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DAY SIX: DUBLIN -- EARLY CHRISTIAN & MEDIEVAL IRELAND
Trip to Co. Wicklow: the Powercourts Estate, Glendalough, Avoca Woolen
Mill (9:00 am-5:00 pm)
Study Time (evening)
Dinner at Ryan's Pub (evening)
A haha. No, really, that's what it's
called. The cattle and the lawn used the same area of grass, but you didn't want
the cattle to come up close to your house, so you built a fence. To keep it looking
nice so that your guests didn't see the fence, you dug a trench and put it into
the ground. The story goes that you could see the fence only when you're close
to it, not far away, so if you were walking, you could fall into it. Those
that knew about it would then say "haha" to those that didn't know, thereby giving
this little underground fence the name "haha."
The Powerscourt Estate...this
was a typical landlord's home during the period of plantation (when the monarchy
in England was sending in families to "plant" the soil with their own family,
thereby pushing the locals out).
An interesting statue on top of
a column
Another view of the haha, with the
Wicklow mountains in the distance
The Wicklow Mountains
The Powerscourt fountain...the
landlord really wanted to impress people with his fountains and such, b/c he believed
that, although he owned a lot of land, it wasn't worth much b/c of all
the rocks in the soil. So the landlord constructed fountains and even a waterfall
to impress...the waterfall was built to impress King George, but George never
saw it, although many people of today have seen it in romantic movies. We didn't
get to go see it.
Another fountain on the estate
A closer view of the one fountain,
with our tour guide, Andrea looking at me. Leah (far left next to Kelly) and Amy,
are also in the picture, as well as my horse, Stan, on the left side. Yes, I decided
that was mine lol
Looking up at the estate from the
fountain
This was a hidden dock underneath
the fountain...I am really into framed shots and this is one of the ones that
I love.
Japanese Garden...another framed
shot
Looking at the estate, far side
of the pond
The Pet Cemetery
Another of my "favorite" tombstones in the Pet
Cemetery
A palm tree...Ireland may be as
far North as Iceland, but the Gulf Stream keeps it temperate.
Rainbow over Wicklow Mountains
Another view of the Mountains
with my roommate, Laurel
Climbing through the monastic ruins
of Glendalough...here you see Laurel, Sebastian, Cindy, and Ryan.
Monk tower up close...the doorways
were 15 feet above the ground. Legend has it that the monks would run and hide
inside of them, pulling the ladders up after them, at the first sign of trouble
with the conquering Vikings. It didn't work that well b/c a Viking could throw
a torch inside and smoke them out by burning the wooden floors.
In between the Wicklow Mountains, Glendalough
(pronounced Glen-dull-lock, with lough meaning lake)
The Glendalough monk tower
Amy and Ryan inside of the monastery...Glenadlough
contains the oldest monastic ruins that are in this excellent a condition. Yes,
those are tombstones in the ground.
Looking towards the camera are Nicole
and Josh; Amy is looking away
The monastery had little rock windows...another
framed shot.
Fog rolls down across the mountains
The priest house; during olden
times, the priest would disappear inside of here during Mass, b/c the peasants
were not allowed to watch the changing of the bread and wine into the flesh and
blood of Christ.
A couple of sheep on a hill
Here's the sheep again
Kelly dubbed this Druid Santa;
we don't know what's up with it.
Inside this town is Avoca
Woolen Mill, Ireland's oldest woolen mill. But the town, known as Ballykissangel
to many British, is also the fictional town in the British TV show. You can mail
a postcard there and get it postmarked Ballykissangel, which doesn't even exist.
It's a bastardization of an Irish word.
The bridge of the town...we
saw 2 dogs that were totally in command of the streets; one of them even looked
both ways before crossing each street. The other stood in the middle of an intersection
and challenged the drivers, who were on its turf.
The snug at Ryan's Pub...Laurel,
Josh, Amy, Nicole and I decided to eat dinner here b/c that's where Clinton went
when he was in Dublin. See if you can figure out how it got to be known as a snug!
That's Josh and Nicole, with her ever present Camcorder: "Here's our hotel!" We
were about to tape Laurel chugging a shot of Jameson.
Amy in the snug with the bar behind
her; see how tiny they are?
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