We begin the day in a beautiful cathedral just a block or so away from our Lodge, where, sadly, the beauty of the church was lost on it's complete lack of a choir. Music of any form does not appear to be a big thing in the Irish Catholic Churches (or attendance for that matter), which is quite a disappointment considering the beautiful music we heard in the Christ Church Cathedral only yesterday.
But now we're off on a new adventure! A new and very likely terrifying adventure, for as we pulled into the Dan Dooley rental car place, another tourist had just been in a head on collision (perhaps they just tell all Americans that to encourage good, scared driving?). Little did we know, the only thing about to be more terrifying than the driving was what we were driving.
But now we're off on a new adventure! A new and very likely terrifying adventure, for as we pulled into the Dan Dooley rental car place, another tourist had just been in a head on collision (perhaps they just tell all Americans that to encourage good, scared driving?). Little did we know, the only thing about to be more terrifying than the driving was what we were driving.
| Meet the Ford Transit Van! It's smooth, slick, and stylish, and winner of the International Van of the Year for 2007. It's quite popular here, to say the least. Nope. That's not a joke. It's also a manual and will be stalled a total of 3 times during the trip (twice during the first day). But hey, at least it's got a bit of leg room and lots of luggage space. Which is saying a lot for a traveling group of 6 people.  We began our trip out of Dublin (and our brave chauffuer's intro |
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to driving on the wrong side of the rode in a stick shift van that's wider than some of the two lane roads in the area) by heading to the Powerscourt Gardens, a comparatively long drive of 20 minutes - let's face it, that's about a quarter of the country. In this case, it was a long drive through the rain. We are successfully 3 for 3 in the rain department.
The gardens could easily take a full day to explore, and with a long skirt and an entourage, you'd think you were walking through "Pride and Prejudice." From long flower beds full of roses easily bigger than two fists to Japanese waterfalls and little Fairy Gardens with their moss covered walls and petite stone arches, the gardens are 47 acres of incredible beauty that you could only find in Ireland (likely because it's the only place with nearly enough water to support it. Honestly, this rain has to stop.)
The gardens could easily take a full day to explore, and with a long skirt and an entourage, you'd think you were walking through "Pride and Prejudice." From long flower beds full of roses easily bigger than two fists to Japanese waterfalls and little Fairy Gardens with their moss covered walls and petite stone arches, the gardens are 47 acres of incredible beauty that you could only find in Ireland (likely because it's the only place with nearly enough water to support it. Honestly, this rain has to stop.)
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The Rose and Flower Gardens at Powerscourt Gardens, Ireland
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Fairy Garden at Powerscourt Gardens
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