72. The Gardens of Wicklow

Where: Enniskerry, Ireland
When: April 8, 2001
With: Loren, Doug, Jon

After our first couple days in Ireland on our school trip, we were just getting over the jetlag and ready to head out into the Irish countryside. So far we had spent our time in Dublin, and our minds had already been blown by the city and how cool it was (but after all, this was my first trip out of the country, so everything was blowing my mind). Yet however much I had enjoyed Dublin, I had no idea what was to come.

Our first day out, we headed south into Ireland's Wicklow Mountains, close enough to see from Dublin and nicknamed Ireland's "little Alps". This was one of our first views into the rolling green that makes up the Irish countryside.

Our destination in these mountains was Powerscourt Estate, the first true palatial home I'd ever visited and one I will never forget. While the house started as a castle built in the 13th century, it has been expanded into a gorgeous estate and property with over 47 acres of gardens surrounding it. The house itself was beautiful, but all these years later, I can't remember much of it outside of the pictures I snapped of its ballroom. 

What is firmly etched in my memory are the gardens which is not surprising as the entry in The Book is specifically the "gardens" of Wicklow. From the moment I stepped into the "backyard" of this estate, I was in such complete awe that a place like this exists in the real world, in today's day and age. 

The back of the house starts with the Italian garden. This was laid out in the 1840s. It had some nice flowerbeds and sitting areas that were lovely, and some very well manicured shrubbery at the top. 

From here, the real show begins. A long staircase leads downhill from the house towards a lake, with views of the Wicklow Mountains in the distance. 

Everything to either side as I descended the stairs was manicured to perfection. It didn't even look like real grass or shrubbery it was so exact. I was obsessed with the terraced lawn, its perfect edges, and the carpet-like grass. Apparently these terraces took twelve years to complete!

Sculptures adorned the pathway down and ended at Triton Lake. The bottom of the stairs were flanked by the emblem of the estate, two giant winged horses, perfectly framing a Roman-inspired fountain and the mountains in the background. At this point, I was utterly in love with this place.

As everyone took off for the rest of the gardens, I hung back and noticed a small set of stairs next to the horses. I headed down and found myself beside the lake looking up at the horses (and taking what remains to this day one of my favorite pictures of all times). 

I realized that there was a pathway into this little rough stone grotto that sat underneath the stairs, looking so out of place next to the perfectly manicured garden. Inside, was a little bench and as I sat and looked out, I had found my first true travel happy place. I felt like such a "daring" explorer that I sought this little nook out when no one else had.

After I'd zenned myself out, I headed out around Triton Lake, watching as the design of the gardens slowly changed from perfectly manicured to wild and natural. 

Looking back to the perfection of the house. 

The path through the garden started to wind and the foliage became more dense and haphazard. Very different, but just as beautiful. Then the view opened up and I was staring down at the Japanese gardens, laid out in 1908. The most shocking thing in this view? The palm trees! How do they survive here??

Following this stream and windy path, right to a mini waterfall. So many little nooks and crannies in this garden to discover. 

And some wild creatures, in the form of my English teacher, Mr. Touma. 

Another wild part of the garden was a random pet cemetery plopped in the middle, the largest in Ireland. This is where the beloved pets of the homeowners were laid to rest. The creepiest part? The cat that was hanging out there. Real or ghost?

Loved this rogue red tree in the midst of the rocks. 

In fact, I loved all the beautiful trees scattered throughout the property. And they are a pride of the grounds, as different varieties were planted here over the last 200 years. While they may seem "normal" now, at the time they were planted, they were strange and unusual to the Irish landscape. 

And throughout the gardens, the Wicklow Mountains are in the background. 

This was certainly an amazing kick-off to our journey into the Irish countryside. Even on a cloudy day, this couldn't have been a prettier place, and very much displayed why Wicklow is considered the "gardens of Ireland". So beautiful!