Saturday, I woke up and peeked outside. It was a glorious day out- blue sky, sun shining, warm temps. A perfect day to see some of the Irish countryside.
Children of Lir by Oisin Kelly in the Garden of Remembrance
Garden of Remembrance, Dublin
The Irish flag in a brilliant sky
Garden of Remembrance, Dublin
My friend, Jessica, came in from Galway and we met by the Ha'penny Bridge on the Liffey. It's always great to be able to meet up with her- we have the best conversations and laughs! After a wander around through the Garden of Remembrance, coffee and a catch-up, we hopped a bus out to Enniskerry and Powerscourt Gardens.
The countryside was just gorgeous- so green with lots of flowers, everything fresh from the rain the day before. The bus ride was quite enjoyable, passing through little villages on the way. We were dropped off in the village of Enniskerry and started out on a walk to the Gardens. We followed the signs....which led us in a big circle! After a false start, we found our way. And it was a long walk...not quite as close as we had thought. But, again, the sun was shining and it was warm, so the walk was fine.
We started out at Powerscourt House. Originally the site of a medieval castle, the estate house was built in 1730. The architecture is Palladian and was built around the medieval castle remains. A fire destroyed the top floor in the 1970s, but restoration brought the house back to almost it's former glory in the 1990s. It now houses a children's museum, cafes, and shops that showcase Irish crafts.
Before seeing the Gardens, we decided to have a bit of lunch. We sat outside on the terrace and enjoyed a great meal and bottle of wine. The weather was perfect!! And the view was absolutely amazing.
After lunch, we headed into the Gardens. Really there are 3 distinctive Gardens- the Italian Gardens, with gorgeous terraces, designed in the late 1700's/ early 1800s; the Japanese Gardens, built in the early 1900s; and the Walled Gardens, the earliest built. There is, also, a Pet Cemetery, a lake and a dolphin pond. We wandered around and took a ton of pictures, but they just don't do the gardens justice. Breathtaking really.
After our stroll, we walked through the shops a bit, but decided we should get back to the village and catch the bus back to Dublin. We were a bit early for the bus, so we stopped and had a pint while we waited.
Back in Dublin, we did a bit of shopping on Grafton Street and then had some Italian for dinner. As it was so nice out, people were out on the streets and sitting outside at cafes, we decided to wander a bit and grab a drink. Off of a tip from a friend, we stopped by Cafe en Seine. As we were at the bar ordering our drinks, we were standing next to Florence from Florence and the Machine!!! *see the video if you don't know who she is* I didn't want to be obvious and take her picture, so I have no proof, but from now I'll be telling everyone I meet that I had a drink with Florence :)
By this time, it was getting late and Jessica needed to catch the bus back to Galway. Of course, there was time to stop off at a pub for one more pint before she left. We ended up at a place I had gone to with my family when we were in Ireland in 2006! Brought back some good memories. But unfortunately, it was time to say goodbye to Jess.
And I had to get back to the hotel to pack and get a good night's sleep.....off to the States the next day!
And as it turns out, I would need all the rest I could get.......
The view from the Terrace into the Gardens
One of the many statues throughout
Beautiful inlaid stones (which I want in my garden if I ever have a garden)
I updated the blog look this morning...do we like? It looks a wee bit more professional, I think, but still...I'm so unsavvy that I can't figure out how to change the "About Me" part as obviously I'm no longer 40 and no longer in Czech Republic... Ah well. Here's what you really came for- the second part of the Guarija trip photos!! Let me know what you think of the new look. And maybe, just maybe, I'll keep up my goal of blogging everyday...
Hello my 4 followers (Mom & Dad, I see you!!)...I'm back 😀 And in a brand new country! After living in Europe for almost 8 years, it was time to change things up again and experience a new culture and language. So, I decided to pack up and move to South America. Colombia, to be exact. Back in October/ November 2018, I started talking with the Head of Colegio Colombo Britanico in Cali, Colombia. Also, at the same time, I started the application process to become an English Language Fellow through the State Department. Think Peace Corps for Master teachers. The application process is pretty thorough and after several months and interviews, I was accepted into the pool of English Language Fellows. The next step was to wait to see if I would get a placement. About the time that I was waiting for a placement with ELF, I was offered a teaching position with Colegio Colombo Britanico. As I was weighing the pros and cons, and trying to block out all the negative nellies who we...
Welp, it's May. How? How is that possible? Once again, I'm doing a crappy job of keeping this blog updated. I've never claimed to be a blogger. There is no real purpose to this blog- is it about travel? is it about teaching? is it about life? Who knows? Who cares??? I guess between Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter, and life...my blog gets the short end of the stick. But there are people (ahem, my parents) who only see things on this blog, so I'm going to try over the next month to make this more of a space to write and reflect and share. I've said this before. We'll see if I keep it up- chances are slim. Anyhoodle... So much has happened ...sort of. I'm to be real honest- the first 6 months living in Colombia sucked. Teaching sucked. The students sucked. The weather sucked. Life outside of teaching sucked. I almost didn't return after Christmas break. For real. At the airport in Denver, I sat in the bathroom when they were maki...
Comments
Post a Comment