Glendalough

This past Sunday we took a drive south of Dublin and into the Wicklow mountains. We meandered our way through the countryside on narrow winding roads. The scenery was beautiful; green as usual but also with flowers in full bloom as we are well into spring. We were treated to many broad vistas and noted the more manicured and lush landscape when compared with the rugged Rockies we are used to. (Interestingly enough Ireland does not have a large number of trees as the island was deforested long ago to build ships and dwellings. There is a large effort underway to restore the forests. )
We drove from one little hamlet to the next until we arrived in the Glendalough Valley. The valley is the site of a Monastery that was settled by St. Kevin in the 6th century. We hiked through the valley past two small lakes all the while exploring the remains of the settlement. There are a few small churches, houses and graveyards. The most interesting site is a well-preserved four story stone tower used as a lookout and for protection at time of attacks. In all the rural setting was a welcome change of pace for the city exploring we had been doing so much of.