Perhaps a better title for this blog would be Adventures
in Europe or better yet Euro trips? I’ll start considering other suggestions. This
excursion leads me to Ireland or as the English like to refer to it, the
Republic of Ireland. Okay…whatever, the south bit. A twelve day tour from Dublin to Cork, to Killarney
to Galway and back to Dublin with many others stops along the way. I will try
to keep this blog as short as one can writing about a 12 day journey with
friends. *Cue music for The Lord of the Rings.*
Arriving in Dublin airport, not bad. Finding friends at
airport check! Getting rental car..eek! After waiting in the queue for what
seemed like hours we finally get a
car (only to learn they lost our reservation & I did pre-book. Top tip:
NEVER use SIXT car hire!) Behind the wheel, my American mates can appreciate
this, on the right side and ready to go; mind in Ireland they drive on the left
side of the road like in England. This now comes naturally to me but not so natural
to my American co-pilot who is hanging on dearly for her life as we round the
corners in roundabouts whilst traffic comes at us “from the wrong direction”.
She also enjoyed the little windy country lanes where you can’t see five feet
in front of you going around the curves at 80 kph with eight foot hedges on
either side of the road. NOT! Even if you wanted to, you can’t pull over when a
lorry (tractor trailer) or farm tractor comes at you head on. I advise if
you’re not ready for this, please stick to the boring motorways
(Interstates).
About motorways, leaving Dublin to head south you only
have one option - the M50 (this is a toll road). Tolls are paid online within
24 hours. SIXT car hire told us to blow through these and they would pay them
(first time I should’ve known something was amiss with this company). Second
was the broken cigarette lighter/car charger which we discovered half way into
a forested national park with no phone reception and a dead GPS. Oh yes, the
Garmin came from the car company too and for a fee of almost $120! With no way
to charge the Sat nav or find my way (driving and reading a map not advisable- how did folks do this before
technology?) I ventured to the nearest Tesco (Wal*mart of the UK) to find a
home charger for the Garmin but not before spending some time at Ireland’s
tallest waterfall in Powerscourt. This little stop is just outside Dublin in
county Wicklow.
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| Powerscourt Falls |
Powerscourt Falls
are part of larger grounds that include a posh hotel and golf course. Follow
the infamous brown tourist signs to the falls (especially if your GPS is
broken) and park in the large car park which is free however, there is a small
admission fee upon entering the falls area.
Powerscourt Hotel
sits up high and you can relax in the restaurant having tea whilst feeling like
you are in the clouds. Cool.
Next stop is Wicklow
National Park. If you have seen the movie PS. I love You, you will recognize some of the scenery as
part of the film set. (Keep reading to learn how this trip became more and more
like the film. I pulled the Irish band leader, we got stuck on a boat in the middle of a lake....)
Be sure to check out the old monstatic settlement near Glendough!
Blarney castle
was next on the list. Climbing the castle in pursuit of the Gift of Gab. Make
your way to the top of Blarney Castle up the winding stone staircase (not for
the faint of heart or claustrophobics) and reach the famous Blarney Stone. You
can queue up to kiss it for the gift of gab but this requires you lay on your
back whilst someone holds your feet and you hang upside to pucker up. Personally,
I went through the motions for a picture but didn’t care to get my lips anywhere
near that overly slobbery slab of limestone. Just hanging upside down a hundred
feet in the air was enough for me! The castle has many rooms to explore on your
way up and great views of the town of Blarney from the top. Want a
darker adventure? To the bat cave then! Blarney castle was built on a cliff to
ward off enemies and has a secret passage that runs underneath the castle and
leads out to Badger’s Cave. Don’t leave without seeing the rest of the castle
grounds. There is much to see and do from the Round tower, to the poison garden
(who knew rhubarb was toxic?) and even the rock path- lookout for the Witches Stone. Don't worry the witch only comes out at night and the castle is closed after dark!
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| "Kissing" the Blarney Stone |
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| Blarney Castle |
Have fun stormin' the Castle!
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