Inis Mor

Saturday, September 26 was by far the best day I have had here in Ireland. We took the bus an hour to the dock where a ferry then took us out to Inis Mor, one of the Aran Islands. Charity, Brady, Patrick, Toby, Nicky, Laura, and I didn’t last five minutes sitting inside before we were out on the deck of the ferry with the wind blowing in our faces. It was absolutely incredible and my hair was a complete mess by the end, but I loved every second of it. The overhead hanging above us had condensation on it which was dripping onto Patrick and Nicky which caused them to make some pretty hilarious faces in addition to all the sea spray we were enduring. Patrick was all about pretending that he was in the Coast Guard and kept us all amused with his ridiculous antics. Once on the island we were split into four vans that then drove us up to the fort. The terrain on the island is extremely rocky and the island itself is covered with thousands of miles of rock walls. The rocky terrain made it extremely difficult for farming but I don’t know much else about the history of the island. Gaelic or Irish is the first language on the island, English being the second, so quite a bit of culture has been preserved. There were a few sweater shops as well where Aran Island sweaters were sold, they are typically the type of sweater you think about when you think of the Irish, but most of us weren’t willing to part with the €80 that a lot of them cost. I ended up buying myself a scarf which was a bit more affordable at €18.
Back to the fort now…so our group headed to the center to pay our one euro to get up to the fort and as usual with big groups people were reading the history or just dawdling around and I wanted to go up immediately to see the fort and the cliffs. Brady was feeling the same way so we set off up the trail. We made it up far ahead of the rest of the group even with the gravel trail and slowpokes in front of us along with stops for pictures; Brady and Toby are the major photographers of the group. The far end of the fort overlooks the Atlantic Ocean and there are cliffs down below. I went over and laid flat on my stomach to look out over the edge, it was quite a thrilling experience. It was extremely peaceful and beautiful, definitely one of my favorite place on earth, at least the places I’ve visited. We were able to watch the fog descending on us from all sides as well which was breathtaking in both the figurative and literal sense as the wind was blowing it at us. The peacefulness was then interrupted however when the rest of the group came along, but it was good fun pointing out things that we had already admired and basking in the knowledge that we had made it up there first. After a good bit of picture taking I had had my fill (mainly of our cohorts) and decided it was time to head back down to find lunch. I walked away from the group and Brady joined me for the trip back down. We had lunch at a little restaurant that had a thatched roof and the full on Irish feel to it, other than the fact that most of our group was eating there. I had the most delicious tomato & basil soup with a toffee square for dessert.
The vans then took us back to the port where we were left with two hours to explore the island. Everyone headed for the sweater shop where after finding a scarf for my sister, I was ready to walk around the island. I had been with Nicky, Patrick, and Brady so I asked them to wait for me while I paid. Brady was off however, as he usually is, before I could ask them to wait. I must note here that he and Toby not only share the photographer gene but the “wander off on my own and don’t tell anyone where I’m going in addition to the fact that I don’t have a cell phone to get in contact with anyone” gene as well. So Nicky, Patrick, and I set off down a road that was above the ocean only soon to see Brady on the beach in the distance taking pictures, so we all busted out our cameras to take pictures of Brady taking pictures. Patrick, being Patrick, took off running across the beach at Brady who pretended to run away from him, while Nicky and I sauntered down after them. We ended up taking a forty-five minute walk in which Patrick lead a narration of our “Oregon Trail” expedition, complete with Brady getting bit by the only snake in Ireland after which he died because we sucked out the venom and failed to get it all. Apparently we also foraged for berries which we got six pounds of and went hunting to end up with three hundred and twenty pounds of meat. Aside from the narrative we were walking through sand and water with our pants rolled up, all of us except for Nicky. There was tons of seaweed too and the pods within it would make this popping sound when we stepped on them leading us to call it nature’s bubble wrap. The beach was full of rocky terrain as well and we were running and jumping over it which was a ton of fun. The expedition was full of song singing as well and after I mentioned the fact that I loved that it was just the four of us, Patrick burst out singing, “Just the four of us, we can make it if we try, just the four of us!”. I about died from laughter at that point and then he went on to say that four is the perfect number and set about using the example of a car saying that four is comfortable, five is ok, six you are sharing a seatbelt and it’s just not a good situation for anyone. I loved having time with just the three of them. In the bigger group people tend to get lost and in a smaller group we are more intent to focus on each other. With only forty-five minutes left until the ferry was due to be boarded, we decided to head back into town but not before Patrick did his Neil Armstrong impression on the grey sand, as well as one can be done with the presence of gravity. When we got back into town Elizabeth, our program director, told us to go up the street and get some ice cream as we had fifteen minutes to spare. The four of us went up with the intention of getting ice cream but only Patrick did as the rest of us decided on the Cadbury Dairy Milk chocolate bars.
Once back at the hotel I took a quick shower before dinner and went down to eat. After the meal they always serve tea and coffee, so our table sat around and talked in British accents with titles and all. Lord Dewhurst (Toby), Lady Patrick (Charity), Commodore Neves (Nicky), Lady Decant (they left out the h saying Decant sounded more proper), Sir Knight Darity (Brady), and then there was Patrick who we deemed court jester. Once our party broke up we decided to meet in the lobby ten minutes later to go out for drinks. Kyle wanted to go somewhere different from where we had been already but after perusing the town to find a ton of night clubs and overflowing pubs we ended up back at Richardson’s which is where most of us had wanted to go in the first place. I handed my camera over to Toby as I knew I would get it back with a ton of fun pictures that I wouldn’t be able to take, and I was not disappointed, however they are not going on facebook. Just a few entertaining notes, there was a man in at least his 50's if not 60's completely jamming out with the band and dancing amazingly with his wife, also we had an Irish man telling us that Ireland and America are "like that" with the pinky crossing thing and he said something about Coney Island disappearing and replacing it with Ireland. He also told us that if you want to win a war you put the Irish in the front. It was quite a hilarious conversation; he had been talking to Jon and Brady at the bar only moments before he approached all of us. We left the pub at 1:00am as that is when it closed and walked out into the drizzly rain to go back to the hotel. The only thing that was on for today was the journey home in which Charity and I discussed how upsetting it is that we won’t be seeing all of our friends on a regular basis with classes starting tomorrow and the fact that we’ll all be in different ones. Toby said we’ll have to have movie and game nights so we can keep the family together, which would definitely make me feel better. I had an absolutely amazing weekend, I’m just sad it had to end. I have met some amazing people and I have been greatly blessed.

