Saturday:
We awoke Saturday morning after a relaxing night’s sleep and starving, so then we had to go find the grocery store. We attempted to find the grocery store that was supposed to be in town, however, we had to settle with a stop and shop. We determined a lunch consisting of cheeseburgers and chips would suffice for the time being, and we would try to find a real grocery store after we went and explored. First exploration was the path that went behind our cottage and along some fields. The views were beautiful and I could see the ocean from the hills!!! As we continued along the little path we came across a ruined house. This house was strangely beautiful. It had an air of melancholy surrounding its crumbling foundation and walls; the gray stone matched the stormy skies. However, there were giant trees growing throughout the ruins partially leading to further destruction and erosion of the structure and also helping to support other areas. Attribute my analysis of the ruined house to countless English classes. Anyways, these trees were perfect for climbing, so of course I climbed them multiple times during my stay in Ireland. After our walk in the cold, spitting rain we made our way back to the cottage and got ready to go to Wicklow’s National Park!! The weather was…well awful honestly. There was a constant rain falling down on us through our trek on the Green Trail; this made me thankful that I brought my waterproof warm up jacket from high school cross country it kept my dry and warm amidst the bad weather conditions we encountered in Ireland. I was expecting it to be rainy and cold though so it didn’t bother me too much; plus I was in Ireland so regardless of the weather it was amazing and beautiful. During our first day in Wicklow’s National Park we explored a flooded church and graveyard, and it was filled to the brim with Irish history since it was built in the early 11th century. The church and graveyard was filled with muddy pathways…this also brought my attention to how thankful I was to have bought a pair of warm boots that were waterproof. So the jacket and boots helped make my Fall Break so much more enjoyable. After we had made our way out of the city of graves we wandered a little further on the path and encountered an eerily beautiful lake; it was the small lower lake and the mist hovering above it and the sideways rain moving in different patterns over the very still lake made for a uniquely beautiful sight. The rain began to pick up, so we headed back to our car and began our search for a proper grocery store. Eventually we found a grocery store and had to spend quite some time trying to figure out the confusing layout of the store but eventually we had all we needed and were prepared to make plenty of delicious homemade meals for the week. That night, lasagna.
Sunday:
I got up early to start making breakfast for everyone, so that it would be ready by the time they woke up. It took a bit longer than expected but I tried my best by making bacon and French toast; the syrup was in a giant tin and was so thick that it had to be thinned over the oven, but it was still mighty tasty. Next up Britas Bay!!! Now I know I have a knack for finding myself in locations near the beach, but what can I say…I’m in love with the ocean. We finally found it after driving the long way to get there and found a place to park near a sandy path that led through the dunes to the beach. This was our first visit to beach during our stay in Ireland and it made a mighty impact. There weather was not ideal in any way; there was no sun to be seen, cold rain pelted at us from all direction and ferocious gust of wind which blew the sand about in a fury. Despite all the obstacles the weather threw at us we all managed to have a great time…well I know I did at least. There were these giant shale cliffs that were just perfect to climb on; they were scary at times because they were slippery with the rain but the crashing waves on them were a sight to see. We witnessed the storm surge on our first day at the beach, and it looked quite powerful with full swells and waves crashing upon cliffs but it was also beautiful. I had a blast climbing all over the cliffs finding interesting rocks and sea glass!!! More for my collection now! After I had reached the end of my climbing excursion I returned to the group and Fish and I attacked Dan. We finally were able to push him down into the sand so he would be just as sandy as we were. So payback was complete for Dan trying to push me into the sea. The most amazing thing we saw that day was a seal fighting its way through the waves! We returned to home base, warmed up next to our cozy fire, and showered off all the sand before having deliciously warm chicken noodle soup for a perfect dinner ending our day.
Monday:
Cobie left in the morning for the airport and we are back down to three…Fish, Chips and Vinegar are all that remain for the rest our break in Ireland. After dropping Cobie off at the airport I was hit by a sudden spell of extreme exhaustion so I asked Dan to take over the navigating duties while I took a nap on the backseat. Driving on the highway for a long time and especially rain just tend to lull me to sleep. After getting back safely to our cottage the real storm began; it had been raining all morning but as we found out later it rained about 30 inches that day which cause severe flooding in areas and someone actually drown. Luckily we were only out in the morning and stayed in the rest of the day enjoying a lazy day to sit back and relax next to our fire. That night, if I recall correctly, we had the delicious roast chicken with rosemary and lemon and scalloped potatoes…yummy!
