Idina Menzel!

Tonight I got to go see Idina Menzel perform with the Spokane Symphony. Wow is all I have to say. I like her even more now than I did before. She was not only an incredible performer, but also seems completely down to earth, and was quite hilarious to boot. My favorite was when she started telling us everything in her pill box to stall for time while her lozenge dissolved. Or when she tipped over her stool and just looked up and said, "I meant to do that..."
She sang part of For Good Capella too, not too mention the Finale B from Rent and Defying Gravity. And her rendition of Don't Rain on my Parade? I don't know if I preferred it or her story about Barbra Streisand that went along with it. Let's just say the story included Tequila shots and calling Beyonce a bitch and you can see my difficulty in this decision.
She also sang us some of the little songs she and her husband wrote for their son. Songs about getting in the car and changing diapers. My favorite is the full out swing song she wrote about him waking up, which besides being amazing, I can totally see her singing to him when he is 16, just to completely embarrass him.
I also liked that she seemed truly surprised that we clapped long enough for her to come back out for a third bow afterward. She was totally cool, and just a normal person, which is nice to see in a successful performer. And after her asides about Wicked, I am even more excited to see it now!
What I really can't believe is that this was my mom's first symphony. How I haven't managed to take her to one yet is beyond me. This was definitely a good first go though. Well, I'm still all giddy from this evening. So I'm going to go rip the two CD's of hers I just bought and try to call it an evening. What a lovely one it was!

Last Leg

So I have spent my last evening in Ireland in Dublin. An excellent choice (as well as convenient) I though, as I do quite love this city. Now, I love it even more. It was a beautiful, warm, sunny day so I enjoyed walking through all the different areas and shopping districts. Plus I finished off my shopping that I wanted to do!..and then some...oh well. It is my last day in Europe for awhile. Unfortunately this was after I had finished my packing, so I got to do it all over again. I think I was rather effective at it though.
After I dropped my stuff off back at the hostel, I decided I needed one last good Irish meal, so I asked the desk guy at the hostel for a recommendation. Wow, was it amazing! Best meal I've eaten in Ireland, and I've really liked the food here so far! The restaurant was called Gallagher's Boxty House, and they were known for their potato dumplings. So I thought I would try them. I got the small one so that I could get dessert too. I wish I hadn't. I scraped my dish completely clean and was still craving more. So then I went for their dark chocolate cake with sauce and ice cream. Equally amazing. I was stuffed, and still wished I had more in front of me.
I also got to walk around the Temple Bar area, which I hadn't made it to yet, for unknown reasons. This is my third mini trip here in two weeks, I'm not really sure what my deal there was. Especially when it turned out to be so awesome. Live music and buskers all over the place, a drunk homeless guy dancing in the middle of the street to some of the buskers (It looked like a cross between the hokey-pokey and the chicken dance), food and the smells of all over the place. Plus tons of signs for the Leprechaun Museum, which I wish I had known about sooner. Oh well, guess I'll have to come back! Darn... :)

Cork it!

