Ireland 2003

16 Oct - I took the day off [from working at Ford in Chicago] in preparation for going to Ireland on vacation. Finished packing, said bye to the kittens [Rugby and Cricket], and got my ride to the airport. Traveling was pretty good. I few on the smallest plane with the chattiest flight attendant. After a few hours' layover in Philadelphia, I found myself in the very back row of my international flight. I had a Philly-area bartender playing copilot next to me. Even bought me a drink during dinner. I managed to catch a little bit of shut-eye before I woke to the faintest glimmerings of dawn as we made our approach into Dublin.

17 Oct - Dublin - I am currently sitting in the bar on the 6th floor of the Guinness Brewery, pint in hand, writing while the sun beats down on my back. So far, I've managed to make the most of my time here in Dublin. Since I packed light and carried on all my baggage, I was quick out of the airport. I had bought a bus ticket into town, so I spent the next 45 minutes accustoming myself to everything. I was dropped off next to Trinity College, then I hoofed it through the early morning (9 am) crowds to my hostel. It was too early to check in, so I dumped my bags, ate some breakfast and headed out. I brought my jacket along, but as the morning warmed, I didn't need it. I had a bit of trouble with my camera, but a quick stop into a camera shop got it all sorted out. From there, I walked back towards Trinity College. I wanted to make sure I got all of my purchases while I could, and I found a great little shop that had everything. I got Aran Island sweater for mom and me (€125 each! ouch), as well as an Irish crystal vase for Becky & Andrew's wedding present, small vases for the grandmas for Christmas, and a small bowl for myself. With shipping, $411 all told. I decided to ship it so I wouldn't have to lug that much extra stuff with me. I'm keeping my sweater along for the ride, though. From there, I went to see the medieval Book of Kells, an illustrated gospel. The detail in the drawings was amazing. Those monks were either very dedicated or had far too much time on their hands. From there, I walked (sense a theme?) to the Dublin Castle to explore the grounds. I took a few really neat pictures. Then I trekked on all the way to the Guinness Brewery. I took the tour to learn how the wonderful Black Magic that is Guinness (their take, not mine) is made. So now, I sit, resting my feet and nursing my pint. I know I'm not doing it justice. It's cold, think, rich and smooth. I'd better finish it soon, because I have more places to visit and a nap to take.

Just as I was leaving the Brewery, I was struck again by the fact the first think you smell going there is not beer, but rather horseshit from the carriages for tourists. I was walking down the street when I got asked to be in a picture with a random guy. Turns out he's a Swede living in Amsterdam so I spoke a little Dutch with him. How bizarre. I walked along, feeling slight aftereffects of the Guinness until I got to St. Patrick's Cathedral. I took a few pictures, then walked back to the hostel. Got my room - a tiny little private. I managed to fall asleep for a couple of hours, then lay in bed for a bit debating if I really wanted to get up. I finally did, and after making myself presentable, I went out in search of dinner. I stopped at a vegetarian restaurant just up the street. I'm not sure what I ended up eating, but it was pretty good. I walked back to the hostel to continue my quiet night. I should be downstairs socializing and I should be going out to a pub, but I'm alone, female, and too damn tired right now. Maybe next Thursday after my tour. But tonight, it's going to be "LotR: The Return of the King" and me. Sidenote - the sweater I got was handknit by J.W. Loowe. I really wanted to get one in the "Cara" style (naturally), but they were all too big. I forgot that after going to the Dublin Castle, I got a sandwich and tea at a little shop, then I bought a claddagh ring a few doors down. It's not the traditional type, but rather looks like this [drawing]. Today, I bought all of the souvenirs that I really wanted from Ireland - the sweater & the ring. The crystal bowl was definitely a why-not? I figure it will come in handy. I'm really excited about seeing the true Ireland starting tomorrow.

