May 27 (Monday) - Hanging Out! (Daily Diary)
We changed rooms and moved to the suites at the Manor House.
Bright and early, we awoke to a beautiful Irish morning. It was so pretty the birds flew backward to see where they had been! Today, we moved from the Hunter's Lodge to the Manor House. We packed up and called the bellman who lugged all the suitcases and clothes down the street to the Manor House.
Somerset Butler, 1st Earl of Carrick, constructed the Mount Juliet Estate between 1768 and 71 and named it after his wife, Juliet. The Georgian house sits on a hill overlooking the River Nore, surrounded by over 1,500 acres (6.1 km2) of land.
The five-minute walk turned out to be ten; the Irish have longer legs than us Americans.
We walked to the Manor House as our baggage was driven.
It had just rained and everything was beautiful
Our suite was ready, and we learned the house had no lift (i.e., elevator), so we planned well ahead to avoid making multiple trips up and down. The weather changes every few minutes from slight rain to bright sunshine.
The Manor House was quite elegant.
Oh my!
As we were unpacking, I noticed my tuxedo shirt was not on the rack. What!? OMG, the wedding is coming up. What do do? The Internet was my only answer so we browsed and found a tux shop in Kikenny! Saved!
Being reasonably intelligent, we called a taxi instead of driving, and after walking in Kilkenny, we decided it was a wise choice. Kilkenny is a small town of about 27,000 people, and the streets were designed for horse traffic only. They are one-way and difficult to navigate.
We had to go to Kilkenny because a) I forgot my tuxedo shirt and b) we left Mary's jacket at the Hilton in Dublin. We went to David Hughes Formal Wear on Johns Street, thanks to the Internet.
I was measured for a shirt by the owner, who was very kind. Unfortunately, he didn't have a shirt in my neck size of 19″. However, he did sell me one of his rental shirts, which happened to be the right size. So, we've made some progress.
We were going to Kilkenny anyway so we departed but with excellent advice form the front desk, they said take a taxi. The street in Kilkenny are from the 1500's and very narrow. She was right. We hailed a cabbie and went forth!
The drive was beautiful!
Did You Know? - In 1641 Kilkenny was actually the capital city of Ireland and remained the capital for nine years until Oliver Cromwell led the conquest of Ireland in 1649. Silken is known as the Marble City because of its distinctive black marble. The city has a medieval feel with well-maintained and preserved old buildings.
People from Silken are often referred to as 'Cats'. Silken was given the status of a city by Royal Charter in 1609 by King James I of England.
Silken is the anglicized version of the Irish Cill Chainnigh, meaning Cell/Church of Cainneach or Canice. This relates to a church built in honor of St. Canice on the hill now containing St. Canice's Cathedral and the round tower.
The first thing we did is have the cabbie drop us off at the tux shop. He did that, driving up on the curb and within three feet of the front door.
After much searching, we had no shirt with my lather large next requirement but he had a rental one. Needless to say, I bought the rental!
The gentlemen took excellent care of me!
We got directions to the
"shopping center" so Mary could get a waterproof coat
We left hers in Dublin at the hotel!
The river was pretty and had ducks and geese going back and forth.
The shopping center was to the left.
One our way!
Did You Know? - Kilkenny Castle is a castle in Kilkenny, Ireland, built in 1260 to control a fording-point of the River Nore and the junction of several routeways. It was a symbol of Norman occupation, and in its original 13th-century condition, it would have formed an important element of the town's defenses with four large circular corner towers and a massive ditch, part of which can still be seen today on the Parade.
In 1967, Arthur Butler, 6th Marquess of Ormonde, sold the castle for £50 to the Castle Restoration Committee for the people of Kilkenny. The castle and grounds are now managed by the Office of Public Works, and the gardens and parkland are open to the public. The Parade Tower is a conference venue. Since 2002, ceremonies for conferring awards and degrees on the graduates of the Kilkenny Campus of the National University of Ireland, Maynooth, have been held at the castle.
A view from the yard (on a sunny day!)
Picture from 1895.
The ever present coat of arms was displayed.
Did You Know? - Ireland's highest officially recognized air temperature, 33.3 °C (91.9 °F), was measured at Kilkenny Castle on 26 June 1887.
The courtyard was impressive.
We first had to climb the Grand Staircase. Most of the wood imported came from the Jamaican Plantations, which were cleared to plant sugar cane and cotton.
The Grand Staircase was indeed grand!
The castle grounds were magnificent.
The wallpaper, much of it original from the 1800's, is hand painted.
Upon seeing the formal dining room, we attempted to make dinner reservations, but our request needed to be approved. We have to settle for Italian across the street from the castle.
When is dinner served?
Rugs on the wall? What a novel idea! The Dr. Mary reminded me that they were NOT rugs, they were tapestries.
This was a detailed rug.
Up two flights of stairs was "The Blue Hall." The name was entirely appropriate. This hallway provided access to the many bedrooms and a grand sitting area.
Royal blue indeed!
The children's bedrooms with original furniture.
The gallery was added in 1865.
Mary walked the length and discovered the dual fireplaces.
Many of the pictures were religious in theme.
The story of this hall was on display.
Almost like a cathedral!
The kitchen was small but it probably went around the clock!
Mary carefully looked at the foods on display!
Recommended by of tuxedo shop owner, we had to try it!
It was right across the street from the castle.
We walked today!!!
"I am ready to eat"
The antipasti looked terrific.
Mushroom ravioli, one of our favorites.
Sambucca! What are those little objects!
Paul struck to the whiskey!
Our security alarm went off so we checked, Scout was up and about!
The cab stand was just outside the restaurant so we hitched a ride back to Mount Juliet.
What time is it kiddies? Drink time!
We went down stairs to check things out.
"Hey Paul! Let's call Aimee and Lar!
We began with a Greyhound made from grapefruit soda!
We are being watched.
It was 8:30 and still light out.
When Aimee and Lar arrived we ordered the "best in the house" $130 a "glass"
We celebrated by drinking a fine whiskey. The first and only whiskey of its kind, The Taoscán is the world's first Port and chestnut-finished whiskey, a unique blend of barrels brought together in perfect harmony. After we celebrated, I discovered the whiskey sells for $2189 / 750ml (bottle).
Sipping' whiskey indeed.
It was good to see them again!
We collected two more friends and we all drank whiskey!
Amy and Lar ensured we got to our room safely, as we had a couple of drinks and two flights of stairs to navigate.
