Waking up in Ireland....

Oh my goodness...I am waking up in IRELAND!

What a wonderful night's rest we both had. The beds at Brook Cottage B&B were just as
comfortable as a cloud. We woke up around 6am and began our get around for the day. By 7:50am we had rearranged stuff in our luggage and made our way upstairs. On the way Mary stopped us to ask about the night and then our choice of tea or coffee. We selected tea, since we had enjoyed it so much upon arrival the evening before.

Our view at breakfast.

Sitting area.

Another view upstairs.

The dining table.

Mom and I relaxed upstairs and took a few pics. Then Mary arrived with tea and asked our preference for breakfast...our choices were Full Irish (including: sausage, bacon, eggs, black pudding, mushrooms and tomatoes) or Salmon & Eggs. We both opted for the Full Irish with a few changes, I minused the tomato and black pudding...Mom minused the previous two plus sausage. Mary came back up shortly with a bowl of fruit a piece for us and raspberry yogurt.

Just as Mary had served us our breakfast another guest joined us at the table. Their names were Dick & Sue, Americans from Richardson, Texas. Practically next door neighbors to me...what a small world! They were great to share experiences of past trips and even shared a map with us. We said a-do and went downstairs to collect our things. Once ready we made a stop to pay Mary and pose for a quick picture. She was very hospitable and such a great start to our trip. Oh yeah, did I mention she's American...she and her husband moved to Ireland 14 years ago from California. I would definitely recommend staying here. 

Me, Mary and Mom

Out the door we headed for the Gardens of Powerscourt for a quick in and out stop. We really weren't up for the walk. After all, there were a list of stops along our path today.

It was beautiful, we wound up buying a few post cards since we didn't buy admission to tour the grounds. However we did peruse the shops inside the house. We were off from there to Glendalough and a final destination of Waterford.

Golf Course across from the house.

View of the front of the house.

Gorgeous hydrangeas.

We arrived at Glendalough and made our way through the monastic ruins and cemetery. it was amazing to see all the history that had been there for hundreds of years and some new additions throughout the years. We were happy to have made it in early while it was still a bit cool. By the wrap up of our walk it was beginning to warm up and several tour buses arrived with a hoard of passengers.Here are some pics of the grounds.

Mom is so funny....taking a pic of me taking pics.

Me in some ruins.

Mom's turn in ruins.

View through the valley.

We hopped in the car, had a snack while we mapped our route and back on the road we went! Along the way we had a few missed turns but thank goodness for the round-a-bouts. HAHA

Well our thought while driving along was hey maybe we could stop at the local Tourist Information (TI) for a local map and more information. Sooo here's how that went. Our first attempt for the day was met with some disappointment. First off some of the signage as we had found out yesterday can be a bit misleading. We stopped at Rathdrum, parked and walked a ways back only to find that it was CLOSED! Then since we originally stopped in the park to get our wits about us and find that we were actually on the right path...we moved on south towards Arklow.

View of Parnell Memorial Park.

 

Entering Arklow we tried to visit the TI and it was closed for lunch. I mean seriously??? So off we go again...got a bit turned around and wound up at the Avoca Handweavers The Mill. Well Mom really wanted to stop when we passed by previously but due to a wrong turn we ended up there anyway. We checked out the merchandise and were then able to get directions from a sweet clerk, Mary. She sent us off on the correct path...WHEW!

I can honestly say the driving is less stressful on the motorway than the tight curvy roads that we traveled some the day before and today. Hopefully I'll gain more confidence. More driving south and guess what??? Yep, that's right we finally found a TI that was open...what a SHOCKER!

We parked unknowingly in a PAID parking lot and didn't pay. Walked down to the TI in New Ross and were helped by a sweet young lady that even phoned ahead to Waterford Castle for directions. Just outside their building mom snapped a shot of the Dunbrody famine ship. These ships were used during the potato famine to transport the Irish to America.

Dunbrody famine ship.

 

We then made it back to our car which was safely still there. OH MY!

With a couple of mishaps on round-a-bouts we made it to Waterford and boarded the ferry that would take us to the Waterford Castle. Arriving we were escorted to our room or should I say The Suir Suite...that's right SUITE! Big bedroom with a king bed, sitting room and bathroom. We were able to relax and freshen up for our early dinner reservation in the Muenster Room.

Front view of Waterford Castle.

Reception

Sitting area.

Our Suite!!!

View from our room.

A red deer outside our window.



We made it to the Muenster Room...where we would dine on a 3 course meal.

Muenster Room

Mom

Me



My choices were the following....

Smoked Haddock Risotto, Lemon, Tarragon

& Parmesan Shavings

  

Chargrilled Sirloin, Forest Mushroom, Onion

Mousseline & Cep Cream

Castle Chocolate Brownie, Vanilla Bean Ice-Cream

& Orange Confit



Mom's choices were the following....

Confit of Chicken Leg Salad, Broad Beans, Orange Segments,

Candied Pecans, Beetroot, & Classic Vinaigrette

Roast Cod with Garden Peas, Gubeen Bacon with

Orange & Mussel Cream

Both of our entrees were served with Pomme Puree 

(mashed potatoes) & Honey Glazed Carrots

Sticky Meringue with Summer Berries

& Chantilly Cream

It was a very relaxing and enjoyable evening. Our servers were very sweet. One even took time to take a pic of us after dinner, especially since we were all dressed up.

Mom and I

We knew there were a few more things we needed from the car. I was also able to grab some shots of the exterior of the castle. Then it was back up to our suite for shower, pjs and bedtime.

Wow, what a day! But I'm sleeping in a CASTLE and that's just pretty stinkin' cool!

That ends our 2nd full day in Ireland, August 22nd!

~Curls~