Not too much has been happening since Northern Ireland. Two of my really good friends visited this past weekend and I had a really great time showing them around Dublin. Friday afternoon, we headed to the Guinness Factory for a self-guided tour and free pint of Guinness in the top of the factory where there's an incredible panoramic view of the city. After picking up some fantastic falafel for dinner, we headed into the city to get a taste of Dublin Friday nightlife (apparently it's the best in the world!) We met up with my friend Alanna and her two brothers who were visiting from America and talked and danced to some American top 40 for a while, but then headed home somewhat early because the craic wasn't very good! (Craic means fun in Irish. For example, "What's the craic?" means What's up or What's good?)
Saturday was amazing, all twenty-four hours! We woke up, had sesame bagels with luxury cream cheese (not really) and headed into the city around lunch time. We walked to this really great restaurant, Cornucopia, which is vegetarian, organic, and changes its menu everyday! After lunch, we walked to the Twisted Pepper, my current favourite coffee bar and got lattes. We sat around talking for a few hours about ghosts and life, spiritual experiences and memories and then took a peek around the bookshop that's upstairs from the cafe.
That evening, we made pancakes with a really delicious apple topping that my brilliant friend Kelsey concocted with fried eggs and then prepared for another night exploring the popular areas of Dublin. We went to a couple of different pubs **Note: Avoid Andrew's Lane Theatre, it smells like sweat** and surprisingly, both of my friends from Paris met French boys (impossible to do in Paris!). At one of the bars, I met a lovely man who offered to take me for a motorcycle ride, which brings me to this evening. When we got home at 4AM, we finished watching Wedding Crashers because the girls had to leave at 5AM for the airport. It was so nice seeing my friends and getting a refreshing weekend with the girls I love. Even more, I got to do touristy things and show someone else around the city!
Kenny picked me up around eight and we headed to see an abandoned fort in Phoenix Park on his motorcycle. The air was cool, but not too cold and I felt really comfortable on the bike--there wasn't a moment I feared falling off or anything. Anyways, the fort was abandoned after the IRA took it over from the army but the moat, now empty, still surrounds the building and apparently they left ammunition inside. From where we were in the park, we could hear and kind of see some deer bucking antlers against each other. After that, we went down to a shipyard-like area and walked along the shore of the Liffy. There was a lighthouse down the path but we didn't walk all the way down there. Now comes the exciting part: I learned to drive a motorcycle! And it wasn't a little guy, either!! I drove it down the road all by myself and turned around and came back!
After that, we headed back to campus because I have a final to study for tomorrow.
Overall, I'm really glad I had the opportunity to cruise around Dublin with a local. It's interesting to ride with someone who knows different routes from what I see on the bus and to be able to just feel like I'm getting a special tour of the city. I loved the view from the motorcycle and seeing areas I might have never gotten to without being shown. This is exactly what I was looking for in my Irish experiences--an interesting view of the city and interacting with people who know Dublin best!
Tomorrow and Thursday I have finals, so my life will be boring, but then begins my spring break, so I'll be sure to update of all my adventures, beginning with a coffee date on Thursday!
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Northern Ireland Troubles
Last week, we left early Thursday morning for Northern Ireland. Before the trip, we were told not to talk about politics outside of the field trip setting. We first went to Parliament and heard a member from each of the four political parties talk about their views. One of the women had been arrested during the political unrest and imprisoned for ten years. I found myself agreeing most with the Unionist speaker, but I knew it was only because he was a suave talker.
After that, we went on a tour of the murals in Belfast. The violent images are shocking to see so publicly. I couldn't imagine growing up around such turmoil. Even though the violence has ended, people still have very strong opinions and reactions to the events, because they are still so recent. There are still "peace walls" throughout the city that are closed every night, keeping the Catholic and Protestant communities separate.
