World Book Day, Dingle, Dromolond & Bunratty Castle - March 2017

How much can we cram into a week... that is becoming our new motto!  While we love the excitement associated with new things, places, holiday's and celebrations, I think I can speak for all of us when I say, we are getting tired!  That said, with the end near, we are pushing on and looking forward to a relaxing summer!  

WoRlD BooK DaY!  

The girls' school put on a great event to celebrate World Book Day!  The idea was that the kids would choose their favorite book/author and then select a character from the book to dress up as (Halloween 2.0) 

However, in our case, seeing that Anna and Lo love all things fashion, I believe they selected the character who had the best outfit and then determined what their 'favorite book' was.

Nancy Clancy 

The Princess in Black 

Nonetheless, no detail was spared in pulling together the costumes.  To Annelyse's credit, she created hers using clothing and accessories that she already had.  Loralye on the other hand, needed the entire thing created.  So of course, her solution to that problem was to "buy her a Princess in Black Costume" ... oh if it were only that easy.  Regardless Russ and my creative juices must have been flowing because we pulled off a pretty decent costume, using sparkly tape, a black t-shirt and lots of glue.  True to form, Loralye decided the mask "itched her eyes' on book day and didn't want to wear it.  Needless to say, all patience we had was exhausted in constructing the costume... therefore we had a lovely conversation that went something like... "If you don't wear the mask, you are taking the whole thing off.. and going in your uniform."  Oh yes, happy, happy memories :)

DINGLE! 

Lunch at the Little Blue Door Cafe!  

There are a few places left in the book 1,000 Places to See Before You Die, which are in Ireland that we haven't seen.  And for some reason, I think Russ thinks it is completely unacceptable for us to have lived here and not seen ALL OF THEM.

So, we headed out on the weekend to see a few more of the places.  Our first destination was Dingle.  On the way, we stopped for lunch in the cute little town of Adare.   The drive was long given that it poured rain, nearly the entire way. Guess we should be use to that now seeing that we are nearly Irish!!! 

Totally over this whole picture taking thing.  I have dreams about taking classes to get better at photography and eventually take their annual birthday photos etc.... however my dreams might be crushed by these two if I don't slow down with the request for smiles in the near future!  

Yep, raining again!  Good thing we are use to it! 

After arriving in Dingle, it was still pouring, so we opted to find a place for dinner and call it a night! Doyle's Seafood Restaurant was the chosen place given the rave reviews, however getting there proved to be a bit more of a challenge than we anticipated.   We ended up in front of the fire, with good food and cute company so it all ended well!

Annelyse:  Uh, Mom... we broke it...
Loralye:  No we didn't, the rain did!  

Given it was raining, the rivers were high... but seeing that these homes/business were built on top, I am sure they were hoping the showers were going to let up soon! 

We ordered crab legs as an appetizer and both girls made a disgusted face when it showed up... However, we are lucky enough to have girls with seasoned palates and know that while something might not look the best, it could taste amazing, so they dug right in.  After one bite, Annelyse asked... how many of those did we get?  Russ replied, "Six" and she quickly said, "Cool so Lo and I each get 3."   Needless to say her and daddy fought for each and everyone of them!  

The only exposure we had with Fungi! 

The next day, we considered going out on a boat to see the famous Fungi; a dolphin who likes to spend time entertaining tourists in the Dingle Bay.

However, given the storms hadn't completely blown over and Annelyse's track record with boats, we opted not to venture out on the sea in search of Fungi.

They let us out of the car.... We're Free!!! 

Instead we hoped in the car and headed out for a drive of the Dingle Peninsula.  Along the way we made sure to harass some sheep and got out to stretch our legs at  a really old cave.

We also found a tiny little bookshop/cafe that we took the opportunity to warm up in front of the fire and have a cup of tea and scone.

Everyone loved the cafe made completely of stacked stone!  

Trying to call the sheep.  Those lucky guys sure do have a stunning view while keeping the lawn mowed!  

The clouds parted everyone once in a while which made this coastal drive even more stunning.  Crazy that a tiny rock wall was all that was between us and steep cliffs!  

Best part of the rain!  

After our tour of the peninsula, we were off to our next destination; Dromolond Castle.  Boy was this place a hit!  From the minute we pulled up the girls were sucked into the magnitude of the grounds, the suits of armor guarding the front desk, chandeliers and huge, puffy pillows covered in ornate fabrics!   

