Braveheart

Yes, William Wallace was Scottish, however the movie was filmed, at least in part, in the Wicklow hills of Ireland, where I was this afternoon. Actually it is the middle of the night so it was yesterday when I was in Dublin and the surrounding area. I succumbed to exhaustion last night, ate an early dinner at the buffet and was in bed at 7:30PM and I'm sure well asleep by 7:31PM! So now I'm somewhat rested, but it is still the middle of the night. Ahhh, the down side of being on the other side of the world. But the upside far outweighs my trouble with the times!

Dublin was a nice city, Diana, Alec and I went into town this morning and since it was a Sunday, not much was open so we took the hop on/off bus and saw an overview of the city. So many famous people from Ireland! Even Bram Stoker went to college here at the famous Trinity College. The famous Book of Kells is there, but I was told that it is currently not on show so we didn't visit there. Another trip another time! We saw the grave of Lord Weston, the man who invented the crossword puzzle. The driver did a great tour, filled with Irish humor. Quite enjoyable!

Then I took the shuttle back to the ship for my afternoon tour and they stayed and enjoyed the city. I was on a tour to the Irish countryside and Glendalough. It means the 'valley of 2 lakes'. The drive was beautiful, green hillsides and spots of cattle and sheep roaming. Just like you might picture Ireland! I became bored with all the history of the monks in Ireland so I left the tour as they roamed through the remains of Glendalough and I talked with local people at the stands of 'wares'. Met an interesting couple who told me about the real story of what is going on with religion in Ireland. I had hoped to learn more about the Celtic background, but that wasn't mentioned at all on the tour. I walked through the ruins of the ancient monastery of St. Kevin and did find it fascinating. There were two stone archways and right inside the 2nd one was a large stone with a cross carved on it, and if someone looking for safely reached that rock they were safe from the outside world, as long as they lived and worked inside the monastery. That is mentioned in a lot of historical books, so it was moving to stand by that stone, knowing the history. I don't usually buy jewelry, but loved a pair of earrings, with the Celtic symbol for the seasons on them, so they are now mine.

Tomorrow will be exciting because my friend Peter will be picking up Diana, Alec and I from the ship when we dock in Liverpool and taking us on our own private tour! We will be heading to Wales and to the charming English town of Chester. So more beauty and fun awaits! There is even a 'Walk in the Steps of the Beatles' tour here and you can actually take a 'Ferry cross the Mersie'! It is supposed to be a beautiful place, developed in the Victorian era. And so, the journey continues!