exploring rush and the vicinity

Today is sad.  We are saying goodbye to Andrena, Johny and Autumn and it's our last day in Ireland.  We are determined to hold our chins up and enjoy the day anyway.  We made plans to go to the beach for a bit in the morning and to lunch before parting ways with our friends in the early afternoon.

Bennett hung out in his stroller sporting his adorable dinosaur hat.

Autumn was having fun destroying a sandcastle.  

My mom was having the most fun I think.  She collected a bag full of shells to take home.  

The weather held up well and we got inside for lunch before the rain. It was sad saying good bye to our friends. We did not nearly have enough time together. We hope we can come back and see them again soon.

The rest of the afternoon we spent sight seeing. We went to see the Slane Abbey atop Hill of Slane.

That's been around for a 1,000 years.

The view from the Abbey was gorgeous. 

We stopped for a quick pint for the adults and a Heineken coaster for Bennett at the pub in downtown Slane.  

After which, we headed to Mellifont Abbey (Irish: An Mhainistir Mhór, literally "the big abbey"). It was the first Cistercian abbey to be built in Ireland. Founded in 1142, by 1170 Mellifont had one hundred monks and three hundred lay brothers.

The Abbey became the model for other Cistercian abbeys built in Ireland, with its formal style of architecture imported from the abbeys of the same order in France. 

It was the main abbey in Ireland until it was closed in 1539, when it became a fortified house.

Our next stop were the historic ruins of Monasterboice (Irish: Mainistir Bhuithe). They are of an early Christian settlement in County Louth in Ireland. It was founded in the late 5th century by Saint Buithe who died around 521, and was an important center of religion and learning until the founding of nearby Mellifont Abbey in 1142.

There wasn't much left of this place but it was still impressive that something that old remains still. These crosses were used by the monks to teach religious lessons. The stories are written in pictures on the crosses and that's what monks used to help tell their stories.

After the busy day we had, we were tired but we couldn't skip out dinner with the Taylors in Dublin on our last night in Ireland. The past week has been an amazing adventure. We are so happy to have made the trip and Bennett did so well that we look forward to travelling overseas again. Tomorrow we fly back to reality. As much fun as we are having, I did miss home. I am looking forward to sleeping in my bed.