Along the way our wonderful driver stopped at numerous spots up and down the route including the some luscious greenery produced from some of the lands largest wells.
From there we traveled through the countryside to explore the Glenmacnass area, featuring a gorgeous waterfall. Although walking trails line the lake and bikers come out at every corner, we decided to just sit and enjoy the beautiful view for a bit. Professor Love pointed out a cottage that sits on the water, supposedly dating back 70 years.
Next, came one of my favorite stops- Sally Gaps! Not only was this a beautiful area for pictures, but it’s home to one of the scenes from “P.S. I Love You.” Naturally, I sat on the bridge, waiting for my own Gerard Butler to come whisk me away.
By this time our tour guide was getting a little annoyed with all our picture taking, so we had to kindly explain to him that not only we were Americans, but we’re from Texas as well.
From there we continued our journey to explore the Lough Tay area- Guinness Lake. It’s crazy to see, but the lake actually looks like dark beer! The Guinness family property sits hidden in the corner of the water, almost invisible to the eye. The mansion is tucked away from paparazzi and the rest of the world, and apparently Michael Jackson and Tiger Woods hid in the house during their “troubled” times. The only rule for visitors is no driving on the land, so I plan on going back and landing on their helicopter pad one day.
Venturing down further into the mountains, we came to our main attraction of the day- Glendalough. Glendalough is a spiritual area that is considered one of the most important sites of maonstic ruins in Ireland. It’s also known as the Glen of two Lakes or city of the seven Churches. Fourteen centuries have passed since the death of its founder, St. Kevin, when the valley was part of Ireland's Golden Age.
The safe house was built with absolutely no cement and the door was created 12 feet off the ground.
A few paths down the monastery ruins sits St. Kevin’s chapel and cross. The legend is that if you can fit your arms around the cross and you fingers touch, whatever you wish for will come true. Naturally my humongous basketball arms wrapped around the historic monument. Guess I have some Irish luck ;)
From there we ventured down approximately 20 minutes to see the upper and lower lakes. The Upper Lake area was absolutely gorgeous and SCREAMED for a photo shoot. We splashed around for a bit while our professor climbed some trees- no big deal.
A few hours later Steph and I found ourselves venturing into the Temple Bar District, ready to embrace a Sunday night of fun. A few new Irish friends and a BMW ride later, we laughed our way up to Ariel House, quietly trying not to wake Belo or any German tourists that may be sleeping.
I have to say that this day truly took my breath away. No camera or words can truly capture the beauty of Ireland. With that, I leave you with a big TEXAS FIGHT Y’ALL.
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