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09-26-2015 The Rock of Cashel

Ireland Day 6 Part 2 Visiting the Rock of Cashel

The morning exploring Waterford had been gorgeous, but the skies had clouded up a bit over Waterford as we left. Once again, however, by early afternoon as we approached the small city of Cashel, there was more sun than clouds and the lighting was brilliant. The Rock of Cashel sits atop a large limestone hill, standing above the surrounding rolling countryside like a beacon. The buildings are always in some state of repair, especially since the unusual snowfall of 2013, and there are scaffoldings around the buildings to support the ongoing reconstruction.

While the buildings are from the 12th to 16th century, the Rock was chosen by one of the tribes from Wales called the Eoghanachta clan, who later went on to conquer much of Munster and became kings of the region. For some 400 years it rivaled Tara as a center of power in Ireland. The clan is associated with St Patrick, hence the alternative name of St Patrick’s Rock. The clan lost possession of the rock in the 10th century to the O’Brien tribe. It was then donated by the O’Brien’s to the Church in order to gain favor with Rome.

Numerous buildings have occupied the rock over the years, but the relics that have survived are from the 12th to the 17th century. We enjoyed the guided tour of the buildings, although once again the standing around got terribly tiresome, and I wandered off several times to photograph the amazing Irish landscape with the distant mountains and the Celtic crosses in the cemetery in the foreground. I do so hope that I caught at least a bit of what it felt like to stand there on the Rock of Cashel.

There is a back story to the rock that I love, however, the story of its Celtic origins, and even before the arrival of the Celts, when the people were close to the earth and worshipped the female deities that oversaw birth, fertility, and death. I studied about the images of Sheela Na Gig many years ago, and have a small replica that I treasure. There are more Sheela Na Gig carvings in Ireland than anywhere else, with 101 examples in Ireland and 45 in the rest of Britain. Wikipedia has some extensive information about the Sheela Na Gigs.

As is often the case in these early Christian sites, the goddess religions were suppressed by the conquering Christians, but they were smart enough to keep the local goddesses and rituals and incorporated many of them into the Christian traditions. St Patrick is the epitome of this as his mission was to eliminate the Old Religion from Ireland aka the legend of his miraculously getting rid of the “snakes”. There are no snakes to get rid of in Ireland, but the original Celts, wandering tribes who came to Ireland a few hundred years before Christ, brought with them their images and snake symbols.

Still, as the religions shifted, the powerful sites remained, chosen as places of worship and power for reasons that I think go much deeper than religion. Right next to the cross of St Patrick, is an original Sheela Na Gig from the Rock of Cashel. Loved seeing her there, secretly reminding me that a deep connection to God may not always be through the organized religions.

The Rock of Cashel (50 of 76) Many examples of the Celtic Cross are also in the cemetery behind the cathedral on the rock. Quoted here from Wiki;

“In Ireland, it is a popular legend that the Celtic Christian cross was introduced by Saint Patrick or possibly Saint Declan during his time converting the pagan Irish, though there are no examples from this early period. It has often been claimed that Patrick combined the symbol of Christianity with the sun cross, to give pagan followers an idea of the importance of the cross by linking it with the idea of the life-giving properties of the sun. Other interpretations claim that placing the cross on top of the circle represents Christ’s supremacy over the pagan sun.”

I can’t imagine that there is a more iconic view of Ireland that the brilliant green valleys from the Rock of Cashel with the Celtic Crosses in the foreground. Can’t wait to get to these pictures and see if they are as wonderful as they look in the camera.

Forgot to mention that we had an hour or so before our tour of the Rock to explore the little town of Cashel and find lunch. Options were to choose the “self service” restaurant with their typical choices of quiche, salads, bread and soup, go down to O’Brien’s Pub on the Main Street, a cutesy place with traditional pub food and more beer, or wander off on our own. The Rock of Cashel (4 of 76) While we have enjoyed conversing with “the women” as we call them, we both really needed some time away from the crowds and the constant talking. We wandered along, finding a tiny little local spot called Morelli’s, where we had pizza and a little bit of red wine. It was a nice change from beer and potatoes and pubs. As the afternoon drew to a close with the 90 minute ride home, Isabella brought out the copies of lyrics to old Irish songs, “Molly Malone” and “I’ll Be a Rover No More”. In spite of the groans and protestations, we all ended up singing on the bus as we traveled home through the countryside. It was fun in spite of the complaining and rolling eyes.

We were home in time to walk the streets in search of fish and chips and a beer, deciding again that we didn’t want to try to eat in the very gorgeous, very fancy, and very popular pub here in the Granville. With a moment to rest, we were back out walking and found Dooley’s Hotel, where we settled in for fish and chips and a glass of beer for me and a glass of wine for Mo. Sadly, it wasn’t all that great, and as I am looking at the internet as I write, I realize that the recommended best fish and chips ever, are at a place called “Dooly’s Fish and Chips”. Obviously not the place we thought we were dining. The “real” Dooly’s was not within walking distance somewhere out along the river. Note to self, check the spelling when searching and don’t search when tired!

Walking back to the hotel, I got a phone shot of the rising Supermoon, and since I didn’t pack the camera along for supper, thinking the phone would suffice, I can’t give you a supermoon photo, Deanna. Maybe, however, I can manage one tonight, and possibly I can get myself out of bed at 3 in the morning tomorrow to try to see the Supermoon and the total lunar eclipse that will be visible from our location in Killarney.

It is now 1AM, and not a peep of noise from anywhere is to be heard. I can pack in the morning and actually manage to get some decent sleep in preparation for climbing all those steps at Blarney Castle and kissing the Blarney Stone tomorrow.

The rest of the photos of the Rock of Cashel are on my SmugMug site here.

