Sorry guys! I’m literally the worst! I’ve almost been in Ireland a whole week and I have yet to write anything, please don’t hate me… SO, we’ve been doing a ton since the wheels hit the ground. I’ll fill you in on the first few days in a recap post later. I’m just going to share about one of my adventures from yesterday in this one.
Yesterday was Tuesday, June 20. Tuesdays we go on field trips exploring Ireland. All 58 of us, pile into these huge coach buses. I have a group I tend to go adventuring with. But I want this to be as much of a growing experience as I can, so I try to not be super picky about who I end up sitting with on the bus or in the classroom. My seat mate this time around did not have the same approach. She put in headphones almost right away and ended up putting her foot on me for a lot of the ride #rude. Any who, I just re-positioned each time it happened and tried to get in a nap. Note to future travelers: Ireland has a lot of green and if you have allergies, bring meds! I have had a bit of a sinus cold the last few days. My bus nap literally gave me new life!
Once I got up, we were still on the bus, out the window was some of the most beautiful countryside I have ever seen. I’m from Georgia, I go hiking and see some of the most beautiful scenery, I’m telling you guys it has got nothing on the scenery in Ireland. It’s green for miles, with cute little cottages dotted here or there. I’ve always thought the phase ‘rolling hills’ was cute but never really saw anything that captured its essence. In Ireland, there are rolling hills and every type of imagery and titillation that stirs up in you hearing that phase, is everything they are. We then passed through a few little hilltop towns which were equally enrapturing. They moved with the geography, winding up the hill. I need to give a s/o to Tony, our bus driver, how he navigated those tiny little roads on an incline was impressive as hell! If it had been me, I would have swung the back half of that bus into half the town, for sure. The homes and shops were stacked close together but it had the effect of looking homey instead of cramped. I could see into the windows of the homes and almost all of them had flowers in the window sill. The buildings were all brightly painted stucco that complemented the topography exceptionally. The road and sidewalk were cobblestone, adding to its charm. I felt like if I got off the bus and knocked on someone’s door they would welcome me in, pour me some tea and chat with me like we had know each since kindergarten. It was the warmest place I have ever been to and we were just driving through it.
After Tony miraculously got the bus up the hill and through the tightest gate, we arrived at Woodstock House Gardens. I assure you, it was one of the most tranquil places I have ever been. Our group had a tour guide, the head gardener of the entire complex, John. Woodstock House was part of the Tighe family for generations but it was William Tighe and his wife Lady Louisa Lennox who established the gardens between 1840-1900. They hired plants hunters to go all around the world and bring back the most beautiful and exotic plants they could find. The gardens contain trees and plants from Asia, America, and other parts of Europe. The trees and plants are able to thrive in the gardens because Ireland has some of the riches soil in the world. Monkey puzzle trees from Chile grow in the gardens as well as redwood trees from California. John said that House hosted guest such as the Queen of England as well as other high status individuals. I felt privileged to be walking the same grounds as a Queen once did. The House was dilapidated and completely reclaimed by the vegetation but that added to its aura. I was swept up into its magic and filled with childlike awe of its beauty. I wanted so badly to take my shoes off and just run around in the gardens all day. I didn’t take off my shoes but we did run around in there for a while. Of course I took a ton of pictures.
Well, that’s all I can do tonight guys!
Outside the Garden 