colors of the flowers pop a little more.  As we looked around the castle area we could help but wonder how they built these wonders so many years ago. As you can see from the pictures it simply sits on a large rock and them they built it up on top of the rock. I just don't get how the moved, lifted, and did all that stonework without machinery.

 



 



Next we headed to the Jameson Experience Tour in Midleton at the Jameson Distillery. It was an excellent tour and our tour guide was wonderful. We learned that the 3 differences between Scottish and Irish Whiskey are 1. Irish barley is not exposed to smoke only heat 2. Irish has Malt and Barley 3. Irish is distilled 3 times and Scottish only 2 (American only 1). We saw how they make the casks that the whiskey is stored in (only after it has stored port, bourbon, or sherry). Finally we got to have a drink and I must say as someone who does not like hard stuff.... the Jameson with ginger ale was nice and smooth. Dad got picked to be a taster and got to taste American, Scotch, and Irish. He said there is a definite difference and that he may be drinking Jameson from now on. He even got a taster certificate.

 



We ended the evening in Cobh which used to be known as Queenstown. This is where the Titanic picked up its last passengers before heading to sea. Unfortunately we missed the museum as it was closed, but we got some pictures and I got to go to the gift shop. We had dinner at a wonderful little restaurant and Dad and Bub had a pint at a local pub. I think this was their favorite pub this far. Lots of locals out for their nightly pint after work.

 

The Restaurant

 



The Pub--Kelly's

 



 

Cob The Town

 

The Titanic's Tenderboat dock

 

 

Ticket Office for White Star Line

 



Tomorrow the boys are fishing and Stevie and I are headed out to the Ring of Kerry.... or that is what it is supposed to be....

It is day 4 and.....I think I'm just going to move here. Really if it weren't for Savanna Mae and Juliette Patricia who will be arriving into this world in a few hours I would just move right here. The people are friendly (like friendlier than I ever remember meeting ANYWHERE), the views are amazing ( just check out the pictures below), the weather is perfect (at least it has been this week), the prices are reasonable, the food is wonderful, and I could go on and on.

 

View From The Kitchen Window

 

View From Stevie's Window

 

View From My Window

 



 

View From Dad's Window

 





 

View From's Dad's Bedroom

 



Today we visited Ross Castle which was built in the 1500s. Truly amazing how anything still remains after all it went through and considering the fact that much of what we build today can't stand for 50 years.



We then went into town to get the boys their fishing gear. O'Neill's Tackle Shop was wonderful. Just to show what I mean about the people here. They loaned both of them BRAND NEW poles for 10 Euro a day without taking down any info on them. Then he told them if they didn't like it he would only charge them for one day and they could bring it back whenever. Really... this would NEVER EVER happen in the States. Just for starters almost anytime you rent something they give you the old stuff not the new ones.

We ended our day with picking up their car and doing some grocery shopping which taught me two things.

First, there is a reason I am single and do not go shopping with others.  I like to look, take my time, get the stuff on my list, price compare, look at ingredients. However, when you shop with men, let alone two men, it is like playing Supermarket Sweep. Running around the store trying to get what you need as fast as you can in a thousand different directions without forgetting anything. And we did fairly well. I kept my cool and we only forgot one thing... however, the one thing unfortunately was my diet soda which I am really wanting.😢

Second, Dad has been paying attention to Stevie driving for the last two days. He did really well driving for the first time here. He likes the standard transmission and didn't have any issues with the left side of the road. His only complaint is that the roads are too narrow and the "other tourists" never stay on their side of the road.

Tomorrow the boys are on their own to fish as Stevie and I are heading out to travel on our own to do The Ring of Kerry. We will let you know how it goes.

Day 3 was a transfer day as we left Dublin and headed to Kells, which will be our home for the next week. Stevie and I picked up our car yesterday and today was the first chance the boys had to ride "on the other side." It really wasn't that bad, except for the turns where we had to remember to stay on the left. Tomorrow, Dad gets his car and his chance driving on the wild side.

We visited The Cliffs of Moher on our way to County Kerry. It is one of my favorites from my first trip and we wanted Dad and Bub to see it as well. The weather was completely different this time. 5 years ago the winds were blowing, and it was cold. Today it was sunny, warm, and humid. I actually started sweating walking down the hill. This weather here is really unusual. The guys liked it and we even talked them into hopping the fence like we did last time to get a little better picture. I think we got these in about the same place as in 2009. If you are reading this we missed you Lisa and thought about you today!