Next: The Blarney Stone and Blarney Castle and on our way to Killarney

09-26-2015 Waterford and the Waterford Crystal Factory

Ireland Day 6 Waterford and the Waterford Crystal Factory

At ten last night, when I finally finished writing and fell into bed, the music started. Seems as though there was a wedding at the hotel and the incredibly loud and raucous band could be heard. Not well, mind you, but that boom boom boom sound of music that vibrates the floors but doesn’t give you the satisfaction of actually hearing the words or melody. I put in the ear plugs, which did very little to make a difference, and while Mo slept peacefully through the noise, I was awake until 2am when I actually heard the voices of the musicians signing off for the night…you know….that thing they do yelling ‘bye’ and ‘thanks’ and then everyone joining in to sing ‘American Pie.’ Would have been nice if it had been that kind of music all night, but instead it was unintelligible whatever that sounded like heavy metal power chords coming through the walls and vibrating the floor. Walking around Waterford (22 of 33)

So this evening, as we entered the hotel after a very long and once again tiring day, I stopped at the desk to ask if there was going to be music again tonight. She smiled and said, yes, but that we really shouldn’t be able to hear it clear down on the end where we were located. I laughed and said, OK, I’ll plan accordingly. Which is exactly what we did. I put in the earplugs, decided to skip packing until the middle of the night, and fell into a deep and very satisfying sleep around 9, with plans to be ready to write when I woke up to the booming.

Well, here it is, almost midnight, and I don’t hear a sound. Maybe it was really the wedding and not the normal music from the hotel. Whatever. I’m grateful, and still decided I had better get up and write anyway.

We woke this morning to gorgeous, crystal clear skies with the sun rising over the water of the Suir River across the street. Suir is pronounced “Sure” and is another one of the major rivers in Ireland. Isabella told us today that the Shannon was actually the largest river, with an impressive length of more than 300 miles. Hmmm. Not many rivers in the US that I know of that are merely 300 miles in length.

Breakfast was at 7:45 and we were to be at the lobby downstairs by 8:30 for our walking tour of Waterford on our way to the famous crystal factory. When the manager told us yesterday that Baileys and other spirits would be served with the organic oatmeal, we thought he was joking. He wasn’t, and I must say that breakfast was almost as impressive as last night’s dinner.

I included this fuzzy iPhone photo because I had to prove it!

We were treated to the buffet, with dozens of choices, including the porridge station, and then once we sat down were served the traditional Irish breakfast on hot plates. I had yogurt, fruit, nuts and dried fruits with my porridge, topped with flavored honeys Turkish style, and liberally doused with Bailey’s Irish Cream, and skipped the hot breakfast. I did decide it was time for me to get over my unwillingness to try the local stuff, and took a bite of the black pudding. While I was tasting, someone mentioned that they don’t actually use blood any more, just dried blood. Give me credit, I at least tried it, but I wasn’t all that happy about it. I won’t need to do that one again. Ick and double ick. Happy for the tart grapefruit juice I had to get it down and get that taste out of my mouth. I might have Irish blood in me, but I certainly don’t have any kind of taste for that particular Irish staple!

With the clear skies and very little chance of rain to come today, I decided that my Oofos would be the perfect footwear choice. It was quite chilly, however, I laughed to see that 2 others out of our group of 31 had decided on sandals as well. Can’t beat those Oofos for a cushy bottom and the ability to go anywhere. I once hiked along the Snake River in Hells Canyon with those things on.

Morning along the river was sparkling and gorgeous, and Isabella led our group along Coal Quay to Custom House Quay, telling us little tidbits along the way of the Viking invasions, the sacking of the local people and development of a port here in Waterford. Walking around Waterford (19 of 33)

We saw Reginald’s Tower, the oldest complete building in Ireland, and the first to use mortar. The Normans built its 3 to 4 meter thick walls on the site of a Viking tower that stood there from the 1100’s. We learned even more Viking history, which I promptly forgot. Isabella regaled us with lots of stories and historical tidbits that were entertaining, but after a bit they all started to run together. The only way I could track everything was to go back and actually read about it later. Here Isabella and one of the people in our group are yukking it up at some touristy Viking site. I guess a Viking married a local girl, who unlike many tribal societies, had the ability to choose her own mate.

We enjoyed the Viking ship replica nearby, trying to imagine crossing the Atlantic Ocean in this galley, with no protection and no place to go except to row. Trying to imagine how the men slept took some creative thinking. We wandered through the side roads toward the Medieval Museum, cathedral, and art galleries. These museums and galleries tell the story of Ireland’s oldest city, celebrating its 1100th anniversary in 2014. A walk that could have been completed in ten minutes, took an hour.

I am so terrible at this tour stuff, with long stretched out strides being my walking style of choice, and taking little mincing steps in a huge batch of folks just about kills me. Can’t do it for long without rebelling.

I knew this included tour of the Waterford Crystal Factory was another one of those inside things put on by the tour company to sell “stuff” and get a good commission for their recommendations. Entering the building with a bit of an attitude, and a determination that I certainly didn’t need a piece of Waterford crystal, within minutes my skepticism was completely shattered, no pun intended!

The entrance gallery was lovely enough, but when the wide double doors opened to the multimedia display of light and sound I thought I was in some Disney ride. After being exposed to this light show, more wide doors opened as our young guide led us into the workrooms of these world class craftsmen.

Most of the blowers and engravers have been with the company for 25 to 45 years and currently they are very proud of the one new young woman who has completed her five year apprenticeship. We were treated to up close interaction with full photo privileges of each step in the process, handling the heavy crystal at various stages of development. I have visited glass blowers in many places, delighting in the process, but have never seen anything quite like this.

In fact the creation of crystal is a complicated and extremely skilled operation, which involves the initial ingredients of silica sand, potash and letharge (which contains the lead) being mixed within a furnace, raging at 1200 degrees Celsius. The molten crystal is then removed and, with the primitive tools of blocks and moulds, blowers then work their magic to begin the journey from molten crystal to masterpiece.

One will never find Waterford Crystal seconds for the simple reason that any piece which is seen as less than perfect, is literally thrown back into the furnace. So, while unfortunately it is impossible to buy bargain price pieces, you can at least be certain that each Waterford Crystal item is perfect. Waterford Crystal Factory Tour (19 of 35)

I took a ridiculous number of photos of the amazing craftsmen at their work, and by the time I reached the showroom, I knew that without a doubt, I would try to find a piece of Waterford to add to my small collection of world “stuff” to remember Ireland. I succeeded, and for a very reasonable sum, found a small vase that I will treasure. It is a very classy place, as you would expect, and the sales process is refined and incredibly helpful, with shipping to the US for a very reasonable fee making the whole thing as simple as pulling out the credit card and filing in the blanks. Waterford Crystal Factory Tour (20 of 35)

After a few minutes to enjoy a good cup of coffee “having a cawfee” as Melody and I remember from Vienna, we ambled out to again be the first on the bus. I have to say we aren’t greedy, and choose our seats about 1/3 of the way back so as not to always hog the front. But I do want to get my seat and am willing to fight for it. Glad I don’t have to. Waterford Crystal Factory Tour (33 of 35)

Leaving town, we traveled north through the countryside for about an hour and a half toward the town of Cashel, and the iconic Irish Rock of Cashel.

