I'm finally getting caught up with the blog. I'm actually writing about present day events. We left the guesthouse this morning for some historical sites north of Dublin, the first one being the Hill of Tara.
The Hill of Tara is one of the most sacred sites in Irish history. It's been in use for the past 5,000 years and has been visited by Irish kings for centuries for ceremonial purposes. There is a stone on one of the mounds that is said to have the power to acknowledge the person who is to be the next king of Ireland.
The only problem with our visit to the Hill of Tara was the weather. I commented to the receptionist in the visitor's center that our visit was great except for the howling wind and the pelting rain. We had fun anyway and had a good group picture with our umbrellas in various stages of disarray.
Next, we headed off to the town of Trim. Trim was founded by a Christian priest in the sixth century. Abour five hundred years later, the Normans built a castle known as Trim Castle. You might recognize it as it was the site for the fiming of the movie, Braveheart, starring Mel Gibson. The filmmakers were working on location for six months in 1994. They modified the castle for the movie then removed all the modifications once the filming was done.
We ended up spending about four hours in Trim. We had an excellent tour of the castle which took close to an hour. We did quite a bit of walking around, just taking in the history and beauty of the area.
When we left Trim, we decided to head to the monastic site, Monasterboice, which has three of the largest high crosses in Ireland. One of the crosses, the tallest in the country, is eighteen feet tall. It was carved from stone in the tenth century A.D. and had many Christian themes in the carvings on the cross.
We drove back to Dublin and picked up our laundry which we had done for us while we traveled. After dinner at a nearby restaurant, we headed back to our rooms where I know that some of us watched the Olympics. It was great to see the U.S. women's gymanistics team win the team gold medal and the men's 4 by 200 freestyle relay also win the gold. It was a good night for team USA.
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Day 32, July 30, 2012
Last night, we came up with the idea of a "road trip". The forecast was for nice weather on Monday so we made the decision to rent a small van or SUV for two days and see the countryside. That's just what we did.
Today, we headed for the Cliffs of Moher, south of Galway. It was a 3 1/2 hour drive to get there and even longer coming back since we took a "scenic" route. The weather was fair so we were in for a good day of sightseeing.
The Cliffs of Moher are spectacular. They rise over 700 feet over the sea. There is a fence warning people to not go past due to the danger of falling off the cliffs. Dozens of people ignored the warning and hiked up to the top of the cliffs. Fortunately, we didn't see anyone fall but we did see people getting perilously close to the edge. Each year, about 10 people fall to their deaths off the cliffs. We heeded the sign and played it safe.
We were able to see the cliffs from a number of vantage points. If we ever visit again, I would be tempted to take one of the boat rides to view the cliffs from the water. There is an interesting visitors' center built into a hill. They have excellent exhibits and photos of the cliffs. They also have an audiovisual presentation of the cliffs from the perspective of a bird that nests on the cliffs. It was well done.
After a good long stay at the cliffs, we continued our road trip by driving through the Burrens, an area with much historical and botanical significance.
We ate at an excellent restaurant in Athlone, the Olive Grove, which was named the most popular restaurant in West Meath (County). The food was delicious and we enjoyed the view of the River Shannon from our table in the restaurant.
I was the driver, and after a long day, I was pretty tired when we pulled in at about 11 p.m. I was ready for some much needed rest before we embarked on Road Trip, Day 2.
Day 31, July 29, 2012
It looks like I have some catching up to do on this blog. I haven't posted for the past three days. Much has happened and there's lots to tell. Let's start with this day, the 31st day of our visit to Ireland.
We are not going to be too ambitious today. We decided to visit Trinity College and the famous Book of Kells. It's only about a mile from our guesthouse so getting their with local transportation was not a problem. We signed up for a tour of the college. Our tourguide has been a philosophy professor at Trinity College in Dublin for the past 28 years. He has a very dry sense of humor and gave a very interesting presentation. We walked around the Trinity campus and learned that it has over 16,000 students in a variety of disciplines such as law and medicine. It's an old school, dating back to the seventeenth century.
