Kelli waited by the door for…..
Mike to take us to the airport.
We had a drink or two while waiting for our plane…..
In preparation for drinking like an Irishman.
Of course, there was no reason to stop when we got on the plane.
Lufthansa, I highly recommend flying with them.
You won’t find one of these on an American based flight.
12 hours and no sleep later….Ireland.
We had just enough time arriving at our hotel….
To get unpacked….
Get refreshed….
And hop on our bus for the first part of our tour.
We headed over to Saint Patrick’s Church for a self guided tour.
While the church was impressive in size….
and beautiful….
It was still just a church.
Some nice tile work on the floor.
Check out the colors the sunlight through the stained glass left on the wall.
Looks like I need to buy that wide angle lens.
From there, we broke from the group and walked around Dublin.
Cockles and mussels anyone?
We made our way down to the Temple Bar area of town….
And had ourselves a drink.
We were close enough to walk home, and didn’t need a taxi.
Kelli did a little late night window shopping.
Not being happy with going home yet, we stopped….
And had another drink.
I love this shot.
After all that, it was back to the hotel for the night.
Kelli taking a bath.
The next day we headed out to the country to take in the views.
This was the only day we saw the sun the entire time we were there.
Our first stop was Glendalough, County Wicklow, Ireland.
They’re all graves…even the ones that just look like stones. Some were over 1,000 years old.
Some old structure on the site.
The views were great….
And I had some fun with perspectives.
What would a tourist attraction be without a gift shop.
What would a tourist attraction be without a gift shop.
This is where some fabrics are made by hand….
With the help of machinery, of course.
You can really see the movement of the machine in this shot.
Getting bored with fabric, Kelli and I headed out down the road….
Into the small town where the BBC show Ballykissangel is filimed….
Found ourselves a pub….
took note of the local customs….
and had ourselves some Guinness and lunch.
On the way home, Kelli took a quick nap….
Before arriving at Saint James Gate, Dublin.
OH YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So what does make Guinness special?
Barley.
Guinness uses two-thirds of all barley grown in Ireland each year.
The hops they use come from all over the world.
The secret to Guinness.
Water and yeast are the last two ingredients.
Not baked, roasted.
Those kinds of numbers start to make a guy thirsty….
So we headed up to the gravity bar…..
And had a proper pint right at the brewery.
SOOOOOO GOOD!!!!!!!!!!
Our score of goods for the day.
Me stylin’ my new Guinness schwag.
That night we walked along the rows of Georgian architecture….
And had dinner at Foley’s.
After dinner it was back down to the Temple Bar district.
We, however, went to a tapas (not topless) bar….
We had a few drinks….
And met a local author who had just gotten her first book deal.
Say hello to up and coming book writer Abbey Green.
The next day, it was back on the bus.
We stopped at a small mall for a coffee/bathroom break….
Then it was back on the bus for more touring.
Life is a picnic with a picnic bar.
Our next stop was Kilkenny.
Great town for walking around…..
But we only found one pub open….
I mean really, we’re in Ireland….
Those Kilkenny Bastards!!!!!!!!
Waterford was our next stop….
Yes, as in Waterford crystal.
Really, Kelli and I aren’t into this kinda stuff….
Like really, who wants to get their picture taken holding a crystal vase?
Watching them make the crystal was interesting…for about 2 mintues.
It was kinda cool watching them work.
Some of the work they’ve done.
Another of my favorite pictures from the trip.
We were in Waterford for two nights, and this was our room.
We had a nice view of the river….
And a good sized bathroom.
Dinner that night was with the tour group…boring.
We cut out quickly, and headed over to one of the oldest pubs in town.
This was my favorite pub of the entire trip.
Yeah, there wasn’t a TV either…very cool.
So we had a few drinks….
And met some locals.
Of course Patrica isn’t always so straight faced.
Back at the hotel we were in too late to order the all day dining….
So Kelli payed some Game boy, and then we went to bed for the night.
The next day it was over to Cobh (pronounced cove).
There was a lot of maritime history in this town….
But that was about it.
Like Aerosmith, done with mirrors.
Back outside it was still raining (go figure)…..
But that didn’t stop Kelli from having a good time at the edge of the Celtic Sea.
On to Blarney Castle we go.
From this height….
And with this view….
We waited our turn….
To make like a tourist and kiss the Blarney Stone.
I joined in the fun, too.
The walk down was a tight fit.
Here Kelli is ony about four steps behind me.
This is an old bedroom about halfway down.
The pictures really just don’t show how tight of a fit this was.
Outside the castle, everything was really green.
See that dark hole in the middle?
We just happened to spot this bird using it as a bird’s nest.
There was a system of caves that the castle was built on connecting the dungeons to points a mile away.
We stopped for a few more pictures….
With the castle in the background….
Then had a look where Mathew does his shoping….
Before stopping in town for a hot chocolate…
And some fresh pizza.
The ride home on the bus had nothing but rainy views out the window.
Our tour group went to this bar for some traditional Irish music….
But Kelli and I had the driver take us back into town so we could do our own thing.
Reginald’s Tower, built in the 12th-13th centuries.
All the way to Ireland to find the Maryland Restaurant.
After some wondering around, we made our way into a pub….
And relaxed with a few drinks.
Inside this pub was part of the original city wall.
Later that night at the hotel bar we listened to some locals play American music…..
And then retired to the room where I took some time exposed pictures of traffic.
No more pictures!!!!
Well, this was the end of the road for all the people in our tour group….
But not for Kelli and I.
We rented a car….
With the steering wheel on the wrong side….
And headed to a castle for the night.
Not too shabby567.
Our room was great!!!!!
And the bathroom was large….
And well appointed.
We wasted no time in trashing the room.
We jumped into the car and headed out to the Cliffs of Moher.
The cliffs are over 500 feet above the water.
Kelli was not happy about the rain, wind, and coldness.
But she was a trooper and stuck it out with me.
It would have been nice if the weather was a little better for pictures….
But what are you going to do????
Head to a pub for a hot lunch and a Guinness, that’s what.
Let me tell you, all the towns and pubs begin to look the same very quickly….
But the views were always great!!!!
Back at the hotel there was a treat waiting in our room!!!!
Kelli signs the guestbook on our way to dinner.
Dinner was one of the best meals we had ever had…..ever!!!!!
Kelli looks as they bring out….
My halibut….
and her tuna.
Some in between courses finger foods.
For dessert I went with the creme brulee…..
And Kelli had the cheese plate.
After dinner we adjourned to the sitting room for some champagne.
BTW, I didn’t bring a jacket, so I had to use the “house” jacket.
We headed into the castle bar just in time to catch the end of the live music.
Back in our room, the TV was happy to greet us.
And Kelli took some time to check her email.
In the morning it was still raining as we left the castle for Dublin.
The rain got on my lens, but you can see the beauty of the castle grounds.
During hunting season these guys are fair game.
So we drove from the West coast to the East coast….
And almost 3 hours later arrived back in Dublin.
We were staying at the same hotel as before, and the rooms were still just as small.
We wasted no time in heading out into the streets…
And finding a pub to drink in for a while.
This one happened to be THE Temple bar in the Temple bar district.
Always make sure to get the famous landmarks.
We tried this local brew pub…..
But didn’t like it and went looking for another place to dinrk.
The problem was we were in tourist central, and everything was kinda lame.
So we finished our food and headed back to the hotel.
Best urinals in all the land. No splash back.
5am the next morning and we were starting our long journey home.
As always, the food on Lufthaunsa was great!!!!
Well that’s all for this time around. Join us again next time!!!!