Saturday May 11, 2013. No Class today but we did have a wonderful trip to Glenveagh National Park on the schedule. Breakfast was at 8:30 and our bus arrived somewhere around 9:30.

The 45 minute ride took us to a part of the country we had yet to see. After making it out of the city, a winding and bumpy road led us to a very remote part of Ireland. The beautiful green hills which we had become accustomed to gave way to majestic waves of yellow grass and stone. Mountains of granite stretched as far as the eye could see. It was a much different beauty than that of the Giant’s Causeway, but at the sight of it, your breath was taken just the same.

When we finally arrived at the stone gates that marked the entrance to Glenveah, the view opened up into a magnificent valley, complemented by a giant blue lake. The wind was fierce and whitecaps broke across the top of the water. Overlooking the lake, sunken into a beautiful scene of green trees and colorful plant life, was the Glenveagh Castle, built sometime during the 1800’s.

A tour of the castle reveled some interesting things about it. The house was originally built as a hunting lodge. It changed hands twice during its history. During WWI the house was abandoned by it’s owner and had actually been occupied by some rebel fighters. By present day, most of the original furniture was gone, used as fire wood by the rebels.

Something interesting and slightly comical we learned about the house was the reason for the expanded doorways. Apparently they had been made wider to accommodate the larger backsides used for women’s dresses in those days. This information was awarded a slight chuckle from the crowd.

The gardens were beautiful. They are tended everyday and the hard work shows. I must say though, the grounds located just to the left of the main garden is some of the most beautiful property I have ever seen in my life. A stone gazebo sits at the head of the property looking into a lush green field no more than 25 yards wide. Drooping tree and flowering plants lined the entire way. The only sounds that could be heard were of birds and the mild, calming trickle of a waterfall located near the footpath. What a peaceful place.

It was a half mile hike up to the highest observation point. The reward was worth the effort. Standing on the top of the mountain, you could see the true grander of it all. The lake began split between two mountains; it swept passed the castle and spanned a mile more up to the other bank. The view continued well pass the shoreline and carried over several more smaller mountains. The giant castle was only a speck against the beauty of the valley. It was an amazing and surreal sight.

Our amazement was cut a little short when we noticed a small hailstorm gathering in the distanced. We watched as the cloud of whipping ice particles swarmed over the top of the mountain, down the valley and tumbled toward us like a mob of angry white bees. Laughing uncontrollably, myself, David and Austin tried to bare the stinging of the ice as it crashed into us. It was a hilarious and feeble effort. After only a few seconds, we tucked tail and ran down the trail for cover.

Glenveagh National Park was an unexpected highpoint of our trip. The beautiful scenes and hiking trails brought us all that much closer to each other. It was an awesome day and one that I would be happy to have the chance to live again. It was another monumental marker for our trip and a shinning example of why we all came here in the first place.