Ok, so I admit it: I am a terrible blogger. It is always on my list to update my blog but somehow it always gets passed over, so my apologies.
In this blog I have a bunch of photos from when my grandma and I traveled to Killarney during Spring Break. I had traveled to Killarney before with a tour from the University, however most of that tour was spent at places like Ross Castle and Torc Waterfall - places that are really hard to get to if you don't have a car. Also it rained like cats and dogs when I was there so I really wanted to go back and see the beautiful scenery again in the sun.
Thankfully the weather decided to cooperate with us, for the most part anyway, and I was really excited to be back. The first thing we did was to explore the mall that is connected to the bus station. While it doesn't compare in the least to the ones we're used to at home it was kind of fun just to wander around and shop. And of course eat...which is always my favorite part!
We also walked in and out of the various shops in the city center. There are so many unique little shops and they are so brightly colored. We of course stopped in the gift shops, but I also found a cute little bookshop to go in for a bit, and while it was relatively cold outside we couldn't pass up some saltwater ice cream from Dingle.
Unfortunately with timing and the rather unexpected location of our B&B, we didn't get to spend our evenings in the pub. The Danny Mann Inn is a famous pub in Killarney that attracts a lot of tourists due to its international bar food and traditional music every night. But at least we can say we were there.
Ok so, we decided to stay in a B&B in Killarney so that we could spend a whole weekend there instead of only a day since there is so much to do and see. Plus, the idea of staying in a B&B in Ireland was just too much to resist. The catch was that the online page's directions of '3 minutes from the bus station' turned out to be 3 minutes by...car. What that meant for us was carrying our bags and suitcase about a mile and a half from the bus station. Perhaps that explains the not so enthusiastic look on grandma's face in the above picture ;)
But while the B&B was not in an ideal location from the city center, the inside was really lovely. And best of all the staff were super friendly and helpful which made the stay all the more pleasant.
This was the common room with a fireplace (with real coal!) and big bay windows overlooking the river. After hoofing it all the way from town and back a few times we retired with some wine by the fire and played games which was really relaxing. There was a young couple from Germany that were traveling through at the same time as us so it was fun chatting with them as well, talking about all the places that we had both been and whatnot.
This is the dining room where we both had our first Irish breakfasts. They had personal heaters by each table which was really nice since it gets cold by the river, and we got served tea and toast before breakfast. An Irish breakfast, for those of you who don't know, consists of eggs, fried tomatoes, beans, sausage, bacon, toast, black pudding, and white pudding. Black pudding, also called blood sausage, is basically onions and spices combined with pork fat and blood congealed into sausage. I know what you're probably thinking: gross! Fortunately or unfortunately depending on how you look at it, I had no idea what it was so I ate some of it. And yes, it was disgusting. But hey, vacation means trying new things right? The white pudding was at least tolerable and didn't contain blood which is probably why I wasn't quite so disgusted lol.
As our B&B was a ways out from the city center, the neighbors were sheep rather than people. It was so nice to be out in the country, and since Killarney is famous for its scenic national park we decided to spend our last day exploring.
Since we were so close to the National Park, and because grandma wasn't feeling that great, I thought we'd pick a nice short trail to explore that would pleasant and easy. When we asked for directions we were told that the trail was "just down the road a bit" and that it would be super easy to get to. After walking for about 30 minutes and probably looking a little lost, we were stopped by a lady who was walking her dog, and when we told her where we were headed she informed us that in fact we still had another 2 miles to go....Lesson learned: Just down the road does not mean just down the road. Not wanting to give up so easily we decided to rest for a bit at the beautiful Lake Hotel that was just off the main road.
The Lake Hotel has been in business since the early 1800s and has earned a 4 star reputation. The hotel is family run and was originally a mansion which was expanded and turned into a hotel. In the 1860s during Queen Victoria's visit to Ireland it is said that she stayed in this hotel, and the lush interior is truly amazing.
The Lake Hotel is nestled right alongside Lough Lein, which is the lower of the three lakes in Killarney. The sun decided to come out for good this time and we were presented with incredible views of the lake and the McGillycudy's Reeks, the highest mountains in Ireland.
