Yeah I bet that title got your attention...
I checked into Glasgow in the late afternoon, but it is not dark until after 10:30pm, so with plenty of sunlight I set out to orient myself. Glasgow was once a huge industrial money-maker for Scotland from textile factories to ship building. It also served as the European port for Virginia tobacco. However, after WWII it's industrial golden age (which actually added a layer of black soot to much of the city) came to a closure. The city is in the middle of a artistic revival. The Glasgow School of Art was two blocks away from my guest house. Along with the arts comes interesting restaurants and expensive shopping. While I only window shopped, it was interesting to see parts of post-industrial Glasgow transformed while other neighborhoods still awaited a face lift.
Taking advantage of having my own bedroom and bathroom, I headed to bed early after a nice long shower, which didn't include flip-flops nor the need to continually push a button to get water.
Day two in Glasgow proved to be exciting. I headed to the Kelvingrove Museum. After unintentionally taking the scenic route I found the museum. The Kelvingrove houses an eclectic collection ranging from natural history to world history to art to human rights. I was mesmerized my the honey beehive with bees busily cleaning and building the hive and honey. I also watched for 10 minutes as a drone bee was born. A drone bee is the stud of the hive and his job is to knock up the queen bee. After the bees I wander into the Ancient Egypt exhibit only to be forced out by a fire alarm. I felt horrible for the school teachers who after collecting scattered children then had to keep them calm and collected outside for nearly an hour. I took the opportunity to get some lunch from a vendor (who was clearly benefiting from the alarm) and chatted with an older couple from Sterling. They invited me to come to their home for dinner if I was going to be in Sterling at any point. Sadly I will not make it to Sterling, but they were wonderful company while the firemen verified the false alarm.
I spent the rest of the evening at the museum until closing at 6ish. I decide to take a walk along the Buchanan Street, which has no vehicle traffic. However, that changed on this particular day as a half-a-dozen emergency vehicles raced from behind me and then stopped several building ahead. Having no agenda I decided to investigate the drama. I immediately wished I had decided other wise. A man was standing atop a 5 story building threatening to jump. If anyone was thinking the jump would cause only severe injury and not be fatal he corrected them by tossing objects down to show otherwise. It was terrifying yet it was hard to walk away. But I did and not wanting to know the actual outcome, I have simply assume the man was talked down and then taken to the nearest hospital for help.
That night I made dinner and packed for an early departure to Portree on the Isle of Skye.
Monday, June 8, 2009
Phoenix Park, Dublin Zoo and Preparation for RyanAir
After spending so much time in cities I decided I needed some green space.
I discovered the acres and acres of Phoenix Park, which include several un-noteworthy monuments, a plethora of cyclist, runners, and a collection of very non-Irish animals (the Dublin Zoo). The Zoo is what one would expect from a zoo plenty of exotic animals, held in cages that upon further thought seem rather prison like. The zoo perhaps not as large as the National Zoo in Washington D.C. does seem to do a better job of providing natural climates.
Later that evening I cooked dinner for myself in the hostel and hung out with 2 girls from Northwestern, rather they were entertained by my luggage weight predicament. The hostel was one of the few that did not have scale and so I was left to guess at the weight of my duffel and backpack. Although, Ariel, one of the Northwestern girls, played college basketball, thus spent a good amount of time in the weight room. I used her expertise of weights to more accurately judge my luggage weight. Ryan Air is notorious for its amazingly cheep flights (my ticket was 0.49 Euros + tax) and for its ability to charge fees. My checked bag could not excede 15kg (33lbs) and carry-on 10 kg (22 lbs). The weight was not combinable and I was banking on the fact that they would not weigh my carry-on. They also have a policy of absolutely only 1 carry-on. So my purse had to fit into my backpack. Not only was my backpack stuffed with my heaviest items I took layering to a new level.
I planned to wear:
I discovered the acres and acres of Phoenix Park, which include several un-noteworthy monuments, a plethora of cyclist, runners, and a collection of very non-Irish animals (the Dublin Zoo). The Zoo is what one would expect from a zoo plenty of exotic animals, held in cages that upon further thought seem rather prison like. The zoo perhaps not as large as the National Zoo in Washington D.C. does seem to do a better job of providing natural climates.
