Ireland, Day Five

It was a short day. We left the hotel around 2:00 p.m. and drove into Dublin to explore the Blarney Woolen Mills store, where you can buy goods from the mill without having to drive all the way to County Cork. We also stopped in several shops that had Waterford Crystal (it's made in Ireland) but didn't find anything that we couldn't live without. It was funny: they had this very small display of crystal that was "Exclusive to Ireland" and I wish it had been outstanding, because I would have bought it. But it was nothing special...strange. Leaving the city, we drove south to County Wicklow, driving through Bray, Greystones, Wicklow, Arklow, and several other towns. Now this drive was more like the Ireland I've read about! Very pretty farmland, scenic towns and farms along the way, lovely beachfronts. Still, we have seen no thatched-roof cottages or encountered sheep or cows crossing the road. I was kind of looking forward to that. We stopped at a nice pub, the Breaches, and had a little bit to eat. We both hate beer, but Jess was willing to try a Guinness to say he had tried it. To his credit, he drank it all (except for one small sip I tried), but it was beer as far as I was concerned. It was much smoother and less bitter than beer I had tasted before, but in the end, it was beer. Not for me.

The drive was lovely today, and much more relaxing. We returned to the hotel around 9:45 and were asleep by midnight.