Marlay and The Secret Garden

Travel Thursday Series

This was a story of sweet discovery. It was one Sunday afternoon in April 2014 when we learned about this little secret garden. R and I have been to Marlay once last summer but we never had a clue that this vast beautiful park with a stunning view of the Dublin Mountains held a little secret---The Regency Walled Garden. 

Well of course, it isn't really a secret. Had we only taken the time to visit the park's website we would have been well informed. But we couldn't be bothered so it's discovery was a sweet surprise. 

After our Ticknock walk, the call of a warm beverage led us to Marlay Demesne. A mere 10-minute drive down the mountain, we all agreed that it would be a lovely pitstop to cap off the day. The thick clouds and the strong winds changed their course when we were still on the mountaintop paving way for a gloriously sunny afternoon. No wonder all of South Dublin (the posh area I heard) seemed to converge there at the time---parking was full, the huge well-manicured lawn was dotted with visitors, the only cafe bore a long queue. 

Travel Thursdays

In Paris. Before that, the whole idea used to be just a dream.

I've been awed and inspired by a friend's travel blog, The Travelling Kind and Patty Laurel's Travel Tuesday series that one day, I decided to roll up my sleeves and muster the courage to finally write about our own trips within and without Ireland. My wanderlust musings will be called Travel Thursday ala Throwback Thursday (very original, I know right?!) For some reason, I can't dig any clever and unique title in my brain so that will do for now. I am behind so many travel posts anyway so this will be a good avenue to catch up. :)

The Travel Bucket List
The travel dream in the next 5 years or so is to set foot to these 12 travel destinations in Europe and the USA but so far, our itchy feet and limited budget have gotten us only as far as Paris, France and the UK. So we will save up, dream on and write about it once we get there, one destination at a time.

The other wanderlust dream of ours is to explore all of the 32 counties of Ireland including the 6 counties of Northern Ireland.  Technically, Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom but its 6 counties are geographically attached to one gigantic land mass called, well, Ireland.  I hope that made sense. Otherwise, please have a peep at this map which explains this division better.

Our travel plan is to tick off our travel bucket list once or twice a year until we reach our dream savings (only God knows when) or until one of us becomes an Irish citizen. Visas are expensive for the two of us I'm telling you. Although we would love to satisfy our wanderlust whilst kids are not yet in the equation, R and I agreed that it's much wiser to build up a "rainy day fund" early on in our marriage than to sight-see. Sure, there are plenty of travel promos and gimmicks out there but at the end of the day, you will still need to shell out a good amount of money for you to truly enjoy traveling. We want to stay cautious in this still precarious land of Ireland, to say the least. We reckon once or twice a year wouldn't hurt our zest for travel and our desire to save. Did I tell you both of us are accountants? U-hm we kinda do the Math all the time.

Travel Thursdays

My travel posts will neither focus on how to get there nor what's the best itinerary although I may write about these in short bullet points if I find them helpful to anyone who will stumble across this humble blog of mine. One quick google search will certainly direct you to a plethora of information written best by those who know best, those who've been there and done that one time too many.

My Travel Thursday will simply be about the memories we made while traveling. It'll be about my own observation and appreciation of one's culture, who we met along the way or simply what those places made me feel. Loads of photos will be posted to make up for my constant lack of adjectives, that I can guarantee. :) Simply put, my aim is to render another voice in sharing the bliss of being out and about in this wonderful world we live in.

Lastly, I share this quote to you because this is exactly how I feel about traveling:

"Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colours. And the people there see you differently, too. Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving." ― Terry Pratchett, A Hat Full of Sky

Weekend Walks and Love for the Great Outdoors

Back in the Philippines, my usual itinerary on weekends would be home-church-mall. In Ireland it's entirely a different story. I have fallen in love with the great outdoors of this country and I'd rather go for a walk or a hike than to window-shop or sulk at home with a computer all day long. Don't get me wrong, I still love shopping (*wink) and I love being home too. But the call to explore outside is as great as my insatiable desire to snap photos of the things and places I find beautiful.  Despite the bipolar weather inherent of Ireland, most scenic spots are worth going out for---rain or shine, cold or warm. Summer is just lurking around the corner and with the promise of a warmer weather, it's  definitely the best season to explore.

With my love for photography and nature, I think God willed for me to experience living in a country as picturesque as Ireland (most especially when the sun illuminates it). To top it all, I get to enjoy the the whole experience with the love of my life and friends---old and new. I consider this a blessing. Not everyone is given this chance. When my eyes feast on the beauty outside, I can't help but be grateful.

It's already the month of May and we kicked off its first weekend which was also a bank holiday weekend walking around the Howth Cliffs. It's my second time in these cliffs but I am just as impressed as the first time we trailed on it in 2013.  We didn't get to finish the longest trail the first attempt so we hoped for a home run this time around. There were heavy clouds that hovered the whole Dublin City last Saturday preventing the sun to say hello even for a while.  Nonetheless, the smell of sea salt was a good therapy for my lungs, the walk a perfect exercise for my legs, the view just as stunning. After 10 kms, 4 hours, lost moments midway through and lots of photos in between, four of us (out of eight) managed to complete the longest trail. 

Our own version of stopping-and-smelling-the-roses, only it's lying on the flowers:

Just some photos from the iPhone to recap the day---wildflowers of sorts were abundant in the cliffs, a surprise turn led us to the middle of a golf course, braving the cliff edges for photo ops, a triumphant "yes" as we approached the finish line and a Japanese meal at home to soothe our tired bodies. 

And lastly, a jumpshot near the Bailey Lighthouse from the SLR.

Full album here.