Cork was wonderful. I like the smaller cities like that. Big enough that there is stuff to do and things to see, but small enough that you can walk the whole of it. I quite enjoyed just wandering through all the different little stores and markets. I ate a lot of food, and accomplished a lot of nothing. It was wonderful.
The one thing I did do, as was my goal, was Blarney Castle. It was just as I had been told. The castle was quick, cool but nothing stupendous in relation to other castles. But the gardens. Those were amazing. I walked in them for a good couple hours.
Of course, the very first thing I did was bee line it for the top of the castle. Talk about some narrow staircases! And the stone steps were half worn away and rounded and slick from the numerous people tromping up them. I can't imagine living like that. And the kitchen was on the top floor. Talk about a hard working staff you would have in a place like that. Of course the line to the stone wrapped around the top of the castle, so I made small talk with the three Canadian guys behind me. One of them had a hard time with heights and while was braced for the upcoming lean, made an uneasy comment about falling.
This of course led into a whole line of jokes from his friends about not jumping off Blarney Castle. In the end we came to the determination that if this is on your bucket list, it should not be left for last. A person might realize they had finished all the had to live for and just flip off as they kissed the stone! Morbid yes, but we got the guy laughing and he was much more at ease by the time we got up there. He was even nice enough to take a picture for me when it was my turn.
They weren't kidding about leaning back either! I knew the concept of what you do, lean backwards/upside down over the edge of the battlements and kiss the bottom stone. What isn't said is how wide the gap is that you are leaning across. You HAVE to hold on to the bars, cause you are definitely not sitting on anything anymore to reach far enough out. It was a little disconcerting to be dangling like that and knowing that I was only on something solid from just above my knees down. The rest of me was hanging upside down three stories up with only a little hand rail to hold on to. No wonder they have a guy there to brace you! And here I thought it was just a formality to ease peoples minds. Nope, he is very necessary. Quite an experience though, and only time will tell if the eloquence will come to fore now. Should last me seven years though they say.
Now that this was accomplished, I left for the gardens. As I said, stunning. Waterfalls and trees and moss covered boulders everywhere. I found the wishing stairs, but I think I peeked a little on the way down, so I'm fairly sure I'm outta luck there. Though I did get my coin in the stream over my head, so that one is supposed to come true still. There is the Witch's Stone, the Witch's cave, the druids cave and the druid stone circle. There was also a type of passage tomb, that you are supposed to walk through, which I did, though I'm not sure quite what that one achieves. And the whole time it was sunny and gorgeous. How lucky I seem to be with all my traveling. Denmark was a little chilly/rainy, though not bad, but other than that, I have achieved almost perfect weather while traveling. This is through a European fall, winter, and fall. How can you top that!?
This morning I went for breakfast at the English Market, which they claim is one of the oldest markets that is still in it's original location in that fashion. I had a pain de chocolate, and got some pesto potatoes and a sandwich for my train ride. Then I stalled going to the train station until I was at the last train I could catch for the cheaper rate. Somehow, I think I'm not ready to go home yet, though the time seems to have come anyway. While I wasn't ready to stop traveling before, there was reason I was going home before, and that made it easier to make the transition. This time, there is nothing. Not I have to figure out what to do with myself, though I'd rather just keep traveling indefinitely. Guess it's time to start researching jobs, careers, and schools…wooo…

Northern Ireland in one quick swoop.

