Dearest followers,
Sorry this post wasn't up sooner! I was having some trouble loading the photos onto Blogger (sigh) and then the schedule for all the English classes at school changed (double sigh) so I haven't had much time to blog. But hey, it worked out so it's here on St. Patrick's day, so everybody wins!
Be warned: this post (and its sequel) are both very image heavy, so it might take a while to load.
Anyway, while you wait for them to load, pop open a Guinness, pour yourself some Jameson, or mix some Bailey's into your coffee. Or you can mix all three and have a creatively titled "
Irish Car Bomb"! (Not that I encourage such drinking on this blog...)
Also double-Irish spirit points if you listen to
some Irish music playlists while reading.
Part I: Fulbright & Friends
The state of Saxony had a two week spring break this year, so I decided to take full advantage of my 14 days of not dealing with my students (don't get me wrong, I like them, but sometimes you need a break).
Most of my coworkers expressed confusion about the fact that I was going some place colder than Germany - Germans usually escape the EU for vacay to cheaper, warmer places like Croatia or Greece.
During the planning stages of this trip, I was worried that I might end up alone for a week in Ireland, since lots of the other Fulbrighters had family members and friends visiting and others had shorter breaks (especially if they didn't teach in Saxony).
Luckily, I was able to find two great traveling companions for my first week in Ireland - Chelsea, who teaches in Erfurt, and David, who teaches near to Chemnitz!
We set off in search of adventure and Ireland delivered.
Dublin
RyanAir is simultaneously both the best and the worst thing to happen to poor college students (or in my case poor college graduates) in Europe. RyanAir, which is based in Ireland, provides the cheapest flights to major cities in Europe. So woohoo!
But the downside is they that fly out of crappy, out-of-the-way airports and you can only take one tiny carry-on bag, which is really unfortunate especially when you're planning on living out of a single bag for two weeks.
Anyway, since we were flying with RyanAir, Chelsea and I flew together from Berlin's lesser known international airport, Schönefeld, which still is frighteningly Soviet...and by that I mean poorly laid out and inefficient. We made it through the multiple security checks only to discover that our flight was delayed.
After a wait and then a sprint to the gate (because that's how it happens, right?) we were basically the last passengers to squeeze ourselves onto the RyanAir flight.
But we were rewarded when we landed with a soft drizzle and a rainbow on the tarmac!
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Despite our best efforts we weren't allowed to run outside
to find the pot of gold that we were clearly entitled to. |
We made our way to our hostel which was right along the
river Liffey which flows right through Dublin. (After all this time in Europe, I really shouldn't be surprised when yet another river goes through a city, but somehow I get ridiculously excited when I discover a new river.)
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| The Liffey at night |
We met David, who had gotten there a day before us, at the hostel. We dropped off our stuff, strolled around the city for a bit and then got dinner - traditional Irish dinner of beef, potatoes, and
Bulmers cider, which is confusingly called Magners everywhere else in the world and is not be confused with the
British Bulmers.
The next morning we woke up and got ready for our walking tour around the city. It was a crisp, cloudy day perfect for strolling around Dublin.
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| Another view of the Liffey |
One of our first stops was
Trinity College, Ireland's top university. Famous alums include:
Jonathan Swift,
Oscar Wilde, and
Samuel Beckett....so basically a checklist of famous Irish writers.
Oh, and did I mention that it's totally gorgeous?
Now, Trinity College was founded as Lutheran university in the heart of Catholic Ireland and it was built with a wall around it to protect the Lutheran students from the (perceived) rabid hordes of Catholics (because that's how we roll). Catholics were ordered not to attend the College and some were even excommunicated for attending. The campus is still walled off from the city and you can't even hear the sounds of city from inside.
There are still lots of rumors and superstitions surrounding the College and its rules. Rumor has it that a Lutheran student technically still has the right to shoot Catholics on sight with a crossbow.
Another rumor says that if a student climbs to the top of the bell tower and yells out "Trinity, Trinity, Trinity" they become the "King of the College"; however, the only way they can be stopped is by the Dean who also has the right to shoot students climbing the bell tower with a crossbow. (Apparently Trinity College students and faculty have a thing for crossbows.)
The most famous rumors surround the heavily veiled and secretive process of being a Scholar at the College, which involves passing a grueling test at the end of your second year of studying. If you pass this exam, you officially become a scholar, receiving fully paid tuition and housing plus free meals. And according to all the lore, scholars get to: request a glass of port to drink during their exams , carry their swords to all their classes, and let their sheep graze upon the campus grass. All of which sound like things my Alma Mater should allow students to do.
