Glendalough and Wicklow

We had toyed with the idea of going on a little trip with Drew's parents while they were here, and we finally opted to go Glendalough and Wicklow in the Wicklow Mountains, just about an hour south of Dublin.  We'd heard amazing things about the area (which proved to be true) and we figured we'd show them some authentic Irish countryside.  And some authentic Lauren car-sickness while driving through windy mountain roads.  Damnit!  

So...Wicklow is home to one of the tallest mountains in Ireland, as well as BEAUTIFUL landscapes.  It's sometimes known as the "Hollywood of Europe" because so many films are made here - including, but not limited to...Braveheart, P.S. I Love You, Becoming Jane (my fave!), Ella Enchanted, Leap Year, Michael Collins, My Boy Jack, My Left Foot, The Count of Monte Cristo, and The Tudors!  Cooool!  

Anyway, enough Hollywood trivia.  We drove the hour's drive there, having to stop twice on the way because someone thought they were gonna throw up (me) and finally successfully made it to Glendalough.

Glendalough means "glen of two lakes" and is famous for its two beautiful lakes (duh) and it's medieval monastic settlement founded by St. Kevin in the 6th century.  Woah baby.  We hiked and lived the dream, as per usual.

Photo opp!
"Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness..."

Grass.  Pretty.

More misty mountains.  I love alliteration!

Breathtaking.  And nauseating.  

The monastery and cemetery!

The famous Round Tower.

O'Doyle rules.

Ruins.

More ruins.  And graves.

Some cute couple in front of the Round Tower.

Ruins of St. Kevin's Church.

Parents and son!

Sexy.

Sexy.

Sexy.

Beginning of the gorgeous hike.

Babbling brook!

Landscape shot of the Tower.

An Enchanted Forest!  (The first of many Enchanted Forest shots, I'm afraid.)

A field across the lake with some sheep grazing.  Is this real life?

Another forest.  

I'm not gonna lie: all of these trees kinda made me wanna run into them and get lost and play some game about being a witch or princess or something.  

Pretty waterfall.

More of the same.

Look!  Irish wildlife in it's natural habitat!

Another road into a mystical forest.

The Upper Lake!

Mountains!

Tower + creek = love.

After Glendalough, we headed over to the Powerscourt Estate to look at the home and gardens.  A little history (mostly for my brother's benefit): this area used to house a 13th medieval castle, owned by the Le Power family.  Two big powerful families, the O'Tooles and the Fitzgeralds, battled it out constantly over this pup.  It didn't even matter though cause in the 1600s, Queen Elizabeth I gave the whole area to a Richard Wingfield for his military achievements.  It changed into a big house/estate in the 1700s, burned down in the 1970s, and was rebuilt to it's former glory and now is a big tourist attraction for it's expansive gardens, the Avoca wool mill, and the Ritz-Carlton :)  Enough history?  Now onto the pics!

The estate.

David being a kook.

Funny looking but beautiful trees.

The Pepperpot Tower, inspired by a pepper pot on the dinner table!

Can't see a canon without a Hook 'em pic.

Japanese Gardens.  So lovely and tranquil.

Tower hidden in the trees.

David being a kook again pretending to drink out of the waterfall.

Me and Suz.

View from the bottom.

Blossoms!  Spring has sprung!  God willing.

Silly Suz.

Me and David.

Just...pretty.

Still got it after 30 years!

Smoochies.

After a much calmer drive home, we went home to get ready, I got a job offer (!),  we went to a delicious dinner at Salamanca for some tapas, heard some live music at The Brazen Head, and went home and crashed.  We had a lovely day together!