Day 9 Thursday May 27

Today was our busiest day of the trip so far. They woke us up on the boat at 6 am and we were off by 7, in our car and on our way. We drove to Blarney castle and got there an hour early so we sat in the car and planned our day. When we went to buy our tickets we found out they only took cash so we drove to a little store and got some Euros. Then into the castle.

If you look to the top of this picture you can see the hole that you lean down into to kiss the stone.

We climbed 124 small winding steps to get to this beautiful view.

To kiss the Blarney stone you sit at the edge, lay down and bend your head all the way back. There is someone there to help you. Kissing the Blarney Stone is supposed to give you the gift of the gab.

Kevin kissing the stone.

After kissing the stone we explored the castle.

The staircases were short and skinny.

So were the doorways.

The grounds around Blarney Castle.

The house at Blarney Castle.

We walked around Blarney Woolen Mills ( a shopping center) and then went to a grocery store. I bought queens cakes, which were little cupcakes with fondant icing. They were really good. We drove to Killarney to check into our Bed and Breakfast. After checking in we walked around the town looking for lunch. Little did we know that most pubs/restaurants stop serving food from 3-6 or 7. As it was already after 3 we were starving and having a hard time finding someplace to eat. We finally ate at Burger King where at least they had fountain drinks with ice, but no refills. After lunch we left to drive the Ring of Kerry.

The Ring of Kerry was beautiful. It was a 3-4 hour drive with lots of stops to take pictures.

This was a beach at the end of the drive. We were starting to get some bad weather so I didn't get out, but the wind almost blew our door off when Kevin opened it. (That's our car) The pictures don't do the Ring justice. Very green, lots of sheep, pretty homes, old castles. You could spend several days touring the little towns around it.

When we got back we went to a pub for dinner. Where Kevin had chicken fried steak with peppercorn sauce and I had pork loin with stuffing, mashed potatoes and carrots. Ireland had the most delicious carrots. They were very sweet. I could have eaten them with every meal.