Yesterday we were off to Kilkenny to visit the medieval village and Castle. This was a tour provided by the company Rick works for so while we don't usually do the organized "tour" thing, we decided to give it a whirl. It worked out just fine because they provided us private docents for the castle tour, bought us a wonderful lunch in an old restaurant there, gave us plenty of time for exploring on our own AND did all the driving. What was there not to like?
Kilkenny was about an hour's drive from Dublin, through the most gorgeous green countryside. They say there are 40 shades of green in an Irish landscape....and I definitely believe it. The weather is cool, there is plenty of water, and everything seems lush and vibrant.
They wouldn't let us take photos inside the castle, but it was meticulously refurbished in the manner in which it was done when it was occupied by the Butler Family, Earls of Ormond, in the 1600s to the early 1900s. The town was given the castle in trust after the Butlers moved (to Chicago of all things) and now it is the town's primary source of income.
The town itself is just as interesting to visit as the Castle. We had a great time walking the narrow cobblestone streets, checking out antique shops and vendors, and even watching a triathlon that seemed oddly out of place in this little village.
If you look real close about a third of the way down the photo, you can see the triathletes in the river. Now it was about 55 standing in the sun....and the water was not only cold, it was also the color of a cup of strong coffee. These were dedicated athletes!
We were seated at lunch with a great older couple from Miami, by way of Venezuela, who had wonderful stories of travel and life, which always make a meal more interesting. Also making the trip interesting was someone we met on the bus. I happened to be eavesdropping on a conversation behind us (I know, say it isn't so!) and heard a woman say she lived in a small town outside of Fort Worth. I turned and told her that we lived in Granbury. She said she lived in Granbuy. I then said we actually lived in Acton, just north of Granbury...........which is actually where she lives! So, we live in the same small town of 1200 or so and she lives just behind the church to which we belong, and we meet in Dublin! To even make it funnier, her husband is Mom's physical therapist! The world is a strange and small place.
Alexa had seen some street performers earlier in the trip, and had obviously been thinking about their "money hat" as she called it. Well, she decided that busking seemed like a good way to pick up some loose change.....and for a kid that checks under every soda machine and in every checkout lane for dropped money, loose change is obviously a big deal. Despite the fact that she didn't have a "money hat" of her own, she asked if she could practice "at busking", and if it seemed like people liked her then maybe she could get a hat and do it someplace for real. (I love how this kid thinks!) So, while Mom was in a shop looking for a Christmas ornament, Alexa stood on the corner of the street and started singing. I'm posting two videos of her....you can tell by the difference in the response from the first to the second that as she grew more confident and moved away from the shadow of the building, the crowd loved her! I guess we will be looking for a "money hat". We just won't tell her daddy!
After all that sightseeing and busking we were fairly exhausted, so for dinner we walked to a small farm to table restaurant near the hotel and ended the day with a great little farm fresh, dinner. We saw Rick for the first time at about 11 that night....which was okay because after all, he is "just the little brother".
Today, we got an early start because we knew it was going to be a long day. Mom, Alexa and I headed out to explore more of Dublin. We visited the Guiness brewery, Christ Church, the Irish Parliament House, Trinity College and of course did more than our fare share of shopping.
We also saw more statues than we will ever remember, but the one fact we will retain is illustrated perfectly in this photo.
No matter how important you are, someday you are going to get pooped on!
We called it a day fairly early because we had a big night ahead of us. Rick's company, HTNB was hosting a grand dinner in the Dublin Castle. It was a formal affair and we had preparations to do! The transformation from casual tourist to royal guest was especially fun for us because of Alexa. I got to do her nails, put her hair up in a fancy bun, and even applied a tiny bit of makeup.
We arrived at the Castle by coach, everyone in their finest. The castle was closed to the public and there were, again, private docents to show us through the rooms. The main ballroom, St. Patrick's Hall, was kept closed off, but we had passed champagne, cocktails and hors d'oeurves as we moved from the bedrooms to the throne room to the state room to the gallery. Alexa was definitely the hit of the night! By far the youngest guest, she behaved with such poise and grace, meeting the adults with confidence and a sweet smile. She was every bit the princess she appeared to be. When they opened the doors to the ballroom so that we could move into there for dinner, it was breathtaking. Dinner was amazing, albeit very grown up. Alexa held her own. She even tried a bite of the sashimi salmon and the crab tartar....but she much preferred the medium rare filet they served as the main course!
And now I have to write something that is extremely difficult for me. As I watched my "little brother" in his professional element tonight, I was struck by just what kind of man he is. He was so obviously respected, he was confident, he was impressive in his handling of both colleagues and clients. Perhaps most impressive to me was that as I watched how his professional life had grown, I knew that he had never allowed his career to let him lose sight of what was really important. He has raised that 8 year old to be a respectful, insightful, intelligent, kind human. I was so proud of him. So proud he is my brother. So proud he is my friend. But, like the story about Alexa busking, we won't share this with him. Lets just let him go on believing he's just the "little brother" to me.
The marvelous night ended with a surprise performance by some traditional Irish dancers. Actually it was such a surprise that Mom and I had both commented on how rude it seemed that the staff was clearing some of the tables before the guests had gotten up. They were taking away the floral arrangements and even the linens! It seemed incredibly pushy, especially for an event that had been so perfect all night. Well, to our surprise, the empty table became the stage for a dance presentation that had everyone clapping and smiling and ended the night on just the right note!
Tomorrow we are off to County Cork to kiss the Blarney stone! Can't wait!
