I never had any interest in going abroad until the end of my college experience – after study abroad opportunities had passed me by. I don’t know exactly when or how it started, but one day I just knew that I wanted to see the world. A friend bought me a subscription to Frommer’s Budget Travel magazine for my birthday, and I poured over the articles in every issue. When dad and I saw a great deal to Ireland, we jumped at the chance to go.

The following words are mostly a word for word account of what I wrote in a journal during my trip. I wrote each night or morning, with more details at the beginning of the trip and hurried notes towards the end. I wrote so much at the time for my benefit – my congrats to you if you make it through :-)

Ireland November 10-17, 2003

For several days before the trip I was extremely anxious about the money situation since neither dad nor I have an ATM card (I have one but have never used it…amazing huh?). So instead of studying (for the GREs after I got home from work), I spent the last few days before the trip reading about exchanging money and then got sidetracked on planning the itinerary.

Basically dad and I left having a decent plan for Dublin, wanting to see the tourist trap of Blarney, and that was it! I shrugged and told everyone, “We’ll just ask the locals,” but of course on the plane and all day (today, the 11th) I’ve been freaking out about an itinerary.

Backtracking…we left town around 2:30pm and didn’t really hit traffic to speak of until after DC. When we got to Baltimore/Washington International Airport (BWI), we drove around 2 times and the 3rd we finally found long term parking (the sign pointed to the right, not straight and to the right….). We got to the Aer Lingus counter, all excited to be 2.5 hours early, and of course, we weren’t. When the time changed to end Daylight Saving Time, the fight schedules changed and we had no idea. The lady wasn’t very nice about it at first, but her mood seemed to lighten a bit with our politeness (and seemingly for the fact that my birthday is March 17th).

We exchanged a bit of money, went through security, called mom, waited, and boarded the plane for an overnight flight. We were actually seated together (afraid we wouldn’t be since I almost didn’t even get a seat on the plane!), and I had the window (which wasn’t a big deal since it was dark). I was exhausted, but they fed us for the first few hours. Even with earplugs things were still noisy. I probably got no more than 1 hour of sleep.

I admit I was a bit disappointed with the lack of fanfare on getting our passports stamped and going through customs, but at least it was quick. We picked up the rental car, hopped in shortly after 7am, and off we were to the Cliffs of Moher…in the dark, with rain, on the left side of the road, and me sitting where I normally do to drive :-)

Within 2 minutes we had already navigated 1 or 2 roundabouts. Didn’t know if I liked them at first, but I love them! I did a pretty good job as navigator (which is amazing because I generally have a terrible sense of direction), other than getting us to turn off too early a couple of times because I thought we had missed our turn.

So through Ennis, Ennismyton, Lihinach, and Liscannor to the Cliffs. We were the first ones in the parking lot! We bundled up, got the cameras, and headed up the path. FREEZING! Rain whipped around everywhere and within 2 minutes our pants were SOAKED through in the back. The wind made it feel like tiny needles were poking us. As we neared the fence, the wind sounded like a tornado. The rocks were speckled with green and birds flew around the cliffs. The ocean was teal below us and then a beautiful blue at the horizon. Dad and I followed the trail to the top and then headed back down to the car.

We both got a change of clothes and then headed north a few more kilometers. County Clare was beautiful along the coast. Stone fences by the road, all of the plots are marked off by stone fences…it was gorgeous.

We decided to go to Limerick to eat. Roads were narrow, we found one of the death signs to photograph, and dad even passed someone (explanations: in each county is a sign with how many people have died on the roads in the last 4 years with slogans like “Speed Kills” and “Stop the Carnage.” A friend from Ireland had told us about them before we left, so we were out the lookout. And at first we had tons of cars passing us, so for dad to pass someone was big.) In Limerick we found a parking garage, and it was still raining and still freezing. I was miserable because I had changed into the coat that doesn’t keep out water (since the one that does had been soaked at the Cliffs). We wouldn’t get the payphones to work (stupid Americans right?), so we stopped at O’Briens to eat. Lovely sandwiches and coffee (note: I say “lovely” a lot now). I had a difficult time understanding the lady at the counter, and she even dismissed me with a wave the second time I had to ask her to repeat something. Then we went to an internet cafe to get a card to call mom. The lady probably thought we were stupid (are you sensing a pattern here?) because we couldn’t figure anything out and had to keep asking her questions. We left the cafe, got an umbrella from a nice guy named Mike in a sports store, and then went to one of the Bank of Ireland branches to exchange more money.

We then left Limerick and headed to Adare, which everyone says is the prettiest village in Ireland. Maybe we were just tired because I wasn’t terribly impressed. From there we drove on to Patrickswell and found the Fort Ann B&B. Mike greeted us so nicely. We brought our things in, had tea and bread, I got a shower, and then we met Breda. They’re both so sweet. So as I write this, Breda is talking to dad and me in the sitting room with a nice fire.

