Ireland (2014) - A Tour of the Emerald Isle
Day 1 & 2 – May 23rd – 24th
“Of A Long Two Days”
For the sake of cohesion, I am going to append day one to day two because at this point it seems like it really has been one big day. To think that we woke up not too long ago in our beds back in Miami, where we got ready to go.
Our flight to JFK from MIA was uneventful and went smoothly, I think we were both looking forward to eating at The Palm, which we did! We both enjoyed delicious steak dinners, a fantastic way to begin our trip. Our flight to Dublin was filled with restless sleep and attempts at entertainment that otherwise failed because we kept dozing off. The man next to Cynthia was a different story; this guy did not eat, sleep, drink, bathroom, talk, or anything throughout the entirety of the flight – Only staring at the back of the seat in front of him. Weird.
Once we landed, we disembarked and came to the full realization that we were on vacation. After donning our jackets, we grabbed a taxi from the queue, which is European for “line.” Our driver was a friendly old Dubliner who had lived in Dublin his entire life, he recommended a few places to go and some things to do. It was actually very nice to see the reputation that the Irish have was not uncalled for.
At the hotel, we met Kay, our tour manager; a feisty, red-headed, dry, and sarcastic woman. We’ll see how things pan out with her, but thus far, she has proven to be both scary and hilarious. Once we got the room, we took a quick 1.5-hour nap because we were both exhausted.
After waking up, we hit the city; first walking to the Temple Bar area, which is an area of Dublin that has a bunch of pubs, restaurants, and clubs. On the way there, we saw a small book fair, a farmer’s market, and many musicians. We ate at a lovely little pub called The Old Mill, Cynthia had a Panini with a leek and potato soup, while I went with the more Irish, Irish Stew. They were both delicious. Once done, we attempted to visit the Guinness Storehouse, but by the time we got to the bus stop and saw the wait for the bus to arrive, we decided against it and instead walked around the city a little bit. I got a SIM card for my phone, which ended up not working because Ireland does not have 4G according to O2, so my phone was not eligible to be used.
At 5:30PM, or 17:30, we met with the rest of the tour group. Which was mainly a sea of gray, and white hair. We were the youngest people there, by far. The folks at our table greeted us and were friendly enough, but one could tell they really didn’t care about us. Here is where I had my first taste of Guinness. It was good but strong. As the meeting wound down, we decided to head out but were approached by three women; one being the youngest person in our group who is a whopping 28. They wanted to hang out with us, so we left together.
Funny enough we all ended up eating at the pub right next to The Old Mill, called The Quay Restaurant. It too was delicious. I had another Guinness. We were both apprehensive at first about what would happen with these strangers, but they ended up being very friendly. After dinner, we walked for a little bit, but it began to rain hard, so we decided to call it a night and head back to the hotel. Ending what was essentially a day that began at 8:00AM EST in Miami on May 23rd, and ending at 11:00PM UTC in Dublin on May 24th.
Day 3 – May 25th
“Of Being a Novelty”
We awoke after a fitful night’s sleep, although still tired. We overestimated the time we needed to get ready for the 7:45AM baggage check and breakfast, so much so that by 6:55AM, we were prepared to go with nothing to do. So we laid back down on the bed and read a little bit, kind of worried that we were going to fall asleep again.
Breakfast was a buffet with the typical fare, although they had bread made with Guinness that was interesting, but really not worth the carbs. After breakfast, we headed out to Trinity College to see the Book of Kells, which is a manuscript of the gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Along with the Book of Kells were various other manuscripts dating back to antiquity; primarily translated and created by monks. What struck us the most was how these monks professed strict adherence and study to God’s word, yet it is clearly documented how the monks wanted to show off their creativity and how they consistently made errors in their translation and transcription. The monks infused these manuscripts with their own thoughts and ideas, often highlighting scriptures that they personally thought were important. One thing that caught Cynthia’s attention was the fact that for a lot of these monks, Jesus’ resurrection, or rather the symbolism behind his resurrection is depicted by a snake.
Twisting of the scriptures and glorification of oneself aside, the works were beautifully done, and they really are relics of a bygone age. Trinity College itself was nothing surprising to behold - apart from the library, whose long hall was surrounded on either side with long stacks of ancient books on tall shelves, all under a barreled oak roof. It really was beautiful and made you want to just sit down at a table and open a book to read. As dumb as it sounds, when we first saw this library, it reminded us of the dining hall in Harry Potter and the library from Beauty and the Beast.
Once we left Trinity College, we were given a “wee” tour of Dublin itself while on the coach. Unfortunately, Cynthia and I, still being tired and/or jet-lagged from the flight, had trouble fighting off sleep. We took in bits and pieces of the history and sights of Dublin.
