Dunmore - Kilkenny - Arles

The night was so quiet that not even a bat yawned. In the morning, it drizzled a bit, those tiny drops that seem not to wet you but leave you smelling like a wet dog. When it finally cleared up, we started the engines. Kilkenny awaited us! Even though we were right next door, it took us half an hour to find parking because Daddy Edu wanted to leave the camper van right next to the castle. And of course, there was some sporting event, and the whole neighborhood was full of cars belonging to humans who smell of sweat and adrenaline.

Eventually, we found a spot. I stayed guarding the camper van, a true sentinel with perked-up ears, while Daddy Edu and Uncle Joan went to the castle. Kilkenny Castle! They say it's over eight hundred years old, but I think they keep it so clean it looks like it was scrubbed yesterday. It was the residence of the Butler family, who must have been very important because they had towers, walls, and even a very long gallery with a painted ceiling. Seriously, a perfect place to hide bones and chase noble cats.

They spent a good while inside, marveling at the tapestries and furniture. I suspect it smelled of centuries of stories, but they didn't let me confirm it with my snout. Afterwards, they crossed over to what they call the Kilkenny Design Centre, right opposite. Ha! It was more like the "Kilkenny Closed Centre" because the center was shut, except for the gift shops. Good thing, because that way they could buy things I can't chew on.

Then they came to get me; it was high time to stretch my legs. We went to a parking lot in the park next to the Canal Walk, very close to the castle. There we ate in the camper van, me keeping an eye on crumbs and them devouring their plates. Afterwards, we rested a bit, like good lions after the hunt, and set off northeast on the highway.

The adventure continued at an Applegreen service station. And listen up: free showers for humans! Daddy Edu and Uncle Joan emerged sparkling clean, while I thought, "I wish there was a sausage shower too." We filled up with water and kept looking for a place to sleep. And then came the barrier challenge: one parking lot with a bar at two meters ten, another at two meters twenty. We almost made it through the second one, but the roof-mounted cell's height said no. I barked from the back: "We won't fit, we won't fit, find another parking bone!"

Finally, we found a huge spot behind a church in Arles. A parking lot that also serves the cemetery. Well, silent neighbors guaranteed. There's even a truck parked, our only companion on night watch. The place has nice views and that peaceful air that invites dreams of packs running free.

That's how we ended the day: Daddy Edu and Uncle Joan satisfied, me tired but happy, thinking that if castles are for kings, parking lots behind churches are for lucky dogs.