Killarney and Muckross House

We ate a quick breakfast today after sleeping in and headed into Killarney proper to meet our carriage driver Michael and his horse Jimmy for our ride around Killarney and in the 27,000 acre national park near Castle Ross.  Jimmy was cool and Michael was funny and quick with the usual tourist jokes, but very friendly.

We went briefly through Killarney before entering the park, spending most of our time taking in the natural sights.  "Jaunting Carriages" as they are called over here, is a huge business because of the tourism, and Michael has been doing it for 20 years, although my initial guess at his age was about 35.

The park was incredible.  So far, everything around Killarney seems to fit what my initial image of Ireland was like: peaceful,  green, blue skies.  There are a number of deer, foxes, badgers, cattle, and other animals that roam around the park. The oak trees are protected.  And if any trees fall in the park, they are allowed to remain where they fall to return to nature.  The only thing that would change would be if any tree lay across a path, road or fence, in which case it is cut up and moved aside, but even the cut bits remain nearby the original tree to decay along with the rest.  Or as Mom quite quaintly put it, "dissolve into the earth."  :)

Michael dropped us off briefly at Castle Ross, a small castle ruin (thanks to Cromwell back in the 1600's) in the park. In fact, quite a few of the ruins around Ireland are thanks to Cromwell and his army.  Personally, I did not like Castle Ross at all.  It looks cool from afar, but up close it seemed as if it were restored just for the tourist trade.  And by that I mean it seemed like the Branson, Missouri of the castles.  Showy, lots of carriages, boats, buses and tourists about, a lot of them elderly.  It definitely felt Americanized.  I took a few pictures, but not many.

Since the next few days were fairly open, Michael was able to suggest a few other things to visit that weren't as touristy, but still had appeal for those looking to discover more of Ireland.  Muckross House was nearby, as was its abbey and gardens.  He also mentioned the Ring of Kerry,  a circuitious day trip by car to visit many sites in the immediate area.  Reminiscent of the Blue Ridge if I had to guess.

We returned to Killarney proper and got food at Hannigan's at Michael's suggestion.  The food was good, the service sucked, a first for us here.  Even though they suggest in many travel guides that tipping is not expected or necessary,  this was the first time that we left absolutely nothing.

We headed to Muckross House, and decided the first visit would be to the abbey on the grounds.  It was awesome.   The was an attached graveyard with all sorts of stones, crypts, mounds, crosses and whatnot.  The abbey itself was impressive, and inside the center of the abbey surrounded in an inner plot was a very large and old Yew tree.  There were lots of nooks and crannies to explore, no artificial lights, and only enough restoration to make it safe.  No tour guide, no tour markers, no brochures,  no bathrooms, just an ancient abbey, a half - neglected graveyard,  and that was it.  I much preferred that as I could roam about at my leisure with no time table.   I took a lot of photos.

In addition,  as we walked around the grounds of the estate of the house, I took many more photos of the trees and surrounding landscape.  The house and its estate lay across the lake from where our hotel was, so it was fairly close.  Another good reason to stay at The Lake Hotel if you visit Killarney.  Great sites literally within minutes.

The house and immediate grounds were also impressive, and reminded us immediately of the Biltmore House, although Muckross is slightly older but smaller.  Queen Victoria visited the house in the late 1800's, but eventually the house proved too expensive and was foreclosed in 1898.  After being purchased and gifted a few more times, it was donated to Ireland in 1932, becoming Ireland's first national park.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muckross_House

We decided to call it a day, and returned to the hotel to rest early and prepare for The Ring of Kerry, a day trip around the area by car.

Funny moment:  Michael had a few funny but cheesy jokes to share.  Keep in mind that Michael's accent was very Irish.

"Didja know that in marriage there are three rings: the engagement ring, the wedding ring, and the suffer-ring!"

"The other day I accidentally ran over a Leprechaun. I got off the carriage to check it out, and I see him on the ground, butt in the air.  And do you know what I saw? 'Made in Taiwan!' "

"John Wayne made part of the film here called The Quiet Man.  They were going to film a sequel called The Quiet Woman, but they couldn't find one!"

Castles, Cathedrals, Crystals, Cashel, and Lakes Pt 2

Despite the repetitive title,  the second part of today's blog is just about our hotel, simply called The Lake Hotel in Killarney. This is the first hotel in ages, or resort for that matter, that for me has exuded such a vibe of "relax".  The hotel is at least 100 years old if not older, and is very sumptuous without being overly opulent.  You remember the hotel from the movie The Shining?  Like that only not creepy and murderous.

Wood appointments everywhere.  An in-room jacuzzi,  a room view of the lake and on-site ruins, a 4-post bed, etc. We're spending three nights here, and for good reason.

The lake is breathtaking.  My first immediate thought was how appropriate a site it would be for artists to paint and sketch the scenery.  Sunset was inspiring as well.  Honestly, I cant say enough about where we are now.  Easily the most beautiful place I've been here.

Time for jacuzzi, then bed.  Tomorrow we visit another castle riding a horse and carriage.

Castles, Cathedrals, Crystals, Cashel, and Lakes Pt 1

A lot going on today.  In fact,  I'm going to split this into two posts.

