So, Tuesday we started the day off by going to waterford crystal. It was soooo amazing. To see how much work goes in to making a small bowl is mind boggling! But its so gorgeous....and expensive. But one can dream *sigh.
After the Crystal factory, we ha a tour from Ireland best tour Guide, Jack. Apparently he won a prestigious award for being the best. I can tell you for a fact that I understand why he won the award, he was fabulous! Had some of the best stories from the past... not sure if all of them were true, you know how the Irish love their tall tales :)
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| He looks Irish! |
On our tour we went to Reginald's Tower. This tower is the oldest building in Waterford. Reginald’s Tower is a circular defence tower, set in
Waterford City’s historic Viking Triangle. It was built at the beginning of the
13th century. At various stages in its rich history, Reginald’s Tower has been
used as a mint, prison and military store.
When the Anglo-Normans attacked Waterford in 1170, the tower
was of strategic importance and its capture heralded the fall of the city. The
tower derives its name from the Hiberno-Norse, (Irish-Viking) ruler of the city
Ragnall MacGillemaire, who was held prisoner by the Anglo-Normans in the tower.
Reginald’s Tower was also where Strongbow, the leader of the Anglo-Norman
invasion force, met Aoife, the daughter of Dermot McMurrough, King of Leinster.
Their marriage was to change the course of Irish history forever. In later
centuries the Tower took on the functions of a royal castle. King John visited
the tower in 1210 and ordered new coins to be struck here. Richard II visited
the tower in 1394 and again in 1399. On 27 July 1399 Richard left Reginald's Tower
as King of England and Wales; on his arrival in England he was captured by the
future Henry VI and forced to abdicate.
In 1463 the Irish Parliament established a mint in the
tower. In 1495, the tower’s cannons successfully deterred the forces of Perkin
Warbeck, the pretender to the throne of Henry VII. This act of loyalty earned
the city its motto "Urbs Intacta Manet" - "Waterford remains the
unconquered city". In 1690 following his defeat at the Battle of the
Boyne, King James II of England is alleged to have climbed to the top of the
tower to take a last look at his lost kingdom before embarking for exile in
France. During the 17th and 18th centuries the Tower was used as a store for
munitions and in the early 19th century it functioned as a prison. In the late
19th and first half of the twentieth century it became the residence of the
Chief Constable of Waterford. The Tower was opened to the public for the first
time in the 1950s.
Okay, so after the tower we went on a historical tour of the city, seeing the old Bishops house, that was cool. We also found out that back then depending on your social status the Bishop would meet you at different places in his house. Say you a Duke or someone of the upper class he would meet you at the top of his stairs and depending how high you were he might even embrace you with a hug. But if you were of the lower class, he would not get up from his study and you'd have to got to him. Its so interesting!
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| If you were upper class he would come out and greet you here |
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| So Presh!! |
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| Where I bought my dress |
So after our shopping spree, we went to an amazing french bistro called, L'atmosphere Restaurant. It's an authentic french cuisine. Even the waitresses were french. I decided since I'm in Ireland I should try new things so I got the special of the day and told them not to tell me what it was. I was surprised at how good it was.... it tasted like pork, but idk it could have been Duck.
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| The Bistro |
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| The Unknown..... |
Once, we finished dinner we headed over to the Garder Lane theatre to see Stephen King's Misery. I had never read the novel or seen the movie so I didn't know what to expect going into the play. I was very surprise they way it unfolded. Lets just say it wasn't my cup of tea.... but it was a fun night with friends.
Over all I had a great day on tuesday, today I had class all day. It was rainy all day so I was especially tired with getting in late last night and having weather that made you want to take a nap all day... but I got through it and now its time to pack for Dublin. This weekend me and two other girls are getting a hostel in dublin for two nights. The whole hostel situation should be interesting.... there are a total of three people going and we are booked in a 6 person (female) dorm. Hmmmmm..... interesting.
Here is the link to the rest of the Pictures---------> Click Me
Night everyone, miss ya'll!
Peace, Love, and Cookies <3