Well, I have explored as much of N. Ireland as I can in a day and a half, and I feel like I rather successfully hit quite a bit. and fairly effectively too! I took the train up from Dublin on Saturday morning and arrived in Belfast at around 2 in the afternoon. At first I thought rather unfortunately that my hostel was on the other side of town, but the walk turned out to be lovely. I wasn't really sure what to expect here, because I feel I have only heard of the rougher aspects of N. Ireland.
When I got to my hostel, I was a little concerned at first. It didn't seem especially clean and there didn't appear to be much in the near by area. But the workers there were especially nice and helpful, and I figured it was just a place to sleep really. One of the girls on staff recommended a couple of places to go to. Turns out this was the middle of the University district, I had just taken the wrong street in to notice this. So on the other block were tons of pubs, parks, and museums. I quickly headed out to explore.
I went to the botanic gardens first. While not the most impressive ones I have ever been to, they were an enjoyable walk. There was also a free museum in the middle of the park, which was a fun quick exploration. After this, I headed in towards the city center to see what there was. It was recommended that I do a black taxi tour, but the cost was only worth it if you did it in a group, and there was nobody around the hostel when I arrived to make a group with. Instead, I figured I'd see the safer areas of the city on foot.
There is not a lot to see in Belfast, so I was not too worried about walking a little further to see the things that were there. I saw their clock tower, the large ceramic fish on the waterway, and then headed into the Titanic Quarter. This is the city where the Titanic had been built, and it's slipway still exists on the northern end of the city. I had a fun little walk through the shipbuilding yards, before I decided to head back because the sky was looking a little iffy, and I didn't plan to get caught in a storm while a 30 min. walk away from the hostel.
The one thing I really love about Ireland, is how friendly everyone is. Talking to people on the street corners is totally normal, and everyone is willing to help a person out. Once I had crossed the waterway, I sat down on a bench and looked in my local guide trying to find somewhere good for dinner. I man stopped by me, just to make sure I wasn't lost and to see if he could help me in any manner. This just isn't something you see in other countries! You're always worried about ulterior motives and tend to be suspicious when a stranger singles you out, but here, they just honestly want to socialize. Even the guide books say to expect it and go with it! So I told the man I was just looking for good food and he waved me down the street with him and spent the next block pointing out restaurants and interesting places to eat for different types of food. It was very pleasant.
Eventually I ended up in a pub and had a rather nice meal before calling it a night. And when I got to the hostel I had an even nicer surprise. I must have turned up just in that point of cleaning where everything looks worse, because it was like a different place. Still not the nicest I've ever stayed in, but my concern was gone. I was also able to sign up for a free Causeway Tour because I had booked the hostel for two nights.
In the morning, I got ready to take my tour. The free breakfast was pretty insubstantial so I headed to Starbucks around the corner for some coffee first. When I came back I was mildly concerned at first. I met the tour guide, but overheard him saying something about overbooked and three of the freebies were going to have to get off. I was definitely a freebie, and if I didn't go on this tour, I wouldn't be able to go at all. But there was a group of three girls together, who since they were a group, were the ones not going. I was very relieved. I was hanging out with Erin, a girl from Australia and we stuck together for most of the tour.
Troy, or as he called himself Troooooooy, was our tour guide, and a fabulous one he was. He was telling stories the entire time and we were constantly amused and laughing. He quickly told his motto that what happens on tour, stays on tour. So there is no tattling on him about anything he says once you're off the bus.
Our first stop was Larrybane and Carrick-a-rede, the old rope bridge where the locals used to fish for salmon off the coast line. The bridge was a newer one, for safety reasons, but it was essentially the same concept, and we all enjoyed walking across to the island where a local explained what we were seeing and it's history. We were informed that the large island we were seeing way out in the water, was in fact Scotland. That this was the closest point between the two and it was only twelve miles away. I thought that was very cool.
Once we had boarded the bus again, we headed for Giant's Causeway, which is what I was really excited to see. I have been fascinated with it since the first time I saw "Where the Hell is Matt." It was just as good as I had hoped. The basalt columns were huge, and there was free reign to go climb all over them. Erin and I took pictures of each other, before we went to find the giant's boot, left when the Scottish giant ran away so quickly and turned to stone over the years, the organ, and then a local guide showed us the Old Lady, which really does look like an old lady climbing up the hillside. The colors were fascinating too, as parts of the soil were red from all the iron, and really showed against the green of the grass around it. It was a fascinating place, and I am so glad to have made it.
We had lunch here too. I had steak and Guinness pie, and is was delicious. We also had Irish coffee on Troy's recommendation, as apparently this hotel won an award for best Irish coffee in N. Ireland this last year. It was made with Bushmill's whiskey, which is the town the Causeway is right beside, and was delicious. Once we were all filled up, we loaded back into the bus and headed for Derry. Here we were taken on a one hour walking tour of the city. Our guide, Roy, has lived in the bogsite for almost his entire life, and was able to tell us the whole history of the battles with first hand experience. It was a fascinating, though very sombre walk. It felt strange to be walking through this city, knowing and hearing that all these tensions were simmering just below the surface still. The sidewalks and streetlights were all painted either the colors of the British or the Irish flag, depending on which political section of the city you were in at the moment, and there were Free Derry signs and IRA tags all over. Most of the tour was taken from the Derry Wall, built to subdivide the city, which is still part of the boundary of the two different segments.
Roy told us there were still political extremists and that the city was currently building the "peace" bridge to link the two parts of the city in hopes of making a statement to these people not to start anything again. The tour ended at the site of Bloody Sunday, where a memorial now stands. It was sad to see that most of the people killed were about 17 years old. There is always the issue of what to call the city as well. Depending on if your talking to a Catholic or a Protestant, you have to call it either Derry or Londonderry, and you really have no way of knowing which until it's too late.
On a less sad note though, Roy had the most interesting accent. It was unlike any other Irish accent I have heard before, with more of a roll to the r's and a bit of a trill to some of the words. When we asked about this, we learned that Irish is taught from birth in Derry. That children were expected to speak it in school and at home, and only spoke English to each other on the streets. So Roy's accent was not English Irish, it was Gaelic Irish, and it was beautiful. He read us a couple of political signs which were written entirely in Gaelic, and it was incredible to hear. Definitely a beautiful language, and it's good that it's not going to die out any time soon.
I feel as though I learned a lot in the last 24 hours, and it was a unique and fascinating experience. I have quite enjoyed Northern Ireland, and it will be interesting to see what happens to it in the years to come. There is still so much unrest there. For now though, I am heading south again. I am on the train to Cork right now, which I have heard good things about. I am excited to see Blarney castle, though sad because it is essentially my last stop for this trip. I am not ready to go home at all, though I could definitely stand to go to work and earn some money, and it will be good to see my friends again.

couple days later...

