We left early Saturday morning to head to the Sugarloaf Mountains. There was crazy weather, we're talking rain and INSANE wind. When we got to the Mountains, we were given the option of staying in the bus or climbing the mountain. There were two points, a flat land about halfway up the mountain and the actual peak! There were honestly points where I had to talk myself up and convince myself to KEEP CLIMBING. The wind was blowing from all directions and I could hardly breathe. I finally made it up to the flat land and thought I was done at that point. But then I saw that others were continuing up the mountain. I took a deep breath and knew that if I didn't make it to the top, I would regret it. I am really trying to live with a "no regrets' mantra while I'm here and hoping to carry that with me when I return home. So I knew that I had to make it to the top. And I'm so happy that I did! The weather was actually much better at the top of the mountain, not to mention it had some BEAUTIFUL views. We were only able to sit at the top for a short while before we were on our way to the Wicklow Mountains! Here are some pictures from the Sugarloaf Mountains!
Wicklow and Glendalough were beautiful! Glendalough is an early Christian monastic settlement founded in the 6th century by none other than St. Kevin. You did good, Dad ;]. It is located within Wicklow Mountains National Park. We had a short time to visit Glendalough before we were off to discover what more the Wicklow Mountains had to offer.
Most of our group followed one trail, but Ellie, myself, our friend Sarah, and our new friend Helen decided to take a different route. It was gorgeous. It's so crazy to see something so huge and so beautiful and realize that it's completely natural. Makes you think about how large our world really is. When you're surrounded by something like that, all of the trivial problems seem to vanish. All you can focus on is the beauty right in front of you. This is why I love taking walks down Wisconsin Avenue to the lakefront. I could honestly sit there all day. In this day and age, it's amazing how much we forget about something so simple as that. Don't get me wrong, technology is wonderful. It allows me to write this blog and talk to my loved ones who are so far away. It gives me the chance to document everything I see here through picture taking. It is wonderful, but at the same time I feel that it prevents us from seeing the beauty right in front of us. I am a teenager (but only for two more weeks!) and so I know that we are all obsessed with our phones (in my case, an ipod touch) but I really want to make a conscious effort to put all devices aside and be present in each moment. Okay, cue soapbox removal. In any case, here are some pictures from Wicklow
I was this close to the little sheep!
These little guys were best buds!
Not too shabby for a bed view, huh Dad?
Unfortunately, we ran out of time to see Powerscourt Gardens. I was really disappointed. But I'm pretty positive that you can reach them through the Dublin Bus System, so I will have to make a trip out there before I leave. It's so crazy, today I reached my one month mark here in Dublin. I honestly cannot believe that! One month down, three to go. How insane is that? I feel as though this is just the beginning, yet I'm already a quarter of the way through of my time here. W E I R D. If the next three months are anything like this past month, I know I am in for the best moments of my life. Slainte to that!
The past week has been a good one! This past Sunday I went for a 2.5 hour walk around campus and the surrounding neighborhoods with my friend Dani. It was a lot of fun and really nice to get out of the area that I was used to. My favorite part was probably when a little girl was trying to catch up to her mom walking ahead. She yelled "STOP IN THE NAME OF THE QUEEN". I couldn't help but laugh and think about all of the funny things that the children I nanny during the summer say. I miss them SO much and I can't wait for another fun summer with all of them when I get back! Tuesday, Dani and I tried Pilates, but the class was huge and our instructors microphone wasn't working, so it was pretty difficult to understand her. In any case, we tried it and I'm happy. Wednesday, the international students were given the opportunity to see the UCD musical, Jesus Christ Superstar, for free! Didn't have to ask me twice, of course. It was really well done and well performed from start to finish. From the set, the lighting, and the cast, I really enjoyed it. Definitely made me sentimental about all the theatre productions I did in high school. Those were the days! Who knows, maybe one day I will get back on stage. Tonight we were invited to another free event, wine, finger food, and a french film (Paris, I Love You). I had a really nice time!
And so here I am back in my cute little room and procrastinating packing for CORK! I am headed off for another fun filled three day trip to Cork, Kilkenny, Blarney, Cobh, and much more! I'm going to steal this from my roommate, Ellie, because it's just too good. "Off to Cork for
the weekend to get my Valentine's Day kiss aka the
Blarney Stone" hahah this is too perfect!
All joking aside, I really hope everyone has a wonderful
Valentine's Day! I know it's really easy to be bitter about not having a significant other by your side, but I choose to see the good. I know that I am loved, and that I love in return. I have so many wonderful people in my life and that is more than I could ask for. This time last year, I went to see Safe Haven with my friend India and came back to my dorm to find out that my Mom left me an adorable little valentine's day gift bag. It truly made my day. Though it makes me sad that she can't do that this year, I know that I have so much to look forward to this weekend, so there is no time to think about the negative! So regardless of whether or not you have someone to go out to dinner with and kiss goodnight tomorrow, know that YOU ARE LOVED.
Okay, I am off to pack for Cork and get some good sleep! I leave you with a beautiful video that my friend, Ashley, shared with me.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIXoYHYEnkg
Happy Valentine's Day!
PS: Sorry about the weird spacing and highlighting at the end, I don't know how to fix it :/
No comments:
Post a Comment