Ireland Part I - Dublin & Wicklow
- Mar 16, 2018
- 6 min read
In the summer of 2017, I decided to embark on a trip somewhere I would consider magical. I knew above all I wanted a place with a lot of history and especially nature. The previous year I had taken a trip to Moscow, Russia so this year I wanted less of that big city feel. I weighed out my options and started to do some research…deep down I knew there was a place that always fascinated me, a place that stood out to me and captivated my imagination – this place was Ireland. Growing up I had always loved hearing Irish folklore, filled with its mythical creatures, fairies and wild stories. Its beautiful lush green sceneries and its ancient graveyards, from its pubs in Dublin to the cliffs of Moher in Doolin, there was no doubt this was the trip I would be taking.
I decided to prepare for this trip early since I would be traveling solo and visiting a few different cities in Ireland. The first thing I did was ditch my travel roller and pick up a large hiking and outdoors backpack. I figured this would make it easier to travel and free my hands up a bit as I would be taking a lot of photos on this trip. I went with a High Sierra 75L backpack (http://bit.ly/2tXddBS), which was large enough to fit everything I needed for this trip perfectly. Next on my list was deciding to rent a car or not to rent a car – this involved a whole lot of research to make up my mind, but after reading a lot of different articles and asking questions to friends who had traveled to the country, I decided it was best not to rent a car. The reason being that roads in Ireland are very narrow, it would be my first time driving on the other side of the road and it would be confusing especially on my own, and lastly the down payment I kept reading about was huge! So, I voted on finding an alternative to getting around. After much reading, I found “Bus Eireann“ (www.buseireann.ie/). This company had great reviews and basically takes you everywhere in Ireland! I went on the website and picked out my traveling dates (from arrival to departure) and they give you the option to pick up your tickets at one of their stations (which was basically everywhere and easily accessible) or you can have it mailed to you. Since I was doing this with ample amount of time, I opted to have it mailed to me. It came out to about $90 USD and arrived right on time to my apartment.
My first stop on my trip to Ireland was Dublin. After what felt like an eternity flying from Miami, Florida, four layovers later and plenty of customs interactions and border crossings, I arrived in Dublin airport late at night. I ordered an Uber and was on my way to my Airbnb. The first thing I noticed when arriving in Dublin was how friendly the Irish were. Now I’ve heard how friendly the Irish would be, but this was quickly confirmed when I landed in their country and later on in my trip, it was really becoming evident just how friendly the Irish can be.
The following morning, I woke up very early feeling jetlagged and exhausted, but I knew I would only have this one day in Dublin and one extra day before flying home so I forced myself to get up and walked into the city center for my next adventure. I found it very easy to walk in Dublin and encountered no trouble whatsoever. (I had actually purchased a long distance data plan with my cellphone provider ahead of time so I was able to use data on my phone and Google Maps to navigate myself around the city easily.) After some quick exploring, I finally arrived at the stop where my tour bus was waiting to take me to Glendalough for the Wild Wicklow tour with Aran Tours (http://bit.ly/2pizplp). I found this tour via www.viator.com, which had a very nice selection of tours to choose from, and this was the one I’ve always wanted to go on.
("1863 - Findlater's Church, Parnell Square, Dublin, Ireland - Architecture of Dublin City")
I boarded the bus and we were on our way. Our tour guide was really informative and told the group about a lot of the history in Dublin during our ride. As we got closer to Wicklow, we made a few stops to check out some pretty cool sites along the way. A few of these stops included the places where some famous movies were filmed. These films include Braveheart, Excalibur, Saving Private Ryan and Vikings, to name a few. We also took a pit stop to soak in the views at Lough Tay, known as the lake of Guinness due to its dark colored water, which was also where the actual Guinness family estate was. Our tour guide also made sure we stopped at a local bar for some authentic Irish food and drinks in the small town of Wicklow. Needless to say, the food and beer selection were amazing or maybe I was just starving – regardless, the service from everyone at the restaurant and even the gift shop beside it were amazing. The Irish are such happy people and always ready and willing to help when it’s needed. They also have the best country with scenic views, beautiful nature, and amazing landscapes a photographer could ask for.
(Bridge from the movie "P.S. I Love You"| Location: Wicklow, Ireland)
(Lough Tay Lake, known as Guinness Lake | Location: Wicklow, Ireland)
After another short ride, we made it to Glendalough Monastic Site. The monastery was founded in the 6th Century by St. Kevin (Cóemgen of Glendalough). St. Kevin originally moved to the valley to be in solitude. As a hermit, he grew close with nature and his only company was the animals that surrounded this area. His home was a cave, which was said he was taken to by an angel. This hermitage lifestyle continued for the next seven years and eventually his fame as a teacher and a holy man had spread and people began to flock to the monastery. Glendalough grew into a renowned seminary of saints and scholars; the community grew with St. Kevin presiding over it. Eventually churches began to be built and the old valley between the two rivers became known as the City of the Seven Churches. “One day as St. Kevin was at prayer, so legend says, a blackbird laid an egg in his outstretched hand. The 6th-century founder of the monastic settlement at Glendalough, not wishing to disturb nature’s course, remained motionless until the egg hatched.” (http://bit.ly/2tVmkD1)
(The Main Gate to the Monastic City | Location: Glendalough, Wicklow, Ireland)
(The Cathedral in Glendalough | Location: Glendalough, Wicklow, Ireland)
(The Cathedral in Glendalough | Location: Glendalough, Wicklow, Ireland)
(Glendalough Cemetery | Location: Glendalough, Wicklow, Ireland)
Upon arriving in Glendalough, I was taken back by its ancient beauty. It sits in the middle of nature, surrounded by trees, hills and valleys and you can easily see why this place was picked to become such a holy site. Most of the surviving structure found in the city dates between the 10th and 12th Century. Gravestones lay almost everywhere around you – and I did find Ireland to have the most graveyards I have ever seen. The Irish seem to have an intense respect for their dead and the graveyards are creepy yet beautiful in their own right. Our tour guide gave us a very detailed description on how this Monastic city thrived and survived and we were told many stories of Viking attacks and pillaging by foreigners. After our tour, we were given some free time to explore this medieval city. You can find trail maps and pathways all around so even though you may have to walk a lot, it is not easy to get lost and it is well worth the exploration. It was very peaceful and almost makes you feel like you traveled back in time. When our hour was up, we walked back to the bus and were treated by our amazing tour guide to a few shots of Jameson – another awesome Irish custom!
(Glendalough Cemetery | Location: Glendalough, Wicklow, Ireland)
(Glendalough Cemetery | Location: Glendalough, Wicklow, Ireland)
(Irish round tower at the Glendalough Cemetery | Location: Glendalough, Wicklow, Ireland)
(Glendalough Cemetery | Location: Glendalough, Wicklow, Ireland)
I arrived back in Dublin a few hours later and rain was coming down hard but that didn’t stop me and I walked around the city, took more photos, and explored some more before returning back to my Airbnb for the night. I had to prepare for the next part of my trip – I was headed to Doolin to explore the famous Cliffs of Moher. The first part of my trip in Ireland had already left me blown away and I couldn’t wait for my next stops. I recommend everyone who travels to this wonderful country to be sure to include a trip to Wicklow to visit Glendalough and take in the sites and stories and some famous Irish history.
Here are also some links to useful sites on the places I’ve talked about in this blog:
Comments