First off a disclaimer. Pictures take time to upload, process, and add to the we may not do it every day. But I promise to do it when we are back. Secondly, I am realizing the challenge of writing the blog after a day of traveling followed by the last final pint of the day. But as far as that is concerned, you really cannot compromise on research. So Dan and I conclude in that regard that O'Hara is really the best beer in the last three data. Finally late Steve must have been on the exploration trip of his kind because iPad, when it feels any hesitation just takes over and then you cannot recognize paragraphs of text at a time. So if anything does not make sense, direct all the questions to him.
For our day trips we are using absolutely amazing Ireland's Best Trips from Lonely Planet. We have to get one for the UK. It has excellent and interesting routes planned out - just get in and drive. Today we did the combination of 3 and 8 - Wicklow mountains and Dublin surroundings.
The first stop was Sandycove - pleasant retreat by the sea. We undershot it a bit and did a walk to the lighthouse at Dun Laoghaire instead first. It was very pleasant. We enjoyed watching smiling jiggers and dog walkers. Next we covered Sandycove in about 10 minutes.
Gorgeous Enniskerry and Powercourt estate were next. I'll have to look up their online references later but they were great. We felt bad not to be able to share it with anyone. We went to see the nearby 130m waterfall and that was great as well.
Then we headed to Glencree to see the beautiful view of the mountains. The area was completely secluded and lovely. We got out and walked up one of the mountains picking wild blueberries. I tried to go up to see more views and so kept going until my ears popped but still did not get to the top. The feeling is amazing - richness of colors of the surrounding mountains, purple wild flowers (heather?) mixed in with bushes that looked like hedgehogs with bright green needles ending in yellow tips. Don't know the names of the bushes.
On the way we passed a beautiful lake down in the valley and pulled over and walked crossing a few streams on the way downhill to get to it. It was one of those places you could probably spot a fairy if you slow down enough and wait patiently. But we are a different type of crowd.
Next we went to see another waterfall at Glenmacnass Valley. The guide describes this area as somber and desolate. Well I guess too many people were reading this guide because while it was somber on account of a person dying by slipping in that waterfall a while a go, but desolate it definitely was not. Waterfall was OK, not as impressive as the first one.
Glendalough was next. It is one of the top sites in Ireland - not to miss, top 10, etc, etc.. Its key sites feature the ruins of a monastery complete with a pretty round top tower set amidst the giant cemetery. All that set in the valley with the lakes surrounded by the picturesque mountains. Not a bad concept, but way too many people come to the place. As opposed to everything we visited earlier, here we were walking among huge crowds looking at the sites not that much better than what we saw earlier today. So it was a bit of a letdown. We drove off and stopped on the way at another site with some ruins from the same time period. This time there was hardly anyone around and the view of the alley below was awesome. Kids have had it and attached themselves to the iPad while we snapped a few pictures of the ruins.
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| Rural Georgia, anyone? |
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| At Glencree |
Next we drove past Blessington (the gallery was closed) and into Celbridge to see fantastically ugly mansion with the longest driveway in the world. I bet you could do a 5k run in the driveway alone.
It was time to return to Dublin. We went to Hophouse Kimchi for dinner. Highly highly recommend this place. The food was awesome. Kids were barely awake to even watch cartoons.
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| One more pic of Powercourt |
Tomorrow we are doing a few Neolithic sites on the way to Belfast.
For our day trips we are using absolutely amazing Ireland's Best Trips from Lonely Planet. We have to get one for the UK. It has excellent and interesting routes planned out - just get in and drive. Today we did the combination of 3 and 8 - Wicklow mountains and Dublin surroundings.
The first stop was Sandycove - pleasant retreat by the sea. We undershot it a bit and did a walk to the lighthouse at Dun Laoghaire instead first. It was very pleasant. We enjoyed watching smiling jiggers and dog walkers. Next we covered Sandycove in about 10 minutes.
Gorgeous Enniskerry and Powercourt estate were next. I'll have to look up their online references later but they were great. We felt bad not to be able to share it with anyone. We went to see the nearby 130m waterfall and that was great as well.
On the way we passed a beautiful lake down in the valley and pulled over and walked crossing a few streams on the way downhill to get to it. It was one of those places you could probably spot a fairy if you slow down enough and wait patiently. But we are a different type of crowd.
Glendalough was next. It is one of the top sites in Ireland - not to miss, top 10, etc, etc.. Its key sites feature the ruins of a monastery complete with a pretty round top tower set amidst the giant cemetery. All that set in the valley with the lakes surrounded by the picturesque mountains. Not a bad concept, but way too many people come to the place. As opposed to everything we visited earlier, here we were walking among huge crowds looking at the sites not that much better than what we saw earlier today. So it was a bit of a letdown. We drove off and stopped on the way at another site with some ruins from the same time period. This time there was hardly anyone around and the view of the alley below was awesome. Kids have had it and attached themselves to the iPad while we snapped a few pictures of the ruins. 
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