Weekend in West Country

On Friday morning we left for the West Country. The west coast is known for its coastline cliffs and unbelievable views. It was a 4.5-hour bus ride to our hostel but we stopped about an hour out at the Rock of Cashel, one of Ireland’s most historic sites. This is where St. Patrick baptized King Aengg. It is also a spot that has been fought over for hundreds of years, and a nice site if you ask me. We didn’t stay long though; we were ready for some cliffs

For our first day there, we were without an itinerary. Conveniently, Dr. Snyder asked a group of us to go golfing with him at a local par- 3 course called Doolin Pitch and Putt. The sites from the course were beautiful and it was a beautiful day to be outside. We had our fingers crossed that we would be so fortunate the rest of the weekend.

We woke up early Saturday morning with plans to catch the Doolin ferry to the Aran Islands. The archipelago consists of three islands, the largest of which was only 9x2 miles. The landscape on these islands is rugged, rock and divided by thousands of stonewalls. We rented a mountain bike upon our arrival. Our plan was to fast track our way through these twisting, sloping roads. Our first stop was on the top of the island’s highest point. Oun Arann Lighthouse and Signal Tower is the oldest lighthouse on the island. From atop it, you can see the entire island. It was a spectacular view, mazes of stonewalls scattered over grass hills. I’d say it was worth the hike. The ride down the hill was great; we practically coasted into our next destination, Oun Aong Hasa. This site is known as the most spectacular semi circular Celtic stone fort in all of Europe. The view of the island is one of the most lovely sites that I have ever seen. Absolutely breathtaking. The 200-year-old fort rests at the edge of a cliff 300ft above the Atlantic. Looking down the coast is a gift from the heavens. We hung our heads over the cliff to get views that bring the ocean to life and put chills down your spine. This site alone was worth a weekend, and we still hadn’t seen the more well known, Cliffs of Mohor. After a nap on the ferry ride back, we were ready for dinner. A local pub did the trick with a steak sandwich and some great seafood chowder. As for a drink, a couple of Buhlmer’s held me over.

Sunday was the day we had most anticipated, a trip to the Cliffs of Mohor, but first, the a look at the Burren. The Burren is a windblown limestone wasteland that hides flora, fauna, caves and a whole lot of history. It seemed like an intergalactic experience, with its lunar imagery. I have never seen anything like it. It was reminiscent of the Elephant graveyard in The Lion King. It was a nice prelude to the equally surreal Cliffs of Mohor.

The cliffs soar 650 feet above the Atlantic. There are no railings or fences restricting you from views.

Fact: Wind gusts have been fatal, resulting in an average of 2 deaths per month.

I still hung over the cliff to get some pictures. I think I’m getting a hold of this heights fear I have. Being up there was majestic. Think Avatar’s “Floating Mountains” and you’ll get an idea of what the area looked like on such a foggy day. Pretty great.

Food Festival

I like colloquialisms. I like using them to exaggerate a point. I usually resort to the common ones like “ Don’t hold your breath” or “It would be a cold day in Hell before I do that”. These are ones that basically say that there is a low chance of something happening. Here’s an original one put into conversation.

When asked: Are you going to Amsterdam for the weekend?

Response:

It would take a volcano erupting and spreading its ashes across Europe to keep that from happening.

Well what do you know? It happened. So we were left in Dungarvan. Not the worst thing that could have happened. I mean after all, we were pretty exhausted from the last two trips. Conveniently, this weekend was the weekend of the city’s food festival; which turned out to be a great time. The weekend started with a BBQ held at the Lawlor Hotel (which I recently heard that the Kennedy family ate at). The food was spectacular. Lamb, rabbit, burgers, sushi, barley soup and tons of scrumptious desserts. Everything, once again, was complimentary. Good old Dungarvan! As we ate, we listened to a live band and watched the locals tear up the dance floor. Not a bad night.

The following day started off on a similar note. More delicious food. This time we were attending a cooking demonstration by three of the countries top chefs. Each of their styles was unique. The first demonstrator cooked three courses utilizing all of the parts of a pig. The second specialized in Sicilian food. Ironically, she mentioned each of the places that we visited while there. The final demonstrator cooked vegan meals and gave us some interesting information on health concerns. For instance, did you know that you are supposed to wash fruits and vegetables with soap? Well I didn’t. I also had no idea what nettle is and no idea that it makes the most delicious tea I’ve ever tasted. After our final samplings, we had a nice relaxing day. I did some catching up on class work and a lot of catching up on sleep. It was nice to recharge my batteries.

