Day Three

Today was probably the best day so far! We went to a little town outside of Dublin called Glendalough. It is the most beautiful place I have ever seen. We had to take about an hour bus ride through small towns and the countryside. I think my bus driver was a former nascar driver. I have never been on such a fast bus with a driver who doesn't care about turns or oncoming traffic. Mom, you would have HATED the bus ride. It was all worth it though. We got to Glendalough and went on an hour hike through the mountains. We saw sooo many trees, rivers, and waterfalls. Also, there used to be a monastery there until the 15th century so we got to see all of the ruins. The hike was only steep for about ten minutes and then it was pretty easy. I will post pictures on facebook later but until then you should google it! Seriously, I have never seen a place so pretty in real life. They had a huge park area too where families were playing and having picnics. After our hike we had lunch and then took a tour of church ruins and an old bell tower the monks used. Aunt Stacy and Uncle Bill (and Spencer, Josie, and Oliver) would really like the hike. There are also two lakes there (Glendalough actually means valley of the lakes or something like that). The lakes are mostly just for swimming and playing in; not so much for fishing or boating. There were some cemeteries dating back to the 6th century we got to see. It is so interesting being able to be somewhere that old and historic. Knowing that monks and farmers lived in those mountains hundreds of years ago really makes you feel like you are somewhere important. I am not sure what the rest of the plans for the night are. We are leaving for Galway early tomorrow morning though. There we will visit social welfare agencies and attend a few lectures. We will be there until Sunday I believe and then it is off to Cork.

Also, I just realized my email account is not working. I saw mom and Aunt Diane sent me something so hopefully I can get it to let me open my mail in Galway tomorrow! Hope everyone is doing well.