The next day, we took a bus to the Blarney Castle bright and early! I think we got there right when it opened, because there was barely anyone there.  That changed, though. But anyway, the castle was pretty.  You go inside and walk up this narrow spiral staircase.  At each level, you can get out of the stairwell and see the rooms, though, as you can see from the picture, the main floor isn’t there, but there are rooms off the sides.  There were signs up explaining what each room was when it was used, like bedrooms or kitchens.  So, you climb up to the top and end up in line to kiss the Blarney Stone. I did not kiss it! It seems a little strange to me. But anyway, then we got to explore the grounds!

The grounds around the castle are amazing! I can imagine being a princess and riding my pony out there and running into a wizard or fairy. It’s crazy and beautiful. There were two main looped trails, one through a forested part and one around a lake.  I think we made it around both.  I can cannot stress to you how many daffodils there are all over Ireland. Spring = daffodils EVERYWHERE. 

We spent several hours there.  By the time we made it out, we were exhausted.  We caught the bus back to Cork, and ending up catching a bus back to Galway a little earlier than we thought we work.  I really enjoyed Cork, though it wore me out.  A small city, known for its food, with a young, artsy vibe–awesome! 

Location: Cork, Ireland