Militantly Optimistic: 21.04.2013

The morning began like many others before it – I had been struggling to pack as motivation eluded me and though I was dead tired I couldn’t sleep. But I woke up at 5am and was quite chipper when the cabbie came at 10 to 6. The kindly driver took us through the city to the airport assuring us that we would have a pleasant journey.

I am forever grateful that I have a friend like Rosie for it seems that where I lack she compensates and vice versa. While the Ranga was none to pleased to wake up and get to the car she made sure that we got our tickets validated prior to departure so that they would actually let us on the plane! After a bit of waiting and some delicious croissants we boarded the flight directly from the tarmac (while not a big deal at all and most likely due to cost effective reasons it still made us feel cool – waaaaay better than boarding via tarmac at the D.R. – that was scary).

Anyway, we boarded, flew like we were in a constant infomercial (ohhhh RyanAir)and landed in London-Stanstead. One thing we did not know was that as a “citizen” of Ireland we got “special” privileges that meant that we didn’t get a stamp in our passports! Still haven’t gotten one and I’m in Wales (as I am writing this) but I jump ahead. So we made it through security, secured funds and successfully made it to our train with our validated BritRail passes! This is when things started to fall apart :).

We made it to Liverpool Station but find that we needed to go to Paddington Station to make our connection to Cardiff. To do this we had to take the London Underground – not that bad just pounds I didn’t plan on spending. So, we get to Paddington and make it to our train – even have some PRIME seats picked out when we hear that we have a delay – fatality on the tracks – 60+ minutes til the train would depart. While saddened by the news I was also a bit peeved due to the lack of sleep. I just wanted to be enjoying Cardiff! We made such awesome and well thought out plans but it didn’t matter because it all got shot when the tracks were obstructed. (Oh well – better keep militantly optimistic!!!)

Four hours after our initial train was set to depart and after several set backs including being denied entry on the first train up and running again, we were on the loooong road to Wales. We did happen to secure nice seats for this trip – had tvs in the seats – it was still grueling and a train seat can never replace a bed. We ended up in Cardiff right about when everything closed. Checked into the hostel (which I apparently had double booked and had to pay for 2 spots but no matter) and decided to try to make the most of the remaining daylight.

our hostel

our room!

We walked around the city centre, saw churches and castles and made plans to see other highlights of the city before we would leave the next day. After 3 attempts we finally found a place open for dinner and then hit up a pub for some after dinner pints – we tried a local brew called BRAINS – made me feel like a zombie!!!

in the city

castle type structure

dinner!

where we had after dinner drinks

where we had after dinner drinks

fantastic cardiff city brew

After a drink it was shower and bed, so here I am, sitting in the top bunk of a hostel. The people outside chat, heels click on the pavement and bass booms from within the hostel, even though its not even half 10 on a Sunday night. I hope I can sleep with all of these lights on and though the fire of adventure burns in my imagination I long for when I can yet again snuggle into my own bed…. or at least find some friggin’ ear plugs!

________________________________________________________

Looking back on it I don’t particularly remember getting to sleep in the hostel, only changing beds to move further from the light and sound – I’m a weird sleeper who does the best in quiet and dark. I do remember being very tired of Paddington Station and wanting nothing more than to get on the first train to ANYWHERE ELSE except for the fact that we had hostels booked I think we might have done it!

This was the first time I heard Rosie apologize during the trip. Which I did not accept because who knew our train would be delayed due to a fatality. We had everything planned – to a T, thanks to Rosie – but real life seems to get in the way of proper planning most of the time. Though we were tired, hungry and fed up we tried to keep a sunny disposition – not sure how well we did but I remember being mighty glad to see a bed when we made it to the hostel.

Militantly Optimistic

When I figured out that I was going to go to the UK and France I wanted to take a travel journal with me so as to remember the trip. I am notorious for forgetting what I did the day before, nevermind all of the adventures that went on during the ten days we were gone. So in Paddington Station, on our way to our first destination, I picked up a pink star notebook for about 2 pounds. The first page is titled:

Militantly Optimistic:

A Travel Journal

– C. Murray

You know just in case someone managed to find it I didn’t want to give my whole identity away! (says the girl who writes a blog with all of her information on it!) I can’t take all of the credit for the snazzy title, that goes to Rick Steves and the boys. One thing that Rick Steves mentions in his travel guides is that things may not turn out how you expect. In other words, the rest of the world isn’t a mini America, things aren’t going to be like home, they will be different and different can be good and fun and brilliant! As I have been living abroad for a while I already knew this but I still think it’s a good motto to live by. Trains may be late, you may mess up a hostel reservation or overpay on tickets, the sun might be blazing hot or may not come out for a week. To me militantly optimistic is more about making the best of the time you have. Things may not work out Things won’t work out! It’s true, you can’t plan for everything! But its how we deal with the rest of the day or night or train ride that makes all of the difference!

