Ireland. A land of mystery, a land of magic, beautiful, rugged, full of power. Our tasking for the day: how can we discover the hidden secrets of this leprochaun-abounding land? Our search for the Mystery of Ireland begins.
This day we divided up into two groups, one going on a beautiful hike though the gap of Dunloe, and the other one spending a long morning in the wonderful city center of Killarney.
The story of the first group:
Starting the day at Ross Castle, we donned our life-jackets and set out onto the lake. Experiencing Ireland from the middle of a lake was both peaceful and mystical, as well as full of laughter and music, playing games to stave off the cold, marvelling at the fish-eagles, pheasants and red deer.
After weaving our way through the meandering lakes and rivers we found a friendly little stopping point, to gather ourselves in preparation for the hike through the Gap of Dunloe. As we gazed at the astonishing views, making our way up the mountain, many of us found this a really connecting experience: a real chance to get to know each other better. Every twist in the path opened up a new and exciting view, with waterfalls, and lakes, and a low mist which kept Ireland hidden.
After a truly satisfying hike, we ended the day with a trip to Killarney to immerse ourselves in the tourist attractions, before returning to the hostel for a delicious meal cooked by the Turkish team.
The story of the second group:
First we had an amazing experience assembling the most special peanutbutter jelly sandwich which we took with us for the day.
Then, after a short bus drive we arrived to the town of killarney where we had a few hours to hang around the city and see its streets and people.
We wanted to leave our special Y-TOP mark on the city and quite spontaneously set up a music and free hugs happening in the center of town.
It was really amazing to see the response of killarney's people to our initiative and the warmth that was coming from and to both sides. ( see photos )
After that we went on an amazing boat tour through Lough Leane lake (the lake of learning) and saw a reaaaally old monastery. After that we finished the day with a two hour walk in an absolutely amazing Irish "Rain"Forest. Throughout the day we had time to explore the surroundings through our legs, eyes, feelings and different mind sets and hugs.