Day 7

Today we left our castle and set off to our next hotel.  Along the way we have made many stops.  We stopped in Youghal (pronounced ya'll) for a spot of tea in a little hotel restaurant called the Imperial.  On the map, Youghal appears to be a good size town...but it's not.  It is this tiny little town with a small strip of stores that are cramped and dismal looking.  There were a couple restaurants, a few clothing stores, and about 10 people wandering outside.  It looked like a ghost town.  

Our next stop was Blarney!  Yep!  Blarney Castle!  This castle has been one of my favorites because it was big.  The layout and towers felt like what you would expect in a castle- drafty, dark, and strong.  The grounds were beautiful and had a nice river running beside it.  The weather was also suitable for castle exploring: rain!  

The rain today has been intense.  It has been raining since 10:30 this morning!  It doesn't let up either, it's very consistent.  My grandma doesn't like it much... she keeps swearing under her breath which is kinda funny.  She's a trooper though.  When it was her turn to go up and kiss the Blarney stone, she laid down and kissed that stone like a champ!  Rain and all.  Kissing the Blarney stone is said to give you the gift of gab- you can talk your way anywhere.  It was so crazy!  You lay down on the floor while hanging off the side of the castle and kiss a rock that millions have kissed!  There are some bars to help you hang on but its crazy to think that you're upside down kissing something!  We all had a good laugh.  

We also looked around in the castle dungeon which was the worst prison I've seen so far.  It was cold, jagged, and dark.  I would hate to be in there!  After that, we went to the Mill Restaurant and got some good stew!  Mmmmm... Irish beef stew on a cold day- what could be better?  

Right now we are riding in the car and I would just like to note that my grandpa said the words, "You don't have to agree with me.  I'm not always right."  Haha!  We got a good kick out of that.

We are staying at the Killarney Park Hotel.  It is gorgeous of course.  I got upgraded to a Junior Suite and my room is crazy!  I have a fireplace, 3 tv's, a huge bed, and fruit!  The shower was pretty cool too.  it sprays at you from all directions!  For dinner my grandpa wanted me to pick.  

We walked around the town till we got to this pub called Danny Mann's. I got an Irish beef bacon cheese burger with chips.  Oh man!  It was sooooo good!  At 9:30 there was a traditional Irish band that played.  They were good!  Here is some video (Check out the dude's drum Sarah!):

When we were leaving the pub, there was some random Irish drunkard that was chatting up my grandmother!  He was asking her some questions and then I heard her saying, "Yeah, you wait for me right here and I'll be back tomorrow!"  Apparently he wanted to dance with her and she wasn't having it!  We teased her for awhile about her new Irish boyfriend!