WATERFORD AND BRAY, IRELAND...

We had a few days left in our trip so we stopped in Waterford and Bray before heading back to Dublin.  Waterford had a lot of things to see and do related to vikings and Bray is a seaside resort town.

WATERFORD

Viking tower, called Reginald's Tower, dates from the year 900!  This is the view from the Tower Hotel, which we loved!

Waterford crystal is made here - we went on a wonderful factory tour!

One of the few pieces of colored Waterford crystal.

Molds for crystal pieces

Design and cutting area

Viking longboat by Reginald's Tower

They even have a piece of the Twin Towers from NYC as a 9-11 Memorial!  

Strongbow and Aoife statues

In the Viking Triangle, there are several attractions to see, including this carved giant sword.  It is right next to an old church ruin and other attractions.

Strongbow and Aiofe again - outside the Medieval Museum.  We  learned more about the history of Waterford in the museum, but it wasn't our favorite thing there.  Strongbow and Aiofe were from England and Waterford Ireland and their marriage in 1168 solidified the relationship between the two countries.  

There was a bit of sun in the forecast,  so we drove a short way to Anne's Valley.  We walked in Anne's Valley to Dunhill castle ruin.  We had the place to ourselves!

One of my favorite pictures, looking out of the castle!

The morning we left, we stopped by a Friday market in St. Olaf's Hall.  We got some homemade  goodies!

ON THE WAY TO BRAY

We stopped in Enniscorthy for lunch at a charming little cafe called Toffee & Thyme.  Delicious!

I got some "biscuit cake" to go!  It was kind of like vanilla wafers encased in chocolate almond bark.  

It was raining so we didn't stop, but Enniscorthy Castle looks awesome!

Next stop:  Wicklow  This is the castle by the sea and there's not much of it left!  It was windy and rainy but we enjoyed exploring the area for a few minutes and walking down by the little lighthouse.

BRAY

The rocky beach in Bray - so pretty!  Lots of hotels along here that enjoy the views.

Our hotel, which has some beauty and charm to it, although the rooms are 80's style. 

Somebody was a little hangry so we stopped to get  a treat!

There is a walk along the sea (on a good path) to Greystones, or a more difficult path up to the cross.  After the ice cream The Hubs was ready for a challenge and so we took the steep, rocky and muddy (in some places) trail up to the cross.  We got some great views!

We ended our stay in Ireland this time with a wonderful meal at a seaside restaurant with great views, Butler and Barry.  Exploring these little towns in Ireland has been wonderful!  Even if we only have a day or two in these places, it's worth it.  I really love the places in Ireland I've gotten to see and look forward to returning and exploring Northern Ireland!

LITTLE KNOWN PLACES IN SOUTHERN IRELAND...

Here's a little of Howth and Carlow, Ireland!  We were in Dublin for a night and opted to go to Howth and spend our time, before heading to Carlow the next day for The Hubs work.

HOWTH, IRELAND

Howth Cliff Walk - not too far away from Dublin and a fun thing to do!  Howth is a small resort like town with good seafood and I'm sure it gets busy in the summer!

Howth also has a few ruins to see.  This old church ruin is perched above the Irish Sea!

Dan made a friend on our walk.

We ate an early dinner at The Brazen Head in Dublin, supposedly the oldest pub in Ireland!  This was our 2nd time here and it's nice to go early when it's not so crazy-busy!

POWERSCOURT ESTATE NEAR DUBLIN

We visited Powerscourt Estate, south of Dublin, and though it was too windy to be outside, we enjoyed their cafe.  

Avoca is a famous Irish brand of scarves.  Here is an old Avoca loom in a shop at Powerscourt.

Beautiful Avoca scarves!  Pricey, too.

The highest waterfall in Ireland, at the Powerscourt Estate.

CARLOW, IRELAND

We had the nicest B & B in the middle of Carlow!  It was filed with antiques and books about Ireland. 

Black and white pudding(sausage) with our Irish breakfast.

Carlow Cathedral from inside the Carlow Museum.

More Carlow

VISUAL Art Centre - a performing arts venue and an art gallery -  I went in for the free art galleries!

Lennon Cafe at the Art Centre has some good Banoffee Pie!  This is something I had last summer in Ireland and hope to learn to make myself!

This sculpture, the"Liberty Tree" is right in the middle of Carlow and commemorates the 1798 Rebellion.  If you look closely the trunk is make of skeletons (sculptures).  

Hadn't see any shamrocks in Ireland until this fence!

Government building

I walked about 20 minutes to the Delta Sensory Gardens, which were recommended to me by the Tourist Bureau.  I wasn't sure what I would see in February, but went since I had the time.  It was so neat!  I loved all the different garden layouts, waterfalls, and sculptures.  I'm sure it is awesome in the summer!

After the gardens, I sat in the B & B by a warm fire.  Our host brought me tea and a KitKat!

On our way out of Carlow we stopped at the Brownshill Dolmen.  This is the largest dolmen (ancient tomb?) in Ireland.  They don't know the origin of these (like Stonehenge).  But they're neat to see.  We walked about 10 minutes into a farmers field, on a trail, to see this up close.