Tuesday:
I awoke to sunlight pouring into my room, and goodness it was a wonderful sight that just energized me more than a good night’s sleep can. I walked down to the kitchen and could see the sea glistening in the sunlight to the east, so we decided to go to the beach that morning. I ran along the beach and came across this river that ran out into the sea, and along that river mouth I found something else. His name was Arthur, and he was an adorable old Irish man who asked if he could walk with me till I met up with my friends. We talked about a multitude of subjects including his life story, comparing Ireland to the US, country vs city living, and running. We eventually encountered Dan and Fish and parted ways but he wished us well on our travels and studies. I wanted to show Dan and Fish the river I found and we followed it further inland and discovered all sorts of interesting plants. First, we found this strange squishy grass that was very bouncy and soft; it reminded all of us of Dr. Seuss grass because it was almost like walking into an environment resembling a cartoon. Second, on the dunes I saw these strange looking orange starburst-like mushrooms; I tried not to step on them because they seemed exotic and rare. We also clambered to the top of a massive sand dune mountain haha where I saw beautiful views of mountains and ocean meeting…perfection. Another aspect of these sand dunes that was perfect was the way one side formed a perfect slide, so of course I had to try out the sand dune slide…it was a blast! After the amazing morning at the beach we headed back to the cottage for de-sanding, showering, and lunch. Then it was off again…this time we headed to Wicklow for groceries. We got side tracked by a multitude of specialty shops for wine, arts and crafts, and clothes of course but we did eventually make our way to the grocery store and got what we needed for the rest of the week.
Wednesday:
Another day filled with beauty and natures wonders. Today we climbed a mountain. Yes that is correct a mountain, and a muddy one at that. We headed back to Wicklow’s National Park near Glendalough and hiked the entire Green trail from the opposite direction. Our first little adventure along this path was this super muddy side path that led to this smaller church. The church was quaint and had a beauty about it much different from the other one; it had a more enduring quality to it and was perfect in its eroding state nestled amongst the Irish wilderness. On our way to the cute church Dan stepped into a deep puddle and got soaked…this is the third day in a row that he has done this, I think it is becoming a habit now. Moving on…we got lost multiple times on our quest to reach to top of the mountain, and we basically got there, but fences and bulldozers impeded our path up the final few feet. Lunch took place on the mountain side overlooking an exquisite view of the valley of Glendalough, and as we continued along the path we came across a bench…from far off I was confused to why there was a random bench when there hadn’t been any on the path up until this point. However, when we reached the bench it all made sense. I can honestly this was the most beautiful sight I have ever seen with my own eyes. The bench was there because when you came across this view you just had to sit down and take it in because it took your breath away and made you speechless. As we sat there in silence just viewing God’s beautiful work the birds were chirping and the wind was blowing through the trees and valley created this calming natural music. I can’t describe the view because it left me speechless but I will try to post a picture of it so that you can get a sense of its beauty. As we made our way down the mountain we continued to come across more naturally breathtaking views of waterfalls, rapids, and lakes. As we made our way back to our car it began to rain; up until this point we had experienced wonderful weather for hiking, so with perfect timing we made it back to our car. We headed to a gift shop to look around while the storm blew through, and across the street I saw a sign for afternoon tea. This was the best traditional afternoon tea I have had…the warm scones, clotted cream and jam mixed with warm tea equals heaven to the weary traveler. Once we made our way back to the cottage we made dinner…I believe I made an attempt at baked ziti with makeshift ingredients since they didn’t have what I normally need, but it still turned out ok.
