Ireland
Leaving: March 20, 2008
Returning: March 28, 2008
Layover : Chicago
Destination: Dublin
Must bring:
Camera
Warm clothes
phone??
Passport!
Euros
Depart Denver:3pm
Arrive Chicago 629pm
Depart Chicago:820pm
Arrive Dublin 845 am
Depart Dublin: 1045 am
Arrive Chicago: 155pm
Depart Chicago: 350 pm
Arrive Denver 530pm
Day 1
Dublin
So here we are in Dublin. We landed this morning. We are at the Skylon Hotel..very nicely decorated. Peter is here with us. He is a very friendly Irish bloke that picked us up from the airport and drove us around town for 4 hours trying to find our hotel. We have already seen everything in Dublin and we just got here. We drove by the Guiness brewery, countless churches, River Liffy, the courthouse, St Steven's Green, asking 800 people for directions until a nice person had us follow them to our hotel. I can tell people here are very hospitable. It has rained on and off, but then it just gets sunny. We are off to get a phone now. More later----
Day1 10pm,
Dublin, Ireland
So we had a good day. Our hotel is nice except we had to switch rooms because the key card didn't work and so they give us a room that is gross and stinks like cigs, so we ask for our old room back..they give it back, but the key card still doesn't work, and we have to have the manager open the door every time. Dublin is SO beautiful. The little shops are so cool. The old buildings and churches are so cool. I took pictures of every cool building I saw, but I can't name them all. We plan on going shopping tomorrow and getting our rental car. Keri wants to go to an AA meeting. We will see what happens. All I know is we are having FUN! Goodnight...very tired.
Day 2
Dublin
Oh my God so much happened today. To start the day off, we got on the top of a Euro bus to go downtown. We started the day off late because the thick shades kept the sun out and we ended up sleeping in till 1100. So we are riding downtown, passing awesome statues and timeless buildings. Our destination is Trinity College, which is right by Temple Bar, (“Pearl Street Mall” of Dublin). We get to the college and get off the bus. Keri decided to accidentally leave her sunglasses on the bus and she realized it right before the bus was about to leave. So she runs back on the bus and guess what? The driver shuts the door and takes off. With Keri. So yea, Tonya and I are running down the streets of Dublin, trying to keep track of a double decker in a sea of double deckers. About 3 blocks down, there is Keri. Thank God. So off we go to Temple Bar, taking pictures all along the way of holy places, etc. We stopped at Starbucks, which was EXACTLY the same as the States, and completely packed with tourists. Shocking. So we get a latte and keep walking. Temple Bar is a square filled with pubs and shops. I bought a cute orange beaded shirt for 5 euro. By this time, it is almost 2pm and we have not eaten. So we go to the Hard Rock and spend over 100 Euro!! So then we shopped. And sent home post cards in the (magnificent) post office! As we were walking, we saw an interesting statue of a man with a cane. It was a little shocking when he suddenly shot his cane out at me. He was REAL! There were artists painting on the streets, musicians playing. The city was alive! So we went into the Dollar Store of Dublin. Which is actually the 2 Dollar Store, because, you know. So anyway. We go and sit in a coffee shop and take in the MEN. In the doorway of every downtown establishment, there stands a tall, beautiful muscle man, defending the place from looters and teenagers. (and drunken Irish men). So we head back to Temple Bar because Keri has her AA meeting! She is really looking forward to it. The meeting was held in an alleyway church basement. About the size of my walk in closet. There were 7 locals there. 3 women and 4 men. They read out of the book and talked about the 3rd step “decided to turn our will and lives over to the care of God as we understand him” It was powerful to hear stories of faith and points when people fell to their knees in fear. Keri was honored to be there and so were Tonya and I. She passed around her 2 year chip to have everyone put their juju in it and say a prayer. I forgot to mention something. Before we went to the Hard Rock, we walked by a hot dog stand and there were 6 or 7 young men in there in costumes. One was Buz Lightyear, one was Fred Flinstone, one was Super man Buz came out and swooped Tony up off her feet! I got a picture of it! It was really random!Just a bunch of super heros hanging out in a hot dog place. Anyway. After AA, we got on a bus to go back to the Skylon and drop off all the shit we had bought. Of course we missed our stop because it was dark We ended up in a residential area on the outside of town. Then, the bus parks and the lights go off! With STUPID us on the top deck! Lost like little puppies! We thought maybe the best idea was to stay on the bus for awhile and it would go back to where it came from, but nope. The driver said he was going to be parked for over 40 minutes. So we walked a little while and got a taxi. We're finally home. Keri had been chatting online with some Irish men, one of them being Gary. He wanted to take us out to the pubs. By this time it is 11 pm and the busses have stopped running.
