Ireland Road Trip: Dingle

April 21st-22nd, 2011
Dingle, Co. Kerry

We took a long, windy, "scenic" road into Dingle, which was fun at first, but darkness, trucks, bikes, and sharp curves made it quite the obstacle course.  Lets just say I was glad I wasn't driving.  We arrived quite late in Dingle at our Inn, a larger affair than the last night's B&B's, and the proprietor directed us to pretty much the only place in town still serving food at 8:30pm.  Ireland does not eat dinner on the same schedule we do.

The next day, we kicked off with another full Irish breakfast (this was probably not the healthiest vacation), and headed to do a trail ride up into the hills.

Mom on her horse.  It was quite windy at the top of the hill.

Dad and his horse.  You could see down to the bay-- it was a beautiful view.

I forget which stone ruins these were in the distance, but they were very hard to get to, so it was cool to be able to see them from horseback.

After our ride, we took a drive around part of the Ring of Kerry, roads that circle County Kerry along the coastline and are notoriously scenic and treacherous looking.

The roads were incredibly narrow.  Traffic slowed to a near stop to allow cars to pass.  It also occasionally slowed to a stop as people took pictures of the iconic scenery.

Also on the way-- many many sheep.  This one is marked with blue paint to identify her with a particular herd.

Baby sheep!  It was that spring time of year, and watching the lambs run and frolic was incredibly entertaining.

Also on our stop along the Ring of Kerry was the Gallarus Oratory, a dry stone building believed to be and early Christian church that guarded literacy through various religious and political turmoil.  Yay, literacy!

The next day dawned bright and sunny, so we took a spin around town before heading off.  Dingle was a beautiful, colorful little harbor town, and looked even better with bright sun and clear blue sky.

Some of the colorful houses.

The view across the harbor.  You can just barely make out the stone monument on the top of the hill, meaning that we rode all the way to the hill just to the right on our little trail ride.

The pier.  Various fishing boats and even a vessel of the Irish Navy were docked in the harbor that morning.

This is Fungi, the Dingle Dolphin.  He is famous for living in the bay for years after his sweetheart was supposedly killed, and he stayed and waited for her.  He's so famous, they have boat tours just to go spot Fungi.

Ireland Road Trip: The Aran Islands

April 20th-21st, 2011

Inishmore, Co. Galway

We woke bright and early to get our full Irish breakfast in Doolin before leaving on the ferry for Inishmore, the biggest of the Aran Islands.

I'm usually fine with boats, but the ride over the Irish sea was more than a little rocky and cold.  The view of the cliffs of Moher from below was pretty cool though.

We were immediately accosted off the ferry by people trying to rent us bikes or get us to go on carriage rides.  When it comes down to it, that's the only way around the island-- it's a VERY small island-- but they really shove it in your face.  We rented bikes from someone further inland and set off on what was, characteristic of my dad, the longest bike loop around the island.

For those of you unfamiliar with the Aran Islands, the landscape is a little... rocky.  The pictures tell it better.

Mom on her rented pink bike.

Pretty typical landscape-- giant rocks that sheer off in weird square pieces with some grass between.

We visited several old forts that were build from rocks on the island.  Apparently Inishmore was a great place to guard your treasures because no one wanted to go there.

Irish is much more common in the west.  This sign probably says something like, "no using the force to attract rocks out of the Fort."

The forts were built on cliff edges to add the obstacle of water on one side.  I look like I'm being dangerous, but really...

I'm just looking at THIS crazy spectacle below.  Watching the sea hit the rocks was mezmerizing.

We actually saw these in the museum back in Dublin, and learned about the writing style in the book of Kells exhibit, and here it is in real life-- a sign post

The view from the top of a lighthouse.  It was a long slog to bike up to this hill, so I hope the view is worth it.  You can see how they pull the rocks from the ground (or try to), and use them to fence off paddocks.

Mom and Dad at the top of the lighthouse.

Dad checking out the barren landscape.

There was actually civilization, just precious little.  We found a good pub for dinner, a bed and breakfast, and a pub for lunch the next day.  But the overall impression is definitely, well, rocks.

Ireland Road Trip: Heading West

April 18th-19th, 2011

Trim, Co. Meath, to Doolin, Co. Galway

We had a late start to our trip due to some unfinished taxes and a slow car pick-up at the airport.  We even ended up making the very daring decision of a manual in an attempt to speed things along.  Our first stop, the Hills of Tara, gave us a further set back as it was closed for the day.  We continued on to a nearby site suggested by the friendly Tara folks, with lots of Round Towers and Celtic Crosses.  Round towers, if you're wondering, look something like this:

They are very tall stone towers made by monks, and have no windows or even doors until about 15 feet up, because the foundation only goes about 2 feet down.  So basically, an architectural marvel.  Opinions are mixed on the "why," but one tour guide told us, and I tend to agree, that the idea that they were for defense or to "hide out" is absurd.  If monks were being attacked and ran up a tower, the attackers would then know exactly where they were and how to corner them, and since the towers had no defense mechanisms, that would be the end.  They were more likely libraries, and some attempt to get closer to God by building towards the heavens.

