First official day of our tour of the Emerald Isle
Awaking this morning at the Alexander Hotel in Dublin, all 17 of our tour group were in various states of alertness, but all with anticipation of what adventures the day would bring. After a full Irish breakfast, we met our driver Kevin and our tour guide Nora, then boarded our big comfy coach. Although Dublin had much more to offer than we had time to explore, we turned to the Irish suburbs and countryside, headed for the gardens.
The first garden may end up being the best of all; time will tell. June Blake’s Gardenis a private garden of great diversity and masterful use of plant textures and colors to create a “painting” of plants on her old family farm. We also appreciated her generous hospitality and renovation of the buildings. It’s hard to imagine any place more beautiful and welcoming.
Kevin drove skillfully through narrow, winding roads through lovely countryside of fields and mountains. One area was a key filiming location for the movies “Braveheart” and “Reign of Fire”. The hills were covered with heather, gorse, bracken, and other native plants. Kevin and Nora provided a wealth of information as we traveled.
By time we reached our next stop, Powerscourt Gardens in County Wicklow, we were ready for lunch in the cafe, which served high quality lunch options. As soon as possible, we entered these varied, topnotch gardens, which have been voted third best in the whole world. It includes a walled garden, Italianate garden, Japanese garden, and many other features. This site also has quality gift shops scattered throughout the historic estate building.
After another ride throught the countryside, we came to our hotel, Seven Oaks in Carlow. We relaxed and tried communicating with loved ones back home. At last it was time for our Welcome Dinner, where most of us selected the excellent salmon. It was great to relax together, get to know each other, enjoy an excellent meal, and anticipate the upcoming week of adventures.