That night, we stayed at the least-nice hostel I've been to so far. 18 girls in one room. You can imagine how I only got 4 hours of sleep. There was also a group of 52 students from England, they were all Australian, New Zealand, and South Africans, and it was interesting to meet them, but they partied too hard for us.
The next day, we headed to Giant's Causeway along the coast. A volcano erupted and the way the ash and lava cooled, allowed the stones to form vertically, resulting in hills that have stepping-stone like rocks all along them. The water comes right up and crashes over the rocks--the view was spectacular (stalk my facebook).
Afterwards, we went to Derry and embarked on a similar walking tour. Again, the images were disturbing.
I'm glad for the opportunity to go to Northern Ireland and talk to some people from the area. The shame is that we couldn't talk about politics at the pub to get a feel for how people really felt, but I broke the rules and brought it up to one man, but still, people are reluctant to say how they feel-- they change the subject or avoid the question.
After that, we went on a tour of the murals in Belfast. The violent images are shocking to see so publicly. I couldn't imagine growing up around such turmoil. Even though the violence has ended, people still have very strong opinions and reactions to the events, because they are still so recent. There are still "peace walls" throughout the city that are closed every night, keeping the Catholic and Protestant communities separate.
That night, we stayed at the least-nice hostel I've been to so far. 18 girls in one room. You can imagine how I only got 4 hours of sleep. There was also a group of 52 students from England, they were all Australian, New Zealand, and South Africans, and it was interesting to meet them, but they partied too hard for us.
The next day, we headed to Giant's Causeway along the coast. A volcano erupted and the way the ash and lava cooled, allowed the stones to form vertically, resulting in hills that have stepping-stone like rocks all along them. The water comes right up and crashes over the rocks--the view was spectacular (stalk my facebook).
Afterwards, we went to Derry and embarked on a similar walking tour. Again, the images were disturbing.
I'm glad for the opportunity to go to Northern Ireland and talk to some people from the area. The shame is that we couldn't talk about politics at the pub to get a feel for how people really felt, but I broke the rules and brought it up to one man, but still, people are reluctant to say how they feel-- they change the subject or avoid the question.
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Dingle, Kerry, Cashel, and so on...
Last Weekend a smaller group of us went to the South of Ireland--I think I've figured out where I want to plant my vacation house.
Friday night we arrived in Dingle at the Rainbow Hostel. On the way to Dingle, we stopped in Barack Obama's ancestral hometown to look around the shops (mainly Barack Cafe) and see where he had his first pint of Guinness and we also stopped in Limerick to look around the docks and see a castle across the water. The woodwork in the house was amazing, our room for eight had skylights and slanted ceilings, I could have holed up there forever. After unpacking and having a picnic on the bedroom floor, we headed to a couple different bars around the town. Kind of like the West of Ireland, Dingle required us to walk down country roads in the dark. Nothing extraordinary happened, but it's cool that most people in Dingle can speak the Irish language.
Saturday morning, we left bright and early toward the coast. We boarded a boat in the bay of Dingle to see Fungie the Dolphin. I was skeptical at first that Fungie might be a robot or caged in, but he truly just loves living in the bay and playing with the boats that come out to stir up the waters. We had a great time trying to catch him on camera and chasing him around in the boat.
After the Fungie watch, we collected supplies to picnic on the beach. We then drove around the Dingle Peninsula, or Ring of Dingle is you will, after stopping on the beach to have a feast. I dined on Lox and bread, grapes and brie, and hummus. I still can't get over how much I love picnicking on beaches.
Driving along the peninsula was incredible. I feel like my photographs look as though I was standing in front of a green-screen because the views and colors of the scenery are just too vivid. I can't describe how crazy beautiful everything along the coast was--it by far made the entire trip worth it.