The Rock of Cashel (1 of 76) The only thing about being on the bus that is frustrating is the inability to stop and take photos, or to even catch something as we pass by. Always so many reflections, and always the perfect little thatched roof cottage shows up before I can get the camera back out and turned on. I tried to keep it off for a time since I had been rather extravagant for the first half of the day and didn’t want to lose anything from the afternoon. I had two batteries with me for the day, but one ran out a bit early on.

The Rock of Cashel (3 of 76) I love the Lumix camera but it definitely is a battery hog, especially when I choose to review the photos as I shoot. I am trying to eliminate the throw-aways as I go since I don’t have an upload method with the iPad, and the photos for this entire trip will be held on two giant cards. Hopefully they are giant enough. Still shooting RAW and JPEG, but considering stopping the RAW format if I have to.

Rock of Cashel map The only time I really miss the DSLR is when the lighting situations are full of contrast, and lighting contrast is my most seductive weakness. I love shooting into that late afternoon slanting sun to capture the golden moments. I guess I won’t know how my bridge camera is doing until I get back home. As Erin reminds me, don’t expect it to be a DSLR, it isn’t. But so far I think I am getting some good photos that will satisfy my craving to remember what that Irish green actually looked like.

Next up: The Rock of Cashel, Part 2 of Day 6

September 25 County Kildare, Kilkenny, and on to Waterford

Ireland Day 5 County Kildare, Kilkenny, and on to Waterford

Something tells me that this story will be a bit shorter than the last few I have written. I know from experience that it is vital to put the notes down while they are fresh, but that requires that I am also fresh, at least a little bit. Tonight, however, I am anything but fresh. A pint and a half of Guinness, a glass of wine with an truly magnificent dinner in a magnificent hotel restaurant, and I am completely worn out.

It is that time during a tour when things start running together and I classically get too full of stuff to take the time to write. Back in the days of my hand written journals, these are the days when the journaling suddenly stops and I have no idea what happened. In the days of the blog, when I can blog fairly live, I do a bit better, but there comes a time as well that I have to finish the blog once we are home and recreate how I felt from reviewing the photos.

I refuse to do that this time. For one thing, the daughters have said they are waiting impatiently for each update. Thanks, Deb and Melody, for pushing me because tonight I would probably just crash into these lovely white sheets and comforters watching the Pope do his thing on CNN as he visits the US. Nice. Here we actually have CNN, which we didn’t have back in Dublin.

I had some amazing moments today. Moments I can barely describe because they leave me a bit at a loss for words. Is there such a thing as genetic memory? Having never been to Ireland, I have no reason to feel familiar with it, but as we rode the countryside of County Kilkenny today it felt incredibly familiar, as if I were in a place of home somehow. We settled into the bus late in the afternoon, after playing with the horses at the National Stud back in County Kildare and the deeper we went into the landscape the more beautiful it felt to me. And I don’t think this is even supposed to be the especially beautiful part of Ireland.

Still, the rolling hills, the incredibly green fields bounded by shorn and unshorn hedge rows, the crisp little white houses, some trimmed with blue and some with lavender, and most surrounded by flowers in full color, were just so moving. Cows are everywhere, but as I once said as a kid, they were cows, not cattle. Cattle belong in the western rangelands, a landscape completely foreign to this island. Here the cows are mostly Holsteins and Jerseys, important for the rich Irish butter and thick cream that is everywhere in Ireland. The only tan colored fields were of recently harvested barley, the stubble still standing. Barley is beer, and Ireland is nothing it not beer country. Literally. The Guinness folks are some of the richest in the world.

Potatoes were being dug as well, and huge fields of cabbage were thick and green in the shifting light. Mo said she was surprised that I loved the landscape so much since it was cloudy. Well, maybe cloudy, but definitely NOT gloomy. The skies change every minute, and the darkness of shifting sunshine is offset by the wide open views from horizon to horizon. It isn’t closed in, it is open and fresh and brilliant. I simply loved it.

01 Irish National Stud and Gardens (2 of 52) I suppose my mood was colored a bit by the lilting voice of an Irish lass wafting through the bus music system. Irish music of a completely different sort than the raucous drinking songs that we heard in Dublin. Kind of a cross between Enya and Loreena McKennit, musicians that I used to listen to all the time, who have fallen by the wayside in my listening habits over the last few years. Does it sound completely silly that as I watched the landscape roll by riding on a tourist bus listening to music, that I felt tears of something or other stinging my eyes. The whole thing made me cry. Not sad, or melancholy, just emotional. An amazing moment that I tried to convey to Mo in words, but I’m not sure she got it. I am not sure that I even got it. It was a great feeling though, one of those moments that stand out years later in memory for no reason whatsoever, one of those moments that you can get traveling and not so easily any other way. 01 Irish National Stud and Gardens (1 of 52) The day started early, with us putting our big suitcases outside at 7am and going down to breakfast. This time I knew well enough to keep myself happy with a banana sliced up into Muesli with milk, a good cup of coffee, and a part of a croissant. All tasty and quite satisfying.

Seat wars are sometimes a facet of group travel, and since I get notoriously car sick in the back of the bus, Mo and I were careful to be out at the bus before anyone else, standing in the very chilly air in order to pick a good seat with no post in the view and far enough forward that I wouldn’t get sick. I brought my wrist bands, but they are carefully packed in the big suitcase which was carefully loaded into the cargo bay. Tonight they are sitting here by the phone and my sunglasses, not to be forgotten again as we continue down the curving winding roads in the big soft wiggly bus.

After our walking tour of the city, I was surprised to see that Dublin is really a huge metropolis of 1.5 million people, sprawling over the valley along the south side of the river Liffey much like Seattle along the Sound. It is huge. We traveled on a fairly new highway, a freeway that our guide called a “flyover”, telling us how great it was to travel this new fast road from Dublin to Waterford.

Within an hour, we arrived at the beautiful grounds of the Irish National Stud. Established in 1900 by Colonel William Hall Walker, who had a passion for horses, what once was a private stud farm was later donated to the Irish people and is now one of Europe’s premier studs.

