Day One

We arrived in Dublin a few minutes early yesterday morning. After resolving a couple of issues with the rental car, we headed south to Bray where Jim and Barry headed out on a 6.2 km cliff walk to Greystones. Meanwhile, Gywen drove the car to the other end to meet us, and took care of getting some cash exchanged for Euros. Along the dramatic walk (pictured), we saw seals, birds, and a surprising number of windflowers in bloom. The path was also lined with raspberries, so we enjoyed a few of those along the way. At the far end of the trail, we had planned to have lunch at the Beach House, but we were 45 minutes early for lunch. Instead, we drove down the road to a pub called the Coach House and enjoyed fish and chips and Blumers by the fire.

Next we headed to Glendalaugh, a one-time monastic settlement founded by St. Kevin in the 6th century. The name means Valley of Two Lakes, so as you can imagine it was a beautiful valley with two lakes. We walked around to look at the wonderful round tower (built about 1000 years ago), the building ruins, and the cemetery. We also took a hike through the woods and past a waterfall to the upper lake (pictured below). It was a beautiful site, but we couldn't help but wish for a little sunnier weather.

We ended the day with a drive to Kilkenny as darkness descended. We checked in to the lovely Butler House before Barry and Jim headed out for dinner and drinks at a quaint, cozy pub which was founded in 1324. We were all in bed before 9:45, which was understandable after a very short, restless night on the plane and the time change.