(Ruins of the St. Kevin’s Monastic City)
Ireland has a beautiful country side. Just from the bus to Glendalough to see monastic ruins, we were surrounded by fields. Fields dotted with sheep or cows, and backed by rolling hills. Even though I was completely asleep most of the bus ride, I would periodically wake up in a a complete daze, take pictures of the amazing country side, fall asleep, and repeat the process. Although it may not have seemed like it, I had been looking forward to going to Glendalough all week. I love to hike and find beauty in nature, and my co-workers Danielle and Anna told me the Wicklow Mountains in Glendalough were beautiful. As we began the hike, I was surrounded by the natural leafy foliage, but as we continued down the dirt path, a bridge brought us across a stream. The stream was dotted with rocks and it stared down the valley. A couple more minutes down the path and it opened up to the ruins of a monastic city. The city had multiple large stone buildings, but the most incredible part was the entire land was filled with old grave stone and Celtic crosses. I really admired the landscape until my serenity was broken by a bald man talking about the site to 50 tourists. Upon closer inspection, some of the graves were marked as early as the 1900’s. We had been duped by the Irish and fallen for a typical tourist trap (not really I am being cynical). This was the highlight of my weekend without a doubt.
(Oldest Tower of Kilkenny Castle With an Arrow Slit)
After another multiple hour bus ride I had slept through, we arrived at Kilkenny Castle. It was a castle built in 1260. Originally, it had been built as a fortress for defense, and a barracks to control the surrounding land. Overtime it had been renovated for more luxurious living. The part that fascinated me the most was the Medieval tower. the Castle had four towers, but the first tower was the oldest. Growing up reading fantasy books and watchin movies like Lord of the Rings, because I am a complete nerd, had prepared me for this moment. I felt like I was in Helm’s Deep. We walked across a dry moat which would have been used to mobilize troops to defend the castle, and hinder sieges. Then we came to the tower and I looked through an arrow slit. The archers could easily shoot out the slits at oncoming enemies, but it would have been extremely difficult to hit them in return. The rest of the castle was interesting, but for me, the medieval tower was the best part.
(Bog Body from the Archeological Museum)
What is that a real body? Yes, yes it is. Because of the marshy landscape in Ireland, many bogs have been able to preserve artifacts, animal remains, and even human bodies. I would be somewhat disgusted if I saw a hand sticking out of the mud. Regardless, the remains are excellently preserved. some have skin, organs, finger nails, and even hair. Some have been able to be identified as royalty because of how well kept their finger nails are. It is speculated some had even been sacrificed. I hope when I die, I will be dropped in a bog so some random person can just find my preserved eyes staring at them from the mud. It would be funny, for me.
(Honey Comb and Jasmine Tea Ice Cream from Murphy’s)
Remember earlier in my blog when I said Glendalough was my favorite part of the weekend? Getting Murphy’s ice cream was a close second. It was some of the best ice cream I had ever had. They have a small selection of flavors, and each flavor it strong and accented. It was lighter and airy than most hard ice cream, but it retained a bold flavor. The honeycomb tasted exactly like a honey ice cream, but what I was most surprised by was the jasmine tea flavor. I was a refreshing jasmine tea flavor. It was just as bold as the honeycomb, and it was not overpowered by the honey comb at all. If you ever in the area, you must stop and go there. Surrounding it are many pubs, restaurants, and stores. My only regret, is not spending enough time walking the shops, and not buying an HP charger form my computer because my charger broke (stores close at 6:30 in Ireland I guess so you cannot was time). Luckily, Bennet let me order one on his Amazon EU account. It is supposed to arrive on Thursday. I need it. I will keep you updated in Blog 3.