We’re currently hanging out in Kilkenny, in County Kilkenny. We finished up our stay in Trim yesterday morning and headed south. Along the way we stopped and explored a few more historical attractions. We stopped first at Castletown House and took a guided tour. It was an impressive Palladian house, opulent and often overwhelming. It was fascinating to hear about the history of the house and how it related to the history of both Ireland and Great Britain, and the sheer size and scope of the place were awe-inspiring. Seriously, our entire house could have fit into the grand entrance of Castletown.

Next up was the gardens at Powerscourt Estate. We didn’t go into the house itself, thinking it might be a letdown after the immensity of Castletown, but the gardens were huge and overpowering. They covered many acres, and encompassed a variety of themes; a Japanese Garden, an Italian garden, an enclosed garden, and so on. There was one spot called Tower Valley, with a small tower resembling a castle tower. It’s called “Pepperpot Tower”, and apparently was modeled after Lord Powerscourt’s pepperpot. Who would have figured? The view from the top of the tower was nice, but the best part of it was the tiny little private cemetery that we could see from the top. We clambered through some undergrowth trying to find our way to the cemetery itself, but, alas, it was blocked off.

My favorite part of the garden was the tiny little rock grotto hidden away from everything else, just to the side of the Japanese garden. I could have easily sat in there for hours, just enjoying the quiet and the stillness, but Jennifer would have none of that. We hiked our way through the Rhododendron Trail, past the Pets’ Cemetery, and away from the estate.

After that was the ancient monastic site at Glendalough, after a harrowing half hour drive through the hills of Wicklow County, during which Jennifer very kindly pointed out every sheep and cow that we passed by. I enjoy going to these old monastic sites and ancient churches, and wish we could spend more time at them. There’s something awe inspiring about the stone buildings, and the dedication that those ancient monks must have felt to God. I was especially enchanted with the huge round tower, and the cemetery, which, after nearly a thousand years, is still in use. I took a picture of a gravemarker from 2003 planted right next to another gravemarker that was so old it was mostly eroded away. There was a nominal cathedral at the site, but it had been “de-cathedralized” in the 1200’s. The roof had fallen in and been completely removed at some point, and the building was now mostly just another place to put graves. Graves littered the site everywhere.

We took plenty of pictures at Glendalough; we will be posting them (and others) at our on-line gallery.

After Glendalough we took an even more harrowing two-hour drive through yet more mountains, negotiating more roundabouts (we think we have the hang of them now, though — make note of which spoke you want when you see the sign for the roundabout, count the number of spokes you pass, and pray to God that you aren’t forced into the wrong one because you had the misfortune to be in the wrong lane; you might end up driving again on the M50 in some direction that you didn’t think had been invented), down to Kilkenny.

Kilkenny is a very different experience from Trim. While Trim was mostly a workaday sort of town, not much to attract tourists (aside from the castle, of course), Kilkenny is a large city with busy streets and people darting back and forth from the many pubs and businesses. Buildings and homes are packed closely together. But just as with Trim, you could walk less than half an hour to find some green countryside. One end of the town is marked with Kilkenny Castle; the other end is marked with St. Canice’s Cathedral. The castle was interesting, what with its history of being populated by the same family for almost six hundred years, but I enjoyed the cathedral more. Or maybe that was just because I’d had a pint of Guinness right before visiting it. We took more pictures at the cathedral, and will post them soon. Assuming our server plays well.

Things have felt pretty rushed so far this trip. I’m hoping that things will settle down soon and we can take some more time to enjoy the sites and relax at them. Of course, the fact that it has been raining almost the entire time we’ve been here has kind of lessened the allure of spending lots of time in outdoor gardens and ruins.

On driving in Ireland. I feel less stressed about it now, though I’m still not entirely comfortable with it. I have a tendency to drift over to the left of the road, probably because I’m so used to seeing the right hand side of the lane through the window. I’m getting better at that. I most enjoy driving the highways and country roads here; it’s relaxing, and only occasionally very terrifying when a huge bus approaches you, taking up the entire width of the lane, and you have to somehow squeeze to one side of it.

Driving in city traffic, however, is another experience entirely. In Kilkenny we encountered congestion; nothing to rival what you’d find in Sacramento or San Francisco, of course, but unnerving nonetheless since the road is really only wide enough for two cars, and doesn’t account for the number of cars parked halfway on the sidewalks. And just as in California, half the streets are in a state of permanent reconstruction. We had no idea where our B&B was in Kilkenny and ended up asking two different couples where it was. Fortunately, the people here are as friendly as anywhere else in the country, so getting directions was not hard.

I suspect that within a week or two I’ll feel very comfortable driving in Ireland. Of course, according to the clerk at the car rental place, most Americans who have accidents in Ireland have them during their second or third week. A good number to keep in mind, I suppose, designed to keep me on my toes, but still nervewracking.

And that’s pretty much it for now. Will post more sometime soon.