Dublin Castle

Me and random gigantic Swede

18 Oct - I nearly had a heart attack last night when I found that my travel voucher said I was traveling on the 20th. Lost a little bit of sleep thinking about that. No worries, through. The front desk called and confirmed that I was indeed on today's tour, and at 9:40, I was on the bus. Everybody is pretty young (about my age [23]) and very friendly. I shared a seat with Tiana, who's from Austrialia but is now working as a nanny in London. We took off from Dublin in our little bus and headed south. Along the way, we stopped and climbed about the ruins on the Rock of Dunmase. It was a gorgeous sunny day, with a nip in the air and a bit of haze on the horizon. From there we stopped in Abbeyleix for a spot of tea and scones at a half bar/half shop called Morrissey's. From there, it was on to Cashel in Tipperary Co. We ate lunch and chatted a bit with our driver/tour guide/entertainment, Oliver. I met two other girls from the US - Renee and Anne. Then we all (minus Ollie) took a little walk towards the ruined abbey before getting a group tour of the Rock of Cashel. That was a pretty cool collection of cathedrals/church buildings and a cemetery with lots of Irish crosses. The wind picked up in the mid-afternoon and definitely started to get chilly. We all (there were 22 of us - some on the 3-day tour, others like me on the 6) piled back on the bus and headed south one more. we stopped off for provisions in Mitchelstown, then finished the rest of the day's driving, ending as the sun set, in Cork. We're staying in Sheila's hostel tonight - 8 of us (7 girls, 1 guy) in our room. Tiana and I went out to get some dinner, walking through the streets of Cork. I ended up with some deli salads from the supermarket that we ate at the hostel. A bunch of folks and I got together to play a few hands of asshole. I got online and watched the end of the Badger game. Afterwards, we all headed down to a pub. Tiana & I drank our pints (Balmurs [for her] & Murphy's for me) with Kendra & Liza from Canada. Had nice long conversation while getting progressively pissed. At about 10:30-11 we walked back to the hostel and threw ourselves in bed.

Our tour guide Oliver is from Barry. Where? Barry!

Me near the Rock of Cashel, ruined abbey behind

19 Oct - Morning came far too early. After a shower and quick check of email, I ate breakfast with everyone. Special K, soda bread with Nutella & tea. I had to pop by a shop to pick up some cameras because one of my two camera batteries was already dead. After a bit of standing around in the cold, we got on the bus and headed for the Blarney Castle. After a short drive, we arrived just prior to opening. Tiana, Jason (from Australia) & I climbed up the castle to the top first to kiss the Blarney Stone. I wasn't going to, but I figured, what the heck, and gave it a quick smack, hanging upside down and grasping bars a couple stories about the ground. That having done, Tiana & I went to explore the grounds. I thought the grounds were much better than the actual castle itself. It was almost magical - trees, paths, boulders all over - like a fairy land. I could have played all day there and klettered about on the rocks. After a while, we got back on the bus and headed southwest. Our next stop was at Killarney National Park. It's an area of three lakes and a mountain ("very tall hills") range. We hiked up and saw the Torc waterfall. It was about 70 ft of water falling over mossy rocks. I climbed up right next to the water and had a drink. Nice and cold, a little mossy, through. :) Then we continued our climb up and took a hike through the woods. Quite a nice hike. It was a little cooler and cloudier than it has been in the past couple days. When we all got back on the bus, we drove into Killarney and grabbed a bite of food for the road. From there, we made the decision to try to get to the Cliffs of Moher today versus tomorrow. We went through Tralee to Tabert where we took a windy ferry ride across the Shannon River. we drove on some more along the coast. This area is really what I thought Ireland would look like - really green, gentle rolling hills, stone walls. We finally got to the Cliffs. Oh. My. God. They were absolutely breathtaking. We jumped over the safety fence (like everyone else) and got down near the edge of the cliffs. It was about a 600-650 ft drop to the ocean below. I slowly crept toward the edge on my stomach and looked down. It was a bit windy, but I didn't feel like I was going to be blown off. We walked around a bit to get different views. Finally after getting plenty windblown, we got back on the bus. Oliver gave two girls a bit of a chase to get on. From there, we drove on about ten minutes to Doolin and our hostel (Paddy's Doolin Hostel). We checked in, changed, then headed to Gus O'Connors for some good craic and toot. Got myself a pint of cider and vegetable lasagna. Then we went into the main room of the pub for a bit of live Irish music - me, Tiana, Kendra, Liza, Aaron, Bruce, Joby & Matt. How's the craic? Oh, it's grand! We were joined by everyone else on the tour and just sat around chatting. Matt, Bruce & Aaron treated us to a New Zealand Haka (All-Black rugby). At about 11, a few girls & I headed home. We were just getting ready for bed when the Kiwi guys came to tuck us in. Matt gave me a lovely kiss good-night. (The stars were absolutely gorgeous!)

