A Week in Ireland

On Tuesday morning we began the three hour drive down to the port for our ferry to Belfast. The drive itself was lovely, despite intermittent rain (although that certainly wasn't unsual). On the way we actually got a good look at Stirling Castle, and some pretty good pictures I think. We also got to see some amazing views as we drove through all the coastal towns on our way to Cairnryan.

The ferry ride itself was nice as well, especially since we got premium tickets and spent the trip in the Stena Plus Lounge. In any case, the trip was only about two hours, and before we knew it, we were on the road again, this time in Northern Ireland.

After arriving in Belfast, we went directly to the Titanic Belfast Museum, the exterior of which is intended to simultaneously evoke the iceberg and the prow of the Titanic. The museum left me feeling a bit drained, especially when you consider how much of that tragedy could have been avoided.

In need of a pick-me-up, we headed over to the Mount Stewart house and gardens. The house wasn't particularly impressive, partly because it was under restoration (lots of scaffolding); but the gardens were spectacular, and surprisingly Mediterranean feeling. In addition, the location of the house afforded some wonderful views of Strangford Lough.

To get to our flat in Belcoo, we actually had to head back through Belfast, which was lucky because this time we managed to stumble across some of the Unionist murals (those who supported Northern Ireland remaining with Britain), as well as one of the "peace walls" containing the Catholic neighborhood.

The flat in Belcoo was my favorite yet, not least because it provided a good Wifi signal (finally). It was actually located just across the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic, so all of our phones decided we had already crossed the border. Luckily the pub owner next door was willing to call our host so he could come meet us with the keys to the flat.

The next day we took advantage of the location and the sun, and walked around the park that could be seen from the windows of our flat. We even walked across the bridge and into the Republic of Ireland (which marks the first occasion on which I can say I walked into a different country). Later on, we drove into Enniskillen, where we saw the castle and cathedral, although we didn't actually stop at either.

On Thursday we got up fairly early, so that we could head up to the Causeway coast. We made our first stop at Mussenden Temple and Bishops Gate. The temple was originally built as library and is modelled after the Temple of Vesta in the Roman Forum. Located right on the cliff's edge, the temple provides an amazing view of the ocean. The grounds of Downhill Estate, on which the temple is located, were full of rolling hills (there were definitely some "the hills are alive" pictures taken).

Next we headed further along the coast to Dunluce Castle, which was mostly ruins, located on an outcropping of cliffs above the ocean. What was cool was that you could walk down, almost to the water at the bottom of the cliff, and see a little cave running under the castle and into the ocean.

The final, and best, stop along the coast was obviously the Giant's Causeway, which was absolutely breathtaking. We also had enormous fun climbing around the various formations, which made me think of honeycombs. I picked up a necklace which imitated the pattern. This was probably my favorite stop of the trip thus far.

After that we decided to head home, because it was already past four, and the drive back would take at least another three hours. On the way back we drove through the Sparrin mountains, which were admittedly a bit more like giant hills, but still amazing to look at (not so amazing to drive through - hello motion sickness).

The next day we had a bit of a late start driving up to Derry (or Londonderry, depending on your perspective on the whole "Northern Ireland being a part of the UK" thing). Our first stop in the city was the Guildhall, which was the location of the Saville Inquiry after the events of Bloody Sunday.

After a quick lunch at a cafe near the Shipquay Gate of the wall around the city, we walked up onto the wall itself. The wall is the only completely intact city wall remaining in Ireland, as well as being the last city wall to be built in Europe. We walked along the wall for a bit, making a stop in St. Columb's Cathedral (the stones of the original cathedral are actually a part of the wall). We also walked down towards the Peace Bridge (which looks a bit like ship's sails passing each other) before getting back in the car.

We drove around the city for a bit, seeing several of the murals in the Nationalist (those who supported Northern Ireland becoming a part of "free Ireland") neighborhoods of Derry, the Diamond War Memorial, and the "Hands Across the Divide" Sculpture.

