Best Western Premier Newpark Hotel Kilkenny

Well as it turns out, I chose a good week to visit Michelle and George, as they had already planned a weekend of surfing on the West Coast.

The day started off right, with a proper Irish breakfast. As Michelle puttered away with breakfast prep, George rolled in, busy getting his gear ready for the weekend.
'Do you have any pudding?' he inquires
'no' is the sheepish reply
'well it's not exactly breakfast without pudding now is it?'

Michelle can ...

... low enough, you will never be disappointed" certainly does not apply to airline food. They really can't get anything right. Even the bread is sub-standard. I would be curious to know how it compares to prison food.

Michelle was a star and drove all the way to Dublin to pick me up. It was a 5 hour return trip for her, but I was greeted with genuine enthusiasm. The drive back was ...

... besides pasta, lunch meat sandwich, or pizza. Then when we came back Lindsey & Brittany had made me a cake while I was gone and put up a birthday banner. Jordan also got be a flashing birthday girl sash. Everyone hung out in my apartment till about 10 and then we went downtown to the pubs. We called for taxis for 16 people and ended up getting this party bus with lights and loud music. The ride was really cool and the night was a blast!

today i went on a day trip with the international office at uni. we went to glendalough, a 6th century monastic settlement about an hour south of the uni campus. as soon as we got there i realised i'd forgotten my camera, i remembered the spare battery and memory card just not the actual camera! so some of the photos are off my phone and the others are ...

... next stop, the town of Carlow. We’re staying at the Avlon Bed & Breakfast, which has gotten rave reviews. Tom has thought of everything the traveler might need, most importantly, a comfortable king-sized bed. He gave us directions to a wonderful pub for dinner where we had roast beef and the ever present “potatoes and veg”.

Back at the b&b, we’re relaxing and looking forward to sleeping in a bit before enjoying what promises to be a wonderful breakfast.

... night I started Irish Dance. From 9 to 11 at night we go dance with a bunch of ederly people. They are really nice and they swing you around really fast. Its definetly going to be a challenge keeping up with them and all their dances. We are also going to learn how to play the tin whistle and a learn how to sing a couple sings in Gaelic in Irish Experience class. We went on a small tour ...

After finishing the Ring of Dingle we pointed the GPS to Killarney. On the way we were in need of a rest, bathroom and a pint. So we stopped at a very interesting place, Inch Beach. Ironically the beach is a 3 miles long crescent of sand. Must be the old Irish sense of humor in play.
The beach reminded me a little of Wildwood, without the boardwalk. There was a lot of sand to traverse before reaching the water's edge.
It was ...

... to it, but when we got there we discovered that there is a height restriction on who is allowed to do it, and because of the rain making things a bit slippery, they wouldn't let him. So we convinced him that some of the other stones in the castle would bestow other powers, which he was ok with. Mark and I both kissed the stone - it is a long way down! So we've done that now!

In better weather, I'm sure you could wander the grounds all day, but as it was quite wet and ...

... just getting out of the car when it takes our fancy and exploring on foot. The villages all have the river Nore flowing through them, with old arched bridges crossing the river, and plenty of ducks paddling around. Warm and inviting cafes and pubs to pop into. Also, yesterday we drove to Co. Laois, stopped in Portlaoise for a coffee, then on to the Rock of Dunnamaise (a ruined castle - blown up by Cromwell - high on a hill top, with spectacular ...

... Monday but we did get to look in a few stores, although neither of us has bought anything. For most of Monday we took a tour of the Kilkenny Castle, it was a really neat castle, they are restoring it. We then took a walk around the castle grounds which are 54 acres of grass, trees, and rose bushes. We came back later that day to read in the park.....I (Jessica) ended up having a good nap. Just down from our hostel there was St.Canice's Cathedral which had a 30 ...