Holy Cow, has this been a day! We left the hotel and took a taxi to the car rental place in the city. I kid you not, the first words as we walked in were, “Are you Ms. Brennan? There’s been a slight problem with your car. Can you drive manual?”
What I wanted to say was, “Are you kidding me? I can barely drive automatic!” What I said was something along the lines of no as terror flashed through my eyes. So he called up the airport location to see if they had an automatic car. They did, but they said they only had a 7 passenger vehicle. Are you kidding me?!? You want me to drive the narrow roads of Ireland in a Hummer-like vehicle???? It was either that or learn stick, so we took the big car. They drove us to the airport where we went to get the car. It turns out it’s what we Americans would consider a mid-size SUV, like the size of a Ford Expedition or something. Not too bad, but it does stop your heart a bit on the narrow streets. So Nic and I went to get in the car. I went to start it. Nothing. I turned to Nicole and said, “Okay, I may have my moments, but I’m smart enough to start a car.” Apparently not. So after seeing that they had overcharged me as well, I went back to the office. The chick behind the desk came out to show me, and had me drive her around the parking lot. Between all the questions and tips from people about driving, not one person mentioned that you have to put your foot on the brake when starting the car. Why? Because it will go in reverse, like a manual! Plus, you have to use the handbrake. The what? I know, crazy. Don’t even get me started on the shifter. The car, when you start it, is in neutral. When you park it, park it in neutral. To drive, push the shifter to the left to get A1. As you drive, it shows you the gears. To reverse, push the shifter to the right and down. If, by the chance I decide I want to risk our life, I can drive manual, too! Just simply push the shifter up. IT’S THAT SIMPLE, folks (insert sarcasm here). Once around the parking lot and I had the hang of it. Besides the whole operating the car, driving’s really not that difficult. The turns took a bit to get used to, but weren’t bad. It’s pretty easy as long as you follow the car in front of you. Anyway, the drive to Kilkenny was really pretty. We had a bit of trouble finding the B&B, but I swear to you the directions were wrong, it wasn’t the users fault! With a little common sense and some divine intervention, we ended up a block from it, then saw the street sign. Happiest moment of my life. The owners here are really nice. They gave us some great recommendations for dinner. We ended up at the Marble City Bar. Nic had the lamb stew, I had the Guinness and Beef Pie. Both were excellent. We wandered around downtown Kilkenny, the Kilkenny Castle grounds and the Kilkenny Design/Craft Center. We found some great shops, though we didn’t buy much. I think we’re going to head to a pottery place tomorrow. It’s right outside the city and offers tours, demonstrations, shopping, and more. A little more time in Kilkenny, then we’re off to a 1 hour ride to Cashel. We’ll see the Rock of Cashel and the Cashel Heritage grounds, then we’re off to Killarney for the night. That’s a crazy long drive, almost 4 hours, I think. We’ll see. We’re out for the night. It’s 7:30, but it’s as sunny as noon. Hopefully we’ll get to meet some of the others staying here and chat before we go to bed for the night.
- Beth
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