After leaving Derry, we drove up to the Inishowen peninsula, which was beautiful. We made a stop at Grianan of Aileach, a ring fort located at the top of one of the tall hills in the area. The height definitely allowed for some amazing views of the surrounding area, and the ring fort itself was pretty interesting.

The next day Michael wasn't feeling particularly well, so Mom and I headed out on our own. We drove all the way down to Galway and wandered around the town for awhile. We stopped in at the Thomas Dillon shop, the original makers of the Claddagh Ring, and I found a Claddagh necklace to bring home (I already wear two rings regularly and I don't really want to add another). We also walked down to the river and saw the Spanish Arch, which was originally a part of the city's walls and protected the quays. We had lunch at a pub in town before leaving the city.

On our way through the countryside we drove through Athenry, which is partly known because of an Irish folk ballad "The Fields of Athenry." We stopped to look around at Athenry Castle, as well as seeing remains of a stone gate.

Our next stop was Clonmacnoise, a collection of ruined temples, round towers, and (best of all) high crosses. Clonmacnoise is near the river Shannon and houses three high crosses. The best preserved is probably the Cross of the Scriptures, although I preferred the more abstract South Cross. One of the round towers is the only remaining tower in Ireland whose roof is unaltered.

As we headed back up to Belcoo, we made a quick stop at Boyle Abbey, which was pretty, but not quite as interesting as Jedburgh Abbey back in Scotland.

The day after that we took it embarrassingly easy, by which I mean we didn't do anything at all. Sometimes, even when you're traveling and want to make the most of everything, you have to take a break and just relax.

On Monday, our final day in Ireland, we decided to take it easy. We took the comparitively short drive of about an hour down towards Sligo to see Drumcliff, where Yeats is buried and the home of another round tower and high cross. This high cross was pretty interesting too, featuring carvings of Cain and Abel and the Fall of Man.

After Drumcliff we drove out to Rosses Point, which is the tip of one of the nearby peninsulas and which is home to a lighthouse and a monument called "Waiting on Shore" of a woman holding her arms out towards the sea.

We made a quick stop at the Creevykeel Court Cairn, before heading out to Carrowmore. Carrowmore has several examples of passage tombs and dolmans, and is the largest cemetery of megalithic tombs in Ireland, as well as one of the oldest (ranging from five and half thousand to six and a half thousand years old).

We tried to make a stop at Knocknarea, the tomb of Queen Maeve (or Queen Mab as she is better known), but the weather, and our footwear, did not really permit a hike uphill. On our drive back to Belcoo, we also saw the Glencar waterfall, which we had passed on our way down that morning but hadn't really noticed.

Overall, Ireland was spectacularly beautiful, even during the few rainstorms we experienced, and I will be sad to leave it behind. However, there is still almost another week in England left ahead.

Weekend in Dublin Part Two

Although we went to bed quite early, before 10, we still didn't get up until about 8:30. There really wasn't any reason to get up any earlier, as very few places in Dublin appear to open any earlier than 9. We had a light breakfast provided by the hostel, when you're hungry toast with butter and jam can be a spectacular meal.

At about 9:30 Maddy and I were off, we headed straight for Trinity College, to see he Book of Kells and the Trinity College Library. The Book of Kells was beautiful, but if will admit that I was much more interested in the library. This will come as no surprise to anyone that knows me very well of course, I would be happy to live in a library forever, and certainly one as beautiful as the one at Trinity College would be no hardship.

We had decided the night before to plan out our day a bit better and so, in keeping with our schedule, we headed to the National Gallery next. Some areas of the gallery were a bit unnervingly empty, but the exhibit on European masterpieces was pretty cool. They had a Rembrandt and a Picasso, but my favorite was probably either the Four Seasons by Simon Vouet or possibly one of the several gorgeous landscapes.

We also went to see the exhibit on Yeats that was currently on display at the National Library. I really enjoyed seeing handwritten examples of his poetry, even if I am utterly incapable of reading cursive (even when it is not particularly illegible I find it a difficult task).