Later that evening I cooked dinner for myself in the hostel and hung out with 2 girls from Northwestern, rather they were entertained by my luggage weight predicament. The hostel was one of the few that did not have scale and so I was left to guess at the weight of my duffel and backpack. Although, Ariel, one of the Northwestern girls, played college basketball, thus spent a good amount of time in the weight room. I used her expertise of weights to more accurately judge my luggage weight. Ryan Air is notorious for its amazingly cheep flights (my ticket was 0.49 Euros + tax) and for its ability to charge fees. My checked bag could not excede 15kg (33lbs) and carry-on 10 kg (22 lbs). The weight was not combinable and I was banking on the fact that they would not weigh my carry-on. They also have a policy of absolutely only 1 carry-on. So my purse had to fit into my backpack. Not only was my backpack stuffed with my heaviest items I took layering to a new level.
I planned to wear:
- Hiking boots
- jeans with my belt under my sweat pants
- 3 shirts
- my winter coat
- and every single pocket stuffed
As you an imagine going through the security was a comical and slow process. But all that mattered was my checked bag only weighed 13.1 kg and my backpack was not weighed. The moment I picked my checked bag up I stripped and emptied my backpack's heavy contents.
As I rode the bus into Glasgow (Scotland) I felt a great much more relaxed than I had in several days. I am not quite sure why or even why I was uptight to begin with, but the change was a relief. I think it may of had something to do with the Scottish accent, it still has me smiling.
Friday, June 5, 2009
Arriving in Dublin and the Book of Kells and Guinness
Crystal and I took the bus to Dublin. The buses here have the ability to put me to sleep within 20 minutes, which certainly passes the time faster. My hostel, Isaac's Hostel, was conveniently directly across from the bus station and a dart stop. While Crystal and I would both be staying in Dublin for nearly the same amount of time we each picked a different hostel, but agreed to meet up at 7:30 for dinner and drinks.
Isaac's was a nice hostel, but my room was huge. Now you may be thinking... why is that a but. Well, a large room means there were 13 other beds in the room. However, it turned out to be an all girls' room which helps some.
After dropping my bags and getting a shower I set off to orient myself in the large city of Dublin. For those of you who have traveled to an old city in Europe you will understand how difficult it is to orientate oneself. Most blocks are more oval than square, because the streets wind through the city and frequently change names. The locals say this is great because once you know the city it is very easy to locate something by its street name and is there is hardly a need for street numbers. As a tourist and a struggling navigator this was mind boggling and a mild form of torture. After several hours of exploring and round-about routes I found myself back at my hostel. BUT I did have a better sense of my location and had found the sculpture where I was suppose to meet Crystal- the spire. The spire is a metal cone that points 120 meters into the sky. However, due to the growing issues of drug use in Dublin it is often referred to as a needle by locals.
There are many different statues and sculptures along O'Connell Street to commemorate different people and moments and time. Intersecting O'Connell Street at the spire is Earl Street (well it is Earl Street at one point) which is great for people watching, window shopping or actual shopping. Earl Street turned out to be the most direct route to my Hostel which I did not discover until after I went the most indirect route.
Dinner with Crystal was delicious and very Irish, so I was only able to finish part of my meal. Afterwards, we headed to a bar called the wool shed, owned by a couple of Aussie guys. Crystal wanted to check it out and I had no better suggestions so we went. It was fun and hilarious. Thursday night is karaoke night- always a good laugh.
Friday morning I woke up with ambitions to visit Trinity College and the Guinness Storehouse. Very stereotypical things to do, but I could not image coming to Dublin and not visiting the two icons of the city. I walk across town to Trinity and explored the campus for a bit before going to the Book of Kells Museum. The word Kells literally means old so it is the book of old. Indeed it is the book is estimated to be from 800 AD and written by monks. The process of making the book was quite tedious so I can not imagine anyone other than a monk creating this piece of work. Many of the pages are decorated in the most intricate detail that it's creator must have had a surplus of patience. The binding of the book, creation of the cover and page material was a long process in of itself. The museum had a video of a man going through the process to create the pages from calf vellum (mammal skin used for writing). The entire book is written in Latin and includes the four gospels. However, the monks incorporated many Celtic traditions into the book, such as drawings of elaborate Celtic knots. The idea of blending of traditions was also used by St. Patrick and his evangelism endeavors. St. Patrick combined the Celtic sun-cross with the Christian cross to incorporate the idea that the Christian cross, like the sun-cross is a source of life. These monks and early priests were very clever men.