After a brief stop, where we went to a Starbucks with Kailee, Kathy, and Darby (the strangers from the night before), we made our way to Kilkenny. On the bus, we did our Bible reading for last week and the current week. When we arrived in Kilkenny, we immediately knew this town was unlike Dublin: it was small, quaint and easily accessible by walking around. After dropping off our bags at the hotel, we made our way to Kilkenny Castle, whose residents were once the Butlers, a family that held the title of Duke, Marquis, and Earl. The castle was beautiful but reminded us of the Vizcaya Mansion of Miami due to the last owner remodeling a lot of it and bringing in a lot of Italian art and French decorations. The final picture gallery was exquisite, which once held over 200 paintings. The roof of this area was a steeple roof made of oak. The insides were painted in various artistic styles. It looked like the inner hall of a Viking king.
Once the tour was done, we headed out to the back courtyard which expanded out at least a mile with nothing but trees and vast green fields where people were kicking around soccer balls, hurling or just otherwise lounging around. We made our way around and eventually found ourselves on a walkway by the canal. Making our way back to the city we took our time walking the streets and taking note of pubs that we may visit that night.
At dinner, we sat with our usual group of Kailee, Kathy, and Darby. Afterward, we decided to do a little pub crawling. The first bar we went to was jam-packed by all the older folks, and those who chose to append themselves to our group decided to stay there. Thus, Kailee joined us as we went to Dylan’s Whiskey Bar. There I had an Irish whiskey called “Yellow Spot” which included peppers, apples, oak and all sorts of ingredients. The result was wonderful. After the whiskey, we headed to a second bar called Matt The Millers, where two men were playing trad music. Cynthia had a Bulmer’s, which is a cider made of 7 types of apples. It surprisingly tasted like apple juice.
After that, we decided to call it a night at 10:30PM, or 22:30, which is funny because even at this hour, there was still a glimmer of sunlight in the sky. Tomorrow we visit Waterford Factory, Jameson Distillery, and a few other spots, ending in Cork.
Day 4 – May 26th
“Of Being on This Tour How Many Days?”
Another early morning greeted us as we shuffled into the dining area for breakfast. The group looked tired, perhaps a mix of jet-lag, the constant pace of the tour, and want to get the most out of the trip. After breakfast, we made our way to the Waterford factory in Waterford.
On the short drive there, the majority of the bus fell asleep; once more showing that the group was having a hard time overcoming the mix of factors. Once we reached the factory, we both became really excited. The insides of the building were very modern and included a very nice store. After perusing a few pieces, we were invited in, where we got a tour of the factory. This included a small presentation on the history of Waterford and some hoorah dialogue by the tour guide. Eventually, we made our way to the floor.
Once our tour group split up, we were able to actually see these crystal craftsmen at work, first molding and blowing air into the glass molds as they spun. Then seeing other craftsmen helping shape and quality check the pieces they were creating. Next, we saw a craftsman cutting the tops off of some of the pieces, creating vases. This lead to the area where we could see the craftsmen actually cutting into the glass, or using a marker to make sure the crystal was symmetrical and aligned. Several craftsmen were working on a variety of pieces. Alongside them, a machine crafted a large vase. The machine takes 16 hours to program, and are only used for large works that are too heavy for a man to carry normally. Lastly, we entered an area that had some finished products. All in all, the Waterford Factory was terrific, and thus far one of our favorite destinations.
We then drove a bit and stopped at St. Mary’s wall, which is near Youghal, a tiny city that is trying to grow its tourism but suffers from a 15% unemployment rate. St. Mary’s wall shows that at one point, Youghal was a vibrant and vital trade port, not so much anymore. After taking pictures at the wall, we made our way to Youghal itself, where we had a nice soup lunch at a friendly little pub. I tried Murphy’s Stout, but didn’t much like it, discouraging me from further beer experimentation. Lastly, we grabbed a single scoop of ice cream from a New Yorker who ran an ice cream shop and knew all about Dade county. Weird. This was a tiny quaint little town that we both liked, but the number of closed or abandoned storefronts did make it seem rather desolate.
After Youghal, we made our way to the Jameson Distillery in Midleton. We started by going into the Jameson store where they had a slew of whiskey bottles and merchandise on sale. I was a little overwhelmed by the number of whiskeys there and which one I wanted to take home. Take the “12 Year” that I can only buy at the distillery? Take the Yellow Spot that he had last night? Or maybe take one of the unique still whiskeys. The tour went through the process of how whiskey is made, from barley to malt, from mash to spirit, from alcohol to bonafide whiskey. The tour guide was very chipper and hilarious. At the end of the tour we were given a taste of some Jameson 6 year, which was okay, but Cynthia had some with ginger ale, and that actually tasted pretty good. By the way, the Irish pronounce Jameson as “Jem-son” rather than how we say it generally as “Jame-Eh-Son.”
