WHISKEY - KILLARNEY, IRELAND - DAY 6
Not too much to report today. We woke from sleeping a few hours, and went upstairs to the kitchen for breakfast. Incidentally, this was also the place where the dining hall and reception were. We share a table with one of our bunk mates from the previous night- An Aussie girl traveling around Europe for three months. She said she'd been working and saving since she was a teenager, and now is enjoying her spoils- Good for her!
Kay and I almost went on a tour to Dingle, but only wanted to see the beehive huts that were used in the new Star Wars Movies. They had tours for 25 euros, but we thought that was grossly overpriced, and decided against it. Instead, we traveled a lot- We took three trains from Killarney to Limerick. On our way through Mallow, it was absolutely BEAUTIFUL!! We watched as massive, cloud kissed, green rolling hills passed by, saturated in grey sky- Completely picturesque. In Limerick, we’re staying in an AIRBNB that Kay booked for us in a quaint little suburb just outside of the city. It’s the first time that we could have a private shower and a full, fluffy bed to share- We actually feel like human beings again instead of smelly monkeys.
We went pub hopping tonight. We passed a stadium, and found out there was a rugby game playing. The game was on every tv in every pub we went to. We also passed King Johns castle and St. Mary’s church on the way. I’m a lightweight as you know, so I only had a pint and a half of Guinness and then tried some of the whiskey that the bartender told me about yesterday in Skibbereen. It was 12 y/o Redbreast whiskey, and it was phenomenal! I savored it for at least 30 minutes. *(I drink it straight. It's insulting to cut it with ice or water). It's as smooth as the Swedish whiskey Mackmyra, but with even more flavor. Now at some point, we just have to try Blackbush Whiskey- The other suggestion from the Skibbereen bartender. Kay couldn't help but point out the comedy in the titles:"Red Breast and Black Bush". Pretty good, but still not as funny as the title I had seen on the shelf for a different bottle, "Writer's Tears".
In this pub, we could enjoy watching an Irish dancer and listening to some live Irish music. Kay has a much higher tolerance than I, and understandably, wanted to carry on pub hopping and drinking, but when we got to the third pub, I didn’t want anymore. We cut the evening short and got pizza. To this, Kay very soberly replied, "Emilie, you're like a guy- You need to eat constantly". The bus ride, and walk home was absolutely freezing. I’m layered up, but I’ll be even more so for the Cliffs of Moher that we’re seeing tomorrow. We’re really excited for it!! We also decided to cut out Giants Causeway on our trip. It’s very out of the way, has an expensive entrance fee, and all the locals and tourists tell us it’s extremely underwhelming. Good to know- It would've been an 11mile hike AFTER a 5hr train ride from Dublin. Instead, we’re taking time to see Galway- All the locals and tourists recommend that instead.
Hopefully more tomorrow and more photos as well! The Cliffs are supposed to be one of the most amazing parts of Ireland, so high expectations all around.
Love you!
-eM
Xoxoxox