Back to the point. My little notebook and I have been to a couple of places by this point and I’ve written in it on bumpy trains and dim hostels and most of my journey and my thoughts during it are nestled in those little 3×5 pages. In order to make things go a bit faster I figured, why not just copy my travel journal?! I’ve already written it in the style of a blog (which was more necessity, since I find it uncomfortable to write with no audience in mind) so that is what the next couple of blogs will be like. They will chronicle the crazy adventure I went on with my friend Rosie. The hours spent on trains, the late nights, and sunburns, the random thoughts and embarrassing moments that mark some of my first international travels.

I’ll warn you right now, I probably did some things wrong, spent more money than I needed to and made a fool of myself in front of plenty of other people, but hey, I’m new at this. There’s something exciting about being an unseasoned traveler. The thrill of the trains and metros was still that – a thrill. I welcomed advice from tonnes of strangers, strangers who saw us for the travelers we were and offered us help! I’ve learned some things, and I already miss some places, but if anything the adventure I went on did nothing to squash my travel bug. I’d welcome the 5am mornings again if it meant a decent cuppa, a beignet creme and a day in a vibrant new place!

So here it is, my tiny European Trip. While it may not have been as big or as extravagant as some it was all mine and its something I’m not likely to forget for some time to come.

My Week with Maryland

Before I go off on a tangent about my adventures out of the country I thought that I should start at the beginning, the glorious week when Tim and Mike came to visit me!!! It was awesome getting to see people from home if only for a short while. It was a really cool feeling being able to show them my little city and the college because, believe it or not, Cork has become home for me. Not that I won’t be thrilled to see everyone once I’m back on Maryland soil but Cork may be a little harder to leave than I thought.

Before the boys came I had a vision of what their trip would be like, having seen all of my friends parents come to visit I imagined chock full days of nonstop buses and informational sessions. A real whirlwind tour of the place! While the boys were renting a car (thank you!) I still wasn’t sure how the trip would go.

Saturday

I decided to meet them at the airport, if only to be able to point them in the direction of the city. Once they arrived, and I gave them crazy hugs, we set off to find the car and exchange some money. I have to say driving with the boys was one of my favourite things! I had already gotten used to everything being on the left from public transport and just how people move throughout the city but watching both of them figure out how to drive was hilarious. Not only did they have to consider the roads, but everything was in km/h (instead of miles) and the road signs have both English and Irish on them!

After they were settled in their hotel room, which was across the river in the North side of the city, we stopped off for some fish and chips and tried to sort out some kind of plan.  Once they were full we ended up parting ways, they were being old and jetlagged ( 😉 ) so they went back to the hotel and I went back to my place. The beginning kind of set the tone for the week, which I was not mad at in the slightest, the goal was a much more relaxing adventure. Ireland has a lot to offer but you don’t need to go too far to experience the beauty! I was excited for what was to come!

Sunday

We decided on a later start so that they could sleep in a bit, I took the boys to the Coffee Station for brunch and more planning. Coffee Station, while not the small, hipstery place I imagined I would call my home, has become my cafe (Aileen, I am addicted to this place!) Since it was Sunday our options were limited but we decided to drive out to Midleton to the Jameson Experience and you know what that means!!!! Whiskey tasting!

beautiful!

class

First we all went on a tour of the factory, it took us from malt to final product.

sweet delivery truck

mill

where its all stored

random sign in mph

Seeing how much went into the whiskey making and how they made it work before modern technology was quite cool. Tim, Mike and I were all chosen to have a complementary whiskey tasting at the end of the tour where we tried Scotch whiskey, Irish whiskey and American whiskey (Black Label, Jameson and Jack Daniels for any curious souls!). I think we were all quite chuffed about it, the complementary drink afterwards and the certificate that says I am a master whiskey taster were also quite nice!

happy!

After the tasting we did dinner in Cork, parted ways and went to bed.

Monday

designated driver!

trusty sidekick

We decided to make it an early start the next day! We were spending the day in Dingle, taking a driving tour of the peninsula. It was on this trip that the boys not only got a taste for the twisty turny cliff roads closer to the coasts but also some great Irish weather. The wind was churning and the rain was beating down, but we took it all in stride and ended up having a great day! The drive to Dingle was just as pretty as the tour itself!

right near inch beach

the dock at dingletown

town

more town

We fueled up on seafood (the crab cake sandwich I had here was divine!!!!!!) and snacks (the boys love jaffa cakes!) and headed out. There were tonnes of gorgeous sights, their beauty unhindered by the weather, and I’ve put some of the highlights below.

a beach near the beginning of the tour

the fort!

low clearance

looking back to the mountain

the cliffs

statue by the road

the end of the peninsula

our trusty car

cute little monastery structure in which he hid in from the rain

After a chilly tour of the area we headed back to Cork city to retire for the night!

