Johnnie Fox's Pub 23 May 2015

The highest pub in Ireland - up in the mountains 30 minutes drive outside of Dublin and they even have a shuttle bus to get you there - I call that service. If you want the "Irish" experience - this is it. With good food. The day before I had randomly snapped a pic of a horse and cart in Dublin and then we went there for lunch on Saturday.

Much of the stuff collected seems to end up in the pub.

It's probably best to view it in dim light but the service was good, there was live music - songs my father used to sing. It was strange to realise that I actually knew all the words. The food was excellent, I thought I'd go traditional and went for Bacon and Cabbage with a parsley sauce - much better than it sounds. Strange, where it comes to food I have no inclination to take pictures beforehand - sorry about that. Appetite wins out most times.

My Irish genes showing - I haven't drunk beer for years, but it's almost obligatory here, as long as you aren't driving. A shandy goes down really well after a busy morning of sightseeing.

Powerscourt Estate 23 May 2015

Apologies for the delay in posting. The router here died on Wednesday last week and has only been replaced today, 5 days later! It was awful. The client I am with now, back in Suffolk, lives in a very isolated little village about 20 miles from the nearest shop. There's some good walking down to the marshes and along the river, but he doesn't have a car so it we are pretty stuck ... More about the area in another post.

In the meantime, back to Ireland. On Saturday Belinda took me off to Powerscourt Estate in Enniskerry, County Wicklow  - what a beautiful spot. The house, which was extensively renovated in 1996 is lovely, but the gardens are amazing.

There was a busload of Japanese tourists just ahead of us - it felt like more than that, they were so noisy - so we headed off to other parts of the 47 acre estate. First was the Pepper Pot Tower - apparently designed to emulate the pepperpot on Lord Powerscourt's dining table. Of course we went inside and up, when is a tower not going to be climbed? It was considerably easier than the Round Tower in Kildare.

We were really lucky with the weather. Lots and lots of trees in this part of the garden and Azaleas in bloom everywhere you looked.

Japanese Gardens and the tourists had found it!

The pet cemetery, not scary though. Obviously well loved pets.

The dolphin pond brought in from France in the late 19th century and the wonderful Bamberg Gate which is 240 years old and came from the cathedral in Bamberg, Germany. 

Through the Walled Gardens and on to the reward at the end - the best scones I think I've ever tasted - and I've tasted a few. These were excellent, a reason to go back.

Fortified, and off to the Waterfall. It is owned by Powerscourt even though it is no longer directly connected to the estate. At 121 metres high it is the highest waterfall in Ireland and apparently was featured in Vikings - Helen, did you see it?

This is a great place for a picnic but we had other things in mind - Johnnie Fox's. Next post...