Final Day in Sicily

We started off the day with a visit to the tourist information center. The center had been closed all weekend, so today was our first chance to stop in for the essentials i.e. a map, tourist hotspots and attractions. After gathering this information, we spent the day exploring as many of them as we could. Most of the sites were old churches but there were also some really cool parks and botanical gardens. One garden that we visited had a really nice exhibit on insects (not my thing, but they really do get as big as dogs). In the midst of our garden explorations, we stopped for some lunch. Pasta and peas, followed by gelato. A tasty treat!

Afterwards, we continued to explore the area. We walked along the beautiful coastline, stopping at shops and anything else that drew interest. After some rest, we were ready for food again. Dinner consisted of a nice antipasti buffet, amazing Ragu and the best cascada cake on earth. I am not exaggerating, it may just be that good.

With that much food in my belly, it was the perfect time to call it a night.

So we were already down to our final day before another dreadful airport experience. We woke up, gathered our things and we were out the door by 10 am. The problem with this is that we had an entire day to kill before our flight. Which would be fine, if it weren't for our heavy bags and our half ass plan of getting to the airport. Once we had everything figured out though, the day went smoothly. We revisited some of the sites that we liked and came across some new ones. We walked through street markets and looked for souvenirs for our families. I got a jar of pesto and a cookbook. That may have been a selfish purchase but its better than nothing. We snacked on food almost the entire day. Is it bad that I had three separate desserts today?

I ate real food too. We stopped for some pizza and one more fantastic meal before we journeyed back to Ireland. If there is one thing I took with me, its a desire to eat there again.

Palermo

We woke up early the next day to gather our things. As we were heading out the door, our host stopped us and gestured us to join him for breakfast. I'm glad he did. Mario treated us to a great breakfast which included freshly baked bread and hand squeezed orange juice and a variety of cheeses and pastry. Although I appreciated his gesture, we had a bus to catch. So we went to the station and we were on the road by 10 am. The ride to Palermo had some beautiful sites, which evoked hope for our voyage ahead.

The bus left us at a busy town square. As we exited the bus, we were faced with a beautiful opera house and rustic buildings all around. The streets were all made of stone bricks which complemented the brilliantly detailed buildings. As we walked the streets, we watched for hotels, hostels or any place that we could stay for the weekend. After asking around a bit, we found a 3- star hotel that gave us a discount because we were students. They also gave us a map and some recommended sites. Stroke of luck.

After settling in, we started our exploration by voyaging down the city's main stretch of shops. Along the way, we saw some beautiful cathedrals, museums and play houses including the Teatro Massimo, Mondella, Martorana, San Domenico and Palazzo Abatellis. These were all beautiful buildings that the city is known for. We worked our way down to the coast where the view was majestic. The clear blue water against the bottom of a range of mountains was a site to see. The opposing shore was faced with parks and gardens such as Orto Botanico and Villa Giulia. These gardens had beautiful trees and flowers, even fruit bearing ones.

A taste of their fruits sparked our appetites so we headed back towards the hotel to grab some dinner. There were so many places to chose from, so we picked one at random. It worked out nicely. Some of the best food i've ever had only cost me 7 Euro. This included Pesto Sicilia and a buffet of Antipasta.

After over indulging twice over, we were ready to call it a night.

Trapani

Our flight to Sicily boarded at 9:50 am, so we were up early to anticipate anything Ryan Air had in store for us. The flight process was the usual hellish ordeal but the flight itself had a pleasant surprise. The French Alps. Flying over them was an incredible experience. I could see snow capped mountains peaking above the clouds. The range spread as far as I could see and provided the most picturesque view you could imagine. I began to think about what an amazing experience it would be to stand at the top of one, after a long hike. Perhaps another trip. First, Sicily.

When we landed, the plan was to find the bus to the center of Trapani, where our B&B host was to pick us up from. This task was more difficult than we anticipated. In a low- tourist area like Trapani, there is a low English speaking population. Common sense dumb ass! When we finally made it to our host, communication seemed even less hopeful. There are only so many words you can look up in a guide book before a conversation dies. Upon our arrival at the B&B, we saw alot of nothing. Pretty sites, but not much going on. We had been warned about it being a port city and not much more. The warning was validated as the night went on.

Times like these make traveling tough. No map, no communication... Seemingly, no hope. At one point, i was actually scared. You don't realize the comfort that a group of travel companions provide until you're without one. Especially in a place of a different tongue. Not to fear though. I came up with a plan.