Thursday:
Arklow is the mission of today. We are heading to Arklow to look for a castle, the river, and for Fish to get a tattoo. First stop was Fish’s tattoo which turned out beautifully. Next we looked for the castle but soon found out it was a wall that was incorporated into modern buildings now, but we met another nice Irish man walking his adorable dog who gave us an Irish history lesson after we asked him about the castle. We walked along the river for a bit before making our way back to the car and back to Redcross. The weather was decent so I decided to go for a walk back at the cottage, and this walk was just so perfect due to many factors. First I must explain the friend I made in Ireland. I named him Ollie and he responded to that so it is official now; his name is Ollie. Ollie is the picture perfect Irish farm dog; he and I instantly bonded over his favorite game of fetch. So I started off on my walk along the damp path enjoying the breeze, sun and peaceful quiet that nature provides…this walk was almost therapeutic it was so nice. Anyways, I started my walk alone but was soon joined by eager Ollie who had brought along multiple stick he had found so we could play catch along the way. His energetic, loving and happy demeanor could instantly raise anyone spirits. We walked along the path…I enjoying the views and tranquility…Ollie with his tail wagging in anticipation for a stick to be thrown for him to lunge after. To some people this may sound silly but this dog made this trip like 10 times better cause I just felt so at home with a dog following me around always wanting to play. It started to get dark so we headed back and Ollie showed me new paths to get back to the cottage. When I got back dinner was almost ready. We were having tator-tot casserole which I had never had before so I thought it was delicious, but apparently it wasn’t the same since they used pork instead of beef. I guess I didn’t mind because I was starving.
Friday:
Last full day in Ireland…this is sad because despite the weather and bad circumstances we ran into, I am utterly in love with the Irish countryside and the people. We decided to do another walk but this time in Avoca…funny anecdote, Fish and I continually pronounced this town name in a very annoying American way to annoy Dan constantly even though we did know the proper pronunciation…in Avoca the waters meet between two rivers, so cleverly they decided to name this area the meeting of the waters. This area was previously a very large mining community so that was the theme of our walk. The route we took brought us along mining sights and ended with spectacular views. Finding the starting point of this walk and then finding a legal place to park to start it was…well…time consuming, but eventually we figured something out although it led to a longer walk than anticipated. All we had to lead us was a flyer with instructions, so I thought we were lost the majority of the time but we actually did end up following it correctly and reached our destination….the walk took us up a residential mountainside which was very awkward because I don’t think this is a path regularly taken by tourists or even locals. We encountered a few black sheep which stared at Dan or at least he thought they were staring at him, a giant cross across the valley and a huge crumbling structure that may have been a unit to produce power for the mines. We did venture into the closed down mining area being very careful to stay on the road portion or at least I was because I was frankly very scared to have something happen…you never really here anything good about mines anymore so I was a bit weary. But by venturing up there we were on top of the mountain and had the best view of rolling green fields; another sight to take your breath away. We made our way down the path and headed back to our car. We stopped by the Avoca gift shop on the way to get dessert for that night. That night we went to a pub in town…this was a very small town pub because everyone knew each other. The guy that passed out on the bar was given sympathetic looks that just said “ahh poor Killen; this happens every Friday night” The lady at the bar recommended what we should try. I had a Guinness since I was in Ireland, I thought it was appropriate…but the people let me in on a secret treat of theirs (they put blackcurrant in their Guinness to make it like a dessert beer). We also met a very drunk Irish ex-football player who hit on Fish constantly and told her he loved her multiple times…the whole scene was very entertaining. Once again during this interaction I could tell the other people in the pub had those looks on their faces say “Ohh there goes Wes again…poor tourists,” but I had a blast experiencing the cultural of small town Ireland. It was a memorable pub experience.
Confession time. Every single night we were in Ireland we ate a whole dessert; when I say that I mean Dan, Fish and I would make whatever it was that we bought and would sit down and devour the entire pie, crumble or strudel in approximately no longer than five minutes…hey it was vacation!
Well that was an edited version of my week in Ireland. I spared you the boring bits…I guess there weren’t that many. I kept the ranting of frustration to the bare minimum, actually mainly all frustration occurred during the travelling portions, and didn’t even to attempt to convey how lost we got numerous times due to Ireland’s complete lack of street signs. Next up the journey back to London, and sorry about the length of this blog so many things happened it was hard to cut things out.
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