Saturday June 11th:
Hotel we stayed in: Bunratty Castle Hotel
"Day Two:"
So, it all began with me touching down into Shannon Ireland's airport around 6:45am with me ready to get off that plane and onto Ireland's soil with a great big ol grin on my face.
And with an extra bounce in my step, I said my goodbyes to my flying friend Tina (we converse via e-mail now) and headed off to baggage pickup and then onto the meeting area (1st floor) for all CIEr's.
RATS!!
4 people missed their planes for one reason or another so with a slight delay, we were finally on our way to Bunratty Hotel.
The weather?? Fair to say this was the only day that the weather just stunk B-U-T.....with an atttiude adjustment on my part (& me wearing a wet shoe for rain) I was ready for anything.
We finally meandered our way on to the hotel around 10am (check out the cemetary behind the hotel!!) with me be-bopping on over to the Folk Park section of it and for those of you who like Walt Disney parks...well....you won't be disappointed as I just fell in love with the place.
Moreover, the interior design and layout of each of the buildings was a marvel to see. Really enjoyed the place.
Here is a pic of one of the buildings as I was walking towards Bunratty Folk park:
and a video of the park itself:
** Just double click on the below video & it will play **
I had fun seeing all of Folk Park & The Village Street but ran outta time and didn't see the Bunratty House - to me a must see for all
.
NEXT TIME....there must be a next time for me and Ireland.
ANYWHO -
and the Bunratty hotel?
very nice and beautifully layed out in design as well. Yes, here and there I did see signs of age but overall, a really well put together hotel.
and Durty Nellie's??
FYI: ** be sure & check the opening times for Durty Nellies for all that's interested **
(exterior shot of Durty Nellies)
But alas, just as soon as I was really getting into the spirit of Folk Park (And Durty Nellies), it was time for my spa retreat! So I sloshed, wet feet and all (I'd say the high temp that day was around 58 degrees), across the street and back to the hotel for IMHO, 3 hours of just pure heaven ( the "
Dreams Massage" followed by a neck, shoulder and head massage) and afterwards, they put my in a ocotgen shaped room filled with scented candles and some relaxation music in the background.
**WOW!!**
Ok - if ya have speakers attached to your computer, turn them up a wee bit and listen in on the kind of music they were playing:
**just double click on the below video w/your computer mouse & it will play**
The lady who worked me over was from Thialand and she was just fantastic!!
I highly recommend doing one spa treatment while u r on vacation as this one didn't dissapoint. So around 4pm, I decided it was time for me to get cleaned up and ready for the CIE's "Meet and Greet."
ME.....no food in me and about ready for set sail on an evening of merriment and fun with drink and food.
and I tell ya what, the Guiness (during the Meet & Greet) didn't disappoint me as the Medieval banquet was just as equally as fun as well. Just wish the banquet served "Honeymeade wine" but they didn't but hey..the wine they did serve still did the job as so did the food.
Ah well, still had fun before I knew it, it was 9pm and time to head back to the hotel. But I managed to sneak in a peak at Durty Nelly's - pretty cool place.
POSTSCRIPT: I was a little disapointed that I wasn't thrown into the dungeon (at the Bunratty Castle) but oh well....next time....for there will be a next time.....
here is an exterior shot of Bunratty Castle:
and the beginning of our evening:
** Just double click on the below video & it will play **
and a pic:
Alas -
(They make it look dark outside the castle but in actuality its still light outside)
Soon, our meals were finished , the wine downed but not our spirits as we slowly left the castle, this guy played us a few good tunes:
** just double click on your mouse & the video will play **
ANYWHO -
Not denying it, as I was heading back to the hotel, I felt just a weeeee bit "happy"....let the wine settle a bit then it was off for a nice bubblebath and just a weeeee bit more Meade before tumbling off to bed around 11:45pm.
All in all, one wonderful way to spend day one in Ireland.
but wait!
For all you history buffs, this is what the castle looked like way back when:
(photo taken inside Bunratty Folk park entrance)
Coming up:
DAY 2: Reality shock about the Cliffs of Mohor
& the beginning of being introduced to Tom's (the tour guide) jokes.........
cheers