County Wicklow
I took a day trip to Wicklow on Saturday. Railtours Ireland is the best invention since Guinness. They organize single-day to four-day trips that include all modes of transportation and accommodation. All you have to do is show up at either the Connolly or Heuston train station and men wearing bright yellow jackets will meet you with an itinerary and show you where to go (better men in yellow than the ones in white jackets).
We met at Connolly station and took the train to Arklow. Here’s the view from the train:
Our first stop was to Avoca, one of the last Irish factories where wool blankets are made. It’s also where the BBC decided to film a sitcom (Colin Farrell’s first serious role). They centered it around a pub that was originally called Kelly’s, named after the owner. However, the BBC didn’t think Kelly sounded Irish enough so Kelly renamed his bar to Fitzgerald’s and he never changed it back even now, thirteen years after the show was cancelled:
We drove to Glendalough, a truly mystifying place:
A strange thing happened. As I walked toward the water you see above there, I thought “Wow, this is where I want to be buried someday.” I’m usually pretty morbid, but I never think so specifically about death. And unbeknownst to me, shortly after I had this thought, we were led to a graveyard. (Unfortunately, it was only for monks). The graveyard is part of an old monastic city dating back to the 600s:
A king’s tombstone:
Then we went further down the road to another monastic city from the 600s, one that’s famous for its tower. The monks used to run up to the top of it when they were under attack:
The inside of the old monastery:
An old graveyard and church near the tower:
I finally learned about Celtic crosses. When the Christians came over to Ireland in the 6th Century the pagan Celts incorporated their intricate knotwork and art into the symbol of the cross and added a sun behind it. So it was the pagans who created the Celtic cross. Apparently, Celtic crosses are not accepted by the Catholic church, though I saw one on top of a cathedral out here. If anyone knows more about this, please enlighten me. I’m very interested in the history and the aesthetics of the art.
Here’s the road back from the bus:
Our tour guide, Jack Ahern, was so kind and insightful. He even gave my roommate and I his map and bus schedule and saved us ten euro by explaining how we could have a lovely walk by the grand canal from the train station instead of taking a taxi.
Seriously, if you visit Ireland and are deathly afraid of driving a stick shift on the left side of the road like I am, it’s best to go travel with Railtours Ireland.
While I’m advertising here, if you want to see more of my pictures, check out my online photo album.
Okay, now I have to get ahead on my final assignments so I can travel next weekend.