A Castle In The Air

Bunratty Castle is an intimidating, expansive, frightening castle. It strained my neck to gaze up at it. Bunratty Castle has an air of aristocracy to it; as if it purposefully keeps its nose in the air because it simply can't be bothered with anything on the ground. The castle stands high enough to see mountains. It is, quite simply, an extraordinary building.

And it is not in walking distance, as I initially thought.

Maureen, Sarah, Randi, and I spent approximately 2 hours trekking to where I thought Bunratty was. After much deliberation and a mad dash for a bus, we made it.

We all agreed that it was worth the trip. Even though we had visited King John's Castle the weekend before, this castle inspired a whole new feeling of awe and wonder in us. It was so much more than a castle -- it was an entire village, preserved and authentic.

We went from dungeon to tower, stopping in at rooms that were gated or glassed-in. Rooms that would have housed clergy, cooks, maids, and nobles. I sat in a throne. For real. The view from the top was indescribable. I saw mountains and the quintessential Irish patchwork of fields. I got very dizzy. And then we went back down to explore the village.

The village was more of a theme park. It allowed visitors to see the tiny cottages, smell the burning coals that provided heat, walk the paths along pastures where we saw elk, sheep, goats, and got to pet a donkey.

Hmmm. Let's see. Took a long walk in Ireland. Visited a castle. Pet a donkey. Even bought a tin flute. I can squeak out "Mary Had a Little Lamb." It has been a good day.

EDIT: It HAS been a good day, but I still don't have any heat or hot water. Damnit.
EDIT: Photos from today's excursion have vanished. You can view pictures here