Saturday night we stayed in what has been described as "the crazy party town of Kilarney." Hungover from too much bread, we went on a pub crawl around the city that ended up being pretty fun. The first pub we visited was hosting a basketball team who were drinking from their trophy! Anyways,
In the morning there was still lots to see. We went to Inch beach, where Coldplay filmed the video "Yellow", we saw some beehive huts that were built over a thousand (maybe only hundreds) years ago, spent an hour in Cork, which to me seemed like Boston compared to NYC if Dublin is NYC, visited Blarney and the Rock of Cashel (without going into either Castle) and stopped along a mountainside to get some incredible views of the island again.
I was a little bit disappointed to not go inside of the castles or ride a horse along the beach, but I would do the trip again just because the views and experiences were so spectacular.
Today I have a paper due on the Travelling Community of Ireland, which ended up being really fun to research. I learned oodles about how the gypsies of Ireland are discriminated against, in a way that seems primitive to Americans, and how they are having trouble being recognized as a community that doesn't need to be assimilated.
Tomorrow, we head to Northern Ireland on an Academic fieldtrip that lasts until Saturday. I'm excited to see Belfast on a chaperoned excursion because I'm not sure I would have gone up there on my own. Learning about the Northern Ireland troubles in History class was surprising because I am constantly reminding myself how current the political issues still are. The Provisional IRA (the violent one) was still around in 2005, which is nuts to think about. From the pictures I've seen, there are Northern Ireland murals for political and religious pride all over the sides of houses and buildings. If I make it back alive (which I will) I'll be sure to write a blog post about everything.
Friday night we arrived in Dingle at the Rainbow Hostel. On the way to Dingle, we stopped in Barack Obama's ancestral hometown to look around the shops (mainly Barack Cafe) and see where he had his first pint of Guinness and we also stopped in Limerick to look around the docks and see a castle across the water. The woodwork in the house was amazing, our room for eight had skylights and slanted ceilings, I could have holed up there forever. After unpacking and having a picnic on the bedroom floor, we headed to a couple different bars around the town. Kind of like the West of Ireland, Dingle required us to walk down country roads in the dark. Nothing extraordinary happened, but it's cool that most people in Dingle can speak the Irish language.
Saturday morning, we left bright and early toward the coast. We boarded a boat in the bay of Dingle to see Fungie the Dolphin. I was skeptical at first that Fungie might be a robot or caged in, but he truly just loves living in the bay and playing with the boats that come out to stir up the waters. We had a great time trying to catch him on camera and chasing him around in the boat.
After the Fungie watch, we collected supplies to picnic on the beach. We then drove around the Dingle Peninsula, or Ring of Dingle is you will, after stopping on the beach to have a feast. I dined on Lox and bread, grapes and brie, and hummus. I still can't get over how much I love picnicking on beaches.
Driving along the peninsula was incredible. I feel like my photographs look as though I was standing in front of a green-screen because the views and colors of the scenery are just too vivid. I can't describe how crazy beautiful everything along the coast was--it by far made the entire trip worth it.
Saturday night we stayed in what has been described as "the crazy party town of Kilarney." Hungover from too much bread, we went on a pub crawl around the city that ended up being pretty fun. The first pub we visited was hosting a basketball team who were drinking from their trophy! Anyways,
In the morning there was still lots to see. We went to Inch beach, where Coldplay filmed the video "Yellow", we saw some beehive huts that were built over a thousand (maybe only hundreds) years ago, spent an hour in Cork, which to me seemed like Boston compared to NYC if Dublin is NYC, visited Blarney and the Rock of Cashel (without going into either Castle) and stopped along a mountainside to get some incredible views of the island again.
I was a little bit disappointed to not go inside of the castles or ride a horse along the beach, but I would do the trip again just because the views and experiences were so spectacular.
Today I have a paper due on the Travelling Community of Ireland, which ended up being really fun to research. I learned oodles about how the gypsies of Ireland are discriminated against, in a way that seems primitive to Americans, and how they are having trouble being recognized as a community that doesn't need to be assimilated.
