I get a lot of my travel inspiration from a website called Atlas Obscura. They always have a lot of pictures showcasing the destinations. It was located in a small town and didn’t look very big. When I discovered that this particular place was located near two spots I had been longing to visit, my excitement reached new heights! I figured it would be “free”; after all it’s in the name “Innesfree Gardens”. Then I would go on to the Bennet Girls College and see if I could get in there and if not on to the Dover Church Cave.
I was in for a pleasant surprise; I arrived just as it opened. However, I quickly learned that it wasn’t free or small. The name “Innisfree” was taken from a WB Yeats poem called “The Lake Isle of Innisfree.” Innisfree is a captivating uninhabited island nestled within Lough Gill, Ireland. It held a special place in the heart of Yeats, who spent his summers there as a child. Thus, the “free” wasn’t free. But that was all right, my time spent there was worth every dollar of the $10 admission
From the website: Innisfree Garden explores a Chinese garden design. Walter Beck devised the term “cup garden” to describe this concept which has origins in Chinese paintings dating back a thousand years. The cup garden draws attention to something rare or beautiful. This special object is segregated by establishing an enclosure around it so that it can be enjoyed without distraction. A cup garden may be a framed meadow, a lotus pool, or a single rock covered with lichens and sedums.
Here I offer four images that I processed to look like paintings. Four special views that presented themselves and inspired me to stop and contemplate them. Below that I included the poem by Yeats. I hope you enjoy and keep on your creative path.