Good Omen and Bad Luck in Ireland

Hello from Ireland!!!  My trip has officialy started and with a very good omen nonetheless.  My seatmate on the plane over was named Jane which is my Mom's name!  However, I lost my Dublin Pass before I left the airport. =(  That was 50 euros down the drain from the get go.  I am not really sure if I dropped it or someone on the airport shuttle stole it when I sat my stuff down to put my bag on the shelf.  Oh well, I decided to roll with the punches and if that's the worst thing that happens, I will be a very happy traveler! 

So what have I been doing?  Well, I toured around Dublin for 2 days and visited the Guiness Storehouse, Trinity College with the Book of Kells, Old Jameson Distillery, and Kilmainhain Gaol (Jail.)  I also spent a lot of time on the Hop On Hop Off bus tour seeing the city including the Phoenix Gardens, O'Connell Street, the General Post Office, and of course sampling the local pubs!  Below is a brief review of the sites I did visit in Dublin:

• Guiness Storehouse - it was ok, food was good but I still am not a fan of the beer.  They had a self guided tour and I thought the exhibition was a little long.
• Trinity College - again just ok - pretty campus.
• Book of Kells - only 2 pages are on view at a time which is disappointing but they are incredibly beautiful!
• Kilmainham Gaol - this was my favorite site.  The guide was very knowledgeable and interesting. It really helps you understand the plight of the Irish people through many diffidcult years.  I really enjoyed this tour plus it was right across the street from our hotel. 
• Old Jameson Distillery - very fun, better than Guiness.  This was a guided tour and I got picked to be a whiskey taster and even got a little diploma which was fun.  I actually found Jameson Whiskey to be quite nice and really good mixed with Ginger Ale. 

I met a lady named Shelly from California at Old Jameson who was also travelling alone so we decided to have dinner together and found a nice pub called the The Brazen Head.  We had a nice chat, dinner, drinks and a little band came in and started playing later on. Plus another group from Florida that I had met on the HOHO bus tour the day before came in and ended up sitting with us.   Very fun!   The food has been decent but not spectacular.  Except for the chips (fries) at The Duke pub - they are best I have ever had! 

I wish I had one more full day there to check out a museum or two because I heard really good things about them.  All in all, Dublin didn't knock my socks off.  I was anxious to get out to the country side today. 

We left the hotel bright and early to go to Ballyknocken House for a scone baking demonstration.  I wasn't expecting much but it was quite fun and lovely.  Catherine Fulvio was the instructor and host - she is an up and comping Irish chef and just appeared on the Today Show in the States.  She had a few male volunteers from the group help make the scones and it was very funny!  I was very impressed with this stop - way exceeded my expectations. 

Then we toured Waterford Crystal Factory - worth the stop - it was interesting.  But no, I didn't buy anything - too expensive, and too bulky to carry around for 3 more months. 

I am now blogging from the lobby of the Hotel Ormande in Kilkenny.  When we arrived, I took a rainy walk over to Kilkenny Castle.  The outside was much more impressive than the inside - I was glad it was free admission today. 

I think I will catch a quick nap before dinner tonight.  Cheers!