Bus was to leave from the Molly Malone statue at 8:15 AM, translated that meant that I had to catch the 7:15 AM bus 37A from UCD to get there in time. I planned ahead, had fruit in a bag for breakfast, got the bus, got there, saw lots of groups come and go but not mine. A tour director looked at my ticket and the bus was to come at 9:15 AM. What could I do but what any serious minded Irish traveler would do? I went down the street to O’Donohues and had half an Irish breakfast and still managed to eat only half of that. Collecting folks for the tour took a hour to leave town but once down the road and in the country side the bus driver as tour narrator told story after story on the history of the road and the people who lived along the way both historical folks and current celebs. I didn’t take notes, he talked a lot, but I remember Michael Jackson and Bono. The bus was full of women with only 4 men. The women talked a lot, especially a group of 6 women up front who was there to celebrate their friend’s birthday, who happened to be the sister of yet another bus driver/tour narrator. Claire was in her element full of entitlement and yet excited about the day with her 5 friends.
We went to Glencree Cemetery which had been built as a military barracks during WWII but has been re-purposed into a centre for peace and reconciliation inspired by the events in Northern Ireland. Between these times it held 250 German young people schooled by local priests. We crossed over the bridge from PS I Love You and viewed the Lough Tay, known as the Guinness Lake (the family owns the estate and lake but are willing to sell it for 28 million Euros. This is one of the shoot locations for the TV program, Vikings.)
Glencree
Next we went to Glendalough in the heart of the Wicklow Mountains. We had time to walk the trails and see the 10th century monastic settlement. It was here that the bus driver showed his personality. He was genuinely interested in the people on his tour. He saw me sitting on a stone wall a few minutes before we were to meet at the bus. “You’re on your own today?” he asked. “Well the coach is open, go have yourself a sit.” And because it was raining hard and I had been huddled in my rain poncho, I did as he suggested.
Glendalough and the 10th century monastic settlement
Later in Avoca where the 17th Century hand-weaving mill is located. Richie dropped everyone off at the pub for lunch at 15:00 hours but had learned that I wanted to go to the mill, so he told me to stay on the bus, he was to park up at a church and the mill was just down the hill from there. However, the hill was so steep that I felt uncomfortable trying to come back up it and turned to join the others in the pub. When the driver saw me returning, he and another driver joined me to “escort this lady to the pub.” At the pub, we saw it was packed out. He cleared a table, sat me down and went to the bar and placed both our orders, brought me water, and when our food came, he joined me and told me about his two children, how his wife and he work broken shift days so that each are with the kids at least 2 days a week and they are all together on Sundays. He is roasting beef on this Sunday and is looking forward to it. A tall man, thin, turning 50 in a few months had joint pains, hearing issues, skin problems, etc., etc. I felt fine, take no medications and my legs don’t hurt at 66. Life is good.
Richie’s attention paid to an older woman traveling alone was not missed and very much appreciated, without saying or being intrusive, he made sure I had someone to eat lunch with. We joined in a conversation with the couple sitting next to us (locals) and it was a delightful lunch of cottage pie and chips (I could only eat a fraction of the cottage pie so I brought it all back with me in a much too wide take-away for my bag but it all survived). Richie asked if I wanted to be dropped at UCD, we would pass nearby, but I was meeting a former graduate student in centre city for dinner at 19:30.
The turned longer but more delightful. I met up with Maruja and we hugged for the longest time with tears in our eyes, we had not seen each other since she released a single in Rotterdam when Jess was interning at the Hague. She is so beautiful with long flowing brown hair and a perpetual tan to her skin, a Dutch Curacao girl who even in the coldness of the evening had on really thinly strapped sandals. “The sun is out,” she said, “Of course I am wearing sandals.” We ate at the Elephant and Castle on Fleet Street. We talked, ate, had dessert, talked and finally walked to catch our buses at 22:00. My bus came first and she stood on the street watching until I saw her blow me a kiss. We will see each other again this week. My heart is full with memories of her in Athens and of Maurette and Sibelle. What a nice memory.
Leara Rhodes 