Blue Skies and Sunshine

After six hours in the car yesterday, we were a bit worn out and felt no need to rush about. So, we eased into the morning and then decided to take advantage of crystal clear blue skies that were gracing our last full day here in Collinstown.

We decided to go back to the beautiful hillside of Lough Crew, the ancient burial grounds and get an even better view of the witches' hopeful kingdom. It was well worth it. The views from atop the hill, and even higher on top of the ancient mound were breathtaking. I'm so thankful to have Jess here with me, someone else who values good photos and will happily participate in the making of fun silly photos.

We asked the guide at the top for some advise of lovely places to see. He recommended Virginia (the wee town in Ireland, not the state). So, we made our way there, meandering through small villages, then we had a short walk about looking at the lake, by the golf course and into town for some ice cream.

The other night at the pub, a couple locals had told us we should go swimming at the lake in town, Lough Lene. After some disagreements about the word "warm," Jessica and I decided swimming in an Irish lough would be something fun to add to our list of accomplishments.

We arrived to a full parking lot and loads of people in the water. Although the temperature was just above 70 today, the locals all said it was really the first nice day of the summer, so everyone was taking advantage. After a bit of apprehension, we put on our swim suits and slowly ventured into the water. It is a beautifully situated lake, amongst green hills with few signs of human development. It was not, however, warm. It was not ice cold, cool, a bit shocking to the system, but after some time, it became comfortable. The water, like the skies today, was crystal clear. The swimming area was not all too deep, and we could almost always see our feet. We stayed for long enough to say we had swam in the lake, and yes, we enjoyed it.

Tonight we went to another local event: a preschool graduation. Marilyn (our gracious host) works at a wee preschool and tonight the kids graduated, ready to move on to "big" school. They sang songs, including the Alphabet Song complete with "hache" and "zed," recited a poem and celebrated the year. So precious and so lovely to see! Afterwards, we enjoyed visiting with Marilyn's colleagues and their families, trading stories about home countries and places we had traveled to. We've had a lovely time here in the heart of the Emerald Isle!