We have so many plans for the next few days, who knows what we’ll get done!

November 12

Dad and I both slept for about 11 hours last night and woke up 10 minutes before Breda was going to have breakfast ready.

First there was yogurt and fruit. Then a big bowl of Frosties (Frosted Flakes) with what I believe to be whole milk (I’m a skim milk girl). Then an egg, most of 3 pieces of bacon (Canadian bacon style), ½ sausage link, ¾ of another sausage. Oh yes, and a piece of brown bread with orange jam.

(Every time I ate something, I had no idea more was on the way. Can’t believe I even ate half of that!)

After breakfast we set out for the Ring of Kerry, and it was beautiful. It stopped raining enough for us to enjoy it. Killorglin looked so pretty, but unfortunately we only passed through and couldn’t even stop to take a picture. We stopped to walk for an hour in Glenbeigh because I thought we’d eventually be able to see the water. I was wrong :-)

Ring of Kerry

Most of the rest of the Ring wasn’t scenic and the roads were terrible. I have to hand it to dad for all the driving he did!

There was one spot where we got out to film, and it smelled just like the ocean at home (the saltwater smell...the rest of the time the coast smelled “damp”).

I finally saw more than one flock of sheep! Lots of them at that. And I finally saw the Garda (police) pass by in their cars.

Now we’re in Kenmare. BEAUTIFUL town. We stopped to take a break, dad’s on the phone with mom, and I don’t think we’ll be able to see Cork at all today. Too early to check into the next B&B and too late for Cork.


Kenmare

(Later that night I journaled more)

Well we ended up going straight to the B&B Findus House with Mary, Michael, and Michelle O’Sullivan. They’ve owned the farm for several generations, and I believe there are 8 kids (dad thinks 9). Maxine and Bruce from the States greeted us because the O’Sullivans had just lost power and were trying to get things in working order.

Dad and I headed down the mountain into Macroom because I needed some medicine. The pharmacies had just closed about 10 minutes prior to our arrival. A gentleman at a convenience store said, “A bad pint of Guinness will do” to cure my ailments. Ha! He pointed out a grocery store where we got water, chips (well, crisps), a candy bar, and medicine.

We got lost on the way back to Kilnamartyra from Macroom. We drove up and down on what was 1.5 lanes until we found a man walking his dog and asked him for directions. The sky was so dark that you could only see what your headlights illuminated. When we got back we had coffee, tea, and scones. Their scones were small, soft biscuits with powdered sugar. The scones here at home in stores can’t even touch them. Michael came in and sang to us. The five of us (Bruce and Maxine, dad and I, and Michael) discussed travel and the world for a long time by the fire... Bruce and Maxine have been everywhere!

That night our bedrooms were freezing since the power still wasn’t on! I slept in 2 shirts, flannel pants, 2 pairs of socks, and I even wore gloves! It was definitely one of those nights where you feel like you didn’t get any sleep at all. A wonderful breakfast made up for it -- pancakes with sliced fresh fruit!

November 13

We left Findus House late, then found Blarney with no problem. We walked up the narrow passageway of the Castle and kissed the Blarney stone :-) Then we headed to Cork, the busiest and biggest town we had been to so far. We stopped at a shopping center, but didn’t see anything special in town (Cork is supposed to be amazing so I’m sure we just hadn’t planned well...that and it was still raining). So we drove through the city until we found our road, and while the roads were nice and the view was pretty, the bigger city was too crowded for us.


Kissing the Blarney Stone

We’re currently on N8, and we have mountains/hills to the left that are just beautiful and snapshots of exactly how I pictured Ireland to be. The patchwork quality of fields with stone and tree “fences.”

Our next stop was Cahir and Cahir Castle. The nicest people we’ve met since we’ve been here offered us some coins because we didn’t have enough change to pay for parking. The castle was pretty but not a “wow.” Then we sped towards the Rock of Cashel, but we missed the last tour by 10-15 minutes. Dad got the car stuck on a rock wall and I had to push us out :-)


From a tower at Cahir Castle

Then we were off to Freshford where we found the B&B but kept driving to Kilkenny (which dad kept calling Killarney, and he kept calling Freshford Frankfurt). Kilkenny was a pretty city, but we couldn’t find parking anywhere. After driving around the city several times, we gave up and parked at an elementary school and then walked all over town looking for some place to eat. I wasn’t feeling well so I couldn’t eat heavy foods, but dad was really in the mood for something nice. We tried to find a place that compromised to no avail. We were soaked (it was only a light drizzle when we left the car but pouring at this point, and the umbrella was in the car), and we gave up and ate at McDonalds where I had apples and grapes and a chicken wrap :-)

Then back to Moate Farm. Kathleen Cahill, her cute son Liam, and her husband greeted us. We called home, and I called my pal Simon in the UK for a few minutes. Liam answered all of our questions. He and Michelle (from Findus) are both working and traveling. Amazing that everyone here goes abroad.

