20.10.13 En route to Killarney

Well to give you a quick update, since my last post I left Dublin and went to Kilkenny, a little medieval town about two hours away. It was my first excursion on the Irish buses and I was a little nervous, not least of all because they don't announce the upcoming stops! Good thing I sat on the left side of the bus so I could see the street signs. I just had to watch very carefully and kind of take cues from locals about when to stand up for the stop. The buses aren't what we think of as city buses, but rather a fleet of coach buses traveling around the country. They're the main mode of public transportation from town to town.

I loved Kilkenny. It was much smaller, quieter, and slower-paced than Dublin, and I actually felt like I was in Ireland, rather than in just another big city. It was perfectly picturesque, including everything from the river and the castle overlooking it to the old medieval ruins to the brightly-painted store fronts and the pedestrian-only 5-foot-wide walkways. I highly recommend it for a quieter taste of Ireland, but still enough sites to keep you busy and interested.

The castle from John's Bridge.

Archway dating back to the 13th Century. The sole remaining piece of the wall that once led from the Abbey to the Inner City. (Called Black Friars Gate)

Europe seems to be a fan of marking old walls. At least this one isn't a symbol of division and war. Ok, maybe old wars.

Start with the hostel… this hostel was way nicer than the one I stayed in in Dublin, largely because it was smaller. It was in an old Georgian town home from 1778, complete with leaded windows and fireplaces in every room. It was also way better for the solo traveler, because it had a more home-y vibe and a cute little sitting room where it was only natural to meet people. I met a girl from Austria and another from Israel and two guys from Nebraska. The two girls had met at another hostel in Killarney and decided to travel a ways together. The two guys from Nebraska were actually on the same flight as me from Chicago and they headed to Killarney on the same bus! Small world. So we traveled together to avoid getting lost on the crazy-confusing bus system.

Picture stolen from the internet because I didn't take any of my own.

I had a good time just walking around the town, although by the end of my third day walking on cobblestone streets my feet were pretty beat. (I was actually happy to be on a bus for a few hours today. It let me see the countryside and gave my arches a break.) I kind of wandered the streets and poked my head into shops that looked interesting. There was a great little candy place with Halloween decorations all over and they sold chocolate-covered everything by the kilo.

Obviously I went to the castle. I’m really glad that I paid the 2.5 euro to go inside, because – even though it’s all reproduction because the castle fell into disrepair in the early 1900s – it is absolutely beautiful. I literally gasped and said “oh wow” when I walked into the library. Unfortunately, they have a lot of original works of art that they want to protect, so no photography is allowed inside. But it was very easy to imagine what it must have been like for an actual family to be living there. There were multiple staircases and two doorways into every room and plenty of hallways… I spent the whole time imagining I was a princess and I was exploring pathways that only I knew. I could easily picture people lounging in the drawing room or receiving guests in the portrait gallery or lighting the fire in their private chambers before going to bed. And the grounds were great. I realize that they don’t even compare to the palaces and castles in other parts of Europe, like Sans Soucci and Versailles, but because it was smaller I think it was almost easier to picture yourself there. How great would it be to have acres and acres of perfectly manicured lawns and rose gardens at your disposal? Just your own private park in which to be meditative and secluded.

It was actually originally a castle and then they adapted it over time to be a residential palace. The center part is the main part of the home, but the stone towers from the original castle are still there.

Standing in my courtyard.

Isn't my new home beautiful?

I own this castle. It's mine.

Something else about Kilkenny? There are Gothic cathedrals EVERYWHERE. A couple are older, and you can tell because the windows are far smaller and the building is less graceful, but we definitely saw at least 6 or 7 in the main town center. And they’re all still in use! They’re not relics of the past that have been turned into museums; every single one had at least three masses today. It’s very interesting to be in a place where the majority of the community is practicing Catholic. I had planned on going to mass but I enjoyed breakfast with the people from my hostel too much and I missed it.

Gothic Cathedral #1 of ____?

Same era as the one in Prague. Look familiar, Sarah?

We also went out to some pubs last night, which is something that I’ve been looking forward to: going out and talking with local people and immersing myself. A pub right across the street from our hostel gave out free pints of beer to the first 50 people in celebration of their six months anniversary. They only had craft beers, mostly from local companies, and they had a wide variety of choices. Our favorite was the Tactile Nuclear Penguin, simply because of the name. We didn’t order it though, because it was 32% ABV and 90 euros a bottle. o_O There was live music at the majority of the bars, although unfortunately little Irish music (I saw some live Irish music in Temple Bar, btw, and it was impressive. It takes a lot of skill to fiddle as fast as they do and to play the flute so rapidly.). I did get to chat with a local guy who is very proud of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). Did you know that Ireland’s national athletic association is completely amateur? None of the players get paid, but they still play on a professional sill level. Each county has its own team and the pride that comes from that is very strong. They take pride in their local teams the way we take pride in college teams: it’s not just the team that the players represent, but everyone who supports them as well.

Well now after four different buses I'm in Killarney, a little town right next to a gorgeous national park. As it's Sunday, the hostel is pretty empty, and I think there are only two of us sleeping in a six-bed room. I'm not complaining! Look forward to more pictures of beautiful scenery, but hopefully no complaints of wet shoes.

PS - On the bus ride here I saw countless ruins of towers and churches as well as a castle with a legit moat. I swear that half the towns around here have castle ruins of some sort. It's ridiculous.