After the tour, we waited in line to see the Book of Kells exhibit and the old library. It was very interesting. The Book of Kells is an elaborately decorated book dating back hundreds of years when the books were printed by hand on vellum, made from animal skins. The pigments used for the various colors came from many parts of the known world.
After seeing the Book of Kells and the old library, we visited the Science Gallery, also at Trinity College. The gallery was showing ideas that futurists came up with to deal with population growth in the world's cities. They have some interesting ideas, such as planting bare areas using balls of dirt and clay that have seeds inside. When it rains, the balls break apart and the seeds germinate.
We also stopped at the National Gallery. Bruce wanted to see an exhibit on the artists and artwork for the Punch Magazine throughout the years. It was a very entertaining exhibit.
At night, we had a delicious dinner at the Clyde Court Hotel Restaurant, not far from our guesthouse. Nancy and I spotted it and it turned out to be a great place to go.
We are not going to be too ambitious today. We decided to visit Trinity College and the famous Book of Kells. It's only about a mile from our guesthouse so getting their with local transportation was not a problem. We signed up for a tour of the college. Our tourguide has been a philosophy professor at Trinity College in Dublin for the past 28 years. He has a very dry sense of humor and gave a very interesting presentation. We walked around the Trinity campus and learned that it has over 16,000 students in a variety of disciplines such as law and medicine. It's an old school, dating back to the seventeenth century.
After the tour, we waited in line to see the Book of Kells exhibit and the old library. It was very interesting. The Book of Kells is an elaborately decorated book dating back hundreds of years when the books were printed by hand on vellum, made from animal skins. The pigments used for the various colors came from many parts of the known world.
After seeing the Book of Kells and the old library, we visited the Science Gallery, also at Trinity College. The gallery was showing ideas that futurists came up with to deal with population growth in the world's cities. They have some interesting ideas, such as planting bare areas using balls of dirt and clay that have seeds inside. When it rains, the balls break apart and the seeds germinate.
We also stopped at the National Gallery. Bruce wanted to see an exhibit on the artists and artwork for the Punch Magazine throughout the years. It was a very entertaining exhibit.
At night, we had a delicious dinner at the Clyde Court Hotel Restaurant, not far from our guesthouse. Nancy and I spotted it and it turned out to be a great place to go.
Saturday, July 28, 2012
Day 30, July 28, 2012
This morning, we bid a fond farewell to our faithful rental car. It was a Skota Superb 5-speed diesel, made in the Czech Republic. I can't say enough good things about this car. It had a smooth ride and we made use of the large trunk (boot), which handled all our luggage. The check-in at the Avis rental car return at Dublin Airport couldn't have been easier. I think the car detailing paid off. We were soon on our way back to Dublin.
We're staying this week at the Pembroke Town House. We're within walking distance of many of the major attractions of Dublin, such as Trinity College, the museums, and st. Stephen's Green. Nancy's brother and sister-in-law, Bruce and Caroline, arrived this morning from New York City. We have 3 rooms in the hotel.
While Bruce and Caroline dealt with their jet lag by catching a few hours of sleep, I walked to the Museum of Natural History and the Museum of Archaeology. They were both interesting. I was able to catch part of a lecture by the resident geologist at the Museum of Natural Museum about meteorites. He had a number of specimens on display, including the Limerick Meteorite which came to earth in the year 1813. I took a heft of it and later learned it weighed 45 kg, which is over 100 pounds.
At about 3 p.m., the six of us met up at the hotel lobby and took our own walk. We had an afternoon snack and walked to the river Liffey. Nancy and I took the DART train back and the others took a taxi (the taxi was definitely faster). We went out to dinner at the Clyde Court Hotel Restaurant and it turned out to have some of the best food we've had on our trip.
Day 29, July 27,2012
Today, we're visiting the city of Athlone, which is in the very center of Ireland. We boarded a "Viking" boat on the River Shannon, at Athlone Castle. The trip was from the castle to the Monastery of Clonmacnoise, founded in 545 A.D. by St. Ciaran. At the beginning of the tour, the boat entered a lock which lowered the water level about four feet. About an hour later, we reached Clonmacnoise and toured the site for about 90 minutes before returning to athlone on a bus.
