This week was not at all what I expected. While the workweek was pretty standard, my Saturday side quest led to some incredible artistic finds along random trails as I wandered around Ireland. This Saturday, I decided to walk from University College Dublin to Tallaght and beyond. While I saw many beautiful parks along the way, the key section that stood out the most was the five miles I spent on the Dodder Trail.
I’ll just start by saying it was nothing like I expected. The beginning of the trail was in the city, then dipped briefly into the woods for maybe five minutes, before opening into a massive field filled with streams and small waterfalls. All the grass seemed to be made up of native plants, and it was so beautiful. I was genuinely relieved to be out of the city. Even though some of the waterfalls seemed manmade, it was still wonderful to feel and hear the cold running water, especially because it was warm out, and I had been in the sun all day.
While the nature was definitely my favorite part of the walk, it wasn’t the thing that stood out the most. What truly surprised me was all the different artwork I found along the trail. The first piece was one I actually see on my daily commute to work, but only from a distance. Seeing it up close, I realized it was made almost entirely from wood and seemed to be hand-sculpted. The level of detail was incredible.
Additionally, while walking, I came across tons of small fairy houses. Each one was completely different, but all were made with so much care and creativity. My favorite was built into a tree, with a squirrel and an owl perched on the branches. That might be because of my love for animals and nature, but there were so many others, too, like a giant gnome head.
I will say that one of my favorite parts of all the side quests I’ve taken is seeing the wide variety of colorful flowers throughout Ireland. Truthfully, everywhere I look, there are flower gardens, even in the city. This means a lot to me because I love nature and would always rather be in it than in the middle of a city. That’s why I’m so thankful for the greenery all around Ireland.
We did end up doing two main group events this week. The first was the Irish House Party, where we got to watch live music. The music itself was good, and fun to listen to, even if it’s not your usual style. In my opinion, the only downside was the food. For a restaurant, it didn’t really stand out, but I understand that the show is the main event.
The event on Sunday, though, was definitely one of my favorites of our entire time in Ireland. We got to try playing some of the Gaelic games, like Gaelic football, hurling, and handball. I’ll be honest, the sports are pretty challenging and definitely take practice to get good at, but I guess that’s true of any sport. I loved being able to run around and try them out, and I even got a couple of assists, which was a lot of fun. Gaelic football was my favorite of them all. It felt like a mix of soccer, volleyball, football, and even a little bit like ultimate frisbee. I definitely recommend looking up videos of it being played, it’s really entertaining to watch.
That wraps up this week’s blog. I’ll update you again next week!