Wonderful Autumn in Glendalough and Wicklow, Ireland

I'm in love with Ireland!! That's the first thing I have in mind when anyone mention about this beautiful country. I have a nickname for this country, it's the "Fifty Shades of Green". My visit to Ireland was in autumn, and some said it was already winter. But I guess I was lucky to be able to experience lovely autumn foliage here. In Ireland, I visited couple of places including Dublin (where I stayed throughout the trip), Galway and Kilkenny but my favorite places were Glendalough and Wicklow, which are both in County Wicklow. I didn't expect much for my Ireland trip because the weather forecast indicated that the days would be all gloomy and wet. But it turned out to be interesting and enjoyable especially to witness the wonderful autumn colours in Glendalough and Wicklow.

I joined the daily trip organized by Paddywagon Tours and the pickup was in Dublin city centre. I would recommend this company to anyone who wish to do day trips from Dublin. Shame that I didn't know about this company until I hop on the shuttle bus, otherwise I would have better whilst in Ireland. 

Approaching Glendalough, I could see the striking colours of autumn. This was a good sign for me despite the grey sky and drizzle. The shuttle bus was parked at Glendalough Hotel parking area. After passing the parking area, I was amazed with the view right in front of me, a hill with a mix of green and autumn foliage. I thought of dropping by the cafe and get some hot coffee or tea, but since I have to return to the bus 2 hours later, I thought it would be fine without the coffee or tea.

So I headed to the Gateway, which is the entrance to the Glendalough medieval cemetery. I have no idea that the trip for this day was going to be an interesting one. I didn't read much about this area from the internet and couldn't remember the itinerary. But I guess it was interesting to not knowing things until you visit the place, explore it and acquire the information on site.

The view after leaving the parking area

There are many monuments at the lower valley of Glendalough. Among them are the St. Kevin's Cross, the Round Tower, St. Peter and St. Paul Cathedral, St. Kevin's Kitchen and several others. These monuments are located within the cemetery area. The whole valley was founded by St. Kevin in the 6th century. The cross was built by St. Kevin as to assist the pagans, who worshiped the sun and the moon,  to familiarize themselves to Christianity.  

St. Kevin's Cross

At some points, I felt a bit out of control when I couldn't focus on what I should be doing. The surrounding views were superb and I got distracted every now and then. I love autumn a lot so the autumn colours were just amazing here.

Medieval monastic cemetery of Glendalough

St. Kevin's Kitchen is actually a small church, several steps away from St. Peter and St. Paul cathedral. People have mistakenly think that it is a kitchen due to the round tower that somehow looks like a chimney placed on a stove. In fact, no meals was ever cooked here.

St. Kevin's Kitchen, or Church

Heading away from the church, a short walk to the Upper Glendalough Lake was another mesmerizing moment. I was so excited to look at the beautiful autumn foliages. Pity that the sky was cloudy, otherwise I would have got better pictures.

One of the views along the track to Glendalough Upper Lake

The head of this lake was a lead mine which occurred 160 years ago. The valley itself is located 491 feet above sea level. I took the chance to sit there and view the scenery and of course got my camera busy with its shutter.

Stunning view around the lake

I guess I don't really have much things to say but pictures play thousands of words. It would be a great idea to pack my own food and enjoy the views, but that didn't happen though.

Due to limited time, I had to make way to the parking area. I passed a smal river, or maybe a stream. It was super clean and I did think of dipping my feet for awhile. Then again, time didn't permit me to do so. Since it is already my habit to get something as a token of memory for my visit to Glendalough, I dropped by at a small shop selling tourist stuff. It was just several meters away from the parking area. Got myself a fridge magnet and a postcard

From Glendalough, we passed the Wicklow Gap which was half an hour away uphill. The weather was not getting any better and became darker. The pouring rain made me a bit restless as I knew it would be impossible to take any photographs without any protection to my baby camera. She is not waterproof. But when the bus was approaching the spot for quick photo stop, it was drizzling and thank god for that. 

Wicklow Gap is famous for being the filming location of several movies such as The Braveheart and several others. The views along this area were incredible too, despite the gloomy and grey sky.

There were remnants of a structure which most probably was a church. There is an information board close to the site but I didn't bother to read as I was too busy photographing the surrounding landscape.

A few minutes later, we boarded the bus and headed to Kilkenny . On our way, we passed through a village known as Hollywood, which marks the end of the Wicklow Gap road. This place acquires its name much earlier than the famous American well-known city. Correct me if I am wrong though.

Well, if anyone is kind enough to sponsor my trip to Ireland again, I wouldn't hesitate to return to these places again. 

