On Holiday

Last month Melvin had to go on a business trip and he asked me if I would like to come along. I jumped at the chance. I love to go new places and this was somewhere neither of us had ever been, not to mention a place that I had always wanted to visit. Plus, to go somewhere without children for a while...that was an opportunity I could not in my right mind let pass. (Not that I don't love my children; I do. But other than a less than 24-hour period when I was pregnant with Sterling, Melvin and I hadn't spent any extended amount of time together (as in, say, longer than a temple session and the 1-hour drive there and back) without all of our children since before we had any. Needless-to-say, it was long overdue.)


Melvin doesn't travel for work very often and when he does, it's usually to the San Francisco area or somewhere like that. Someplace where I'm not too bummed if I can't go along. This time he was sent to Ireland. No WAY was I staying home!

A hillside in Clonmel. See the cow?

It was absolutely beautiful. Just the way I've always pictured it in my mind (and maybe thanks to movies like The Quiet Man or Far and Away). Rolling green fields, stone fences, sheep and cattle grazing alongside the fences...and occasionally gray, drizzly skies that always seem to make me feel like I'm home in southeast Alaska again.

Our little rental car

We arrived in Dublin on a Sunday morning and after a horrendous hour or so of trying to figure out the GPS thingy (which was not working) in the tiny rental car, trying to remember which side of the extremely narrow road to drive on, attempting to read the signs on the roundabouts, and being somewhat lost for a while, Melvin was about ready to jump on the next flight back to the States. We found our way back to the rental car place where they fixed the GPS and got us going again. It was much easier with that thing working and we made it to church in time for sacrament meeting. Once there we felt much better and decided to continue our trip. :)

In Dublin, Halfpenny Bridge in the background

Where we stayed in Dublin

After church we found the little bed and breakfast where we were staying, parked the car and stashed our stuff, then spent some time walking around the center of Dublin. Monday morning and early afternoon were also spent in Dublin with the added excitement of detours and delays due to the running of the Dublin Marathon that day. We eventually saw what we wanted to see, toured a couple of castles, then set out for the city of Clonmel in County Tipperary, which is where Melvin's company has their plant.

In the grand reception hall of Dublin Castle

Dublin Castle Tower

Outside the walls of Rathfarnham Castle

One of a series of valuable paintings (over 100 years old) depicting the life of Christ set into ceiling panels at Rathfarnham Castle

Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday were spent in Clonmel. Melvin worked all day while I wandered around town by myself, in and out of shops, museums, the public library (I couldn't resist seeing what sorts of titles they had on their shelves), and old churches. I was a history major in college, so I was really in my element.

Part of the old wall built around Clonmel that helped defend the city for a while when Oliver Cromwell came calling

Another part of the town wall. I love how the stairs are so worn down from time and the elements

This is getting pretty long. Stay tuned for the second half of our Ireland trip!