Cashel

Ian and I found out from our first farm that they needed a few extra days before our arrival.  With this last minute change we decided to first check out a place north of our farm in Cork, Cashel.  From the moment we arrived in Cashel the entire atmosphere of our trip seemed to relax.  The hostel was absolutely stunning, a converted factory that was impeccably clean with the most current amenities.  We spent two nights in Cashel and in our eight- bed room we had one other roommate, a Seattle native.  The very first thing we did was take a nap in our room and relax for a bit.  Then, we were ready to start seeing the sites.  Across from the hostel was Hore Abbey, an abandoned monastic site from medieval times.  The Abbey was open to the public in a large pasture filled with steers.  The dog from the hostel, Captain, takes it on as his personal mission to make sure that each tourist arrives at the Abbey safely.  So he walked us all the way to the entrance, waited patiently for us to open the door for him, waited on the sidewalk until we were in the Abbey and then walked home.  

We wandered through the different rooms and were stunned by little things that have remained through the years such as scorch marks on the inner stones of a decrepit fireplace.  After a few photo opportunities we went back and made dinner and called it a night early.

The next day we went up to The Rock, the site of where St. Patrick baptized an old area ruler.  The myth of the place is that St. Patrick accidentally stabbed the king's foot several times as he emphasized his points with his sword.  The king never spoke up because he thought that perhaps that was the standard procedure for baptisms.  The local residents after witnessing this refused to be baptized themselves.  At the Rock we were toured through an old graveyard, the choir's quarters, the bishop's quarters, the chapel and more.  The most important, though, was St. Patrick's cross which Ian successfully wrapped his arms around, ensuring a future without toothaches.  

After The Rock Ian and I took a picnic lunch on a hike on the other side of Cashel.  It lead us past even more cow pastures to a slow- moving stream.  There was a moss island in the middle and we decided that was the place to have our food.  We rolled up our pants and waded across.  Everything we were wearing got soaked, including my shoes which I accidentally dropped in.