When I had been in Killarney before on the lake cruise, the mountains were largely shrouded in mist and so it was nice to be back and actually get to see them out in the sunshine. The mountains rise up to over 1000 meters high, and the glaciated valleys that they form in Killarney are said to be some of the most beautiful in all of Western Europe.
Sunshine and blue skies proved to be good medicine for the both of us. Does this look like someone who didn't feel good? I don't think so! Here's grandma doing a little dance along the lake shore.
Across from the Lake Hotel are the ruins of McCarthy Mor Castle, a 12th century medieval castle also known as Castlelough (Castle on the Lake). The castle went through numerous leaders and was eventually battered by Cromwell's troops in 1935 after the defeat of Ross Castle. After the end of the war with England the castle was sold and purchased by various people throughout the years, until the early 1800s when a mansion (now the Lake Hotel) was built across from the ruined castle and purchased by the Lalor family of Killarney.
It was in the ruined stone walls of Castlelough that I saw my first leprechaun. He was hiding in a niche high up in the wall, grinning mischievously of course.
While the ruins were not as impressive as others I have had the opportunity to see, it is always interesting to dream about the people who might have lived there and look out at the landscape that they would have seen every day.
After spending a little while exploring the Lake Hotel and Castlelough we decided to go find the abbey which resides in the national park. You'd think we had learned our lesson about things being "just down the road a bit" but there you would be wrong. A staff member at the hotel had supplied us with maps of the surrounding area and told us we weren't that far from the abbey. So, innocent American tourists that we were, we decided to walk on.
It turned out to be much further than "just down the road a bit" and was more like "over the river and through the woods." But the Killarney National Park is extremely beautiful and it was really nice just to take our time and walk through a lot of it. The National Park consists of approximately 10,000 hectares which converted is almost 25,000 acres of land. It is famous for its scenic mountain and lake views as well as the native natural woodland habitat and wildlife.
We did manage somehow to reach our destination after who knows how many miles. Muckross Abbey is a Franciscan Friary that was founded in 1448 by Daniel McCarthy Mor, a descendant of one of the families which controlled Castlelough. For almost two hundred years the friars at Muckross Abbey remained in occupation, even lasting through the infamous dissolution of monasteries by King Henry VIII in the 1500s.
In 1652 the abbey was plundered by the Cromwellian forces, however many of the friars managed to hang on. It wasn't until 1698 that the friars were finally pushed out, due to the penal laws which forced religious leaders to leave the country under pain of imprisonment and sometimes death. Most went to live in exile in France or Spain, though a select few plotted secret returns to Ireland years later.
The ruins of the abbey are in remarkable shape and have been exquisitely preserved. The walls of the Cloister and several of the other attached rooms are still in their complete original state. There is also said to be a yew tree in the courtyard which dates back to the founding of the abbey in the 15th century.
Outside the abbey is a burial ground where local chieftains were buried, and even today new burials are constantly being added.
After leaving Muckross Abbey we decided it was definitely time to head back. However we were faced with the daunting idea of having to recover what seemed like the millions of miles we had walked to get there. Just a short distance from the abbey was a road where we found a Spa to rest in for a bit. The inside of the building was really amazing and I particularly loved the chandeliers which were made of Waterford crystal.
After walking out of the Spa we came across this sign which pretty much saved grandma's life and was the answer to our prayers: Jaunting cars! We had talked earlier about wanting to have a carriage ride through Killarney and here was our chance, not a moment too soon.
The jaunting car took us through some of the National Park which we had walked through earlier on in the day and all the way back to our B&B. I have to say - it was much faster than walking! This is a picture of us with the jaunting car in all of our tired cuteness ;) It really was a win win situation for us: we got to check carriage ride off our list and didn't have to walk the 3 miles back to the B&B. Afterwards we had tea and cookies and then checked out of the B&B.
We may have been tired but we still had a little goofiness left in us. Seeing the statue of the man playing accordion we decided that we should play a little music ourselves!
All in all, despite all the mishaps and grandma not feeling good, we really did have a great time in Killarney. The town is so colorful and the scenery is so beautiful, and I was really glad that I had the opportunity to go back. There is so much to do in Killarney that you could honestly spend a whole week there exploring.
No comments:
Post a Comment