A Crystal Clear Rainy Day: Waterford, Wexford

When a day begins with a leisurely, lovely breakfast of porridge, fruit, an omelet made to order, coffee and lively visiting with new friends, you’re off to a good start.

 

That’s what  our friend Ann-Marie guarantees as she begins her morning in the beautiful breakfast room at Lawcus Farm Guesthouse.

Add one big dog named Bruce frolicking outside with little puppy Peggy, and you’ve got some extra entertainment to start the day.

That’s how it was for us yesterday, and, as it progressed with a trip down the road from Stoneyford to Waterford on the Suir River, the day just got even better.

Saturday morning was buzzing in the old Irish town, home of world famous Waterford Crystal and a vast array of eclectic shops and sights.

After strolling through the streets and the shopping area for a while, we walked into Waterford Crystal center, signed up for a tour and then admired (and fantasized about) the offerings and their notable prices.

The store even provides clients the opportunity to have their photo taken with some of the more priceless crystal pieces.

It was an exquisite, impressive and even emotional experience, to say the least and well worth the time to learn the Waterford story, dating back to the late 1700s and watch the on-site creation of the world’s most beautiful crystal.

 

We even held a piece of many pieces of crystal which go together to form the giant New Year’s Eve ball in Times Square.  

We also learned that every major crystal championship award has a backup at Waterford, just in case!

After our tour, a steady rain set in, so we decided against heading to the Wicklow Mountains and drove to Wexford, famous for its Viking influences and for singer Ed Sheeron’s song about his grandparents.

Town was crowded, and the rain kept coming down, so we headed back to Stoneyford, visiting briefly with Fred Malzard at the Pub, enjoyed a dinner at the same restaurant where we ate the night before. 

As usual, there was visiting when a nice couple across from us walked over and engaged us in conversation.

That’s just the way it is in Ireland, friendliest folks you’ll ever meet.

Day Two, though wet at times, was one filled with good memories and new insights.

Thanks so much to Ann-Marie and Mark for providing a wonderful launch to our Ireland adventure.

Off to Kenmare today.

Happy Sunday.