Once we were done with Jameson, it was a quick trip into Cork where we took a small tour around in the bus to become acquainted with the city. Once we got our bags we hit the streets to walk around; we were joined by the usual trio, and eventually found a charming little gastropub named Woodford, I shared a Guinness and beef stew which was pretty tasty. Afterward, we walked back to the hotel via a different route.
Upon getting to the hotel, we said farewell to the trio, and we ducked away to the hotel bar and shared a Bulmer Cider together, being able to spend some much-needed alone time. What was funny is that we both felt like we had been on this tour for weeks, only to realize that this was really only our second day with the tour group. We have many more days to look forward to.
Day 5 – May 27th
“Of a Long Walk”
Today started as did most other days, with us shuffling into the breakfast area to be greeted with a buffet. We were thankful to eat alone, and enjoy the meal together without anyone bothering us. The other members of our tour group still enjoy making little comments about how young we look, this includes our tour guide, Kay, calling us the “Honeymooners.” Thankfully though we were able to sleep in an extra hour, which was much appreciated, especially since we didn’t have to worry about packing.
We made our way to Blarney Castle, where we both decided that we were not going to kiss the Blarney Stone for multiple reasons. 1) It’s gross, thousands of people have kissed it 2) It’s superstition 3) We’ve heard that locals pee on it 4) It’s gross. Nevertheless, we trekked up the castle, which is a complete and desolate ruin. The castle is in disrepair and areas of it are pretty indistinguishable, like a tiny alcove that supposedly was a bedroom or a large room that apparently was meant to roast “the largest beast.” The castle did have its own beauty, and we both enjoyed being able to take photos and explore the many alcoves and crannies of the building. Cynthia, however, did not like the climb very much. The stairs up were really narrow and steep. It wouldn’t have bothered her so much had it not been for a line that did not move very quickly. Nevertheless, we made it to the top.
Most people continued on to see other areas of the facility; a multi-acre property that houses several attractions, such as a poisonous plant garden, the owner’s mansion, a large walled-in garden specifically for that house, stables, a druid’s circle and apparently an area where a witch used to live. We didn’t go to any of that right away but instead decided to hike the Lake Walk, which was a multi-mile, 1.5-hour walk through a forest and around a large lake in the northeastern side of the property. It was amazing! The environment was beautiful, and being alone was welcomed. There were long stretches where we saw no one. Eventually, a local caught up with us chatted for a few minutes; she was helpful; an annual pass holder to the property. We were kind of hoping she was the owner.
Eventually, we made our way back and quickly perused the other attractions, but really, our focus and the part we most enjoyed was walking the lake together.
After the excursion, we made our way to the small Yachting town of Kinsale which has a rich history in trade, and the Lusitania ship which was sunk just a few miles off the coast of Ireland by German U-Boats during the first world war. Conspiracy theorists say that the sinking of this ship was staged to get America into the war. The town was very quaint, we took a walking tour with Dermot Ryan, who runs the best selling tour in the city. He showed us historic buildings like a Dutch building where it was decided that the sinking of the Lusitania was an act of murder, as well as showing us The Gray Hound, the oldest pub in Kinsale. We tried to get a drink there, but it didn’t seem like anyone was tending shop, so we left. After the walking tour, we went to Dino’s Restaurant, where I had fish and chips with a bottle of Stonewell Cider, which is brewed in Kinsale itself, and Cynthia had a delicious chicken salad.
From there, we both ended up falling asleep on the bus - we imagine from the long hike we made. The coach did make a stop at a small fort named Charles Fort, right outside of Kinsale where William Penn once resided. It looked almost identical to the fort in St. Augustine, Castillo de San Marco. The view from there was spectacular. Unfortunately, we were only able to get a few pictures since the camera ran out of battery. Either way, we wanted to get back on the bus because it was windy and cold.
After arriving at the hotel, we quickly got our clothes and books ready to go to the Kingdom Hall in Cork. With GPS set, we took the ten-minute walk about six blocks from our hotel and across the river and arrived safe and sound to the meeting about thirty minutes early. The Brothers and sisters there were very friendly, and we were able to chat with them a little while. It’s so great to see that no matter where you go, all the meetings are the same, and the warmth of the brothers is the same as well. Before the meeting, we spoke with Tabitha, an amiable sister who was bubbly and enjoyable. After the meeting, we chatted a bit to her Father Liam. They both gave us a ride back to the hotel, which was very nice of them. She and Cynthia exchanged emails.
Upon arriving once again, we decided not to do anything else in terms of going out. So we sat at the hotel bar and had a drink together. Talking about the day that past and looking forward to tomorrow.
Day 6 - May 28th
“Of Roughing It”
Today our tour began with a visit to a small little dairy farm in a valley whose name I can’t pronounce. The trek was about an hour in length, and we were on the rotation to sit in the first row of the bus which granted us a panoramic view of the scenery around, this was perfect because we were traversing a mountainous region with hills and valleys as well. Also, we couldn’t fall asleep as was our usual custom on the bus because the tour manager was at arm’s length away.
