Two Views of Wicklow
Today we went for a long bus
ride with multiple bus stops to visit a county called Wicklow. Though
some resented the idea of a bus ride that extended 10 minutes, we all managed
to carry on with the 2 hour, or so, bus ride. Along the way we made many
pit stops in which we got 5-15 minutes to explore. Before we even left the city, we stopped at the statue of poet Patrick Kavanagh beside the Grand Canal. We read two of his poems here in the spot that inspired them.
Though my only thought was to get a soft serve or "99
cent"(which is what a soft serve ice cream is called here) ice cream, we
all paused for a second to really embrace the beauty of the land around
us. It was special to me when we stopped at the Martello Tower where James Joyce lived and that he used as the opening in his novel Ulysses because the nearby beach happened to be just down
the street to where my father grew up.
Our third stop, Bray, is a seaside town, and though it was just down the street, my hunt for
soft serve ice cream was still all I could think about. Taking loads of
pictures of beautiful Bray Head in the background, we saw someone carrying
an ice cream and bolted. Though it was gelato, we settled. Not
quite satisfied with the gelato, I was still determined to get my 99
cent.
At the next stop we came upon one of the most famous sites in all of Ireland, the monastic settlement at Glendalough
While there we managed to find the soft serve I was so craving, but
unfortunately I was not able to get some. Though the craving for the said
ice cream was insignificant to the 1000 year old tomb stones. With the
massive watch tower in which the monks used to live in, to the small chapel
that was in the center, all were amazed at how something this old could still be
standing. At our last stop I stumbled upon an ice cream stop and
thought some divine intervention was at work.
In the back of my mind we all couldn't think that we were leaving
in two days. Truly a bitter sweet feeling of being able to come home to
our family, but on the other hand were leaving the wonderful time we've had
here in green paradise; not to mention the unnecessarily copious amounts of
make up work we will all have. All in all this trip has really been one
of the greatest trips I have ever taken.
James O'Dea
Though my only thought was to get a soft serve or "99
cent"(which is what a soft serve ice cream is called here) ice cream, we
all paused for a second to really embrace the beauty of the land around
us. It was special to me when we stopped at the Martello Tower where James Joyce lived and that he used as the opening in his novel Ulysses because the nearby beach happened to be just down
the street to where my father grew up. At the next stop we came upon one of the most famous sites in all of Ireland, the monastic settlement at Glendalough
While there we managed to find the soft serve I was so craving, but
unfortunately I was not able to get some. Though the craving for the said
ice cream was insignificant to the 1000 year old tomb stones. With the
massive watch tower in which the monks used to live in, to the small chapel
that was in the center, all were amazed at how something this old could still be
standing. At our last stop I stumbled upon an ice cream stop and
thought some divine intervention was at work.
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From the
enthralling adventure of drudging through the plains of Ireland in a sauna with
wheels, to hugging a gravestone trying to touch one's fingertips together to
disparately wish for AC, each and every person truly surfaced their extreme
mental and physical toughness. We traversed through narrow passageways in a
coach bus to a monastic site that is thousands of years old. Surprisingly, it
seemed to be a hybrid between a country could (?) and historic site, which I guess
isn't that bad. Yet our bus driver, who must've followed the teachings of
Socrates and great philosophers everywhere, unloaded his vast ken of knowledge
concerning graves and monastic buildings to the young group and me. Besides the
fact that I could've passed any Irish graveyard AP course, my fellow pupils and
I were awestruck by the overpowering beauty of more mountains and even more
pastures. Following this perilous journey through the land of the dead, we
hopped back onto the coach blossoming with the aroma of teenage sweat
accompanied by other enlightening smells. Despite the setting, the group continued
to play many classic sing-alongs riddled with ear piercing solos from the bold
few.
From the
enthralling adventure of drudging through the plains of Ireland in a sauna with
wheels, to hugging a gravestone trying to touch one's fingertips together to
disparately wish for AC, each and every person truly surfaced their extreme
mental and physical toughness. We traversed through narrow passageways in a
coach bus to a monastic site that is thousands of years old. Surprisingly, it
seemed to be a hybrid between a country could (?) and historic site, which I guess
isn't that bad. Yet our bus driver, who must've followed the teachings of
Socrates and great philosophers everywhere, unloaded his vast ken of knowledge
concerning graves and monastic buildings to the young group and me. Besides the
fact that I could've passed any Irish graveyard AP course, my fellow pupils and
I were awestruck by the overpowering beauty of more mountains and even more
pastures. Following this perilous journey through the land of the dead, we
hopped back onto the coach blossoming with the aroma of teenage sweat
accompanied by other enlightening smells. Despite the setting, the group continued
to play many classic sing-alongs riddled with ear piercing solos from the bold
few.
Just as Eddie Money
was about to inspire many in "Take Me Home Tonight," we arrived at
the ancient jail. As we sludged our way to the waiting room, I noticed a man
dressed in rags with old fashion handcuffs. After some time waiting in the
rectangular tomb of hopes and dreams, this man came through the door looking
like a slave and proceeded to attempt to strike fear in our hearts as part of
his job pre-tour. Myself, and I believe many others, were not able to take him
seriously, considering he was a 30 year old man who was in a costume. However,
we did thoroughly enjoy the fruitful experience walking through the low-doored
ancient jail for a good half an hour. We really did get a feel for what it felt
like to be an enemy of the British Empire. After some time, the experience
turned into selfies with wax statues and attempting to startle "easily
rattled" classmates from dark corners. All in all, the day was a great
experience to look back on, but the sauna on wheels blessed with the stench of
21 teenage boys did not make it easy. Regardless, the experience was a fruitful
and beautiful one.
Just as Eddie Money
was about to inspire many in "Take Me Home Tonight," we arrived at
the ancient jail. As we sludged our way to the waiting room, I noticed a man
dressed in rags with old fashion handcuffs. After some time waiting in the
rectangular tomb of hopes and dreams, this man came through the door looking
like a slave and proceeded to attempt to strike fear in our hearts as part of
his job pre-tour. Myself, and I believe many others, were not able to take him
seriously, considering he was a 30 year old man who was in a costume. However,
we did thoroughly enjoy the fruitful experience walking through the low-doored
ancient jail for a good half an hour. We really did get a feel for what it felt
like to be an enemy of the British Empire. After some time, the experience
turned into selfies with wax statues and attempting to startle "easily
rattled" classmates from dark corners. All in all, the day was a great
experience to look back on, but the sauna on wheels blessed with the stench of
21 teenage boys did not make it easy. Regardless, the experience was a fruitful
and beautiful one.
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