My first Kiss (with a giant lucky rock)

Well we did it! When you come up to the Blarney Castle and grounds, you could honestly get lost in the mazes and gardens that lay before you. But obviously we didn't look around when we got there... We headed straight for the castle to make the climb to Kiss the Blarney stone.

The Blarney Stone was said to be blessed (or cursed, depensing how you think of it) by a witch a long, long time ago and that any person who kisses it develops the "Gift of Gab". For those of you who don't know, that is the ability to talk... And talk... And talk... And talk. (Like the Irish do)

So we walked into the castle and climed the very very tall spiral stone staircase (that gradually closed in on you as you went... Honestly) until we got to the top of the castle to the barricade lookout. Once there, you had to lean out over the edge of the castle to reach the wall to kiss it, while being held by a friendly tour attendant. If you are on the shorter side (like me), you have to scoot out so far that it feela like only the tip of your bottom is touching the floor and the rest of you is literally hanging over the open hole. There are no nets and no safety features except for the handles you see in the pictures. And I absolutely loved every second of it.

On the way down we explored all of the rooms and nooks/crannies that we found, but I think we were all too distracted riding the high from kissing the Blarney.Read more