After a not so eventful night in Cork, we woke up the next morning, grabbed a quick breakfast at the hotel and hit the road to find a more interesting town. We decided Blarney was it. And what a better way to rid our minds of the boring Cork with some Irish kissing, of the Blarney stone, that is.
It was a quick drive to Blarney, and we took our time exploring the grounds. There was a garden of sorts that had lots of stones, trees, and creeks. And there was a magical/mystical feeling about the place. We spent about an hour in this garden, exploring a mysterious boulder that had been perched on another rock for centuries, and climbing a stone staircase that if done with your eyes closed the entire way up, you would get a wish granted.
We eventually made our way to the Blarney castle and climbed through the extremely narrow passageways, often wondering if we would fit, and making sure our feet were secure on the tiny steps. At the top, we took in the beautiful views of the area below, and then waited in a short line to kiss the famous blarney stone!
To kiss the stone, you lay on your back and lean backwards while grabbing onto the black bars behind you. Someone holds your waist and tilts you back until your head is facing the stone . Then they say "kiss it", and you do. Then they haul you back up!
After kissing the stone and walking back down the castle, we hit the road for our long drive to Killarney. We took a scenic route, along the coast, stopping in a few small towns now and then. The drive took longer than we anticipated, and unfortunately my camera battery died during this part of the drive, but we saw a lot of beautiful Irish towns and coastline. And as we got closer to Killarney, we were able to drive along some mountainous roads, cliffs on one side, and hill on the other, with incredible views all around. At this point though, the rain began, and it was getting dark, so we stopped stopping and sightseeing, and focused on getting to the hotel.
The Caharnane House Hotel is a beautiful old mansion that was restored and turned into a hotel. As we turned into the driveway from the main road, we were amazed at how beautiful the grounds were, and we hadn't even seen the hotel yet. And as we approached the house, we knew we had hit the jackpot. It was a beautiful house, covered in vines. Inside was covered in wood, with fireplaces lit, and cozy couches to lounge on.
After exploring the house a bit, we headed into town for dinner and a drink. With a few recommendations from the hotel, we quickly found a cozy restaurant with a great atmosphere and delicious food. The drive had exhausted us, so after dinner, we grabbed some ice cream, went back to the hotel to rest so we could do it all again the next day!
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