All right, so I'm apparently on a 2-3 day cycle for updating right now...I'll work on that...later. But for now, I'm actually updating. So take it at face value and be happy for a post. I have seen a lot more of Ireland since I last wrote, and I have yet to be disappointed by it.
After we woke up (yes, in the castle), Pat picked us up and took us out to the Dingle Peninsula. It was a misty kind of day, but the gray of the sky really only makes the ground look greener. We stopped in Dingle for lunch first and while the others had coffee, I decided to do a little look into the shops in the area. I found a great little music store where I got a CD of local artists as well as an awesome "something" for Heather. Heather, if you don't like it, tough luck. Cause it's completely amazing, though I know you will. How's that for a teaser?
Before we headed out of town though, Pat mentioned a jewelry store that does designs with the Ogham (pronounced o-um) alphabet which is based on lines and slashes. Very cool. Mormor and Joan both got earring which read their names. I didn't get anything, but I did have a good deal of fun looking through the store. I'm looking for something, I'm just waiting for it to catch my attention.
When we left the store, we headed out for the coast line to take our drive. I still just can't get over how amazing the cliffs on this side of Ireland are. We even got to walk down a huge paved trail to a pier. It was neat to see the cliffs from this angle as well. Helps you to appreciate just how vast they are. We could see the barest outline of Dead Man Island, which looks like a person lying on their back, but were unable to find the Skellig Islands, though Pat gave us the whole history of them. Talk about determined people! I can't even imagine living like they managed there.
We stopped a couple other time to appreciate the view, or structures built. It's much like Joan said, it's strange to think that all of this was built and constructed and ancient before our country was even created. We just don't have that kind of ancestry in the states. I enjoyed just looking out the window as we drove and seeing these beautiful fields and walls and cliffs. The whole country is really just amazing to look at. I don't think I've found an ugly area yet.
Yesterday we had debated following up Dingle with the Ring of Kerry, but it was another gray day. Instead, Pat brought us to a waterfall just out of town (we were staying in Killarney). At first, the waterfall was rather unimpressive, more a series of waterfalls, but every tree was bright green, completely encapsulated in moss. Then as we followed the path, we came around the corner and saw the REAL falls. While the Torc Falls are not particularly large still, they were very beautiful in that setting. I chose to run up a path to the top of the falls too, which turned out to be completely worth the time. On my way down I ran into Mormor, who had come part way up too. While she didn't make it to the top, she did get to the clearing that had a fabulous view of the Killarney lakes.
When we got back down again, Pat told us he was taking us to Ruckmoss House, which was set on the lakes themselves. While everyone else went to look at the gardens, I chose to take the trail down to the boathouse. This was equally amazing. I took the back way there and was climbing up and down stone steps into little garden groves the whole way, and once I got there is was so beautiful! The lake was smooth as glass and reflected everything in it perfectly; the boats, the trees, the islands. There was a boathouse nature walk loop around the point which I jogged down and loved every minute of. It was just cool enough to be perfectly comfortable out there, and was very invigorating.
We then continued to drive through part of County Cork, and went to St. Finbar's Island which is where we had lunch and enjoyed a pleasant quiet afternoon by the lake. Just as we were leaving, people started showing up, which I think proves that we have really good timing. The ruins on the island of the old chapel were very different from others we had seen, and were set up to say the rosary as you walked around the room. From here, we continued our drive inland to Kilkenny.
While this evening was fairly uneventful, we were all tired from driving, we decided to go to the local pub for dinner that night. Kyteler's Inn was based from the lady who used to live on the property in the late 1200's to early 1300's until she was declared a witch and forced to run away to England. The food was fabulous, and towards the end of the evening there was even live music. I must say though, that it was very apparent that we were all so tired. Joan tried to ask what a song was called and to help us know the song, squeaked it like a dolphin, which set me off laughing. Then Sam followed up with a completely different song and we all just went around the table having moments. We were all laughing so hard. I loved every minute of it.
Eventually we went back to the hotel though, and called it a night. We had a straight shot back to Dublin first thing this morning. Mormor, Joan, and Sam are all flying to Edinburgh today, while I am staying here in Ireland for awhile longer. Now I have to get used to hostels again, and not eating regularly. Still, I'm excited to head to northern Ireland tomorrow. And I do love wandering aimlessly through the different cities, so it's not like I wont be enjoying myself. It will just be directed a different way than it has the last week.

family, and falconry, and castles. Oh My!

