Pub and Castle in Kilkenny

Last night I ended up meeting a few folks - Helen from Australia, Joames from Ireland, and another gal from Australia who is travelling on her own for 12 months. She did a hop-on/hop off train ride through China and Mongolia that sounded very cool. We all had a snack together in the kitchen, an dthen went off to the pub down the street where the Irish music was playing. Turns out the pub was an IRA pub (The Witness Box - who'd thunk it), and I think one of their big guys was there, sitting in front of me, all dressed up in a suit. The music was good, but there were a couple of guys who were acting like assholes there, Americans of course.

After I left the pub at 12am I phoned my daughter, then went back to the hostel where our room was pitch black - so I stumbled around in the dark and went to bed. No bedtime reading tonight.

This morning I got up and found an internet cafe after breakfast, dashed off a few emails and then went up to Kilkenny Castle. Admission was only 1.5 pounds Irish for students, which I had to prove, but who cares, I saved 2 pounds Irish. They give a guided tour only and I missed the 11am one, as it was full, and the 11:30am one was also full, so booked into the noon one and went shopping for an hour.

The castle tour was very informative, and the castle itself was beautiful. Lots of tapestry, paintings, prints, carved fireplaces, stairs, and so on. It's quite a large castle, and lots of history with plenty of royalty passing through. And it was one that Cromwell didn't totally ruin, so they were able to keep most of it intact, and have renovated extensively over the years.

The grounds were acres and acres of park, with a feww trees and flowers, some benches and a very nice water fountain. I took tons of photos, including some with the River Nore in the background.

After the castle tour, I went in search of somewhere to get a baked potato, and found it a rather frustrating experience. I finally stopped in a girls trendy clothing shop and bought my daughter a shirt that said "Flippin' Mad" on the front - how British! And perfect for her. I ended up asking the gal there where I could get a good baked potato and she directed me to a little (TINY) cafe called The Friary Cafe, just off the main drag. The potato, complete with cheese and their idea of bacon, was DELICIOUS! And quite cheap, so I shall be going back for sure.

After lunch i came back and had a very cozy nap, and now I'm not sure what I'm going to do with the rest of the day. I'll probably sit in the lounge/sitting room and read. I bought a few paperbacks at a charity shop.