April 28,2024
Another sunny day in Northern Ireland!!
Today we are headed to Hillsborough Castle, an official government residence and the spot where the royal family resides while visiting Northern Ireland. We had a guided tour of several rooms in the castle including the entry, dining room, reception room including the thrones and the sitting room. Sorry no pictures were allowed. The art that fill the walls in each of the rooms is like being in an art gallery!! The 18 place setting dining table was beautiful and a bit overwhelming. Not sure I would know what utensil to use for each course. The sitting room included personal photos of the royal family! Yes, the pictures included Harry and Megan! The books on the shelves included one on Charles and one on Williams but Harry’s book Spare was no where to be found!!
The 100 acres of gorgeous gardens of meticulous ornamental lawns, peaceful woodlands and gently trickling waterways was where we spent the sunny day.
Later, we took a coach to Dublin, crossing the border into the Republic of Ireland. Then, we boarded the train to Cork. The train broke down a few minutes out of the station and we were delayed almost an hour so by the time we arrived in Cork and checked into our hotel for the night I was to exhausted to explore!!
Tomorrow I get to kiss the Blarney Stone!!!
The formal gardens are so peaceful.