I think it’s Wednesday

But really, I’m not quite sure.

We set out from Cork this morning to drive the short distance to Blarney Castle.

We were there in no time at all and as we parked the car, we spotted the first of several coaches coming through the gates.  We lost no time in getting to the ticket office then, aiming to reach the entrance before the hordes.  Whilst we stood in the queue however, they all sailed through a different gate and our hearts sank as we imagined the wait…

I’m sure you’ll already have guessed where we were headed?

High up on the ramparts of the castle was the Blarney Stone, accessed by means of the narrowest of spiral staircases, from where the queue started for a chance to kiss it.

We hurried through the gardens to the castle, spotting the very first “no drones” sign along the way.  Interesting, that! We climbed the steep stone steps, realising as we went that most of the coach party wouldn’t have been able to make it up there, to the least accessible of places.  Sure enough, when we reached the top, there were just twenty people in front of us. It wasn’t that we were in a rush, simply that we didn’t want to waste our whole morning standing in a line.

At least it gave us a chance to see what was what, how it worked and what one needed to do.  More to the point, we could see how much help was offered – or not.

A set of rubber car mats were laid out by the hole in the wall and the potential kisser needed to lie down upon them and allow the chap in the red anorak to push them backwards and under the stone, to enable them to do a kind of sit up and kiss the stone above them.  Having done so, Mr Red Anorak would pull them forwards again to get up quickly so the next person could take their turn.  All rather physical, not desperately comfortable and heaven knows what infections are shared in the process!

I decided to keep my lurgy to myself.  I didn’t fancy being pulled and shoved backwards through a hole in the wall high above the ground and my Hero had promised at least one friend that he wouldn’t do anything which might make him still more talkative.  But our two friends had come half way around the world to do this, so we supported, photographed and congratulated them before returning the way we’d come and reflecting what a rip off it is.  We stood and watched those in the queue behind us and discussed what they might have done differently had they but known…

On the way back down, we imagined we’d look at other parts of the castle…except there were none.  Basically, it’s simply a tower with a few empty “rooms”. So, we made our way back to the car park and over to the Blarney Woollen Mill which came highly recommended by the staff at our hotel a couple of nights ago.

Now, we’ve perused one or two “Irish” shops and are beginning to feel familiar with the kinds of items we’re likely to find there.

Sure enough, here were the woollen blankets.

Errrmmmm, the leprechauns…

The aran sweaters…and so on.  Exactly the same as we’ve seen everywhere else, just in greater quantity!  We decided we needed nothing more than a cup of coffee and having satisfied that need, we jumped in the car and headed off to our next destination.

We were heading to Waterford, about an hour and a half away.  A police roadblock aroused our curiosity but thankfully we sailed through that one and continued on our merry way.

If there’s anything we’ll remember from driving around this part of Ireland it will be the glorious views of distant hills.  Layer upon layer of hills in this case.

Oh, and wide stretches of water which we can never be sure are sea or lough.  And yes, those skies.  The skies with clouds.  Plenty of clouds at times!

Shortly after lunchtime we were there in Waterford.  Having checked into our hotel, it was time to take a look around.

The Medieval city centre is quite compact and our immediate impressions were good.  Here was a city with life and spirit, in better shape than we’d found Cork to be and with an instant charm and kerb appeal.

We walked a while, spotting interesting things on walls.  Who knew?

Fancy, Frederick Douglass came here too!  He was one of the ongoing themes of our Road Trip last year and has continued to pop up here and there in all kinds of surprising places.

We were heading across the road, hoping to get there before that big black cloud deposited a rain shower upon us.

It’s the Waterford Crystal Centre and though we’d read that production was no longer focused here in Ireland, there is still a strong presence here and we looked forward to taking a look around.

We spent half an hour or so in the showroom whilst waiting for our tour to begin, admiring some of the displays, confirming to ourselves that some of the things were simply not our style and making a small purchase!

I took a few photographs of cut glass patterns, imagining them as quilting designs.

Our tour began at the start of the manufacturing process, with the wooden moulds created for the one-off, special pieces.  These would be soaked in water before what is likely to be the one single use, because most were for commemorative pieces, trophies or awards and it’s these special pieces which appear to be the main product of the Waterford base.  So, we spotted the mould from the Irish Open Golf amongst others.