So he came and got us. Him and his friend Robby showed up. These guys are really fun. They know how to have a good time and also seem really sophisticated and respectful. Irish people are just respectful in general. I don't really know how to say it beyond that. They are so much nicer than Americans. Holy shit! SO much nicer! Anyway, we drive downtown and FINALLY find a parking spot after about an hour of driving around. The pubs were hopping literally. Tomorrow is Easter and there are women dressed as bunnies and stuff! Anyway, we get to this upscale, blue lit club. There is techno playing SO LOUD!!!! There are women everywhere in scandalous outfits. Showing everything off. and shaking their money makers. The drinks were 13 euro each. But they were ALL LIQUOR with a splash of juice so it was ok. I got drunk off one drink. We sat and chatted as best we could over the booming music., which SUCKED. I hate techno. We go out on the smoking patio and I look over and there is a old fashioned wrought iron bed in the covered brick patio area with a couple girls in short dresses rolling around in it. Nice. So...we are off to the next pub, Oliver St John Gogarhty Pub in Temple Bar. Now this is my kind of pub. People just break into song, buy each other drinks. Hey Jude came on and the whole bar was singing along. It was a hoot. Tonya and I went to the loo and there was a crackhead bathroom attendant in the stinky run down toilet. I didn't even think those attendants were real. No one even cared that she was in there. She tried to squirt soap on peoples hands but no one wanted it! Weird. So we sang some songs, drank some beers and came home. The guys bought everything. They must have spent 100 euro. They offered to take us back to their house in the “Dublin Mountains” But for some reason we decided not to. Anyway we went to bed at about 4 am, after watching some silly Irish TV.
Oh and the bathrooms SUCK here. And you have to pay to use them, even with shit crusted on the toilets and no TP and the lights don't work.
Day 3
Still in Dublin
We woke up at about 9 am. Keri and I were hungry and the manager of the hotel promised us a free breakfast because of our trouble from the first day. So we go into the nicely decorated dining room and anticipate our beautiful, authentic Irish breakfast. Holy YUCK. They probably killed and bled like 6 different animals to make this meal. The black pudding is a brick of rice and blood and eyeballs and testicles. Whit pudding is basically rotten spam. The sausage link eerily resembled and uncircumcised penis. There was a half a tomato in the middle of the plate and it was soggy. The “bacon” is actually a slab of HAM. Very fatty. The grossest thing on the plate was a big pile of slimy mushrooms. They seriously stunk. Finally, a slimy, very uncooked egg place right by the soggy tomato. It was the most horrendous thing ever. We were is shock. So I got a bowl of cereal only to take a bite of warm milk in my cerial. We gave up and had toast. That is it. Just toast. We laughed through the whole thing. So we go back to our room. I go in and puke a little because I still had beer in me. And now we head out for the Guinness tour. Holy shit. I had no clue it would be so cool. There were huge black gates and doors with the Guinness logo on them. There were stone walls enclosing a cobblestone walkway. It was a complex. Horse drawn carriages took tourists through the streets to their many destinations. As we entered the ticket area, there were old plaques on the walls. The tour was actually the “store House, and not the brewery, but the brewery was on the complex. It is 7 stories high, the top story being the Gravity Bar, where you get your free beer. Not to mention a 360 view of Dublin, all glass windows. SOOO pretty. We didn't want beers because we were hung over. I still have my ticket. So after the tour, we leave and are STARVING because we didn't eat all day and Tonya and I had a few drinks the night before. The food is so weird, too and we can't eat much because we are in a whole new world as far as food goes. So we find Eddie Rocket's, which is in Temple Bar . It is decorated like a 50s American Diner. WOO HOO! AMERICAN FOOD! We thought it would be just like at home. NOPE. Apparently BLT's have onions. (Always) And massive HAM SLABS instead of bacon!! You have to order fries separate. They don't come in combo meals. The “hot wings” are sweet and the drinks have maybe 2 ice cubes in them. These people HATE ice! I don't understand the aversion to COLD beverages. And they get all confused when you ask for iced tea. The bring hot tea. “:No, I asked for iced tea.” We have hot tea.” “Well, then you can make iced tea, right? Do you have ICE?” Meh!!! I just want a fucking iced tea! I live on it at home. Oh, I also want to mention Otabix. They are these breakfast “bricks” of bran. We took a bite of it and it was like eating a box. No flavor, to texture, just cardboard chips. We saw a commercial for it and I guess you are supposed to pour milk on it to make it into porage. But considering the milk is all room temp and curdled. No thanks. Anyway now it is 930 and we are at our hotel, considering going out with Robbie to a traditional Irish “boozer” with a bonfire and stuff in the Irish mountains, but we are so tired and are checking out in the morning to get our rental car and go to Waterford. Tomorrow starts our journey across the Irish country side. We don't really know what to expect. We are so tired from walking but these guys really want us to go dancing. I don''t know. I am beat. I didn't realize it would be so exhausting. Robby really wants us to meet his MODER. She is a great woman. A wicked cool woman.