Tuesday and Wednesday

The boys did a romantic  trip to Galway and made it an overnight. I was quite jealous that they got to meet up with the Galway section of ZeniMax but I spent my days in Cork, planning my own journey abroad.

Thursday

We decided to spend the day like children and head to the zoo! As many of you know I love the zoo, I’ve worked at a zoo, had my birthday (my 20th) at a zoo. I would love a career at a zoo!!!! So getting the chance to see an Irish one in the form of FOTA wildlife park was a stunning opportunity. We ran around like children, taking pictures and talking to the animals. We hid under trees during random rain showers and marveled at the enclosures. It may seem a little weird but FOTA has been a highlight for me!

enterance

beautiful black swan

little fellows!

oryx

stunning place to sit

beautiful cheetahs!

unbelievable enclosures!!!!

these little guys were a hoot!

just eating

it was a little chilly when it was raining

most adorable mara ever! they ran free around the park, I was able to get really close to him!

After our romp at the zoo we headed down to Cobh for a while to see the cathedral and the port. It was gorgeous there and as always I loved being near the water. Since the boys both celebrated their birthdays while visiting me I threw them a birthday dinner that night! We had a roast chicken with mashed potatoes, broccoli, brown bread and wine. Of course we had plenty of desserts and tea to celebrate. The boys went home a bit later (after a round of zombie dice) and we promised to meet up the next morning.

Friday

Friday was the last day that the boys were in town so we tried to make the most of it. I started off with a small tour of campus, after we had a scrumptious breakfast at the gallery. They got a pretty good look at main campus and some of the further buildings, we didn’t make it over to the greenhouses but they are pretty much just greenhouses. We spent the rest of the afternoon in Kinsale, a cute coastal town about 30 minutes from Cork. We walked around outside of the fort and through downtown fairly quickly. It was hard to pick where to eat dinner as there are so many restaurants in the area but we settled on a nice pub to dine in. A quick drive and we were back in Cork and I was bidding them a fond farewell!

Saturday

The boys left in the morning and I started packing for my adventure and thus ended My Week with Maryland!!!!

Home Again

Well! It has been a whirlwind month! From the boys visiting to my tour around the UK I have tonnes to talk about. I just got home from France and while I am eager to write all about it I should probably take a proper shower and clean my clothes first. I just wanted to let everyone know that I made it – against all odds! – safely back to Cork. I’ll give you a bit of a preview for what is to come:

• pictures, tonnes of pictures!
• lots of riding on planes, trains, buses and metros
• tonnes of walking through cities
• quite unexpected sunburn
• a bunch of nerdy references
• a little bit of speaking French! (thank you elementary French background)
• a whoooooole bunch of craic!!!!

I’ll get to the writing soon once I’m all put together. I can’t believe how many places I’ve been to in the past ten days and while traveling was fun I was happy to see the bright Irish sky greet me this morning!

Busy BEES

Since its been going on for a while now I guess I should tell y’all about my beloved internship. Some of you may know that I am an intern at the School of Biological, Ecological and Environmental Sciences (BEES for short 😀 ) in the Plant Sciences and I absolutely love it here! I wasn’t originally going to apply for the internship but then my friend Rosie decided to apply for one at the library and I thought, why not?! I’m a terror to myself and everyone I know when I am not occupied (“PLLLLLAAAAAAAAY WIIIIIIIIITH MMMMMEEEEEEEE” – me to all of my friends when I am bored, I get it from my mother 😉 ) so I thought that this would be a great use for my time. After I first applied, in January, I heard back from my current super Tara (I know, our names rhyme, it’s real cute). She gave me a tour around the place and asked if I would be interested in interning.

I’ll let you in on a little secret, I was most likely not top pick for this internship since I am a Psychology and Environmental Studies major who did not know the difference between a cotyledon from a chlorophyll meter. While I do have research experience on my resume it is mainly through GIS, psychology and a little bit of water testing in Idaho and the raging Chester River! Be that as it may I jumped at the chance to help out! So with a resounding yes I agreed to work with Tara on her project.

Tara herself is a UCC grad and a Cork resident currently working on her PhD. Most of her work, and by extension mine, has to do with testing vermicompost. For those not inclined to check out the linked wikipedia article its basically composting with worms! This stuff is AWESOME and really helps a plant to fight off the nasties like nutrient pollution and to grow quite fantastically!