We arrived at the small dairy farm and were greeted by Patrick and Margaret, fourth-generation dairy farmers whose family had been living on that land for centuries. The tour started with Patrick taking us to his childhood home where he told us the history of the abode; the deaths, the births, the wakes, and celebrations. One thing he did say that was of interest was that his family began as tenant farmers to the king, paying rent for the honor of living the land. Eventually, that arrangement was done-away with, but instead the Catholic Church demanded a tithe, the Protestants demanded a tithe, and the government required payment for the land. It wasn’t until 1962 that his father finally paid off the land. He still has all the documentation of all of the required tithes and of the final payment his father made.
He then took us out back where we saw cows and bulls, and where they are milked. The farm holds about 125 milk cows, but about 225 cows in total. Cows that do not give birth in a year and thus don’t produce milk…are eaten. Right now the amount of dairy produced is restricted to approximately 225,000 gallons of milk, that restriction is being lifted, so they want to expand the farm. A dog that lived on the property took a liking to me and kept asking me to rub her belly.
After seeing the milking operation, we were treated to a delightful lunch made by the family. Everything about it was delicious. Turkey, potato salad, coleslaw, cabbage, with a rum type dessert.
Once leaving the farm, we made our way to King John’s Castle. We practically slept the entire way there. Once we arrived, I was pretty excited to see the castle due to its history. But once inside, those expectations were not met. The castle is in bad shape, and many areas are closed off or have had modern additions added to them to add a gift shop or exhibition area. There were a lot of neat exhibits and tons of history to read all over the place, including these tall videos of men representing past inhabitants of the castle, like the mason, a soldier, the constable, the captain, etc. We climbed to the top and saw the grand River Shannon, or as the Irish say, we saw “The Might of the Shannon.” The castle was enormous, but the lack of freedom to move about the facility, and its shape, left a little to be desired.
After leaving the castle, it was a short drive to Ennis where we are staying at the Old Ground Hotel, this hotel looks and feels old, but it’s old in that high-class sort of way. Everything is well kept and very clean. Our room is enormous for a European room, and we have no complaints aside from our room key not working the second time we tried to go inside.
Once we settled in we took a walk around the city, which is very small, taking note of pubs and places to eat. It was 6:00PM, or 18:00 and everything was closing up fast! Nevertheless, Cynthia was able to buy a dress for the convention. We went back to the hotel and took a nice 1.5-hour nap, waking up on time to go downstairs to the Poet’s Corner Bar, which is rated #2 on TripAdvisor; thankfully it was attached to the hotel, and we didn’t need to do any crazy exploring. Both our dishes were delicious, and we both had a drink. In the end, we were both stuffed and enjoying the Irish trad music that was being played.
It’s 10:30M or 22:30 right now and it’s still slightly daylight outside. We are full and sleepy.
Day 7 – May 29th
“Of Dizzying Heights and Wonderful Lows”
Today was the day that I looked forward to the most: visiting the Cliffs of Moher. These cliffs stand 600 feet above the Atlantic Ocean and are considered one of the most spectacular sights in the world. We arrived and briskly made our way up to the trails, forgoing any of the visitor center nonsense and wanting to take in as much of the sights as possible since we only had about an hour and a half there.
We took the right-hand path which began with stairs and level platforms, but after a warning sign and some wires, became gravel and an elevated dirty path that at times was literally two feet away from the precipice. It was astonishing and dangerous. We both kept safe, Cynthia felt uneasy with the heights, but I was enthusiastic about seeing these Cliffs and would trek along the safer dirt paths. We made our way to the left-hand trail and did the same, but this time in a bit of a rush since we were running out of time. Once the time was up, we headed back to the bus with a ton of pictures and great memories.
After the Cliffs, we then went to the Doolin Caves, but not before going to a small Potato Famine memorial, that depicts a little boy seeking help from the door of a workhouse, which was an establishment that would give able-bodied men the ability to work for food. Across the street from the memorial was the site of a mass grave for those who died from the great famine and could not afford a proper burial. Unfortunately, my insulin pump was acting up, so while Cynthia took pictures, I did a quick pump change on the bus. After, we headed to the Doolin Cave, which houses the largest stalactite in Europe, and third in the world. The trek down and through the cave was fun and exciting, as spelunking usually is. When we got to the main cavern, we got to see this enormous stalactite which was something to behold. They say this formation has been developing over thousands of years - Experts say five inches every thousand years or so. The water from the mountains goes through this cave and ends up three miles away in the ocean.
