Ireland 2023 - Day Two

Day two began with a wonderful breakfast after which the group departed from the Kingsley Hotel and continued our journey to the quaint town of Blarney. Central to our trip to Blarney was a visit to the

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Blarney Castle and Gardens.

A medieval stronghold, the Blarney Castle dates back to 1446. At the top of the Castle lies the famous Stone of Eloquence, better known as the Blarney Stone. There are several versions of the origin story of the Stone but kissing it is said to give one the gift of eloquence. While many of us climbed to the top of the Blarney Castle, only a few of us braved the elements to hang upside down and kiss the Stone.

We rounded out our stop with a visit to the Blarney Woolen Mills. Dubbed as the "largest Irish gift shop in the world", the three-story market is housed in one of Ireland's oldest and most authentic woollen mills. After wrapping up our morning visit to Blarney, we traveled into Killarney and set off on a horse-drawn jaunting carriage ride through the grounds of the Killarney National Park, which ended at the beautiful Muckross House and Traditional Gardens.

After leaving the park, we checked into our home base for the next two days, the Brehon Hotel.

We had a brief reprieve from the rain and were treated to a beautiful rainbow. The day wrapped with some free time. Our driver, Sean, graciously offered to drop us off downtown to explore the charming downtown area of Killarney for dinner. Full of wonderful dining options and lively pubs, Killarney did not disappoint. One group was even able to catch the Patriots game.

Comments

Anonymous said…

Looks like you are all having a “grand” time. fran

September 25, 2023 at 7:27 AM

Barcelona - Dos

Day two in Barcelona has been fantastic! Jose gave us lots of information on the artist Gaudi - not born here but arrived in 1852 to attend the university. His artistic style and influence can be seen across the city. We stopped at Park Guell which was an amazing outdoor area Gaudi designed near the home he lived in. Inspired by nature, fairy tales and classical legends the park is beautiful. With its kissing benches, 'candy house', salamander and plaza with the longest bench in the world it is a work of art in itself. Some of us made the walk up to the top where the three crosses are - and found even more breathtaking views of the city. From there we headed back downtown for a short walk to La Sagrada Familia cathedral. Design by Gaudi and still not yet finished, it is very unique and ornate. Just walking around the outside, Jose had enough informatiion to share about its intricacies that it took some time. The line for entrance was nearly wrapped around the ch

Cordoba

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2011: Day 4 - Vienna

Another great day! We had a 6am wake up call - but it paid off! Our tour director, Robert, secured the first reservations of the day at Shronbrunn Palace - which meant we were the only guests in the Palace for the most part. We went room to room with our own local guide, Gabi, for a nearly private tour! A one-of-a-kind experience for sure. The Palace and Gardens were beautiful. 1,441 rooms and acres and acres of grounds. We learned about Mary Theresa (and all of her 16 children). This was the summer palace for the Hapsburg dynasty. We then switched gears and went to see modern art at KunstHausWien - what a creative artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser was. And a man who epitomized eco-friendly living and work. A very different experience after our tour of the Palace. Next was a driving tour of some of the city's monuments, etc. with a stop for lunch along the way. We ended with a walking tour to additional historic spots and a tour of the downtown palace - the winter residence of the

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