My Home Across the Pond

Realization of our trip’s end officially set in with a reception dinner. Dressed in our best, we gathered in the Park Hotel’s formal dining area to formally thank the town for our experience and to acknowledge the sanctity of our international union. We listened as professors, students and council members expressed an appreciation for our union. At every other ceremony that I have ever been to, the repetition becomes tiresome. Thanks to this person; thanks to that person; when can we leave? The sincerity of this town has made the words spoken that night unmistakably genuine and unfathomably true.

As we said our final goodbyes, sadness consumed us. We weren’t just parting with a country; we were parting with an experience; with our new friends and with what we learned to call home. After clearing out the last of my things, I sat on my bed in silence. The empty room that I first came to was different than the one I now sat in. My experiences gave it meaning and in many ways they gave me meaning.

One-hundred-thousand thanks to the town of one-hundred-thousand welcomes.

One Final Excursion

In the Irish spirit of “Carpe Diem” a group of us made one final excursion, this time to The Copper Coast and Mahon Falls. Each of these destinations is on the southern coast of the island but is distinctively beautiful. The Copper Coast gets its names for its once mined metal industry. The word “Industry” portrays imagery converse to its stunning shoreline. I sat there admiring it, starring off into the clear ocean water. I was sitting at the end of the vast world; a grain of sand on an ocean washed shore. On the ride to Mohan Falls, I sat and thought about the triviality of any one being in this infinite world. Perhaps Keats sat upon this same shore in his own realization.

We stopped at the Mahon Falls on our way back to the hotel. Who knew that this natural wonder was right in our backyard? Mahon Falls is a sixty-meter waterfall that rushes over a divergence of small mountains. There is beauty in the symmetry. The air made my lungs proud as I gazed upon the mystic setting. Even the water tasted more pure.

A Gentleman's Game

With merely two weeks remaining, our Ireland adventure was concluding. Although this made us sad, we still had a lot to celebrate. We had already experienced nine unforgettable weeks, and with class already at a close, we had the chance at Irish leisure without constraint. Sounds like trouble, right?

Our time was spent celebrating some birthdays and playing a simulation of golf; you know, the gentleman’s game.

Pub golf is a very complex game. Let me explain. It is a partner game (a scramble, so to speak). Each pair of players makes their way through 18 different pubs, drinking a pint of beer at each one. Strokes are counted as lifts to the mouth (a complete chug being a hole-in-one). There are also two bunkers, where shots are to be taken and two water hazards, where bathrooms may not be used.

One of the “golfers” suggested an addendum that brought an entirely new dimension to the game. We created a variety of awkward, yet humorous sentences, to be chosen at random. If one of these were to be said to a stranger, a stroke would be subtracted from that team’s score. “ You would look great in Periwinkle”.

Okay, “simulation” may not be the best word choice, and “gentlemen’s game” may be a stretch, but I think we kept our composure quite well considering our aggressive drinking approach. When in Ireland, do as the Irish do, Right? Until morning, we stood along side some of our Irish friends and did it the Irish way. We danced to songs of laughter and drank to songs of sadness; singing all along. No amount of nausea or degree of aching head could diminish the joy that the nights companionship has brought me.

Scotland Part 2

After a good night's rest, we grabbed some breakfast and continued our exploration of Edinburgh. We had some ideas of what we wanted to do that were brewed up in our previous explorations. We planned on: visiting the Our Dynamic Earth Museum, visiting Edinburgh Castle and further exploring the Royal Mile. The Royal Mile is pretty interesting. It is the city's largest tourist spot, it is composed of a variety of small shops and historical sites; which for me was reminiscent of Paris, on a smaller scale of course. We walked this route to and from the Museum, making our journey an event in its own.

The Our Dynamic Earth Museum is a unique experience. It is a science center that offers information on the processes and cycles of the earth. This two and a half hour experience consists of a variety of visual displays and videos. We really enjoyed the videos and learned a variety of new things about the way the earth works. I recommend it on a rainy day or for a nice relaxing experience.

