IS IT STILL MONDAY?

Is it still Monday today?  We started early, having enjoyed a delicious Irish breakfast.  The first stop was Powerscourt Gardens.  These beautiful gardens are located 30 mins from Dublin. We viewed them in glorious sunshine and wall-to-wall blue sky. The sculptured Italian gardens stair-stepped down to a beautiful lake, complete with two magnificent silvered Pegasus statues that framed the view. We wandered along the scenic paths towards the walled garden. On the way, we were amazed at the 20-foot Giant Rhubarb plant dominating the beds of smaller plants. The walled garden resembled an English cottage garden. The beds of dahlias and begonias were amazing. The gift shops were full of Avoca woolen wear, which is famous for it softness and variety of soft colors.

After that, we stopped at the terrace café for tea and coffee to energize our flagging steps. Jen had a Millionaires Shortbread, which she shared, and Nancy took photos of the beautiful scones.  

 The Japanese Garden there was impressive, with a red bridge like the one in Giverny.

A short ride through the countryside of Wicklow we arrived at the Irish National Stud. Our guide, Jessica, added humor and excellent knowledge of the ‘covering’ of the mares by the stallions. She showed us the large blanket to cover the mare’s back to protect her from the stallions exertions during exercise, and the large leather booties worn by the mares to protect the stallions from their kicks.  The stud fees ranged from 1K euro to 100K per time. There is a viewing booth in the Honeymoon Suite to insure the legitimacy of the progeny. Tommy Teaser, a male pony, tests a mare to see if she is ovulating and willing to mate. If so, at the last minute, Tommy the Teaser is lured away to consume himself with pent up frustration, while a stud is brought in to finish the job.