Working out way westward, we stopped at another set of ruins (we should have got a bumper sticker that said "we stop for round towers").  This one had giant keys to open each metal door, and to get to them, you had to walk right out with the cows.  Very rustic.

By evening, we made it to Trim, named for Trim Castle.  We spent some time exploring the outside, but sadly, the inside wasn't open for tourist season yet.

My dad was thrilled to see that it actually had a moat.

Other ruins near the castle, on a ruins walk suggested by the woman at the hotel.  She assured us that they were "very nice ruins."  My parents are looking at the info on the cathedral, while I've climbed up into the stone work.

We stayed the night in a lovely hotel in Trim, and after my parent's first real full Irish breakfast, continued westward the next day.  On the way, we made the glorious discovery of Yeat's tower.  Having just read his poetry collection, The Tower, which was actually written while he holed himself up in this tower during the war, this was a pretty cool find for me.

Yeats Tower, Thoor Baylee, Gort, Co. Galway

...And we also found some more ruins, with some more cows.  They really don't mind you if you don't mind them.

Finally, we made it all the way to the coast and the Cliffs of Moher (no one really knows how to pronounce it-- it always comes out sounding something like "more," but you say it all drawn out and hope people understand).

The signs were pretty amusing.  "Don't step on fire while trying to catch birds"?

The cliffs really were stunning, although it was a pretty misty day, but apparently that's par for the course at the cliffs.

With out real sight-seeing done for the day, we headed to our stop for the night: Doolin and the St. Anthony B&B.  We went to the docks to sign up for our morning ferry to the Aran Islands, then went on Bridget's suggestion to O'Connor's Pub for some food and live music.  They really did call out for people to sing a song of their own-- I thought the Musical Pub Crawl guys had been making that up. 

Two boys with tin whistles joined the band too.  They weren't half bad.  I entertained one of their little sisters with a card game while they played, but she fell asleep pretty quick.

Ireland Road Trip: Dublin

April 14th-17th, 2011
Dublin, Ireland

When my parents came to visit for the Easter Holidays (study time for some, travel time for others), we started the journey with some exploration of Dublin.

I showed off some essentials (the Trinity campus, the Book of Kells, Grafton Street, St. Stephen's Green, and MacTourcaill's), but we also checked out some stuff that I hadn't seen yet.

Mom really liked all the wrought iron fences.  She took a lot of pictures of them.  These are right outside Trinity Front Gate.

My dad and I in front of the Arts Block.

Dinner at Mactourcaill's-- my first time having food there, but it lived up to expectations.

We also got to visit Dublin Castle, tour Christchurch Cathedral, see the Dublin Writer's Museum and the national Archeology Museum, and go on a musical pub crawl.

The starting point of our musical pub crawl-- touristy, but still fun.

My dad and I in the Dublin Writer's Museum.  We are not great at taking pictures of ourselves.

While walking through temple bar, we stumbled on a book market.  I found a couple of really cool maps that were really out of my price range.

Our super-beer-trip began here with Guinness at Mactourcail's (and just about every other meal), and a sampler of Porter House beers.  We also managed the best purchase of the trip right at the beginning: my new Radley wallet from Arnotts (the Dr. Suess department store).

Our last day in Dublin, we took a train to Howth and spent most of the day hiking and, of course, eating the local fish and chips.  Even though you have to sit outside, Howth was probably the best fish and chips I found on my trip.

Hillary's Visit

April 7th-10th, 2011

Dublin, Ireland, and Howth, Ireland

Hillary, spending this year studying in Santander, Spain, opted to take a weekend and jet out to visit, along with Zach, a fellow Cornellian from her Santander program. She's been doing a lot of traveling this year, and just waiting for the moment when the Ryanair seasonal flights direct between Dublin and Santander would start back up. She arrived fairly late in the day on Thursday, so we walked around town a bit, found some food, and wander through Temple Bar for ice cream.

Sunset by the Ha'penny bridge, so named because it used to cost half a penny to cross.

The next day, we started off by meeting up with Zach and a friend of his from Madrid to take the free walking tour. With a different guide, I really got very different stories, and even saw different things.

The inside of City Hall-- it's a really pretty building, and we got to hear the stories behind a lot of the symbols for the different counties and crests.

A beautiful little hidden garden area behind Dublin Castle.

Just as the tour finished, I got word that I had to run and pick up my Trinity Ball tickets. Thankfully, I barely made it, and Hillary and I headed off for the next step: Guinness. Ever since I first started talking about coming to Dublin back in freshman year, Hillary made me promise that if I did, she could come visit and we would go to the Guinness Factory together and see the 9,000 year lease. Well, consider that promise fulfilled.

Hillary and I outside of the Guinness gate.

The 9,000 year lease that the Guinness family has on the land in Dublin. That's right, they don't actually own it.

Hillary and Zach in the Guinness bar, enjoying the 360 degree view of Dublin.

After introducing Hillary to the Abrakababra for dinner, it was time to part ways for the evening-- I had Trinity Ball to attend, unfortunately breaking up the trip.