I always love the design process and the sight of drawings on the desk drew me over.  This design is for an American football trophy.

Every cut is calculated and drawn out on these one off, complex pieces and a custom made mould constucted.

Next, we were in the factory, watching craftsmen blow the glass into the mould to create the piece.

This piece is being moulded in a standard shape, so a metal mould is used.  It will then go into a temperature controlled oven and be cooled very slowly indeed to prevent it breaking.

Once cooled, it goes into the finishing process and the quality carefully checked.

This man is finishing the rim of the glass, inside and out.  It’s a slow and labour intensive process.

Anything with an air bubble or slight inconsistency is rejected.

The rest goes to be marked up.  Some of the more complex patterns are drawn freehand and the one off pieces have every single cut marked.

The cutters serve a long apprenticeship and are very skilled in cutting the patterns.  Working on a glass appeared intricate, but not as difficult as…

cutting a larger piece! 

Other pieces were cut by a computer controlled cutter, in a cabinet.

Finally, we were able to see some examples of the finished work, following engraving, sandblasting and polishing.

It was really interesting and with one last look at the craftsman putting the finishing touches to the Barclays golf trophy, we gathered our things and took one last look around the showroom.  (Hope the trophy holds together this year )

Just across the road we found the Church of Ireland cathedral so popped our heads around the door for a look around.  It was a beautiful space with a lovely, peaceful atmosphere and sure enough, a set of exquisite Waterford Crystal chandeliers.

From there, we wandered back to the hotel, spotting another interesting wall plaque along the way.

Finally, we popped into the Catholic cathedral, the roof of which we can see from our room.  Another lovely, peaceful space.

Sure enough, there too was a fine set of chandeliers to admire.

We plan to explore a little more of Waterford tomorrow, when I anticipate sight of a few more bits of crystal.  For now, we’ll make the most of our last few days in Ireland and hope the sunshine will hold out.

Oíche Mhaith!

Moving on

Sure enough, we woke to sunshine and blue sky this morning.  Wow.

We enjoyed our breakfast watching the ever changing clouds, looking forward to driving over the mountains just once more on our way to Cork this morning.  Since Padraig had delivered such terrific advice yesterday, it was he to whom we turned when deciding which way to go.

So rather than take the quickest route, we chose to meander a little, to see the scenery and a few small towns.  First of all, though, we encountered exactly the same parade of horses on our way into Killarney as we had yesterday.  Almost like being at home!

Up on the road towards Molls Gap, we stopped at the Ladies’ View again but this time without the tour coaches and the hordes of people.  This morning, we had the view almost to ourselves and oh my, was it a stunner.

Our first stop was Avoca, where we knew we’d find some yummy bits for our picnic lunch.  We can’t seem to pass one of these stores by without taking another look, petting another blanket and yes, making a purchase or two.

I took special note of the pansy pinny, Lesley, to see if the brand label on the front was removable but no, it’s printed on the fabric and like you, I thought it was way too prominent and spoiled the effect.

We continued beyond Kenmare to Bonane, where we spotted a sign to a stone circle.  Shall we go and see it?  Yes!  Why not?

We parked the car and prepared to walk when the chap in the ticket office opened the gate and suggested we drive up the hill to the stones. It wasn’t an easy drive but we made it and jumped out to take a look.

Errrrm…where might the stones be, then?

(up another pathway, around the corner, actually!)

Well, it wasn’t quite Stonehenge but it was interesting and the views from this hillside location were stunning.

Across the way was the cooking area with information about how it would have looked in use.

Just as well, really, because my imagination doesn’t stretch so far.  But having seen the illustration, I could see the earthworks clearly.

One last thing up here remained: A famine ruin.  This would have been a cottage, home to a family of 8 but abandoned when the potato famine struck in the middle of the 19th century.  This area was especially hard hit and we read that there are several similar such ruins in the area.  Dreadful.

As we drove back down to the entrance to the site, we passed several people walking up the hill, having parked their car at the bottom.   What had we done to deserve special treatment we wondered?  But whatever it was, we appreciated it and as we approached the now closed gate, the custodian, Andrew, leapt to his feet and opened it up for us, offering a friendly wave as we went on our way, once he’d persuaded me to go and write a comment in his visitors’ book, that is!

