JENAY'S Version:
It was a dawn patrol morning for some of us. Bronte and Trevor opted to stay at the Stone House for one more quiet evening/overnight – INSERT MESSAGE FROM BRONTE & TREVOR.
Michael, Jenay, Leah, Joe, Tanner and Payton loaded up the tour bus and blasted down the road. Leaving early 1)because we had a bit of ground to cover 2) it gets dark here at 4:20ish in the evening so site seeing gets cut quite short. Site seeing for those of us who actually don’t fall right asleep as soon as the engine starts.
We have the driving down to a science now, just drive on those convenient bumps that are provided in the middle of the road that way you know exactly where you are on the road. So smart.
1 ½ drive dropped us into Blarney. It was a win for all. Leah got to spend hours shopping at the Blarney Woolen Mills and Michael, Joe, Tanner, Payton and Jenay set out to end the drought for Joe. Lore has it that if you “KISS” the Blarney Stone at the castle you immediately became “eloquent” a virtue that Joe could use with the ladies right about now.
An amazing tour of the Blarney Castle, Blarney Stone - Kissed By All, Blarney House and then a stroll through the Poison Garden.
Back to pick up Gram, luckily she shipped her items home!!!
On with the journey landed us in Limerick and unanimously we decided it was not our favorite of the trip UNTIL as luck would have it we ran across a wonderful Market (Mirepoix worthy) Steak Sandwich for Michael, Paella for Jenay and Payton, Tanner and Joe a deluxe wiener!
Back in the bus and at this point it becomes the “Struggle Bus”!!!! Driving a few more hours and as you all know we can’t skip a meal so we found a grocery and loaded up certain to arrive at our castle in no time.
The directions said 4 miles when they actually meant 4 Kilometers! So you know how the bus is starting to smell.
A las! Off in the distance after one quick round with the nice (sans dentures) farmer that insisted that he get his car and drive us back 2 kilometers we found our amazing castle.
MICHAEL's Version:
Ok so we drive up to the Castle Carraigin in the fog. It is dark outside, and eerie at best. While the boys schlep the bags into the historic relic, my quest is to start a fire to warm the cold, hulking beast. It is raining, well more like misting. Where to find dry wood? Ahhhh, I head out to the forrest to gather wood under the canopy of trees, thinking that will provide dry wood. It creeps me out and I walk deeper into the forrest, past the bare ground to a spot where there is fresh wood and kindking. I feel like an armor clad warrior or at least a hunter gatherer as I scoop up the wood and head back to the castle.
The pressure is palpable. The castle is cold and all the focus is on the effort to start a fire. I reach back to my boyscout days to make sure I can start a fire with wet wood. Start wih very small kindling. Add mediuiumsticks. Then the bigger stuff. While I build the fire Payton reads the history of the castle from her PDA (modern catsles have wifi I guess). The castle dates back to 1238, to a Norman dude who built it held it till it fell to a conqueror dude. In 1969 it was purchased as a ruins but was rebuilt into the castle it is today. The gargoyle in the bathroom watches you as you bathe (creeper), and the ghost is a former servant who can be heard coming up the steep, tight staircase…
Success! The fire is now raging. I see smiles on the faces of the crew as they relax in the large greatroom. I go to the other side of the castle where the staircase comes up from the dark basement below. I hear a faint sound of footsteps coming up the stairs. I cant see as there is a great, thick red velvet curtain covering the hidden entrance to the stairway (a classic castle look). I glance back at the crew on the couch in the great room to take inventory. Joe is the only one missing. I assume he has wandered downstairs to check things out. (I dismiss the possibility that the ghost would show herself so soon in the trip). I know! I will scare the gonads out of Joe when he crests the stairs and appears through the red velvet curtain. Wait for it, wait for it, wait for it I think to myself as I get ready to belt out my gargoyle breath as Joe comes from the depths below. Now I say to myself as I let out a oar. Screech says a female voice from the other side of the red velvet curtain as a small hand draws back the curtain. Oh shit I say a little too loudly as my face meets that of a woman. We both scream and draw our faces back. I have just freaked out…the caretaker! I look back to the crew for support and they just stare in disbelief, jaws on couch.
(I will let the others add in their version if they care and/or dare)
Now where’s that bottle of wine?
-Michael and Jenay (on behalf of Tanner, Joe, Payton, and Gram!)