I’ve been working with Tara since the end of February and since then I have learned a tonne! While I can be a bit clumsy at times and probably a bit to eager to please I have found that potting 150 plants can be quite relaxing. There is nothing quite like taking dry weights and singing to the radio with your super in a warm green house while the Irish rain pours down outside. Since starting I have potted and watered more plants then I can imagine, I’ve taken leaf weights and chlorophyll counts; we’ve worked with crazy expensive and cool looking science machinery and I have fixed problems with a bit of masking tape. Besides all of the research techniques I have learned I have also had fun hanging out with the rest of the post-grads.

Many people know that I can be quite ridiculously nervous and unsure in normal situations like meeting the rest of the people in the department but I have been met with nothing but the utmost kindness from everyone I’ve met. The rest of the post grads have become really cool and nerdy friends. They invited me out to pubs and to dinner, we’ve watched horse races together (and no I didn’t participate in the betting even if it was only 2 euro) and I’ve been on the winning side of an impromptu trivia night! Other professors and researchers always ask me how I’m doing and how life is going in Balt-ti-moor (as this is the one city in Maryland seemingly everyone knows about).

I’ve had, and to some extent am still having, a hard time meeting people to hang out with here in Ireland; I have my friends from WAC and a couple of close friends I have met through class, trips and clubs but it seems that the students work on a different level than me. Many of them are here in huge groups from their colleges and are eager to throw their money around like it ain’t no thang. For someone trying to live a bit more frugally it made finding people to chill with a bit harder. But I think it may also be that I needed to find people who can spend a half an hour creating an experiment to see if they can cook chicken in an autoclave. While I don’t hang out with these people outside of work besides the occasional dinner/drink its still nice to know that on a bad day I have a couple of people and plants willing to hang out with me and my corny jokes.

So this has turned into quite the blog! Bit about me, bit about my internship, bit about life. Hope y’all enjoyed it! As a treat I’ll give you some pictures of my BABIES! Now I know they’re a bit small but keep in mind they are a short species… and I was poisoning most of them for my experiment!

greenhouse 1

greenhouse 2

random planting stuff

outsides greenhouse 1

and greenhouse 2

this dog never shuts up! he lives in the house that’s up the hill from the greenhouses and just watches us work

where we do most of our sampling

my babies!

cute little guy!

Bhi me ag taisteal i gCóbanhávan

Hello!

I know it has been a while and I have a lot of stuff to tell you all! I’ll start off with my birthday! First of all thank you for the well wishes everyone, I had a great time celebrating in Copenhagen!!! Here’s a little photo tour of my trip!

After suffering through the bus ride to get to Dublin airport, waiting for my flight, and sailing through the air talking to this very nice American and a cool Swede I ended up in Copenhagen! It was another 45 minutes until I found Molly as we had no way to call each other, there is no airport wifi annnnd most of the signs were in Danish! We took the Metro to the city and walked around for a bit, got a bit of shawarma for dinner and then took the Train to the Bus and ended up in Molly’s home in Herlev.

The next day we headed out on an adventure!!!!! This was our first stop into the city on Friday, I had to take a picture because even here trains are still a bit of a novelty to me.

train stations shouldn’t be so amazing to me

Since Molly still had school we walked around a bit, got some delicious danishes and coffee and then headed to class! Besides the fact that everyone was super jealous of our breakfasts and probably wondering why I was taking someone’s seat her first class happened to be talking about Celtic Myths! You can take the girl outta Ireland… 😉 After another class we decided to head around the city. We got some pizza and meandered around.

tivoli!

so. many. bikes!

We ended up going to the Ny Carlsberg Glyptoteket Museum. It was beautiful inside – and warm – and it had a garden that I just about died for!

oh really?!

because I’ve been brushing up on my greek mythology I know that this spritely fellow is an ouroboros – that snake man with two tails!

stunning indoor gardens!

We ended up having dinner at Molly’s house that night with her gracious host family. They also had some friends over so I got to experience a lively affair! It was nice having a home cooked meal that I didn’t make myself! The next day we went all around Copenhagen, our first stop was the Royal Gardens.

hahahaha… what grass!

they have a tonne of these trim trees lining the place, it was surreal!

hercules and the nemean lion!

finally getting to use my snow boots in some snow!!!!

beautiful castle we passed in the Royal Gardens

After attempting to see the changing of the guard which actually went down at the Queen’s house, not at the building we were looking at, we headed down to Little Amsterdam in Nyhavn.

looks like a little frosty Cork to me!

