Four of us began our second break by traveling to Dublin together. We spent our first day seeing Dublin Castle, Trinity College, Christ Church Cathedral and St. Patrick's Cathedral. It was especially nice to have a tour of Dublin Castle because a) the Chapel Royale was gorgeous, and b) I didn't really have a sense of any Irish history, and this tour gave me a better outline of what kinds of things went down that led to Irish independence from England.
Dublin Castle
Trinity College
St. Patrick's Cathedral
We broke off into pairs in the afternoon, and Brendan and I went to the Guinness factory, where we became certified to pour the perfect pint of Guinness. The end of the night was spent at the Temple Bar and Oliver St. John Gogarty's listening to traditional Irish music. I just have to share a video I've got of the guys we heard at the Temple Bar, because they were just that good.
On our second day, the other three went to the Cliffs of Moher on a tour, but since I had one planned for Monday, I went up north to Northern Ireland to see Giant's Causeway. We stopped to see Duluce Castle, the Dark Hedges, and Belfast along the way, but by far the most amazing thing was Giant's Causeway itself. The origins of the causeway are surrounded by legends involving a Scottish giant and an Irish giant, but it is actually a volcanic rock formation that comes up out of the ocean in perfect hexagon shapes, some only a few inches tall, some several feet tall.
Giant's Causeway
Looking back, this was definitely my favorite part of the trip. I could have spent more than the two hours we had there climbing around and taking pictures. It was a windy day, and the waves crashed up on the causeway, and it was beautiful. The feeling of invincibility is something everyone should feel some time in their life. I can't begin to tell you how on top of the world I felt when I was standing down, looking at it all.
The next day, we all split ways, and I began my solo traveling in Ireland. I took a train from Dublin all the way to the west coast of Ireland, to Galway. Galway is famous for the Claddagh ring and traditional Irish song, "Galway Girl" (and for those who know the song and are curious, yes, I did talk a stroll down the Salthill Prom like a Galway girl :) ). I stayed at a very nice hostel right on the main square, and made a friend that I travelled with for the next two days.
Galway Bay
I booked a tour out of Galway for the Cliffs of Moher and the Burren, with stops at the High Crosses and Dunguaire Castle. Unfortunately, the weather was really windy, foggy, and rainy, so when we got to the Cliffs, I couldn't even see them. So that's one thing I'll be going back to Ireland to see. However, the Burren was pretty cool. Our guide told us that the rocky terrain is similar to what we would see on the moon, and it was fun to climb over rocks for awhile on our stops (when it wasn't raining).
The Burren
Dunguaire Castle
When I got to Galway, I was planning on spending my last full day there just walking around the city and sightseeing. I didn't realize just how small the city actually is, so when I got there in the afternoon on Sunday and walked around for awhile, I had already seen what I wanted to see. So I decided to book another tour in Ireland, this time north of Galway in the Connemara region. Parts of this region are still owned by the Joyce family (appropriately named Joyce Country), and is the family of writer James Joyce. Luckily, except for the cold and the wind, we had sunny weather, and the country was absolutely beautiful, so after Giant's Causeway, this was probably my next favorite tour.
Our first stop was at Kylemore Abbey. This was originally a castle built in the early 1800s by an English doctor who loved the land so much that he decided to move there with his family. He built the castle right up against the lake and, when his wife died, also built an accompanying miniature chapel and mausoleum in her honor. It was a beautiful location and I was very happy I got to see it.
Kylemore Abbey
The majority of the tour was spent in the bus, driving through the mountains and lakes of Ireland. We passed by Killary Fjord, which is sixteen miles long, Lough Nafooey and Lough Mask. We also made a stop in the town of Cong, where the film "The Quiet Man," starring John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara, was filmed. We also stopped at an old Franciscan friary on the way back. Both the Abbey in Cong and the friary were very interesting to explore, because they were both in ruins, but well-kept ruins.
Lough Mask
On my last day in Ireland, I trained back to Dublin, and then had four hours to kill before having to be at the airport. I had wanted to see Kilmainham Gaol (pronounced "jail") earlier on in the trip, but it was too far away from our hostels, so we had skipped out on it. Because it was close to the train station, I decided to give it a go. It was pure luck that I walked there with six euros left (all of which I needed to pay for my bus ticket back to the airport) and found out that the day I visited the jail was a one-day free-entry event!
The jail was very cool to see, especially because they showed us some of the cells of the leaders of the 1916 Easter uprisings. They also showed us where these men were executed, and their museum had lots of great exhibits about what this jail has meant to Ireland all throughout its history. Again, I got a very good lesson in Irish history just from visiting the jail. I was relieved, however, when at the end of our tour, our tour guide informed us that we were free to go.
There were a few people I talked to that were concerned that I was traveling by myself, but I have to say that it was a great experience and I was not afraid at all. I know how to plan all my travel, and I get the chance to do what I want when I want. But that kind of thing never scares me. Being on my own and being independent like that doesn't scare me. Because when you've been to the most beautiful places in the world, and felt like you can conquer them, then what is there to be afraid of?
In four days, it will be one month until I arrive back in Denver, ending my Study Abroad experience. I try not to think about it too much, and try to forbid everyone else in the house from talking about it, because it's hard to think about. At some point, I'll need to start preparing myself for the reality that is leaving the place I love the most in the world, but for now, I'm trying to enjoy what time I have left with my friends, who are like my family. Because when I say goodbye to England, I'm saying goodbye to the way things are with them. I know we can be friends back at Valpo, but we have our own friends and activities, and it will never be the same as it was when we were traveling in Norway, singing Carly Rae Jepson at the top of our lungs, or pulling pranks, or singing to the guitar, or the millions of other things we do. So I am trying to make the most of the time I have left with these crazy people, because I love them all too much to let it go just yet.
And now that I have succeeded in being overly sentimental, I'll be signing off for tonight. As always, comments, questions, and donations are always welcome!
Until next time,
Stephanie
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