Newgrange

Entrance to Newgrange

About an hour outside of the city is Newgrange, a neolithic tomb older than the Pyramid of Giza. I had the pleasure of going there with Dorothy and the Quinn Business School Study Abroad Program. I attended with Stevie, and I also brought along a couple of guests. Dorothy is the sweetest woman and if there is room on the bus she lets us bring friends, so I brought some of the girls that I met at the trivia night and I think that they had a great time.

Mound

We got on the bus around 9:30 am and headed over to Newgrange. When we got there we walked around the visitor centre, which was extremely nice for being in the middle of nowhere and had a good video about the neolithic people and the purpose of the mound, until we boarded another bus to go see the tomb itself, which was a short drive away. When we arrived at the tomb it was impressive, but so was the surrounding countryside. It was everything that one pictures Ireland to be. I just can't get over it; it takes my breath away every time.

Mound with countryside

Sally, Elizabeth, Stevie, Ellie, Melissa, me

Outer wall that was reconstructed after it collapsed. When it collapsed it was very well preserved so this is original material. The marble and granite comes from many miles away and took over 100 trips by boat to retrieve.

We had to go into the tomb in two groups of about 15 each. The tour guide, who absolutely loved Newgrange, you could tell by the tone of her voice, explained about the tomb. The special features of it is that it is watertight, has swirly carvings, and the sunlight pours into it on the winter solstice.

1) The tomb at Newgrange is watertight which was quite an accomplishment because it is in Ireland, which is very wet, and it was built over 5000 years ago. The ceiling on the tomb is like a dome and very impressive.

2) There are various carvings of swirls and shamrocks in the tomb. I took some pictures of the rocks of the outside that have some of the same carvings.

3) During the five days of the winter solstice, the light of the rising sun goes through the window above the entry way and illuminates the interiors of the tomb. It is supposed to be absolutely amazing. It is thought that the tombs was used as a burial mound as well as symbolism of the coming of spring and rebirth.

We got back to the visitor centre and Dorothy treated us to lunch, something that I am always grateful for. I had the chicken, leek, and mushroom pie (pies are big here) and it was delicious and filling!

Yum!

All in all it was another great day taking in Ireland.

Gaolhouse Rock

Entrance to Kilmainham Goal in Dublin. This entrance was also the sight of public hangings.

The Kilmainham Gaol had been on my must-see list since I read about Dublin and after getting a good foundation on Irish revolutionaries in Irish History class I decided to check it out. Rick Steves gave it three triangles and it did not disappoint.

The first challenge was getting to Kilmainham, which was over 30 minutes walking time from the city centre. But I could use the exercise and I didn’t want to pay for the bus so I made the trek. I showed up just in time for the guided tour at 2:30 with Anthony, who was great. I bought the Heritage Pass while I was there that gets one into many historical sights for free for one year. I also got a booklet about all the historical sights but it is in Irish. I don't know why you would put a tourist pamphlet in Irish but they did and I can't read it.

Chapel in the jail. The marriage between Joseph Plunkett and Gail Gifford (who later returned as a prisoner) took place here the night before his execution. He was involved in the Easter Uprising. The alter was carved by a prisoner.

During the guided tour you walked around the jail itself. Anthony talked about various prisoners, including Robert Emmet (subject of the history presentation I gave on Wednesday), Charles Parnell, and Padraig Pearse. He also talked about the conditions of the jail because it was considered a model for Victorian jails where the inmates were put in separate cells. It was an extremely interesting tour and anyone with an interest for Irish revolutionaries should be sure to see it.

Door to Robert Emmet's cell

At the end of the tour there was also a museum which had various facts about the jail, including a list of people who got put in during the Great Famine and their crimes, which often included stealing food. Getting put in Kilmainham was sometimes life saving during the Great Famine because the prisoners were at least fed, but there was also a lot of disease that a weak person could succumb to. They also had a separate room with famous inmates’ objects, including diaries, letters, and personal belongings. They even had Wolf Tone’s and Robert Emmet’s death masks, which were somewhat creepy but also reminded me that they were real people, not just words on a page in my history book. One of the patriots of the Easter Uprising, Mallin, who was executed here wrote a letter to his family saying goodbye and encouraging his youngest son to become a priest. The son did become a priest and still visits the prison every couple of years, the last living child of anyone executed there. 

