Kilkenny and Mom & Dad's (Surprise) Visit!

Hi everyone!

Sorry it's been a while since I blogged, I know you've all been devastated. I'll start this blog with my trip to Kilkenny. About two weeks ago now my best friend and roommate from Elon, Chiara, came to the lovely Ireland. That Friday night we took her out on the town and went to the Porterhouse. A really great band was playing so the place was packed, as usual. The next day, we were up bright and early to catch the train to Kilkenny. After checking into the Kilkenny Tourist Hostel, we headed up to Kilkenny Castle. The castle was great, and the impressive castle grounds stretched for miles. Lucky for us (especially Chiara), the weather that day was beautiful. We were able to explore the castle and the grounds in the bright sunshine.

Once we left the castle, we headed down to the Black Abbey, one of the oldest landmarks in Co. Kilkenny. The church was covered with beautiful stained glass windows and was a very peaceful place. From there, we went to St. Canice's Cathedral and round tower. We had seen our fair share of churches so instead, we decided to climb the tower. "Climb" is an understatement for our 90 degree, terrifying, trek up the narrow ladders to the top of the tower. At  the top, there were about six tiny steps that led to a tiny hole in the roof that led to a lookout area at the top of the tower. Going through this small passage, we all suffered a great sense of claustrophobia. Luckily, the view at the top was worth the terror. At the top you could look out and see for miles. Once we safely (and slowly) made it to solid ground again, we walked around the town a bit more before heading to dinner and the Kyteler's Inn for dessert and drinks. The inn has a very fascinating story along with it. Apparently in the 13th century there was a woman, Alice Kyteler, who ran the inn. Alice had four husbands and three mysteriously died. When the townspeople accused Alice of witchcraft and off poisoning her husbands, she was incarcerated by the priest. Alice knew people at the jail and was able to escape and get the priest thrown in prison. The inn was recreated to model the days when Alice ran the inn and kept it full of food, music, and life. We had a great time listening to traditional music and catching up at the pub. Kilkenny was a great short trip!

Chiara and I on the grounds of Kilkenny Castle

The Castle!

The View from the Round Tower

The next Thursday, my Mom was to arrive in Dublin. When I went to meet her on Grafton Street, I couldn't find her anywhere. After a few minutes I turned around and saw my Dad running at me! My dad was not supposed to come so of course I was SO SHOCKED! My dad came to surprise me for the weekend and surprised I certainly was. Great job, you guys!!! That night we headed to O'Donoghues for a few pints (my first legal drink with my parents) and then headed to Pasta Fresca for dinner. According to Mom and Dad, they took Mike and I to Pasta Fresca all the time when we were younger. It was delicious!

Me and Dad!

Me and da Momma

Early Friday we got up, found my friend Brette, and set out on our journey to County Cork and a journey it was- a manual car, small roads, and a map was a recipe for disaster. Eventually, we safely made it to the Garnish B&B in Cork City. The Garnish was a quaint place across from University College Cork with the most amazing breakfast! Each day we got up and were so excited to go down and eat something new! Each day we had an enormous amount of food but our favorite was the Bailey's porridge. Anyways, we spent Friday exploring Cork City a bit.

Saturday morning we set forth to Blarney Castle. The Castle was absolutely beautiful and the gardens were spectacular. After hiking the 100 steps to the top, Brette and I both decided to kiss the Blarney Stone for good luck (despite the rumors). I am afraid of heights so I gripped the metal bars for dear life. The action shot of me kissing the stone is hilarious but unfortunately, I can't upload it. Once we descended the 100 stairs again, we headed across the road to the Blarney Woolen Mills where I got my first Irish sweater!

Next, we hopped back into the car and drove to Kinsale where my Aunt Liz and Uncle Matt had their wedding, and now I know why - Kinsale is my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE spot in Ireland thus far. The quaint seaside town was absolutely GORGEOUS. The harbor was filled with ships and was surrounded by rolling green hills. Lucky for us, it was a bright, sunny day in Kinsale so we headed out to Old Head Lighthouse. The golf course was closed, but instead we hung out on the cliffs looking out on the ocean. The views from there were incredible. Reluctantly, we eventually got back in the car to go to dinner at the Fishy Fishy Cafe. The cafe had gotten great reviews, and now we know why: the food was delicious! For dinner I ate spicy crab in basmati rice, and everyone else's meals looked wonderful too. Sadly, after dinner we had to leave Kinsale and head back to Cork City for the night.

Blarney Castle

The View from the top of the Castle

Blarney Woolen Mills

Kinsale Harbor

The Cliffs at Old Head

Brette and I hanging out on the cliffs

On Sunday we woke up and walked around the UCC campus. It was stunning. I felt like I was on Duke's campus. It makes my school look so lame. After exploring a bit, we left Cork City and drove to Cobh (pronounced "Cove"). This town, originally called Queenstown, was the last port of the Titanic. This is quite obvious from one's first step into the town because it is covered with commemorative Titanic banners. In Cobh, we saw the original White Star Line building, the Lusitania memorial, and the Titanic memorial plaque. It is fascinating that this little town has so much history but is rarely heard of. Nonetheless, it was definitely a cool place to see!

UCC

Brette and I at UCC - We loved the ivy

Cobh

The White Star Line building

Back in Dublin, Mom, Dad, and I went out for a last dinner together and ended the night by watching the Patriots game in a local pub. It was nothing compared to this weekend when I watched the Pats game at Wembley Stadium in London but it was great to watch with my parents :) Unfortunately, they left early the next day, but after a truly wonderful weekend. I miss them already and am so grateful they came and that my dad surprised me! Thank you both, I love you!
 

Since I'm behind on my blogging, I'll be blogging about London and the Pats game soon! Thanks for reading!