Kinsale (part 2)

After our tour we headed down around the bay and explored the star-shaped Charles Fort. It would have taken us about 45 minutes to walk to it, but we decided to drive to it.

It was a little chilly and cloudy, but as the day progressed the weather just got better and better.

Charles Fort from across the bay (later in the day):

 

The entrance of the fort:

 

 

After exploring the fort, we walked down the road to a place for lunch (the orange building) but it was closed so we headed back into Kinsale and asked the owner of the B&B for another recommendation on a place to eat. He told us to go to Cucina. I am so glad we went there. I had an awesome goat cheese sandwich with some sort of onion relish- soooo good!

 

After lunch the sun came out and we followed another recommendation and went to Old Head; an exclusive golf course and light house. We did not get into the golf course ( 300 euro a game), although we did ask, but we got to experience the views. It was gorgeous!

 

We saw these flowers EVERYWHERE and I found out they are called gorse and they smell like a sweet candy similar to butterscotch.

This commemorated the sinking of the Lusitania which occurred off of this coast.

Down the road from Old Head we found a beach. We walked along the water and enjoyed the weather.

 

 

Some typical Irish countryside:

 

Although the day started out cloudy it turned out gorgeous. Look at the difference in these pictures of Kinsale:

On the way home we turned down a different road and found our way to another beach and James Fort. (I love the colors in this picture.)

 

What an awesome day! For dinner we went to Max's (another great place to eat) and then headed over to The Blue Haven for some traditional Irish Music and some Irish dancing. I really enjoyed the music. It was played by three men. One man played a guitar and then another man played an instrument that resembled a bagpipe but instead of blowing into the bag he used his arm to "pump" the instrument. The last guy played an Irish drum and also the "spoons." He did some really cool things with those spoons.

Throughout the night the guys had some guest- some better than others. The best were the Irish dancers. I tried to get pictures but it was too dark and they were just too fast to get a decent picture. They also had a guy (he seemed very random) singing about the effects of the prozac factory up the street followed by a number about viagra.  The last guest played the violin and he was good, but at that point it was time for us to go. It was an entertaining evening.

Kinsale was a great little village. I would recommend spending time there. I don't know what it's like when  the sun isn't shining (we just missed a terrible hail storm and happened to experience the best weather they have had in 2 years), but if you had to stay in and eat for a couple days, Kinsale is the place to do it.

Kilkenny and Kinsale (part 1)

We left Dublin on Sunday morning and headed south towards Kilkenny to visit the city's castle. The castle was beautifully restored and inside was decorated as it would have been the last time it was occupied. The castle seemed more of a manor than a defensive castle.

We were lucky with the weather again. It rained a bit while we were inside the castle, but as we left to walk the streets of Kilkenny the skies cleared again.

We walked up and down the streets (a lot was closed since it was Sunday) and ended up eating in an old bank converted into a restaurant.  I had a Kilkenny beer :)

From Kilkenny we continued south to the small town of Kinsale. After getting lost and asking for directions a few times (...it's right past the green and then hang an immediate right, keep the church on you right side...)  we finally made it up a tiny street to our B&B: The Old Presbytery.

The Old Presbytery was a wonderful place to stay. It had onsite parking and you could walk into town. The owners were very nice and informative. The breakfast was good too.

After walking around town and down to the dock we looked for a place to eat. We ended up at a place our B&B recommended called Finn's Table. Apparently it's new restaurant that just opened up. Toward the end of dinner the chef/owner came out and was talking with people and I overheard him talking about getting the place ready and how everything was going (his wife was sick, they lived upstairs, adjusting to life in Kinsale...).

 I had the scallops and lobster. The scallops were the best I have ever had! I would highly recommend visiting Finn's Table if you are ever in Kinsale.

On Monday we shopped around and found some Ireland souvenirs made in Kinsale by a company called Wild Goose. Throughout or trip I noticed Wild Goose crafts and thought about our time in Kinsale.

After shopping we met up with a tour lead by Dermot Ryan. The tour way ok, not as wonderful as it was advertised on TripAdvisor. If I were to do it again. I would go with the other guys -Dave and Barry (I think). Despite that, I did learn a few things like most of the market area is built on reclaimed land and boats would hook up to the post below:

I did like seeing all of the fun colored building.

Dermot Ryan

After the tour we headed out to explore the the surrounding area.

Dublin, Day 1

Toby and I left the States Friday, flew threw the night and arrived in Dublin, Ireland Saturday morning. We found the airport bus that went to the city centre and then walked to our hotel. Tired, but excited we dropped our bags at Trinity Capital Hotel and went out to face the day.

Our hotel was very close to Trinity College and many other sights of the city. We decided that instead of navigating the public bus system that we would get on one of those Hop-on-Hop-off tourist buses. This way we could see the city and also get to where we wanted to be. We went on the green bus, but if I were to do it again, I would take the red bus because it seemed to have more buses and always arrived while we were waiting for our green bus.

Our first stop was St. Patrick's Cathedral (notice the beautiful weather)

Inside, the architecture  sained glass windows were beautiful to look at.

Next, we got back on the bus and headed to the Guinness Storehouse. They don't make the beer in this building, but we got to see the process and then get a free taste and a free pint at the end of our tour.

 

After our traveling and sightseeing we needed a beer ;)

(see... the red bus was there, but not our green one)

The Storehouse was our last "get off stop" for the day since we had scheduled a Night of Storytelling and Music, so we stayed on and viewed the rest of the city from the top of the bus.

After a quick shower at the hotel we head out toward The Brazen Head. This is the oldest pub in Dublin and hosts dinner, storytelling and music most nights. I had heard about this on Trip Advisor as one of the top attractions in Dublin and it did not disappoint.

On the way to the pub, we walked through the Temple Bar district which is the center of nightlife for the city. (The walk home provided to be much more entertaining with "Hen" and "Stag" parties and other craziness)

 We got to the pub a bit early so we walked around a bit.

Toby with the River Liffy in the background:

Christchurch:

The Brazen Head:

Our night was wonderful (even though I was jet lagged and could have fallen asleep on the table). We had a three course meal and in between courses we got to hear about Ireland's history, it's folklore, some stories and some music. It was a lot of fun. I would highly recommend it.

Our Storyteller:

Musical entertainment (including instructions on how to participate :) )

Following dinner, we wondered back to our hotel and crashed. It was a great day and was busy enough to keep us awake and get us used to the time change. On to Day 2...

First Haircut

Today, at 2 years 8 months old (32 months), I took Anastasia to get her first haircut. Her hair is curly except for one long piece in the back, so I was hoping to get the hair to look all one length. I think the hair stylist did a good job.

Awaiting the haircut (not wanting to look at the camera)

 

 The first snip:

 

 The confused look (no tears though)

 

 All styled up:

She even got to pick out glitter for a little tattoo on her cheek:

The befores and afters:

Anastasia did a great job. She enjoyed watching the TV as her hair was being cut and only looked it the mirror a few times with the look "What is she doing to me?"