Chris and Paul come to town!

In late October, when the air was cooling,  Josh's mom and Paul came to visit us here in the Emerald Isle.  Chris had a Fall Break from school so it was the perfect time to come and experience Ireland in all its chilly wonderment.  We visited astonishing historical sights, gambled in a pub, indulged in local cuisine, and sampled refreshing libations.

Chris and Paul at the Rock of Cashel.
The pair are standing in King Cormac's Chapel, which was considered one of the most sophisticated structures during the 1100's in Ireland.

The town of Cashel.
I love that behind the wooden sheep cut out, were tons of ... cows.

The Rock of Cashel is also known as Cashel of Kings because it was home to the Kings of Munster.

Hore Abbey.  
You can't help but laugh when reading the name of this structure.

Despite the chilly air, the three of us enjoyed exploring the ruins of this dilapidated Abbey.  Most intriguing are the eroded graves dating back to 1105.

It isn't a trip to Ireland without a stop to Blarney Castle, one of Ireland's greatest treasures.  

Paul kissed the Blarney Stone and was given the gift of eloquent speech.  Most don't realize that the Blarney stone is actually perched off of a high ledge.  You have to lie on the ground and lean backward just to reach it.  But not to worry, the man in the blue is there to ensure your safety - if you tip him! 

The land around Blarney is breath taking.  My favorite time to visit the landmark is during Fall when the leaves are changing color.

During this time the three of us were navigating our way through Rock Close, a  fairy glade that dates back to prehistoric times.  The glade included wishing steps, a hermit's cave and a Druid sacrificial alter.

Can you see the Witch of Blarney in this stone?  The hole as her eye?  Then there is her long nose.  It is believed that she is the one who told the king of the power of the Blarney Stone.  

Later in the week, we packed up the very tiny car and drove directly South to Mizen Head.  Mizen Head is the lesser known but equally impressive version of the Cliffs of Moher.

Mizen Head cliffs are also known as the tear drop of Ireland because of the way the coastline jets into the Atlantic Ocean and it was the last port of call for those immigrating to America. 

During their time abroad, Chris and Paul also visited London and Paris.  I met them for a day in London.    We took the Hop on Hop off bus to get the history of the sights we were seeing.  We also drove by the beautiful cathedral where the Occupy movement had camped.  And we walked through the gorgeous Hyde Park that sits just beyond the Buckingham Palace.  

This bridge is often confused for the London Bridge.  This is the Tower Bridge designed to allow passage of taller ships, whereas the London Bridge was once used as a place to hang traitors.

The London Eye

We learned that this building isn't actually called Big Ben.  Big Ben is the clock bell.

Also, included in their visit was a dinner at our friends Thomas and Frances' house in Kinsale.  They made a delicious South African meal complete with pumpkin fritters.  

We really enjoyed our time with Chris and Paul and are grateful for their opportunity to visit.  We were disappointed to see them go!

This is Halloween, this is Halloween, Halloween, Halloween!

Josh and I love Halloween.  This holiday was one of our very first celebrations together where I went as Marilyn and Josh as Beaker from the Muppets.  Halloween isn't a big holiday in Ireland, which made it very difficult to find decorations or costumes. The more important date is November 1st, All Saints Day, a day that celebrates those who don't have a specific day of remembrance.  Jokingly, a radio DJ stated that he felt that the Americans were taking over the holiday, that things should go back to the earlier times of children hunting for coins.

Here is an interesting fact about the origin of Halloween costumes during the Celtic times: On the special night, when the living and the dead were at their closest, the Celtic Druids would dress up in elaborate costumes to disguise themselves as spirits and devils in case they encountered actual devils and spirits during the night. By disguising they hoped that they would be able to avoid being carried away. This explains why witches, goblins and ghosts remain the most popular choices for the costumes. 

Josh and I enjoyed being creative with festive treats for our event and were pleased to see friends sharing in our affinity for this colorful holiday.

This year I was a pumpkin and well Josh went with, maybe I should just leave you with your own guesses...

The girls

The boys

Deviled eggs.  We actually made the eggs look like little devils :)

The spread complete with a hummus graveyard.

These eyeballs are basically like buckeyes, just made with white chocolate.

Josh and I love carving pumpkins.  This was the first time, for two of our friends ever carving pumpkins.

Kinsale Mad Hatters

When Josh and I first decided on moving to Kinsale, we were told that it was the culinary capital of Ireland. Kinsale chefs pride themselves on unique cuisine infused with local produce.  Each year Kinsale hosts the Mad Hatters party, which is a celebration of all the culinary delights that this town has to offer.  During this time folks retrieve their zaniest hats and parade through the town, drinking and sampling delicious morsels from the town's fabulous restaurants.

The whole gang: Hernan and Carrie who just moved from California and Thomas and Frances who we met in Kinsale.

The Mad Hatters is an Alice and Wonderland themed party.  We were lucky enough to follow the Mad Hatter himself.

In the spirit of Halloween, my hat had spiderwebs and was crawling with bedazzled tarantulas.

Josh went as an Irish tourist.  His hat was covered with patches and Irish trinkets.

This was the start of the party.  We began with a champagne toast at Actons Hotel, followed by delicious samplings at the Trident Hotel, on to a local pub for desserts, and ending with a dance party at the White Lady.  By the end we were crawling through the streets of Kinsale.

We are survivors of our first Hatters party and can't wait for the next!  Here is a link showcasing the event:
http://www.rte.ie/player/#!v=1123234
Watch around the 3:30 mark and just know in my defense there was a lot of wine and my hat was a bit big for my head :)