Ta Middle

So I went to Ireland, right? Yeah, those were some good times. I've hardly blogged about them because it's kind of overwhelming you know? But it's time to post some more photos and fill you in on something besides avian bird flu.

Ireland is exactly like you'd imagine it to be. Green, lush, rolling hills, the whole thing. If you did a Google image search on Ireland, you'd probably find yourself knee-deep in the same photos we took. Regardless, it was lovely. The question that's probably been at the forefront of your mind since you found out about my fling with Ireland has to do with castles, right? It may have kept you up at night. But I'm here to tell you we did in fact tour a castle. Check it off the list.

I don't remember much about the timing and details of the building itself; but it was old and very tall. Having come all the way across the Atlantic, I wasn't going to let 215 very steep, very windy, very crumbly stone stairs keep me from climbing to the top. I counted the stairs to keep my mind focused as my weanie arms hoisted my body weight up, up and away. I gave my left quad a gold star when we got home that night as it did all the below the belt hefting. Check out how steep these stairs are:

There were rooms to view throughout the castle. I don't remember much--I was probably sitting on an old bench trying to slow my erratic heart and keep the huffing and puffing to a dull roar. The one piece I do remember was an original table from the Spanish Armada that was recovered off the coast of Ireland when it was sunk during the reign of Queen Elizabeth. (To be fair, I probably only found this interesting because I'd just watched Elizabeth: Golden Age on the flight not two nights before.) Blah blah blah. The climb was well worth it as the views over the Shannon were beautiful.

The day started pretty foggy (as did all our days in the UK), but burned off by the time we got to the top of the castle.

Going down stairs on crutches is much different than going up. Up is about the physical, down is all mental. You can tell from the pictures below (all taken post-climb) that I was pretty mushy on both counts once we were down. I had a nice twenty minute rest on a bench while the other girls explored around a bit. It was a good moment for all parties involved. I didn't have to struggle to keep up, and they could get a move on.

That's a face that looks done for the day. But no. It's not even noon. The other half of this day will be coming shortly. Until then! I leave you with tidings of comfort and joy. Comfort and joy. Oh-oh tidings of comfort and joy.