Main street of Killarney
Side road on the Ring of Kerry
View of the lakes just outside Killarney
Sam at a stop on the Ring of Kerry tour
The Ring of Kerry road around the lower peninsula
We left Killarney and travelled to Ardmore where we were staying overnight at a B&B. On the way we stopped at the Town of Blarney . This is the home of the famous Blarney Castle which houses the Blarney Stone, this stone once kissed is suppose to make the person who kissed the stone a grand orator. Some of the famous people who have kissed the rock were Winston Churchill, James Joyce, Oliver Hardy (of Laurel and Hardy fame) just to name a few. The castle was quite interesting and the stone itself was at the very top of the castle and you had to lay on your back and wiggle out over an opening to kiss the stone.
Sign for the Blarney Stone
Blarney Castle, the stone is at the very top of the high tower
Sign showing Churchill and Oliver Hardy
Stairs up to the stone
Kissing the stone, it is the grey spot just behind the ladies head.
After leaving the castle we drove on to a small town called Cobh before going onto Ardmore where we had a B&B reserved.
Cobh (yes that is how it is spelt and it is pronounced like corn on the COB) was the last stop of the Titanic on her fateful maiden voyage. The town was originally called Cove and was renamed Queenstown in recognition of Queen Victoria visiting the town, later it was renamed Cobh which is Irish for Cove. We visited the memorial site and museum to the Titanic. It was a small museum but was really well done.
Poster in the Cobh Museum
The town of Cobh
In Ardmore the B&B was an actual working farm, the host and hostess were really gracious and the room was very neat and quaint. They made a reservation for us in a small restaurant in the town of Ardmore. The restaurant was packed and we were told it was an exceptional experience so we decided to go all out on a gourmet dinner. Sam had Lobster Thermidor and I had Crispy Duckling, a house specialty. The meal was so good I would move there just to eat at this restaurant.
Whitehorses restaurant in Ardmore
Bob enjoying his duck with Sam's Lobster Thermidor in the forefront.
The next day we departed for our last stop in Ireland a B&B located in a small town called Meeting of the Waters. We, however made a stop in Waterford to see where the famous Waterford Crystal was made. The building was very modern and the work they did was phenomenal, but very pricey.
Entrance to the Waterford Crystal plant
Waterford Crystal shaped like a football. This piece is a commissioned piece for the US National Football League (NFL) to be presented to the coach of the year. One a year is commissioned by the NFL.
After leaving the Town of Waterford we went to our B&B in a town called "Meeting of the Waters". This is a town where two small rivers come together and it is very popular with Irish and foreign writers as James Joyce spent a lot of time here.
The B&B we stayed at, Ashton House was run by a charming young couple who were very welcoming. The house had actually been her mothers house that they had bought, the mother was living in a very pretty cottage on the property. They had four very comfortable rooms (modern with an en suite) and they also were a stopping point for horse and wagon travellers. These were small wagons pulled by a horse that people rented for a week and toured the back roads of the area. There were 5 wagons parked in the front of the house and six horses grazing around the outside of the B&B. One of the families had a young daughter who was actually riding one of the horses.
One of the wagons arriving at the B&B
Young family with one daughter riding a horse (you can see her behind the horse pulling the wagon)
Horse grazing behind the B&B
Another wagon with the B&B in the background
Sam standing in the doorway of the B&B saying goodbye to our hostess
We left the next day for Dublin airport to fly to Bordeaux, France. We will be in France until the end of September.
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