Word of mouth led me to believe that if we could make our way to a city called Palermo all of our problems would disappear. So we found a bus heading there in the morning. Until then, just eat, sleep and survive. For food we did great though. One thing about Sicily, you can eat anywhere and it will be an amazing meal. We picked up two fantastic pizzas, some Gelato and a bottle of wine ( all for 13 Euro. Not bad right?). We ate dinner in our bedroom and went straight to bed with fingers crossed for Palermo.

And Then There Were Two

It was our last day with the group before they flew back to Dublin. We spent it revisiting our favorite spots, including Sacre Coeur. We started off the day tourist style, visiting all the shops and purchasing souvenirs for our loved ones. We eventually worked our way over to the Louvre and made an attempt to visit the exhibit on the building's history. You can only understand so much in French.

Dinner that night was marked with sentiment. It was the exclamation point on an amazing adventure. We went to an Italian bistro, with street side seating. When in Rome, right? After a little bit of Gelato, we called it a night. The rest of the group had to be up early, so we followed the trend to send them off.

We woke up at around 8 for breakfast and the group's departure. At some point during the day, Cherie and I had to make our way to an airport outside of Paris, to catch our flight to Sicily. But first we said our goodbyes. I was sad to see some people go. Sharing an experience like Paris brings people together, and although I knew i'd see them shortly, I also knew that it would not be under such extraordinary conditions. It was especially tough seeing Keiko cry as she said au revoir.

When everyone left, a feeling set over me. I was no longer comforted by their leadership and knowledge. Cherie and I, for the first time, were completely on our own. It didn't take much to tell that she had felt a bit weary also. Check out had passed, and our flight was from an airport 2 hours away. With some time to kill, we decided to do some more exploring in Paris. So we set off on foot through the city, until we came across the Rodin Museum. This was an interesting exhibit. I would say that his most interesting sculpture was The Gates of Hell. This sculpture displays a scene from Dante Aleghieri's " The Inferno". Many of Rodin's other sculptures are featured in The Gates of Hell, including the Thinking Man. I think his sculpture really brings the story to life, so I enjoyed viewing it most.

Before catching the metro to the bus station, we stopped to snack on some more "complimentary" breakfast. We took a second to soak in a last look at the surrounding city. The rest of the day would be filled with metro and bus rides, interspersed with waiting, walking and back pain. We found a hotel just outside of the airport to stay at until our morning flight.

J' Adore Paris!

I may have forgotten to mention one key thing... Our hotel buffet has an amazing coffee, expresso, cappuccino, what ever drink you want- maker. It wasn't relevant until day 4 of my trip, when exhaustion set in. I had been walking 12-15 miles per day, every day. My legs were tired, back aching from carrying rations around and heavy eyes from early mornings and late nights. This machine saved my trip, along with a drink called Burn that I found for 1.30 Euro at a nearby grocer. I would crash eventually, but not today. There was too much to do!

Our first excursion of the day was to Museo Carnavalet. This museum is dedicated to the history of Paris. I can't say that I really enjoyed this one. I wouldn't recommend it but what can I say, the Van Gogh museum was closed for repair. From here we visited Centre Pompidou. A place that I truly enjoyed and one hundred percent recommend. Aside from the buildings amazingly modern structural expressionism, It housed some pretty amazing works of contemporary and modern art. I appreciated the modern art most. There were displays of abstraction, cubism, dada and early surrealism. My favorite artist of modern expression was Edward Krasinski. I suggest you check out his stuff. After 3 or 4 hours there, we thought it might be a good idea to head back to Notre Dame and check out its interior.

To no shock, it was pretty incredible. It gothic details were highlighted by the age and wear of the building and even the atmosphere was tainted gothic by the building's limited daylighting. Fun fact: there is a crypt beneath the cathedral; ruins of an old Roman designed city. We were able to walk through the ruins, which was an interesting experience. You could see remnants of arches and columns and even their bath and spa rooms.

There was also a small church nearby, that was of interest to Keiko, so we went to check it out. Sainte- Chapelle is a 13th century gothic church that is known for its use of stained glass. Only 5 colors are used, but all of the bible's stories are depicted in its window covered walls. It is beautiful. Another place that I recommend seeing.

After a quick bite to eat, we were back at it again. Next stop the Pantheon. Another huge, neoclassical structure. It holds the tombs of many notable people including french philosopher and mathematician, Renes Descartes. What I found most impressive about the Pantheon was the tunnels that ran underneath the ground level, this is where all the tombs were. They seemed to stretch on forever and if I hadn't been directed to them, I would have never known they were there. This feature made me wonder about how many hidden features there could be in any one of these buildings.