Cell

Exercise yard. All inmates were subject to hard labour which may include breaking rocks or simply unwinding rope. This is also used in the TV series The Tudors for all the execution scenes.

Sight of the execution of most of the Easter Uprising conspirators. James Connolly was executed on the other side of the yard.

I love the atmosphere of the city, especially walking down Grafton Street with all the street performers. Yesterday I was walking home after church and a man with a guitar and harmonica was playing “Take Me Home Country Roads,” one of my absolute favorites. Today as I was walking down Grafton and “Forever Young” was playing, another great song, as I walked down the street independently and it was one of those “Who Will Buy?” moments (what is a blog entry if you don’t make a musical theatre reference?) But I have those moments that I wish I could put in a box and keep forever all the time while I’m here. Hopefully this blog will function as a memory box for some of the perfect moments I’ve experienced.

"What Good is Sitting..."

"...alone in your room. Come hear the music play." I didn't see a cabaret today but I did go out and hear some music instead of wasting away in my dorm room.

After spending much of the day booking hostels, watching Project Runway, and getting my life back in order I took the bus into Dublin in order to attend evensong at St. Patrick’s Cathedral. I thought this would be a good idea because it would be an experience and I could see the cathedral for free.

I always have a little pride when I manage to take the bus into the city and navigate it myself and this time I did not use a map at all. I walked the streets like a local, although when my pride bubbled to the top I might have skipped a little.

When I got to the cathedral I was a little weary to just waltz in but another girl showed up and she just walked in so I followed. She may have thought I was a creep but that’s ok. The cathedral was a lot smaller than I thought it would be but impressive none the less. It was not the greatest cathedral I had ever witnessed but I enjoyed it and the whole experience of going to a service there. I sat down and was one of only eight people worshipping. It was about a forty minute service which I enjoyed because the acoustics in that stone cathedral were fantastic. I also saw where Jonathon Swift is buried- it was right in the sanctuary.

St. Patrick's at twilight

Upon leaving I continued my local strut and I must have looked like a Dubliner because a woman asked me for bus directions. And most amazing of all, I knew the answer to her question.

Happy Birthday, Brittany!

Turning 21 lacks something when you are in a country where you can drink when you’re 12 18 so we had to show Brittany a good time.

We started our good time by having dinner with Brittany before Irish History class (and my third presentation of the day) and served typical birthday party food (soda, pizza, and birthday cake.) It was a good, down home American birthday celebration with two Americans and an Australian.

At lecture our teacher explained an essay that we have to write and informed us that unlike in the US, we have to answer the question we are being asked in the essay. Wow, things are different here.

After a very depressing lecture on the Potato Famine we hit Temple Bar. Stevie, Laura and I took the bus into the city, which was successful despite the fact that we did not have our navigator Brittany. We knew that we had to get off at the bus stop across from the store that had sequined dresses in the window. I am not even kidding, that was our landmark. Brittany, her stepmom, and her cousin met us at our favorite bar, The Temple Bar, and listened to some traditional Irish music. It’s funny, but I really forget I’m in Ireland and take it for granted until I realize that the music that I’m hearing is live Irish music that is being played in a pub in Dublin and then I smile.

While we were at Temple Bar we also engaged in a little mischief. You see, Laura and I started the semester with about seven glasses in our apartment, about four of which were left here by the people who were living there last semester. Now we have one glass and everyone in the apartment is using it. I have no idea where the rest of the glasses are but I have not seen them in a long while. I suspect that someone is holding them in their room for some unexplained reason. Yesterday I bought a new glass because I thought it was unhygienic for so many people to be drinking out of one glass. I thought I would leave this glass in the kitchen so everyone could use it as well but that was a bad decision considering it had disappeared by that night. Seriously?! I am a little peeved. Good thing the glass only cost one euro.

Anyway, this has created a cycle of stealing because to make up for the missing glasses Laura and I took some from Temple Bar. I feel a little bad about it until I remember that 1) bars get the glasses for free from the breweries and 2) a pint costs 6.50 euro, the equivalent of about 10 US dollars. Now I am the proud owner of a Smithwicks glass and Laura has a Bulmers one. Stevie also secured a Guinness glass for Brittany’s stepmom as a souvenir by going up to the customers that just finished it and asking if she could have it. Laura got her glass from pretending that she was bussing tables (she thinks the Australian dialect threw them off.)