Not only was Walker a horse lover, he was an astrologer who believed he could pick race horses based on their birth positions, and was an avid gardener. The stud is a beautiful horse farm, but it is also an incredible garden. The Japanese garden rivaled any I have seen, and no, I haven’t been to Japan, but there are some amazing Japanese gardens on the west coast that are pretty darn spectacular. 01 Irish National Stud and Gardens (11 of 52) This garden was whimsical, and wonderful, a treasure of plants that reminded me very much of Bloedel in Vancouver, of the arboretum at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, and the Japanese gardens in Seattle.

From what I could see, many of the plants were similar to what can be grown in our moist northwest climate, but just a bit warmer. Maritime influence must be strong here, and we saw tender plants in bloom that reminded me of all the English gardening books that were my personal bibles back in the 80’s when I was learning to garden with flowers and plants and especially perennials. 01 Irish National Stud and Gardens (18 of 52)

The stud houses some very famous horses, and our guide was incredibly knowledgeable, really cute, and full of all sorts of raunchy information that he delivered with a great sense of humor. After all, breeding horses is all about these big guys “getting it on”, and they do so with great enthusiasm.

01 Irish National Stud and Gardens (30 of 52) Invincible Spirit was probably the most famous horse currently munching in the pastures, but the list of important stallions that came from this stud is long and impressive. The foals from Invincible Spirit are worth in the hundreds of thousands of Euros with a stud fee of €100,000.00.

We saw the covering barn, the stalls of the stallions that were much like rather nice apartment complexes, and the famous stallions in the fields. We then walked through more gardens, and on to the mares and foals, and then to the retired geldings put out to pasture, including the guys that do the “teasing” to get the mares ready and the mares that will foster babies who have lost their mom.It was a wonderful morning, full of sunny blue skies and fresh air.

Once back in the bus, continuing toward the south and County Kilkenny, the ride through the countryside was wonderful, even as the skies darkened with afternoon clouds.

We arrived in the town of Kilkenny in time to wander for about 90 minutes before our scheduled tour of Kilkenny Castle, an old stone fortress on the banks of the River Nore. 02 Kilkenny and Kilkenny Castle (5 of 35) Kilkenny is a Medieval town, with abbeys, and castles, and narrow winding medieval streets. Isabella pointed out a pub as we drove by saying it was among the best, giving us directions to return if we chose. We did. It was an interesting place, with many small rooms and some truly beautiful bars, but it didn’t have that immediate intimacy that we enjoyed so much yesterday at Merchants.

Still, the pint of Guinness was perfectly poured as is the custom. It is something about that foamy wonderfulness with the creamy head just sitting above the edge of the glass that is so much fun. That toasty slightly burned flavor from the accident of burned hops that made the beer in the first place is really nice too. The best part were the “chips”. French Fries in the US. One thing Ireland knows how to do really well besides make beer is cook potatoes. I am not sure I have had fries this good anywhere except yesterday at the other pub. Geez! Fries and beer for lunch was a good holdover for us since we knew that tonight we were in for a free dinner with the group.

Thank goodness that is all we did, because the free dinner was incredible. But more on that later.

02 Kilkenny and Kilkenny Castle (12 of 35) After our walk through the Main Street of Kilkenny, we asked our waiter how we could find the pub at Kyteler’s Inn. Neither Mo nor I could remember the name, except it was the inn owned by the woman accused of being a witch with a black cat on the sign in front.

Dame Alice Kyteler’s house was built in 1224. She had four husbands, all of whom died under suspicious circumstances, and eventually she was charged with witchcraft in 1323. She was one of the first witches of that time to be sentenced to burning, but she never actually burned. Instead, thanks to the head cover that was used on sentenced people before burning, she actually sent her handmaiden in her place and avoided the stake.

02 Kilkenny and Kilkenny Castle (19 of 35) The pub includes the original building and stonework, with some other areas in the upstairs that have been redone to look original, and features live music from traditional Irish to blues. We sat at the bar, where I drank only a half pint this time of the heady brew. I think maybe this beer is a bit stronger than I am used to because I felt as giddy as if I had been drinking champagne.

02 Kilkenny and Kilkenny Castle (3 of 35) We made it back to Kilkenny Castle in time for the 3pm entry with Isabella and our group. What can I say…it was a castle. I hate to sound provincial, but sometimes a castle is a castle is a castle. Not always, but this one was imposing and wonderful in many ways, but still a big, gray, cold thing made of stone that made me glad I didn’t ever have to live in one.

02 Kilkenny and Kilkenny Castle (22 of 35) It was donated by the Butler family (very wealthy) to the town of Kilkenny for just 50 pounds. I took a few photos before I noticed the no photos signs, and then I discovered that kind of cool idea of turning off the sound of the clicking shutter, hiding the red light of the “on” button, and taking a few surreptitious photos from waist level with no one the wiser. Just couldn’t resist.

When the castle was donated by the family, they auctioned off the furnishings and paintings, but for the last few decades many of the original paintings from the castle have been found and repurchased, and are now hanging in the impressive “Long Room”. Most of the furnishings have been recreated from documentation of what was once there and looks very authentic. One piece that was original was a huge marble table that was just too incredibly heavy to move. No one said how much it weighed. I know these tours are full of fascinating information, but this one was simply “OK”. According to the Lonely Planet, Kilkenny Castle is one of Ireland’s most visited heritage sites, possibly because it is so close to Dublin and the town of Kilkenny is definitely charming. The castles Melody and I saw in Budapest and Prague were much more interesting to me however. Sorry Ireland, you know I love you.

What is wrong with this picture!

It was five pm when we all returned to the bus for the last hour of the day driving to Waterford. I think everyone was pretty worn out, I know I was. Waterford is a port city, and our hotel, the Granville, faces the riverfront. I had seen it on the internet and hoped it was as lovely as it looked. At first, it seemed a bit tired, but as we found our room and opened the door, I was thrilled to find a luxurious, spacious room, with lovely beds, period furniture, a huge desk, instant free wifi, a big deep bathtub, a room safe, tiny biscuits on the coffee tray, and even heated towel racks. Ahhhh….we both have room to walk around even when the suitcases are open.