Land of the Sunrise - Mt. Fuji and Kawaguchiko

This day was the most long-awaited trip from the day I planned trip to Japan...view of the infamous Mt. Fuji. Well, we made all the necessary booking and information acquisition from Odakyu Rail service counter at Shinjuku a day before. We booked a return bus ticket to Kawaguchiko Station (3400 yen return) which departed at 8.10 am. Departure point was opposite Shinjuku station via the west exit, exactly in front of a big electronic store (I could not recall the name).

We woke up earlier and I prepared tuna carbonara spaghetti for our lunch later, and later mum and I had breakfast of mushroom soup, breads and cereal drinks. At 7 am local time, we were off to Nishi Kawaguchi and took the JR train to Shinjuku, interchanging at Akabane.

Our bus was supposed to depart at 8.10 am, but it was rescheduled to depart at 8.40 am. I was impressed with the general staffs at the bus station there. Each of them handles all the documentations, boarding process, ticket inspections and the cleanliness of the station. They dressed neatly and tidy and they really respect each fellow colleague. They do their job fast enough, they do not smoke while on duty and they smile to all passengers, internationally and locally. I have no intention to downgrade such employees in  my own country, but seriously, Malaysia needs to improve a lot in many aspects, especially work ethics and discipline.

We finally boarded the bus to Kawaguchiko station. We sat beside an Israeli couples, husband and wife, who are going to see Mt. Fuji too. I spoke mostly with the wife, as we were sitting at the isle. We chit-chatted along the journey and she showed me the picture of Mt. Fuji from the balcony of her hotel room  in Tokyo. It was beautiful and clear, and how I wished I have stayed at the same hotel (I forgot to ask her which hotel she was staying in Tokyo). We were lucky that the weather was absolutely fine, sunny and cloudless. About  an hour after departure, we managed to see the beautiful Mt. Fuji, clearly and shining brightly from the bus. I was trying to take some pictures but since my mum was sitting at the window and the curtain was down, I could not take any. I was supposed to change to other seats so that I could get to take a few shots but I was not sure if it is appropriate to do so while the bus is moving. But no biggy. I have several pictures of Mt. Fuji though not the nicest ones.

So let the pictures tell bits of my trip to Mt. Fuji....

The sign says it all

Mt. Fuji viewed from behind Kawaguchiko Station

To move around Kawaguchiko, there are several bus services which transports visitors to every attraction. The famous is the Retro bus, which the buses look cute and of course, retro. It is wise to get a 2 days pass for this bus service which costs 1300 yen, where one can get unlimited hop on and hop off the bus at any of the designated stops. Seriously, it will be such a regret if visitors visiting Kawaguchiko do not consider this kind of pass, and mum and i were the regretted ones. Heeee....

We stop at a point, Chobosakasafuji, when translated in English, is upside down Mt. Fuji. The schedule of the Retro bus service can be found here ----> Retro Bus Kawaguchiko Station

This point, one can see the reflection of Mt. Fuji on the lake surface, of course when the lighting is right, and lesser or no clouds at all. We thought that we might be able to get our own pictures with Mt. Fuji view as background but seriously, we were too late for such agenda. My word of advice, try to arrive Kawaguchiko very early in the morning, if possible around 9 am, which means one need to take the 7 am bus from Shinjuku and WAKE-UP EARLY!! And make sure to check the weather there. Have a look on my shots of Mt. Fuji, which with some editing.

When clouds started to interfere

Disappearing Fuji-san

Portrait mode

A little disappointed for not being able to view Mt. Fuji like what we saw on the bus, we started to stroll along the lake, and enjoyed the beautiful views around the lake. Personally, Kawaguchiko is one of the best places for its beautiful landscape, based on my traveling experience. The beauty is added by the dramatic colors of autumns which got my head over heals for awhile. The sunlight, however, was really a little too strong and lucky we had our sunglasses on and umbrellas in our bags. 

After 20 minutes strolling, I was starting to feel hungry and I proposed to mum to have our lunch. We chose a spot under a maple tree, where the leaves were all red and really looked like red flame. I took out our packed lunch which I have prepared earlier in the morning, some biscuits and tuna. Seriously, I started enjoying preparing my own meals when traveling because that saved a lot of money and halal is guaranteed. 

We ate at a slow pace while enjoying the view in front of us and breathing fresh air. 

After lunch, we continued walking and we found various interesting spots with beautiful landscapes. Again, let the pictures reveal what we saw.

I am so love being here

I do not why I love this view. It was just rocks and some plants with colors

Freaking red

The maple tree

Mi madre

Flamelike

Crimson red

Could not resist inter-framing

Lovely autumn

Do not ask me what is this tree called

Ummi

Colorful

Duckies

Poor kitty

When we felt that we could not any longer, we stopped at Retrobus stop no. 5, and took the Retrobus back to Kawaguchiko station. We departed for Shinjuku station at 3.10 pm.

Though this was a real short trip, I know I will be returning back to Japan (in dreaming mode!!) to see the view of Mt. Fuji at its best.