Once we finished with the cave, we headed to Lisdoonvarna, a small spa town that houses an annual matchmaker’s festival that looks to connect single Irishfolk together. We only had a small amount of time to be here for lunch, so we ended up in The Roadside Tavern which sold nothing but locally sourced and organic Irish food, along with microbrewed beer on-premises. It was all delicious. We seem to have started the trend because when we arrived no one followed; but once we went in and people saw us, half our tour group ended up there. After lunch, we visited a smoked salmon business. Although the tasting was entertaining and listening about the process was interesting, this seemed more like a sales pitch than anything else, trying to get us to buy a bunch salmon. It was tempting and rather delicious, but it was ultimately too costly to ship.
After we left the salmon place, we headed off to the Burren, an atmospheric landscape of nothing but limestone that seem to have been randomly placed; apparently caused by this area once being the bottom of the seabed and the result of an ice age. It was desolate yet beautiful. An eerie landscape that despite its rockiness and gray appearance, housed several plants (including three rare types of small orchids). We took pictures and saw a burial for an ancient family that supposedly dates back 5000 years. This relic of antiquity only added to the eeriness of the area.
After all this, we headed back to the hotel and decided to go for a walk around the town, mostly doing small errands. Once we got back in, we had dinner at the hotel with a couple from the group. We didn’t mean to have dinner with them, it sort of just happened. They seemed to hate everything and were pretty cynical about a lot of things. They don’t seem to be having a good time. He studied religious studies and was a Lutheran pastor for 40 years, she was a stay-at-home mom who got two masters in religious literature.
Once dinner was over, we met with the trio and headed to Brogan’s where we were able to sit, have Bulmer’s Apple Cider and listen to some homespun trad music. Around 11:00PM, or 23:00 with the sun’s last rays coming through, we went back to the hotel to pack and sleep.
Day 8 – May 30th
“Of A Medieval Lunch”
Today was a day of multiple stops and long bus rides but was one of the more pleasant days that produced one of the most memorable experiences of the trip. The day started with the typical breakfast, and soon we were headed to Galway, a city that rests at the mouth of a large river and exits into the Atlantic Ocean.
We were dropped off at a monument called the Brown Door, alongside a series of fourteen flags that showed the crest and name of the 14 clans of Galway. We were given two hours to explore this buzzing metropolitan city filled with shops, cafes, and things to see. Really, two hours was not enough time for it all. We began by walking to Lynch Castle, which is now an AIB bank (Allied Irish Bank); it still maintains the crest of the Lynch family, a wealthy family whose patriarch at one time was the mayor. We were very amused with a lion carved to the side of the building, he looked as if he were sticking out his tongue to all who pass by. Walking a little further down, we came to the Lynch Stone. Which is a large wall that seems to have been a house or building of some sort. As the legend goes, the mayor’s son was to marry a young woman. Apparently, the young man saw a Spaniard looking at his fiancé, so the young man stabbed the Spaniard to death. At the time, the penalty for such a thing was death by hanging - but no one would dare be the one to hang the mayor’s son, so the mayor himself, his father, had to hang him. Depressing stuff.
We traveled down and got to see the house of James Joyce’ wife, not much to see, it was rather small. From there, we walked down the beautiful river walk, taking pictures and enjoying the beautiful weather until we reached the Galway Museum. There was a lot to see and read about, including a giant sailboat hanging from the ceiling. These fast-moving sailboats are called Galway Hookers. We also saw a monument to the father of the Irish language revival. He helped spur the acquaintance of the Irish with their native tongue. From there we went down a street that housed tons of shops, as well as several live musicians and performers. We wish we could have had more time to see all of it.
From Galway, we drove for a bit and stopped at Connemara Marble. This is a small shop that has the sole rights to the quarry and mine for all Connemara Marble, a beautiful marble that comes in several shades of green as well as red. They also produce a black marble with fossils still inside. It was a wonderful demonstration of the several types of marble and their characteristics. We got a quick glimpse of the workshops but were then shown the shop where we could buy some. We bought some.
We then took a longish bus ride to the town of Cong, a beautiful, sleepy little hamlet of sorts where it seems a movie called The Quiet Man was filmed. The main attraction to this city is a ruined abbey, as well as the small fishing house that the monk would use to go fishing. The city, as mentioned, runs along a beautiful river and is surrounded by large shady trees. We forewent the standard pub/tavern fare; grabbing a loaf of bread, some cheese and slices of meat then made our way through the river walk not sure of what we’d find. What we did find was the Monk’s fishing house that rests almost in the middle of the river and reachable by a small stone walkway over the water. We sat at the steps of the house with our feet hanging over the edge, absorbing the beauty of the area, the sound of the water, the chirping of the birds, and the peace around us. Cynthia fed the fish pieces of bread. It was one of the perfect moments of our trip. Once we ate, we quickly explored the abbey as well as a graveyard before heading back to the bus.
The trip to Sligo was immensely gorgeous with towering mountains met with dark blue lakes, rocky terrain, and wild sheep. It made me really want to go hiking through those mountains. The beauty of this countryside cannot be overstated.