Day 4
On the Road
Ok. Well. We did end up going out last night. So the beginning of this entry is still yesterday. From 10pm to 2am. So we took a cab last night to Terenure-a town right outside of North Dublin to a place called Brady's. We met with Robbie and had a drink and talked about how much he loves his moder. So we end up in the Dublin Mountians- Rathfornum to be exact- To a place called the Blue Light. This pub is 200 + years old. The rebels used to sing and drink and dance here in the 1800's. There were 5 or 6 rooms, all leading into each other and connected with low cobblestone walls and thick wood tables and tiny barstools that held all the beautiful Irish people. In the bottom room there was a 3 man band...banjo, 2guitars. All were singing. I started crying when they started singing “Wsh You Were Here.” We danced and sang and then we left. A funny thing happened when we went to the toilet. We were talking to this guy on our way to the loo and he noticed we were American, so we chatted for a bit and his girlfriend must have over heard. She came storming out, telling him to shut up. And pushed him as far from us as she could get him. Anyway...oops! This pub was my favorite so far because it was REAL! Ok...So now for Day 4...
We left Dublin and headed down N7-N9 and got to Waterford, the oldest Irish city, where the Vikings came into the bay by ship. This city is OLD OLD OLD! Not very many people there, which was eerie, but nice. We missed the Crystal factory by about an hour. It was closed. But we walked around town and took pics of the boats and the bay and then took off about an hour into it. Our next stop is Cork/Blarney another 2 hours from Waterford. I must say. This drive is absolutely breathtaking. There are sheep everywhere in the emerald colored fields and endless hills green as green can be. There are cows, castles, mansions, hills, hay houses, You literally cannot possibly get bored driving here! I can't drive a stick shift, so Keri and Tonya the red VW golf we rented. It's cute! Fun fun fun. Anyway...we are en route to Cork!
Ok made it to Cork. It's ok, but it is 7pm and we have not found a hotel. We need to kiss the Blarney stone tomorrow and we are tired. We head to Blarney, which is a teeny tiny city within County Cork. We see the castle right away. It is all lit up in the misty night. We check in to the Blarney Wollen Mills Hotel. This mill is where they turn all the sheep hair into sweaters. But the best part is that the castle is visible from the hotel window in Keri and Tonya's room. We can't wait to kiss the stone. Tonya and I went to the pub and had a few beers and talked. Some crazy old guy got kicked out for fighting. It was funny to hear him yell with his thick Irish accent. Haha. That was a nice night. I remember it being really misty.....
Day 5
Blarney to Kerry
Wow, we actually got up early this morning. We are here in Blarney. Home of the Blarney Castle and of corse the stone. We get up at 8 and go down for our free breakfast. This hotel was REALLY nice...big windows, classy dining halls. The breakfast buffet was a big table in the middle of the room, surrounded by neatly set tables with crystal and shiny silverware, lots of lacy white cloth. The food was really good. Croissant, toast, cereal with COLD milk, jellies and jams in these teeny little jars. YUM! I took a couple jelly jars cause they were cute and delicious. Anyway. The castle is only a block away from our hotel. So we drive over....yea. IDK I guess we decided to drive a few blocks... anyway, we pay our 8 euro. The castle grounds are majestic. The green grass feeds a horse off in the distance. A creek runs clear, cool water under a bridge, where you can look down and see coins people threw in the water. I put in 2 cent. There before us stands a 600 year old castle. Little windows peeking out all around. We first check out a cave on the right side of the castle. It is the first cave I have ever been in. You have to duck or you will hit your head like Tonya did. There are passage ways for the leprechauns and tunnels for the fairies. On the way to the entrance of the castle is a stone dog kennel and a dungeon. The dungeon was spooky. The locked cell remains intact with the iron bars. We walk up some stairs in to a gift shop The entry is large, you can tell where the castle has corroded and there used to be more levels in certain spots. The fireplace was above our heads, so we could tell that had been an upper room. The whole castle is thick, damp stone. The smell in the air is of green grass and wet, ancient castle stone. And moss. It's brilliant. So we walk up a narrow and I mean NARROW winding stair case and we see several rooms, one was the Young Ladies Room, The Kitchen, The Oobliette, and the Family Room. There is obviously nothing in them. They are just solid stone rooms with little windows