Torc Waterfall

Cliffs of Moher

Tour group in Doolin

20 Oct - We got up this morning, ate breakfast and froze while waiting to go. We headed up the road a bit to the Burren - this area by the ocean full of cracked limestone and very green plants growing in the cracks. Took a couple good pictures. Matt & I climbed up to the higher cliff and built our won little rock pile like others we saw up there. Then we got back on the bus and drove along the coast into Galway. We all ate lunch at the King's Head, watching some rugby. Then Matt & I wandered around the city a bit. The 3-day people were taking off then to head back to Dublin. Matt was supposed to be going but he decided to stick around to be with me a while longer. Aw! After a group photo, the 6-dayers headed out. We drove up the coast a bit more and went through the Connemara. We stopped quick to see a monument in a tiny town. We got back in the bus to drive through huge craggy hills. We got out again to learn about peat bogs. After driving along the fjord of Killam Harbor, we stopped in a village for a hot toddy. It started raining for the first time on the tour. We drove on past Croagh Patrick before coming into Westport. I was completely knackered from lack of sleep, so as soon as I got my bed, I settled in for a nap. Matt cam by to tuck me in again. After a refreshing bit of R&R, Matt & I made a stir-fry dinner in the kitchen. We ate and had a nice chat. It was raining, so it didn't seem like a great idea to head to a pub. We played a game of snooker, which I, amazingly enough, won. It was getting late and I was getting tired, so we headed to bed. Damn fine night.

Building a rock pile on the Burren

Connemara

21 Oct - It stopped raining just as we headed out of the hostel this morning. Of course, it started up soon after we got on the road. As we drove through the countryside, Ollie told us about some of the history of Northern Ireland. Pretty interesting stuff that is the reason why the North has the troubles it does. After a bit of a drive, we stopped to climb a big huge hill [Knocknarea] to see Queen Maeve's tomb. It must have been 300-400 m tall, and very windy. I thought I was going to slip and fall more than a few times. When we got to the top, we took some photos of the gorgeous panoramic views. Ollie told us then the ending of the story of Queen Maeve, and we tossed stones onto her tomb for luck. Since we were all rather cold and windblown, we stopped shortly after in Sligo. Matt & I headed to an internet cafe, then got soup for lunch at a little cafe. After that, a quick walk around the downtown because we had some time to kill. After heading a bit out of Sligo, we got a few of Benbulben and stopped at a church that is the final resting place of W.B. Yeats. A little ways on from there, we stopped at a 3000 BC burial tomb. We drove on through the rolling green countryside until we nearly got to the border of Northern Ireland. We drove up the hill until we got to Griannan an Ailleach. It was a small round fort built a long, long time ago. Great views, but very cold. Then once again, back on the bus and headed into Derry. Ollie told us some of the history and troubles of the city as he drove us around a bit. Then we checked into our hostel. I was a wee bit tired, so I had an invigorating nap. Matt & I headed out at 9 to meet up with the others at the Ice Wharf. Had dinner, drinks and some good craic. Then we moved on to another little Irish pub (Peadar O'Donnell's) that was playing live music. It was about 12:30 when we headed back to the hostel. (we stayed at the Derry Independent Hostel).

Knocknarea panorama

Freezing on Griannan an Ailleach

22 Oct - This morning, we gathered in the cold at 9 for a tour of the city walls of Derry. Fantastic bit of history, especially that dealing with Bloody Sunday. After the tour, we stopped at a cafe for a bit of light food and warmth before heading back to the bus and out of the city. We drove up and along the coast until we got to Dunluce Castle. We got a talk and walked around the ruin perched at the edge of the ocean. From there, it was just a short drive to the Giant's Causeway. That was really spectacular to see all these strange columns of basalt sinking into the ocean. It started to rain a little bit as we climbed back up the hill. Matt & I got a cup of coffee and a slice of cake before getting back on the bus. I tried to take a little nap as we drove towards Belfast. When I wasn't sleeping, I was treated to views of the green Glens of Antrim and the ocean. Ollie gave us a quick spin about the nicer area of Belfast before setting us down at our hostel. Spent some time reading, and catching up on my journal when I met up with Matt again. At about 8, we walked down to the deserted shopping district in the freezing cold to grab a quick bite at McDonald's. I like that European Mickey D's at least try to accommodate vegetarians by offering veggie burgers. We finished eating and walked back to the hostel. I was beginning to feel a bit down, because this was the last night everyone from the tour was together. Plus, it was that much closer to when I'd have to say farewell to Matt. But I was determined to enjoy myself, so I pushed that stuff out of my mind. We met up with the others from our hostel to be driven to a pub downtown. It was called The Crown and it was fantastic! It was built around the turn of the 20th century (1910-ish). Tin ceiling that was black, little cubbies with tables and seats inside that be closed off to others. Pretty cool on the whole. A whole gang of us from the tour - Matt, Aaron, Bruce, Liza, Kendra, Anita, Sharon, and the two Australian guys that started the tour late - crammed into one of those little nooks. Lots of good craic. I as nearly dead tired by the time midnight rolled around, so a few of us headed back to the Linen House Hotel [on Kent St near Union St]. We were just settling in when the noise of people coming back from the pubs kicked into high gear. And then after a long while, that was replaced by the cacaphonic symphony of snorers. Rough night.

