We were on the road again at 9. Everyone was on time and the suitcases in the bus for our last day on the road. We headed strait away to Blarney castle where some people wanted to kiss the Blarney stone. We opted to skip this one as there were 150 steps to climb and we did not relish lying on our back and raising our body up to kiss a stone behind everybody else that came before us at a cost of 22 euros each.
Those of us who opted out went to visit the wool mill factory where we watched the sweaters being made. The front and back as well as the sleeves are made by machine and then the seamstress attached or seams the pieces together by hand making sure that all the designs and seams match. They will even stitch in the tag with your name on it at no extra cost. We walked around the town after the mill demonstration. It is built around the town square. It is not a very big town. We were late leaving from there as there was a bit of confusion on where to meet the bus with the ones who decided to go to the castle. They were waiting for the bus where they were dropped off not realizing that they had to walk to the mill.
Our next stop was in Kilkenny where we visited the Kilkenny castle. It is a 7th century Norse castle. Apparently for those who followed Downton Abby it was very reminiscent of the show.
All week both our guide Joan and our bus driver Leo entertained us with their fantastic singing voice. Singing Irish ballads each their turn.
There doesn't seen to be any love lost between the Irish and the English. Our guide talked a lot about how the Irish were mistreated over the years by the English, especially during the potato famine.
We made it to our hotel before 6:30 and went out for supper with Anne and Ed at an old church that was converted into a restaurant.
Tomorrow our shuttle picks us up at 9:30 for the airport. We had a good time and saw some amazing scenery. Our bus driver said that we were the best group that he had yet.
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