Kilkenny

Had a day trip to Kilkenny on Saturday and other than being deathly ill, it was a good day. We had gone out the night before for Lexi's bday but unfortunately nothing that simple could explain why I felt so much like crap-ola on Saturday. But regardless. Everyone who was going on the trip was up at 7:35am, most of them either still drunk or hungover, and we were out the door by 8:20ish. We had about a 10 minute walk to the bus stop where we were being picked up and we made it there before the bus, thankfully. So we mulled and sat around until the bus showed up and when it did, we got on it, stopped to pick up Dorothy and the kids from UCD and then we were headed on our two hour drive to Kilkenny.

Most of us slept the whole way there, only waking occassionally to see some sheeps or cows or beautiful countryside. On the bus, I hadn't been feeling well, I felt like the world was spinning and it hated me, it seemed like terrible motion sickness. So I forced myself to breathe deep and relax and just adjust into the movement of the bus....which didn't go very well, but I did eventually fall asleep. When we arrived, we were immediately ushered off the bus and in search of a bathroom before our noon tour at the Castle began. So we asked a nice security guard to direct us and promptly made our way to the bathroom. Shortly after, we wandered up to the castle area and took a few pics. Dorothy found us and handed us our tickets and then showed us where a video was playing so that we could watch that before going in. The video was about the history and restoration of the castle and was mildly interesting. After it was done, we were able to go into the actual Castle, now this was exciting. Whenever I picture castles in my mind, I somehow always think that they are all stone on the inside with stone pillars and turrets and torches...I don't really think about the modernization of them that made them look more like mansions on the inside and less like castles...although with all the modern technology like toilets and electricity that have come along since the age of brick, stone, and fire, it was only to be expected. But still a little disappointing.

There were some cool painting and artifacts within the castle, really old stuff that isn't made anymore like conversation chairs and couches with only backs on the two sides and not the middle seat. It was interesting to see all this stuff and picture how people lived back then. Of course, I also go to see a toilet that was about 3 feet wide...why anyone would need one of that size is beyond me. I think my favorite thing by far, other than the entire wing which was devoted to portraits and was bigger than all 3 of the floors of my house laid next to each other, was definitely the magnificent drapery which was gold and red which hung in the sitting and withdrawing rooms. It was so big and beautiful. But unfortunately there is technically no photography allowed in the Castle and there was a security guard telling us stories while we were walking through the upstairs since they don't have guided tours anymore due to cutbacks from the recession. One of the most interesting ones that he told us about was how the "drawing room" got its name. Apparently it wasn't the room where the ladies sat during the day to work, no, it was the room where they withdrew after dinner to partake in entertainment such as singing, music playing, and reading. And back then it was called the "withdrawing room," and was later shortened to be known only as the drawing room. So not only was the inside of Castle interesting but also, the grounds were beautiful. The back contained huge sprawling lawns and the front had a rose garden. (see picture) After our exploration within the Castle, Dorothy took us outside for a group picture in front and then we got to wander through the town to find our lunching destination.

After a brief jaunt through the town we came to a tavern known as "Kyteller's Inn," (pronounced Kit-lers) and were told to follow the hostess downstairs where we would be eating lunch. At this point, I was pretty hungry and feeling a little faint, still a little sick from the bus and light in the head from all the walking. So I was excited at the prospect of getting a good meal in me. We were told that the menu was chicken and chips and we could have any drink that we liked included a pint. Not feeling well and having already tried the local brew "Kilkenny," I decided to order an iced tea. Unfortunately it wasn't sweetened, but the waitress was nice enough to get some sugar packets for me. And so we waited and chatted amongst ourselves while our food was being prepared. When it came out, it was delicious. A hand size piece of pan fried chicken breast and a good heaping of fries, it was perfect. Not greasy or overwhelming and just the right thickness of fries to be considered chips. And to top it all off, because it was Lexi's birthday that day, we all go a slice of cheesecake for dessert. It wasn't quite as good as what we're used to back in the States, but the crust was awesome and we devoured it all anyways. Plus the presentation was charming.

After we were stuffed, we were to go on a walking tour through the city, yay! It was actually pretty cool in a small town everything is connected sort of way. Ireland is definitely a country with a lot of history. I seem to have been majorly deceived by how young America is to think that our history is richer than anywhere else. There is a brewery call "Smithwick's" (pronounced Smit-icks) which has been around for over 300 years, we only got to see it from a distance and since they do not give tours, we may never know what goes on in there.

One of my favorite things from this trip however was the Dominican Black Abbey. Not only was there a big statue of St. Dominic outside, but it had some of the most beautiful stained glass I have ever seen. (trouble uploading this pic, check back tomorrow)

After the walking tour, we decided to find the nearest pub and cop a squat to view the last half of the rugby game. It was a nice little spot filled with people, but none too loud. Lots of big screens and we got a nice view. It wasn't really all that interesting because only like 2 of us even understood what was happening in the game, but it was fun to sit, watch, and interact.

Shortly after that, we moseyed on back to the bus, climbed aboard and waited for the rest of the students to join us. We had an uneventful ride home, except when one girl didn't wake up at UCD until just before the driver pulled out to drop us off at the Green. Almost gave her a heartattack. But other than that, it was good night and about 7pm before we got back here. Most of us had dinner and then relaxed for the night, very eventful and fun day.