After visiting the old writing of Christianity I felt that I needed to go to the opposite end of the spectrum and of the city to learn about the brewing process.
The Guinness Storehouse in Dublin is the original factory from 1759. Although technologies have changed the basic ideas and original buildings have not changed for the makers of Guinness. The four ingredients are
Isaac's was a nice hostel, but my room was huge. Now you may be thinking... why is that a but. Well, a large room means there were 13 other beds in the room. However, it turned out to be an all girls' room which helps some.
After dropping my bags and getting a shower I set off to orient myself in the large city of Dublin. For those of you who have traveled to an old city in Europe you will understand how difficult it is to orientate oneself. Most blocks are more oval than square, because the streets wind through the city and frequently change names. The locals say this is great because once you know the city it is very easy to locate something by its street name and is there is hardly a need for street numbers. As a tourist and a struggling navigator this was mind boggling and a mild form of torture. After several hours of exploring and round-about routes I found myself back at my hostel. BUT I did have a better sense of my location and had found the sculpture where I was suppose to meet Crystal- the spire. The spire is a metal cone that points 120 meters into the sky. However, due to the growing issues of drug use in Dublin it is often referred to as a needle by locals.
There are many different statues and sculptures along O'Connell Street to commemorate different people and moments and time. Intersecting O'Connell Street at the spire is Earl Street (well it is Earl Street at one point) which is great for people watching, window shopping or actual shopping. Earl Street turned out to be the most direct route to my Hostel which I did not discover until after I went the most indirect route.
Dinner with Crystal was delicious and very Irish, so I was only able to finish part of my meal. Afterwards, we headed to a bar called the wool shed, owned by a couple of Aussie guys. Crystal wanted to check it out and I had no better suggestions so we went. It was fun and hilarious. Thursday night is karaoke night- always a good laugh.
Friday morning I woke up with ambitions to visit Trinity College and the Guinness Storehouse. Very stereotypical things to do, but I could not image coming to Dublin and not visiting the two icons of the city. I walk across town to Trinity and explored the campus for a bit before going to the Book of Kells Museum. The word Kells literally means old so it is the book of old. Indeed it is the book is estimated to be from 800 AD and written by monks. The process of making the book was quite tedious so I can not imagine anyone other than a monk creating this piece of work. Many of the pages are decorated in the most intricate detail that it's creator must have had a surplus of patience. The binding of the book, creation of the cover and page material was a long process in of itself. The museum had a video of a man going through the process to create the pages from calf vellum (mammal skin used for writing). The entire book is written in Latin and includes the four gospels. However, the monks incorporated many Celtic traditions into the book, such as drawings of elaborate Celtic knots. The idea of blending of traditions was also used by St. Patrick and his evangelism endeavors. St. Patrick combined the Celtic sun-cross with the Christian cross to incorporate the idea that the Christian cross, like the sun-cross is a source of life. These monks and early priests were very clever men.
After visiting the old writing of Christianity I felt that I needed to go to the opposite end of the spectrum and of the city to learn about the brewing process.
The Guinness Storehouse in Dublin is the original factory from 1759. Although technologies have changed the basic ideas and original buildings have not changed for the makers of Guinness. The four ingredients are
- Barley
- Water
- Hops
- Yeast
They are added in that order. The barley is roasted at high temperatures and then allow to sit. After sitting and spouting it is crushed in a mill and then water from the mountains surrounding Dublin (where the water comes from is apparently key) is added, then after some more sitting a soaking the hops are added until they dissolve. Then after additional sitting or "flavor development period" the yeast is added to ferment the mixture. The yeast is not all completely used as some is saved to generate more yeast. So the yeast today is the great great great x 100 grandchild of the orginial yeast. The museum allows vistors to sample the different Guinness brews and I confirmed that I still do not like Guinness.
