Monday, August 4th - Day Trippin'

We got up early and headed out the door for another day trip. The day was very, very windy! This time we went to Glendalough, Wicklow and Kilkenny.

As we drove through the countryside the views were absolutely beautiful. There were sheep and cows everywhere. Everything was lush and green and we even saw a rainbow. 

We started out at Glendalough. Where we heard all about Kevin and his life. He was a very religious person who became a priest, then a bishop and started a monastery there in the 6th century. He eventually becomes a saint. There are many legends that go along with it! We shall see what happens in a year. Then we got to hike around the area and see the beautiful lakes. When hiking back to the bus, we heard a crack and a tree came crashing down just to the right of us. Definitely, scared me!

As we drove to Wicklow Gap we passed by where they filmed parts of Braveheart!

Wicklow Gap was VERY windy! We made a quick stop for pictures. Even with the rainy/cloudy weather, you were able to see all the way to the sea!

Our last stop was Kilkenny. On our way there we had to slow down and stop a few times for sheep in the road!  

Kilkennny is a medieval town from the 12th century in Ireland. We ate lunch at the Kyteler Inn. It’s known because the woman who owned it was supposed to be burned at the stake for being a witch, but she escaped to England. So, the killed her lady in waiting….

Then we headed to Kilkenny Castle and walked around. It was built in the 1300s. It stayed in the same family for 600 years but in the 1930s, the family moved to the US. In the 50s they sold it for 50 pounds to the restoration society. The neat thing we learned about today was the courting couch. The two people who were courting sat on each end and chaperones would sit in the middle. Not sure how that helped them get to know each other but times were different back then!

When we returned to Dublin we decided to get a quick bite to eat. After Drinks and a pretty bar called On the Seine, we went to a pub. I was adventurous and tried the wings. I was pleasantly surprised. I asked for extra crispy to make sure they were done, and they were delicious! They were even served with blue cheese and I got a wet wipe! Another great day in Ireland!