Maybe Andrew was having the last laugh as he watched us turn left out of the site and not return the way we’d come, to the right?  Whatever. In a short time we were climbing a steep, single track gravel road up the hill towards the Priest’s Leap summit.

It might have been a bit hair raising for both driver and passengers at times, but once up there, we couldn’t believe the view!  We were lucky to pass just one vehicle on the way up and were thankful to be near a passing place when we spotted it coming towards us – Mary, the Weston Prayer continues to work wonders

Of course, some of us were distracted from the main event by other interesting things, like this chunk of layered rock covered in little star shaped plants and mosses and looking like a rather hefty mille-feuille.

But of course, it was the view which predominated.  This had been a lucky detour, even if it was accidental. 

Leaving the sheep (and their mess) behind, we began the way down, hardly believing our eyes as a lone cyclist came huffing and puffing to the summit.  We waved and expressed our admiration and encouragement as he carried on, not even stopping to admire the view at all!

 

By the time we reached the end of the road, we’d had enough – or perhaps, more accurately, my Hero was ready for a little stress-free driving for a while.

We found the charming Mannings Emporium before too long and with a fresh chorizo and mozzarella tortilla just out of the oven decided that it would be the perfect addition to our picnic.

A short time later, we found a picnic spot, so with the most elegant of tablecloths (today’s Irish Examiner) we unpacked the goodies and tucked in.

We had a great view from here too and judging from the pair of sandals left on the wall, were not the first to enjoy the outlook.

From there, it was an easy drive into Cork and feeling safe in the capable hands of my hero and Ellis the co-pilot, the back seat passengers might have taken the opportunity to take a few winks  

Perhaps discovering a new city for the first time in the late afternoon isn’t the best idea, for Cork didn’t immediately endear itself to us.

Though there were plenty of people around, there simply didn’t appear to be the same wealth of interesting buildings and atmosphere we’ve come across everywhere else.  We were all pretty pleased we’d stayed the extra night in Killarney, I can tell you!

By the time we did come across some interesting places, they were closed.  Shame.

I did admire these graffiti portraits though, because on closer inspection, they were done in a very clever style.

Very original, very skilful, I thought.

There was one other interesting feature we spotted whilst walking.  Though the street consisted of a simple row of shops, between each was a doorway and on the pavement, a sign bearing the name of a lane.  Perhaps there still was a lane behind those doorways or maybe the sign is just indicative of how it used to be?

This evening, we dropped into The Oliver Plunkett for supper and a bit of craic.

The live music was great, full of spirit!

The dancers were a bonus, too!  We had front row seats here in the pub and had another opportunity to marvel at their skill over a pint of Murphys tonight – well, we are in Cork, after all.

Out on a jaunt

I’m glad to report that the Road Trip reserve supplies are holding up well here in Killarney. The huge bag of assorted mint humbugs are is steadily emptying, the bag of wires and cables has so far proved totally useless in connecting Ellis’ ipod to either of the cars though.  The Benylin was replenished today, which hopefully means my presence won’t be heard from quite so much of a distance.  Yes, my “holiday cough” is proving pretty resistant to all efforts right now.

For this, our “bonus day” here, we’d sought the advice of Padraig, the concierge for the best way to see some of the area.  He laid out a framework for the day which we followed almost to the letter, starting at Ross Castle, just up the lake from our hotel.

Now, Padraig had recommended we hire a boat for ourselves rather than take one of the larger, scheduled services but looking at the motley assortment of leaky tubs moored along the riverside, we began to question his judgement.  Surely not?

Thankfully, as soon as we turned the corner our fears were dispelled.  Charlie, avid Liverpool FC supporter and owner of The Otter introduced himself and offered to take us up the lake taking exactly the route Padraig had suggested.  It could all have been planned!

In a short time, having donned life jackets and settled ourselves into the spacious Otter, we were passing by our hotel, sending positive and appreciative vibes to Padraig for such a brilliant suggestion.  Another overcast day, but no matter, we were out in the open and enjoying the brisk lake breezes.

 

Here and there, we spotted folks out and about around the lake too.  We’re in the Killarney National Park and there are pathways and tracks all over.