After dealing with the strange French bathroom again this morning,  I headed out with the folks to visit Kilkenny Castle, built in 1195, making it about 809 years old.  Only roughly 3/5 of it is open,  but there was still a lot to see and take in.   I won't bore you with too many details. There's a lot if information online for that.  But I will say that I'm impressed with their art collection and castle grounds.   At one time the Butler Family (including William Butler) had Europe's largest personal art collection.  And they built a wing just to show it off.   Ah, money. What to do with it all?

The family sold most of the furnishings in the late 30's and then sold the castle to the local authorities for £50.  They had other castles they needed to focus on.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kilkenny_Castle

The front lawn is really big. I know everyone says that's for hunting an whatnot back then,  but I think it's so you could see your enemies coming way off and have time to prepare.  It felt like the lawn was a mile long. Some old Irish guy asked me if we had anything like that in the States.  I told him about the Biltmore House. It's a little bigger, but its only 125 years old.

The artwork is larger than life as is the room in which they are shown.  The wing built to show off the lion's share of the art has a fantastic ceiling reminiscent of a Viking Longboat.

After the castle,  we stopped in a local thrift store in which I bought an old Peter Rabbit dish set from England,  we ate pizza,  and headed to Kilkenny Cathedral,  also known as St. Canice's Cathedral.   They were closed for lunch, but we walked around the grounds and took some good shots.  They also have a round 100 ft. tower that you can climb.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Canice%27s_Cathedral

We left Kilkenny,  and headed for Waterford to take a tour of the Waterford Crystal plant and see how all the crystal is made.  First off, Waterford Crystal is not cheap. Secondly,  they make a lot of it. We were able to watch master glass blowers, etchers, carvers,  and so on. Most of the master craftsmen have been there at least 30 years.

The company started way back in 1759, and has had somewhat of a rocky history,  but is still a worldwide recognized luxury brand.   They even make the People's Choice Award,  among other championship trophies.

We left empty handed (too expensive), and started our trek to see the Rock of Cashel.  Long story short,  they were closed when we arrived.  Bummer.  But we walked the grounds and took some cool pictures.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_of_Cashel

Since that was closed,  we didn't want to leave empty handed, and spotted and old ruined monastery nearby and decided to check it out.  It's called Hore Abbey.  I know, right? Anyway,  I only spent about 20 minutes there, but got some great pictures.  

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hore_Abbey

It was getting late,  so we hightailed it to our next hotel destination, the Lake Hotel near Killarney.  There is far too much about this hotel to cover in this post,  so I will put all of it in the next one. Suffice to say that this hotel is incredible.

Funny moment today: Mom declared that she didn't need a laxative after spending time in the front seat watching my dad drive through the back streets of Ireland.

A Pint of Guinness & Kilkenny Too...

Dad went out early to get the car rented for the rest of the trip, which was an adventure in and of itself,  so we ate the Irish Breakfast once more,  with a few extra apples and pears tucked away in backpacks just in case.

Since we had been foiled a few days running, we decided to take the Guinness tour first thing. It was well worth it.  The operation is huge,  and you learn everything there is to know about barley, hops, yeast and water,  as well as brewing, fermentation, bottling, advertising, and so on.

You get a small sampler glass of Guinness, and a voucher for a full pint at the end. The facilities also housed a coffee corner,  a full Cafe,  and a bar at the top.  I'm glad I had a good breakfast.  We got a few things and it was time to leave Dublin.

As they say to foreigners in Ireland,  drive left,  look right. We decided to take the scenic route,  which was fun for a bit,  until we realized that despite the gorgeous views of the countryside,  the ridiculously narrow back roads were not good for our well being.  There were a few close calls.

We made a quiet stop in Avoca, a quaint little town on the river that was apparently the film site for a tv series called Ballykissangel.  I've never heard of it.  Anyway.  We stopped in a pub called Fitzgerald's for some authentic Fish and Chips with mashed peas, and a delicious cider.   Excellent.

On we drove to Kilkenny, arrived at the Kilkenny Ormonde Hotel.  Nice place, slightly older hotel.  Kilkenny is a fascinating town,  small but crammed with shops, pubs, and sights for the tourists (Kilkenny Castle being one).

Another pub for dinner and drinks,  then off to bed.  Tomorrow promises a visit to the castle then on to Killarney.

Funny / Weird moment of the day: The hotel room.

A few notes about the hotel room.  In order to get the lights to work,  you have to place your room key card in a slot on the wall.   When you remove the card,  the lights stay on for a few moments more,  then turn off.  Great way to conserve energy,  but they did not mention it at the front desk. Probably something important to mention. 

The bathroom is very French: meaning it looks cool, but otherwise not very practical. There is a shower glass that only goes halfway along the tub length,  and although the intention is to be able to swing the glass out,  mine did not.  So I had to step into the shower completely just to access the controls, one for pressure,  one for temperature.  And because the glass only covers half of the shower and the exposed half was opposite a large mirror,  it felt a little self voyeuristic. 

And the light fixture had a plug hidden by a slide away section that wasn't marked.  I discovered it quite by accident. 

Very French.