Trouble in River City

There is Trouble in River City!

After we had a wonderful breakfast at the Cashel Palace Hotel

We started on down the highway

then down the rural road

Then we had a flat tire

And so Bud worked on it

And he fixed it! Yeah!

We kept looking for a gas station or an auto repair shop to get the flat tire fixed but they are not open on Sundays! So it will be fixed tomorrow before we leave Kinsale!

But that was not the only problem with the car, the windshield wipers ran out of fluid extremely fast and it was drizzling off and on all day so we stopped at a gas station, Bud bought cleaner and we went over to the water and he poured it in the flex pipe and it ran out the bottom! The pipe was not even hooked up!!! So when we arrived at the hotel he called Hertz and we are taking the car into the airport just outside of Cork and hopefully we shall get a different car!  Hopefully the sun will come up tomorrow...

Thank you Bud for being the man for all seasons and reasons!!!!

Blarney and the Blarney Castle

OK, the kissing of the Stone is behind us, literally! And now we can take pictures at our leisure and chill, cause it is cold up here!

A man named Cormac Teige McCarthy owned and lived in the Castle, he was King of Munster!

The Earl of Leicester was commanded by Queen Elizabeth I to take possession of the Castle.

Whenever he tried to negotiate the matter, McCarthy would always suggest a banquet or delay

So that when Queen Elizabeth I asked for a progress report, a long sorry missive was sent

at the end of which the Castle remained untaken.

The Queen was said to be so irritated that she remarked

that the Earl's reports were all

"BLARNEY"!

Blarney Castle and the Blarney Stone!

Talk about a Two Legends in One Spot! These two sights are on many Bucket Lists, including mine!!!

First Legend to Face: The Blarney Stone!

It is kinda scary and frightening to think as you climb very narrow rock steps that are in a tight circle five floors above the ground, that you are going to be held upside down to kiss the Blarney Stone!!! Bud and I were not even sure we were going to do it, but when we reached the top ramparts of the Blarney Castle, the older man that was holding each and every person, just called Bud over and told him to sit down and turn around so Bud's head would be at the Castle wall. He hung onto black steel bars and while the man held onto him Bud pulled himself down where his head was down with the Blarney Stone and he kissed it! The man helped Bud back up and then he told me to do the same, I did, but you know I was very scared!!! But he helped me and I did it! When he helped me up he told me to relax and then I was fine! Another man was taking our pictures as we kissed the Blarney Stone!

Tis there's the stone that whoever kisses

He never misses to grow eloquent

Tis he may clamber to a lady's chamber

Or become a member of Parliament

A noble spouter he'll sure turn out

An out and outer to be let alone

Don't try to hinder him or to bewilder him

for he is a pilgrim from the Blarney Stone

And I don't look scared do I?

Goal Met by Bud and Viki!!!!

The End!

Poem by Francis Sylvester Mahony

Cashel Castle: Changeless, Continuous, Cool, Chaste, Colossal, Celtic...

From our hotel, it was a 10 minute walk up to the Cashel Castle. There is a chapel and a cathedral and a graveyard on top of the Rock along with the Castle. Legend has it that the Rock landed here after St Patrick banished the devil from the cave called Devil's Bit, 20 miles north of Cashel. This is also the place of the King of Munster's conversion by St Patrick in the 5th century.

Who needs more words?

Meals in Cashel, Ireland

Let me tell you, Irish food is delicious! When we left our hotel this morning, we didn't have anything to eat. Not that we are cheap or anything, but breakfast would have cost us 10.00Euro each and we didn't want to spend that much! So we thought we would pick up the car at 9am and then stop off somewhere on the way to Cashel and eat. No problem, Right? Wrong! We were uncomfortable to get off the freeway too soon because Bud should be comfortable driving on the left hand side. So we stayed on the freeway longer than planned. Then we thought we would catch breakfast in Kilkenny, but parking, easy parking was difficult, so we kept going...all the way to Cashel! The first restaurant we came to there was a parking spot right in front of it, so we parked. There was a chalkboard with specials on it, Seafood Chowder 8.50 Euro.

WOW! Delicious! Creamy Seafood Chowder! Perfection!!!

The bread was homemade!!!!

After lunch we checked into our hotel and put our luggage in the room. We then shopped and went to the Cashel Castle!

Then at 7:00pm  or 19:00, we went to the Bar at the hotel! Unknown to us, we were in a very historical bar...this was the first bar in Ireland, or the whole wide world, that the first pull of a Guinness Beer happened! So Bud's first Guinness happened here too!

I had tea, the Irish way, no not with Bailey's silly, with sugar and cream!

And then we had dinner, what do you think we had> What do we have a Maher's in Lake Oswego?

If you guessed Bangers and Mash you guessed right! And then we had dessert! Toffee cake and Butterscotch sauce!

It was a very special night! The bartenders were very nice and welcomed us and told us about Cashel.

Ireland for reals!

This morning we were up and ready to catch the Hilton Hotel shuttle bus back to the Dublin Airport. I was so happy we weren't flying anywhere! I am ready to be on the ground for awhile!
We picked up our rental car at Hertz and ready or not here we go: Bud driving on the left side of the road! We stayed on the freeway for about 50 miles because it was easier driving than 2 lanes rural roads. We could follow the cars ahead of us and you can drive on the right or left or middle! By the time we were on a 2 lane road Bud was ready and was driving on the left like a pro!!! He even did roundabouts very well and that was the worrisome part! Not too worry obviously!

This was taken by me while Bud was driving on the Freeway! Our first picture taken outside of Dublin! Bud saw it first!! We didn't feel comfortable driving off the freeway to look for the pot of gold!

This is a picture of the freeway! These are the two lanes going south.

This is a picture of 4 lane highway! This highway has traffic lights and roundabouts!

This picture is a picture of 2 lane highway! This has traffic lights and narrow lanes.

Going through the town of Kilkenny! Narrow lanes with cars parking on the sides!

Then we get into Cashel, we stay here tonight!

This is our hotel, right of the main street! The Cashel Palace Hotel. Main Bld!

We were in the Mews House next door!

It was great being able to park the car and walk!  More on Cashel next post!