My Week in Ireland

My Week In Ireland

Day 1
Today was my first day on my trip to Ireland, and I loved it! I visited the Rock of Dunamase. It was the most beautiful castle ruins I've ever seen (it was also the only castle in ruins that I've ever seen). It is hundreds of years old, and I'm not talking about the 1800's I'm talking about the 12 century. Also this building is 150 feet high, that's 46 meters. My neck got a cramp from looking up at all the archs and spires for so long. But there was another aspect that I liked about this Irish site. There is no bus, train, or taxi that will take you there, you have to hitch-hike to get to the castle. Someone finally picked me up (hitch-hiking). I was relieved that the person knew where they were going as I couldn't afford to get lost in a foreign country. But they were going to the Rock of Dunamase too. After a great day of exploring, I hitched another ride back to my hotel with these new friends. As we drove back, I looked through the pictures I had taken, and realized I already had filled up my memory on my new camera. Well, I'll see you tomorrow because I'm a little jet-lagged and it's also pretty late.

Day 2
Today I got to sleep in because the Dublin Ghost Bus (tour bus) doesn't leave until 11:00 A.M. The bus took us to so many beautiful sights. One of them was a drive along the beautiful south sea views. We saw waves crashing on the rock; the white foam spraying the spring air. We also could feel the cool breeze from the ocean, and at least I felt a little bit of salty mist on my face. Dublin is almost like Santa Barbara. If you look only at the ocean you might miss the bright green mountains right behind you. The only difference is the mountains in Dublin are a deeper green and are taller. The last stop on the tour was a stop at the Powerscourt House and Garden Estate. This house and this garden are the finest in all of Ireland. I saw so many lush plants and bright yellow, pink and orange flower as I wandered through the garden maze. Inside the estate, I saw many amazing art pieces and paintings.

Day 3
Today was especially amazing because I traveled to Dun Laoghaire. Dun Laoghaire is the oldest town in all of Ireland. It was settled in the 8th century. A sea fort surrounded the town and had been built for protection from raiding nearby countries such as Britain and France. The person who founded this colony was the High King of Ireland. He ruled the land for many years until he died. During his time of rule he built two piers. Both made of granite, and they still stand today. Many people windsurf near the west pier. I tried to windsurf, but the waves were too strong! So I walked along the east pier taking in the sites and smells of the beautiful ocean. Then I went out for a piping hot dish of Shepard's pie, and leisurely took in the evening in Dublin.

Day 4
A visit to Killarney is a must. The area is surrounded by beautiful lakes and horse-back riders galloping across velvety, green hills. This historical city is also dedicated to the "Ladies in Waiting." "Ladies in Waiting" are those wanting courtship and marriage--maybe I should keep my distance, and spend some time in the Irish Pubs instead. I mean what's a trip to Ireland without an Irish Pub Crawl? So today I went for a long walk through Killarney, and discovered that in that little town they have over seventy pubs!

Killarney Evening Pub Crawl
A Limerick Toast

Here's to the men who drink beer
Who stumble out of the pub with no fear
With 200 years of historic life
The pubs are where men prefer beer over a wife
Toasting to their Ireland, so dear

Day 5
Visiting Clonmacnoise was so much fun. Clonmacnoise is a Christian Monastry. It is on the east side of the River Shannon which once was the Kingdom of Meath. A very old saint founded this wonderful place more or less, about 1,000 years ago. This man went by the name of Saint Ciaran. He started building the monastery the day it was discovered. Today it has two twenty-foot round towers, and three celtic-high crosses. All of these structures were beautifully created, and were crafted with detail. The Whispering Door / Hallway. It was an important stop that I had read about in my tour guide books. Saint Ciaran built this structure so that it echoed when you whispered. This whispered echo could be heard throughout the hallway. This is where courting couples would stand side by side and whisper words of love underneath the arches of the Whispering Door. Forget the wife, forget the girlfriend, I just ran around yelling ECHO! ECHO! ECHO! ECHO!ECHO! Everyone was staring at me, and thinking that I was crazy, but the fun outweighed the humiliation.

Day 6
Today I thought that I would take a break from historic sites and walk across town to the Punchestown Festival. Apparently, it is the highlight of the social and sporting calender. Right as I set foot in the stadium, I could feel that that statement was true. There were vendors and food stands for everything that you could imagine. I started out by sampling the food. Now these weren't your basic popcorn and hot dog stands, these were a step above that. I sampled seafood and pasta at a few of the stands. The food was like no other food I had ever tasted. It was delicious! Fresh seafood from the cold Atlantic. With a stomach full of food I waddled over to the live entertainment area of the festival. That was fantastic too! They had everything from mimes to fashion shows. I checked out the street entertainment first. They had jugglers, mimes, and stilt-walkers. They even had a juggling mime on stilts!! I thought that these artists demonstrated a special gift so I threw a couple of euros into their basket. Then I saw the fashion show. They were modeling clothes and pop fashion that I didn't even know existed. I mean I saw a white leather wedding dress! Well, now it was off to go to the place that I really came to the Punchestown Festival for, the horse races! I found as seat in the cheering stands and watched the competitive horses race to the finish line. It was a close race, but the number two horse won the race! All together it was a festive, fun day of Irish culture.




Day 7
Today I visited the Fairgreen Shopping Center. I mean what's a vacation trip without getting some foreign trinkets to bring home? As I walked into the shopping center's revolving door, after being stuck in it for about half an hour, I could feel the excitement. From baby cradles to coffins they had it all! I started my shopping looking for some fun souvenirs. I went to BEST Men's and Boys' Clothing store. I purchased a few t-shirts that said "I (four leaf clover) Ireland" and a pair of jeans. After a few hours of shopping, I was feeling hungry. I mean my hunger is no comparison to an SBMS trip bike ride, but it's still a good work out for a novice shopper. So I went to Byrne's Burgers and Steaks fro a hearty lunch. I got their "Famous Cheeseburger," and I have to say it was one of the best burgers that I have had in a long time. Sadly, my flight is scheduled to leave at 2:00 P.M. and it's 1:00P.M., so I had better book it out of here and grab a cab and get to the Dublin Airport fast.