Stevie, Laura, and I took the last bus back to UCD and when we got home I fried up some potatoes for Laura and me and we had leftover cake for dessert. That sounds like a perfect late night snack to me. We also sang “Party in the USA” while cooking.

Two New Experiences

Today I had a few new experiences today.

I began my day by going to the St. Stephen’s Green Shopping Mall to pick up a few things I needed. I was on a mission to find blank CDs and I went into a store called Argos. The interesting thing about Argos was that they were no products on the shelves just catalogues. You would look through these thick books to see what you wanted then write down the stock number. You bring this slip with the stock number on it to the front desk and pay for your product, then they give you an order number and you wait for your order number to get called just like at Taco Bell. Anyway, they seemed to have some good deals and I am using the blank CDs as we speak (and by speak I mean type out my blog entry.)

My other new experience was participating in a trivia tournament and not winning. The International Student Society hosted a “table quiz” night at one of the student pubs and advertised cash prizes so I couldn’t resist. Stevie decided to test her knowledge as well and we met some new friends there, including Melissa from New York who was the other member of our trio. After the first round we were in first place but it was downhill from there. The questions were fairly easy and the least we ever got correct for a 10 question round was 7 but that wasn’t good enough. I even employed my intimidation tactics by loudly saying “bunny question!” or “easy” when a simple question came up, not to mention the occasional death glare. We placed third and got a twenty euro cash prize, so about 6 euro a person which is more than I had when I went. And we got a new friend out of it… and more trivial facts that I can impress people with. (“Yes, Mr. Interviewer, I did study in Dublin. Did you know Donegal is the northern-most county in Ireland? How can you resist having this wealth of useless knowledge in your office?”)

Trivia Question: Which city is closer to Paris, Edinburgh or Rome?

We're not in Chambana anymore...

The past few days have been fairly normal. I would think I was in Champaign-Urbana except for the things that remind me that I’m in Ireland:

1.  When I type in “www.google.com” I go to Google Ireland and they offer to translate it into Gaelic.
2. I don’t recognize nor do I care about anyone on the tabloids. Can they please get some Jon and Kate updates?
3. Legally I can buy alcohol.
4. The library closes. In Chambana we are very studious and the library is always open, but here it is not even open on Sundays.
5. I can enjoy all the Cadbury chocolate I want.
6. A song will come on and everyone will start singing and I have never heard it before.
7. I frequently get called “love.” Not by cute Irish boys but by the lady at the post office and other adults. It’s like something out of Oliver Twist.
8. Jay-Z is pronounced “Jay-Zed” because the last letter of the alphabet is pronounced “zed.”
9. London and Paris are weekend trips.

And speaking on traveling I have been researching Spring Break a lot over the last few days. I also have three, yes three, presentations on Wednesday that I had to prepare for. I have a presentation on India for Cross-Cultural Management, which is fairly simple if it weren’t for the fact that my group (Dutch, French, Spanish) lacks communication and organizational skills. We’ll see if we end up with a decent presentation considering no one emails anyone else. I’m the annoying one because I’m addicted to gmail and send 3 a day. My next presentation is a case for International Marketing. My group (American, French, 2 Irish) is good at getting things done and I think it will work well. Lastly, I have a presentation on Robert Emmet for Irish history and that is a class of only Americans. I think the project is already done so we should be in good shape.

Tonight Laura and I had tacos for dinner and now I am gchatting and working on homework like in Chambana. We also sang "Party in the USA" while making the tacos, another hint of Champaign-Urbana. Tomorrow I’m going into the city to find adventure (and do some shopping)!

Bray

Because I only have three months of Ireland adventures today I went to yet another seaside town, Bray. Brittany and I walked to the DART (train) station at Booterstown, about a thirty minute walk from our dorm. We took the train about 30 minutes to Bray and it was a cute little town, kinda like the Jersey Shore of Ireland. I say this because it had all sorts of ice cream shops, arcades, hotels, and that sort of thing. It was for sure a tourist stop. We walked down the shore and started heading up the cliffs on the Cliff Path, but we didn’t stay on the Cliff Path for long.

