Wednesday, 6 November 2013
The Murder Hole
This was where people could look down and see if anyone was coming into the castle uninvited. Obviously it wouldn't have had the grate back in the day! Though we took a photo of it, we are NOT planning to install one ourselves - so start planning to visit us in Ireland!
Views from the top of the castle
Fantastic views from the top of Blarney Castle!
Steve did not care too much for the height though! I've known him for 27 years, and this concern about heights is new to me! (Obviously, he didn't kiss the Blarney Stone either then...) But he took lots of great shots and it was a lovely day.
Also while we were there, there was a family there from France. One of the little boys, probably about 10 years old, stepped up to look out over the top of the castle right next to where I was taking photos of the magnificent views. Right as he jumped up he looked out over the fields and said "Ooh la la!" It was so funny! I believe he was seriously expressing appreciation for the views, but it was still funny!
Steve did not care too much for the height though! I've known him for 27 years, and this concern about heights is new to me! (Obviously, he didn't kiss the Blarney Stone either then...) But he took lots of great shots and it was a lovely day.
Also while we were there, there was a family there from France. One of the little boys, probably about 10 years old, stepped up to look out over the top of the castle right next to where I was taking photos of the magnificent views. Right as he jumped up he looked out over the fields and said "Ooh la la!" It was so funny! I believe he was seriously expressing appreciation for the views, but it was still funny!
Inside the Castle
This was one of the neatest castles to walk around. It was so clear where the floors would have been, the fireplaces were evident, the rooms were pretty easy to imagine, it was just a great castle to see. Lot of winding stone stairs and a lovely walk all around the top of the castle.
Blarney Castle
Blarney Castle was high on my list of places to visit - but not for the usual reasons. It is one of the places in Ireland where I KNOW my mom has been. It seemed important to follow in her traveling shoes (hers were Rockports if you recall) and to see some of the things that she saw years ahead of me. As we walked up to kiss the Blarney Stone, I could just picture her with her traveling pals walking up each level and taking photos and enjoying the marvelous adventure. Wish I could have done this with her instead of in her memory, but I am thankful I got to do it at all.
The Blarney Stone itself is at the top of the castle. In the third picture, you can see the bars across the expanse from the castle wall to the outer wall of the top piece of the castle. That is where two people wait for visitors who want to lay back across the bars and kiss the stone that is on the bottom of the outer piece of wall. The people at the top hold you and it goes quite smoothly and they have lots of funny things to say and are careful to hold you so you aren't afraid.
So I kissed the stone that my mother kissed many years before me and I immediately felt a new eloquence ready to burst forth in all that I would say from that day forward!
The Blarney Stone itself is at the top of the castle. In the third picture, you can see the bars across the expanse from the castle wall to the outer wall of the top piece of the castle. That is where two people wait for visitors who want to lay back across the bars and kiss the stone that is on the bottom of the outer piece of wall. The people at the top hold you and it goes quite smoothly and they have lots of funny things to say and are careful to hold you so you aren't afraid.
So I kissed the stone that my mother kissed many years before me and I immediately felt a new eloquence ready to burst forth in all that I would say from that day forward!
Tree Canopy on Adare Manor Grounds
This tree is on the grounds at the Manor. The path goes right through it. There are several of these trees on the grounds but I don't know what they are. Their branches hang down like a weeping willow, but the leaves almost look like aspen leaves. Inside the canopy it is all green and beautiful, and the ground is nice - it isn't all wet and muddy like you often find under a regular weeping willow. Anyway, it was neat - and there is a You Tube video someone posted as they walked through the canopy which is cool. (My vertigo makes watching it a bit of a struggle, but it's neat to be able to see it again!)
Adare Manor
This is Adare Manor, where we stayed for two nights to celebrate my 50 years as a human and to celebrate Steve and I being married for 25 years as of June 11, 2013! The Hotel was lovely, as were the grounds. There is a golf course that is just gorgeous, and many famous people have been there to play, including Tiger Woods!