Tomorrow, we head to Northern Ireland on an Academic fieldtrip that lasts until Saturday. I'm excited to see Belfast on a chaperoned excursion because I'm not sure I would have gone up there on my own. Learning about the Northern Ireland troubles in History class was surprising because I am constantly reminding myself how current the political issues still are. The Provisional IRA (the violent one) was still around in 2005, which is nuts to think about. From the pictures I've seen, there are Northern Ireland murals for political and religious pride all over the sides of houses and buildings. If I make it back alive (which I will) I'll be sure to write a blog post about everything.
Monday, February 6, 2012
Western Ireland Trip
Much like NYC compared to Upstate regions, Dublin is nothing like the rural areas of Western Ireland. While cities are fun, I am always astonished by the beauty of nature.
We left Friday morning for Galway, the biggest "city" on the Western coast. Galway barely qualifies as a city, it's better described as a large town, but nonetheless has a lot going on. There were street performers all over, even after the sun had set. The middle of the city is lit up by a carousel, giving the place a magical feel (very Irish). We stayed in a very nice hostel and that night we went on a pub crawl through Galway. The pubs were nothing to write home about, I met a couple creepy old men and some younger men who worked at a toy store (rumor is they work for Santa). The highlight of the pub crawl might have been the mechanical bull at one of the pubs that everyone got a turn on. Unfortunately, I had to be given a boost onto the bull, and after telling the operator to go easy on me, I still didn't last long. Exhaustion set in and I called it quits early with a couple of other girls and we went home, finishing up the left-over pizza. (Have I mentioned how delicious Garlic Mayo is?)
Bright and Early on Saturday, we left Galway to see the Cliffs of Moher. Now, I can't imagine weather is ever very agreeable at that height and proximity to the coast, but we got a special storm of icy rain and wind that blew a couple of the smaller kids around. (Myself included!) Nevertheless, the Cliffs were breath-taking and quite the site! I can't help but also feel like more of an adventurer braving the poor weather and staying outside long enough to see the tower and go all the way around the trail! The trip was definitely worth it--next time I go, we're bungee jumping off the edge! (Kidding.)
After the Cliffs, we headed to The Connolly Family Farm, run by the cousins of the woman who runs the tour company. Not quite dry from the cliffs, most of us embarked on a nice hike up the side of the mountain that the Connolly Family has owned for over 300 years! The view went for miles: we saw sheep, cows, mountains and a faerie tree at the top of the climb.
The legend is, that if you're having a problem, you tie something to the tree to symbolize leaving your problem behind. The faeries will hopefully take care of things for you. The tree we saw had hundreds of pieces of fabric and string tied to it!
After descending the trail, we went inside and had a traditional Irish farm-cooked meal! Included was beef stew and all kinds of salads. The meal was pretty good and I'm glad to have been able to partake in some traditions besides my own tradition of PB &J everyday for lunch.
After the farm, we headed to our hostel for the night in an extremely little town! The hostel owner taught us some Irish dances (I'll show you when I get home!) and then we walked down the road to a pub. After being ridiculed for only drinking water I brought with me, I threw darts with my friend Kelsey. I don't know how scoring works, so I can't tell you who won, but an interesting man with dread locks complimented my technique, sort of...
I headed back to the hostel fairly early in an attempt to get a good night's sleep, and it worked!
Sunday morning, we traveled to Kinvara, a fishing village. This village was exactly what I needed to see! The buildings were painted fun pastels and every year Kinvara takes part in an Irish contest for the "Tidiest Town;" it was so picturesque! We didn't stay for very long, but the next place we went was to a castle down the road!
My first castle was incredible, though I didn't get to go in. I walked along a trail that covered the perimeter, observing the ivy and stone walls, then hopped down the road to look at a beautiful white horse. The best part of the castle was imagining living on a coastline and waking up to the views I saw every morning!
After the castle, we returned to Galway to shop for Aran Sweaters and Claddagh rings, from some pretty legit stores. I got a couple of presents and treated myself to a Claddagh ring from the original makers, Thomas Dillon. A couple of my friends and I dined at a little restaurant close by, but the food wasn't too impressive, but I'm glad to have eaten local, rather than at a chain.