November 16

Writing about the 14th and 15th now.

We left Kathleen’s and came to Flemintown House in Dunshaughlin/Ratoath. Mike gave us directions to Dublin via Blanchardstown Centre. We stopped at their library to get on the computer to email friends and family about our trip for the first time.

Finally we bought bus tickets at Stanley’s in the mall and got on the 39. After an hour on the bus (constant stops!) we got off at Trinity College. Dad and I immediately fell in love with Dublin. We entered Trinity, and I almost felt like I was at UVA and the Lawn. We knew we weren’t in the right building for the Book of Kells, but dad asked 2 students where to go. They pointed us in the right direction but then came running after us to say they would get us in for free. The told us, “It’s not worth 7 Euro to get in,” and apparently students are allowed to get a guest in for free each day. So we chatted with Francine and Ursula while we were in line (they wanted to know if we were visiting on holidays :-)), and they told us to see Dublin Castle.

After getting us in at the register, they smiled, waved, and headed off. In the exhibit we read about the Book of Kells, saw sample pages, and then entered the Long Room. I fell in love with it! The Long Room houses about 200,000 very old books in row after row of shelves reaching from floor to ceiling. Dad and I became fascinated with Robert Emmett, his trial, and the Proclamation for Irish freedom.

After that we headed down Dame Street to Dublin Castle. It wasn’t on my list but I am so glad we went. We made the very last tour of the day at 4:50 or so, and it only cost €3 each. Stephen was our tour guide (loved his accent!!), and he first led us up a very nice staircase where there was a coat of arms for the past 7 presidents. When a president completes their term, their coat of arms goes on the wall. We saw the James O’Connolly room (Stephen’s personal hero), and he was a socialist and reformer that founded a group that I can’t think of right now. Next was a room with a portrait that no one is allowed to photograph or film (I can’t remember the reason why). Next was a room that was once a bedroom but now houses a long table that both Nelson Mandela and Bill Clinton have sat at for dinner and meetings. In that room was a painting of a woman who had a picture of her husband on her forearm (because she never wanted to be without him). Then the next room was one of my favorites. Around the wall hung portraits of the former Viceroys, and one of them was Cornwallis (I only remember him because Stephen made some joke about him). In this same room, there were “spy mirrors” along the wall. The host of the dinner would seat himself so he could look into these mirrors and see guests at the far ends of the table as well as keep an eye on the servants.

My favorite room was St. Patrick’s room which has this enormous ceiling. I think it’s currently used for balls or meetings, and it was set up for a meeting I believe for the next day. A man named Patrick was hurrying around, putting on the finishing touches. Very appropriate :-)
--Now as I’m typing this, I realize that I didn’t write about what was painted on that tall ceiling. Weird! Anyway, I may get this totally wrong, but I believe one of the Kings of England commissioned a painter to paint the three most significant events in Irish history on the ceiling. I can’t remember what the 2 on the edge were, but the middle (and largest) painting was of the King’s coronation. Hahaha!

We’re one of the last groups to see the castle for a while because of the EU presidency moving in or something like that. Next, Stephen took us into the old part of the castle (a fire destroyed the original castle and what is known as the castle now is pretty modern). We got to see the tower and structures underneath, learned about the River Poddle, the lake (“Black pool,” and the river and the lake are actually how the city got the name Dublin...don’t ask me how that all relates because I’ve forgotten...how terrible!), and Viking bricks. Stephen also told us a secret than an archaeologist friend of his might have discovered in town (although if he told us, I don’t know how much of a secret it is).

After the castle we toured Temple Bar. This area of Dublin had become really run down 10-20 years ago, but they’ve restored it, and it’s a really busy place now...it’s really just a street or two of shops and restaurants and lots of people gather to people watch or just meet to talk. We ate at Fitzer’s -- I had a goat cheese salad and dad had steak and fries. It was great! Our waiter Russell was very nice.

Next I think we shopped on Grafton St (known for having lots of shops), hopped on the 39, and came back to the B&B to find they had lost power.

Writing about the 15th on the 16th:

Had breakfast at Flemingtown house, served by Mike. Strawberry granola was great. Brown bread with honey (mel?) was excellent! It was the combo of the two because the bread alone wasn’t special and the honey on white bread wasn’t either.

