Day 3
This morning dawned clear and warm again. There's not a cloud in the sky. The locals are all talking about how the weather has changed. Until now, May has been a very rainy month (even by Irish standards apparently). I'm happy to share our California weather with them :-)
Today we hop on our bus for the first time and drive from Dublin to Kinsale. After two days in the "big city" it's time to head for the country. We also meet our coash driver, James Finn, a good Irish lad from County Kerry.
Powerscourt Gardens
Our first stop is Powerscourt Gardens about an hour south of Dublin. Powerscourt Estate is situated in the Wicklow Mountains and is probably the most famous house and garden in Ireland. The gardens surrounding the house have been used in several movies including the 1995 version of "The Count of Monte Cristo". The gardens are amazing and I could have spent several hours here.
While a group of us were wandering around the grounds we came across what looked like a family graveyard. On closer inspection however we realized that the gravestones listed animals! There were family pets like cats and dogs and even a couple of cows......one, a former "Dublin Champion" cow!
Eugenie and Princess
Part of the Group
As we prepare to leave, the weather is beginning to change. It is now getting windy and ominous clouds have started moving in.
Leaving Powerscourt, our next destination is the Rock of Cashel. I've really been looking forward to this visit as I've seen many beautiful photos of the site. The bus ride to Cashel gives us a good introduction to typical Irish weather. One minute it's sunny and the next it's raining......our first rain of the trip. Wait a couple more minutes and it's sunny again. At one point it's raining on the right side of the bus and the left side is dry....wow.
The Rock of Cashel is perched on the top of a hill (easier to defend) and James parks the bus at the bottom. Before hiking up the hill we all get some lunch, split between several small establishments. It's not great food but it's hot and the owner is pretty entertaining.
lighten every load.
May the mist of Irish magic
shorten every road
And may all your friends remember
all the favours you are owed!
On leaving the restaurant, we discover that it is now raining in earnest. We're all prepared with our raingear and make our way up the hill and into the small museum inside one of the buildings. Our tour guide explained to us that the Rock of Cashel was the traditional seat of the kings of Munster for several hundred years until the Norman invasion. The buildings that we see today are from the 12th and 13th century.
The Rock of Cashel
We head outside to tour the grounds and discover that the rain has gone and the sun is out again although it is still quite windy. I can't stop taking pictures out here, it's just spectacular.
Reluctantly we head back down the hill and onto our coach where James is waiting for us. Our next stop is Kinsale and for something fun to do on the bus, Pat has us do our buddy introductions. The idea is to learn as much as possible about our buddy and pass that on to the rest of our group. This is a great way for everyone to become a little more familiar with their fellow travelers. Pat encourages us to "be inventive" and I'm amazed at what members of the group make up about their buddies......it's hysterical!
We're practically into Kinsale by the time we all give our introductions and the time passes quickly.
After checking into our B&B, Pat gives us a little tour of Kinsale. It doesn't take long, Kinsale is quite small and quaint. We're on our own for dinner and eight of us decide to try Jim Edwards Pub on the main square. It's a very nice restaurant and my seafood is fantastic!