Enjoying Charlie’s lively chatter about life, Liverpool and the Lake Leane, we were soon approaching the Bricin Bridge.

Through the other side, we spotted Dinis Cottage and we were glad that Charlie steered The Otter to the jetty so that we could go and take a closer look.

Whilst he enjoyed “a coffee and a valium”, we went inside and spent a delightful ten minutes chatting to the three women running the coffee shop there.  They pointed out the window panes, autographed by generations of visitors to the cottage since the 18th century and sent us off again armed with hot drinks and a smile on our faces.

“The Meeting of the Waters” is a small network of water channels which join the three lakes.  Rather shallower than the lake itself, we needed to spread ourselves about a bit in order to get through.  Though I noticed a pole in the bottom of the boat, I hardly thought Charlie would be quite so eager to get out and push as our boatman in Burma had been a few months ago!

The water was so still, the air so peaceful as we chugged our way though, past another heritage bridge and a heron standing so still, it would have been easy to mistake it for a garden ornament.

Our cameras were working hard!

Back out on the lake, though, things were getting a little squally.  We were glad that we were nearly back at Ross Castle and not just setting out on our adventure!  We were also glad we’d had the boat (and Charlie) to ourselves, to do exactly as we wished.

Back at the Castle, Charlie probably needed to go and have a lie down and having thanked him for a great trip, we thought we’d take a look inside.  Sadly, we’d just missed a tour and with the next one not scheduled for almost an hour, we decided to give it a miss and continue straight on to our next venue.

We’d seen Muckross House from the lake and Charlie had told us the story of the owners and their troubles, following a visit from Queen Victoria.  No expense had been spared in planning and preparation for her visit in the six years preceding her arrival though Prince Albert’s untimely death shortly afterwards meant that the poor Herbert Family were soon forgotten and all their efforts to curry favour with the Royal family came to nought.  Bankruptcy soon followed.

We learned more about the house as we toured inside with Horatio, our eloquent and very energetic guide.  No photos allowed, unfortunately, and sadly, none on the website either, so you will simply have to imagine the Victorian country house interiors until you can visit to see for yourself!

After a quick cuppa, we thought we’d make our way to the Jaunting Cars to sort out the last part of our adventure.  As we walked in front of the house, though, a soft Irish voice asked “Would you be interested in a ride to the falls?”  Patrick led us to his Jaunting Car and introduced us to the second Charlie of the day – his horse – before helping us into the car and offering us warm, woollen knee blankets.  So comfortable and cosy!

Off we set, through the woods towards the waterfall, along a well travelled path which was thankfully smooth and comfortable to ride.  We chatted to Patrick as we travelled, enjoying his gentle Irish humour in the same way as we had enjoyed Charlie’s this morning.

When there was a clearing in the trees, something worth noting or photographing, Patrick would bring the car to a stop and give us chance to get the cameras going.  The lake was looking particularly lovely in the late afternoon.

A little further, we joined another jaunting car and passengers to snap this red deer enjoying an afternoon snack.

We stopped for long enough to spot the female deer (and sing the song) too.

But it was himself who captured the attention, needless to say.

Arriving at the falls, Patrick suggested we go and take a closer look, issuing the Irish advice of “Take your time…but don’t be long”!!

On the return journey, we looked for the deer once more but they were gone.

We simply sat back and enjoyed the ride.  What fun!

We were soon back at Muckross and once Charlie had had a drink, Patrick jumped down and took photos for us.  As he did, a small boy came along to ask about “this stinky horse” (!) and we smiled as we listened to the conversation between the two of them. 

Last stop of the day then was Killarney town centre,  where we pottered around a little.

The streets are clogged with traffic

and souvenir shops…

so we went and ate ice cream.  Gin flavoured ice cream, to be exact!  Delish.

This evening, we ate in the Brasserie again before returning to our room to watch the Rose of Tralee competition on the TV.

The view from our room this evening is lovely and I hope that it bodes well for tomorrow, when we’ll leave Killarney and County Kerry to drive to Cork, our next stop.

See you there!

Doing The Ring

We woke to overcast skies this morning, but decided to continue with our plans to “do the ring” today nevertheless, keeping fingers crossed that it might brighten up later.