One of our goals today was to get our rental car washed and vacuumed. Four weeks of Irish roads and weather put the car under a layer of dirt that would put an Irish bog to shame. We arrived in Drogheda at our B&B around 4 p.m. which keft us plenty of time to get the car washed. It sure looked better once it was cleaned. There was actually a car under all that dirt.
Irish roads have letter designations that determine speed limits. The M roads are the high speed freeways, with a 120 kph speed limit (about 75 mph). The next roads are N roads, with a maximum speed of 100 kph (about 62 mph). R roads are rural roads with a maximum speed of 80 kph (about 50 mph). The lowest designation are L roads, which range in width from narrow to narrower, and have a maximum speed of 60 kph (about 37 mph). We road on all of these types of roads in the past four weeks.
One of our goals today was to get our rental car washed and vacuumed. Four weeks of Irish roads and weather put the car under a layer of dirt that would put an Irish bog to shame. We arrived in Drogheda at our B&B around 4 p.m. which keft us plenty of time to get the car washed. It sure looked better once it was cleaned. There was actually a car under all that dirt.
Irish roads have letter designations that determine speed limits. The M roads are the high speed freeways, with a 120 kph speed limit (about 75 mph). The next roads are N roads, with a maximum speed of 100 kph (about 62 mph). R roads are rural roads with a maximum speed of 80 kph (about 50 mph). The lowest designation are L roads, which range in width from narrow to narrower, and have a maximum speed of 60 kph (about 37 mph). We road on all of these types of roads in the past four weeks.
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Day 28, July 26, 2012
I'm looking at the blog day number and see that it's been four weeks since we left for this trip. Time has sure gone by quickly. Some may wonder how we can spend so much time in an area as small as Ireland. I must say, it's not too hard. Ireland is so unique and different that we will only scratch the surface of all it has to offer. We have loved staying in B&B's and meeting so many wonderful people. The B&B owners have been kind, caring and interesting people. They love to talk and share their experiences. I don't think you can really get to know a place unless you have a chance to interact with the people. I think we've been very fortunate in the opportunities we've had so far. If I had it to do again, I don't think I'd do a thing differently from what we've done. it pays to do some advance planning and set up your itinerary. That way, you can make reservations in some of the best B&B's. We used tripadvisor.com to see how other people rated the B&B's in the places we stayed. By booking several months in advance, we were able to get the places that were rated the highest. The prices have been very reasonable too. Most of the places we've stayed have been about 70 to 80 euros per night, which is under 100 U.S. dollars.
Today, we had another beautiful day. Since it was raining when we drove through Connemara two days ago, we decided to drive through it again, but this time in the sunshine. That turned out to be a good idea. We saw it so much better the second time around.
We eventually made our way to the B&B we're staying at tonight, St. Ruth's Farmhouse. It's a wonderful place. Helen, the owner, made us some delicious rhubarb tartlets and served us tea after dinner. She then shared her experiences growing up in Ireland. Her father died young, leaving his wife with five children to raise. They lived in a thatch roofed house and were very poor. They lived on a farm and their mother had to rent out the farmland. She was a good money manager and eventually, she was able to take back all the farm land she had rented out, start a dairy, and put two of the children through college. Helen contracted tuberculosis and spent three years in a TB sanitorium. Her own story was as interesting as that of her mother.
Day 27, July 25, 2012
It's sunny today, a great day for touring. We left our B&B in Westport and headed north. Our first stop was at the town of Newport, where we hoped to get some good pictures of the aqueduct known as the Seven Arches. It has been converted into a pedestrian walkway but the exterior looks the same as it has for many years. We were in luck. The sun was in the perfect position to create striking reflections of the bridge, clouds, and buildings. We got some great pictures, some of which I posted on my Facebook page.
