I know I've been M.I.A. for a little while and I'm sorry! Chad's Mama and Daddy arrived to Dublin November 8th and we have being going, going, going ever since. I think Chad has crammed more of Ireland into the past week than he and I have seen in 5 months.
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| Watch out y'all, the Washingtons are here |
Cathy and Paul arrived on a Friday morning and Saturday morning we hit the road running. First stop Waterford! Yes, this is the home of the famous Waterford Crystal and happens to be the oldest city in Ireland. It was originally a Viking settlement that was later taken back by the Irish.
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| Brightly colored buildings in town |
Our first stop was the Waterford Crystal Visitor Center. Sadly, the tour wasn't running while we were there so we weren't able to see how they make the crystal....We were however able to do a little shopping : )
They make all sorts of things in crystal...football helmets, statues, Christmas ornaments, as well as the regular glasses, bowls, etc.
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| Crystal football helmet |
They were all decked out for the holidays with snowy trees and a beautiful table set in the show in room. It made me want to get back to the house and put up all my Christmas decorations. I guess that will have to wait until next year!
We walked around town and stopped in a little cafe for lunch. We happened to be leaving town just in time to be trapped in a march protesting budget cuts to the local hospital. No FUN! We quickly made a U-turn and found an alternative route out of town.
Next stop, the Rock of Cashel. According to local mythology, the Rock of Cashel originated in the Devil's Bit, a mountain 20 miles north of Cashel when St. Patrick banished Satan from a cave. The Rock landed in it's current location and structures were built overtop. The oldest tower dates to 1100. It was where the King of Munster lived until he donated it to the church.
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| Making the walk up the Rock! |
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| View from one side |
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| Cross over a tomb in the grave yard. |
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| The Chapel |
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| Celtic Cross |
The wind was blowing pretty hard and we were getting cold so we headed back down the Rock and stopped off in a little shop. Paul found this wool hat...looks good huh? We couldn't talk him into getting it though! We hopped back in the car and headed for our final stop for the night, Killarney.
More adventures with the Washington's to come and I promise I won't be gone too long!
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