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.

Thanksgiving, or "The Long Journey Home"

Ithaca, NY, to Madison WI

Tuesday, November 23rd- Sunday, November 28th, 2010

Armed, as one must be when facing Amtrak, with the spirit of adventure, Robbie and I set out from Cornell at 11:30am on Tuesday morning. Our bus ride to Syracuse went off without a hitch, and we caught a movie (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1) in the Syracuse mall before returning to the train station to wait.

We hadn't exactly realized until boarding the train that our tickets in a sleeper car gave us first class, VIP status, but we discovered soon enough, as we walked into a tiny cabin with our names and destination already tagged on the door.

Me: "Wow, I'm exhausted. And kinda hungry..."

enter Ralph

Ralph: "Good evening, I'm Ralph, and I'll be attending to your every need. You've just missed dinner, but there's still food in the lounge car if you're hungry. Let me know whenever you'd like me to do your turndown service."

Us: blank stares of amazement "...Thanks!"

We managed the "turn down" ourselves, converting the chairs in the cabin into two (extraordinarily tiny) bunk beds, and actually managed to get some decent sleep before waking up the next morning to what we thought should be Illinois landscape.

Robbie, after situating the top bunk for me. It was tight, but would have been pretty comfortable if we had figured out the thermostat-- the blankets they give you are not designed for warmth.

Turns out, we woke up in Michigan.

enter Ralph

Ralph: "We're running a little behind schedule, but help yourselves to complimentary breakfast in the dining car, or coffee and juice just at the end of the hall by the showers."

Us: blank stares of amazement "Thanks, Ralph!"

The breakfast was fabulous (who knew french toast cooked at 190mph could be so good?), and we learned from other passengers that we had been rerouted up to Detroit, and were VERY behind schedule.

...Several hours later...

Robbie: "I'm starving. When do you think--"

enter Ralph

Ralph: "They're going to serve lunch to the sleeping car passengers, if you two are interested in cheeseburgers."

Us: blank stares of amazement "Thanks, Ralph!"

Seeing as we were supposed to be off the train by 10am, they only had lunch food for us VIPs-- very lucky for us, as we were starving, and hadn't brought any food. When all the sleeper car passengers ate lunch together, we could definitely tell that we were not the typical demographic. Most were around 50, and clearly traveled like this a lot. We finally made it to Chicago in the late afternoon, and even then, the drive out in rush hour traffic was a nightmare. It was late evening on Wednesday before we finally reached home at last.

Some of our escapades in Wisconsin-- I introduced Robbie to the true Sconnie spirit of hockey games, and we bought each other hats for the occasion

We discovered later that it was a derailment on a major Amtrak rail that caused our rerouting and delay, and luckily no such thing happened on our return journey. We arrived just a half hour behind schedule, safely returned to our Cornell campus to start exam prep... yay.

A Sconnie Summer

Madison, WI, Prairie Du Chien, WI, Elkhart, WI, Minocqua, WI, and Chicago, IL

June 1-August 4, 2010

I know I've been a bit lax about my posting, but my business has no real end in sight, I'm taking this opportunity to have a study break and reacquaint myself with the internet. But before I get to my photo-recap of my lovely Sconnie Summer, allow me to share the inspiration behind my blog title. It's an old fire side song from my days at Camp Black Hawk called "On the Loose" that I've always had a soft spot for. I posted it in the side bar of the blog, so take a peek if you're interested. I also headed it with my favorite picture from this summer-- it seemed particularly relevant.

Before I move on to the pictures, I have to give a nod to the one big part of my summer which I have no photos of. Some of you may know I took an internship as a communications specialist for the UW Madison Veterinary School this summer, writing articles, pamphlets, and press releases for the school. The internship involved interviewing a lot of really amazing scientists and compiling their stories for the Vet School, the university, and to publicize into greater media circles. For a look at some of the stories I wrote over the summer, I've put links in a box titled "Veterinary School Internship Portfolio" at the bottom of the page-- check it out if you're interested.

Now, for the good stuff--

Hillary, digging stuff out from under her bed. Packing up at the end of the year was an interesting process.

Melissa and a floor covered in boxes. We all seemed to have a lot more stuff that we realized.

World's Largest Brat Fest! Kate and I enjoyed the brats, music, and atmosphere, and I even came out of it with a t-shirt.

The Wisco-sonoran Brat Expiriment-- brats, boiled in beer and onions, rolled in bacon, then grilled. Sound delicious??

It was-- here's Jp taking the test bite.

The beautiful Elkhart Lake (at an ungodly hour of morning) for my dad, my aunt Anita, and Laura to compete in the Elkhart Triathlon.

JP wasn't so excited about the early morning-- he has that "You woke the sleeping beast" expression on his face.

Funny how his wife-- about to do an olympic distance triathlon-- looks way more cheerful.

My dad was even jumping up and down. Yes, that's him, waving his arms in the air at the back of the wetsuit-clad crowd.

We got treated to a beautiful rainbow on the drive down to our cabin in Prairie du Chien.

That same night, the sky cleared up just enough for one of the most fabulous sunsets I've ever seen. This picture was taken over the Mississippi River, looking towards Iowa.

A fish boil at the cabin-- everything tastes better when you're the one that lit the fire under it.

I dabbled in a little tree climbing at the cabin, but didn't have all the equipment I needed to take advantage of the fabulous cottonwood in the yard. Next time...

A bald eagle landed in the tree right above our deck, literally 15 feet above us. I don't think we would have even noticed him except that he started screeching.

My dad and I explored the water lilies and scoped out the eagle's nest by kayak. We were rewarded with a peek at some baby birds in the largest nest I have ever seen.

One of my projects for the summer was buying and repainting a new bookshelf for my room, which of course involved a massive reorganization of my books. As they piled up on my floor, I came to the conclusion that I own A LOT of books.

For the Fourth of July, Melissa and Tahra joined me in Mineral Point. We made a cherry pie completely from scratch (and we made it in style-- note the aprons).

It turned out fabulously-- picture perfect AND delicious.

We joined in the traditional Mineral Point parade, brat boil, pie sale, and concert, but we were rained out of the fire works at the end of the night. The thunderstorm provided a different kind of light show.

Kate, Nim, and I went up to Kate's cabin in Minocqua for a weekend. I think Nim got the whole sun-bathing thing wrong here... pretty sure you're not supposed to cover up with towels.

Me, chopping veggies for a stir fry. We did a surprisingly good job of fending for ourselves when it came to food.

Kate introduced me to my first time making bread from scratch-- it was easier than I thought it would be, and it came out delicious.

Tahra invited Melissa, Robbie, and I to visit her in Chicago. Here's Tahra and Melissa playing in the fountain at Millennium Park.

The famous bean-- who's entire purpose in life is for tourists to gather and take pictures. Which we did.

And of course, summer wouldn't be complete without horses. Cowboy spent the summer going English, complete with some dabbling in dressage. Now that he's all of 6 years old (scary!!), he has a new spring in his step, and took to the flashy arab trot quite nicely-- if only I had time to show him.