After a good breakfast at the Granville, we set out for Blarney. Today's times - 7:45 for bags and breakfast, Leave 8:45.
Our first stop is at Youghall, a harbour town. There is a cafe which was used in 1954 version Moby Dick there. A pretty little harbour.
At Blarney Castle we are given our tickets to enter. There are extensive gardens before you get to the castle itself. One intriguing thing is that a lot of the trees on the way had socks on - no explanation, just these knitted socks up the trunks.
Inside the first room of the castle, the Great Hall, you go up a solid wooden staircase to the next level. As the walk up has already been quite steep, you find yourself high above the gardens below. The next part, going up to the Blarney Stone, involves a narrow, stone, spiral staircase. I have a sudden attack of claustrophobia and can't go up it. I head back down to the gardens.
The old spiral staircases always go anti clockwise. This gives any righthander coming up a disadvantage as they can't wield a sword properly with the stone wall so close to their sword arm.
Down below I can see, high above me, where the people are leaning back to kiss the stone. There is no way I would have been bending backwards over a gap four stories high. Then there is the thought of all the people ahead of me who have kissed it .....
Part of the grounds has a Poison Garden displaying all kinds of poisonous plants. They are very well marked and some surprise me, like Black Cohosh.
We visit Waterford Crystal on the way to the hotel. I contribute to the economy of Ireland with my purchases being posted home for me. Crystal is definitely not something I want to be carrying around for the next couple of weeks.
We are staying at Scotts Hotel, Killarney for the next 3 nights. It is in the centre of town so very convenient. The room is much smaller than others we have had, and there are the usual hard beds and pillows.
Our first stop is at Youghall, a harbour town. There is a cafe which was used in 1954 version Moby Dick there. A pretty little harbour.
At Blarney Castle we are given our tickets to enter. There are extensive gardens before you get to the castle itself. One intriguing thing is that a lot of the trees on the way had socks on - no explanation, just these knitted socks up the trunks.
Inside the first room of the castle, the Great Hall, you go up a solid wooden staircase to the next level. As the walk up has already been quite steep, you find yourself high above the gardens below. The next part, going up to the Blarney Stone, involves a narrow, stone, spiral staircase. I have a sudden attack of claustrophobia and can't go up it. I head back down to the gardens.
The old spiral staircases always go anti clockwise. This gives any righthander coming up a disadvantage as they can't wield a sword properly with the stone wall so close to their sword arm.
Down below I can see, high above me, where the people are leaning back to kiss the stone. There is no way I would have been bending backwards over a gap four stories high. Then there is the thought of all the people ahead of me who have kissed it .....
Part of the grounds has a Poison Garden displaying all kinds of poisonous plants. They are very well marked and some surprise me, like Black Cohosh.
We visit Waterford Crystal on the way to the hotel. I contribute to the economy of Ireland with my purchases being posted home for me. Crystal is definitely not something I want to be carrying around for the next couple of weeks.
We are staying at Scotts Hotel, Killarney for the next 3 nights. It is in the centre of town so very convenient. The room is much smaller than others we have had, and there are the usual hard beds and pillows.
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