But for the time being, the main brightness was in the glorious hydrangeas which line the driveway to our hotel.  In a range of rich pinks, blues and every shade in between, they really are spectacular.

The first landmark along the way was King Puck, the goat of Killorgin, whose fair took place just last week here.  Today, the town had returned to its sleepy normal self and there was hardly a soul to be seen.  Maybe everyone was in church?

Both driver and co-pilot were actively engaged in working out our route, for although this is a well trodden path around the peninsula, in one or two places there were options – and where the option might be to avoid the coaches, then that could be a good move.

Not that we had seen any coaches yet.

Though the leaden skies weren’t lifting as quickly as we’d hoped, they added a different tone to the landscape and a kind of broodiness, I thought. 

Our next stop was in Cahersiveen, where a monument stands to Saint Brendan the Navigator.  Here we came across the first clutch of coaches of the day – not admiring the fine monument here with us, but a little further down the hill, paying homage to Daniel O’Connell, the politician.  Whilst we’ve come across a few local, Irish coaches touring these places, the majority are European and some are becoming rather familiar.  I think we are following a similar itinerary to a particular red coach from Belgium, de Zigeuner – the Gypsies – and sure enough, there they were.

Shortly afterwards, there was an opportunity to take a route that was unsuitable for coaches – let’s do it!  A quick right turn took us on the Skellig Ring where, yes, the roads were narrow but empty.  What’s not to like?

One of the first things we came across was the “cliffs experience”.  We parked the car, followed the instructions and reported to reception because of course, even though there had been no mention of the “t” word so far, we had to buy tickets.

4 Euros per person.

There were those who turned back at this stage, even though they had come this far, 4 Euros was just too much, it appeared.  We paid our money and began to walk along the level, well maintained road thinking that it must take quite a lot of maintenance to keep everything safe and secure in this remote place and that even a few hundred paying visitors wasn’t exactly going to make the owners a fortune.

Over to our left was a rather interesting shape.  A long straight wall was like a seam joining two grassy pieces of velvet together, ending in a smooth curve high above…what?

We had no idea what to expect here but the prospects were looking good.

Another little distraction on the right: Three beehive huts, reconstructions of course, and yes, the birds on top are artificial (suits me just fine).

Finally we reached the edge.  The fence.  Do not go beyond it….as if!

Oh. wow.

As we took our photographs of the layered, striated cliff faces, we commented that later, we’d think that we hadn’t held our cameras quite straight.  So, we took special care to do exactly that, to use the digital level and so on to get a straight image.

But it wasn’t easy.

It was spectacular though!  4 euros?  A bargain!

We walked to the highest point, to get a great view in both directions and most of all, to see that green velvet field we’d seen from the pathway and the smooth curved edge where it ends high above the crashing sea.

I was especially appreciative of the secure fencing too.

From here, we drove a little further, ascending to the summit from where, on a clear day, the views would be rather better than today.  But hey, I think we were happy enough!

From time to time, we’d come to a small collection of houses, wondering who lives here and what brought them.  Were they people leading simple lives, earning a living from renting holiday cottages or running tea rooms?  Were the farmers or smallholders, eking out a living in whatever way they can?  Or are they high tech business moguls, taking advantage of high speed internet to run global organisations from a small cottage in western Ireland?  We have no idea, but we are always curious!

We stopped for a breath of fresh air by the beach, watching one lone surfer chasing the waves.  Well, not much chasing to be done today, much more waiting around.  We smiled as a couple hugged and kissed on the sand, then felt bad when he noticed us and backed off, embarrassed.

We left them to it and climbed back in the car.  We had other fish to fry.

Skelligs chocolate was a popular place today and the cafe was full of families seeking refuge from the damp and un-summery weather in St Finians Bay.  We joined them for hot chocolate and carrot cake, watching groups arriving and tasting chocolate before going over to give it a try ourselves.

Mary Kate was the most delightful guide and we spent a happy ten minutes in her company as she fed us chocolate!  Having done so, she scooped up the rest into a bag for us to take home…together with our purchases, of course   It was so good to see such a thriving, well run business out here on the edge – we loved it.

Look, still no coaches!!

