Put a Cork in it

Sept 27th

We stopped in Cork for the purpose of cutting our long drive to Kilkenny and to visit the famous Blarney Castle and Stone. The Blarney Gardens and grounds were incredible; much larger than expected and absolutely gorgeous. The gardens were broken into multiple themed areas, with the spaces between filled with lush green lawn and leafy trees, ponds and brooks. The scenery was basically a dream come to life.

History of the Blarney Castle and Stone

Legends and Myths of the Blarney Stone

View from one of the castle towers

The “Blarney House” which was added much later by different occupants

Whatever this thing is

Climbed up 1729272827 flights of these type of stairs to get to the Blarney Stone

The view from the Blarney Stone access point

The remains of a medieval family room

I was a little scared so this better solve all my problems

Andrea was not as scared I guess

The remains of the Castle

Two Birds on One Stone?

The night spent in downtown Cork was our least favorite of all our stops. The city itself was busy and less of a "destination city" than Dublin or Galway. There isn't as much to do in town and it is not as walkable. We thought the city layout and demographics had similarities to downtown San Francisco. Our hostel was ok for the night but didn't provide towels and the building spotlight was right outside the window. While we do love falling asleep to the sounds of the city, there was quite a bit of chaotic noise around us. Let's just say we would skip Cork the next time around when visiting.

Our room in Cork