We left Newport and drove onto Achill Island. There were some stunning views, especially from the seaside cliffs. It made for some interesting driving too. I think I can truthfully say that I've experienced about all the types of roads that Ireland has to offer. If I can make it two more days without any mishaps, I will consider my driving in Ireland a success. We turn the car in on Saturday, so on Friday, we plan to have it cleaned inside and out so it won't show much off the wear and tear from four weeks of use.
When we left the island, we headed north again, this time heading for a World Heritage Site known as the Ceide Fields. This is considered to be the largest neolithic site in the world. Fields, fences, houses, and buildings from 5000 years ago were gradua
lly covered with peat through the encroachment of bogs. After 5000 years, the fields were covered to a depth of 5 to 10 feet. When farmers were cutting peat to use as fuel, they discovered the fences and building under the peat. The ancient farmlands under the peat extend for several square miles. It is too costly to uncover all the fields so they have determined the extend of the fields and fences by using metal probes and bamboo sticks to show where objects lie beneath the peat. It was very interesting, to say the least. There were also sheer sea cliffs nearby which were quite appealing.
We made our way back to Westport and went back to the same restaurant we ate at last night, the West Bar. The reason I was so eager to return to that particular bar/restaurant was due to what I learned about their seafood chowder. Their chowder was named the best chowder in 2012 for all of Ireland. This November, it will be entered in the world chowder competition in Boston. I had to try it and I was not disappointed. It was the best chowder that I ever tasted. I think it will win.
After dinner, we dropped George and Grace off at our B&B, and Nancy and I headed off to take a few evening pictures. We drove to the visitor's center and trailhead for Croagh Patrick, a 2500 foot high mountain made famous by St. Patrict. Legend has it that Patrick fasted for 40 days of Lent, climbed the mountain, rang a bell, and drove out all the snakes in Ireland. Every year, on the last Sunday in July, as many as 30,000 people will climb the mountain in honor of St. Patrick. Most of them are Catholics and they will celebrate mass at the church at the top of the mountain. Some will make the trek barefoot. Some will come back down on sretchers. I guess it's quite a sight.
We left Newport and drove onto Achill Island. There were some stunning views, especially from the seaside cliffs. It made for some interesting driving too. I think I can truthfully say that I've experienced about all the types of roads that Ireland has to offer. If I can make it two more days without any mishaps, I will consider my driving in Ireland a success. We turn the car in on Saturday, so on Friday, we plan to have it cleaned inside and out so it won't show much off the wear and tear from four weeks of use.
When we left the island, we headed north again, this time heading for a World Heritage Site known as the Ceide Fields. This is considered to be the largest neolithic site in the world. Fields, fences, houses, and buildings from 5000 years ago were gradua
lly covered with peat through the encroachment of bogs. After 5000 years, the fields were covered to a depth of 5 to 10 feet. When farmers were cutting peat to use as fuel, they discovered the fences and building under the peat. The ancient farmlands under the peat extend for several square miles. It is too costly to uncover all the fields so they have determined the extend of the fields and fences by using metal probes and bamboo sticks to show where objects lie beneath the peat. It was very interesting, to say the least. There were also sheer sea cliffs nearby which were quite appealing.
We made our way back to Westport and went back to the same restaurant we ate at last night, the West Bar. The reason I was so eager to return to that particular bar/restaurant was due to what I learned about their seafood chowder. Their chowder was named the best chowder in 2012 for all of Ireland. This November, it will be entered in the world chowder competition in Boston. I had to try it and I was not disappointed. It was the best chowder that I ever tasted. I think it will win.
After dinner, we dropped George and Grace off at our B&B, and Nancy and I headed off to take a few evening pictures. We drove to the visitor's center and trailhead for Croagh Patrick, a 2500 foot high mountain made famous by St. Patrict. Legend has it that Patrick fasted for 40 days of Lent, climbed the mountain, rang a bell, and drove out all the snakes in Ireland. Every year, on the last Sunday in July, as many as 30,000 people will climb the mountain in honor of St. Patrick. Most of them are Catholics and they will celebrate mass at the church at the top of the mountain. Some will make the trek barefoot. Some will come back down on sretchers. I guess it's quite a sight.
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