The real reason my Mom/Grandma Nielson came to visit was to allow Jari and me to take a trip without the kids. This was the first trip sans little ones in 10 years and so we planned to do a lot of hiking and things they would hate!
We flew out of Luxemburg and on the way our car nearly overheated so I had to go really slow in hopes we would not utterly break down. I figured I would pay for it on the other end but I did not want to miss out on the trip. It was an evening flight and we figured out that it is best to check in online 2 hours early with Ryan Air or else you end up paying an extra 50 Euro each...
Our car was a manual transmission driven from the right side, on the left side of the road. It required a lot of concentration so we did not talk much when in route to the hotel that night
The first stop was Glendalough which sits south of the Wicklow Forest National Park in Ireland. It is about a 1.5-hour drive from Dublin.
The thing about Ireland is it is hard to know when NOT to stop and take a picture. There are lots of small old buildings scattered around the countryside and without a tour guide, it all seems without reason but does not detract from the beauty and may actually add to the enchantment of the island.
One of our first stops was to go hiking. We prepared ourselves with some Gortex jackets and shoes and hoped for the best. We were without a doubt the only people there as it was cold and windy and a workday for most.
The cemeteries with the lichen growing on the headstones were so enchanting
Here are the remnants of an old chapel
The hike I chose came from Garmin and the starting point was a bit confusing so we added a little distance but it was still beautiful
You can see the wind blowing the water down below. More about that in a minute...
Here we are at the loch. So beautiful and peaceful.
Jari found this tree and had to sit on it. I helped her up and got kicked in the face as a thank you.
It provided for a good laugh for a while (and mildly swollen lip)
I thought this pathway built on boards was neat. It came after we hiked up along a road that came to a major region of construction and as we were running short on time (we had to be at the Blarney Castle by evening) we turned around and on the way down we found this path.
And I was glad we found it because it provided for some fantastic views of the loch down below!
I was grateful for this path as it was a bit windy...
Fun rock formation
A restored chapel (not open for viewing)
Then it was back to the car for a drive to Blarney
We arrived with just enough time to see the castle
The reason most people come to kiss the Blarney Stone:
They have some gentlemen there spotting you to make sure you don't fall out :)
And they of course take your picture and offer it to you for $10
After kissing the stone we descended to see the interior which was not much to look at as the castle was just 4 walls and some stairwells and side rooms at this point
In the garden, there are these 7 stones all standing erect but one. The fallen stone represented the son of a king who had fallen in battle.
We took this picture as our kids love watching groups of birds and we call them "Bird Parties"
Went to a local pub that night for some fish and chips
and burgers with onion rings.
That night we stayed at a small hotel which was cold and a tad expensive but did the job.
The next morning we checked out the church next door and hit the road again
Again, the question is when to NOT stop and take pictures. Here is a random church we saw from the roadway and stopped and took some pictures.
People are buried under the floor here which is not that uncommon for churches but when it is not tiled like many cathedrals it seems kind of strange.
The next stop were the Cliffs of Moher
Again, rainy and wet. When we parked the car the wind shook our car and it felt like we would blow away. It was not all that inviting and we nearly did not want to get out of the car.
Check out the wind of the sea blowing the water back up on the cliff! I thought for sure I had made a video of this but I guess I did not :(
We went for a hike along the cliffs to the south/west
Another view of the wind blowing the rainwater back up
This is true. Especially on a rainy day
Just past this point, the path opened up to a wide area about 20 feet deep (sea to land) x 50 feet long. The wind blew so hard we had a really hard time crossing it. We basically had to crawl our way across. On the way back we linked arms and the wind pushed us so hard we ended in a sprint doing all we could to stir ourselves towards a patch of grass where we could crash. Scary but made us laugh in the end.
Jair wanted pictures of the sheep while we were there but most had lots of paint on them.
After the hike we drove back across the island to Dublin
Jari led the way and we started at Trinity College
Pretending to mount a bike... :)
Irish green and gold all over, especially at the banks
Next was Ha'penny Bridge. It was named for the price charged once it was built. There was a man who had a ferry service here and when the bridge was built the city allowed him to charge people half a penny as passage across the bridge for a time to say sorry for ruining his business.
Next stop was Dublin Castle. If you want to learn more about the Castle which is still in use for government functions go here
Presidents Hall with paintings of all the Presidents of Ireland
Estate rooms
Throne Room
Ceiling paintings
St. Patrick's Hall
After the castle we went to a library created by a very wealthy collector named Chester Beatty who spent is life collecting scrolls and books from all over the world. From early editions of the Bible or Koran to other literary or historical works the library was very impressive
We then went to Christ Church Cathedral but got there at closing time.
We laughed at this awkward picture with my hand in the picture.
We were able to sneak in and see the basement. I think we were supposed to pay but went in the wrong way and no one said anything
That evening we went to an Ireland vs New Zeeland football game which was a lot of fun
Especially when Ireland won
Last day we drove out to near the airport to see a few items. We had hoped to go to Northern Ireland and do a hiking tour along the cliff side but the website mentioned high winds would cancel the tour. I did not want to chance driving all that way only to miss out on the hike (high winds were predicted). So we found a small spot adjacent to the airport called Howth that had a fish market and some hiking to do. It was of course cold and windy again which Jari was not thrilled about but a cup of hot chocolate cheered her up.
Super random find but Kind George IV apparently stood here
Jari with her hot chocolate in front of the sea
The hike was not difficult. It was a single track loop around this little peninsula-like projection of Howth.
It was a great hike and as we came back into town we saw one more small church and then we were off to the Airport
It was a great trip and we were very grateful for my Mom who allowed us to take this trip. And to our delight, the car started when we got back and we made it home without overheating.
Comments