The real adventure started when Brittany thought it was a grand(the Irish use grand instead of great) idea to venture off the path. Well, everything started out grand but we wanted to join the cliff path eventually. “I think if we just go up and around we can get there,” was Brittany’s logic about five times during the hike so needless to say we got even more off the path and into some rather dense thorns. Hey, I didn’t mind; I can always use a little adventure. The thorns were less than ideal though.

The path we were supposed to be on

After eventually realizing that we could not get to the path from the very steep slope we were on we started down our own trail. This is when Brittany alerted me that she had lost something. After guessing it was her wallet, camera, and bus ticket (all the important things) she told me it was her cell phone.
“Ok, I’ll just call it and see if it is around.”
“It’s on silent.”

So we began up the pseudo-trail once more. I thought that there was no chance that we would find the phone but the luck of the Irish was with us and Brittany found it!

After getting back on the trail we walked a little farther down the path and then turned back. We headed back into town and looked for a little snack which turned out to be ice cream. It was a soft serve ice cream place that had all sorts of flavors, reminding me of the Highland Queen. I had a maple nut shake which was delicious and that was the end of our adventures in Bray. We took the DART back to Booterstown and walked back to the dorm uneventfully.

The moral of the story: unless you like thorns, stay on the path.

More Photos:

Town of Bray

Amazing View

I am becoming quite the hiker!

London-Day 4

We began our last day in London with a breakfast at the hostel at 8:30. After breakfast I was still worn out from the past two days so I took a nap until 10:30. After Brittany woke me up we bid farewell to the London Bridge Hostel and set off to see the London with all our luggage on our backs. Yes, we carried around our 15 lb backpacks for the rest of the day, but it wasn’t that bad.

First stop were some typical British phone booths by Westminster. We wanted to get pictures here so that Big Ben would be in the background. I think they turned out cute.

We walked in the general direction of Trafalgar Square and on the way saw 10 Downing Street with its armed guards stationed outside. I don’t know what I was expecting from Trafalgar Square but it was very impressive. I loved the fountains especially. I wanted to sit on one of the lions but it was slick due to the rain and I didn’t want to chip a tooth again.

10 Downing Street

National Gallery

Nelson's Column

It had begun to rain while we were admiring Trafalgar Square so we headed into some of the souvenir shops around that area to look for things to spend our last remaining British pounds on. You see, each of us only took out 100 pounds from the ATM when we got there and that was to cover our hostel and all our food, souvenirs, and city transportation. I have to say that we did an excellent job staying on budget. The whole trip cost only about 200 euro, including airfare but not including my Billy Elliot tickets because they were a gift. I think that is pretty darn good.

So we browsed around the souvenir shops because Brittany wanted to start a collection of shot glasses from all the places that we go throughout our stay in Europe and we had to find the perfect one to represent the UK. I want to start a collection of something but cannot decide what as shot glasses are not very me. I am considering tea cups or Christmas ornaments, although tea cups can be rather fragile and it is not a good season for Christmas ornaments (turns out Harrod’s sells everything except Christmas ornaments.) Anyway, if anyone has any suggestions I would love to hear them.

Because this was our last day in London we decided to travel back to Harrod’s and explore it further. On our way there we stopped at the Spaghettihouse and got some lunch because we were both starving and we cannot afford food at Harrod’s. The pasta was just so-so but the bruscetta was very delicious.

When we got to Harrod’s we were more than happy to pay the three pounds to check our very heavy backpacks and began exploring. The first thing we saw was another Diana and Dodi Memorial. This was a statue of them grasping hand while releasing a bird above the words “Innocent Victims.” You see, Dodi Al Fayed’s father owns Harrod’s, hence the numerous memorials. We also signed the memorial book by the statue.

Egyptian Room

Food Hall

Chandelier in Food Hall

It took us another two hours to fully discover Harrod’s. We took a walk through the fossil gallery, containing all sorts of rare stones, the Pet Kingdom which offered the classiest things for your pet, the piano section, and even searched for the bulletproof clothing. Harrod’s offers quite a selection. We eventually made our way to the Harrod’s souvenir shop where Brittany bought some Harrod’s shot glasses and I got a nice leather bookmark. Successful shopping trip.

We walked over to Piccadilly Circus again, stopping at many souvenir shops on the way because it was raining heavier now. Our other hangouts for the trip were McDonald’s. You see, sometimes you just need somewhere to sit and look at a map or use the bathroom and McDonald’s is the perfect place. We have been in Mickey D’s all across London.