After heading back, the group decided that we would eat together at a Vietnamese place called Escale a Saigon. We had a great time there. Once again, Heidi and the other professors were amazingly nice to us, and treated us all to appetizers. I really respect their efforts to make us feel comfortable. Each of them have gone above and beyond for us. During the dinner, I got a chance to talk more to Heidi and Dr. Mcgurk. I have come to love Heidi's wit and Dr. Mcgurk's sincerity. They are both some of the nicest people i've known. They will be missed when they leave.

Peak of Paris

Day three I was starting to get in the swing of things. I woke up extra early, ready for another day enjoyment and artistic admiration. After demolishing the buffet and stuffing another meal into my backpack, I headed with the group to Musee d' Orsay. The building itself is an impressive structure of neoclassical style. It holds many works of impressionism and displays some modernist art too, including many works of Van Gogh. I enjoyed the art here tremendously because of their emphasis on light, visible brush strokes and unique points of perspective.

After some time at the museum, we ventured over to one of my favorite spots in Paris, Sacre Coeur. The Sacre Coeur is a Roman Catholic church located on the highest hill in Paris, Montmartre. The journey there was entirely uphill, leaving the view back nothing short of spectacular. The basilica itself is unbelievable in size and detail ( sounds a bit like every building i've described, but its true!) After exploring the inside of the church, we explored the surrounding streets. This area was what made Sacre Coeur so memorable for me. There were small shops, tons of outdoor cafes and you couldn't walk 5 steps without seeing a starving artist sharing his work. I really did want to buy every piece of artwork there. I didn't have the money too though, so I just got some Gelato!

After descending the massive hill, we headed to Les Invalides. This building contains many artifacts of military relevance, most notably, Napoleon's tomb. Once again, wow! The guy knew how to do it big. Even his tomb was overly large, Shrek like actually. After exiting, we plopped down on the lawn to snack on some of our "complimentary" breakfast. Just as we were finishing up our meal, it began to get dark. A nice time to see the Eiffel Tower again!

Some Life I Have Going Me!

The next morning, I eagerly woke to begin some more adventures. Breakfast buffet. Good food too. Crepes, brie, ham and an endless amount of Nutella. A pleasant way to start my morning. After a quick meeting, we were off to the Louvre. Once again, more giggling. Size alone. 652,000 square feet. 35,000 objects from prehistory. Fact. you can't do the Louvre in one day, most likely, not even in one week.

Then museum is housed in the Louvre Palace, which was originally built as a fortress in the 12th century. The museum's famous pyramid design was done by I.M. Pei, a master of modern architecture. I was taken away before even entering, so you can imagine what the entire experience had been like for me. After walking through sculpture galleries, and rooms filled with wall to wall paintings I arrived at the museums largest attraction, the Mona Lisa. It struck me as strange that I had walked through room upon room of religious painting, ones of Jesus, the last supper, Mary and angelic figures. Right there in the mix, the Mona Lisa. Why?

The Mona Lisa wasn't the only painting or work that got me thinking. For this reason, I developed an appreciation for art that I had not had prior to this trip. I now love a day at the museum. As a group, our time at the Louvre was cut short, so another visit sometime during my stay was definitely in store.

After leaving the museum, we strolled past the Palais Royal to the Place De La Concorde, a beautiful public square. After exploring its landscapes and surrounding buildings we found ourselves at the Arc De Triomphe. The Arc De Triomphe is a monument to honor soldiers of Paris. It is a massive structure that centers in the intersection of 11 major avenues. The view from the top of it was amazing. We enjoyed it so much that we made an attempt to eat lunch there before being scorned by a security guard. After soaking in the sites from above, we went back to ground level for a trip to the Orangerie Museum to take a look at some works of impressionism. They had two entire galleries dedicated to Monet's Water Lilies. I really enjoyed the way that he would paint the same scene in a variety of ways, including time changes and depth changes.

After a couple of hours at the museum we headed up to the lively Latin Quarter. The area is known for its bistros, so we went as a group for a traditional french dinner at Bistrot de la Montague. We had a nice 3 course meal which included french onion soup, pouched salmon, a cheese dish and of course, ice cream. Our professors graciously treated us to this fine meal, along with unlimited wine. Some life I have going for me! While we sat eating, IN PARIS, a guitarist walked throughout the restaurant energizing the group. Before we knew it, everyone was up dancing, led by our fantastic professors.

The City of Light

On Easter Sunday we began our group excursion to Paris, France. We left for the Cork Airport at around 7:30 in the morning and boarded for Paris about 3 hours later. After the usual tedious and frustrating airport experience, we arrived in a city that was just a short bus ride away from The City of Lights. With our excitement built, we anxiously sat through yet another orientation about the city and what to expect.

