Day 2 - Cashel, Waterford, & Cork

Today we drove the beautiful back roads from Dublin to Cork and made a few stops along the way.  Our first stop was in Cashel which is a quant little town southwest of Dublin.  This town is famous for the historical Rock of Cashel, originally known as the seat of the High King of Munster.  Most of the architecture you see today is from the 12th and 13th century, which was a gift from the church.  St Patricks cross is also evident here at the Rock, which sits up on the top of the hill and overlooks the beautiful Irish pasture.

After leaving the rock we ate brunch at cute pub down the street where we enjoyed a nice lentil and asparagus soup awith homeade Irish soda bread and a bacon and cheese croissant. 

Back on the road we headed towards Waterford. Unfortunately, the original owners sold out a few years back so the original factory and visitor center is no longer open.  Fortunately for Jeff and I we had the opportunity to see this back in 2005.  Due to the recent change in ownership, the new visitor center is located in the city center of Waterford.  While it was definitley state of the art, it lacked the original charm of the old factory.  However, the crystal was still as beautiful and we got to see a lot of pieces we would not otherwise see in the states. 

Once we left Waterford we drove the copper coast towards cork.  We had the great fortune to stop in Dungarven.  Dungarven is a small seaside village.  It's exactly what you'd imagine when thinking about past times in Ireland.  Founded by the Normans in the 1100's, the town's history began before the last ice age!  We stopped in for a quick rest and snack at "The Anchor." We met a darling older couple, married 53 years!  They were insistent on helping Jean find her birth parents!  After a nice chat with them, we were on our way to Cork, which was about 35 miles straight west.    

We arrived cork around 8:30, so we decided to eat dinner at the hotel.  Our hotel is really beautiful, actually rather new compared to the rest of the country.  Built in the 1920's and restored in the late 90's it is quintessential Ireland.  The hotel was originally owned by the Musgrave family, which is the now the largest private group in Ireland.  The hotel is now owned by the Scally family and they have done a wonderful job restoring the hotel.  After we checked in, we had a lovely dinner at the hotel's restaurant, The Orchid. 

After another long day and lots of driving, we called it a night.  We are excited for a little less driving over the next few days and to visiting a few new spots tomorrow:  Blarney and Kinsale. 

Till tomorrow.

J&J