Next we went to the Royal Library, a stunning sight that I am sure many tourists don’t see. There is a beautiful combination of old and new with the classic castle style on one side mixing with the modern glass that makes up the new part. After hanging out there, as seeing the crazy gallery that they have, I can see why Molly spent her time studying there.

beautiful old part of the library

the “black diamond” new portion!

view looking out of the glass side!

the two very different exhibits going on!

ohhh those silly danish! had some real cool graphics next to books like the gutenberg bible

After the library I got to view and walk through Parliament as well. The mix of architectural styles and colours all throughout the city were breathtaking!

view of the city

parliament!

That night we decided to head into town to celebrate my 21st! After getting some sound advice from Molly’s host parents (it made me a little homesick with the parental figures 🙂 ) we headed to the trains to meet up with Molly’s friends in the city. We ended up bar hopping throughout the night and getting home in the wee hours of the morning but it was a blast!

in the wee hours of the morning, heading home!

The next morning we decided to sleep in as much as we wanted, it was my birthday, so it was well deserved! When I woke up I opened all of the cards that I smuggled into Denmark with me and a little something for myself 😉 . We caught a quick breakfast at home ( which wasn’t complete without a Danish Flag – as it is traditional to cover the house in them on birthdays – that was placed in my toast by Molly’s host mom) and then headed into the city again!

birthday cards!

little present to myself

birthday toast!

We ended up at the Glass Houses in Copenhagen where Molly treated me to some cupcakes! They were beautiful and delicious and I only remembered to take a picture after we cut them all in half!

trust me, they were good!

After that we did a walk around to the coast where I -drumroll please- took a picture with the Little Mermaid. I know that that was what you were all expecting but it was necessary for a trip to Copenhagen!

the park

beautiful church

more greek sculpture

my magnum opus!

After a stop off there it was just a train ride to the airport, a goodbye and good luck to my best friend, a wait for my delayed flight and a three hour bus trip until I was back home in Cork. Copenhagen was a great, chilly adventure but I was thrilled to be back home and I was welcomed by the gorgeous sign from my flatmate Rosie.

I’m loved and ooooollllllldddddd!

 

La Fheile Padraig Sona Duit!

Excuse the lack of fadas in the title, its the sentiment that counts (just don’t tell my Irish prof!)

So this is really the post that you all have been waiting for right, St. Patrick’s Day, IN IRELAND!

As most of you know St. Patrick’s Day is one of my favourite holidays, probably because its in the best month ever and close to another holiday that I quite like 😉 Now I have heard many different things about celebrating in Ireland. I’ve heard that its really Americanized, that its no where near as crazy as Boston or New York. But I’ve also heard that its about National Pride, that even if they don’t get schwasty-faced and paint themselves green that it is the one time each year that people worldwide celebrate Ireland (and that little bit of Irish blood that is somehow in all of us for this one day!)

Well I’m here to tell you all about my experience, which I must say was a friggin’ blast!

To start off St. Patrick’s Day isn’t just celebrated on the 17th, its a friggin’ THREE DAY FESTIVAL in which we got Monday off (it was a bank holiday!) So on Saturday we headed downtown to check out the shops, they blocked off the tail end of St. Patrick’s Street and it was FILLED with street venders and performers. Everything was warm, and inviting, and just so friggin’ festive! We stocked up some swag and some liquid courage to get us through the holiday and headed back home. We were out for a couple of hours but we told ourselves that we were going to spend all day Sunday out so maybe we should spend the rest of the day in to write out papers…. did that happen…. no. BUT I probably saved some euro by not tempting myself!

Flash forward to Sunday itself, it was gorgeous and warm out and we didn’t feel weird dressed in our sweatshirts and the like.

swag

We stocked up on some of “The Recipe” (that was for you mom!) and went down to Grand Parade to watch the parade. It was tonnes of fun! I forgot that I liked parades until I was cheering and trying to take pictures over everyone’s heads. There were some floats, tonnes of small children walking around in cute outfits, and the crowd was pretty much a sea of green!

pretty much the only decent photo I took of the parade cause I’m short

After the parade we hung out downtown. We hit up Dunnes because Rosie’s shoes finally disintegrated which meant that Buddy and I ran around like maniacs while Rosie did a proper shop. We got some delicious food (yummmmm sausage) and saw this live band play! He was belting out swing music which meant we were instantly friends.

ICE CREAM, even when its raining its the best!

jamming!

After a good dose of swing we decided to hit up some Trad music at a local church. It was darling, I got some stellar video of the performance. People of all ages were just playing together, it was heartwarming to see, and that feeling may have been helped by the booze.

church

After some soulful tunes we headed back home for a bit of a break before heading out to do a proper celebration. This is the part that is a little more American than Irish. We went out searching for a place to have a nice sit and a pint. It took FOREVER to find somewhere with seating that wasn’t playing house music. Finally we went down a side street and came across this charming place called the Rob Roy.

it looks like this all the time to, it wasn’t done up special for the holiday

It was an awesome place, live music playing the oldies, a bit of an older crowd but everyone was festive and dancing and there was seating to be found! We stayed there for a few pints, took a ridiculous amount of pictures and headed out for some dancing.

we drank

I should get guinness to sponsor me!