We made our way to Victoria Station to get the Gatwick Express back to the Gatwick Airport. We were supposed to meet Stevie there as well but her phone died and she ended up meeting us at the airport. By the time we got to Victoria Station I was damp, cold, and tired from the day and ready to get back to my own bed in Dublin.

I have noticed that the airports in Europe are like malls. Seriously, most of the airport, as far as I can tell, was dedicated to retail. There was even a Harrod’s there (with some good deals I might add.) We spent our time before the flight journaling and just resting. The real drama came when Stevie misread her boarding pass and told us we were at Gate 8. Well we get to the entrance to that section of gates and the guy working there tells us there is no Gate 8. We all thought he was joking but turns out that there is in fact no Gate 8 and Stevie was just the eighth person to check in. No worries, we did get to our real gate on time, but what kind of airport just doesn’t have a Gate 8.

We arrived at the Dublin airport, the guy in immigration applauded me for skipping class to go to London, and boarded the AirCoach to go back to UCD ending our English adventure. What a great weekend (although I think I am still recovering)!

London-Day 3: Photoshoot and French Fries

After seeing Billy Elliot and Wicked Brittany and I took the tube to Westminster to gt some pictures of Big Ben and Parliament lit up at night. These are some of my favorite pictures from the trip (and I was still riding my Billy Elliot high) and whenever I saw Big Ben lit up I began to sing "You Can Fly" from Peter Pan. Enjoy!

We took the tube the rest of the way back to the hostel and I was famished so I asked the guy working the front desk if there wee any food places open this late. He pointed us in the direction of Micky D's and I booked it there. The last meal we ate was a snadwich around 3 pm and we did about 8 miles of walking (plus stairs) so you can imagine my need for food.

Adventures continue in London-Day 4 

London-Day 3: Billy Elliot

Best Valentine’s Day present ever!

Outside the Victoria Palace Theatre. I am beaming.

After resting at the hostel for about 40 minutes Brittany and I hopped on the tube to Victoria Station to see our prospective shows; I was going to see Billy Elliot, a gift from my parents for V-Day, and Brittany was going to see Wicked. It just turned out that the theatres that were right next to each other so it worked out perfectly.

It is every theatre lovers’ dream to see a West End show and I chose my first to be Billy Elliot because I heard it was amazing and I knew that it won the Tony. It did not disappoint. I always worry that I build the show so much in my head that it can never meet my expectations but it went far above them.

I got a great seat in the Victoria Palace Theatre (seat L31 in the stalls) and the theatre was pretty small and intimate. The show started and I laughed, I cried, I cheered. Here are some of the good memories.

• The dancing was so great and the actor who played Billy (Fox Jackson-Keen) used to be a gymnast and there were a lot of gymnastics in it which I enjoyed. He was just an adorable Billy.
• The little boy in the beginning looked at lot like Rodger Combs because he had a mop of white blond hair and was small.
• The audience was phenomenal. When the fake snow started falling everyone went “oooh.” They were really receptive. And the lady next to me was also crying, as well as much of the audience judging by the sniffles I heard.
• I loved the Michael I had (Jake Pratt) because he was kinda chubby and had glasses, and when he dressed up in drag it was so adorable. I loved the tap dancing with those silver shoes! Can you ever beat tap dancing? No.
• The little girls were also adorable. The girl who played Debbie (Emily Smith) did a great job. I love when the little girls dance with the grown men.
• Just the quality of the show was spectacular and I expected nothing less from the West End.
• The actress who played Mrs. Wilkinson was Joanna Riley and she was great as well. Everyone was great! I could watch it again right now.
• I did have a little problem understanding the dialects sometimes but no big deal.
• The music was so great and powerful. I love when they had different groups of people layered on top of each other. In the words of Liza at the Tonys, “Yay Elton!”
• At intermission “my parents bought me a t-shirt” as part of my Valentine’s Day present. I had a hard time deciding which one I wanted so I asked both the guy working the stand and the lady in line after me. I made a good choice and wear my “Billy Elliot London” shirt all the time with pride.

Inside the theatre. Sorry it's dark but I couldn't use a flash.

