Glendalough

I didn't do much for Sunday morning. I was starting to get lazy, perhaps weariness with the trip was starting to set in. Or perhaps there wasn't as much in Dublin to interest me as I had thought. Natural scenery, the best part of the trip, was mostly over. The museums are of course treasure troves but I don't find it necessary to look at the actual artifacts to get a sense of history.

I had signed up for a half-day tour of Glendalough. It would also be the last Irish county I would visit: County Wicklow which is favoured for walks and hikes.

The bus driver was a chatty fellow (aren't they all?) and told us snippets of interesting information heading south from Dublin.

We were dropped off ouside the visitor centre (which we did not enter) and given instructions to reach the loughs.

First we reached a road junction where there were these vendors.

Then up this path.

The ruins of the cathedral, surrounded by the churchyard.

The interior of the cathedral.

The roundtower.

Near the edge of the site, St. Kevin's Church.

Then it was downhill to the bridge across the stream where we turned onto Green Road Walk, the trail to the lakes.

It had been raining recently so the stream was fast.

I got talking to an elderly Indian couple from the tour. They were from Italy, on holiday. Possibly retired. They had only a few days. I encouraged them to take longer trips within Europe.

After about 5 minutes we reached southern bank of the lower lake.

I'll show the panoramas here or they'll be out of place later:

At this point the rain turned heavier. The Indian couple gave up and turned back. I pulled my jacket's hood over my head and pressed on. I was determined not to miss out on the upper lake. About 10 minutes later I reached it.

I think it was worth it.

Some of the locals.

Close up.

Why are they always preening when I take their pictures?

The southern bank of the valley.

The northern bank.

Glendalough Park seems to be a popular spot for picnics and gatherings.

The panorama, before I forget:

On the way back, the tour took us to Lough Tay.

We climbed a little rise and this is what we saw.

The other half.

It's part of the private estate of Luggala.

Panorama:

And that was the end of the half-day excursion. My jacket had got so wet that water seeped through to the inside. It is water resistant, not water proof. To say nothing about my jeans and shoes. I was glad I would be discarding the shoes later. I was shivering when I got off the tour bus in Dublin.

I was determined to get a warm bowl of phở for dinner, so I caught the light rail to Aobaba on Capel Street, where I had this. It was pretty good for Ireland, but we have more Vietnamese joints in Australia.

I must have had a quiet evening, my diary records nothing else.

Cork: Fitzgerald's Park

I was beginning to think I had allocated too many days to Cork. Perhaps 1½ would have been sufficient. I had thought there might be civic events connected with the gastronomical aspects of the city. Cork turned out to be a little scruffy, not in an unpleasant way, but I could see that some inhabitants were just getting by and many businesses were shuttered.

Anyway, my accommodation was booked so I just had to amuse myself before moving on by bus the next day. So I betook myself to Fitzgerald's Park for this day. Cork Public Museum is on the grounds.

The weather was fine so I decided to get some exercise by walking the 2 km to the park. The section along the north branch of the River Lee was pleasant. For some silly reason, I thought the museum was up the hill. So I crossed the river using Daly's Bridge (that has the nickname Shakey Bridge) and started up the hill. When I reached the putative location I realised it was the Cork City Gaol there, which didn't interest me. So I retraced my steps. I had actually passed the museum on my way in.

There are some intriguing street furniture scattered around the park.

Trimmed plants.

Hmm, not sure and didn't take notes.

A pond and fountain.

Local residents.

Shady paths.

Venerable tree.

Now for some views of the river.

Same vantage point.

In panorama:

Further upstream.

These two photos may have been taken from Daly's Bridge.

At this point I decided to visit the museum. I didn't take any photos because I didn't think I could do justice to the breadth of subjects covered. from notable Corkonians (I had to search for the demonym for Cork), Jews in Cork's history, Cork's participation in the Irish War of Independence, past industries in Cork, and many others that slip my mind.

After that I had a beverage at the cafe at the back of the museum.

I decided to return to the city centre via the path on the other bank of the river.

Nearing modern buildings.

Crossing N Main Street into the city centre.

And that was the end of my touring on my last day in Cork. I probably wandered through shops and shopping centres the rest of the day, not the best use of holiday time. I think I was catching my breath after the driving of the previous 12 days.