On the other floors of the museum there information on Advertising History and of course Guinness gear (anything you can image with Guinness logo on it).
That night at my hostel there was BBQ, so Crystal and I went and then out for traditional Irish music.
Friday, May 29, 2009
Tour of Burren and the Cliffs of Moher
First off, I am so far behind on these posts. I quite apologize.
So a long, long time ago on in a country called Ireland a beautiful young maiden took a bus tour through the area of Burren and the Cliffs of Moher.
The bus tour was quite a nice way to cover a lot of ground in 1 day, plus the weather was dreary and no condition for walking about for an extended period of time. The trip was made amusing due to our cheerfully corny driver-guide. He shared such facts as...
Back on the bus we drove into increasingly think fog, but our optimistic driver kept reassuring that it may break as we drive the Cliffs of Moher. Unfortunately his optimism did not prevail over Mother Nature. I could not see the cliffs, but rather an endless abyss of fog. The view was quite terrifying, but apparently when visible the cliffs are spectacular. On the ride home we stopped for a photo opportunity at lesser cliffs. I am going to use photoshop to make them look awesome. Almost out of time. Dang it. I will try to write soon, but don't hold your breathe.
So a long, long time ago on in a country called Ireland a beautiful young maiden took a bus tour through the area of Burren and the Cliffs of Moher.
The bus tour was quite a nice way to cover a lot of ground in 1 day, plus the weather was dreary and no condition for walking about for an extended period of time. The trip was made amusing due to our cheerfully corny driver-guide. He shared such facts as...
- the word honey moon comes from the old belief that a young couple trying to get pregnant would drink mead, a sweet fermented honey "wine," for a full moon cycle and then 9 months later they would have an addition to the family.
- Along the coast between Galway and the Cliffs of Moher is where the British comedy "Father Ted" was filmed.
- Castles back in the day were actually a pinkish color due to a plaster material that covered the stone. The material has since worn away and thus we now think of castles as gray building, but really Barbie's dream castle is more accurate.
Back on the bus we drove into increasingly think fog, but our optimistic driver kept reassuring that it may break as we drive the Cliffs of Moher. Unfortunately his optimism did not prevail over Mother Nature. I could not see the cliffs, but rather an endless abyss of fog. The view was quite terrifying, but apparently when visible the cliffs are spectacular. On the ride home we stopped for a photo opportunity at lesser cliffs. I am going to use photoshop to make them look awesome. Almost out of time. Dang it. I will try to write soon, but don't hold your breathe.
Aron Islands
Hopefully Jen's face is smiling.
The Aron Islands are 3 small islands off the coast of Ireland. It was a 45 minute bus ride from Galway and then a 30ish minute ferry ride (from hell). The boat had every one going ughhhhhh and a lot of people saw their breakfast for a second time. For 28 of the 30 minutes the only thing I thought was- breathe breathe breathe. But the turbulent ride was well worth it. I hired (rented) a bike for the day and set off to explore the forts (dating before Christ) and really old churches on the main island. At my first stop, a tower, I met up with another solo rider, Chris. He is from Australia and just finished getting his Master's degree in architecture. We spent the rest of the day, exploring and at times taking the less traveled way. I put it that way because you can't get lost on an island that is only a meter long. The islands are almost magical though, because everything is so old and quiant. I was fortunate enough to choose a day that was sunny for all but 5 minutes. So we rode from about 11am to 5pm. The island also has a small seal colony, which we watched as they lounged around. It also boasts that on the island is the world's smallest church. It was small, but I cannot believe it to be the smallest. Chris commented that a place in Scotland made the exact same claim about a different church. The fort is built along frightfully high cliffs that drop straight into the sea. Even getting near the edge made me tremble; the thought of falling to my death was too scary for me to risk getting an award winning photo. The land is divided into fairly small fields. The fields were orginally larger, but if a man had 2 sons his land would be split in 2 by the building of a new stone wall. The ferry ride back was much much better. Instead of getting sea sick, I fell asleep.
