Sunday, February 8, 2009

Blarney Castle

Yesterday Mike and I ventured to Blarney to check out the Blarney Castle. We went into the city centre to catch a bus, but we were a little late and missed the bus we were trying to get. We went and ate Quizno's and then came back to catch the next bus which was supposed to leave at 11:20, but when we came back at 11:17 it was leaving already (the time on the buses is 3 minutes ahead which we didn't know at the time). So we went back into the Merchant's Quay which was a small mall and explored for awhile and then caught the next bus. When we arrived in Blarney we headed to the Blarney Castle where we spent the afternoon. I took a ton of pictures but here are some highlights of our trip.

Blarney Castle
Here are some views from the top of the tower

Me, after kissing the Blarney Stone


The stone is at the top of the Blarney Castle and to get there you have to go up some really tight stairwells to get there. They spiral up and are pretty steep. Once you get to the top as you can see in the picture above you can lay down, bend back and kiss the Blarney Stone. There are bars for support and the guy helps you out as well. You can't see the Stone in the picture but it's somewhere below my head. According to legend, kissing the Blarney Stone endows the kisser with the gift of gab (great eloquence or skill at flattery). If you want to know more about the stone or the castle I advise using google and you will find plenty of information.

After checking out the castle we walked through the Rock Close which was right next to the castle. It is a path with different landscapes that have names such as the Wishing Steps, the Witch's Kitchen, and the Head Druid's Cave. Some of the stuff wasn't marked, but just looked cool.

A cool looking waterfall Me trying to hold up the DolmenThe Wishing Steps Me, on top of some sweet rock Mike, keeping warm inside the Witch's Kitchen Druid's Circle

That's all for now. Mike and I are planning on heading to Kinsale next weekend. So you can look forward to that. I hope you enjoyed all of the pictures. We had a great time getting out and going somewhere, and I would definitely recommend going to the Blarney Castle if you ever travel to Ireland.
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3 comments:

  1. jhaynesFebruary 9, 2009 at 7:47 PM

    Trev,

    The pictures are awesome! It looks like you had a great day at the castle - the weather looked beautiful too.

    I will need to do some research on Kinsale. I haven't heard of it, but I am sure you will fill us in on what you see. I assume you are taking the bus again (and will probably follow the "3 minute rule" this time).


    Have a great week,

    Dad

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  2. KathyFebruary 11, 2009 at 6:03 PM

    Hi Tev,
    Since you are already pretty eloquent you should be amazing now or "full of blarney" as
    they say. Have you noticed a difference so far? The pictures are great. I think it was worth waiting for the rain to stop. Good thing you had the test run with the bus so you will be prepared for your next trip. Glad to see you are out exploring.

    Love, Mom

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  3. DebbieFebruary 22, 2009 at 10:37 PM

    So, are you feeling gabbier than ever after kissing the Blarney stone? Wouldn't it be a strange job to be the person that helps people kiss the stone? I wonder if that position has an actual job title - maybe kissing assistant or Blarney aide. The pictures of Blarney are just great. I hope to be able to visit sometime. I've never heard of Kinsale so I'm looking forward to hearing about that adventure too. I'd love to see where you live. Would you mind taking a few pictures of your apartment for a future blog?
    Love, Debbie

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