Vacation Part 1 - Blarney

Blarney Castle

I can not begin to describe how beautiful Ireland is. There are not enough words for all of the shades of green that I saw, seriously, it is stunning. Not only is it a beautiful country, the people are friendly and the beer is good. I am a big fan of Guinness and enjoyed my share of pints while touring through the Irish countryside. I am ready to go back, in fact I am ready to buy property there and call it my second home :0) Now to win the lottery so I can afford that...

It rained a lot during our trip, starting with our first excursion to Blarney. I thought a lot about the rain on our flight to Dublin. How would it affect our trip? Would we still be able to explore all the out door sites? The weather channel predicted rain for most of our trip. Here is what I can tell you, an Irish rain in August is completely different from a Nevada rain in any month. The rain was not cold, it was just wet. We explored the castle grounds, in the rain, for hours. We were soaked but not cold. Now, to be fair the rain was more of a hard mist or very light drizzle, not a driving rain, but it was still not cold and actually added to our experiences. I recommend good, light weight umbrellas but I put mine away and just had fun. If you are carrying a backpack make sure it is waterproof or be sure to pack a larger plastic bag to protect its contents.

Bench just Outside of the Castle

View from the top of Blarney Castle

Me kissing the Blarney Stone

Tribute for the Fairies

WOW! This was natural. 

Walking back to the Gardens

Trees in Sweaters

The Witches Stone

One of the many flower gardens

All of the above pictures were taken in the gardens of Blarney Castle. We had no idea how much there was to see, we thought we'd climb to the top of the castle, kiss the stone and move on. Nope! We loved exploring all the nooks and crannies of this amazing place. After playing we did stop for lunch and shopping at the Blarney Woolen Mills shop which is situated right next to the castle grounds. 

If you are planning a trip to kiss the Blarney Stone be sure to allow yourself several hours to explore the extensive gardens. There are so many things to see as you wander around, you just never know what you will find, from wooden mushrooms and the Witches stone, to trees with sweaters and lush flowers. It is an experience that should not be rushed!

Next stop... Limerick