We arrived in Sligo, after a 2-hour bus ride where Cynthia fell asleep; the hotel was modern and very comfortable. The only downside is that it’s about 1.5 miles from the town, leaving walking to a local pub for maybe tomorrow. We ate dinner with the trio, Rita also joined us - a nice dinner overall.
We look forward to the next few stops, especially the Giant’s Causeway.
Day 9 – May 31st
“Of A Blur”
This day seemed to have gone by like a blur, and we both had trouble trying to remember exactly where we had gone, thinking we had forgotten some destination. The day began having breakfast with Kathy, Darby, and Henri (an older Japanese man) whose life is very fascinating.
We started the day early this time around though because we needed to drive about an hour and a half to Belleek, a local porcelain/pottery manufacturer in the Donegal area. We took a tour of their facility where they showed us the different departments and how each piece is hand made traditionally with craftsmen and women. The process was fascinating, and the work had an understated beauty that we both found very appealing. We quickly decided that we would buy something from this place. Belleek is known for their basket and flower work which was extraordinary to see being made and how meticulously crafted it all was.
After the tour, we perused the shop and ended up buying a 12 piece dishware set and a set of four mugs since our current set was beginning to crack. We’re both really excited about eventually getting our purchase in the mail via UPS.
Next, we visited Triona Tweed and Weaving, which is a family run business that creates tweed and wool garments in-house. The tour was short and sweet, serving us some nasty tasting Irish Coffee that neither of us liked and quickly put down. The tour showed us how they create the fabric, which goes through several archaic wooden contraptions. Eventually, the man who owns and runs the shop sat at the loom and began operating it, and we got to see him make about seven inches worth of beautifully colored wool. We did not purchase anything here, I tried on a few jackets and hats, but in the end, the hats were not a good fit, and the jackets were too expensive. Cynthia looked at a nice shall, but at 125 euros, it was way too expensive.
A lot of the day was spent in the coach, as they call it here, or bus, and eventually we turned back around and were able to visit the actual city of Donegal. We didn’t know exactly where to go from here, but we used TripAdvisor and ended up at a place called “The Krusty Kitchen,” it got great reviews, and when we saw the selection and prices, we liked it even more. It seemed like this restaurant was more of a local restaurant than something for tourists, we didn’t see any tourists inside. In fact, a little girl stared at Cynthia as her family got a table, I think they knew we were not from around there. After lunch, we walked back to the coach and didn’t even take any pictures as the town really did not intrigue us too much. It could also have been that we just plain didn’t have a lot of time to do anything but eat and get back on the bus. On the way,, we stopped at a bakery and bought a chocolate caramel topped pastry, we saved it for the bus ride, and it was delicious.
We rode another long bit, finally arriving at the burial site of William Butler Yeats, a Nobel laureate who wrote many poems and prose. Yeats died in France during WWII, but his wish was to be buried under Ben Bulben which is a mountain under whose shadow the graveyard resides. We visited the site and saw his grave, nothing else really caught our attention except for a sculpture of a poor man with the words of a poem that was used in the movie Equilibrium that says:
HAD I the heavens’ embroidered cloths,
Enwrought with golden and silver light,
The blue and the dim and the dark cloths
Of night and light and the half-light,
I would spread the cloths under your feet:
But I, being poor, have only my dreams;
I have spread my dreams under your feet;
Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.
We boarded the coach and headed back home, deciding not to go into Sligo tonight since Patrick, my old friend from Dark Age of Camelot, and his wife couldn’t make the trip out to see us - We watched Up in The Air instead. After the movie, we headed to the hotel bar and ended up watching the end of a soccer game, Italy vs. Ireland. We relaxed and enjoyed the rest of the evening, looking forward to Giant’s Causeway tomorrow!
Day 10 – June 1st
“Of History, Giants, and Old Friends”
We knew right off the bat that today was going to be a big day. Unfortunately, though, I woke up with a scratchy sore throat. Nevertheless, we were determined to make the best of it. We set out to a Spar to get some medicine and were all set to go. Our first stop today was at the Ulster American Folk Park. This is a large indoor/outdoor museum that is all about the story of Irish emigration to the United States. The buildings date back to early Irish history, and include homes, churches, schools, blacksmiths, a small town, a ship that took emigrants to the New World, American homes where they settled; the complete journey takes you through time, we saw how the buildings changed, how people changed, it was all fascinating and informative. At first, we were upset that the actors who were supposed to be in each building were not there, but eventually, they shuffled in; our interactions with them were typically pretty awkward. The last guy had us sit down for a story, and boy did he go for it. We were afraid we’d be late! But we made it back to the bus on time. As a side note, paying things in pounds sterling is very annoying.