After looking around the shops for a bit, Maddy was particularly looking for Aran sweaters, which are also known as fisherman's sweaters and are characterized by complex stitch work usually associated with traditional meanings (such as the standard cable pattern standing for success and good luck). We stopped for lunch (both because we were hungry and because we wanted some time to consider our purchases). Sometimes you just want a burger, and Bobo's was definitely a good choice for that. Although we had no say in how our burgers were cooked, which was a change from home where they always ask, they did have proper "skinny chips" (more importantly they were pre salted).

After finishing our lunch we were still suffering from a very important craving, caffeine. We stopped next door for some coffee (for Maddy) and chai (for me). We also got some sweets, because the bakery looked so tempting.

By the time we finished our caffeine break we were ready to make some shopping decisions. We returned to some of the shops we had visited earlier, where Maddy purchased Aran sweaters for herself and her parents and I decided on a tartan shawl that I had been considering. For the regard, it turns out we've been using the term plaid incorrectly in the US. Plaid actually originates as a reference to a type of clothing, similar to a blanket or a shawl, while tartan is the correct word for the pattern.

Afterwards we didn't have very many more set plans, so we wandered around the city. We started with a stop by Dublin Castle, which seems like more of a hodgepodge of buildings than an actual castle (but I still like it). We sat in the courtyard for awhile and just enjoyed the view.

The we found our way to a few shops on the side streets, including a shop that sold vintage goods and a really cool independent bookstore. I definitely considered picking up a few books, but decided against it for practicality's sake (although I did note a few titles for later perusal).

At about 6:00 we arrived at John's Lane Church to attend mass. We were a bit early, so we had some time to look around the church and take a few pictures. The construction of the church began in the 1860s, but it actually opened in the 1870s and the construction wasn't fully complete until the 1890s. The church was really beautiful, especially the stained glass windows.

We walked back to the hostel so we could drop off a few bags, before heading out for dinner at an Italian restaurant that was pretty nearby. We were just in time to take advantage of their "Early Bird" menu which allowed a starter, an entree, and a glass of the house wine. I really enjoyed the restaurant, and it had some nice paintings of Italian landmarks on the walls (some of which I will be seeing in person not too long from now).

That was basically the end of our Dublin adventure. We left the hostel at about 11 on Sunday morning and ended up waiting for the ferry for about three hours. The ferry itself was significantly less pleasant than the one on the trip to Dublin, although it was shorter. We suffered very rough waters for the entire trip, and my ability to sleep in most circumstances came in handy because I avoided the worst of the seasickness. We made a couple of food stops on the way home, which were definitely needed, as the trip felt as though it lasted forever. We made it back to Exeter a little after midnight, and I was very glad to be back in my own bed.

And that's the end of my weekend in Dublin, but I'll be heading back to Ireland again sometime after my exams are over.

Weekend in Dublin Part One

So, I have finally crossed another city off my list of places I want to travel someday. If you weren't already aware, this is because I spent this past weekend in Dublin!

Maddy and I booked onto a trip with the Exeter History Society, so we didn't know anyone, but we were all at least students and it was nice to travel with a group. We left from the St. David's train station in Exeter at around six and spent the next twelve hours traveling (first on the coach for seven hours, then on a ferry for about 4 hours, and then the last leg on the coach again). We arrived at Isaac's Hostel at about 6:30 in the morning and, suffice to say, we were all pretty exhausted. I got about four hours of sleep and, compared to some of my other traveling companions, that was quite a lot. Luckily, although we couldn't check into the hostel and get some well deserved shut eye, we could leave our luggage in a locker (so no one had to lug around a suitcase all day, not that I brought a suitcase for a weekend trip).

We lounged in the common area for awhile, because of course nothing was actually open yet, and finally left at about 8. Maddy and I decided to stick with the others, at least for awhile, so we could get our bearings a bit more. We stopped for breakfast at O'Brien's, which was a lovely little cafe across the street from the Trinity College campus, and I had an amazing raspberry scone and some hot chocolate.

