More Rugby and More Castles

Hi everyone, I hope everybody is doing well. I'm still having a great time. The weather has definitely improved over the past week or two. We haven't been subjected to a real downpour in probably two weeks, which is really refreshing, and we've even had sun. This weekend was especially nice, and Laura and I, along with a couple friends, took advantage of the weather to go see Blarney Castle. The bus ride is only about 20 minutes for about 6 Euros. Well worth it. The Castle itself is very impressive, and you get to go all the way to the top of it, which is where the Blarney Stone is. The view is amazing, and it is so green there. We got there fairly early in the morning, and the sun was out and everything. They have some underground passages, which we crawled through, and we checked out all the bedrooms and the grand hall. The Blarney Stone was fun. I was not aware beforehand that they had a couple guys there to help you, but it was probably for the best, seeing as how there is a long fall if you lose your grip. We all kissed the stone, but I don't feel like I talk much more than I used to (Mom always goes on about the gift of gab). Anyway, today I had my first rugby game in Ireland. I've been dealing with a hamstring injury, and this was my first 100% action in a while, so I didn't start, but I got to play a significant portion of the second half. I played pretty well, made some big hits, and was instrumental in one of our long tries. The important thing was we won (something like 29-6), and we had a great time. The Irish guys slagged me a bit for being a Yank, but they are all great guys (rugby players are some of the friendliest people in the world in my book). We went out for a pint and some pizza tonight to celebrate the victory. This weekend I have a program trip to Belfast, so I won't be playing, but the next weekend we have the first game in the Cup, which is the most important tournament for our team. Well, it's getting late, and i have class bright and early tomorrow, so I'm off to bed, but I'll put some pictures at the bottom. I love you all and hope everyone is doing well. Talk to you soon. Love, Jamie A distant view of Blarney Castle on a beautiful day. Up close. Laura and I in the kennels. The kennels guarded the front of the path up to the entrance of the castle so that the dogs would warn against intruders. The Watch tower. I hope people can read this. It was just an excerpt from some bard's description of the castle and the parties they threw. I thought it was funny.