And then... when we entered the room, teddy bears and princess sized slippers only reinforced how glamorous this place was!  

After dropping our bags we made a beeline for the rowboats.  Seeing that it was nearly dusk, the lady at the front desk very gently suggested we don't venture out too far and be back by dark.  They then handed us a bag full of stale bread to feed the resident swans.

Headed towards the rowboats

Row Daddy, Row!!! 

We hopped in the boat and Daddy started rowing!!  Lo was fascinated with the cat tails and while we unsuccessful in confiscating one, it was quite hilarious attempting to.

Me:  Loralye, SIT DOWN... (for the 1,254th time)
Lo: Why?
Me:  Because you are rocking the boat... we don't need it to tip.
Lo: But I can't touch the swans
Me: They don't want you to touch them, they just want you to feed them.
Lo:  But I want to try.
Me:  SIT DOWN! 

Annelyse cracks me up in this one! 

After the rowboats, we headed over to the go carts... and laughed our tails off.  Once we got all the seats adjusted in a way everyone could touch the pedals, we were off!  Russ loved these so much he took a picture of the manufacturer so he can get them when we are back home!

I wish this picture wasn't blurry... the determination on her face his hysterical!  Good work out on the thighs having to pedal this thing and have a 45 pound 5 year old on your lap!  

They rode until it was dark and we had to drag them back to the room.  

The next day, we took advantage of some of the other features the castle had to offer. First things first, breakfast... Of course the breakfast at the castle was extensive and all the choices are wonderful, however  it makes the selection process incredibly complicated.  Not to mention the table already had more pieces of cutlery, china and stemware on it than we currently have in our entire apartment.   We dug in, filled our bellies and set off for the day! 

Breakfast fit for two little queens!  

After breakfast we headed out for our first experience which Russ and I were totally geeked for...falconry. Falconry is defined as the hunting of wild quarry in its natural state and habitat by means of a trained bird of prey.  That said, we were a bit nervous about any of these hawks actually "catching" something while on our walk. 

While I was intrigued by the whole idea and sort of wanted to see it, I was conflicted in the negative effect it might have on the girls.  That said, Russ quickly reminded me of my day's on the farm and the "circle of life" and reassured me that if I was ok, they too would be fine. 

That was of course, until the girl providing the tour said one of the birds had previously went after a cat during a walk.  

Russ then recanted his opinion on how that scenario would be received if indeed it came to fruition and concluded it would definitely likely leave a scar!

The girls were thrilled to see the falcon "flier" was a young girl who was excited to tell them everything they wanted to know about the birds. The bird that came along for our walk was named Dudley. The walk began with some history on Falconry and how it came to be. We learned that evidence suggests that the art of falconry may have begun in Mesopotamia, with the earliest accounts dating to approximately 2,000 BC.

Ready  (See her in the tree)

                       

Annelyse absolutely LOVED this whole experience.  Every time Dudley flew to the tree, she quickly asked for more meat so she would fly back down to her.

She also loved "throwing" her back to the trees so she could call her back again! 

She was even happy to walk beside her and have a chat.  The guide pointed out the way she walked and asked the girls if it reminded them of anything.  Sure enough, they said a dinosaur and the guide confirmed that their "gait" is like that of the prehistoric creatures.  Of course, once they made that connection, they laughed hysterically every time Dudley walked along. 

It was incredible to watch her fly high into the trees and then wait patiently for the guide to put a tiny piece of bait on one of our gloves where she would fly down to.  After the walk, we headed to the location where they keep all the birds they fly.  The owl named Pickles was by far the biggest hit.  So much so, that the girls have decided they want an owl rather than a dog at this point.  I am sure the Harry Potter books have also influenced the infatuation with owls.  But in all honestly, these little guys were cute and cuddly.  I even want one!  

Bracing for the landing!  

Lo really loved this experience as well, but after a few times said the bird was getting heavy! 

Pickles... the snuggler 

Another of the falcons at the school.  He didn't much care for people, so he would let our a little scream anytime you got too close.  

Paddy on the left, Tom on the right. 

After the hawks, we took a lovely horse and buggy ride thanks to Paddy and Tom.  While this trip didn't exactly appeal as much to the girls as we hoped,  (the driver was super fixated on the fact that he believed the Dromolond castle grounds were designed by Druids and that they don't want the guide talking about it because it could ruin the castle's business). It was a great time for us and we learned a LOT about the Druids and the complex sundial constructed from earth and trees on the grounds.  I had no clue at all about this ... so I had to do some research! 