With just an hour to get ready for supper, our suitcases were delivered within minutes of our arrival so I managed to get off the tired clothes I had worn for a couple of days and put on something fresh. It is quite chilly here in Ireland, but not all the time. Periods of chill seem to be interspersed with too much warmth, and I am constantly putting things on and off to try to deal with it. Tonight I expected a warm dining room, and a light blouse with a scarf and low shoes was the perfect choice.

We entered the lovely dining room, set with white linen, lots of cutlery and glassware and a wonderful menu. I forgot to mention that when our bus arrived at the hotel, the hotel manager came out to the bus and greeted us before we disembarked with a welcome and a description of the locally sourced and prepared food we were about to enjoy.

There were several choices for dinner in the beautiful Bianconi dining room, and I am sad to say that I didn’t even bother to take my camera down for the meal. We sat with Kathy and Mary Beth, the best friends I mentioned from our first day, and Debbie and Kay, two additional women who have somewhat bonded. It was a lively meal with great conversation. Turns out that Mary Beth and I were born in the same maternity hospital in Alta Dena, just three years apart, and that we had many things in common, silly things that we laughed about a lot.

Restaurant-granville-hotel-waterford-1280x754 Ahhh dinner! My starter course was a salmon and prawn salad with some fresh greens, the entree was pork roast from Bobby Flynn’s local farm, done to perfection and served with a fabulous, tasty, but very light gravy and a very simple apple sauce that was smooth and silky. Fresh carrots and green beans from local farms made the plate lovely to look at and again the potatoes were Irish heaven. Not only did they hand serve perfect little scoops of mashed potatoes, but we had small roasted potato orbs that were unbelievably good. The service was impeccable, with the hot plates served to us first, and the entrees dished out on our plates individually. Lovely. The Cabernet was also complimentary, and quite tasty, and dessert for me was an apple berry crumble with warm custard. We were asked to create a cavity in our crumble for the waiter to add the warm sauce, again individually. I don’t think I have ever had a complimentary meal with a tour that was this perfect.

Whew. I managed to get it all out, and will have to read this back to Mo to see what I missed. At almost 10PM and with another early and long day awaiting for tomorrow, I am done!

Photos for this amazing day have been uploaded to SmugMug. You can see the here.

Coming Next: Waterford, the famous Waterford Crystal Factory, and the Magnificent Rock of Cashel.

September 24 Exploring Dublin

Catch-up posts from our trip to Ireland. Most of these posts are quite lengthy, with a lot of detail that is important only to us, or close friends and family. Feel free to cruise through at whatever speed suits your fancy. All the additional photos of the trip will be located on my SmugMug site eventually, but not just yet.

Ireland Day 4 Dublin

I finally finished writing at 5:30 or so this morning, and was especially happy that I didn’t wake up again until almost 7:30. Felt a bit groggy and was really looking forward to breakfast, Irish or not. By the time we got downstairs, the restaurant wasn’t too full. I tried the crepes this time, flavorless flat things heated up in the microwave with some kind of raspberry sauce that was inconsequential. I managed two bites. I hate to waste calories on bad food. Settled once again on a yogurt and some grapefruit to start the day, but the coffee was actually really good.

I had planned this day for weeks, reading Lonely Planet, walking the streets via Google, measuring distance and routes and trying to decide what we could fit into one short day of sight seeing in this amazing city on our free day in Dublin. Much of what we wanted to see had been covered yesterday by the Go Ahead tour guide, and the only thing we really missed out on were the tour prepaid tickets to get into Christ Church, The Trinity Library and the Book of Kells, and Dublin Castle. As the day grew to a close, I was so happy that we were on our own time, our own schedule, and not tagging along with a group, but instead seeing what we wanted to see at our own pace. Entry fees were a small price to pay for that privilege. Dublin Map

I would imagine that this was the longest day of walking that we will manage on this trip, with the rest of the time fairly well scheduled as we continue west and north circling the country along the coastal cities and towns and into Northern Ireland before we return to Dublin. On this day, the trusty Fit Bit logged 8.22 miles and over 17,000 steps. Kind of nice to have a little pink device thingy to back up a good reason to be tired this evening. Mo is at the moment napping, and we are both glad that we decided on a late lunch rather than evening dinner. I supplemented my writing time here with chocolates from an excellent chocolate store we passed on the way home. Not Belgian chocolate, but good enough to satisfy the craving.

Before we started our wanderings today I had to look up the chronological history of Ireland, specifically the Republic of Ireland, the major part of the island in the south and west which is no longer under the banner of the United Kingdom. Northern Ireland is not part of The Republic of Ireland, Protestant rather than Catholic, and still considers itself to be British. I had memories of the IRA and the conflict in Ireland, referred to here as “The Troubles”. It was all reasonably settled not too long ago, but reading over the centuries of Irish history was a bit sobering. Not only was there the famous potato famine during the 1840’s, but there have been repeated famines quite often every few hundred years that have decimated the population and contributed to great emigrations from Ireland. I am a result of those emigrations, with one of my ancestors coming from Ireland to Virginia in the early 1800’s.

I also learned of the Viking invasions of Ireland in 800 or so, and the establishment of the city of Dublin by the Vikings because they wanted to develop shipping routes. Eventually they were vanquished, and although I read all this just this morning, I have given up on remembering the dates and sequences except for the general knowledge that Ireland has struggled mightily to be an independent proud Irish country. I guess I still don’t really understand the northern Irish part. It will be interesting to go to Derry and Belfast and see how much different it feels than Dublin and the rest of the Republic of Ireland.

You cannot spend even one day in Dublin without having some sense of this long history. There are monuments everywhere, statues and sculptures, and yes, the famous or infamous “Spire”. It replaced a statue that was blown up by the Republican movement during “The Troubles”, and many folks seem to think it is a bit strange and ridiculously expensive. Mary said yesterday that the street people can’t even get any graffiti to stick to its slick metal surface.

Highest on my list to see was Trinity College and the Old Library. I wasn’t even that attached to actually seeing the Book of Kells, realizing that it was only visible under dim light, and only open to two pages of the famous manuscript.

As our morning began, we wandered toward the River Liffey via a few side roads from our hotel, finding a Dominican church every bit as ornate and beautiful as many cathedrals. There are more than 2,000 Catholic Churches in Dublin, so it is fairly easy to get sidetracked by their gorgeous facades and beckoning interiors. I knew we had St Patrick’s Cathedral and Christ Church on our list so we managed to ignore the other lovely churches along the way.

