The tour group had to meet at 6:40 in the morning, which meant I had to get up earlier than that which was a struggle but I made it to the meeting point with 2 minutes to spare. We headed out and I slept on the beginning part of the journey, which our driver recommended. He was extremely knowledgable and funny the entire time, teaching us different words in Irish Gaelic.
Our first stop on the trip was at Cashel Rock, which is an old castle. The driver recommended that we stop here first and it ended up being a great idea because it would have been closed on the way back. The castle was really cool and we got to walk around inside it and around it as well.
Our next stop was Blarney Castle, home of the Blarney Stone. The legend is that if you kiss the Blarney Stone, then you will have no problem being loquacious and eloquent. Winston Churchill kissed the Blarney Stone and millions of people have done so. Of course, I did as well. I didn't pay to keep the photos that were taken of me kissing the stone, but I do have a so so picture of the stone. It wasn't easy to get a photo of.
The Blarney Stone is at the top of Blarney Castle, a worthwhile site on its own. The castle isn't the most well preserved castle in the world, but it is nice to walk through the medieval building and see some of the different rooms.
The grounds of Blarney Castle are arguably the most impressive part of the visit. There are a few different parts of the grounds, and one of the biggest draws is the Poison Garden. Here, there are a bunch of different plants with different capabilities. Some are actual poisons like Hemlock, but others like Cannabis have less conventional effects.
Another interesting garden is the Fern Garden. As its name suggests, it is a garden of ferns. Walking through this garden was like walking through scenes of Jurassic Park.
There are caves beneath Blarney Castle. One such area was actually even used as a dungeon. There is a legend that says that one of the caves was used to hide from invaders with all of the treasure of the castle and some legends say that they lead all the way to Cork and to the sea as well.
Another big draw of Blarney Castle is the Waterfall Garden. There are some beautiful waterfalls in this area and the scenery is just stunning.
We had lunch in Blarney and I had a pint of Guinness with my meal. I have officially reaffirmed that Guinness is not my favorite beer in the world. I was able to finish it though.
After leaving Blarney, we headed to the city of Cork. Now, there isn't much to see in Cork City. From what I have heard, it is better to go to West Cork as there is more to see there. We didn't have much time in Cork so I had to make the most of it and couldn't wander too far from where we were dropped off. I went to St. Mary's Church which was a different church than I am used to. It is a Dominican Church and has a different exterior than I was expecting. That being said, it was a nice change of pace.
Another highlight of Cork is the Old English Markets. I made my way over there but didn't really do much in that area, partially because we didn't have a lot of time. They seemed pretty interesting though and a good place to maybe grab lunch if you are in Cork.
After this, we headed back to Dublin. It was a very fun, if long, day. Tomorrow, I will do some things around Dublin before heading to Galway for two nights. Stay tuned for more Irish adventures!
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