Giant's Causeway

In a snug

23 Oct - So needless to say, I was a wee bit tired this morning. We had to be up and ready by 9 to go on a Black Taxi tour of Belfast. Matt, Bruce, Aaron, Anita, Sharon and I were in a taxi together. Naturally, it wasn't black, it was green. Our driver was neat - he didn't feel like being in the caravan with the other taxis, so we got a personalized tour. He started explaining the history of the troubles, then took us first into the Catholic side of the city. We visited a few memorial gardens and learned of some of the incidents that occurred there. Then we stopped a few times to see some murals. The ones on the Catholic side were pretty artistic and mostly memorials honoring the dead. We stopped at the Sinn Fein bookstore for a look around. I could have bought IRA propaganda, had I been so inclined. We drove on into the Protestant side of as a comparison. The murals were a lot more aggressive (also about 5 years newer than the Catholic ones). A bit of history on what happened in the Protestant sector, and then our tour was over. Oliver gave us an hour before we were going to leave. Matt & I checked email, then walked down to the nearby Tesco for sandwiches and fruit. I had to get another pack of Starburst. Mmm. Blackcurrant. After the remaining folk got on the bus, we headed back towards the Republic. Along the way, we stopped at Monasterboice. There was an old tall round tower, and some fascinating 10th century Irish crosses. Ollie had a great time explaining the scenes depicted on them. A few of the guys kicked around a rugby ball and managed to get it stuck in a tree. Aaron was the lucky one who got to go up and shake it down (but not after a mop and pieces of peat where thrown at it). Then back on the road for a while before stopping at Slane Castle. We didn't get out, but Ollie told us a story about going to a U2 concert there. As we wound our way back towards Dublin, sun shining straight in my eyes, I got email addresses from the people I got the closest to on the trip> We finally pulled into Dublin and said our good-byes. I accompanied Matt to the bus station. He had to figure out a way to get to Edinburgh by Saturday. After he booked a flight, we walked to the Avalon House where I had a room. Matt stayed with me so we could have a bit more time together before we both leave. We were both knackered, so we took a mightily invigorating nap. At about 8, we showered and headed to a restaurant called Wagamama for dinner. Trendy place that served Asian-style food. After dinner we just headed back to the hostel because we were tired & Matt was feeling a bit under the weather.

Catholic mural

Protestant mural

Monasterboice

24 Oct - This morning came far too quick for my liking. We got up and out of the hostel at 10. We decided to catch a bite to eat for breakfast before I had to catch my bust to the airport. We found ourselves at the Dome restaurant at Saint Stephen's Green shopping center (Matt actually gave up watching New Zealand play in the Rugby World Cup to stay with me). He got the massively huge cooked Irish breakfast, while I got a scone and some fruit. And tea. Mmm. After we ate, we had to look around a bit before we found where the aircoach picked up. I was pretty sad to see the bus round the corner, because I would have to say good-bye to Matt. I gave him one last wave as the bus pulled away. I don't know if I'll ever see him again (I hope I do!) but I wouldn't trade the time I was with him for anything. Sitting here at the crowded airport gate helps me to realize how incredibly magical and wonderful this whole trip was for me. Definitely one in a lifetime through I wouldn't mind a repeat.

I very nearly missed my flight back to the US. I didn't realize I had to go through Customs before I checked in, so I sat waiting at the gate. Oops. But, I wasn't the last to keep the flight waiting. The flight wasn't bad, merely long. I watched The Italian Job. Right about when we started out descent, I started talking to the older gentleman next to me. Turns out he was from Belfast. So, I told him about being there, then showed him my pictures of the rest of the trip. If I have to be back, I'm looking forward to getting to my apartment again.

[Postscript - I kept touch with Matt for a while via email, but we fell out of contact, and I have yet to see him again.]

{transcribed 1/8/2020}