Sidenote: Kayla Baker showed me this site called www.mylifeisaverage.com and I felt the need to throw this in. "The other day I climbed up to the fort on Inis Mor with a friend, we left the rest of the group behind. It was incredibly peaceful and beautiful until everyone else arrived at which point my friend turned to me and he said, "I think it's time to go back down, this has become too mainstream". I smiled at the thought of him reading my mind. MLIA"

Galway

Thursday, September 24, 2009 marks the day that the American students at DBS set off for our trip to Galway and the Aran Islands. Once in Galway we walked around the city centre for about two hours before going back to the hotel for dinner. After dinner a group of us went out to find a pub and we settled on Richardson’s which had live music and it was a great atmosphere for sitting with a group of friends and just enjoying each other’s company. I found that my drink of choice is Bulmer’s Cider, which half of us drank while the other half drank Guinness to commemorate Arthur Guinness Day. The group consisted of Brady, Patrick, Laura, Chris, Charity, Nicky, Kyle, Jon, and me. Friday we traveled two hours to Connemara where we got to tour Kylemore Abbey and the gardens down the road from it. The scenery on the way to the Abbey was the Ireland you see in pictures. Absolutely gorgeous mountains and valleys with structure that you can tell the glaciers cut into the earth. I didn’t even know what to do with myself other than sit in my seat feeling complete awe for what I was seeing. Kylemore Abbey was constructed by a man named Mitchell Henry. There is a miniature cathedral built near the Abbey which was constructed in memorial for Mitchell’s wife who died from Nile Virus while on holiday in Egypt. Their mausoleum are even further down the road. There is also a walled garden which I then went to check out and it was absolutely incredible, I really wish my Dad could have been there to see it. I found the experience to be enjoyable but little did I know that our trip to Inis Mor the next day would surpass it by far.
After dinner in the hotel on Friday night most of us went to a Rugby game, Connacht vs Ulster. An explanation of the teams real quickly: Ireland is divided into four provinces Leinster in the east, Munster in the south, Ulster in the North, and Connacht in the west. So being in Galway we should have been supporting Connacht but the Ulster team was staying in our hotel so we were ok with them beating Connacht 30-6. Charity and I actually ran into four of the players in the elevator earlier in the day and she girlishly asked them what time the game was, it was quite hilarious. I must say, even though I’m not a real sports person I was extremely impressed with the skill that the players required and I loved every minute of the game. The atmosphere was something else for sure. We got to the game a few minutes after it started so we ended up in the standing room, but everyone in the stands across the field were chanting “Connacht, Connacht” for the better part of the game. At the one end of the field some primary school rugby teams were the most exuberant observers and at halftime they got to go out on the field and have a go against each other. I didn’t take my camera to the game but I do have a Connacht flag, they were giving them away at the game, and it’s going on my apartment wall when I get back to Clarion.

