The Cathedral down the street tolls her bells each hour

Right now, I'm sitting in the common room of our hostel, listening to four Germans talk to each other, watching a Scottish couple make out on the couch next to me, and trying to think of a creative way to introduce today.

I've brought sunshine to Ireland and they've asked us to never leave. I think today was the first time the clouds even thought about hesitating over the country, and when they did, it was merely to cast a beautiful blue glow over our faces, making for brilliant photographs and many lovely landscapes.

This morning, we left Kilkenney for a day trip to Cashel, where we toured through an old monastery, traipsed across a meadow, and climbed around the abandoned remains of an old abbey.

Neither pictures nor words can do justice to the things I have seen.


And none of us feared for our lives on the drive today. Either I'm getting better, or Ireland issued a national warning that I have taken to the roads.



My heart feels home in this place.

When we returned to Kilkenney, we toured Kilkenney Castle (a resurrected old castle about 400 years old). Most of the interior merely replicates what used to reside within the two-foot+ thick walls, but it was our first castle and we were veryyy pleased, especially with the intricately decorated ceilings (original paint work) and the ridiculously precarious staircases.

Kilkenney Castle was followed by a stop in an upstairs coffee shop, where we looked out the window like locals and watched the few tourists stutter by. This city is quite small, so we haven't run into many sight-seers. Our roommate last night was a lady from Indonesia skipping through town on an abroad school program.

We also stopped in on St. Canice's Cathedral--whose bells I can hear, as we are a mere block from her shining steeple.

Cathedrals here are an interesting, fairy-tale-like version of Gothic architecture, though they are neither so large nor so angrily imposing. Rather than frown, the buildings smile and rather than scream, they ... whisper.

Dinner tonight was Kytler's Inn (delicious smoked salmon and Kilkenney Brew Ale: a tradition started by the nuns of the town's St. Francis Abbey. hehe). Yesterday, Colleen called our cousin, Imelda, and we are set to meet with her next week for lunch on the town and tea at her house.

Brilliant.
Many blessings to all.
Tomorrow we head on to the next destination. Talk to you there!