Grandma & Grandpa's Visit - 1

My mom and dad came to visit us for a week back in January.  They arrived on a Friday and were a fun surprise for Kate & Jack at the school gate that afternoon.  While my parents were here to visit us, they also wanted to see some of Ireland (which was definitely ok with us!).  So on Saturday morning we left before the sun was up (ok, it was 8am, but it was still dark) and we headed off!  Here are a few of the many pictures we took on that Saturday.

The Rock of Cashel - this was originally the traditional seat of the kings of Munster (Ireland is divided into 4 sections; Munster (SW), Connaught (W), Ulster (N) and Leinster (E/SE), we live in Leinster) for several hundred years.  In 1101, the King of Munster donated the fortress to the Church.  

 

excavation work on original paintings on the wall

It was a foggy and misty (cold) morning while we were there. 

Although we didn't get a picture of the castle/church being up high on a rock, this picture shows that we had to walk uphill to get to it and now we're on our way back down to the car.

After we left Cashel, we drove E/NE about 30 minutes to Kilkenny.  Kilkenny is home to 1 of 2 round towers in Ireland that are open to the public (over the age of 12).  So Mom & Dad went up first and we stayed with the kids inside the Church of Ireland cathedral and then we switched.  

I couldn't get the entire tower in one picture (it's 100 feet tall).  We had to climb these stairs just to get to the door.

Jimmy feeling tall!

Excuse the "crotch shot", but I was trying to get a climbing inside the tower shot.  While climbing the stairs, we could definitely tell why no one under 12 was allowed.  The ladders got narrower the further you went up and because the cone of the round tower is not on anymore, rain can easily get inside, so the last level was wet.  When we went back down the tower, we went down the stairs backwards.

Standing outside on the top of the round tower overlooking Kilkenny. 

We left Kilkenny and headed west 2 hours to the Cliffs of Moher.  We made it there with just under an hour of sunlight left to spare.  And although it was pretty cold and a bit windy, the clouds had parted and we had sunshine while we were there!

Jimmy has such a good eye :)

 

After we left the Cliffs of Moher, we headed back east and stopped in Limerick where we grabbed some dinner.  Then we headed south about 1 1/2 hours to Killarney where we stayed the night.  And that's where I'll start my next blog.  :)