Ireland Day 3 - Dublin to County Cork

Today we got up at 7:00 AM had breakfast, finished packing up, and then checked out of the hotel.  We took a taxi from our hotel to the rental car place to pick up our car, which is an Audi A5.  Thankfully it has Android Auto so we can easily get directions to our destinations. 

The first destination of the day was the Irish National Stud and Gardens, about 45 minutes outside of Dublin.  We started with the self-guided tour of the Japanese gardens which had 15 marked spots associated with a life journey.  It was a nice garden. Then we went to the other side and looked at the other gardens and the retired racehorses.  We only saw two of them because they were out in their respective pastures, and we just didn’t feel like walking the whole length of the pasture.  We also saw the ruins of a small abbey that was on the property.  After a quick walk through the gift shop, we got back on the road headed to our next stop, The Rock of Cashel.

Part of the Japanese Garden

Decorated Knight

The Stud Office

When we got to the Rock of Cashel, we had to circle the parking lot several times, till we found someone leaving, so we could take their parking spot.  They need a bigger parking lot.  Before heading up the hill to Cashel, we stopped at Granny’s Kitchen to eat lunch.  Lunch cost 9-Euros for a toasted ham & cheese sandwich, a sausage roll, a bottle of Coke, and a bottle of water.  After our quick bite, we walked up the hill to Cashel.  It is a castle ruin with a cemetery.  We were surprised to see a few modern graves dated 1984 mixed in with the medieval graves.   After walking around a bit, it was time to get back in the car and head towards our B&B.  

Rock of Cashel

I would say our B&B is off the beaten path on some gravel roads barely able to accommodate two cars. Tomorrow we will explore some areas around Kinsale and the coast.