From Castles to Churches

Today they got me inside a church......two actually.....which many will think a miracle in itself. 
The first, and the big one, was Kilkenny cathedral:

Pretty grand inside:

And I was there:

Did you notice that tower outside the church?

It was built long before the church.  In fact, it was built sometime in 800 to watch for, and hide from, Vikings.  For a couple of extra euros you can actually climb to the top of it, so that we did.  First you had to get up to the entryway:

That's the entry, that little hole about 20 ft up (the tower is 100 ft)

Then you climb a stairway that is really more like a ladder, and since the tower is tapered, it gets tighter the further up you go.  The last few steps are stone and very steep:

Then you emerge at the top:

Where the view is fantastic!

This little excursion was a prime example of the difference in attitude about personal responsibility between Ireland and the US.  No way would the general public been allowed to go up there in our lawyer-land.  It also shows why a race like the IOM TT can be run over here. 

In our wondering around Kilkenny we came upon this motorcycle shop hidden away in an alley:

The bikes were so jammed-up inside I don't see how they could get one out if you decided to buy it.