Flying Solo in Kilkenny

Tuesday September 22 I went to Kilkenny and spent the day exploring while Mary was in meetings. My first stop was the Kilkenny castle which was absolutely amazing. They offer a self tour which I did and it was such a strange feeling to be in a place that was once only inhabited by royalty. It’s funny how time can change a place from one of superiority for its inhabitants to one of common ground for visitors. I wanted to be on my own as much as possible while on the tour so I lingered in rooms longer than I had planned at certain points just letting others pass me by. The dining room had to be my favorite as it had to big windows with doors opening out onto a balcony that overlooked the backyard which contained a fountain. I took quite a bit of time just standing by the roped off windows staring out wondering what it must of felt like to have that be an ordinary everyday site. It was hard not to imagine what it must have been like to live there and wear large uncomfortable dresses.
Once I left the castle I set out to explore the park surrounding it. I walked along the river trying to take as many artsy pictures as possible. If nothing else I’ve learned how to take pictures. I then headed into town and shopped along High Street, where I found my first bookshop before noon and I hadn’t even been in Kilkenny for two hours. I ended up in at least six bookshops that I can remember from yesterday, and I proudly walked out of all of them without dropping a single note. I did return to the first shop however for lunch as there was a café up above it. After finishing my tuna wrap I pulled out my guidebook to look at the map of Kilkenny in it. I ended up wandering around to see what I could find. I actually happened upon a large sundial in the middle of a park by the river and from there I could see Black Abbey and St. Canice’s Cathedral. I sat for a while and pondered how I would get over to them and I ended up crossing a bridge and using the height of the churches for landmarks I happened upon Black Abbey. I took many pictures from the outside, but I didn’t go in as there were a couple of women blocking the doorway and I just didn’t feel right trying to get past them. St. Canice’s Cathedral was another story. As I walked up the road toward it, my breath was taken away, even more so when I stood right beside it and looked up to see the clouds flying past, I had a sensation of vertigo. I went inside and just sat for a while looking at the amazing architecture. All I could think of was how amazing it would be to get married in such a beautiful church. I then made my way back toward the castle where I sat in the park for about an hour reading before heading to the café above the Kilkenny Design Centre to wait for Mary to get off work. I was quite happy with my day in Kilkenny, it's a great town to explore and enjoy.

The Trip of Rhymes & Warning Signs

Friday five of us went to the Guinness Factory for a tour, Chris, Laura, Kyle, Jon, and I. It was quite interesting; I rather enjoyed looking at the authentic 9,000 year lease that Arthur Guinness signed 250 years ago. September 24th, 2009 is officially Arthur Guinness day this year for those of you who didn’t know, I certainly didn’t know until I got here. The ads are of different people around the world raising their glasses to Arthur, I find it highly amusing. I’ll be in Galway that day, the school is taking us on a trip, I’ll report if anything interesting happens. After the tour we were all hungry but didn’t want to eat in the factory as it was expensive and crowded. We ended up at the Brazen head Pub, which is the oldest pub in Ireland, established 1198, it’s older than the founded United States of America. Our Irish Culture & Society professor was actually there having a drink and we sat and talked to him about places to visit among other things like majors and where we’re from.
Saturday a group of us jumped on the DART to Howth, a nice little town on the Irish Sea. We wandered around the town for a bit before deciding on a restaurant where most of us enjoyed having fish and chips for the first time since getting here. After that venture we proceeded to find a hiking trail and on the way came across stairs that led down to the water. The group of us pondered the “Enter at your own risk” sign before proceeding down to the beach. At that point a local dog was following us around and a couple of the guys attempted to play fetch with him by throwing seaweed and rocks, but he wasn’t having any of it. Once we left that little venture we found the starting point for the trails that were laid out, there were four of them and we had intending on taking the longest and hardest one called the Bog of the Frogs. It was an extremely breathtaking hike with an incredible view of the sea, cliffs, and the surrounding mountains. The whole of it felt so surreal to me and we all agreed we felt like we were in a movie. When we came to where the paths split we ended up taking the third hardest trail as it was about an hour shorter and we were concerned about the rain that seemed to be surrounding us and night falling too soon. The boys were satisfied because the trail went right past the Bog of the Frogs. The only problem is we must have taken a wrong turn at some point or the bog just wasn’t that impressive because we didn’t come upon it, although we did find an ice cream shop. The trail we took was a trail for a while and then it would turn into paved roads, we weren’t overly impressed. It was kind of funny that the ice cream shop happened on an easy hike and it wasn’t just a mirage on a harder one, we definitely could have used some ice cream when we climbed up Bray Head Mountain. When we made it back into town it was agreed upon that we would go see Howth Castle before leaving for the day. Most of the castle is just as it had been left but the back part of it is still private residences which I found to be interesting and I was also wondering how much the property must be worth.