peeking out. More winding stairs lead us to the top, where off in the distance, you can see a large, impressive estate. Not sure what that was called. Now the fun begins. Keri kisses the stone first, after she freaks out a little bit. We tip the man who holds our legs because he has us over a 500 foot drop with a little grate for safety. I am next. I lean back and plant a good one right on the stone, praying I don't get mono. Tonya goes last and we head back down. We buy our souvenir pictures and head for the Rock Close.. It starts with a rock tunnel leading to a woodsy area that has 6 magical little things , like the “Witches Kitchen” and the Fairy Glade, a Druid Circle, Wishing Steps, and w Witches Stone and a Sacrificial Altar. Man this was the most magical day. It was a fairy forest, with flowers and waterfalls and thick, winding, mossy trees. It started pouring, but it soon stopped. Anyway, it was time to leave Blarney. Off we go to head West to the ring of Kerry. The “ring” is a 100 mile circle, with breathtaking views along the Atlantic Coast. The drive was long and tiring, but well worth it for the ancient statues, graves, and crashing waves. We picked up some sand and rocks in Waterville and watched as the sun set behind a tiny distant island. The tide came in, so we headed out.
Finally, we make it to Kenmar, the last “town”in the ring. We drive for a bit and find Foleys B&B. Bedtime. We are BEAT. So I call Jaren and then call it a night. It is time to head for the Cliffs of Moher and the waiter tells us we get to take a ferry. It will be cool, but I am looking forward to going back, too. I miss my son.
Day 6
Kerry to Cliffs of Moher
We finished the ring of Kerry. It was pretty flat at the end, but all around amazing. Now we are in Tabert (west coast). We are waiting to get on a ferry to cross over to the Cliffs. I went down onto the beach and got some shells (mollusk and snail). The beach is murky with a lot of seaweed and it is very cloudy and cold. But still nice. I can see the land on the other side and the ferry is due to arrive in about 30 minutes. There are a lot of things I have been forgetting to write about, like our little leprichauen, Robby. He texts us all along the way , “ Top O the mornin to yas, are ye at Kerry's Ring??” and “where ye's headed today?” “It's pissin rain here in de capital” He really, really loves his “moder” (mother”.) He talks bout her all the time. She is a “wicked, classic, woman”. Tonight we are going to try and head back to Dublin, but it is 2pm and we have not even seen the cliffs. We may end up in Limmerick or Shannon tonight. We need to get back to Dublin so we can see St Patricks Cathdral and Robbies moder can make us some stew. I got some really cheap, cute jewelry in Kenmare. The shops just get cheaper around the country. So I am happy. 2 more nights. I really do love this place.
So the cliffs were amazing as expected. The 700 foot drops were intimidating, jutting straight into the ocean. The waves crashing at the foot of the cliffs made it all worth the time we drove. It was very cold and windy, but we knew it would be. There was land in the distance, but I don't know what it was. I think it may have been more coastline up ahead, shadowed by the ocean mist. It was 40 below with the wind chill, so we left pretty promptly, but got some good pictures. Tomorrow is our last day. We need to get back to Dublin! I wanna get a tattoo! We have a ton to do our last day. We drove across the whole country in 5 hours. Random sheep in the road, some thatched houses, confusing roundabouts, and narrow roads. The roads are as wide as a sidewalk, and I am afraid we are going to die every time we go fast. I am glad I am in the back seat. This is a trip!
Day 8
(didn't wright on day 7)
Going home
Well, I am thousands of feet over the Atlantic, headed home. I had a week of enchantment. Every moment was special. I will hold it in my heart forever. Everyone I met is imprinted in me . I am so impressed at the men. They are so nice. They pay for everything and don't expect anything or demand anything. They treat you like a LADY. They drive across town to pick you up so you don't have to drive. They check on you. They are very, very romantic. Robby was sad to see us go. We had so much fun last night with him. He took us to Johnny Fox's, a famous pub. We saw the dancers. They were so pretty, dressed up and danced so good. Then we had a few pints and listened to the band. They played “know when to hold em” This guy Alan was there and he was hitting on me but I was just not into hooking up and neither were my girls, really. So we headed home after some dancing.
I loved my trip. There is so much more I could say about it. The water was always hot in the shower because they have heating coils in the pipes. Isn't that a great idea??? Anyway. That is my story. I want to go back!
