Today we left Dublin at 8:30a and headed towards Kilkenny. Mom wanted to see the monastic ruins in Glendalough, County Wicklow, so David braved the winding one-lane “mountain” roads towards our destination. I write “mountain” because they don’t seem as high as our mountains.
Along the way, we saw the Glenmacnass Waterfall but there was no where safe to stop and take a picture. The ruins were something interesting to stop and check out.
After leaving the ruins, David pulled off the road to let a faster driver go ahead of him. And it happened to be a turnout for some random house-type structure. He started to pull back onto the road but we made him backup to stop and check it out. He doesn’t like deviating from set plans — I think it’s 20+ years in the military. The scenery is spectacular & the mountains are purple. I never understood the lyrics “purple mountain majesties” in the song, America the Beautiful. I guess it takes a trip outside of America the Ugly (currently) to understand. This must be our sign to travel more!
Skipping the popular/touristy, Jerpoint Abbey, we decided to visit Kells Priory. Really glad we stopped because we were able to get a FREE private tour from a American docent living in Ireland with her husband. Guess there’s not too many visitors at Kells Priory but it was spectacular and even included sheep.
Afterwards, we drove to Kilkenny and had lunch at the Kyteler Inn. With our bellies full, we drove to the AirBnB in the countryside and loved staying in our own bungalow, next door to the owner Tara who was very sweet. We could have stayed there longer!
I started Ireland off with a sore throat and haven’t been feeling well. The pharmacist gave me some allergy medication and it helped instantly. Maybe I’m allergic to all the greenery in Ireland. Guess I’ll have to cross off ‘living in Ireland’ for allergies. And since David likes to kiss me, he’s got some of my symptoms too. Next stop Cork!
There She Goes... 