Blarney Castle and the Jameson Distillery

On our trip to the west, one of the last stops was Blarney Castle, which houses the Blarney Stone! Dr. Reed had told us about his trip and his experience kissing the stone, which did freak me out a little thinking about hanging upside down to do it, but I ended up braving it and getting the gift of gab, although I don't think it's quite kicked in fully. The grounds around Blarney Castle were so pretty, it was definitely one of the prettier estates that we had been to, I really enjoyed how much of it felt like a hike and how green and floral the grounds were. And the tree in the front of the estate was my favorite part it was so gorgeous, and the flowers smelled so lovely. I could've spent the whole day walking around the area, but we ran out of time and had to head over to the Jameson Distillery for a tour. I honestly can't tell which distillery I liked more, this one or Guinness, because I liked them both for different reasons. But this one was really cool, and it felt a lot more original compared to Guinness, which felt more modern. Jameson really expressed its history and a lot of the original architecture, which I loved because it made the experience more personal, and it was very cool to see all of the original equipment. My least favorite part was the tasting, though...ew. I am not an alcoholic person, let alone a whiskey person, so when I tried the first tester, I thought my esophagus and then my chest were on fire, and I thought it was a pretty close comparison to paint thinner, not that I've drank paint thinner before but like good lord, I don't know how people can drink straight whiskey and not die. I still enjoyed the experience and learning about the history of the distillery, though, and the gift shop was fun to walk around, too. We ended up going to another gift shop across the way while we waited for the busses to be ready, and I spent a decent bit of time looking at the sweaters and some of the other souvenirs, too. I was able to knock out some more gifts for my people back home, which was a great de-stressor, and shopping, in general, is a great de-stressor as well cause I was jittery getting back onto that bus. But it was the last time we were on it for the trip, and I ended up closing my eyes in the beginning, and the next time I opened them, we were pulling into the park. The poem that I wanted to relate back to was The Man Who Dreamed of Faeryland because as I was walking through Blarney Castle, it was like my inner child was freaking out because the whole place felt, well, like a fantasy. I thought of the line, "And sang how day a Druid twilight sheds Upon a dim, green, well-beloved isle" because it reminded me of the greenery around the grounds of the castle.



 

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