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| The new library. |
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| If you look closely, you can see Your Humble Blogger! |
Trinity College is also home to the gorgeous Long Room and the famous Book of Kells, both of which I'll talk about later.
Our tour also took us to
Dublin Castle, which isn't even really a castle since the original structure from the 1240s burned down and was replaced in the 1700s. It served as the home base of British rule until Ireland became its own free republic. Today it serves as a major political building in Ireland.
Here's a fun fact: Dublin does not have a single Roman Catholic Cathedral in the entire city.
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| It blew my mind too. |
Because technically, Christ Church Cathedral is still Catholic on the books since the Church refuses to acknowledge Henry the Eighth's takeover of the church back in the day. But in reality, Christ Church is a functioning Anglican church today.
We took a stroll around around the church...
Our tour of the distillery began with a cheesy little movie about the history of Jameson Whiskey and then we learned how whiskey is made. (Since I'm too lazy to explain: here's
a helpful article about how whiskey is distilled.) Specifically, Jameson's whiskey is triple distilled and made with smokeless heat. (FYI: if it was made with peat and had a smokey flavor, it would be Scotch.)
The next day, we said goodbye to David, who was meeting up with his parents, and Chelsea and I left to explore Trinity College's Long Room and the
Book of Kells.
The Book of Kells is a gorgeously illustrated copy of the New Testament from around 800 AD. Unfortunately, we weren't allowed to take pictures inside, but you can check out some of pages
here at Trinity's digital archive!
But I really loved the
Long Room in the Old Library. After the exhibit on the Book of Kells, you walk upstairs. Before you even go into the Long Room, the smell of old books just washes over you. And if you're a bibliophile like me, the smell of old books is intoxicating. But then you step inside...
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| Obligatory shot of Aristotle. |
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| Chelsea in the Long Room |
After we strolled through the city a bit, we went in search of lunch. Now, normally lunch isn't usually the highlight of my day (well, sometimes it is on a bad day at school) but this lunch was special.
Chelsea and I had the first Mexican food - not crappy German attempts - that either of us had had in about six months. It was glorious.
So if you're starved of good Mexican food and you're trapped in Dublin, head over to Pablo Picanté!
Overall, even though we didn't have much time in Dublin, our experience was a really good one!
Galway & County Clare
Our next leg of the journey had us heading out to the West Coast and the charming city of
Galway, which became my favorite city in Ireland. Galway is a cute little city filled with a vibrant live music scene and festivals. What made our stay infinitely more pleasant was the great hostel we stayed at:
Kinlay House, which was more like a hotel than a hostel. If you're heading out to Galway and you're on a budget then I would highly recommend Kinlay House.
Our first day in Galway was eaten up by the 3 hour bus ride that took us from Dublin to Galway and then the tired check-in and search for dinner.
Our second day was a bus tour around County Clare, the Burren National Park and the Cliffs of Moher. Normally I'm not one for bus tours, but this one was a really great all day tour and we got to see some truly gorgeous sights. The day started off gray and disgusting, but turned lovely by the time that we reached the Cliffs.
So let's go on a tour, shall we?
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| Thatched houses typical of the County Clare region. |
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Dunguaire Castle, which isn't really a castle but rather
a tower house. |
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| A view of the inlet near Dunguaire Castle |
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| The castle up close and personal. |
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Our next stop was Corcomroe Abbey, which was devastated
during Oliver Cromwell's invasion of Ireland, like
many of the monasteries on the West Coast.
The destruction of many of the local churches and monasteries
led to the tradition of home Masses on the West Coast. |
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| A view from the abbey to the Burren National Park |
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A cow escaped and blocked our path for a bit when we tried
to leave the abbey |
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We then stopped for a coffee break at
Monks tavern. If you look closely,
you can see the little monk catching the fish. |
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| The ocean! |
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| Probably something to avoid. |
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| A little country lane. |
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An earthen ringfort built by Iron Age settlers to protect
them from wild animals and invaders.
When the forts became overgrown over time they
were dubbed "fairy rings". |
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Although the ground was a little mushy, it was fun to walk
around the middle and the walls of the fort. |
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Our next stop was the utterly sublime Burren National Park.
The characteristic criss-cross limestones were formed
when what now is Ireland was part of Pangaea and
developing under a tropical ocean. |
From the Burren, we headed up the
Cliffs of Moher and despite my fear of heights, the experience of being on the cliffs was unreal and amazing.
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| Some good tips for staying alive on the Cliffs of Moher. |
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Thank God.