After the exhibit, we headed back up the Royal Mile towards the Edinburgh Castle. After some souvenir shopping, we arrived at the castle. The castle was not a very good experience for us. Besides the fact that a camera was stolen from us here, we found that the castle did not have much to offer other than its aerial views of the surrounding city. I do not recommend a visit here.

After our castle visit, we were ready for some food. It was our last night in Scotland, so we felt like doing it big for dinner. A bottle of wine and a nice italian meal made the day complete and also made us pretty tired. With an early flight the next morning, we gave in to our fatigue and called it a night, but first we went for a final walk down the beautiful streets of Edinburgh. We took a good look at the gardens, monuments and castles against the night sky. Truly a site to see.

Scotland

In the last weekend of April, we scheduled an excursion to Scotland. The trip started off quite smoothly. We were able to skip out on the hassle of sleeping in the airport, due to another grand gesture by Tom Keith. He called and paid for a taxi ride the morning of our flight. This gave us a chance to go into the trip well rested. As we made our way to the airport, I sat and enjoyed the silence of the early morning drive. I thought about the calmness a driver must find when the roads are clear. At times like these, the job looks pretty appealing, especially when you are in a smooth riding Mercedes like this one.

The driver left us in perfect time to catch our flight. The airport process was a lot smoother than it had been on previous trips. I guess it gets easier with experience. I also have gotten pretty good at packing. I have managed to fit a weeks clothes into a small backpack, not to mention my notebook and sketchbook which I brought to keep me occupied on the plane. The plane ride always seems shorter when you keep busy. I spent this one getting ready for final- so take that back, sometimes it seems longer.

The stuff I was studying actually has a lot to do with my experiences here. Its amazing how many creative minds have sprung from this small island, it got me thinking about how inspiring the land can be.

After our plane landed, we had a short bus ride to our hostel. Having bee surprised by our previous sleeping arrangements, we set no expectations for this one. After all, it was the cheapest one at only 12 Euro a night.

The hostel was much different than I had expected, in a good way. Its halls were covered with really interesting graffiti art ( intentionally put there by the owners), which gave it a hip modern appeal. The hostel also included a bar, kitchen and dining area. Not bad.

After we unloaded our things, we set off on our first day of adventures.

We started off with a stroll down Princes street, stopping at spots such as: the National Gallery, Royal Scottish Academy, the Scott Monument and the Princes street Gardens. All of these sites were interesting in their own way. The gardens were absolutely beautiful, serving as foreground to distant castles and government buildings. We eventually made our way northeast to a place called Calton Hill. This area was one which was elevated over most of the city. It included sites such as the City Observatory, the National Monument and the Nelson Monument. The National Monument was a pretty epic site. It consisted of a recreation of the Greek Parthenon, well part of it anyways. Midway through the replication of this unbelievable structure, Scottish funds ran low and the project was brought to a stop. Bummer, because what they had was beautiful, especially against its natural surroundings.

From this site we headed south to the Palace of Holyroodhouse. The Holyroodhouse is probably my favorite palace that i've visited thus far. It is the official residence of Scotland's monarch. Maybe it was the audio headset, but my attention did not wander from the interesting stories of the palace and its occupants, that is until I saw the Scottish Parliament.

The Scottish Parliament was of particular interest to me, due to its unique and brilliant post- modernistic design. The architect of the building is Enric Miralles and this is definitely the jewel of his work. He explains the building's design as inspiration from upturned boats, sprays of green leaves connected by twigs, and when viewed from above, a shimmering shoal of fish. He designed the building to be a part of the area's landscape, running the building right into the base of Scotland's extinct volcano. Just looking at this building inspired me.

After our visit to Parliament, it had been a pretty long day for us. Our plan was to grab some food and relax. What better way to relax than the premier of Iron Man 2? Oh yea, they have something called V.I.P sitting, which we got, which included leather reclining chairs and ice cream. Yep, living the dream. And in case you were wondering, the movie was excellent. Do you know how in sequels and trilogies the movies gradually get worse? This one didn't. Two thumbs up!

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.