This past Saturday, I had the chance to go on the County Wicklow tour that I attempted the previous weekend. With midterms approaching this Monday and Wednesday, it was a nice break from studying and stress. The weather called for rain, but at least it wasn't snow. After successfully taking the bus in the morning, we began the tour with the sun shining and the day looking bright.
Unlike my first attempt, I was not sick and the weather actually held up nicely. The first part of the tour was the Powerscourt Gardens, which we did manage to see the first time around. Instead of going through the gardens again, I was able to walk through the very pricey gift shops and sit down to have a delicious peach and sugar scone. We stayed in the Gardens until 12:30, when we got back on the bus to head to the town of Enniskerry again. The town looked much more beautiful than it did the first time. We had lunch at a local restaurant, Poppy's, and then began the part of the tour I didn't get to see the week before.
Our tour guide entertained us with stories of the origins of Ireland while taking us up to see the "Hollywood" of Ireland. County Wicklow has been featured in many films and television shows, such as "The Vikings," "Leap Year," and "P.S. I Love You." On our way to the some of the filming locations, we were able to pull over and see the Powerscourt Gardens Waterfall. At around 398 ft tall, the waterfall is the highest waterfall in all of Ireland.
After the waterfall, we headed towards the "P.S. I Love You Bridge" where Hilary Swank and Gerard Butler's characters first met in the film. It's a bit of an understatement to say I'm a fan of the movie. I'm a huge fan of the movie, and I was completely in shock that I was actually where the movie was filmed. It may sound silly to a lot of people, but movies, especially ones like "P.S. I Love You", are a big interest of mine and I couldn't have been happier than I was standing on and under the bridge.
Surrounding the bridge is the Lough Tay Lake and the Guinness Estate. With its almost black water and white sandy beach, the lake looks like a pint of Guinness which is why the lake is often referred to as the Guinness Lake. The Beatles, Mick Jagger, Michael Jackson, and President Obama are just some of the famous faces that have stayed at the estate. You can stay at the estate, too, for a week for the small price of € 20,000.
After the tour of "Hollywood," we traveled into Glendalough, home of a 6th-century monastic site. Unfortunately, we were not able to spend that much time touring the site, but we did get a chance to explore the scenic lakes and take a walk through some of the early Chrisitan monastic settlement founded by Saint Kevin. It really is a beautiful area, and if I get more time while I'm here, I hope I can go back.
All in all, the day was much better than the first trip. Our tour guide was interactive and informative, the locations were beautiful, and the weather was lovely. I'm finding myself falling more and more in love with this country and all it has in store each and every day. Wicklow proved to be a beautiful experience, and I'm so glad it worked out this time. If you ever get the chance to visit Ireland, I highly suggest going to County Wicklow.
P.S. I Love You...Ireland.