That night Crystal, Derval (an Irish woman who we roomed with), Annie (a 58 year old woman from Norway staying in our room) and I headed down to the docks for more live music and then a drink at the pub. In the summer it does not get dark until around 10 or 10:30pm, so it is difficult for me to judge the time and seems to all the sudden be midnight.
The Aron Islands are 3 small islands off the coast of Ireland. It was a 45 minute bus ride from Galway and then a 30ish minute ferry ride (from hell). The boat had every one going ughhhhhh and a lot of people saw their breakfast for a second time. For 28 of the 30 minutes the only thing I thought was- breathe breathe breathe. But the turbulent ride was well worth it. I hired (rented) a bike for the day and set off to explore the forts (dating before Christ) and really old churches on the main island. At my first stop, a tower, I met up with another solo rider, Chris. He is from Australia and just finished getting his Master's degree in architecture. We spent the rest of the day, exploring and at times taking the less traveled way. I put it that way because you can't get lost on an island that is only a meter long. The islands are almost magical though, because everything is so old and quiant. I was fortunate enough to choose a day that was sunny for all but 5 minutes. So we rode from about 11am to 5pm. The island also has a small seal colony, which we watched as they lounged around. It also boasts that on the island is the world's smallest church. It was small, but I cannot believe it to be the smallest. Chris commented that a place in Scotland made the exact same claim about a different church. The fort is built along frightfully high cliffs that drop straight into the sea. Even getting near the edge made me tremble; the thought of falling to my death was too scary for me to risk getting an award winning photo. The land is divided into fairly small fields. The fields were orginally larger, but if a man had 2 sons his land would be split in 2 by the building of a new stone wall. The ferry ride back was much much better. Instead of getting sea sick, I fell asleep.
That night Crystal, Derval (an Irish woman who we roomed with), Annie (a 58 year old woman from Norway staying in our room) and I headed down to the docks for more live music and then a drink at the pub. In the summer it does not get dark until around 10 or 10:30pm, so it is difficult for me to judge the time and seems to all the sudden be midnight.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Donegal and 1st Day in Galway
After staying at Maeve's parent's I was given a tour by Maeve and Nial of the walls of Derry, which are like everything quite old. The walls of Derry helped protect them from seige for 105 days before relief was able to break through. Unfortunately, the same protection kept out food supplies and many people died of hunger related causes. Nial gave a secondary commentary about places that were significant in Maeve's childhood- like her bus stop.
Donegal, which is next to County Derry, is part of the Republic of Ireland even though it is in the North. Just after entering the Republic we stop at a fort (will interest name of fort here after I look it up in my notes). The ruins are suspected to be around the time of Christ if not before. There is just a small inner circle left now, but according to the sign the scars of larger rings can be seen from above. After a tour of the Donegal country side we took a ferry across the water to head back to Nial and Maeve's house in Lisburn (just outside of Belfast). Nial made dinner eggs and soda bread with tea. I also rejoiced in at the site of my long lost suitecase! All my belongings were on board, except my alarm clock has not been found yet.
The next morning (Monday) Maeve dropped me off at the bus station to catch a to Galway. There were two bus changes along the way and so I made friends with and elderly lady, by moving her bag for her. She looked out for me and told me her story of spending her life as a pharamist and raising 7 children in a tiny tiny town in Ireland. I also sat next to a man of about 60 or 70 years old and he gave me the history of the area I was driving through. Apparently has a horse fair each year that at one point was the second largest horse fair in the world.
Upon arriving in Galway. I stepped of the bus and tried to find out my location. I had a good map there were just no street signs. I saw two other people looking confused as well and then found out they were looking for the same hostel. It turned out to just be 2 blocks away, but it took all three of us to figure it out. Once checked in at the hostel I set out to explore and get a sense of the city. I had the greatest unplanned timing. The World Ocean Race had just finished 9 months at sea, so Galway as the port city had lots of festivities going on. Later that night Crystal (my Aussie roommate) and I set out for dinner and lots of live music. I danced for a good portion of the night to various African bands; the night's themes of was the spirit of Africa. So that was yesterday. I am almost caught up, but also out of internet time.
Hope all is well with each of you!
Dad and Mom thank you so very much for this trip. It is a blast!
