Thursday, 27 September 2012
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| Wicklow Mountains National Park |
Leaving Kilkenny, we travel northeast to Glendalogh in Wicklow Mountains National Park. The “Valley of Two Lakes” was carved out by glaciers during the Ice Age and home to a monastic settlement. It was a gathering place to commune with God, before there were cities in Ireland.
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| Glendalough monastic site |
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| musician at Glendalough |
The monastic remains are from the 8th and 12th century. The famous Round Tower is 110 feet high and the base measures 52 feet in circumference. A cathedral, stone churches and decorated crossed also survived.
It was a beautiful day to enjoy a walk on one of the trails. This was another place for great pictures.
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| Glendalough round tower |
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| Glendalough church |
The next stop was a short drive east to the Ballyknocken Cookery School near Glenealy in County Wicklow. Located on the 350 acre Ballyknocken farm, the school is run by Chef Catherin Fulvio. She offers a variety of cookery classes to private groups. Catherine learned her cooking skills from her mother and then trained professionally. She is known for her hands-on, no-fuss style of cooking and using the freshest ingredients possible. Her enthusiasm for food was contagious. She is well known locally and abroad with three TV series, two cook books and many media appearances such as Discovery, NBC Today Show, and The Food Network.
Catherine made scones with assistants Edna and Janet. She explained each step of the process—it looks so easy! The scones were served with fresh jam and tea. My memories of “dry” biscuits did not match these—the scones were awesome! Catherine gave us the recipe to make them at home. We walked around the vegetable and flower gardens and peeked in the barns to see some of the “painted” farm tractors.
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The winner: Marianne
There was a coach driver named Mike,
Who all of us really do like,
He is witty and funny,
With a smile that is sunny,
He’s half Leprechaun going on strike!
Second: Nan
I once had a driver in Eire,
Who let us stop to admire,
Old castles of yore,
And gardens galore,
This red-headed driver in Eire
Third: Marge
There once was a dutiful daughter,
Who went to fetch her mum water,
She tripped on some stones,
Broke both her wrist bones,
And that was the end of mum’s water.
There was one more “game” before we got off the coach … guess how many kilometers we have traveled. When we got to the hotel, there was a little time for some last minute shopping or walking or packing!
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| Mike our driver/guide and me |
In the last 11 days we have seen so much and done so much. We learned a lot, laughed a lot and ate a lot! Thanks to Mike for his jokes, funny stories and Irish history. And thanks for safely driving us “from and to" Dublin. It’s been my privilege to share this journey with each of you. We talked about the logistics for tomorrow. Then it was time to say good-bye.
Our last night, we stay in Dublin at Hotel Gresham