25 June 2005---Journey to County Wicklow
Mood:  happy
Today we toured some of County Wicklow which is south of Dublin. It was so nice to get out of the noisy, smelly city and into the country! This was the Ireland I was yearning for. Dublin is a great city and all, but it's too busy and crowded for me. I guess I'm a country girl at heart :)

Out first stop was at Avondale, the birthplace of either Charles Stewart Parnell. He was a great nationalist and political in the mid to late 19th century and he was leader of the Home Rule Movement.

The house is preserved to the time in which he lived and there are some wonderful antique furniture and carpets gracing the place. Above the main door of the house there is a wonderful tapestry. I only hope that the picture I took turns out!

After Avondale we traveled to Glendalough, a monastical site set in a valley of the Wicklow Mountains. The round tower built hundreds of years ago still stands, as does Saint Kevin's Kitchen, which was really a small church, but because of its proximity to the cathedral, visitors to the monastery thought it to be a kitchen.

The walls of the cathedral still stand and one can feel the mystical rumblings of the walls around you. Giant grave slabs cover the ground of the cathedral, evidence of the people who once lived.

The oldest monument at Glendalough is a Celtic Cross made out of granite from the surrounding Wicklow Mountains.

After a very filling lunch of Irish Stew, we set out for Powerscourt Gardens. I've never seen such wonderful gardens before. The roses were amazing! The blooms were bigger than my hand.

Looking out from the second floor of Powerscourt one can see the terraced Italian gardens, with steps leading down to Triton Lake. Winged horses guard the top of the lake where Triton sits out in the middle, spouting water up into the air. It made me yearn for the 35mm and its telescopic lens.

I was only able to see about half of the gardens as we only had an hour to wander, but it is definitely a place that I would love to return to. While not having to worry about driving and the traffic in Dublin, I could have used more time at both Glendalough and Powerscourt. I hate that rushed feeling one gets when in a tour group and your stuck on the tour guide's watch. I'd much rather take my time and go at my own pace.

I'm really hoping that I can travel down to County Cork as well as up to Sligo where W.B. Yeats is buried. Just have to figure out bus schedules.

I'm slowly getting used to handling Euros. It's still kind of weird to think that I may have ten Euros in my coin purse.

Until next time!

Posted by dragon3/irelandtrip at 12:01 AM CDT
Updated: Thursday, 30 June 2005 7:46 AM CDT
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