The next morning, we started things off with a free visit to the Book of Kells, then some shopping on O'Connell Street (Hillary even got some shoes at the Schuh store). We grabbed lunch at the Bagel Factory and settled down in the park to eat.

We just happened to enjoy our lunch with James Joyce, under some lovely pink flowering trees.

Then we made a quick afternoon jaunt to Howth. We did the short hike rather than the long one, which actually turned out lovely. We even made a new doggy friend.

A little grey, but fairly nice weather.

It took until the 3rd time being here to realize that this is W.B. Yeat's house. Way to go me.

Enjoying a little Irish countryside.

Our dog friend-- we named him Bailey, after the Bailey's we had on our Fro-yo at the stand just outside the Dart station. The friendly frozen yogurt man gave it to us for free.

Sadly, Hillary had to be off bright and early the next morning, so it was quite a short trip, but considering the time crunch, we managed to get a lot in.

Melissa's Visit

Friday, April 1st- Monday, April 4th, 2011

Dublin, Ireland, and Howth, Ireland

This semester, Melissa is studying at St. Andrews in Scotland, so for her spring break, she made the rounds and stopped by to see me in little old Dublin. I had just finished a final paper for Irish Writing and turned it in, hot off the presses, before going to pick her up from the train station. Perfect timing!

After dropping her stuff in my room, our first stop was St. Stephen's Green park, since it was a lovely afternoon for just walking around and relaxing.

The pavilion at the park, and all the people there feeding the birds.

We made an easy night of it, with dinner at Mona Lisa's and a movie night. The next morning brought us up bright and early for a little Dublin tourism. Believe it or not, although I have class next to it every day, this was my first peek at the Book of Kells.

The library where the Book of Kells is kept. It is very old, very ornately decorated copy of the bible. I didn't realize that the entrance price also includes an extensive museum exhibit about the book, its making, and other gospels of its kind, as well as my favorite part: a peek into the Long Room, the oldest, coolest library I have ever seen. And the bonus? Being a Trinity student, I got Melissa and I in for free.

We walked around Trinity for a bit, and I enjoyed the fact that not only was the sun shining, but all the construction equipment was gone from front square. Finally.

Next stop: Sandeman's free tour. After doing one in Amsterdam, I thought it was definitely worth a gander in Dublin. And in spite of living here for the time being, there's still a lot I don't know and haven't seen, so it was really interesting.

The inside of Dublin Castle courtyard, on a beautiful day for a tour.

After the tour, our afternoon took us to Croke Park, the Gaelic Athletic Association stadium, for a Hurling and Gaelic football double-header with Anna, Erin, Emma, and Alex. Here's where weather started turning... It started sprinkling on our way over, taking the bus to the north side, then walking between the endless street vendors selling flags, hats, and scarves for all the counties represented. But, of all the good luck, our seats were under an overhang.

Thank goodness for the overhang-- kept us smiley all night long.

We were REALLY glad for that overhang when the weather got nasty-- bucketing rain and hail for most of the first match. But the players kept on. The hurling was up first, and it was definitely my favorite-- like lawn hockey on crack.

The half-time entertainment, part 1: just like Bucky's Mighty Mites! Really young hurling players-- super cute.

Half-time entertainment part 2: a surprise live performance by Jedward, Ireland's Eurovision contestant. Never heard of them? I hadn't either. They basically do covers of a bunch of old 90's songs while running around like over caffeinated children, to the screams of 12-year-olds who think they are singing original songs. They do have some original stuff, including Lipstick, their song for the Eurovision competition (a Europe-wide version of American Idol that's been going on since 1956).

On Sunday, we made our way to Howth. Although I'd been once, it had been much earlier in the season, and not on a Sunday, so we hadn't seen the farmer's market. Melissa and I spent a good deal of time browsing, and ended up with candy, fudge, souvenirs, and some proper lunch food.

Part of the market-- they didn't have just produce, but also baked goods, hot food, cupcakes, crafts, jewelry, just about everything you could think of.

Saying hi to the seals at the pier. There were a lot of them that day, just milling around, hoping to get fed.

Melissa and I set off on a hike. Although it was the same route I did before, the weather made a world of difference-- no mud, and lots of sunshine makes for happy hikers.

Gorgeous landscape along the coast, especially with all the little yellow flowers along the cliffs.

Enjoying the view. It was so quiet out here you could hear the sea move, even though the waves weren't breaking.

On Monday, I had to ditch Melissa for a bit to go to class (sigh, the trials and tribulations of one not actually on spring break). I caught up with her again after she'd done some exploring of O'Connell Street and Grafton, and we hit up the National Gallery and the National Library.

In front of the National Library, where we saw the Yeats exhibit. Very well done, although probably more interesting if you're into Yeats. Having studied some this semester, it was pretty cool to see some of his hand written poems, where he'd crossed things out and made changes.

The National Library is also just a regular library-- we may or may not have played in the kids corner. Apparently penguins can be found in trees.

That night, I shepherded Melissa on to her next stop-- Rome. Her plane left uncomfortably early, forcing her to catch the bus at 4am, but I'm pretty sure Rome is worth it.