Ireland . . . day 3

after and early breakfast at the hotel we climbed onto the bus at 9am to head for a day in the Wicklow Mountains.

Powerscourt was once a huge estate with a vast Art collection. in the 1970s a fire started in the mansion which destroyed everything but the stones. three months later the stone walls were still too hot to touch. sadly, the insurance on the estate was not sufficient to cover the damages, and the home and grounds were sold. eventually the first floor was restored, and is now part of the visitors center. the grounds and extensive gardens are now open to the public.

walking down the stairs that lead to the pond is like walking though a movie. if that wasn't enough the view from the stairs is incredible. it looks over the valley and mountains. truly spectacular. of course I had to see the Japanese gardens. they were full of little streams and nooks and even a grotto. standing in the grotto was like shutting out the world while standing under an open sky. all you can hear is the water dripping through the moss and ferns that cover the rocky walls. just you and the moment. it wonderful and very very strange at the same time. we came out of that garden and walked back up to the pond, where a mother duck was guiding her ducklings through the water. they almost disappeared against the water plants that covered the surface of the pond. we then climbed the path that led past the pet cemetery and up to the kitchen gardens. those gardens were once walled to protect the food, so of course the gates were gilded . . . yes, the gates were accented with gold. now it's a lush flower garden full of poppies and tulips and such. there's a fountain with a mermaid as well. after the garden we headed inside and grabbed a bite to eat. the little cafe had the best lemon curd tart I've ever tasted . . . so now I have another recipe to work on. no complaints about that of course. after wandering around the shops for a bit we got back onto the tour bus and headed to Glendalough.

Glendalough is home to a monastic site dating back to the 6th century. it was founded by St. Kevin. the site is now in ruins, but the stone chapel with its stone roof still remains. we actually were asked to sing inside of the tiny chapel, which is closed except to tours. it's in a beautiful little valley, located between two lakes.

after a day of hiking up and down hills we headed back to Dublin. mom and I decided to try a little fish & chips place around the corner from our hotel. I'm not exaggerating when I say that they give you half of a fish. we really should have split one order, but it was still worth it. the cod was great. after that we decided to call it any early night considering we would be checking out the next morning at 8:30am.