When in Paris, do what the Parisians do! I don't think we took that approach. As a typical group of American tourists usually does, our first stop was the Eiffel Tower. On the way there though, the sights were amazing. Every building was so intricately designed and coincided so nicely with the others. I guess the best way to describe it is that instead of the usual process, where buildings are planned then built and a city is the result, it almost seemed like the city was planned and the buildings were constructed as pieces to the city's grand design. I was truly impressed. Though, at first sight of the tower i was not overly impressed. I was of course blown away by its size and presence but aesthetically it wasn't that pleasing.

About an hour later, when the sun had set and darkness set in, the tower lit up. Truly one of the most beautiful sights. Each of its tiny lights twinkled like stars against the night sky. It was majestic. Honestly, the entire city had that majestic feel. Each and every building had lights casted on it, highlighting their architectural details. The spots of shadows and glimmers of light created an ambience that explains Paris' undeniable romanticism.

Leaving the tower, we walked along the Seine River, where we could see boats pass under tremendously ornamented bridges. We made a stop at a nearby Japanese restaurant for some dinner. We snacked on Sushi as we gawked over what we had seen so far. But the night was still young, so we still had some exploring to do. Our next stop, Notre Dame Cathedral.

Have you ever giggled when you see something that just blows your mind? Well I did when we arrived at the amazing gothic structure. It exhibited an indescribable amount of detail across the entire span of its massive exterior. As I sat staring at it, I thought about the passion that its designer must of had in the process of its construction and the feeling that he had upon its completion.

USA V. IRE

At around noon yesterday, a bunch of us got together for a trip to Blarney Castle. The mayor and his wife graciously offered us a ride to the 13th century structure. What makes this castle particularly worth a visit is the Stone of Eloquence, better known as the Blarney Stone. Legend has it that kissing this stone will give you the gift of flattery. This ritual has been performed by millions of people including some major names in entertainment and politics. Though, this kiss is not achieved easily. In order reach this stone, you have to go to the peak of the castle and then lean over backwards on the edge of its parapet. This is especially difficult if you have a fear of heights, like i do. For a moment, I was able to conquer my fear. Hopefully its luck will show.

Another strange ritual that the castle holds is the Wishing Steps. Supposedly, if you can walk up and down this stone stairway, eyes shut, with only a wish in mind, it will come true. Not sure about the grey areas on this one, but i slid down the railing... Does that work?

Truthfully, the part of this trip that I liked best was unbelievably rich, natural landscape. I took loads of pictures detailing the waterfalls, flowers and stones displayed along the walking paths. I experimented with the features of my new camera and found a lot more joy in the art of photography.

After a quick stop for some ice cream, we headed back to the hotel for some dinner. We tried to keep it light because we had big plans for the night. An extremely important and international sporting event. U.S.A v. Ireland. Beer Pong. A bunch of the guys from the pub were coming over to play some beer pong and other American drinking games. We kept score by country, like a miniature olympics. We even had a trophy. We ended up tying, or losing track of score from over consumption. One of the two. Great night though.

Dublin Part 3: final chapter

I woke early Sunday morning and for the first time I didn't have an itinerary. My plan was to explore the city by foot, hitting up all the major attractions. The first of which was Trinity College.

Trinity College is well known because it is Ireland's oldest university. It contains a beautiful fairy tale like library and of course The Book of Kells. This book is a manuscript written in latin, which holds the four gospels of the New Testament. It is beautifully decorated and scribed on leather pages. I did not get a close look at the book but the library itself was magnificent. It was lined with books from floor to ceiling with tall sliding ladders bound to the shelves (picture Beauty and the Beast crossed with a beautiful cathedral). It seemed extremely dated in comparison to the rest of the campus, which was a nice blend of old buildings and modern facilities.

After our visit to Trinity we swung across town for a quick trip to the Guinness brewery. Its amazing just how complicated the brewing process is. Makes me wonder how they came up with it in the first place. Fun fact: If Guinness is not served at 7 degrees Celsius it will loose 50 percent of its taste. Just as impressive as the process, was the building it took place in. Its design and the story behind it are brilliant. Arthur Guinness leased the building in 18th century. He leased it for 9000 years- i'd say he believed in his product. The building was redesigned to keep its original infrastructure and the brewing process intact and exposed. Pretty cool. Even cooler, at the very top of the building is an all window bar, allowing you to overlook the city. I would have taken more pictures for you but i was too busy pouring the perfect pint. Yes, they teach you their famous technique and certify you as an expert in it!

Certified!