Galway was a great trip and the feeling of walking the same streets as many of my favorite writers, Oscar Wilde, etc, always makes me feel closer to the literature I read. I'm excited for some time to write after the trips keep us so busy!
We left Friday morning for Galway, the biggest "city" on the Western coast. Galway barely qualifies as a city, it's better described as a large town, but nonetheless has a lot going on. There were street performers all over, even after the sun had set. The middle of the city is lit up by a carousel, giving the place a magical feel (very Irish). We stayed in a very nice hostel and that night we went on a pub crawl through Galway. The pubs were nothing to write home about, I met a couple creepy old men and some younger men who worked at a toy store (rumor is they work for Santa). The highlight of the pub crawl might have been the mechanical bull at one of the pubs that everyone got a turn on. Unfortunately, I had to be given a boost onto the bull, and after telling the operator to go easy on me, I still didn't last long. Exhaustion set in and I called it quits early with a couple of other girls and we went home, finishing up the left-over pizza. (Have I mentioned how delicious Garlic Mayo is?)
Bright and Early on Saturday, we left Galway to see the Cliffs of Moher. Now, I can't imagine weather is ever very agreeable at that height and proximity to the coast, but we got a special storm of icy rain and wind that blew a couple of the smaller kids around. (Myself included!) Nevertheless, the Cliffs were breath-taking and quite the site! I can't help but also feel like more of an adventurer braving the poor weather and staying outside long enough to see the tower and go all the way around the trail! The trip was definitely worth it--next time I go, we're bungee jumping off the edge! (Kidding.)
After the Cliffs, we headed to The Connolly Family Farm, run by the cousins of the woman who runs the tour company. Not quite dry from the cliffs, most of us embarked on a nice hike up the side of the mountain that the Connolly Family has owned for over 300 years! The view went for miles: we saw sheep, cows, mountains and a faerie tree at the top of the climb.
The legend is, that if you're having a problem, you tie something to the tree to symbolize leaving your problem behind. The faeries will hopefully take care of things for you. The tree we saw had hundreds of pieces of fabric and string tied to it!
After descending the trail, we went inside and had a traditional Irish farm-cooked meal! Included was beef stew and all kinds of salads. The meal was pretty good and I'm glad to have been able to partake in some traditions besides my own tradition of PB &J everyday for lunch.
After the farm, we headed to our hostel for the night in an extremely little town! The hostel owner taught us some Irish dances (I'll show you when I get home!) and then we walked down the road to a pub. After being ridiculed for only drinking water I brought with me, I threw darts with my friend Kelsey. I don't know how scoring works, so I can't tell you who won, but an interesting man with dread locks complimented my technique, sort of...
I headed back to the hostel fairly early in an attempt to get a good night's sleep, and it worked!
Sunday morning, we traveled to Kinvara, a fishing village. This village was exactly what I needed to see! The buildings were painted fun pastels and every year Kinvara takes part in an Irish contest for the "Tidiest Town;" it was so picturesque! We didn't stay for very long, but the next place we went was to a castle down the road!
My first castle was incredible, though I didn't get to go in. I walked along a trail that covered the perimeter, observing the ivy and stone walls, then hopped down the road to look at a beautiful white horse. The best part of the castle was imagining living on a coastline and waking up to the views I saw every morning!
After the castle, we returned to Galway to shop for Aran Sweaters and Claddagh rings, from some pretty legit stores. I got a couple of presents and treated myself to a Claddagh ring from the original makers, Thomas Dillon. A couple of my friends and I dined at a little restaurant close by, but the food wasn't too impressive, but I'm glad to have eaten local, rather than at a chain.
Galway was a great trip and the feeling of walking the same streets as many of my favorite writers, Oscar Wilde, etc, always makes me feel closer to the literature I read. I'm excited for some time to write after the trips keep us so busy!
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