We headed over to the Oliver Plunkett for a few more drinks and some hardcore dancing!!! Like usual we made some friends on the dance floor, got into a couple of dance battles and ended the night in the wee hours of the morning.

my new friends, they were english and serious dancers!

Monday was spent relaxing and checking out street venders, we saw some more performances and just enjoyed being in the city. All in all, it was an awesome holiday! Everyone was jovial, the food was good, the drink better and the pictures borderline incredible. I highly recommend a stop in Cork next Paddy’s Day. Cork is the place to be, everyone knows that!

and p.s. they don’t like green beer here, I asked about it and they said why would you ever degrade a perfectly good drink! AGREED But you can’t colour Guinness anyway so now worries!

 

Galway Gals!

I’m going to start out by telling you all that the three of us Washcollers in Mardyke, that is Rosie, Buddy and I, are not very good split decision makers. Well Buddy did just come back from a last minute trip to London but Rosie and I are not good at spending large amounts of money (which is honestly anything above like 20 euro) on things without worrying over them for weeks at a time. So it came as a bit of a surprise to all of us when after coming back from the Ring of Kerry we made the decision to trek up to Galway for a night! We made all of the plans on Thursday, trekked out Friday and made it home to Cork at about 10:30pm on Saturday. It was a whirlwind tour in which we decided that we weren’t going to make any plans, just go where the wind took us, and that’s exactly what we did!

After the 3 hour bus ride, which I spent doped up and wishing for solid ground, we made our way to the Kinlay Hostel, which was super nice! We were high rollers paying for 20euro/night but we later found out that Kinlay was one of the best Hostels around so I wasn’t that mad about it. We dropped our stuff off in our room (we reserved beds in an 8 person suite hoping to make friends with our roomies) and decided to head out into town. We walked around downtown took in the colourful buildings, street performers and the smell of the water.

our room

super happy hostel!!!

I know what you’re all thinking, “can they go ANYWHERE in Ireland without hitting the sea!” You have to realize that Ireland is an island, coastal towns are abundant and yes, there are non-coastal regions.  I just usually spend a couple of hours driving through them in a drug induced haze because Irish roads are crazy curvy and I think they give bus licenses to ANYONE!

Ok, back on track, on our journey downtown, between stopping in tourist shops and jewelry stores we came across the birthplace of the original Claddagh Ring! They had a little museum inside their shop and they still make the original design, it just cost a pretty penny for one of these gems.

just a billboard

the original claddagh makers

part of the museum

Then like clockwork, we managed to stumble upon a river. I am fairly certain that going to school next to a river at home, and in Ireland, has turned us all into hunting dogs of sort (a river will never be lost on our account!). Wherever we are we manage to find the closest bit of water! I even managed to make friends with the swans we met!

the river!

We meandered throughout downtown looking at the cute shops and exploring alleyways until dinner time.

cute entrance into Kirwan’s Lane

dinner!

 

We stopped at a place called Riordan’s for dinner, as they promised to have good home cooked food and Bailey’s Cheesecake! Rosie and I got the Guinness Stew while Buddy got the Shepherd’s Pie, everything was delicious and we managed to once again be awkward with not knowing how to pay for the bill! After dinner we went back to our hostel, freshened up and then headed out for a night on the town.

We decided to put together our own pub crawl for the night! We started off at The King’s Head, where I forgot that Galway Hooker is a terrible beer and I ordered a pint that I made the whole table struggle through! After meeting some friendly guys and pretending to understand rugby we made our way to another pub. We were in search of Trad music, which we were told was plentiful in Galway and after pushing through some crowds and waiting for the 9:30 band to start playing at 10 we hit the jackpot! The four piece band we found in Taaffes was playing nothing but pub tunes and Irish dancing songs.

Taaffes in the daylight

One especially drunk guy was having some great craic trying to get everyone to dance and sing with him! I talked to a woman from Dublin in the pub that told me that the band that was playing was well-known in the area and always played the best tunes! Once we got our fill of some fiddles we headed down the road in search of a dance party… and did we find one!

The Skeff is a pub that is just down the road from our hostel, it was a great location and it seemed to be a fairly lively place. Now Taaffes was quite small, the King’s Head… a bit larger but The Skeff was huge, and gorgeous! We scoped the place out and after a walk around we found a bunch of guys jamming to the music, I later found out from Rosie that it was a Stag Party. Needless to say, as we were looking to bust a move, we proceeded to dance like lunatics with these people for the rest of the night.

our friends for the night!

