Kilkenny

I am so exhausted after this weekend and I can't explain why. I didn't do anything too strenuous, so I shouldn't be physically exhausted, and I worked on all of my writing assignments but that didn't bother me too much, so I don't understand why I am so mentally exhausted. Today is going to be a very very long day.

Peter and I left on the train for Kilkenny on Friday afternoon. We found our B&B easily because it was just a short walk away from the train station, and it was very nice. We decided to explore Kilkenny a little bit and we walked around until we found Kytelyr's Inn, a restaurant which was once owned by a woman who was burned at the stake for being a witch.

Then we simply browsed the downtown area. It is very nice, just what I was hoping for - small town but still a grocery store and clothing stores and everything you need. Kilkenny really is great. After supper we found a pub and stayed there for a while playing cards.
Then we moved on to a takeaway chipper where we got chips to bring back to our B&B. Once back at the B&B, we crashed and watched a programme on the all-Irish channel about renewable energy in Ireland. Did you know that Ireland has to import 95% of its energy? It has little to no resources. No fossil fuel, no oil, no gas, no coal. Just peat from the bogs, and that source is running low. Ireland is currently exploring harnessing wind and sea as sources of renewable energy, as well as wood chip burners, which seem a bit sketchy but the people on this program seemed very enthusiastic about that option.

In the morning our hostess made us a traditional Irish breakfast. It was salty and tasty and delicious. We packed up our very heavy backpacks and went to St. Canice's Cathedral.
The cathedral was just amazing. We loved seeing it. It's so old! There are tombs from the 1500s in there!
After we toured the inside of the cathedral we went outside to climb the round tower.
Yep, I climbed that. Even though I hate ladders and steep flights of stairs.

Upon entering the round tower, this is what you see:
How comforting. And it only gets more harrowing from there.
But once you get to the top, it's so worth it. The view is amazing. And thankfully, coming back down the ladder was almost easier than going up.

Then it was browsing the shops of Kilkenny and touring Kilkenny Castle. This castle has been in the Butler family for many generations. They had a close connection with the English monarchy so there are many tributes to various kings and queens within the castle. I wish we could have taken pictures inside, but cameras were not allowed, so here is a picture of the outside instead:
The day concluded with more walking around Kilkenny, another stop at the chipper, and a train ride back to Dublin. Sunday was unimpressive: shopping for groceries, writing papers, making supper. A delightfully mundane day. Sometimes you need that in the midst of all this excitement and travelling.

Today I just have class and no other obligations (Hurrah!) so I get to come home, make dinner, and do homework like a normal person instead of running all over Dublin trying to get to the right place at the right time. I look forward to the peace and quiet.