Ireland: Castles and Food

On to Monday~ In Ireland, that is! We went to The Rock of Cashel, a stronghold that got burned. Well, as much as stone and wood can burn. So uninhabitable, but still standing! And they were doing reconstruction on a portion of it, so that will be pretty epic when it's finished. Of course, it was pretty epic when we saw it! Albeit, it was really quite cold, and the winds were high so that didn't help, but coats are great! As are the large stone walls still standing. It was wet and cold, but still very beautiful~

That last one is a small reconstruction of what the inside would have looked like possibly before the fires~
Then we went to Blarney Castle! Sands, it was gorgeous. There are extensive grounds also kept up around the place, and there are gardens galore, a cave, a little river/creek, I heard there was a waterfall somewhere...

I mean, look at that grass! It's a carpet! Seriously!
We didn't have time to stay for terribly long, unfortunately, but I got to climb around and explore the castle with some friends~ And, of course, kissed the stone~ (not that I need it, apparently. XD)

That's the North Wall, opposite where the stone was located~ One of the more imposing sights.

The people over there are at the stone. You've got to lay down and reach at it upside-down, and it's open beneath. Don't drop anything, it's a long way down! (hence I took my glasses off)

After Blarney, we went to Cork, to a fantastic open market. It was inside a building, but it was like a mini-mall because there were 'stalls', but they had countertops and an amazing array of fresh foods... Ate lunch there, at a pretty good price, as well as dessert! Wanted to buy some cheese, or spices or something, but there was just too much wonderfulness and I didn't really need much of it. *sigh*

Also got gelato for the first time~ (in Ireland, yes) Soooo good! <3
Long, fun trip back. Had free time, and wandered Temple Bar Square again with Anna~ We stopped at this little cafe, and they had 20 different kinds of hot chocolate. D8 I didn't even know that was possible! I just got one, a cup of dark chocolate with hints of orange and cinnamon. I honestly really only tasted the chocolate, but that was fine by me. WOW. Liquid chocolate has new meaning to me now. It was... wow. Probably the best hot chocolate I've ever had. Just... Yeah. Somehow, life in general makes more sense now. XD

We had noodles at this place called Stir Crazy afterwards. Affordable, and great food. Seriously. Loooove. <3

<3 <3 <3 <3
Hence, Monday was spent~