I should really be writing more frequently rather than less. There's no way I will be able to keep track of everything at the rate I'm going. And here I though my days would slow down once I met up with the family, but we've been continuing at a rather quick pace through the Irish countryside.
Yesterday our driver came to pick us up at 9 am, and on his suggestion we started to drive north through the Connemara region. We stopped first at a little beach, which Pat told us had highly unique sand. And really it was! It reminded me a bit of working with yeast, only larger. The sand was oblong and a creamy, off-white color. Definitely different from any sand I have encountered before, and the location smelled much better than the spot we had stopped at for photos of the Aran Islands a short while before.
After this, we had a lovely drive through the countryside, aiming for Kylemore Abbey. Not that this stopped us from stopping for pictures at beautiful seaside viewing spots, or old railway bridges, and streams. We even were able to see a guy digging peat moss by hand. He made it look so easy, but Pat explained to us some of the technicalities we weren't seeing when he shoveled out the bricks and tossed them aside; such as how heavy each of those bricks were. We did eventually make it to the Abbey, despite our pitstops, and enjoyed lunch next to the beautiful building.
As we headed back south towards County Clare, Joan mentioned some of the gifts she was hoping to buy for people back home. Pat quickly suggested a crystal store about ten minutes ahead, and we all agreed it could be fun. Not only did we get the history of all the designs they cut, but we were shown around by one of their glass cutting masters who now designs and trains and then were taken into the back room. Here, their master working that day cut a glass bowl with the claddagh design right for us (I had only learned the day before that the design originated in Galway). Talk about talented people! He didn't even mark the pattern, only three basic lines so that everything would line up appropriately. It was incredible to see. Mormor bought me a christmas tree ornament here as well as a vase for herself to be shipped home.
But was this enough for us for the day? Of course not! We stopped to admire a Galway Hooker and then headed up the Barrows into the hills. Here Pat dropped us off at the Poulnabrone, an over 3,000 year old portal tomb on the top of the hill where they found the remains of numerous bodies along with personal possessions. It's amazing to see these monuments!
Then, because this route was on the way, we decided this was the day to see the Cliffs of Moher. Wow, this was one of the highlights of the trip for me so far! I found the location for the Harry Potter movies, as well as the Cliffs of Insanity from the Princess Bride. The was even the remains of an O'Brian castle near the top. The view was incredible from up here, and with the sky completely clear it was a perfect view of the Aran Islands from here too! I just couldn't believe how vast the cliffs were. And it was so windy, though this I did expect. It almost blew you over from time to time up at the top. I had so much fun running from spot to spot trying to see the view from all the different angles.
Eventually though, we made it to our hotel for the night. One of the nicer ones I have ever been in! Right on the beach, it was out of the city a little ways, but it was very impressive. The bathroom was easily one of the nicest ones I've seen in a hotel. We think it might have been time shares, or seasonal properties for the most part, just because of the courtyard setup and overall structure it had. We did get to see our first peat fire though, which was exciting, and an interesting, though rather pleasant scent.
Before breakfast this morning, I went for a quick walk down the the shoreside to get pictures of the the water. It's amazing how large the waves are round here, even if it is the ocean coming in! We had a quick breakfast, and got ready to head out. Today was the day we were looking for the Austins, my great-grandfather's family who were in the states by 1870.
We started out, with a couple names, and a Parish area to search in. The pastor of the church we tried first was in a huge rush for a meeting he had set up, but he managed to point us in the direction of a cemetery to search in, as well as a man who lived not far away who might know information for us.
After searching the cemetery for awhile, we found the Austin headstone, with five different names. None of them were familiar to us, but it was a start. Then a man walked in to through the gate and hollered, "I hear you're looking for Austins!" Talk about a small town, the word had already spread through Cross about who we were and what we were doing. Turns out this was the man we had been going to find next, Keane. He informed us that there were only three Austin families in the immediate area, and that it was a fairly uncommon name. Then he sent us down the road to a descendant of the tomb we had found.