It was such a great experience and I just never want to forget it (hence the detailed blog entry.) It was everything I hoped it would be and I watched the story unfold in front of my like a kid at Disneyland, jaw dropping and eyes shining.

Adventures continue with London-Day 3: Photoshoot and French Fries 

London-Day 3: A Workout

View of me and Big Ben from the Thames

(Reminder that you can blow-up any of the pictures by clicking on them.)

After a decent rest in the Journey’s London Bridge Hostel and their lovely complimentary breakfast we started out for the day.

Honest Abe, the second American president I have seen while being in Europe.

Brittany and I were determined to see everything we could in London so that meant that we could not let the elements detain us. Every day I wore a sweater, my fleece jacket over that(actually it was Grace’s Northface that she let me borrow), and my black trench over that. Many days I could take off the fleece and just stow it in my backpack. I also wore long underwear every day and when we went to our shows I wore two pairs of nylons to keep my legs warm. Long story short, I did not want to be cold and have that detract from my London experience.

Another obstacle we had in London was the lack of crosswalks. This may sounds like a small issue but we walked about thirty miles in total throughout the four days there and every time we jaywalked I feared for my life. I did not want to get smashed by a double-decker bus.

Finally, we kept meeting people who wanted to be our friends, from the nice Aussie at the hostel, to the very intoxicated Turkish girl at the Icebar, to the genuine creepers that were all over the place. I don’t think we formed any long lasting friendships.

And back to our day on Monday. The day started with a trip to the Billy Elliot box office to pick up my ticket for that night’s performance that my parents gave me for Valentine’s Day (and I am very thankful but more on Billy Elliot later.) After getting the ticket at 10 am we headed over to Buckingham to get situated for the Changing of the Guard that was supposed to happen at 11. We got front row viewing which was a positive but the Changing of the Guard itself was kinda bland. Not a lot happened, just some music and some synchronized movement. The most entertaining part was the hats that the guards were wearing. Where they walked in a straight line back and forth I could not stop thinking of the Winkies in Wizard of Oz.

After the Changing of the Guard we headed over to catch a cruise down the River Thames that was starting at Westminster. The cruise was nice and meant less walking. It had commentary which I always appreciate and we departed the boat at the Tower Bridge.

HMS Belfast and Tower Bridge

Tower of London

First up was the Tower of London. We did not spend a long time here because it was something that seemed to require a lot of time, especially seeing the crown jewels which had an extremely long line. We had a lot to see that day so we just went through and saw the carvings on the cells left by prisoners and the memorial to all those executed there.

Traitor's Gate

For a place of torture and execution, the exhibit at the Tower of London had a strangely juvenile feel. There were people in costume and well as a lot of interactive sort of exhibits for children. I was already getting a bad vibe from the place where so many met their end but then to see how kid friendly it was bizarre.

And then we were off the St. Paul’s. St. Paul’s was quite a hike away but I think it was worth it although Brittany was dubious to begin with. We waited in line to get in free with our London Pass and unfortunately we couldn’t take picture inside, although it was breathtaking. We then began the 528 stairs up to the top of the dome.

The first stop was the Whispering Gallery at the base of the domed ceiling (second largest in the world) but we could not hear each other whisper due to the organ music in the background. Next we got to the Stone Gallery, and here are some pictures from there.

After the 528 we reached the Golden Gallery which had beautiful panoramic views of London. It was worth the jello feeling that remained in my legs for an hour.

We were feeling quite hungry after scaling the dome of St. Paul’s so we headed over to Marks & Spencer for some sandwiches which we ate on our way to the Tower Bridge Exhibition.

The Tower Bridge and its views paled in comparison to St. Paul’s but the exhibit itself was interesting. It took them nine years just to decide on a design for the bridge! And once a double-decker bus actually had to jump the gap in the bridge as it was raising, just like in Spice World. The worst part about the Tower Bridge was that we had to climb more stairs.

After browsing through the Tower Bridge exhibit we hightailed it back to the dock just in time to see the boat pulling away. No worries, a cruises comes every 30 minutes so we just journaled a little while waiting. It had gotten very cold while we waiting and as we were queuing it started to snow. We piled onto the boat and promptly fell asleep. We had planned on walking back to our hostel from the dock at Westminster but we were too tired from the day and opted to take the tube. It was a good decision. We didn’t want to be tired for seeing our shows that night in the West End.