Day 130: Lissava - Dunmore

The night in Scaragh forest was as quiet as a long yawn, except for the occasional stray car that passed on the nearby road. Nothing too disturbing. Papi Edu was so happy with the place that he gave it five stars on Park4Night. I think they invented the stars to rate bones, but hey, each human with their quirks.

We left after eleven o'clock and in ten minutes we were in Cahir. We parked at the SuperValu, which has free parking, instead of the paid parking of the castle. Great plan: to visit the castle.

At the entrance we saw a blue pictogram with a dog on a leash. Woof, I thought, I'm invited! But no. It turns out they only accept guide and assistance dogs. Well, I turned around with my tail down and went back to the camper, like a prince banished from his own kingdom.

Papi Edu and Tito Joan went in, and when they came back they were amazed. Cahir Castle is one of the best preserved castles in Ireland. It was built in the thirteenth century and withstood sieges, cannon fire and historical anger without collapsing. It is on an island in the River Suir, which made it more difficult to conquer. They say that the towers and walls look like something out of a medieval movie, although what interested me was the duck swimming happily right next to it. They spent about three quarters of an hour inside, exploring rooms, courtyards and walls.

We continued the journey and half an hour later we arrived at Cashel. We parked in the paid parking of the Rock of Cashel, although it didn't say anywhere how much it cost. Mystery solved at the end: four euros and fifty cents. It's not cheap, but it's not a dragon guarding the gold either.

I stayed in the camper while Papi Edu and Tito Joan went up to see the ruins. The Rock of Cashel is an impressive complex, on top of a hill that overlooks the entire plain. There were the kings of Munster before Saint Patrick arrived and, according to legend, he used a shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity. The complex has a medieval cathedral, a twelfth-century round tower and Cormac's Chapel, a Romanesque jewel. They spent an hour touring it and when they returned they told me it had been beautiful, although a bit windy.

We ate in the camper, already in a nearby parking lot, and then headed for Kilkenny. The journey lasted approximately one hour. We arrived at half past six, just when the parking in the city was already free.

We explored the center on foot, enjoying the atmosphere of a Saturday afternoon. There was movement, laughter, groups of young people and families, but without being a chaos. We visited the Black Abbey, a Dominican monastery with centuries of history, and St. Canice's Cathedral. We only saw it from the outside, but it's imposing: a Gothic cathedral from the thirteenth century, with a thirty-meter round tower that can still be climbed. Imagine the views. I was looking at it thinking: "If they let me go up, I'm sure I'll smell all the cats in the city from there".

Almost at eight o'clock we went back to the car and drove ten minutes north to the car park of Kilkenny Biodiversity and Recreation Countryside Park. It's a great place, spacious, with only one other motorhome. Perfect for resting.

But before they picked me up, I found my paradise: small apples fallen from some bushes. They were perfect green balls to play with. I ran, pushed them with my snout, caught them in the air. Papi Edu and Tito Joan laughed while I went crazy with my improvised treasure.

That's how the day ended: between medieval castles, Gothic cathedrals and a happy dog with his apples.