The Blarney's Tone is Flat

The thing nobody warns you about Irish castles is that they come with enormous grounds — so you park, and then you walk, past bridges and streams and even a little rose garden, right up until you're staring at your feet to check your footing, glance up, and there's a six-story sheer wall of castle leaning over you out of nowhere.

Of course, we kissed the Blarney Stone and tried to ignore the fact that the locals told us that they pee on the stone in the evenings.

We rolled into Cork after dark and had dinner, tired and happy and thoroughly castled-out.

Tomorrow, Kerry, and a gentler sort of day.