Anne had only just arrived to her house from New York, where she lives, for Easter. She invited us in and we started talking. Unfortunately she knew very little past her grandfather, but she and her husband were very nice. We have no way of identifying whether they are our family or not, but it is neat to think they might have been.
Keane had also told us about a lighthouse at the point that we could likely go up, so we followed the coastline around searching for Tom, the lighthouse keeper. He was there, but couldn't let us in at that time unfortunately. Still, what another amazing spot. I really just can't get over the cliff sides on the west coast here. We were able to go right to the edge of the cliff and look down at the caves and crashing waves. Sometimes the spray was so large you could see it clearing the top of the cliffs! Quite incredible, because we were definitely a ways up.
We tried to stop for lunch at the last bar before New York, but it was closed for the week. We ended up at a little pub across the street, and the gal there was able to point us toward the other church we had been looking for. This was another one which we had heard may be affiliated with our family, and while there were no records here, it was interesting to see this portable church from when they weren't allowed to worship. They had found loopholes to this rule though, and the movable church that they could carry to the beach was one of them. They were certainly determined people.
Pat told us at one point that one of the trademarks of the Irish, is that if you tell the not to do something, they are almost guaranteed to do it. Now I know where that trait in the family comes from! It's our Irish heritage showing through. Extreme stubbornness and determination to prove people otherwise. At least now I know why the whole lot of us behave this way. It's just bred into our blood.
Tonight we are sleeping in a castle. Yes. An honest to goodness castle. The part we are sleeping in was built in 1730. How cool is that? I think it's very much so. In fact, I am beyond excited about this fact. The registration desk has suits of armor next to it. The building has turrets. I a stoked.
We started off our stay here doing falconry. Mormor was especially excited for this, and Joan and I were happy to join in. Wow, what an experience. Jim met us at the front door to the castle, and as soon as we stepped outside, we saw Bruce waiting for us. Bruce was a Harris Hawk we soon learned, as we would spend the next hour and a half with him. Jim taught us to catch and toss Bruce as we went on a walk through the woods. At one point, poor Bruce got his leather traces wrapped around the branch he was sitting on. This was on ordeal, simply because he had flown just high enough into the tree that we couldn't reach him. Eventually we got him loose by getting him to flip back around the branch in reverse. He got an extra treat for being good during it. The funniest part was when he was on the ground though. He would chase after Jim doing this strange run/waddle because he knew Jim had treats in his bag. Then, right before he would try to jump on Jim's arm for a treat, he would crouch and wiggle his tail like an excited dog. It was adorable!
Finally, we had go take Bruce back to his roost though. Here we got to meet the other hawks and falcons they keep here. There was even a peregrine falcon, which has been clocked diving up to 250 mph. Talk about a fast bird! Once Bruce was all settled and happy, we moved on to the owls. There was one right up front which had the funniest fluffy feathers. He was name was Alvin and he was a real talker. There was also an Irish Barn Owl, which was a beautiful white color. We learned that this is the only type of owl which has all black eyes.
Then came Peggy. Peggy is an African Spotted Eagle Owl. While she didn't hoot, she did talk quite a lot too. We took her to the Walled Garden where Jim would take her to the opposite side. Then, when he gave a piece of meat a wiggle and whistled, Peggy would come swooping down to land on our arms, one by one. So many people stopped to watch. It's amazing how owls just draw the attention like that. Such an amazing experience. And the top of Peggy's head was about 3 inches deep of feathers. Like a big down pillow on the back of her neck. She would also nibble on our fingers for a moment every time we pet her. Jim said it's because she though we had food for her, so she would nibble, realize we had nothing, then let us pet her.
Finally, we had to say goodbye to the birds though, and go meet Sam for dinner, which we were about an hour late for now. We had spent two and a half hours with Jim and the birds. Sam was a good sport though, and we had another delicious meal, followed by some excellent creme brulee. What really astounds me is how every day somehow seems to manage to surpass the last. This was such an incredible day/evening, and I really don't know how tomorrow could top it. We will be heading toward the Dingle Penninsula though, and we will see what we will see. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to bed. In a castle. Yes!