 

 



We then headed toward County Kerry to our new home. We did stop for dinner at an excellent pub/seafood place. Fresh fish, prawns, and crab plus Guinness. Life doesn't get too much better.

When we finally arrived at the end of what I am sure Dad and Bub thought was the middle of NO WHERE we arrived at our home. How my momma would have loved this house. I am so proud that she helped me pick it out last May. We sure did do a good job. However, I know she is here in spirit enjoying this beautiful sunset with us.



Tomorrow we get acclimated, get the guys their fishing gear, their car, get some groceries, and plan our week.

Dublin Day 2, and I think we have survived the city without losing anyone. At least not permanently.

We started out the day with a tour of Kilmainham Gaoul. This was a very famous prison in Dublin from the very late 1700's until the mid 1920's. During the  time it housed military, political, and various other prisoners. These people could have committed serious crimes for simply stealing a piece of bread. They were women, men, and even young children. During the uprising in the early 1900's that lead to Ireland's fight for independence, it housed most of the political prisoners that had been involved in that uprising. In the mid 1900's it was abandoned and fell into disrepair until it was taken over by the state. Today it is a beautiful building that is often said to be where Ireland's independence was founded.

 

The Main Jail





We then headed back into the city to see St. Patrick's Cathedral. Interestingly enough it was founded mostly by Mr. Guinness himself. Seems the Guinness family did much to help out the city of Dublin when it fell onto hard times. Also, Jonathan Swift was dean of this church and spent much of his time while writing Gulliver's Travels in Dublin. The church had beautiful examples of stained glass, marble flooring, and stonework all through it. The stones included one that was uncovered from St. Patrick's well. It is believed to be from 800 BC.



From there Stevie and I saw The Book of Kells. It was a beautiful handdone manuscript of the first 4 books of the old testament that monks rewrote thought colorful, ornate, pictures that represent the exact wording that the bible uses.



We decided to forgo the ghost tour and hope to do one in County Kerry. We thought a good night's sleep and some packing so we could be off tomorrow at a decent time was a better idea.

That is all from County Dublin, I will be writing tomorrow from County Kerry.

 

 

We survived Day 1 in Dublin and we ALL made it back to our beautiful townhome without any major issues. Most importantly, I didn't lose anyone. I think this makes it a successful day!

We started off the day hopping on the bus to head into town. Unfortunately you must have exact change when entering the bus so.... we headed to the bank and got a variety of change. I handed everyone what I thought was the correct amount and GUESS WHAT I was wrong. I know this is a surprise in itself, but it was quickly remedied. I, as keeper of the change bags,  handed everyone else what they needed and of they went. I seriously can't get over how much more friendly these Irish people are than most Americans. They were just patient with me and my "people" and smiled.



We did a hop on hop off bus tour of downtown. We got a good overview of the city, and were able to determine where we wanted to go tomorrow. We did realize while we were on the bus just how many pubs there are in this city and even saw the smallest one.... the bus driver said it would fit 15 people. It was fittingly called Little Ass Bar. We also found out that the main treatment center for alcoholism in Dublin is right across the street from the Guinness Brewery. It is an old hospital from the 1800's. Seriously, one just can't make this up. So, on certain days the smell of the hops will go right into the hospital. That is just wrong, wrong, wrong.

We also, did the tour of the Guinness Storehouse. We were able to see the special makers yeast that is used in Guinness, learn the brewing process, see the extensive brewery, smell the different scents that are part of a pint of Guinness (my favorite was dark chocolate), and learn how to properly taste a Guinness (sit up, look up, hold your arm up at an angle, take a long drink, swish, and swallow). Then we got to have our own pint in a beautiful bar that overlooked the city of Dublin. I must admit, if Guinness in the US tasted like what I had today, I would drink it. It was nice and smooth with no hoppy, bitter, strong taste. However, since this was done before dinner Dad finished mine!





The Master's Yeast

 

 

The Guinness Scents







Unfortunately, we are going to try to reschedule the ghost bus tour for tomorrow night. Due to a problem with the tram we were trying to catch we missed the tour. However, it was okay since the evening was instead spent with a couple of pizza's and pints at our townhome. Amazingly, it doesn't get dark until well after 10 so we are making good use of patio.

Dublin is in the middle of a heat wave right now (read temps around 71) and every park we saw was filled with people enjoying this sunny warm weather. I must admit that I am finding it really funny to hear the meteorologist talk about how humid it is. Yeah come on over to Ohio and check out humid, I'm thinking.

Well, tomorrow is our last Dublin day. We are hoping for St. Patrick's Cathedral, The Book of Kells, and a ghost tour. Then we will see what else the day holds.