Our next stop was to The Giant’s Causeway, a natural phenomenon that creates hexagonal shaped rock formations from the cliffs off the northern coast of Ireland, leading into the ocean. Legend says Finn McCool would use this causeway to go to Scotland to fight other giants, but we know that is rubbish. There was an excellent visitor’s center that we completely bypassed and headed straight for the causeway. The trek down was beautiful, and we couldn’t wait to climb onto the causeway and take pictures. We explored the different platforms, where I tried to be as adventurous as possible without being reckless.
Off in the distance, we saw some more formations, but we could see it was a trek, so we double-timed it up to where the formation on the cliff face was, realizing that our time was running short. After looking at the map, we saw that the red trail would lead us back to the visitor’s center, not realizing that the red trail is a “difficult” trail and very long. We climbed a semi-steep gradient of over 150 stone stairs up the mountainside and rushed to get back on time. The scenes were breathtaking and a sight that everyone should see. Truly awe-inspiring.
After the Giant’s Causeway, we loaded onto the coach and made our way to Belfast. We got our hotel, knowing that Eleanor (an old friend from another video game: Age of The Throne) would meet us soon. While we waited for her to arrive, we hung out in the lobby eating crisps that we bought at the local Tesco. The people in Belfast didn’t seem anywhere near as friendly as the people in the Republic. While waiting though, Kay, our tour manager came up to us and vented a little about how difficult our tour group has been, and how this group has made her want to quit. We consoled her a bit and told her we thought she was doing an excellent job, telling her that other tour-goers from other tours have written reviews about her online, saying she was great. We believe that made her feel better; but in the end, it disappointed us that all the whiners in our group were bringing her down when she’d been an excellent and efficient guide. She told us that we have not been a problem at all, even asking if we were bored. We told her we love all this stuff. Hopefully, our encouragement makes a difference.
A few minutes after that conversation, Eleanor met up with us. We ate at the hotel restaurant, and talking to her was great; conversation flowed freely, and it really was a delight to meet her. It was one of the more pleasant encounters with someone we’ve met from a video game. Funny enough, she is a manager at the Titanic Experience that we are visiting tomorrow, so we’ll get to see her again!
All in all, a wonderful day, albeit a tiring one, filled with history, giants and an old friend.
Day 11 – June 2nd
“Of Fond Farewells”
Today began the last day of our journey through Ireland for our tour, although we will be staying one extra day in Dublin. We ate breakfast with Angie and Kay from Idaho, who were both lovely albeit loopy women. After breakfast, we made our way to the bus and were within a few minutes at the Titanic Experience.
The exterior of the building resembles four hulls, and according to the tour guide, each hull represents the evolution of hull material through the ages, wood, iron, etc. We don’t remember all four. This six-story building housed several amazing and interactive exhibits about the history of Belfast and the Titanic. One may think this history a bit ho-hum and boring when you’re there specifically for the Titanic, but as you go through the galleries, the industrial information ties into the Titanic’s story: how it was built, how it was stocked and how Belfast has intertwined into the history that ship.
Further down we got a glimpse as to how the ship was built, the design and engineering that went into it, and several other technical specifications, like how much food was brought on board or how the linens were stocked and how each class of passenger’s room looked. There was a brief little Disney type ride that took you into how big the gantry for the ship really was and how rivet teams would bolt the ship together.
At the conclusion, you see how the ship sunk. Around this room, you could see the telegrams Titanic was receiving from other vessels, including a ship which was at a complete stand-still because they were surrounded by ice. The Titanic’s radioman responded with “Shut Up!” Lastly, you get to see how the Titanic looks now and how the debris landed at the bottom of the ocean and the technology and methods it took to find it.
We saw Eleanor a couple of times while we were there, but by the time we had to go, we didn’t find her again. We were only given about an hour and fifty minutes for this experience when really, you could spend four to five hours here.
Our next stop was a driving tour of Belfast with a local woman named Barbara. She toured us around Belfast and explained The Troubles, and even took us to a few murals which Belfast is known for, that are filled with political commentary. We both had a hard time staying awake for all of it.
From there we started making our way down south back to Dublin, we read and slept during this journey, stopping for lunch very briefly, where Kay our tour guide continued to vent and confide in us. She was pleased that we were staying at the Marker, which is a hotel she had stayed in and really liked. She also asked me multiple times to email the Gate1 people about the tour and her because she felt that she would be receiving bad reviews from some of the people on the tour. Before getting back on the bus, we gave Nick, our driver, his gratuity and he seemed very grateful for it. I slipped him the green handshake, but in this case, we suppose it’s the red handshake since the bills were red.
After arriving at the hotel which is in the outskirts of the city, we took about an hour and a half breather and met up with a select few people at 6:00PM to have some drinks and eat. It was nice to have a final sit down with the people we liked. Kay even joined us for a quick drink but left when we did because she had a date later that evening.
Once dinner was over, we walked back to the hotel and said our goodbyes. Kathy, of the trio, really took a liking to us and continued to offer her home to us in Arizona, as did Darby. She earlier had told me to thank my parents for raising such an amazing son. She said the same to Cynthia but said that for girls it’s expected.
