Although I planned to rest this day I decided in the afternoon, to explore two site near by. The National botanical Gardens and the Glasneven Cemetary. The Gardens were beautiful but unfortunately many of the glass houses were closed for maintenance. The first thing I saw upon entering was a garden filled with the kind of plants that are in my AZ back yard. Shocking...next to that garden bed was a circle made of succulents. All this in Ireland? The rest of the walk was more in line with expectations, beautiful flowers and trees one would expect from this climate. I couldn't find any staff to ask about the Southwest garden but plan to return with questons. Next door is the Gladnevin Cemetary. It is beautiful in it's own way. Filled with magnificent headstones and monuments. The foundation that runs the Cemetary is in the process of restoring the oldest stones so they can be read. The started first on the Irish Heroes of the 1916 Rising. It is quite moving to be in the midst of all these departed souls.
After all this I felt I need a cup of tea so I headed to the Tower Cafe. I got my tea plus a slice of apple tart. Perfect ending to a quiet day.
