Rocks and Ruins (08.18.12 - Pt. II)

08.18.12 - Pt. II

Continuing our drive, we began to ascend into the Wicklow mountains. The Heather was starting to bloom, creating streaks of brown and purple over the lush green mountains.

As we drove further up, we discovered odd scars dug into the mountains, were parts of the dirt had been undercut beneath the flowers. These little piles popped up, which Eric explained is peat, a material similar to coal. The scars on the sides of the mountains are from hundreds of years of digging out peat by hand, which was what many used to keep warm in the winter, especially during the times of famine. Now, it is nearly impossible to come up and dig since the land is government owned an illegal to dig (though not illegal to sell). However, people seem to still get away with it in rather large quantities (since this shot was taken, I've seen huge sections of Peat drying in the sun). The scars will hopefully heal quickly.

We discovered hills of sheep and lakes, and tremendous views of the farmlands we’d driven through. We even passed a film set where they are currently filming the Tudors. The lake they are on is close to the estate owned by the Guinness family, and on the shores of the lake, the water is so dark it almost reminds one of a settling pint of beer.

With grumbling stomachs, we stopped in a small town and ate lunch at the Roundwood Inn, in the tiny, quaint town of Roundwood. After a quick bite and a glass of Smithwicks, we drove on through many other smaller towns, some still with remainders of medieval street plans.

We stopped a few times along the way after lunch to witness more high crosses and ruins.

Eventually, we reached the highway, and most of us dozed in the car for a while, before suddenly coming upon the entrance to our next hotel. The DunBrody is a quiet country estate, which was only recently in the past 15 years turned into a hotel, and like many other places, used to be a private residence. My room is called the “Gold Room,” and appropriately, is rather warm.

Taking a brief walk around the grounds, we discovered many flowers, a short woods walk, and a small dog that appeared to be wandering the grounds. Coco was the name on her tag, and she followed us around as we explored.

The Dunbrody is Internet-less, which was the only downside save the pressure-less lukewarm shower I took before dinner. It’s really beautiful, and I do like it here, even if my parents found the hotel a bit tired. However, we only have one night here. For dinner, I had a simple dish of mushroom risotto once more.  This was the dining room we ate in, which had a fun color scheme.

On to more adventures tomorrow – headed towards the shore for a drive to our next location, which should include plenty of scenic stops.