Ireland: Part 1

Ready? Prepare for lots of words at first. Then some pictures. Any questions?

Day 1: This Thursday and Friday in my book as my trip really started on Thursday when my mom drove me down to Salt Lake and I went off on a plane to Chicago, but it's not a very exciting day. I had been told by several people that in Chicago people weren't friendly. I didn't find that to be the case - but they weren't very good at telling me the most important part of the directions. Luckily another lost man and I worked together for a moment and then I found almost where I needed to be.... After that apparently I looked slightly lost because a random man asked if I needed help - I was headed in the right direction but he confirmed it. I reached my terminal and just sat for while. Then I was on the almost 7 hour flight to Dublin (where I didn't sleep at all).

I arrived in Dublin and waited for my friend Maria to arrive. It was happy. We rode the bus into Dublin, got settled in a little, went grocery shopping, and got poured on (YES! Irish rain the first day). We then relaxed (but I wasn't allowed to sleep - this was a good plan as I didn't have much jet lag while there). Later we went to the church and met some of the YSA and picked up a crock pot for dinner the next day.

Day 2: This is where I actually have pictures.
Maria and I woke and met up with the bus to the Wicklow Mountains tour.
On the tour we stopped at The Black Lake:

Due to the rain the day before it wasn't as black in color as usual.
This land is privately owned. What?!?!
Man, I want to own a lake and valley in Ireland.

Gorgeous.

The next stop was the bridge featured in P.S. I Love You at Sally Gap

I loved the water.

We stopped at Glenmacnass Waterfall and enjoyed the valley there too.

Then we enjoyed time at Glendalough.

Pronounced Glen-da-lock
(they said things weird, or I guess maybe justspelled them weird)
;)

BEAUTIFUL.
The bridge.

The Monastic ruins (we struggled with saying that word)

 The Upper and Lower Lakes

 

 The trees and waterfalls and scenes along the trail

Loved this tree.
And I loved that once we realized that it was a lot higher
off the ground than we originally thought
we had someone to boost us up into it.

 

We also stopped in Avoca,
and watched people weave some of a blanket on a loom (cool I tell you),
and enjoyed some food at the local pub
where the TV show Ballykissangel was filmed
(randomness and I kind of got the feeling it was quite like a soap opera).

We returned to Dublin,
finished last minute touches on our pot roast dinner,
greeted the elders and sisters (missionaries),
and enjoyed some magic tricks.

It was a grand two days.