How else could I instagram all my pics?! |
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| It was a wee bit windy. |
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Stupid tourists die every year on the Cliffs
because the cliff edge is crumbly and soft. |
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| At least they warn you. |
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| "The Stack" |
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A freestanding stone wall built without mortar to allow
the wind to pass through the rocks. |
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| A cove where we were allowed to wander near the seaside |
If you're going to Ireland, you absolutely must see the Cliffs of Moher!
The next day we spent exploring Galway itself and the Museum of Galway.
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The Spanish Arch, which is a lot less impressive than the
name seems to indicate. |
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The town itself is narrow and winding,
filled with cool little shops
and taverns. |
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This window is the last remnant of Lynch's
Castle, where Sir Lynch, a local magistrate,
hung his own son, convicted of murder, out
the window.
Hence the word: lynching. |
The museum in Galway was small but cute. They had a lot of information about local history and some artwork done by local artists. It made a good stop when it started raining and it was free, so even better!
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A statue of the author Patrick O'Conner, who was a
Galway icon. |
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This is a Galway hooker, a type of
fishing boat. |
In the evening, we went to a local pub with some girls we met at the hostel and listened to a live trad (traditional Irish music) band. The "band" was a trio of a guitarist/singer, a fiddler, and a
bodhrán. They were amazing to watch playing live and luckily we got really good seats in the pub near the stage. The pub was really cool and filled with locals who chatted us up and taught us the lyrics to some songs. It was a great way to end our last night in Galway.
Cork and Blarney Castle
Our next trip was the bottom of the South coast to the city of Cork. Both Chelsea and I agreed that Cork was our least favorite city. There really wasn't much to do in the city itself and it's a very pretty city either. (It kind of reminded me a bit of Chemnitz, actually.)
Although in Cork's defense, they did have a very cool covered Victorian-era mall (like the one I saw in Cardiff), which made my little Victorianist heart beat a little faster.
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Obligatory photo of Cork to prove I went there.
This was my only photo of Cork. |
But Cork's main attraction is about 30 minutes away in the small town of Blarney. Which is home to
Blarney Castle and the magical
Blarney stone! (The stone, by the way, was proven to be 100% Irish in
a new study.)
Although you probably have heard of the stone's magical ability to give you the "gift of gab", you probably didn't know that Blarney Castle also includes a gorgeous plot of land that includes forests and gardens. We spent the whole day in Blarney and despite the occasional rain shower, we really enjoyed ourselves.
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To all my American readers still suffering from the snow:
Look! Spring! |
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| No kidding. |
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| Chelsea in the hidey-hole! |
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| An "art" installation on the grounds. |
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| Our first stop was the castle and the stone, of course! |
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Fortunately, we got inside the castle just as
it started to rain.
Unfortunately, they try to preserve the historic
elements of the castle so they don't really
repair any of it, which means in the rain
it turns into a wet, slippery death trap. |
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| We climbed higher, but the rain kept up. |
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Eventually though, the rain left
and we got a lovely rainbow! |
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The castle is bare on the inside and despite
the fact that it was used until the 17th century
little remains of the frescos or adornments
inside. |
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Once you get to the top of the castle,
it's quite windy plus you get this view to right.
To your left is the open space that used to be
the dining hall.
In other words, I nearly had a panic attack. |
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Chelsea bravely kissed the stone with the help of
jovial Irish dude.
Luckily, I was endowed with the gift of gab naturally, so
I didn't need to kiss the stone.
Also, I was terrified about being up so high, I immediately ran down
the slippery spiral staircase to get to safer ground. |
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Chelsea took her time going downstairs,
so I was able to get this cute picture
(from the safety of solid ground)! |
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| The stone from below! |
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Another cool part of the ground was the poison garden,
which held all kinds of poisonous and deadly plants. |
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They meant business.
Especially with the deadly ones.
Or the stuff people might steal, like marijuana. |
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The plants also had little signs next to them so you could
read all about how poisonous they were. |
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| Blarney House! |
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| Too bad it was closed for the season. |
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| We took a stroll into the gardens. |
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| Brave explorer Chelsea! |
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The Wishing Steps.
Seriously though, in Ireland, they give out
free wishes like candy. |
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| If you squint, it's a Witch. |
Overall, my first week in Ireland was amazing, despite all the drizzles. The Irish people are unbelievably friendly and you immediately fall in love with the country. The landscape is breathtaking and actually really, really green. Oh, and rainbows.
Up Next: Ireland Part 2!
Lots of Love,
Your Humble Blogger
Which is kind of like releasing a small, sugar-deprived child into a huge candy store without parental supervision. Less exciting is the whole finding an apartment-and-becoming-a-real-adult thing.