Crossing the river via a footbridge into the Temple Bar area, we turned down a side street and there right before me was the red facade of Temple Bar pub. Before we left home, I found the Earth Cam for Dublin which is trained on this view for live video and was tickled to find it so easily. At only a little after ten in the morning, the district was fairly quiet, and it was also the middle of the night back home, so not a good time to text Melody and tell her to look for me on the webcam. We will save that one for later.

Like many great cities, Dublin appears really huge on a map until you actually start walking the streets. Also, like many European cities there are small side streets that almost look like alleys and large boulevards that have been converted to pedestrian only malls. It is a great city for walking. It is a great city for people as well, and in spite of English being the common language, I heard a plethora of languages being spoken from all over the world.

Within minutes from Temple Bar we were on Fleet Street leading directly to the famous Trinity College Campus. I imagined a quiet courtyard, but as we entered the gates, we were surprised to find it filled with canopies, students, noise and signs everywhere. Seems it was Fresher week, when the nearly 200 extra curricular societies on the campus vie for the students. A very gracious young man explained all this to us when I finally asked what in the world was going on and was the college courtyard like this every day. He said being part of the various societies is a huge part of attending Trinity college and sometimes students do forget that they are here to actually get a degree. The oldest society was the Philosophers Society, established in 1683.

We found out where the Old Library was located and discovered that instead of waiting for a tour, we could simply pay the entry fee to the library and go in without a guide. I had heard that if you paid this lesser fee of ten Euros, you would see the library but not the Book of Kells. Not true. The beautiful, informative, and very crowded display called, “Turning Darkness into Light” is situated at the entrance to the Treasury where the Book of Kells is housed, and once through the Treasury, stairs lead to the main floor of the Old Library.

I wanted to see the library, but was quite happy that our tour also included walking through the Treasury, viewing the two open pages of the “book”. The Book of Kells is an illustrated manuscript of the Four Gospels, created by Irish monks on the island of Iona around AD 800 before being brought to Kells. It is one of the oldest books in the world and undoubtedly one of the most beautiful. Around 850 years after its creation, and protection from the Viking looters, it was finally brought to the Trinity College library. It was once a single book, but has been divided into the four gospels, two of which are on display at any one time, with the other two in safe keeping.

What made the display more haunting were the large illuminated reproductions of the pages on the walls, big enough to see clearly and appreciate the incredible artistic detail painstakingly rendered by lamplight and swan or goose quills of calfskin vellum pages. Rather incredible. I am so glad we didn’t miss it.

If you have a desire to see the Book of Kells without going to Ireland, Trinity College has made it available for viewing online at the library’s digital collections website. Exploring Dublin (38 of 94) Still, it wasn’t even close to the breathtaking moment when we stood at the entrance of the great hall of the Old Library. Here there are more than 200,000 of the oldest of the more than 3 million books housed by the Trinity College Library. I was a bit overwhelmed, and overjoyed when I saw that photographs were allowed without flash. A reminder that culture exists in the world beyond the internet, computers, and instant gratification. We lingered a long time, just absorbing the history and feeling of the place, remarking over and over to each other how incredible it was to be able to experience it.

Out into the sunlight, through the square, and south toward St Stevens Square was next on our list. Just a few more blocks, but between Trinity College and the square is Grafton Street.

Melody, you would have loved it. Much like the Ringstrauss in Vienna, with all the high end stores and fabulous looking people looking at fabulous stuff. We ambled along, noticing the few people walking slowly were obviously the tourists, like us, trying to keep from getting overrun by all the locals walking with purpose.

The beautiful St Stevens Square opened up beyond the impressive entry gate to a lovely respite of gardens, shaded pathways, gentle silky pools of water on the pond, and almost quiet. There were many people lounging on the park benches at the center of the square, enjoying the gorgeous sunshine, and we found a nice little cement bench to sit and rest our bones, which by this time were getting a bit weary. What a people watching place! As we left the square, we discovered that the bench where we were sitting was dedicated to a Quaker couple who were pioneers of Irish feminism. Perfect.

Leaving the park, we once again entered the busy sidewalks, taking an alternate route from Grafton Street west toward the Cathedral district. Our goal was to see both St Patrick’s Cathedral and Christ Church, the official Cathedral of the Anglican Church of Ireland established in 1050 under British rule.

Ever hear that thing, “Oh, one more cathedral..sigh..” ? I know we won’t get back to Dublin, but the the day was extending, we were tired and hungry and a pub sounded much better than paying more than 10 Euros to enter each church and possibly not be allowed to take photographs anyway. I peered into the doors, noting that the interiors were not as ornate or fabulous as the ones we saw in Malta and decided that exterior views would suffice.

Hungry and tired as we were, we didn’t want to miss Dublin Castle, another magnificent structure with amazing history and a hefty entrance fee for the required tours. I know visiting the interiors of any of these historic places would be wonderful, especially so if a visit were longer than a single day. It would be great to see one or two a day, and spend a couple of weeks just hanging out enjoying the history of this amazing place. Exploring Dublin (77 of 94) Much like landing in a port for a single day on a cruise, we couldn’t begin to touch the wonders of Dublin in a single day. Dublin is home to world class incredible museums, including the National Museum, the Archaeology and Ethnography Museum, and the National Museum of Ireland Decorative Arts and History. Dublinair, near Christ Church is an experiential museum in the Medieval part of the city that celebrates the Viking heritage of Dublin. Much like visiting the Smithsonian, you need many more days that the one we had to absorb all this art and culture.

This day made me especially appreciate how Mui and Erin are seeing Italy, with two full weeks in Rome to actually see all the sights, and even so they are feeling as though they are missing so much. A great city deserves great time. Who knows if I will ever have the chance to see Dublin again with my years getting shorter and so many places yet to see. Still, if any of you kids get a chance to go to Ireland, maybe you can do it in a way that allows more time. And Melody, when you talk of Paris, make it at least two weeks, staying in some little apartment, with lots of time on your own to really experience the city.

I had hoped to see Mulligan’s Bar, which turned out to be all the way back west of the Trinity College campus, or at least return to the Temple Bar area for a pint and some pub food. Instead, with a bright idea, I approached one of the policemen in Dublin Castle and asked for his recommendation. With is kind eyes and sweet voice he suggested the “Marechents” down by the river.

