Our old friend, the coach.
Unbeknownst to most of us, this wasn't our average day trip. This time around, we were treated to a "Wicklow Tour," courtesy of our narrative bus driver! He drove us from site to site, making us hop on and hop off while he added his commentary. Our journey went from UCD, through the Wicklow Mountains, and ended at Glendalough! Our bus driver, Michael, was a chatty Irishman and very keen on the jokes! He decided to dub me "Bootsy" for the day because I wore my Hunters for the tour and later told me that I looked like "a wee Scottish princess" when I told him I had visited the UK once before with me Scottish mum! I guess it could have been worse, since he loved taunting a girl from the Canary Islands and a visiting Australian throughout most of the ride.
No one had any idea about our first stop! We went to Sandycove on the beach and he let us out to walk around! We all went wild. The weather was perfect for it!
A glimpse of James Joyce's house and the coast!
Thanks to my boots, I got to stand in the Irish Sea!
I picked some sea glass up while we were out! It reminded me of beach scavenging with Nana a little.
After our frolic in the waves was over, we got back on the bus and were promised a "romp through the hills," which is exactly what we got.
The scenery!
Left: Enya's house! Right: My terrible picture of Bono's abode/his font gate!
Our "romp" took a wee break at an adorable little gift shop where we could pick up items for lunch later. I managed to snag some GF cupcakes and not spend all the money I have ever had.
Adorable.
And then the romp continued...
Some hills, a loch, the peat fields, and a creek!
...But suddenly! All the girls swooned! For we had reached the bridge. Yes, we had rolled right up to the bridge where they filmed the scene where Gerard Butler and Hilary Swank meet one another in P.S. I Love You. Photo-ops abound!
It was actually a very pretty little area!
But if this whole escapade wasn't enough, it got even more Irish. Just how Irish, you ask? The pictures should really speak for themselves.
Guinness Lake!
Yes, that is a lake that looks like Guinness! Apparently, sand was imported in from the coast to make the loch look more "Californian" and pretty. But because of the gross brown peat-water that is prominent in the area, the water looks more like beer and the sand its foam! We all got a grand kick out of it.
To set up the next part, our bus driver, Michael, had been cracking jokes about drinking a shot of whiskey in the Irish countryside for the entire ride. How it was "truly Irish" and the best thing for a rainy day. And he just really likes whiskey. So, as we got out of the bus to see Guinness Lake and he made another crack about whiskey, none of us really thought anything of it. Until he pulled out a whiskey bottle from a side compartment with some plastic shot glasses, handed them to a man who was on our bus as well, and told everyone to "be nice to the doctor! He's the one with the whiskey!" And so...
It sure warmed us up! A video exists of all of us tossing our shots back. I'm laughing.
The doctor did his duty and passed our tour group its shots after we had had our fill of pictures. Dr. Facinelli wisely chose to look the other way while we all flocked to the man with the plan. Then she tossed a shot or two back herself (which was shortly followed by a couple, "I love you all!"s and fake-out hugs). Drinking a shot of Jameson Irish Whiskey on a blustery day on an Irish hill next to a lake that looks like Guinness is about as Irish as it could possibly get.
I mean, we paid for it in our bus fee. We couldn't not do it.
As we set off again, we had only gotten a few feet before we came across some Scottish hikers wandering through the hills. Michael halted the bus immediately, threw open the doors, and offered all of them a shot of whiskey just for being there. Some Irish/Scottish hilarity and joking ensued. It was great.
Our shutterbug Jon sprinted to the front of the bus and took a picture of Michael in action
Disclaimer: no alcohol was consumed by our bus driver
Following our super Irish moment, the romping resumed! We had a brief stop for lunch at a local pub (and I had a PB&J, so crazy) and managed to miss a massive downpour in the process. Back on the bus, we romped all the way to Glendalough! Michael gave us a brief breakdown of the area and the incredible Round Tower, which could be "the world's first skyscraper". It was clear how much he loved his country! After our mini-lecture, he released us into the wilds of Glendalough and told us to meet him at a loch a few miles away to get picked back up. It was an absolutely breathtaking walk. This was the emerald!
The Round Tower with the girls!
I can stand in all the water I want.
Things got a little disorderly when we got to the loch... Again, Dr. Facinelli wisely disappeared from sight. I'm sure some daring was involved here. Apparently, in case anyone was wondering, lochs at this time of year are cold. Why we decided to test this theory, I do not want to know. Honors College, baby.
Taking a dip in the loch.
Our time to leave arrived just in the nick of time! Clothes were thankfully replaced as the rain started to fall once again. Regardless of the shenanigans, our little time at the loch was incredibly entertaining. We taught each other how to skip rocks and had a great time. Dr. Facinelli collected us and back on the bus we went, concluding our tour! We sang Michael "Happy Birthday" as we pulled out of Glendalough (I'm sure he appreciated a bunch of loud Americans singing him songs on his actually birthday. Nothing like it,) and he let us jam out to some U2 on the long drive back home.
The rain in Spain falls mainly in Ireland
I loved the trip and I can't get over how wonderful it all was! Seeing Ireland at its finest was fantastic. We had the best luck with the weather! And I will never get this kind of Irish opportunity again. We really got the most out of our wee romp through the hills.
1 comment:
Sounds and looks amazing. What' a great tour! FYI - Lochs are always cold. Time of year has little to do with it. Glad you packed that bikini for Loch Ness??? Sounds like your bus drive made te trip for all of you. Nothing like a friendly Irishman to paint a vivid picture of the area for you. Glad he didn't participate, but what did you think of your first wee dram of Whiskey. There are many varieties. Scots (and Irishmen) are very specific. That's why when people tell me they are part "Scitch", I (or any other Scot) will tell them that Scotch is a drink and not a nationality.
I was hoping you could find something similar to take you up through the Perthshitrs (Pitlochry) in your free weekend in Scotland . The Dewers Whiskey Distillery is between Pitlochry and Killin and there are typically tours from Edinburgh. Check it out. I also told you the drive (bus or train) and tour of St. Andrews is another great choice. Both are just day trips and you could get both in. I'm sure you'll find plenty to do and your profs will have other fun things planned or provide suggestions.
Excited to chat tomorrow. Will and I ate going to start out Band of Brothers marathon tonight. LY. Love your posts too.
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