Day 4

This morning, we packed up all our stuff and headed off to Glendalough, which means the valley of two lakes. Our bus driver said it was a very scenic drive, but most of us slept through it. When we arrived in Glendalough, we met up with our guide, Fr. Michael Rodgers. He has been a priest for 50 years and is very knowledgeable about the roots of Christianity. He took us on the Pilgrim’s Walk and he taught us a lot about spirituality and being kind. We walked in silence so we could listen to God and our own thoughts, we stopped along the way and our guide shared his wisdom with us. He talked a lot about how you don’t need material objects in life and he said that if you have too much, somebody has too little. I really liked everything that he said about bettering yourself and connecting with God on a personal level.

We also went up to St. Kevin’s cell, and we prayed inside it together. Then we headed back down the mountain, and met back up with our bus driver. Mother Nikki got separated from the group, but she found her way back. Owen, our bus driver, brought us back some delicious food, including sandwiches, chips, and red lemonade, an Irish specialty. Since it was Alex’s birthday, Owen brought him an ice cream cone as a birthday treat.

After that, we looked in the museum and watched a video about the monasteries in Ireland. Then we took a guided tour around the Monastic City. We learned a lot of facts about the life of St. Kevin and medieval monasticism. Next, we drove to the Glendalough International Hostel and we settled in. Some of us decided to read, take naps, or talk to people. 

A few hours later, Owen came to pick us up and we went to the Glendalough Hotel for dinner. It was a great meal and afterward we tried some delectable Irish pie.  We gave Alex two donuts with candles for his second birthday surprise and we all sang Happy Birthday, including the waitresses. We then walked in the rain back to our hostel for our reflection time. Overall, it was a good day. We learned a lot and today was definitely the most pilgrimage-like day so far. I can feel our group growing closer to each other and to God every day.

Elisabeth Ashton