After the plane landed and I made it through customs which was a breeze and easier than I had ever experienced while traveling to the USA, reality sunk in. It didn't sink in in a bad way just more of a "holy crap it's not a dream anymore," type of way. It has been a very hectic experience thus far from getting everything that I need to survive, trying to get school set up, and letting the culture shock set in, I haven't had much time to sit back and take a breather. My mind has been running at full speed the last few days, so I'm glad that today I get a chance to update the blog and let everyone know (I'm guessing mostly my family) what has been going on.
Beer.
Hey, I'm a college student in a country known for beer and potatoes. I'm pleased to say I have already tried both. All my friends back home know that I annoyingly say "I'm not a beer drinker." It's probably a disservice and unfair to all those beer fanatics that I get to come to the land of beer, so out of respect I'm giving beer a chance....or at least trying to. I went with a light beer called Carlsberg. It wasn't a total turn off but lets just say my options are still open on finding my type of beer.
Oh will I never say I hate Wal-Mart ever again. Oh and how spoiled we actually are in America. When I arrived at Edenhall I had asked where the big shopping store that will satisfy all apartment needs... Tesco was their answer. Tesco is a wonderful store with selections of food, cleaning supplies, some clothes, but aren't they limited. My biggest surprise was when I asked for ponytail holders and they had only one type to choose from. Unfortunately, they were not the kind that would withstand my thick hair so I'm praying the three I have hold out until January! Things on average in my opinion are my expensive over here. Other than that shopping has been a breeze and the locals are wicked friendly and helpful. The Irish also have a cooler word for Pharmacist, they call it the Chemist which I think we as Americans should start calling our. It's sounds more hardcore to say "oh yeah I have to pick my prescription up from the Chemist."
Kissing.
Not the typical type of kissing but even more magical or I'm hoping so! For those who have not guessed what I am referring to I am speaking of the BLARNEY STONE. I feel this attraction is not given enough attention. No, I am not talking about the stone but the grounds it lays on in general. Most people, including myself, only know of the stone but yet there are so many other hidden gems surrounding it!I was shocked to discover there was a mansion, three waterfalls, lookout tower, fern garden, and the coolest tree ever 600 feet away. Don't misunderstand me the stone was awesome and you got to travel up the castle with stops along the way explaining what each room was used for back in the day. Just imagining how it was to live in this castle was breathtaking. Who hasn't dreamed of living in a castle? I know I have. Kissing the stone is not as simple as one might think. You have to lay down and practical put your life in the hands of the worker that drops you backwards over the edge where you then reach out for the stone. I had height on my side, thankfully, which I think helped out quite a bit.
After kissing the stone and receiving the gift of gab, which I am impatiently waiting to be bestowed with, it was off to discover what the rest of the grounds offered. The grounds were beautifully kept with posted signs to direct clueless tourists, like my father and I, in the right direction. There were so many things to see but the place closed at 6:15pm and unfortunately we had arrived late so did not have time to see everything.
With the time we did have we were able to see the most awe shocking mansion I have seen in person. Sadly, the mansion is only open for viewing to the public from June-end of August. We missed it by 3 days! The rest of the year though caretakers live inside of it. Not a bad accommodation setup if you ask me.
In addition to the mansion we were able to see three waterfalls and a fern garden that could easly be mistaken for the Rainforest. Each sight was breathtaking to say the least. One of my favorite spots was the Wishing Steps. In order for your wish to come true you had to make it down and up the steps with your eyes closed and think of nothing but your wish. I was determined to do this and we spent a good 20 minutes practicing on the steps, then we discovered we were on the wrong steps....After finding the correct steps, which were right next to us and had A HANDRAIL it was much easier to accomplish the task. This waterfall also had a rock formation called the Dolman next to it, which is one large rock wedged on two smaller rocks with a crawl space underneath, I obviously had to crawl through it.
PICTURES ABOVE: (L) The waterfall hiding the wishing steps. (M) Climbing through the Dolman Rock. (R) Small tunnel underneath the castle.. I felt like I was in the movie 'As Above So Below"
The lookout tower and the strangest but coolest tree ever.
On top on the castle that houses the Blarney Stone!
And to finish this blog post off is me accidentally and awarding capturing a canoodling couple. All I wanted was a cute picture on top of the castle, but let's be honest #goals to them. Haha.
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