Little behind now.

All right, so I'm a little behind in my posts, after the whole internet fiasco in Dublin. It worked but it didn't, they charged but it was free, but they gave it to us for free because it wasn't really working. Chaos. That's all it was. Chaos. None the less, I absolutely loved the city. We did one of the hop on, hop off bus tours which was a really neat way to see the city. Plus we had some really funny bus drivers. One guy changed his name in his introduction at every stop. One name even had a 5 minute monologue of explanation to go with it.
We stopped at St. Patrick's cathedral, where Jonathon Swift is buried, first. What a cool old church. One of the only ones I've seen them allow you to take pictures inside of too! I really like that they had written explanations for why things were set up the way they were. And the old battalion flags were amazing. They were practically falling apart on the wall. You could definitely tell that they had seen battles.
After the church, we decided to balance things out again and headed for the Guinness Factory. It was really neat to see the process of how everything was made as well as the old machinery. My favorite part was the sampling as you went through though. Although the old advertisements were awfully fun too. I took pictures of the Alice in Wonderland ones for Jenn. And then when you reached the top you could get a free pint with a view of the whole city. We didn't stay too long as it was very loud, but it was a really cool thing to see.
We also saw the Museum of National History. This had old furniture, dresses, jewelry, and a special room to the high crosses. It was fun to see what things had been specifically made in Ireland over the years and what trademark styles and craftsmanship they have been known for in different eras. I only wish the neo-Irish art display had been open, as this was the one which I had been hoping to see. I still enjoyed all the other exhibits though.
We went to stop at Molly Malone and the Book of Kells next, as well as do a little shopping. All three were a success. Pictures were taken with Molly's statue, and sterling jewelry was purchased. Then came Trinity College. What a beautiful campus! I wouldn't mind going to school there! We quickly found the book of Kells exhibit which was very informative. We even got to watch a video of how they used to bind books. It looked very complicated, yet amazing. I would love to try doing something like that, but you could tell they only made the individual steps look easy and quick. Still...it could be quite a lot of fun! Eventually we made it to the room with the actual books. There was even a scholar who started talking with Joan who could read the old script. It was just neat to see these old books I have always heard about.
Once we got back to the hotel, I went out in search of better internet. I did not find any, but I did have a spectacular walk through several different parks. I started taking pictures of all the different colored doors too, though I know I only got a fraction of the colors I had seen over the several days we were there. I eventually ended up at the Oscar Wilde statue, which had a couple pedestals covered in his one liners. He would have been someone to meet! Sounds like you were always amused when he was around, and he was very clever in some of his statements. My favorite was, "This suspense is terrible. I hope it will last."
This morning our driver showed up at the hotel to pick us up. His name is Pat and he is a very nice guy. He answered all the random questions that were thrown at him throughout the day, only to get stumped at the end when Mormor asked him what Ireland's National Bird was. And they threw some obscure ones at him too. Quite impressive really. We had no idea what there was to see between Dublin and Galway so he made some amazing suggestions. We stopped first at Newgrange, which is an old one-passage burial mound which predates both Stonehenge and the pyramids. We got to go inside and see all the old carvings, including the triskel, and they showed how the light works coming through the lintel window to light up the back area on the Winter solstice. It's incredible that they built something so lasting over 5,000 years ago. Plus the fact that the roof hasn't leaked once in all that time. Talk about some workmanship!
After Newgrange, we made our next stop at Clonmacnoise, the remains of an old monastery on the Shannon River. We got to watch a video about the history of the sight and how it developed before wandering the grounds. There were two of the original high crosses here, as well as the towers they used to escape raiding vikings. It had an amazing history, and it was beautiful walking through the ruins along the river. It looked so archaic! And the last bit of the pilgrimage to the founders grave cut right through the cemetery, so you could walk on the last leg of the granite trail. At this point, it started to cloud over for the first time in Ireland since we arrived. Shocking isn't it!? We've had beautiful warm sunny days. It looked like rain for a little while, though it had cleared up by the time we reached Galway.
We got settled into our hotel and then went for dinner. Another delicious meal, though I laugh every time I see corn in odd dishes because it is exactly what Pat and Janine told me I would see. Once we left the restaurant, it had started a mist like rain. It was really quite lovely, so while everyone else called it a night, I went for a walk on the beach. It was wonderful! Though my hair is now a frizzy mess again. Guess I won't be going straight again for a little while. Worth it though! I had to turn back in because it looked like the clouds were coming in thicker, and while I enjoyed walking in the mist and the wind wasn't bothering me, I didn't enjoy the thought of being caught in an actual rainstorm tonight.
So here I am, back at the hotel again, after another wonderful day in Ireland. My mom may be in trouble, as I really like this country so far. I just may not come home now! Good food, good people, good culture...but then again, I feel like that in most countries I visit. Still, there is something particularly appealing here, though I can't quite put my finger on what it is. I'll just enjoy it instead!