Blessington Lake
Hitting the "one month before classes end and most the wolf pack leaves for home" mark has really lit a fire under all of us and therefore we took advantage of a sunny day in Ireland (although apparently there is quite a lot of ash floating around because our airport is closed). Brittany suggested and planned a trip into the Wicklow Mountains to see Blessington Lake, which is apparently one of the filming locations in
PS: I Love You. We didn't have much of a plan other than seeing it and taking in Ireland.
Jen and Stacy also joined Brittany and I for the adventure. We hoped on the bus in Dublin and after an hour ride we in Blessington. We got off of the Dublin Bus in what seemed like the middle of nowhere, literally on a country road next to a gas station. Guess Blessington isn't a big tourist destination. We headed into the gas station to pick up some ice cream bars to munch on while walking and then headed over to the lake.
We got to the lake itself and what can I say? There were gorgeous views that seem to be everywhere in Ireland. The four of us found a perch above the lake, kicked off our shoes, put on our shades, and soaked up the atmosphere and sun. It was a great time just enjoying the blue sky and each other's company.
Taking it in
After resting for a while we decided to try and get closer to the lake so we could dip our toes in. We climbed down to the shore and put our feet in the water to discover that it was very chilly. Of course, with all my exposure to chilly water through my years of diving and vacationing to California during March this was not going to stop me from enjoying Blessington Lake.
Jen was in awe of the beauty standing before her and had to embrace it the only way she knew how- by stripping down and jumping in. So Jen peeled off her clothes and waded into Blessington Lake to become one with nature. I had her camera and stood by the shore snapping pictures (because she wanted to capture the moment, not because I'm a creep). I'm sure you can guess what happened next...
I couldn't let Jen have all the fun with this once in a lifetime experience so next thing I knew I was laying my underwear on the beach and walking in after her. Of course, the moment was slightly dampened by my constant fears of being arrested for not only swimming in a lake that you are not supposed to swim in, but swimming there in the nude. But to contrast that, it was also a very liberating experience. (And Brittany and Stacy have seen more of Jen and I then they ever cared to.)
So we hopped around giggling and taking in nature for a while before the cold water was too much for us and we headed for shore. I sundried for a little bit and then we packed up and hiked a little more.
Our goal was to get to the bus station in town, a little farther down the road from the lake so we started walking that direction. Turns out what could have been a quaint country road was a death wish. The cars were going very quickly and there was no shoulder for us to walk on so we had to get in the shrubs on the side of the road and walk there. At one point we ran into a path that went into the woods and walked down that for a while. While in the woods, which Jen thought definitely held fairies, we stumbled across a bunch of shamrocks. They were so cute and green and Irish. We also made friends with the sheep and lambs in the fields, but our interaction consisted mostly of them running away from us when they heard us trudging through the brush.
Can you believe this? That's real life Ireland!
Not all who wander are lost.
Successful day.
Eventually we were walking down the road when I spotted the bus coming. I flagged it down like the pro I am and we hopped on to head back to Dublin. On the ride back Jen and I discussed Harry Potter and when we arrived in Dublin we finished off our Irish day with an all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet.