We drove to the Center again, took the bus, and the card reader said “Card expired,” but we just booked it upstairs O:-) It was supposed to be good for 24 hours, but if you ride before a certain time of day, it expires that night. We figured we’d just play up on the dumb-Americans thing and keep moving. No one said a thing. This time we got off on the north side of the city, walked a lot, then headed down O’Connell Street (the most famous street in Ireland?). We saw the General Post Office where the Proclamation was read in 1916. Shopped in Clery’s (only in Ireland) and a few other stores. Headed to Nassau St., into Blarney Woolen Mills, and Butler’s Chocolate for a Chai Latte. Then on to the National Museum. I liked the brooches that held wool coats together, a few quotes describing various artifacts, and the room with all of the military things.

Next we headed to Christchurch Cathedral. Very pretty with a high ceiling. I can’t remember much about it now. After I saw St. Patrick’s Cathedral the next day, I totally forgot Christchurch.

We found an internet cafe on Dame St. where we each spent an hour online (...hehe, priorities!). Afterwards we walked into Temple Bar for some reason...either that or we just stopped nearby where Crown Alley empties onto Dame at the Central Bank of Ireland. There, a wonderful man and woman (not married, but very old friends) stopped and asked if we needed help. Dad and I had the map wide open, trying to find the best way to William St. South. They offered to show us the way (since they were heading in that direction), so we all set out. The man has lived in Dublin his whole life and shared story after story. The woman ran into a store to buy some items to take to Mass. When she came out, dad took a picture of me and the two of them. The woman kept smiling and saying how pretty I was. She asked if I was religious, then gave me some Catholic things to remember her by before heading to Mass. The man told us that his place was, “just around the corner,” and that we could park there for free the next day. Sounded great to us! But then, we walked for a very long time. Finally we asked him for directions and bid him farewell. I think he was a lonely man with a good heart who didn’t want to party company (...he kept trying to get us to follow him, but we were in back alleys and on the opposite end of town at this point than we should have been). So then we walked just about the length of the south side of the city that was shown on city maps and decided to do dinner at Bad Ass Cafe. They’re known for having some American fare and a very diverse crowd. We had a great pizza! After dinner we took the bus back to the center and to the B&B.

Nov 16.

We drove into Dublin ourselves and saved at least 40 minutes. Didn’t even have to pay to park since it’s Sunday. First we headed to St. Patrick’s Cathedral, and I fell in love. Must read more about St. Patrick (his breastplate) and Jonathan Swift (as Dean of St. Patrick’s). The gift shop closed for the service, so we hit Trinity College one more time so I could take a BWF t-shirt photo for Dennis. A woman was playing a harp on a street corner (beautiful!), and then back to Butlers for a Caramel Macchiato. After a couple of shops we headed back to the Cathedral...I loved their giftshop!

And then, the Guinness Storehouse! Learning about the beer making process was interesting, but the best part was the Gravity Bar up top. I only drank about 1/10 or less of my free pint (...I hate beer but felt I had to at least have a few sips), but the view was great. It’s a circular room with floor to ceiling glass so you can see the entire city. A woman sitting next to us on the floor was talking very loudly to her friend about the “Guinness” spilling out of her ticket and was wondering if it was safe. (...your ticket into the storehouse and bar is a plastic circle with a “drop of Guinness” in the middle. It said that if it broke and any spilled out to return it and let them know, and NOT to drink it, ha. Anyway, this woman’s ticket had actually broken and the liquid was on her hands and she was worried.) She turned to ask us our opinion, we read over the warning together, dad asked where she was from, and BOOM, a long conversation started, and dad and I now have 2 Brazilian friends! They’re currently studying English in London, and they gave us their home addresses in Brazil and said to come visit (...even if they are still abroad, hehe!). We talked forever...a bit about Bush, travel, not generalizing about a country, and then we hugged and kissed, exchanged currencies, and they promised to write us.


New friends in the Gravity Bar

After the Storehouse we found the car and headed back to Limerick.

Written on 11/17 about the 16th:

We made it to Breda’s safely, and there was celebration in the house. Mike is part owner of a dog, and she won the Kerry Cup! He says it’s rare for a female to win. In addition to money, he won a big, silver cup that they were going to take to the pub, fill it up, and pass it around for everyone to drink. He invited us to go, and we should have gone, but figured we’d need sleep (...the next morning I was very glad I hadn’t gone because we hardly slept as it was...but now I wish we would have). That night they had 4 other guests from the states (flying back home with us the next day), and we talked about world travel with one of the couples (who’s been everywhere).

11/17

This morning Ann cooked breakfast for us (Mike and Breda left on holidays). Dad and I packed up and took a whirlwind tour of Bunratty Castle. Then we headed to Shannon Airport, customs was easy, and here we are on the plane. Lunch was crisps, chocolate, water, and an apple (...ha, we were stuck in the airport and couldn’t go back through to get food so we ate what we still had left from the trip).

And that’s it! I didn’t write any more on the way back. I probably watched some TV program or movie and studied for the GREs.