Ireland 2013: Part 2

In my last post, I gave you a glance at Powerscourt. Let me tell you, that "glance" doesn't do those gardens justice! The Powerscourt Gardens are stunning Victorian gardens. You could meander through them all day long. They have a beautiful Italian Garden, a Japanese Garden, and even a pet cemetery for those of you who might want to add a spooky element to your tour. I'll be honest, we took the route AROUND the pet cemetery because I am not a fan!

But, everything is gorgeous. The flowers were in bloom and the grass was bright green, almost electric! This was the perfect way to start off our first day. After being on a plane for seven hours, we definitely needed a little fresh air! Here are a few scenes from our visit.

So excited to see my sister in-law! It had been almost a full year!!!

 

Beautiful view from Powerscourt.

After our morning at Powerscourt, we had a light brunch/lunch at the cafe at Powerscourt and then headed towards Cashel. Props to our two drivers, Adam and his dad. Not only were they having to adjust to driving on the wrong side of the road (and car) but we had a manual...so they had to shift gears with the wrong hand! Both did a great job!

Our drive to Cashel was eventful...in that we all took turns choosing music and new conversation topics to keep ourselves...and Adam (the driver) awake and feeling perky. This was not an easy task considering no one slept on the plane! But, we made it to Cashel in one piece.

When we arrived, we were able to check into our cozy little B&B and then tour the town. The major draw to Cashel is the Rock of Cashel. This is a large rock where the people of Cashel built a very large church and apparently Cashel was a sort of Irish hub town for awhile. We toured the Rock and tromped through a field (dodging cow pies all the way) to walk through the old abbey ruins. The air was nice and cool and very windy on top of the Rock.

A view of the exterior wall of the Rock of Cashel.

A View of the town of Cashel from the Rock.

At the Rock of Cashel...it was FREEEZZZINNGGG....

Abbey ruins in Cashel!

After our tour of Cashel, we, of course, needed a little pick me up! So, we stopped into the Cashel Palace Hotel for a snack and our first Guinness of the trip! After our afternoon "tea", we went back to the hotel to regroup...showers, naps, and then a light dinner and a long sleep!

Cashel Palace Hotel

First Guinness of the trip! Cheers!