Day 15: July 14 - Journal Entry
It is Monday. We didn’t have definitive plans today, so we thought we could drive to Wicklow and see the Howard Mausoleum pyramid, Black Castle, and the Glendalough Monastical ruins. There is always something to go see. Molly is crabby this morning, she won’t get out of bed and she is having some “teen” attitude. Jonathan is taking it well, but I worry if she keeps it up, the day will turn sour and we will all end up in a bad mood.
After some discussion and thought, we decided to let Molly stay at the house today, and Jonathan and I will go out and to Wicklow. We are all a bit tired, maybe we are trying to fit too much into our trip, but we may never get back to Ireland again, and we wanted to make the most of our trip. I really think Molly will end up very bored staying at the vrbo alone all day, but maybe we let her have this break in hopes of renewed energy for tomorrow.
Wicklow Pyramid
Jon and I drove about a little over half an hour, then took a ten minute walk to get to the mausoleum pyramid. It was just on the edge of a small town. The cemetery was very old, nothing new or modern. The pyramid had been sealed some years ago, but the sight was impressive. The structure was set into a hill and the view of the countryside was so peaceful. Most of the tombstones were so faded you couldn’t read them anymore, and there was a fenced off hole in the ground where it looked like a passage leading out of the back of the mausoleum had collapsed. After taking some pictures and walking around a bit we returned to the car and headed for Wicklow town on the east coast just south of Dublin.
Black Castle
Wicklow is another cute town with narrow roads and a nightmare parking situation. But, we were able to find the ruins of Black Castle and a place to park, though we paid too much for parking as it only took 15 minutes to walk around the ruins. The view from the coast was so beautiful, and the sound of the ocean was soothing. We saw a group of kids in life jackets, playing in the surf. The water looked so cold, we thought these kids must be crazy!
Lunch at the Pub and the Cathedral in Wicklow
Next we drove into the small downtown area of Wicklow, hoping to find a place to get lunch. Usually we pack a sandwich, but we were all out of bread today. We navigated the narrow streets, found another park and pay lot, and then walked several blocks, until we came to O’Shea’s corner pub. Sounds as good as anything. Bacon cheese burgers and fries. Not bad, but they have no airconditioning in any of these places and I feel constantly overheated. I guess these last few days have been uncommonly warm for the area. It is supposed to rain tomorrow, maybe that will cool things off. After a fairly good lunch, we walked up the hill to a cathedral. The stained glass windows and art work were truly impressive. We took pictures, but they never really capture what you see in person.
Glendalough
Well, back to the car and another harrowing drive to the next stop. I may never get used to these slender, winding roads. We are now at the Glendalough Monastical ruins. I have no idea if they really know who built these sites or what the true function of the area was, but the rapunzel tower with the entrance 15 feet up from the ground was very interesting. We walked around a bit and enjoyed the scenery, greenery, and forested area. I was also quite surprised at how many people there were at this location, it was a very out-of-the-way place, but tour buses of people were here. There were a few craft booths, and even an ice cream cart. We got ice cream cones and sent a picture to Molly, she missed out. Ok, it is now late afternoon and we have over an hour drive back to Multifarnham, and a stop at the store would be nice. By the time we got home, dinner and a shower were the only things left to do.