Afterwards we walked around the Trinity College campus, which is absolutely gorgeous by the way, but we didn't stop into any of the buildings at that point. We did, of course, stop to take a couple of group pictures, before walking over to St. Stephan's, a nearby park. the park was absolutely beautiful, it helped that it was quite sunny out (though unfortunately also rather cold). 

We then wandered back towards the college campus to visit the Archaeology branch of the National Museum of Ireland. The museum was really cool, lots of interesting old jewelry that was simply listed as being found in a "hoard" which I suppose makes sense considering Dublin's rich Viking history. Unfortunately we were not allowed to take pictures inside the exhibits, so all I have is a pictures from the atrium (which was still quite pretty).

We then walked to yet another park, this one with a memorial to Oscar Wilde. I personally think the statue of him looks rather smarmy, but that might just be me. The other two statues which had quotes written on them were very cool however.  On our way out of the park we passed by the house in which Oscar Wilde lived on Merrion Square.

We walked into the Temple Bar district around lunchtime. The district is right on the edge of the river and many of the buildings have some pretty fantastic graffiti/art painted on them.

Maddy and I wandered for a bit, before eventually joining some of the other members of the group for lunch at a pub called the Porterhouse. I got Traditional Irish Stew which, to my dismay, came with a leg of lamb which was somewhat difficult to manage. It was delicious, so definitely worth the work.

We then walked over to the Christchurch Cathedral, which I personally preferred (aesthetically speaking) to St Patrick's Cathedral (which we came across later in the day), before splitting off from the group in order to head over to the Guinness Storehouse.

Even if you don't like Guinness, which I have discovered that I most certainly do not, I would have to highly recommend the Guinness Storehouse if you are ever in Dublin. The museum is located in the St. James' Gate Brewery, where at one point they performed the fermentation process involved in making Guinness. The first thing you see after buying your ticket and entering the museum portion of the building is the 9000 year lease on the brewery signed by Arthur Guinness for the building (yes I did say 9000, so he was certainly in it for the long haul). Also the central section of each floor of the building (which is like an open glass atrium all the way up) is apparently designed to be the largest pint glass in the world and, if filled, could hold 14.3 million pints of Guinness (or, more pints than there are people in Dublin)

There were lots of other cool things too: portraits that started to move and talk when you stood in front of them, examples of different advertising from different time periods, a set up where you could take a picture that made it look like you were featured in a vintage Guinness add, and a tasting room where they taught you how to properly drink Guinness in order to taste the four flavors. 

After finally making our way up to the 7th floor, where there was a bar with amazing views of the surrounding city, we got our obligatory pint of Guinness. I suffered through about half of it before admitting defeat, Guinness is much too bitter a drink for my tastes.

Afterwards Maddy and I wandered around the city a bit, getting somewhat lost in the process (and it was at this point that we came across St. Patricks), before eventually figuring it out. After finding our way to Grafton Street, which is the main shopping district in the city, we went in search of dinner.

We ate back across the river at a place called the Epicurean Food Hall, think a more upscale food court, where we settled on Mediterranean for dinner. I had a falafel sandwich, plus the essential of Irish food, chips (ie. potatoes).

Finally we made our way back to Isaac's only a little before 7:30, where we decided to relax for a bit before calling it a night. It was certainly a long and busy day.

To be continued...

(I've always wanted to do that) 

But seriously, I'll post the second half of the trip soon, it seemed like a bit much to make into just one.

Trivia: Let's Take (Another) Quiz

So I'm sure by now everyone has noticed the upswing in fun quizzes, usually from Buzzfeed, being shared on Facebook. I've certainly posted my fair share of quizzes, and taken quite a few more than that. Who doesn't want to know which Disney princess they would be or what career is perfect for them?

