Goodbye, Ireland

The next day was a travel day. We rented a car in the late morning and headed towards our next AirBnB: Ballintotis Castle in County Cork. We decided to drive instead of take a bus so that we could stop at any little town or area that piqued our interest, and it was well worth it. Ireland's countryside is so much fun to travel through. The only downside was that the driving itself was a bit nerve-wracking. Not only did we have to drive on the wrong side of the road, but we decided to go on a toll-free route, which ended up taking us down these tiny little back roads through the country, winding around with just barely enough room to fit two cars. Never have I been so glad to not be driving. Luckily, Nick and Niko got us there all in one piece and we unanimously decided to use the toll highways on the way back, which are much easier to drive on.

Our abode for the night was AMAZING, probably the highlight of the while trip (besides the Harry Potter play, of course) so far. It was an old tower style castle that had been recently rennovated by an Englishman. There were 3 floors: on the 1st was a storage room, the 2nd had a bedroom and bathroom complete with huge bathtub, and the 3rd was a kitchen/dining room/extra bed. There was also a rooftop terrace.

Our castle from afar.

Looking up at Brittany on the roof

To give you an idea of the 3rd floor. All the furniture was so old and gorgeous!

While it was a small castle (especially the staircase! TINY!), it was nicely rennovated while still feeling ancient. What an amazing place to spend the night, and well worth the affordable price. When else will you get to rent out a whole castle? We spent the evening just enjoying leisure time at the castle, and picked up sandwiches from the grocery store to bring back and feast in our dining room. It felt positively medieval. 

The next day, we woke and ate a breakfast of fruit and pastries up on top of our castle, sipping tea and coffee while looking out at the countryside below us. 

Not a bad way to start the day.

Reluctantly leaving the castle behind, we meandered through the countryside in our rental car on our way back to Dublin. We stopped in Cork in an attempt to see Blarney Castle, but an hour long queue stopped us. Instead, we headed on to see the Rock of Cashel in Country Cashel, which made up for not getting to kiss the Blarney Stone (not that we were missing much, I've done it once before and it's perpetually damp from a million tourist lips). The Rock of Cashel is an ancient cathedral ruin up on a towering knoll. It was very grand and impressive, and well worth the trip.

Just driving through the County Cashel is worth it, the countryside is so green and gorgeous and picturesque. While not the breathtaking beauty of Yosemite or Yellowstone, it's a more comforting type of beauty, that makes you feel at home.

We arrived back in Dublin extra early after some trouble we had had with our last flight (just typical Ryanair drama), but had more than enough time, and a stress-free check in. And good news arrived! We received a full refund for the London AirBnB, after having complained to AirBnB itself. Hopefully no one has to stay in that God-awful place ever again.

Now we're on a plane to Scotland, and I'm beyond excited to explore a new country. I've been to London and Ireland before, and it's always fun to revisit fond places, but there's always something thrilling about going somewhere brand new!