From the city to the coast

Our day started off with quite the surprise. We got clamped! 😳😖🤦‍♀️ Turns out you can't park underground the apts even though there was NO sign to tell us otherwise. Our hostess was kind enough to get hold of the folks to have it removed, and we were off, delayed by less than an hour.

On our way to the town of Kilkenny, we crossed a bridge that has been in use for 1000 years!! Crazy! Now that was obviously well built. When we arrived in Kilkenny, we discovered the riverwalk up to the castle. Made a friend. 😄🐦 Sometimes, delays can turn into positives. Sure enough, when we arrived at Kilkenny Castle an hour after our ticket time, they honored our self guided ticket with an upgrade to a guided tour! Worked for us! We saw an original, medieval wattle and daub ceiling in the castle as well as a bog preserved skull and antlers of an ancient (now extinct) giant Irish deer. The Portrait Gallery is the second longest room in Ireland at 45 meters. The longest is in Dublin at Trinity College in the library. We saw that the last time we were here.

After a bit of lunch, we headed to St. Canice's Cathedral, where we climbed the round tower. Round towers are a typical Irish style. Unlike our lighthouses in the US, where the stairs are spirl, these are climbed by a series of ladders. Things get quite tight by the time you get to the top, but the views are amazing.

Back down on the ground, we went inside the medieval St. Canice's where Richard posed in St. Kieran's Chair. This chair has been used for the enthronement of Bishops for some 1,500 years! It was originally at a Celtic monastic site. The sides of the chair are 13th century. Just mind boggling.

Our next stop will be one of my highlights. 😊🐑 Kell's Priory was founded in 1193 and has quite an extensive amount of ruins still...but to get there, you cross through a sheep field. Oh. My. Goodness! The lambs are so sweet. After leaving there, we nearly had our first accident. Almost killed a phesant who seemed to feel he owned the road! Richard had to come to a full stop before the fella slowly wandered over to the side and eventually flew off! It is always fun to come around a corner and practically run straight into an old abbey. Jeripoint Abbey is from the second half of the 12th century. These places are amazing sights.

We finished out our day in the city of Waterford. Our dinner reservations were late enough we had time to look around town. Reginald's Round Tower sits in the area they call the Viking Triangle. This town has a strong Viking history. The first tower built on the site was by the Vikings in 914!! (No, I did not miss a number) The tower of today was built in the 12th century. The restaurant (in the photo of the tower), which sits next to the tower, has old city walls exposed inside. I love how they don't just tear down the old here. To walk among the Vikings!Read more