Frequently you get results that don't make any sense to you, like when the What European Country Should You Live In quiz told me I should live in Romania. Yeah, no. I don't think so.

Sometimes you take a quiz and you get a result which you love, even if you are completely perplexed by how the random questions could have possibly created that result.

And sometimes you get a result that totally makes sense to you, but still isn't the one you wanted.

Sadly no Lizzie Bennet for me :(

And then of course, there are the times where you go through the quiz consciously thinking about which responses are most likely to lead to the result you want, or when you give up completely and just retake the quiz with new answers until you get the right result. Or when you answer questions on a quiz and you wonder whether you're being completely honest, or if you're just picking the things that you wish were true about you.

Regardless, it's always fun to take a quiz just to see what will happen, especially if you can compare your results with someone else's. In preparation for this weekend's trip to Dublin I found the perfect quiz for the occasion: How Irish Are You?

The problem with this result of course, is that not a word of it is true. I had to look up what "What's the craic?" means (for your information, it's basically slang for "what's up?"). And I definitely don't know the words to the Irish National Anthem or The Rattlin' Bog. I do think that a Tayto sandwich (or a potato chip sandwich) sounds interesting, so maybe that's Irish enough.

I'll be leaving for Dublin this Thursday evening, and I won't be back until about midnight on Sunday, but I'll post about my Ireland adventures when I get back.

Kiss Me I'm Irish (?)

So, I have finished yet another awesome week in Exeter. It's still really hard to believe how fast the time is going, before I know it exams will be over and then I'll only have a couple weeks left before I return to the US.

Among the fun things I did this week was an expedition out to High Street on Monday with Maddy, Charlotte (one of Maddy's flatmates) and Charlotte's brother. We had a later lunch at an Asian buffet, called Buffet City (very creative I know), which strangely included crepes among its dessert options.

I also had a performance for Take Note on Wednesday. We visited an elderly care home called Eaton House in the afternoon to perform our repertoire of five songs (Blackbird, Downtown, Lean On Me, Yesterday, and a mash-up of What Makes You Beautiful and Just The Way You Are). We got a wonderful response and ended up singing almost every song a second time. Interestingly, one of the residents asked us to repeat "that lovely song that talks about the little things that matter that you don't always notice" in reference to the song he like, but didn't recognize. After some confusion, we realized he was talking about our One Direction/Bruno Mars mash-up, I will admit lovely is not the first word that comes to mind when describing One Direction's music (fun maybe, sometimes irritating, almost always catchy). Afterwards we stayed for small talk, tea, and biscuits (cookies for those of us from the US). I learned, from one women originally from Wales, that I apparently sound Irish to some. Immediately after I spoke she asked which part of Ireland I was from, I chose to take it as a compliment, although I do not think American and Irish accents sound even remotely similar. Later Kathy, who is actually Irish (from Northern Ireland, but in this case Ireland is the operative word), told me that people have also mistaken her accent for American, so I guess the accents must be more easily confused than I would have thought.

On Friday I finally trekked out to Maddy's flat, which is about a half and hour to forty minute walk away,
to socialize and pregame a bit before going out. We braved Arena, for the second time in my case, and while we had an okay time dancing, we didn't stay for long. The dancing is definitely different in the UK, I didn't notice when we went out on Valentine's Day because we were all international students, but apparently girls here dance as if they don't actually have hips because apparently that type of dancing is considered overly sexy. It was a bit disappointing, because no one wants to feel uncomfortable with themselves on the dance floor. The best part of dancing, in my opinion, is feeling confident in yourself, even if you are not actually an amazing dancer.

Anyway, a few of us left and grabbed burgers and chips at a food truck outside Arena. The burger was definitely different from what I might expect to find at home, I would describe the texture of the burger itself as more like meatloaf. All in all it was a bit strange, but at least I have already found a restaurant that makes burgers that are more to my taste (Hub Box, where I have already eaten twice!).

In more exciting news, I'll be in Dublin this coming weekend and I can't wait!