With a bit of wandering, we did finally find O’Sheas Merchant Pub and settled into a cozy table for my first pint of Guinness and Mo had a Smithfield IPA from County Cork that was incredibly tasty. Our beer accompanied Irish pub food, comfort food for me of roast beef and mashed potatoes over some more amazing squash veggies that were crisp and soft at the same time and truly delicious. Mo’s sandwich was really good, and the big fat fries, … chips…were to die for, thank you Mo for sharing!

With free wiFi in the pub, I texted Melody telling her that we would be showing up within view of the Dublin Temple Bar WebCam by 3:30 our time, 7:30 AM pacific time. She texted back that she had the app already downloaded, installed and ready, and she said, Mom, I can hear people so be sure to call me the way you did when I was a kid. I could holler “Melll-iiiiii-deeeeee” and could reach her anywhere.

sue and mo at Osheas Sure enough, at 3:30 we were once again in view of the Temple Bar pub, walking around the corner, waving at the webcam, and laughing with the ladies waiting on the bench for the same thing. Everyone seems to get a kick out of this. Melody said later that she heard me call her name and she even took a video and screen shots of us waving at her. It was silly fun.

Melody saved the video of us waving but it is a bit grainy, so I didn’t attempt to upload it, but if you want to check out the webcam for fun, the link is here.

IT was all just enough fun to propel me the rest of the miles back to the hotel, although even my tired body couldn’t stop me from stepping into the Butler’s chocolate shop for some treats. I suppose that little bit of chocolate is why I am able to sit here and write rather than being all conked out and sleeping as Mo is doing at the moment.

Some time tonight we will pack up our suitcases again, set them outside the door by 7:30 AM, have a bit of Irish breakfast…ick….and then the tour bus will leave Dublin precisely at 8:15 heading west toward the Royal Stud, Killarney Castle, and our evening destination will be the coastal town of Waterford.

It feels as though we have been here forever, but we have barely begun.

Here is a link to my SmugMug gallery photos of our day in Dublin

Coming Next: County Killarney, Killarney Castle, the National Irish Stud and on to Waterford.

September 23 Equinox at Newgrange

Day 3 The Hill of Tara and Newgrange

Green. It really is THAT green. We spent most of this day immersed in green. The legendary green of Ireland that is especially strong in the rich agricultural land of the Boyne Valley. We took a private tour from Dublin that traveled to County Meath, probably some of the richest agricultural land in the world, and a place of human habitation for at least 8,000 years.

Our breakfast, included with the hotel, starts at 7am, so after finally falling asleep at 5:30, I woke up at 6:30, in time to shower and wake Mo. We wanted to get to breakfast early to try to beat all the tour folks. Sometimes these buffet breakfasts can get really crowded. full_irish_breakfast

What was promised was a “full Irish breakfast”. I had a few reservations about this, remembering what a full English breakfast was like when we were in Malta. Funny how different tastes are in different places. The sausages “puddings” seem to be the big thing in Ireland. Something which I have yet to explore. There is Black Pudding and White Pudding, and Irish bacon.

Black pudding (a sausage made from blood, meat, fat, oatmeal, and bread or potato fillers), white pudding (the same as black pudding minus the blood), and Irish bacon (taken from the back of the pig instead of the belly) are supposedly a must at any Irish breakfast. I promised myself I would try local stuff, but so far have avoided the puddings. Can’t quite wrap my head around blood sausage.

Today I tried brown Irish bread with Irish butter. Yeah, you knew I would love that! The scrambled eggs were so soft I almost gagged, possible from some kind of powdered mix, but the croissants with more Irish butter of course, were incredibly light and good. Hmmm…lots of carbs around here it seems, and I have heard that the hearty breads are a big thing. Yumm. But I couldn’t eat a lot, and managed to have my regular morning yogurt, although the lo fat low sugar yogurts just seem really dull to me after eating good rich Greek yogurt.

Coffee comes from a machine, including espresso and cappuccino, not too bad, but trying to get a regular cup of coffee was less successful. I heard other folks around us grumbling as well. We did have a chance to visit with a few of our fellow travelers, Kathy and Mary Beth, lifetime friends who leave their husbands behind now and then for girl travel, seemed like they would be fun. Especially since Kathy is from Vancouver Washington, so close to Portland, and actually knew where Klamath Falls was.

We left them to their day, off for just a few morning hours scheduled with the group, leaving on the bus at 8 and exploring all the stuff we decided to see on our own on the next day. We instead, went back to our room, dressed in layers for the cloudy skies, and decided to take the extra time we had before our own tour to explore a bit of the city on foot.

The hotel is fairly well located, just a five minute walk from O’Connell Street, a major thoroughfare that goes straight through the heart of urban Dublin. At 9am, the streets were incredibly busy with buses and walkers, with so many people walking on the sidewalks reminding me of traffic jams. They were all in a rush and not inclined to make room for slow amblers. We tried to stay out of the way and yet still have a chance to actually see something without tripping over curbs and sidewalks.

Once actually on O’Connell, I had a great feeling of being NOT in a familiar city in the US, but yes, in Ireland. We found our meeting place at the bank, then wandered south toward the River Liffey, stopping in at the main city Post Office so Mo could pick up some stamps. The Post Office is more than 200 years old, a gorgeous piece of architecture, both inside and out. We also ambled into the Carrolls Irish Gift store, a tourist trap full of trinkets, and not so trinkety stuff, including the Aran woolens so famous in Ireland, Irish linen, and of course, refrigerator magnets. Wandering around the store was fun, both for the Irish music that was a great morning pick me up, and the fact that it got of out of the busy foot traffic on the sidewalks.

We emerged and walked as far as the river, and decided that the Bachelor’s Way that ran parallel to the river toward the people’s bridge was big on our list of todo’s. Not this morning, however, as we had a tour to meet. The Mary Gibbons tour bus showed up at the exact minute and we were on our way north and east through Dublin to the County Meath and Newgrange.

The tour is written up in the Lonely Planet as one of the best things to do in Dublin, and we weren’t at all disappointed. They were right. Mary has the perfect accent, strong but at least Irish and understandable, and is a huge wealth of knowledge about the history and archaeology of Ireland. We were treated to all sorts of tidbits along with some very complex history, including where the phrase “beyond the pale” came from.