When we got back to our hostel everyone in our room was asleep so we shuffled around, got into our surprisingly comfortable beds and slept till morning. I woke up relatively early, got my stuff together and went out to breakfast in the kitchen. They had a whole spread of coffee/tea, juice, cereal, toast and scones!  I ate my scone while talking to some Americans, finished my tea while getting advice from some Germans and was getting toast to take on the road by the time the others joined me.

As we left for the day we decided to hit up the Farmer’s Market downtown, which was quite darling!

They had crafts, and fresh produce, tonnes of people selling doughnuts and curries and there was a fishmonger or two chilling in the fringes. We had decided the day before that it might be a good idea to hit up the free walking tours they have in Galway, if only to make sure we took in all of the sites. (I know it was something planned, but other than that everything was spur of the moment!)

The tour started in the park where we learned about how much the Irish loved JFK, took us to City Hall and St. Nicholas’s Church, I made a wish on a bridge (hope it comes true!) and we ended up back in downtown. Our tour guide, Alex, was a college student in Galway who was originally from Cork. She told us all of the little quirky things about the area (like the religious symbols they all put up above their doors to make themselves look more Catholic for the Pope’s visit) and creepy stories (like how the term lynching came from a man named Lynch who hung his son in Galway)!

Eyre Park

the “religious” signs over the doors

our tour group!

a look over the river

the cathedral

Buddy and I lite some prayer candles here, I wanted to light some at St. Joseph, but there was a woman already praying there.

making a wish!

this is a protest we passed, I know it involved salmon and that I agreed with them, they were a polite protest!

another gorgeous view

We decided to do some more shopping when we finished the tour, where I may have bought myself a little something 😉 and then we decided to stop for tea at this place that I freaked out on the first day we arrived. It is called Cupan Tae, for those fluent in Irish you would know that it just means “Cup of Tea”, THIS PLACE WAS SOOOO DARLING! Matching tea sets, Bing Crosby playing softly in the background, theme of floral prints in pastel, and DOLIES! I could have lived in this place and die a happy lady!!! After we squealed our way through an adorable late lunch we decided to head out again.

THE CUTEST!

We ended up at Galway’s Museum where we learned a bit about the history, saw a lifesize Galway Hooker (hehe), fawned over one of John Ford’s director’s chairs, and took tonnes of pictures of Waterford Crystal. They had a great selection of Irish propaganda posters up as well which ranged from inspirational to lighthearted.  After the museum we just walked around Galway a bit more, taking in the sites as we made our way back to Kinlay. We settled down to wait for our bus ride home, ate a little bit of food and just hung out in the lounge.

Galway Hooker

John Ford may or may not have sat in this chair!!!!!!!!!

beautiful Waterford crystal!!!

nice prop posters

us chilling in our hostel

All in all Galway is gorgeous! I definitely recommend a visit up there for anyone stopping in Eire. The youthful atmosphere, the crazy nice people and the beautiful Claddagh jewelry made Galway a diamond in the rough. If you haven’t figured out by now the “rough” is the 6 hour round trip bus ride to Galway from Cork and I do not like buses.

Ring of Kerry: The Reckoning

Now I will not lie and say that the next day was sunshine and daisies. To start it ended up being a bit cold, and though we still had the gorgeous fog clear skies that were said to be a rarity in the region there was a chill to the air that wasn’t there before. More than half of our bus was feeling little under the weather with a case of the wine flu and wanted nothing more than to not be on a bus for hours on end but travel we must! I think this is the only case where I can say I was on a real struggle bus! After breakfast, and a snuggle with some lambs that a local farmer brought by, we headed out to Waterville. This was a pull off on a highway where the views were just as stunning as the previous day.

the highway

the view

After a look out at Waterville we headed to Derrynane where a guide took us to see an ancient burial ground that was nestled in a currently used cemetery on a edge of the beach.

the beach

the cemetery

I loved all of the Celtic crosses

In order to get back to the bus we took a path through the forest that took us by the Derrynane House, that was closed so we couldn’t venture inside. In our journey through the forest we saw some fairy forts in the woods! They were so darling!

a little fairy fort, a house for the fairies in the trees

we put coins on the porch to appease the fairies so that they wouldn’t steal us away and put changelings in our place!

By that point it was lunch time and we decided to dine at Ladie’s View! The view was in hindsight gorgeous but at the time everyone was wondering why we had to sit in the cold eating our chicken tikka wraps and twix when we had a perfectly nice and warm bus to sit in!

After lunch we made our way to Killarney National Park to see the Torc Waterfall which I loved!!! The colours were astounding and I wish we could have stayed to see more of the Park itself but sadly this was our last stop because we had to drop people off at the train station.

