We had to get up super early this morning to get breakfast before checking out of the hotel. This was going to be a travel day, because we were leaving Dublin and heading down to Cork.
We drove for a very, very long time. Steve and I
dozed on and off. I wish we could adjust and not be sleepy all of the
time, but that doesn't look like it's ever going to happen! At least
I wasn't feeling sick anymore! Silver lining!
We finally stopped at the Rock of Cashel. This was a
huge, ancient church. Maybe. I'm not really sure, other than what I read
on Wikipedia, but it was really impressive. We were supposed to have a
tour guide who
would explain everything, but we never found him. It
was still an amazing thing to see, and we had a brochure, so I'm cool with it! We were very high on a hill, and it was cold and windy. I'm glad I brought my jacket this time, but it almost wasn't enough! My hair kept getting whipped around my face and we got rained on again. We also were living in fear that one of the huge ravens that seem to infest this country were going to poop on one of us. It happened to a guy Steve saw and made a huge mess, so we actively stayed away from the birds! I enjoyed looking around, but it was so crowded and cold that I was glad to walk back down the hill.
We were going to have a soup and sandwich lunch in a nearby museum, so that's where we went next. I'm beginning to think Steve and I must have something wrong with us, because people don't seem to want to sit by us during meals. I promise we've been nice and friendly (I've been on my goodest behavior, I promise!) I'm feel like we've faux pas-ed or something, but people don't sit next to us of their own accord most of the time. We were finally joined by two other couples, and everyone seemed to have fun, so I'm not sure why we are becoming the nerdy kids in the lunchroom! Lunch was good, if odd. We had soup, and I believe the Irish don't like lumps in their soup. Every time I've eaten it, it was all blended up. It was good, just soft! The sandwiches were tea sandwiches, I guess, and they came with a bowl of what could have been salad, but looked more like a bowl of plant parts and no dressing. Still, it was all tasty! No complaints there, it was just different than we expected.
We got back in the road and our next stop (after
again, driving and driving and driving) was the Jameson whiskey distillery. As you might be able to guess, I am not a fan of whiskey, so I wasn't
too excited about
this part of the trip. The tour was actually really
interesting, learning about the science behind how it's made and seeing the
equipment. Our tour guide was very young and seemed a bit nervous, but she did a good job with the tour. There is a particular way of speaking over here wherein a lot of people do not pronounce the sound "th" the way we do. Like, we'd say "Thursday" but they'd say "Tursday." That kind of thing. I like to hear them talk, but that particular thing about their speech got me tickled a lot. My favorite example of this so far came on this tour. The guide said "Two Towsand Tirt-teen" (2013). I did have enough self control not to giggle. I didn't want to make fun or anything. I know well enough how it feels to have someone make fun of your accent! :)
At the end of the tour, they give you a shot of whisky and a coupon
for a cocktail. I didn't drink very much of the shot. Just enough to
know I still don't care for it and to burn the nerves in my mouth and
down my throat! I don't understand how I even got enough inside of my stomach, but oh, it burned! I probably wouldn't have tried the cocktail if they
hadn't made it sound interesting. It was a Jemeson with ginger and lime (half a soda glass of Jameson, some ginger ale and a lime wedge.) It
wasn't terrible, but it wasn't good, either. I didn't drink very much at
all, but again, we hadn't eaten for a while, so I got buzzed fairly
quickly. I sat it down and some other people in our party kindly finished it for me! Haha! I didn't get sloppy, thank goodness, but I was close. It mainly
made me tired. We got back on the bus, and boy, you could tell that the
people had been drinking. They were laughing and someone put music on
the overhead speakers, and they were generally rowdy until we got
to our new hotel.
The new place we're staying is awesome! It's called
the "Blarney Woolen Mills" and it's actually an old mill converted
into a hotel. At first glance, it looks kind of old fashioned, but really,
that's to its credit! The rooms are fairly big, and it has the last place
we stayed beat all to hell as far as amenities go. There was a fan in our
room, so the air can circulate, there is bottled water on hand, lovely
soaps and shampoos that smell nice, and it's all very comfortable. If you're
ever in Blarney, Cork, I highly recommend it! They also gave an onsite
pub, a huge gift shop that sells big, thick Irish sweaters as well
as lots of other wool, linen, and crystal things (All made in Ireland)
and a fairly substantial restaurant. It's really a great place. I think I'd love it just as much if we only got the fan out of that list. At least the air could move around a little bit! Oh, and we didn't have to put the key card into the wall to make the lights work, so that is also a plus in its favor!
After dinner, I was completely exhausted. That seems to be the running trend here on this trip but Steve
and I went to a pub down the street to hear some live music. I wanted to
hang so badly, I really did, but I couldn't. I tried. I only managed to drink half of
my ginger ale before I told Steve we needed to go back. He fully
agreed and we are about to go to sleep. I feel kind of bad that we
aren't out doing more, because I don't want to miss anything, but I can't shake this nagging tiredness and when
we're out doing stuff at night, I just want to be asleep. Oh well, we have four more days to
do stuff, and we are having fun. That's the important bit, right?
I'm having fun! Promise!
No comments:
Post a Comment