Ireland - Waterford

After Dublin we were on to Waterford. Along the way we stopped at the Forty Foot swimming hole described in the previous post.  Then, we continued on to Kilkenny where we stopped for lunch.

Kilkenny Doorway on the main street

As luck would have it, there was a castle Kilkenny! Okay, it was more of Brynn's planning than luck, but we're in Ireland... so, I'm going with luck.

Kilkenny Castle

This castle may have been a fortress at one time, but it was uncharacteristically in town. More recently it was an estate. In Irish terms, "more recent" would be the past few hundred years. When it became too expensive to maintain, the family donated the property to the town in the 1960s.

Kilkenny Castle grounds

View from Kilkenny Castle

We walked through the town a bit after viewing the castle and saw this market place.

Kilkenny Market Place

After spending some time in Kilkenny, we ventured further from the beaten path to an apple orchard that specializes in organic ciders.

Talking with the owner, we discovered there was a lot more than just organic cider being made there.  He makes Cider, Vinegars, Vodka, Gin,  Pommeau Liqueur, Sack,  Spirits, and Medieval Cider. His accountant asked him to spend more time selling what he had, rather than inventing new things to make. The Syrup was delicious! He told us the Japanese tourist came in by bus and bought his entire stock of Sack.

Main warehouse and store

Brynn's favorite... taking photos of people taking photos. In this case, Grace taking the photo below.

Old cider press on display

The owner told us to exit the back gate. It would be a shorter trip to the highway, and we would avoid a lot of traffic.

Exiting the back gate of the orchard

We stayed at a B&B just outside Waterford. There was a pub just down the road; a perfect place for dinner and a few pints.

Kevin and Grace at the Holy Cross Pub, Waterford

Brynn and Matt at the Holy Cross Pub, Waterford

We used our new knowledge regarding a proper Guinness pour. We unanimously gave these a thumbs up. They went down very smooth, just as they should.

The next morning, we ventured into Waterford. I was interested in the mooring capabilities, but everyone else wanted to move on to the Crystal Factory tour.

Shaping a bowl

Blowing the molten crystal into a bowl shape

Grace, disposing of a piece of scrap. It will be melted and reused.

Carving the crystal by hand

Grace, with a People's Choice Award Trophy. 

I knew I was pressing my luck a bit when I asked Grace to pose with the People's Choice Award Trophy.

Here are two examples of hand-carved crystal glasses that also had machine carved patterns.

Surfer

My favorite... the Sailing Ship!

I loved the cool LED lighting in the display cases

On our way back to the car, we passed this viking ship. The vikings were the first settler of Waterford. The city has a Viking triangle to view some of those sights.

Replica of a viking ship on display by the waterfront

Kevin being as fierce as possible