TK Tour!

Bright and early Saturday morning everyone staggered on to the bus for a tour given by Tom Keith. These tours are known as TK Tours! We have them planned for 3 Saturday’s while we are here. The first place he took us to was the sacred grounds Mt. Melleray Grotto. Here in August of 1985 the Virgin Mary was said to appear to a young women and two boys. She gave them the message that the world is becoming corrupt and filled with evil. The human race had to change their ways and become more peaceful. We had the opportunity to speak to the woman that had this encounter with the Virgin Mary. She said it was a life changing experience and she tries to live a peaceful life.

The Statue of the Virgin Mary is where she actually appeared on the hill

After this spiritual stop we continued on the bus for about another 45 minutes. We went through the dead land of the country were all the grass is brown and rocks cover the land. On the other side though was luscious green fields and a haunted lake. We stopped here at the Vee where you had the chance to do photo ops. While we were here a few girls decided that they  wanted to pet some sheep. So they ran into the hills and tried to sneak up on the animals, but the sheep were to smart and ran away. It was a funny sight to see.

Can you see why they call it the Vee??

Chasing the sheepies!! 

Then again we hopped in the bus and went to Mitchelstown Caves. These caves are couple hundred million years old and we got to explore them. The passage ways were narrow and water kept dripping on my head but this place was amazing! We saw fossils that were over 350 million years old in the walls. They sometimes use these caves for concerts. Wouldn't that be a thing to put on the bucket list.

This rock is called the Swan

Cahir Castle was the next item to visit on the TK Tour. This is one of the oldest castles in Ireland. This castle was only invaded once. You can still see a few cannon balls lodged in the walls from past attacks. They still have a working drop gate. It can be lowered in 5 seconds! On the wall of the dining hall is a skeleton of an Irish deer. They have been extinct for years but this head was found preserved in the bogs.

The last stop was Ormond Castle. It was built for the Butler Family, who also owned Killkenny Castle. When the Butler family moved into Killkenny castle they lift this home to fall to pieces. Only about half of the house still stands. 

Sunshine Shine down on Me

The town of Dungarven just gets more beautiful every day! The other day the sun was shining and the sky was a rich blue so me and some friends decided to go on a bike ride.  We took the bikes to the first beach here in town. As we got there I could smell the salt water in the air. It reminded me of home when I go to the beach with my family. This time though I was surrounded my family here in Dungarven. As I looked over the bridge I could see the different colors in that water. It felt like you were on a tropical island. Then since the sun was still out and there was not a single grey cloud in sight so we decided to venture on to the next beach. This was a little farther then anticipated, but it was worth it. On the ride their it was almost surreal. There was the hills with the patchwork to the left and farms with cows and sheep with in petting distance. We all had a realization that at that moment we were all taking a bike ride in Ireland. Although we have been here for almost two months it still doesn't hit me that I have this amazing opportunity to be here. It is almost like I am watching a movie starring a me; it is not like real life. After about 20 minutes we realized that we were getting close because we could hear the waves. With the last of our strength we peddled as fast as we could to get to the beach. The sight was awe inspiring. You looked out and to the left there was a majestic green cliff with rocks at the bottom and waves crashing up against them. We took off our shoes and ran towards the Celtic Sea! As one would think the water was freezing! My little toes turned pink and numb but it did not matter because I was in the ocean in Ireland J We walked the beach getting lost in the sights and looking for sea glass. We only found a few pieces but I did find a starfish. After poking it a few times to see if it was living, which it was, I then saved its life and put it back in the water. Good dead of the day! Then as we were walking back to our bikes a man on horse back came galloping along the beach. It was the frosting on the cake to an amazing sunny day here in Dungarven, Ireland!

Street Art Galore!

I have always wanted to see meaningful street art. Not the graffiti that you see on the side of buildings but paintings that stand for something that is more than a gang sign or Harry <3 Sally. When you walk down the streets of Berlin you feel like there is a museum of art surrounding you. On every corner there is an amazing piece of art work. When my friends and I visited the Anne Frank museum we had to pass through an ally way that was covered from the ground to the sky in art in all different forms. It was awe inspiring. Then a few days later, we visited the East Side Gallery. It is part of the wall that still stands and stretches over 1.3 km of land. On one side there are beautiful murals that have been painted by people all around the world. Then on the other side it has graffiti words. If you look hard enough you will find me and a few friends initials on that wall. WE SIGNED THE BERLIN WALL! I would rather show you the paintings and have them speak for themselves than have me babble on about how amazing they are.

Our initials on the wall :)