Pandas in Scotland, Iceland & Ireland

Day 14: Dublin to Kilkenny

After breakfast we caught a shuttle back to the airport to pick up our hire car. The car was not in the parking lot so we had to wait for them to sort out another one.

An hour later we were on the highway making our way to Kilkenny. We took an off-ramp and visited the first of, I’m sure, many cute Irish villages, Enniskerry. We visited the Powercourt gardens and a cute country market.

Back on road we had a massive comms cock up. The wi-fi, since we arrived, hasn’t been great but we lost all cell connections, including, heaven forbid, Google Maps. Travelling blind we took some interesting turns and twists to get us to Kilkenny. Not that it mattered, the scenery was stunning; green fields, with yellow flowers in abundance and beautiful, picturesque villages.

Initially our itinerary for Ireland included fancy hotels and castles but we opted for small family run hotels and B&B’s, where possible. I’m so glad we did, Mena House was such a gem and our host Katherine was the best, giving us great advice on where to go and what to see around Kilkenny and Ireland in general.

Late afternoon we caught the local bus into the city centre. We took a stroll around Kilkenny Castle and grounds. This grand Castle was built in 1195 by Norman occupiers.

We then had a delicious dinner at Truffles (Katherine’s restaurant recommendation). The food was next level. The restaurant is run by a Bulgarian family with Bulgarian wines and is highly recommended.

We then wandered around the village. Kilkenny is a medieval town in Kilkenny County, southeast Ireland. The town has deep religious roots with many chapels and monasteries. It’s also a craft hub, with shops along its winding lanes selling pottery, paintings and jewellery.

We eventually landed up at Kytelers Pub for a tightener. Omg, one turned into many, the Irish are so hospitable and kept buying us drinks.

Eventually we were able to leave, with people offering us beds in their homes. Not sure why they had the feeling we were homeless 😂😂

Catching the bus home, we made more friends. Irish people are just the best, not that we always understand what they are saying.