The inn is very charming. We have a huge room with a lovely view of the lake and hills, and there is a neat lounge and library downstairs, to which I will retire to read a bit of Yeats before breakfast after I finish this entry. I wish we could stay here more of the day, but we are off to the Ring of Kerry and the Ring of something else.
Yesterday was a long day, and at the end of it I had a complete meltdown. I was exhausted, my feet hurt, and I was hot--the impossible combination for me. Pam was great, even though I was flipping out. It really is a comfort having her here and having a partner in this adventure.
We started the day by scrambling for breakfast, as our hotel in Dublin didn't start serving until we had to be on our way to meet our tour. Found some sandwiches and fruit at a local shop, and we were fine, but I really wanted to see Pam's face when I told her she was eating blood pudding for breakfast. Maybe later this week.
There was quite a bit of driving yesterday to reach the southwest, but Vagabond paced it well, with stops every hour or so, lots of casually delivered history, and visits to a couple of spectacular places. First stop was the Rock of Cashel, which is really not to be missed. There were lots of folks there, so it is touristy, but it is old and on a magnificent hillside. I would have liked to have had more time to sit on the hillside in that old place and do some writing. As it was, I had a decent look around, and then spent some time looking through the holes in the remaining walls and imagined what it would have been like to have been a monk there.
Next stop was a real tourist destination: Blarney castle. First, I was very happy that a free app I had on my iPhone gave us a half off price to get in, because the fricking fee was 10Euro each. The castle grounds are extraordinary, and there was lots of verbena bonariasis growing near the creek, which made me smile. A few varieties of lavender for good measure too.
Then there was the damned castle. Well, I was too fat and loaded down with cameras and stuff to get very far into the dungeon, but it was pretty cool to get as far into the rock as I did. One is always shocked by how small these spaces are. Pam wanted to see the stone, which is at the top of the castle in the open air. Well, shit, if she was going to climb all of those narrow steps to get there, so was I, but the windy steps were steep and smooth and narrow. I had a bit of claustrophobia as well as a fear of falling, so that was a scary damned climb for me. The view on top was great, but I ai'n't recommending that stop to anybody. Coming down was not much better, as there were lots of folks on the stairs, and the down staircase required even more careful stepping, due to the smoothness of the stone.
Once we reached the hotel, it was too rainy to explore the area, unfortunately. This is disappointing, as I think this is the coolest place in terms of environment in which we will be staying. I did manage to get into the bar where Pammy bought me my first pint of Guiness.
More to say, of course, but I am anxious to get out in the wind a bit before breakfast.
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Location:Gougan Barra, Ireland
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