We said our final goodbyes and made our way back to the room. Looking forward to our last day in Dublin, not because we want the trip to be over, but because we are looking forward to the activities of tomorrow, just us.
Day 12 & 13– June 3rd-4th
“Making Our Mark”
We woke up earlier than needed today, and it was because we wanted to say a final farewell to Kay, our tour guide. We got her a card along with her gratuity of which she deserved the full sum. We got ready and made our way down to the lobby, we saw her there with a few of the other guests, and her first words to us were “what are you two doing up so early?” She had a good point. We said our farewells and thanked her for her hard work. She appreciated that we gave her a card, and she confided her sincere gratitude in the encouragement and consolation we gave her a couple of nights back, and she said: “I was about to just give it up.” We were both happy we made a difference.
From there we got breakfast, and while we ate, we saw Henri one last time. He thanked us for putting up with him, which to us was ludicrous since he was one of our favorite people in the group. He said he is often lonely and not used to being around people; this is why he goes on trips, so he can engage with other humans. He went on to tell us that he sometimes goes to Starbucks just so he say, “one tall latte” to someone and actually speak to another human. This confession was compounded by the fact that earlier he had told us he has no one to go home to, and that his photographs are just for him, there is no family, no friends, no one else. We said our farewells to him, telling him he was one of our favorites, but wow, did he knock us out with that last conversation.
After calling a cab, we made our way to the new hotel The Marker. As we pulled up, the architecture immediately told us that this was something special. When we walked inside, saw the décor, the design, the architecture, and the friendly, smiling staff, we knew immediately that indeed this place would be a treat. We checked in, and the whole trip to our room was a series of “are you kidding me?” “This is ridiculous” “this place is amazing” and the like. Everything shimmered of modern aesthetic and chic design. Then we entered into the room, and we were blown away. The cabinets, the amenities, the bed, the view, the bathroom (oh the bathroom!), it was one of the most beautiful hotels we’d ever been in. Second only to Hotel Gran Florida in Barcelona.
Once we offloaded our luggage, we hailed a cab and made our way to the Guinness Storehouse across town, a long eighteen-minute car ride. The Guinness Storehouse was everything I had wanted in a tour. It gave us an in-depth look into how Guinness is made, the ingredients, the history, the taste, and even how to drink it. We did the tasting room, which showed us how to drink a proper pint of Guinness, I think the main take away from that was how one should breathe in completely before taking in the sip.
I took a picture of a large sculpture made by twenty artists, and in this picture, there is a little hidden Cynthia in it. We ate lunch at a pub inside and then went up to the overcrowded Gravity Bar, where we had our last Guinness of the trip. It was a really nice tour, and we were glad we could spend some time there.
After the Guinness tour, it was raining a little, but we decided to walk to O’Connel street to buy some last-minute gifts. It took us about 25 minutes to get to our destination, and once we got what we needed, we just decided to continue walking across town. We decided to have an early dinner, considering that all restaurants close early, at the historic Temple Bar. We ate at the Old Store House, where we would have our last traditional Irish dinner. After dinner, we walked to the hotel. From the Guinness Storehouse to The Marker was about 5 miles, an enjoyable walk.
Once back at our beautiful and fantastic hotel, we packed and optimized our bags as much as possible. From then on, we did nothing but lounge away, make jokes, take pictures of the view and watch movies. It was a lovely way of ending our trip.
The next morning we woke up a 5:50AM Dublin time, packed our bags and made our way to the airport. The drive was quick, and we did all the things we needed to do in a short amount of time. With one final carb-filled breakfast, we endeavored to do the US Pre-Clearance, which had us doing all the customs procedures in Dublin rather than in the states. I wish more countries did this.
We boarded our long flight back to the US; it went smoothly, and we watched the entirety of Sherlock Season three. Once we landed in NY, it was only 12:45PM EST, but 4:45PM Dublin time. We’d been up a while. After a quick lunch, we made our way to the terminal, lamenting the end of the trip and really not wanting to go back home. We just wanted to get on another flight and do it all over again.
The flight to Ft. Lauderdale was surprisingly empty. We got a row to ourselves, and I am writing this last entry from 32,000 feet in the air.
We summarize that this was the best trip we have ever taken. Everything about it was terrific, and we wish we could just keep going. The island of Ireland is beautiful, and even though we’ve said a few time that “well, it’s not like we’re going to be back any time soon.” Something tugs at us and says the opposite. We really enjoyed this place; its natural, stunning beauty, its people, its culture, its music. We joke that maybe we’ll go serve in the tiny little Kindom Hall our tour came across in a remote hilltop in the rugged western coast. A Kingdom Hall that is so strategically placed that even Kay said: “Wow, even the Jehovah’s Witnesses are here.”