A Dublin Sunday

(For those of you who read my emails this is exactly what was in the email but I'm putting some pictures with it.)

Today I got up early and attended the 8:00am mass at which they have no music. I then got to meet Mary’s sister in law, whose name is also Mary, and her nieces Ruth, 18 and Aoife, 15. Aoife is an Irish name pronounced Efa. One thing I have learned here is that I can totally disregard every single time my mother told me to sound out words when I was learning how to read, because Irish cannot be sounded out like English. Anyway the five of us had breakfast and then headed to Phoenix Park for an event put on by a group called Concern. Mary’s brother Joe works for Concern and today they had a Kitefest to raise awareness about child labor. They had many elaborate kites flying and then they had a tent in which the kids could decorate kites and fly them. Teddy bears were even being parachuted from kites at certain points. The SARI (Sport Against Racism Ireland) soccerfest was taking place as well. It was quite a lovely event and the weather was incredibly nice as well, blue skies and in the 60’s.
We walked across the park and actually watched a polo match for a bit as well and during that time Ruth, Aoife, and I expressed our extreme love of Gilmore Girls while the Marys shivered at the thought of the fast talking show. When we got back to the house we had an early dinner followed by tea and apple tart. Ruth and I were the only ones who managed to stay awake and we watched a number of programs and talked about school among other things. I have quite a bit in common with them, and it was nice to have some kind of normalcy for one day. It’s not that things aren’t normal while I’m home here in Dublin 6w, because they are, but it was nice to spend a day just talking to people my age and not worrying about traveling here or there. It was a nice break from my American cohorts, who like me are worried about seeing and doing everything possible while here. I got a chance to just chat and learn about their schooling, where they like to shop, and the programs they watch. I mentioned the fact that I played flute and saxophone and Aoife told me that she had always wanted to learn how to play sax because Lisa Simpson did, it made me laugh. Both of them dance and neither of them is into the outdoors, animals, dirt, or sports. There were quite a few other things as well that I was pleasantly surprised to find we agreed on. It was probably one of the best cultural emersions I’ve had yet. Aoife asked me quite a bit about the American school system as well and she wanted clarification on what a corn dog was because she and some of her friends had had a debate about it last week. She also wanted to know what beef jerky was, I didn’t exactly know how to explain it, but I tried. On the other hand I learned that as part of their Irish class and culture emersion they have to go live in a household in Ireland that still speaks Irish on a daily basis for three weeks. The people who host kids do it all summer long and they have about 10-14 kids at a time. The funniest part had to have been that there was a television program on right before they left that followed families who took these kids in. It was of course in Irish but I was able to read the subtitles. They then left for home as it was half of eight, that’s how they say 8:30 here, I’m working on it. I really hope to see them again soon.

Bray

Yesterday a group of friends and I jumped on the DART (Dublin Area Rapid Transit) from Dublin to Bray. I really didn't know what to expect as to what we were going to do, turns out we climbed up a mountain. There were ten of us and I was ninth in line for most of it. There were only a few things that kept me going, the fear of being left behind, the desire to see the view from the top, and the cross at the top of the mountain. I didn't realize how badly out of shape I was until we were partially up and I couldn't breathe too overly well. Most of the trip up really looked a lot like the mountains in Pennsylvania, but at the top there was no doubt that we were in Ireland. I truly think it was when I actually felt that I was in fact in Ireland, it was absolutely beautiful. All of us got some great pictures and it was definitely a way to have a great adventure story. At one point they all wandered up another mountain that was a bit more rocky, I didn't have the proper shoes so I just stayed put on a rock looking out over the countryside. The solitude was absolutely amazing and I couldn't have traded those fifteen minutes for anything. There were of course other people walking around, mostly with their dogs, and it just added to the completeness of the experience. When I'm alone, especially outside, I really enjoy just watching people going about their business and enjoying it along with me but on their own as well. I've been blessed to meet some great people to explore with, not to mention blessed to be in such a beautiful country.

Picture from left to right: Laura, Tobey (in red), Andy (in grey), Joslyn (me), Chris, Kaiti (in orange), Charity (in blue), Kyle, Jonathan, Brady (in plaid)

Trinity College

Today was the first day of classes, well for us American study abroad students it was. We have a two week foundation course and today we had History of Ireland and Political Landscape of Ireland. I ate lunch on my own in Saint Stephen's Green in between classes. After class I hung around a bit to see what some of my fellow classmates where doing and a few that I had met last week were headed to Trinity College to get student discount traveler's cards so I went with them to get mine too. I got some lovely pictures of the grounds and I met some wonderful travel buddies in the process. We have plans to go to Bray to see the coast on Wednesday after class, I can hardly wait!