H+J to Blarney Castle to Kinsale 5

Horse and Jockey was a great place to stay and was perfectly situated in the middle of our path to Kinsale.  The next morning we had to get up, eat breakfast in the hotel, and get going, because we planned on kissing the Blarney Stone on our way to the coast.  This was my first time to try black pudding.  It's a blood sausage made with pigs blood, ground meat, and cereal like oatmeal.  I had to try it, but being black, it was a little weird.   It didn't really have much flavor, but had the consistency of an over cooked Cliff Bar.  Ketchup and hot sauce made all the difference. 

We loaded up the Kia and headed out.  Reaching Blarney Castle at opening was our plan, but we were 30 minutes late, and had heard horror stories about waiting in line to kiss a silly stone.  Well, this silly stone is supposed to give you the gift of eloquence and the skill of flattery.  It just might, but it's difficult to tell with how much I already have. Ha!

The line turned out to only be 30 minutes long and gave us time to read all the information about the castle as we slowly crept up the stairs.  Everyone was really excited to kiss this infamous stone.  When it came down to it, it was so fast, the experience flew by.  People were waiting behind you and the two helpers guided you to the bottom of the rock.  It is possible to lose your balance and fall to your death if you are not careful.  

Garner, Katherine, Margaux, and Andrew

The bell on top of Blarney Castle.

Katherine took a pic of us unknowingly, and this is all we could do.

I tried to kiss the rock from WAYYY under to get the meat of it, but the guy said it was far enough.  If this is supposed to give you powers, maybe a better kissing technique and placement will yield better results?

After kissing the stone, we headed out into the castle grounds which were pristine and intriguing.  There were druid stones, the 7 sisters, a poison garden, caves, and much more.

Garner and Margaux on the super fun swing we found.

We had to go study the cows.  I tried hard to get Andrew to touch the electric fence with no luck.

The caste once again.

...and again.

Below is the Poison Garden complete with opium, wormwood, cannabis, ricin, mandrake, wolfsbane, and many more.  I have only read about these, but to see them in person up close was quite intriguing.

Exterior flank wall of the caste.

After the castle self guided tour, we took off to the coastal village of Kinsale.  Luckily, we found a place to park in town, which was pretty hectic at 2pm.  We stopped at the pharmacy, got food, and walked around checking everything out.  In particular, we found the cemetery surrounding the church creepy.  There were still legible tombstones from the late 18th century and older ones.  We came across people that died on the Lusitania in 1915, which helped the U.S. gain momentum to enter WW1.

One of the many colorful houses in Kinsale

Is it steaming? smelly? or both?  How detailed!

Lusitania Outrage 1915

Andrew wants the Blue House for himself!

We loaded up and headed to our Cabin on the outskirts of town in a village called Sally Port.  The drive took about 10-15 minutes and meandered through some stunning countryside.  We met Chloe and Beaux (the brown dog) and were about to be thrilled with two nights in a very cozy accommodation. 

After unloading and checking the place out, we drove back towards town and parked at Charles Fort.  From there, we walked down to the Bulman Pub for dinner.  I now fully understand what a "gastro-pub" really is.  This place knocked it out of the water!

Beaux the beautiful

Tomorrow, we will take a walking tour of Kinsale and check out more cool stuff. Bam!