Donegal, which is next to County Derry, is part of the Republic of Ireland even though it is in the North. Just after entering the Republic we stop at a fort (will interest name of fort here after I look it up in my notes). The ruins are suspected to be around the time of Christ if not before. There is just a small inner circle left now, but according to the sign the scars of larger rings can be seen from above. After a tour of the Donegal country side we took a ferry across the water to head back to Nial and Maeve's house in Lisburn (just outside of Belfast). Nial made dinner eggs and soda bread with tea. I also rejoiced in at the site of my long lost suitecase! All my belongings were on board, except my alarm clock has not been found yet.
The next morning (Monday) Maeve dropped me off at the bus station to catch a to Galway. There were two bus changes along the way and so I made friends with and elderly lady, by moving her bag for her. She looked out for me and told me her story of spending her life as a pharamist and raising 7 children in a tiny tiny town in Ireland. I also sat next to a man of about 60 or 70 years old and he gave me the history of the area I was driving through. Apparently has a horse fair each year that at one point was the second largest horse fair in the world.
Upon arriving in Galway. I stepped of the bus and tried to find out my location. I had a good map there were just no street signs. I saw two other people looking confused as well and then found out they were looking for the same hostel. It turned out to just be 2 blocks away, but it took all three of us to figure it out. Once checked in at the hostel I set out to explore and get a sense of the city. I had the greatest unplanned timing. The World Ocean Race had just finished 9 months at sea, so Galway as the port city had lots of festivities going on. Later that night Crystal (my Aussie roommate) and I set out for dinner and lots of live music. I danced for a good portion of the night to various African bands; the night's themes of was the spirit of Africa. So that was yesterday. I am almost caught up, but also out of internet time.
Hope all is well with each of you!
Dad and Mom thank you so very much for this trip. It is a blast!
Monday, May 25, 2009
Coastal Drive and Derry
On Saturday Nial took me up to the Giants Causeway. This is the most meraculous natural formation of hexagonal rocks. There is no understanding of why they form this way, but whatever the reason in resulted in a natural wonder that people flock to see. Although you have to walk with great care since many of the stones are below the water during high tide. Nial and I witness some very "macho" fellows nearly fall to a dreadful fate. These geometrical stones are surrounded by the most intimidating cliffs. They are large and a clear drop off into the ocean. They are a stark reminder of how small one really is.
Maeve's parents live in Derry (also know as Londonderry, a renaming done by the English). Nial and I drove the scenic route which was a beautiful drive on a narrow road through tiny quiant villages. We experience two traffic jams. The first was due to a bicycle race and had nearly everyone of a few small towns out to watch. The second was the more amusing one. We encountered sheep being moved from one field to another via the road. Two farmers slowed us as we watched a third and a dog heard a large number of sheep and lambs up a steep hill. The lambs were so sweet looking as they bounding around, only pushed in the right direction by the dog.
We then picked up Maeve from the Derry bus station and headed to her parent's home. Her family has a really nice home and were very welcoming. They had met my parents a few summers back so I was glad to finally meet them as well. After a good nights sleep, I started Sunday with some wonderful news. My luggage had been found and I would soon be reunited with my belongings.
Time is almost out so I will have to save Sunday for the next slot of time. I am now in Galway and I will try to catch-up with the blog tomorrow.
Maeve's parents live in Derry (also know as Londonderry, a renaming done by the English). Nial and I drove the scenic route which was a beautiful drive on a narrow road through tiny quiant villages. We experience two traffic jams. The first was due to a bicycle race and had nearly everyone of a few small towns out to watch. The second was the more amusing one. We encountered sheep being moved from one field to another via the road. Two farmers slowed us as we watched a third and a dog heard a large number of sheep and lambs up a steep hill. The lambs were so sweet looking as they bounding around, only pushed in the right direction by the dog.
We then picked up Maeve from the Derry bus station and headed to her parent's home. Her family has a really nice home and were very welcoming. They had met my parents a few summers back so I was glad to finally meet them as well. After a good nights sleep, I started Sunday with some wonderful news. My luggage had been found and I would soon be reunited with my belongings.
Time is almost out so I will have to save Sunday for the next slot of time. I am now in Galway and I will try to catch-up with the blog tomorrow.
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