Day 1 has been successfully accomplished (well, I guess it's really Day 2)!
Chad was really nervous yesterday when we were driving up to Chicago. I wasn't impressed with the parking lot. For one thing, it was supposed to be valet parking - nope. It was a small, tight, self-park with no indoor option. And he told me to keep my keys (!?). No whacko shuttle driver, like my last trip, no problems with checking in or anything else.
Our takeoff was a little delayed, and it seemed like we taxied forever. I told Chad maybe that's why our tickets were so cheap - we were driving. We started to build up speed, then abruptly stopped. The pilot explained that they had cleared him for takeoff, then changed their minds. I can hear them in the tower now, "Flight 1124, you are cleared for takeoff - psyche! Just kidding!"
I slept pretty well on the plane. Chad didn't sleep at all. The chick on the other side of me had the attention span of a toddler and was constantly shuffling around, usually hitting me in the process. We couldn't even see the TV screen, but that didn't really matter since I was trying to sleep. I hope our seats are better situated on the way back.
We were in our car and on the road by about 10:00. The car is an automatic, kind of. I mean, it is automatic, but can also be driven manually (but there's no clutch). It's an Opal Corsa.
The first place we stopped was the Donkey Sanctuary. Chad was a bit freaked out about driving on the other side of the road, particularly the roundabout issue. Didn't matter much, since I was the one driving and I have done this before. To get to the Donkey Sanctuary, we had to drive aways out into the country at Buttevant, till we turned at the 13th century castle ruin at Liscarroll (3rd largest 13th century castle in Ireland). We had driven past the castle at Bunratty (but didn't stop) so Chad had already seen an impressive castle, but here we were right next to one! :-)
The Donkey Sanctuary was really neat. They take in abused or abandoned donkeys and give them a loving home for the rest of their lives. If they receive two together they never split them up because donkeys form strong social bonds. If they arrive alone, they match them up with a buddy. It's a really nice place with a good mission. The girl running the gift shop is from Boston - her husband is from here. The sanctuary is free to visit, but they do gratefully accept donations.
The light was so weird today. At the sanctuary, the position of the sun seemed like it was late afternoon, but it was only 12:30. We looked at the donkeys, petting those that wanted to be petted. Some seemed like they wanted to be near us but didn't really want to be touched. The wind was a bit bitter, but we took a little trail up to a lookout that overlooked the castle and the whole valley. Really pretty! Some donkeys there are fostered out to families. They only send them out in pairs, and a welfare officer checks on them at intervals. The sanctuary also serves as a resource for people who want to own donkeys or want to know about their care. We each bought a fridge magnet and left a donation.
Then we went on toward Blarney. We made one small directional misstep (we weren't lost, we knew what we had done wrong and fixed it as soon as we could) and were temporarily headed for Tralee instead of Cork. When we got to Blarney, we sorted of lucked into the parking lot of the Woollen Mill. It was a little confusing. The main street of Blarney village is torn up because they are replacing a water main or something. The "Christy's Pub" section of the Woollen Mill now has a roof over the outdoor area, so it didn't look right at first.
We walked across to the castle. Chad wanted to explored Badger Cave, so we walked down there first. He got partway in, and I gasped, and said, "Badger!" (though there wasn't one). Chad almost bolted, then realized I was joking and said, "Don't be doing that. You know I have a problem with small animals!" Of course, I know - that's why I said it. :-)
Then we climbed to the top of the castle and kissed the stone. Chad wasn't sure he really wanted to do it, once he saw from the ground just how far up it was. Unlike the first time (April) there was no crowd and it was easy to climb around and explore wherever we wanted. After the castle, we walked down to the Rock Close, a beautiful area away from the castle, along the creek. We hadn't done that before because by the time we were done waiting in line, it was misting and getting nasty. Today, though, it was beautiful. Crocuses and daffodils are blooming, and the grass is green and thick. The wind was cold, though.
After the castle, we bought a few little things at the Woollen Mill, then walked into the village to have a very late lunch at O'Connell's Muskerry Arms. I had something called "warm Mexican chicken salad", which was described as "Cajun grilled....with a Cajun dressing". Umm, has anyone told them that Cajuns are French and Mexicans are, well, Mexican? Anyway, it was good. After we were done eating, I decided I was just too tired to face driving to Cork, so we went back to the car and got the B&B book, and found a nice one right here. It's called The White House. At first they said they didn't have a twin room, then decided we could use a family room instead - a double bed and two twins.
Tomorrow, the host will show us a way to get to Cobh without going through Cork, then Chad wants to go to the Jameson's Distillery at Midleton. Then we'll head back north, just seeing how far we can get by stopping time. We'll see what happens.
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