Went to Kilkenny yesterday...fasinating place; it's known as Ireland's Medieval Capital as you can see from the picture of Tom in one of the narrow alley ways. It was the stronghold in the 1600s for Cromwell's troops and the British Crown made it illegal for the Anglo Norman invaders to assimilate into the Irish culture in anyway...dress, speech, or marriage. The Irish were not allowed to live within the city walls or be educated so the Catholic monks taught school in the hedges hence the name Hedge School. The picture of the stained glass is in the Black Abbey and depicts the stations of the cross. Kilkenny is also known for it's music and crafts...which brings me to the highlight of the trip for me...shopping! Nicholas Mosse pottery is headquartered here and when I walked through the doors I entered pottery nirvana...infact the sales lady told Tom that I was like a child in a candy store! I first learned about Nicholas Mosse when I went to Ireland to celebrate turning 40...here I am well past that age and his pottery still makes me swoon. But back to the age thing. We drove on a new toll motorway on the way up to Kilkenny from where we are living. As we entered the bridge we needed to stop at the toll booth to pay. Since we have a french car the driving wheel is on the left not the right. Tom handed me the money to give to the attendant which I did but I couldn't figure out why she looked at me so funny. A few minutes later I pulled down the visor to look in the mirror and starring me in the face was a woman wearing sunglasses with reading glasses on top....no wonder the young people in class call us "The Ancients"!
Cheers!
Karen
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