The phrase dates back to the 14th century, when the part of Ireland that was under English rule was delineated by a boundary made of such stakes or fences, and known as the English Pale. To travel outside of that boundary, beyond the pale, was to leave behind all the rules and institutions of English society, which the English modestly considered synonymous with civilization itself.

As we traveled more deeply into County Meath, the famous green dominated the landscape more and more. We were going first to the Hill of Tara, a place sacred to the Irish, and home of the High Kings of Ireland, the Celts who dominated the culture before Christianity took over with the coming of St Patrick.

Standing on the Hill of Tara was something I hadn’t expected to move me so. Learning about the Bards, the Celts migrating into Ireland from various parts of Europe before C.E., the Druids, and the High Kings of Ireland was surprisingly familiar and yet completely unknown. I can’t write about all of this in the kind of detail I would like to, so instead here’s the link to read about it.

http://www.hilloftara.com/history

The complexity of Irish history is incredible, and what I came away with most after Mary’s instruction was the importance of Ireland all over Western Europe throughout the first few hundred years AD. When Europe was descending into the Dark Ages, Ireland was experiencing what she called the Golden Age of Art and Knowledge, furthered by the many Irish monasteries that proliferated throughout Ireland. Traveling through the countryside, we saw ruins of many monasteries on the hills, but more important were the listing of famous Irish monasteries that were established in many parts of Europe and that still exist.

Because our tour of Newgrange was set for a specific time, with a very limited number of people allowed in the tomb each day, there wasn’t nearly enough time to amble around the Hill of Tara and really drink it all in.

Back on the bus at noon exactly, we had a 1:45 entry time for the great tomb. Newgrange is part of the Bru na Boinne complex of tombs and neolithic sites, operated from the main visitor center and only accessible via their guides and the shuttle busses. With our reservation with Mary Gibbons Tours, we passed up the long lines of people waiting, hoping for an entrance, which because of the limited number of people allowed inside at any one time isn’t guaranteed at all. So glad that I booked this one a couple of months ago.

Newgrange was fascinating. Mary isn’t allowed in the complex, and pointed us to the doors where we needed to walk to the shuttle busses. We decided to have a light lunch at the cafeteria, where the food was quite good, with a shared quiche quite strong with goat cheese and vegetables. Wish I liked goat cheese better. My distaste for it makes no sense with my love of good food. Sorry Jeanne. 04 Newgrange (4 of 4)

The rain clouds came and went, flying across the sky threatening us, but holding off until just before we entered the tomb, and by the time we were back outside, most of the storm had passed. Reminded me a lot of the rains in Hawaii that come and go so quickly.

The entrance stone to the tomb is beautiful, with complex spirals that are repeated throughout the tomb. Once we walked through the low, narrow passage, we stood in the chamber that had existed exactly that way for more than 5,000 years. The tomb at Newgrange was built millennia before the pyramids, and the complex artistry and feat of engineering of the interior dome is a marvel. I have no photos from the interior of the tomb, so internet images will have to suffice. Photography is not allowed.

The sun only enters the tomb, illuminating the passageway at the winter solstice, with a beam of light that extends to the base stone at the farthest reaches of the tomb. They turned out the lights and gave us a demonstration of what that looks like with a beam of artificial light. Reading about this on Trip Advisor, there were folks who called it hokey, but I didn’t feel that way at all. It was great to get a feeling of what it would be like to stand here during the solstice.

There is a lottery drawn for that opportunity, with more than 30,000 people applying for the 60 tickets that win the privilege. Our guide said that of course, there is no idea in this part of Ireland that the sun will actually shine, and she always feels badly for the people that have traveled from as far away as China and Australia to see the phenomenon. I was perfectly happy to view the fake light.

The tombs, Newgrange, and the other two large tombs nearly, Dowth and Knowth, are located along the beautiful Boyne River, full of salmon and trout. I still have to look up the kind of salmon that swim up the Boyne, being completely unaware that there were salmon elsewhere in the world. The soils were so deep and black and incredibly rich, and the gardens were filled with the kind of plants that thrive in a moist, temperate environment, much like parts of Oregon. Many people mentioned how much the landscape reminded them of Oregon, but here the summer rains never stop and the green never goes away.

Unlike Newgrange, which was built to capture the Solstice sun, Dowth and Knowth were built for the spring and fall Equinox. It was a perfect day to celebrate the Equinox in this land that has been held sacred for thousands of years.

When visiting places like this on a tour, it is a challenge to stop mentally and really think about where I am, what I am seeing. I like to find moments of quiet in the midst of it all, but sometimes that is difficult to accomplish. I managed a few moments like this today, but I can see how visiting Ireland with time to fully immerse would be incredible. Jeanne told me that Alan and his friend Russell rented a car and drove all over Ireland visiting the standing stones. What a luxury.

Once more, I can’t begin to write about the complexity, and we were not allowed to take photos once inside the tomb, so here is another link with an overview of what we saw today.

http://newgrangetours.com/

The original plan, when we started this day, was to return from the tour, rest a bit, and then go walking on O’Connell Street to find a good eatery. As the day progressed, I found myself thinking that maybe we could just find some fish and chips a bit closer, and then as we got off the bus and walked back to the hotel, we decided that maybe some Thai shrimp downstairs in the hotel restaurant would be good enough.

We were exhausted! Both of us fell asleep on the bus to the lilting tone of Mary’s voice so I have no idea what kinds of amazing history we missed. The walk back to the hotel once again entailed fighting the hordes of evening walking commuters, and we were quite happy to get back to our quiet room.

The restaurant idea even faded, and we napped a bit before deciding to pull out the nuts I brought from home and the banana I confiscated from breakfast to suffice for supper. We managed considerably more than our 10,000 steps today according to the trusty fitbit even with spending much of the day on a bus. I think the bus thing made us a lot more tired than walking, and maybe lack of sleep from the previous night may have had something to do with it as well.

It is now quarter to 4, and maybe I can go back to sleep again. At least we can take our time today with plans for breakfast in the hotel before we wander again down O’Connell Street toward the older part of Dublin, crossing the river Liffey into the Temple Bar area and Trinity College. Who knows what the day will bring, but I do hope it includes dinner this time!

Up Next: A day in Dublin, Trinity College and the Book of Kells, and Temple Bar.