If you like Thomas Kincade paintings, you can't help but love Ireland. While these photos don't do the landscape justice, you'll get a better idea of the beauty by clicking on the photos to enlarge them.
As nice as Dublin and other famous cities may be, the pastoral setting of places like Glendalough draws Julie and I like moths to a flame. When you look at these photos, I think you'll understand why.
Our self-guided tour of Ireland came with a book of bed & breakfast farmhouses from which to choose. We did not make advance reservations, except for the first night in Glendalough, which is a short drive from Dublin. Finding a particular B&B on unmarked rural roads can be challenging, but it's nice to know that a pre-selected, charming bedroom waits.
We eventually found our host's farm, and the lodgings were every bit as nice as our book said. After settling in, we headed down to a nearby pub for dinner. The pub meals throughout Ireland were excellent, modestly priced and rich with atmosphere. That particular night, a soccer game on the telly accompanied our meal. Julie said she remembered the locals wondering what we were doing traveling to Ireland in February, when it is definitely rather chilly. I guess my answer now would be that the rumors of global warming proved to be greatly exaggerated.
Ireland is without question one of the greenest places in the world. Greenery grows through stones, it seems. It is beautiful for the foliage alone, but it grows around and through centuries old buildings, like the Glendalough Monastery.
Without a guidebook, it would be hard to know what anything is, but you still couldn't help but be overwhelmed by the beauty of St. Kevin's Kitchen, the 110 ft. tall Roundtower, St. Kevin's Cross, a roofless Cathedral, and the Gatehouse, the only remaining example of a monastic gateway in Ireland. A guidebook, however, is a cheap investment.
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