Making the most of the last part of the Skellig Ring before rejoining the “big road”, we felt – hoped – the weather was lifting.  Maybe we’d see some scenery after all?

Or was it enough to appreciate what we could see?  A misty, rather soft landscape with just a hint of islands and far flung hillsides on the horizon?

I think it was.  Who needs brilliant sunshine?

We returned to the main road and passed through a couple of small towns overcome by coach parties and parked cars.  If there had been any doubt, here was confirmation that we’d seen the best already.  We’d already travelled over Molls Gap on our way here yesterday and seen the small loughs which feature in the last stages of the Ring. We’d explored Kenmare at the fiar yesterday too.  So, thinking that this was not the best way to experience the remainder of the route, as soon as we could turn left and take an alternative road home, we did.  Thankfully the fifteen camper vans in front of us (yes, really, fifteen) all continued straight on as we headed for Killarney and our hotel.

Another great day, topped off tonight with dinner in the brasserie here and believe it or not, Father Ted on the TV as I type.  With an extra night here tomorrow, we have a bonus day ahead of us in the morning and a few plans up our sleeves.  I think that perhaps a boat and at least one horse might feature.  Oooer.

All change

Lesley, we didn’t believe the chap in the PitStop repair shop either, so when the Sixt guy didn’t call back last night, we booked an alternative rental car with a different company and cancelled the rest of the contract.  This morning, the cheerful and very amenable Enterprise people provided us with an almost identical vehicle and leaving the keys to the broken down VW with the hotel in Tralee, we set off for Kenmare in the Seat replacement.  We can’t afford to be stuck in some remote area of Ireland whilst they get their act together to sort something out.

We’d read that things were going to be buzzing in Kenmare today, with the annual fair in full swing.

Sure enough, by the time we arrived the streets were full of activity.  The first part was mostly market-style stalls, selling fairground type trinkets.  But then we hit the main part…

Want to buy a puppy?  Just 70 Euros a piece, we heard.

Well, yes, they are very cute but none of us were confident that this was going to be the best place to make such an important purchase.Later, though, we saw a young woman carrying one of this pair in the street looking rather pleased with her purchase and with an older Jack Russell on a lead beside her.  I must say I felt happier knowing that one puppy appeared to be going to a good home, but then what do I know?

If puppies weren’t on your shopping list today, then how about a few chickens?

A goat, maybe?

A cow…?

A horse?

A donkey (or two?)

Or a pair of Fallabellas?

Anything and everything was here for the purchase, everything and anything was haphazard and tied to a bit of railing or a car bumper.  Oh my.

If you weren’t in the market to buy something, then how about a raffle ticket?

The prizes were in the pen alongside.

No, Mary, you can’t take one back to California with you!

Having perused the livestock department, we chose to take a look up the main street and see what was on offer there.  It was getting near to lunchtime and perhaps there’d be a pub with a bit of entertainment or something?

What we found was stall upon stall seeing “pre-loved” power tools.

Row upon row of them set out on the roadside, each one looking very “pre-loved” indeed.  Of course, we wanted to know where they had all come from!!

And yes, of course, you know exactly what we were thinking, don’t you?  I was thinking of friends who have builders in right now, who have had full toolkits stolen, never to be seen again. 

There must have been hundreds of them.

The little street had some interesting shops along the way, too, not to mention a good place to enjoy a bacon buttie for lunch.

As we made our way back to the car, we spotted a different selection of puppies on offer and a small boy getting acquainted with one as his father did the deal.

Alongside, another stall had been set up…

Our hotel tonight is in Killarney, so our route back to the hotel took us over part of the Ring of Kerry and in particular, past another Avoca shop.

Inside was an interesting book with a familiar feel to it.

But actually, it wasn’t the book which caught my eye (again) but the blankets.

Glorious rich colours; having petted them in every store I’ve been in, it was time to make the purchase.

I’d already made my choice at an earlier stop

We are so happy we came here and delight in the glorious scenery and the wonderfully friendly people we’ve come across.

This evening, we sat in our beautiful hotel enjoying the view and wishing we could stay here longer.

Thinking we could stay here longer in fact.

So, with a couple of phone calls and emails made, we’re going to stay an extra night.  After all, not all changes have to be enforced – some of them can be made from choice!