Glendalough & Dublin, Ireland

After spending the night outside Dublin, we rented a car and drove down to Glendalough, about an hour south of Dublin in the Wicklow Mountains. Glendalough, which means "between two lakes", is home to a monastic settlement founded by St. Kevin in the 6th century.

Glendalough became a place of pilgrimage. The pope said that seven trips to Glendalough would be equal to one trip to the Vatican. Here is St. Kevin's church against the valley's beautiful scenery. 

This is the Upper Lake in the Glendalough valley, about a mile from the main monastic site. The whole area very pretty if not a little eerie.

The next day we went to Trinity College in Dublin to see the Book of Kells. The book is made of 4 lavishly decorated copies of the Gospel. It was probably made by monks in the 9th century in Iona, on the west coast of Scotland.

After the visiting the Book of Kells we headed over to the Guinness Storehouse. We went through a self guided tour explaining the production and history of the beer, eventually working our way up to the top floor for a pint and a panoramic view of the city.

 I can't say that Dublin is the prettiest city I'd ever been to. Ireland has a tough and seemingly violent history (as evident in the human remains on display at the National Museum of History and Archeology). Yikes. The people seem proud of their culture; especially their music which I would say is the best part of Ireland.