After these views it was just the long ride home to Cork and then the walk back to our apartment. Our whirlwind tour around the ring had come to an end but our adventurous spirits were far from restful! When we got home we all laid in our beds and starting planning for our next adventure out of the city!

Ring of Kerry: The Zenith

The day dawned bright and early and we were eager to start our journey forth! We headed down to a full spread at breakfast, eggs, bacon rashers, sausage, biscuits, fruit, tea – the works! After some polite small talk, gorging our faces and sneaking some fruit and rolls into our bags we began our journey! Within the Ring of Kerry there is a separate ring called the Skellig Ring, Marian told us that not many buses took this particular part of the tour because the roads really were not made for tour buses but not to worry cause Tommy boy had been driving these roads for years!

 

Our first stop was Valentia Island, this is where the speaker from the previous night lived. It was a small island that had made the switch from ferry transport to a bridge somewhere in the 60s and where life was gorgeous and quaint, this is also the location of the transatlantic cable crossing so that Europe would be connected to the States.

view from our stop

gorgeous!

transatlantic cable crossing!

the ladies

 

After that stop we headed up to the Geokan Mountains and the Fogher Cliffs which are a main attraction on the island and just so happen to be owned by the man who gave us our talk last night. When we got there was had the choice of playing with some baby cows or just going ahead to see the mountain, coming from Frederick I decided to go with the more exotic of the two and I went hiking, and hiking it was. Now, I’m not proud of the fact that getting up this mountain was struggle city but I wasn’t the only one with issues! Buddy and I meandered up the mountain, taking plenty of stops to talk to the sheep and enjoy the varying views. Here’s some from the middle level on the cliff.

We didn’t make it all of the way to the top of the mountain because we got distracted by a certain rock, and by making certain reenactment videos to accompany said rock….

this may or may not be the rock and once I figure out how to upload videos you may feast your eyes upon it!

Since we only had about an hour here we decided to go see the cliffs. Now when I first got to the outlook for the cliffs I though nothing of it, it merely looked like more of the same. But then I saw a little pathway and decided to venture to the end of it and how thrilled I am that I actually did.

the Fogher Cliffs

stunning blue water

After this breathtaking view we headed back to the edge of the island to go to the Skellig Experience Centre. This was a cute little building that had all information about the area and we got to watch the owner’s daughter give us a little sean nos dance! Her outfit was adorable and looked reaaaally expensive! After picking up some chocolate (to sustain us for the rest of the tour of course!) we headed out to Ballingskelligs Beach and Castle, this may have been one of my favorite spots! The second we parked the clouds parted and the sun came out! I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves.

the castle

my futures so bright i gotta wear shades!!!!!

After the beach we headed back for the hearty lunch of salad and rolls and tea!!!!! After a short break we headed out on a trip to see the Cahergal Stone Forts. While the views from the forts were the best parts everyone seemed preoccupied with the sheep and the field burnings. I’ve been to a field burning before and can attest to their coolness up close but we were at least a mile from it which attributed to its diminished coolness, that and the fact that we also burn fields at home. Here are some forts!

this fort was for climbing, thats what our guide told us

this one was for views

some of the views

the mountains in the distance

Now on our way back from the forts our guide Maura (who was Marian’s cousin I think… or her sister…) told us of another castle we could visit, one that was said to be the most romantic castle in all of Europe (or Ireland, I’m embellishing now, I am nothing if not my mother’s daughter!). Everyone was pretty excited to see this castle after we learned it was used in the film “Leap Year”. (that part where its raining and they’re at the castle, yup, that is this castle!) So it looks like everyone is going to go on this adventure until Maura tells us that it is a 2 and a half mile walk back to town from the site. Of course my friends and I, only about 7 people in all, decided to go see this beauty! The walk there and back was treacherous and we did have to climb under some fences which made us feel like criminals but it was a nice view!

coming up the road

on top of the castle

THE CASTLE!

After the castle we laid in our beds for an hour just trying to recuperate from the days journey before dinner. Dinner was delicious, I had some chicken curry and a scrumptious brownie for dessert! After dinner we all had a talk from a local Gaelic Footballer about how the sport has changed and he and his son gave us a bit of a demonstration. After that we had a fun Trivia Match with the rest of the folks on our trip, which we were close to winning!!!! (though I am still proud that we got Kiss by Prince, I think we were like one of the only groups to get it!) After trivia we decided to go out with our friends to a local pub, which honestly was “let’s just walk into the first pub we see!” That night was a blast! We made nice with the bartender and the locals, and all got to know more of the people on the trip with us. The night ended late and the next day started early and I think I knew it was going to be a little rough.