Steve and I had drinks in the library and dinner in their formal dining room the first night. We had an 8 course tasting meal complete with wine pairings and yes, it was fabulous. I have never eaten pork belly - it just doesn't sound appealing, but that was one of the dishes and it was fantastic. They also had a steak course that was probably the best I have ever eaten in Ireland. After dinner we went to The Tack Room in the basement for music and laughter and a nice long chat with the bartender. I had someone tell me they loved my American accent! We had a lovely time and would indeed go back again.
Adare Manor is in County Limerick. The history of the Manor can be accessed at www.adaremanor.com. According to the web site, the estate was originally a typical Georgian House, but in the 1850's, the Second Earl of Dunraven began building the Manor House as seen today. It is a beautiful home that was in the Dunraven family until it was sold in 1982. It was purchased and turned into a hotel in the 1980's by Tom and Judy Kane of Florida. They did a wonderful job of restoring the house and grounds and it is truly a spectacular place to stay. It has lovely rooms and I would encourage visiting their web site for pictures of the inside of the hotel, as I foolishly neglected to take any indoor pictures!
There are estate activities that you can do while you are there, such as archery, falconry, golf, and fishing, and they have a spa. We did not schedule such activities as we had other places we wanted to see, but one could certainly spend a long stay at Adare Manor and never get bored!
While we were there, it was decorated for Halloween, which was a little intimidating, but for the most part, it was tasteful decorations. The worst part was probably walking the hallways with Steve who kept chanting "REDRUM! REDRUM!" He doesn't behave like a man with a PhD in microbiology, but he is certainly entertaining!
The building you see through the gate is Desmond Castle Ruin. You have to purchase tour tickets in town at the heritage center as far as we could tell, but we did not tour it during this trip. Adare itself is a lovely, quaint village and an easy walk from the Manor. We did not explore the town as we had planned to go see Blarney Castle. So, the mantra is the same - we will have to go back again!
Steve and I had drinks in the library and dinner in their formal dining room the first night. We had an 8 course tasting meal complete with wine pairings and yes, it was fabulous. I have never eaten pork belly - it just doesn't sound appealing, but that was one of the dishes and it was fantastic. They also had a steak course that was probably the best I have ever eaten in Ireland. After dinner we went to The Tack Room in the basement for music and laughter and a nice long chat with the bartender. I had someone tell me they loved my American accent! We had a lovely time and would indeed go back again.
Adare Manor is in County Limerick. The history of the Manor can be accessed at www.adaremanor.com. According to the web site, the estate was originally a typical Georgian House, but in the 1850's, the Second Earl of Dunraven began building the Manor House as seen today. It is a beautiful home that was in the Dunraven family until it was sold in 1982. It was purchased and turned into a hotel in the 1980's by Tom and Judy Kane of Florida. They did a wonderful job of restoring the house and grounds and it is truly a spectacular place to stay. It has lovely rooms and I would encourage visiting their web site for pictures of the inside of the hotel, as I foolishly neglected to take any indoor pictures!
There are estate activities that you can do while you are there, such as archery, falconry, golf, and fishing, and they have a spa. We did not schedule such activities as we had other places we wanted to see, but one could certainly spend a long stay at Adare Manor and never get bored!
While we were there, it was decorated for Halloween, which was a little intimidating, but for the most part, it was tasteful decorations. The worst part was probably walking the hallways with Steve who kept chanting "REDRUM! REDRUM!" He doesn't behave like a man with a PhD in microbiology, but he is certainly entertaining!
The building you see through the gate is Desmond Castle Ruin. You have to purchase tour tickets in town at the heritage center as far as we could tell, but we did not tour it during this trip. Adare itself is a lovely, quaint village and an easy walk from the Manor. We did not explore the town as we had planned to go see Blarney Castle. So, the mantra is the same - we will have to go back again!
Saturday, 2 November 2013
House is Sold!
We closed on our house on the 25th of October. It is sad to see it go because it was a lovely home, but now we move on and make our home elsewhere.
These are photos of the house when we still were on septic and before we put in the patios and several trees and such. It really is a lovely home. Lots of great times were had in that house with friends and family, but the memories are in our hearts and family and friends will help to make any new house a home.
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
These are photos of the house when we still were on septic and before we put in the patios and several trees and such. It really is a lovely home. Lots of great times were had in that house with friends and family, but the memories are in our hearts and family and friends will help to make any new house a home.
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)