Ireland Trip: Day 5 - Part 1, King John's Castle

Friday, June 16, 2023

We ate breakfast, packed, and hung around the rental house a little longer than usual. Then we drove for an hour or so to King John’s castle for a tour. First, we funneled into a room explaining the history of Ireland’s wars and the castle’s beginnings and such, and then we went in a basement tunnel that stunk like a sewer. The rest of the tour was spent exploring a few of the rooms and climbing lots of steep stairs.

Being silly!

Gabe loves to build things

Checking out the outside of the castle

Gabe, building again.

Me in a room--can't remember what room though

Pictures with the bridge and moat in the background

Family pic--we made sure to get the Irish flag in the background

These silly kids had fun dressing up as knights!

After walking through the castle, we stopped in a gift shop where I found a shirt and a ring that I liked, and Erik bought himself that Irish wool cap that he saw in Killarney National Park.

I found a pin with my family's name (on my mom's side). I guess I should have bought it, because my mom said she would have liked to have it.

Ian found his name! We already knew the origin, though I think its more Scottish than Irish.

We were hungry for lunch, so we stopped by a nearby pub/restaurant named The Locke Bar. I ordered the seafood chowder, Erik had the fish tacos, and Ian and Gabe ordered a hamburger. Gabe actually approved of this hamburger! He hasn’t liked a single hamburger in all of Ireland so far—and he’s ordered one every time. I don’t blame him—I’ve tried a few and they’re not good. But everything at this restaurant seemed pretty yummy to me.

The boys in front of another random church near the castle.

This was probably the best food we had in Ireland

Erik and his fish tacos. They were pretty good!

Silly Gabe eating his 5th hamburger of the trip

Someone ordered dessert! Looks like bread pudding...? It was yummy whatever it was.

On the way back to the van, we took some family photos with the castle behind us.

I deleted a bunch of the family pics that were bad, but I couldn't help enlarging a part of one, just to show how derpy these boys can make themselves look in photos. Its as if they forget how to smile! Haha.