Hello from Cork!

I'm writing tonight in the dimly lit, but lively common room of Bru Hostel. The place is full of travelers from different areas of the world, and we've been listening to a guy from New Zealand sing & play guitar while I upload and edit photos that I've taken during the last few days of our roadtrip--from Dublin all the way south to Cork.

Here are some of my favorite pictures to give you just a glimpse of some of the sights we've seen...

A family knocking down chestnuts in Phoenix Park. As Jarlath taught me last year, there's a game played with chestnuts, called Conkers, that is popular in the U.K. & Ireland.

This rocky road brownie was as good as it looks. :) {We had milk tea to drink, of course. I've been averaging about three cups a day.}

In beautiful Wicklow County--just south of Dublin--we went to Powerscourt Waterfall and Gardens.

This next photo cracks me up...

Jarlath as a leprechaun! haha (He just looked over my shoulder at this and said "aw, good grief!" while shaking his head. But I'm still keeping this picture posted.) ;)

Aaaanyway...the stroll through the gardens was absolutely lovely...

From the beauty of the gardens, we continued driving south through a bog area called Sally's Gap. It could also be called The Middle of Nowhere because that is certainly what it felt like...

See? No sign of civilization or wildlife for miles (err..kilometers). It was almost creepy.

On the other side of Sally's Gap was Glendalough...

...which is well-known for its monastery and scenic views, and is where we stayed at a hostel and had a full Irish breakfast the next morning.

This was a real treat since breakfast is usually just cereal or toast.

We've been grabbing a cheap sandwich/snacks for lunch, and then sitting down for dinner at a local restaurant or pub. (Tonight I had fish & chips for the first time in Ireland--deelish!)

We stopped in the cute country town Fern--long enough to stretch our legs--on the way to the next biggest town...

Wexford. (Where I spotted an adorable elderly couple walking arm-in-arm, and just had to capture the moment.) :)

"Aw, it's a little cottage with a shamrock above the door! And I'm wearing my "shamrock shirt" from Japan!" ("The life is beautiful and Happy.") Let's get a photo. :)

I took this shot on our drive to Waterford this morning.

Waterford is known for its crystal, and I was as careful as could be while walking around the displays!

I loved the scenic coastal drive south of Waterford...

Isn't Tramore a cute town? And we also drove through Dungarvin, where we made a spur-of-the-moment decision to check out the Dunhill Castle ruins...

See me peering out the window?

And finally, we made it here to Cork. Whew, all caught up now. :)

Well, the live music has stopped, it's getting late and time to sign off. Tomorrow we'll explore Cork before heading on to Kerry.

Slán go fóill! (Irish for "See you later.")