Unbelievable weather in Dublin again. Gorgeous sun, mild breezes and breathtaking scenery describe the day. We left Dublin early in the morning and drove through the Wicklow Mountains the largest national park in Ireland. I promptly feel asleep and missed probably one of Ireland’s great treasures. My apologies to an animated guide and the Irish Chamber of Commerce. Leaving the park we encounter more agriculture. Sheep, sheep and more sheep, dairy farming and hay farming. This is one of the richest farming areas of Ireland and the goal of every Irishman at one time was to marry a girl from the area. . This is also horse country and we were treated to a sighting of some special falabella miniature horses that are bred in this area. Because of their size they are hard to spot. Luckily we saw five. The potato famine was brought home to us when when were shown a famine house that a wealthy landowner gave to three peasant families. Because of this they were able to survive the starving time. Ireland lost roughly a third of its population to death and this was also the time of the great diaspora to the US and Canada. The Irish feel as strongly about the famine as Jews do the Holocaust. The English landowners did nothing to prevent so much suffering. On a happier note we visited Glendalough a former monastic site. Remains of the chapter house, a round tower and two beautiful lakes and sheep and more sheep and deer nosing backpacks completed that visit. There were about two hundred secondary school girls visiting the site. Brought back many memories. Teen age girls are universal creatures full of giggles and squeals. These uniformed beauties had no cell phones however. On to Kilkenny where we opted for a pub meal of Irish steak and roast with Yorkshire pudding and veggies. We loved the village and the medieval castle. But sometimes you just want to eat and people watch. Back to Dublin and tomorrow we head for Scotland. Another land, another currency and another culture.