A trip Down...

Saturday Alison and I went to Downpatrick for a day trip. This town was th Home of Saint Patrick and a lot of its heritage is based around him. We took the bus through the beautiful countryside and then arrived in what looked like a busy little town with all kinds of shoppers on a Saturday morning.

We first went to the Down Cathedral, also called St. Patrick's Chapel. It is a super old church on the top of a hill and it was beautiful! St. Patrick was sold into slavery into Ireland, then once later released he returned to Ireland as a missionary. There is a huge graveyard on the hillside outside of the cathedral, St. Patrick's grave is near the center. There is a big stone with a celtic cross and the reminents of Patrick carved into it. I never really knew the story of St. Patrick, only that he is the reason we wear green on the 17th of March or get pinched. It was really cool to see something so dedicated to him and to hear the real story of St. Patrick.


Our next stop was the Mound of Down, a fort very close to Down Hill where the cathedral sits. The path to the mound was soggy grass and our shoes got soaked. We had to go through the kissing gate to get to them, among the best part of the walk : ) The mound was 3 small hills surrounded by a moat and then a ring of thick trees and bushes. Alison and I climbed to the top and the view was georgous. The Cathedral at the top of the hill, the Mourne Mountains in the distance (well what we think we saw through the clouds...).

We then went into town to have our picnic lunch and to see a dress exhibit at the Down Arts center. The designer is famous for her gowns, modern and vintage styles. The dresses were beautiful, I found my future bridesmaids dresses, check my webshots picture to see them!, HAHA.
Our next stop was by far our best of the day, The Down County Museum. This is one of the best museums I have ever been in. There was so much interative stuff and dress up! It was fabulous! Alison and I had a great time dressing like Vikings, as you can see below

We got to see a lot about the county through the years, and the old gaol of Down (jail) that was opened in 1796. Many prisioners were banished to Austrailia during this time, thus most people in Austrailia of Irish decent are decendents of criminals. I got to play archeologist and put a prehistoric pot back together, pretty sweet. I got put in the stocks by Alison and saw the cries for peace on a mosaic wall made to celebrate the millenium. overall, the museum was class and I am very glad we went.
It is nice to be able to take day trips but be able to come home. There are many more pictures on Webshots when you have a minute!