Happy in the buggy! 

L to R:  Lo, Mom, Paddy, Tom, Russ, Anna 

Started off on house #9... map reading skills lacking a bit today!  

After checking out and packing up we headed to the Bunratty Castle and Folkpark.  We spent some time exploring the grounds and learning about what life was like in the early 19th century in Western Ireland!  

The folk part was filled with houses staged to represent the way of life for many different families 

I love these thatched roofs... 

Hanging out in front of the dungeon.

Taking the teeny-tiny path into the dungeon.  They had a manikin chained up down there with a tape playing some sound effects... needless to say, Lo made a beeline back up those stairs and made it very clear she had no intention of going back down there.  More on the dungeon later... 

Made it to the top of the castle!  During our carriage ride in Dromolond, we learned that the "castle" that we thought we were staying in, was not in fact, a castle, but rather a manor house.  Castles were built "on the defense" and as such, were difficult to enter.  Our driver, Sean described what a true castle would look like.
1.)  There would be a moat around it.
2.)  There would be no windows below the 3rd floor.  The windows they would have, from the 3rd floor and above would be large on the inside to let arrows out, but small on the outside to prevent arrows from coming in.
3.) Upon entry, the stairs would run to the left, making  it very difficult for right handed invaders holding swords to swing them with a wall in the way.
4.) Above the main entry doors, there would be openings, which the castle inhabitants could pour things onto invaders.  The girls favorite was excrement... boiling water wasn't nearly as funny!
So it was neat to compare where we stayed to this place... which was "definitely a castle"  

They loved the tortoise shells in the kitchen (except of course for the fact that the turtles died)

Walking the draw bridge

Bunratty Castle

The "angry guards" manning the cannons! 

After touring the grounds, we made our way to the Fairy Garden which was one of the cutest things we ever saw.  The trees leading into fairy land, were covered with bits of ribbon.  From there, endless fairy houses 

 



 

Lastly, to end the night, Russ had found a medieval dinner at the Bunratty castle that looked like a total riot... and it turned out to be the highlight of the weekend.  

Of course, Anna and Lo were the only kids in the bunch, which made them center of attention for the duration of dinner.  Lucky lucky! The evening started with a 'juice drink' while watching a harp player and violinist... Lo loudly proclaimed her dislike for whatever was in her glass.  

After the pre-dinner festivities, we headed into the main room of the castle and took our seats at long family-style tables while several of the King and Queens' Lords and Ladies fluttered about making sure everyone was settled.  Then, without further adieu, the fanfare began.   

Before we got started, the hosts for the evening made sure everyone knew, the best way to show your appreciation for food or entertainment was to pound your fists on the table.  

The first course of the meal was soup/stew that we had to drink out of bowls... no such thing as spoons during these times.  Next we moved on to ribs, which we of course ate with our hands.  Last course, chicken and vegetables that we had to "saw" apart with our knives... the only utensil allowed at the table. 

The best news is that the girls said this was the best meal they ever had and we all walked away with our tongues intact!  

Ah, my love... you are getting so big! 

Annelyse: What is this?
Me: Soup, try it.
Annelyse:  It's pretty good... what's in it?
Me:  I don't know.
Annelyse:  Then why are you drinking it?  

"Sippin' the Soup... they said it had turnips and potatoes... sucked it down!  My little veggie lover!

Dinner was peppered with festivities, including one man being thrown in the dungeon, (the same one that we had visited earlier in the day during the tour)

In order to get out, the "King" commanded the new prisoner sing a song.  So he emerged with his rendition of "We Wish You a Merry Christmas"  While  Annelyse laughed hysterically at the poor guy as he made a fool of himself on the stage, was Lo was extremely concerned that they put him in the dungeon with "that guy" and that she wanted to make sure they didn't bring him up to sing.  

Such extremes with them sometimes...

She loved that she got to use a "sharp knife" to eat! 

Devouring carrots with her knife! 

The evening finished with singing, dancing and some folk stories about Ireland.  We packed up and hit the road for the 3 hour drive home.  The girls feel asleep rather quickly and we had them snuggled in their beds before they knew it!  Another great weekend in the books in this lovely little country we call home.