sabato 16 maggio 2009

Glendalough, The Spink, Co. Wicklow- IRELAND.

Glendalough, The Spink- Co. Wicklow, Ireland.

Nearby Stephen Green’s park, in Dawson Street, in front of the Mansion House you’ll find St Kevin’s Bus Station. The timetable is available on www.glendaloughbus.com .
I got it at 11.30 a.m. and in an hour and 10 minutes we reached Glendalough, that means, as the sound suggests, “The valley of the Two Lakes”. Gleann dà Loch.

The site encompasses Glendalough, the Lower and the Upper Lake.
Of course the main interest of this amazing site are the remains of this monastic settlement where the history of the monk Kevin (do you remember “Kevins’s Bus Station”?) helps understanding the deep and calm spirituality of the site.
On the Internet you will find more information about the history of Glendalough monastic settlement.

For a day trip, I suggest visiting Teampall na Skellig, the original site of St Kevin’s settlement and, of course, passing by Kevin’s cell with an incredible trekking (actually very easy) on the “Spink Walk”. It will take your breathe away.

Following the track, after crossing the wooden-bridge on the left of the Museum before the monastic site (looking from the parking bus/ the main, and only, square), we arrive at Lower Lake within 5 minutes. We go on, up to the National Park Information Point, in front of the Upper Lake, but we’ll admire it at the end of the trekking, while we relax our legs.

We now follow the white track on the left, admiring in brief the waterfalls from the river Poulanass, and we go on, up to the shoulder of the hill following the wooden “stairs” track.
Then we finally leave the wood. On our right, we take a look at the vertical cliffs that go down for about 300m ; they offer an impressive view on the two lakes. The glacial origin is an obvious evidence. A little piece of a pure irish landscape at only one hour from Dublin.

Coming to Glendalough without having a walk up to the Spink would mean missing the magnifency and essentiality of the place the monk Kevin had found at the early ages of irish christianity.

Actually, the entire “Wicklow Way” starts from Dublin and goes to Clonegall ; it is 132 km long. Most of us might not be fit enough to try this experience, but in just 2 hours you can breathe and reach the sound of the magic irish landscape. If you are in Dublin for a weekend, just try it. At night, the beers will surely have a deeper taste.

The Upper Lake





The Spink Walk







The monastic site


The Bruxelles, in Harry Street, Dublin.
Downstairs, rock and metal area.
The statue is not J. Hendrix but...Philip Lynott, Thin Lizzy. Do u know the irish song Whiskey in the jar rock version?

The best.
The Spire.
The general post office.
Travelling to Belfast.
Belfast.
Too british...