It was a dawn patrol morning for some of us. Bronte and Trevor opted to stay at the Stone House for one more quiet evening/overnight – INSERT MESSAGE FROM BRONTE & TREVOR.
Michael, Jenay, Leah, Joe, Tanner and Payton loaded up the tour bus and blasted down the road. Leaving early 1)because we had a bit of ground to cover 2) it gets dark here at 4:20ish in the evening so site seeing gets cut quite short. Site seeing for those of us who actually don’t fall right asleep as soon as the engine starts.
We have the driving down to a science now, just drive on those convenient bumps that are provided in the middle of the road that way you know exactly where you are on the road. So smart.
1 ½ drive dropped us into Blarney. It was a win for all. Leah got to spend hours shopping at the Blarney Woolen Mills and Michael, Joe, Tanner, Payton and Jenay set out to end the drought for Joe. Lore has it that if you “KISS” the Blarney Stone at the castle you immediately became “eloquent” a virtue that Joe could use with the ladies right about now.
An amazing tour of the Blarney Castle, Blarney Stone - Kissed By All, Blarney House and then a stroll through the Poison Garden.
Back to pick up Gram, luckily she shipped her items home!!!
On with the journey landed us in Limerick and unanimously we decided it was not our favorite of the trip UNTIL as luck would have it we ran across a wonderful Market (Mirepoix worthy) Steak Sandwich for Michael, Paella for Jenay and Payton, Tanner and Joe a deluxe wiener!
Back in the bus and at this point it becomes the “Struggle Bus”!!!! Driving a few more hours and as you all know we can’t skip a meal so we found a grocery and loaded up certain to arrive at our castle in no time.
The directions said 4 miles when they actually meant 4 Kilometers! So you know how the bus is starting to smell.
A las! Off in the distance after one quick round with the nice (sans dentures) farmer that insisted that he get his car and drive us back 2 kilometers we found our amazing castle.
MICHAEL's Version:
Ok so we drive up to the Castle Carraigin in the fog. It is dark outside, and eerie at best. While the boys schlep the bags into the historic relic, my quest is to start a fire to warm the cold, hulking beast. It is raining, well more like misting. Where to find dry wood? Ahhhh, I head out to the forrest to gather wood under the canopy of trees, thinking that will provide dry wood. It creeps me out and I walk deeper into the forrest, past the bare ground to a spot where there is fresh wood and kindking. I feel like an armor clad warrior or at least a hunter gatherer as I scoop up the wood and head back to the castle.
The pressure is palpable. The castle is cold and all the focus is on the effort to start a fire. I reach back to my boyscout days to make sure I can start a fire with wet wood. Start wih very small kindling. Add mediuiumsticks. Then the bigger stuff. While I build the fire Payton reads the history of the castle from her PDA (modern catsles have wifi I guess). The castle dates back to 1238, to a Norman dude who built it held it till it fell to a conqueror dude. In 1969 it was purchased as a ruins but was rebuilt into the castle it is today. The gargoyle in the bathroom watches you as you bathe (creeper), and the ghost is a former servant who can be heard coming up the steep, tight staircase…
Success! The fire is now raging. I see smiles on the faces of the crew as they relax in the large greatroom. I go to the other side of the castle where the staircase comes up from the dark basement below. I hear a faint sound of footsteps coming up the stairs. I cant see as there is a great, thick red velvet curtain covering the hidden entrance to the stairway (a classic castle look). I glance back at the crew on the couch in the great room to take inventory. Joe is the only one missing. I assume he has wandered downstairs to check things out. (I dismiss the possibility that the ghost would show herself so soon in the trip). I know! I will scare the gonads out of Joe when he crests the stairs and appears through the red velvet curtain. Wait for it, wait for it, wait for it I think to myself as I get ready to belt out my gargoyle breath as Joe comes from the depths below. Now I say to myself as I let out a oar. Screech says a female voice from the other side of the red velvet curtain as a small hand draws back the curtain. Oh shit I say a little too loudly as my face meets that of a woman. We both scream and draw our faces back. I have just freaked out…the caretaker! I look back to the crew for support and they just stare in disbelief, jaws on couch.
(I will let the others add in their version if they care and/or dare)
Now where’s that bottle of wine?
-Michael and Jenay (on behalf of Tanner, Joe, Payton, and Gram!)