The title is actually a phrase you find on a lot of tee-shirts for sale in souvenir shops because Ireland has a lot of rocks.
Our journey is over. John and I went to the Guinness Storehouse on Sunday as our last touristy thing. It is a tall, multi-story building giving Guinness's history, production, advertisement, and memorabilia. We ended up on the top floor, which has a "gravity bar" where you get a complimentary pint of the brew and look out windows at the whole of Dublin. There are lines about different spots in Dublin from Joyce's works painted on the glass window at strategic places.
Now that the journey is over, and I am almost over my jet lag, I'll point out the highlights and what I learned about traveling in Ireland:
Highlights: If I had to recommend stuff to see, here's what I'd recommend:
Galway is my favorite place. It's a city, but it's not too busy, and it's got the seaside feel that I really love. Plus, it is close enough to major tourist attractions, like the Aran Islands, the Cliffs of Moher, and the Burren to get to those places on day trips. It's pricey to get to those places, but that would be the case regardless, unless you rented a car.
Dublin is a wonderful place, but it's a very busy city, and there are so many sites to see it feels overwhelming. However, the archeology museum is great, and it and the other national museums in Dublin are free. I also have to say that the Dublin Writer's Museum is awesome, even if it does cost money. The Temple Bar area is really cool--it's just this area where there are a lot of shops and restaurants. Of course, the Guinness Storehouse is also very cool.
I give thumbs up to Blarney Castle and Blarney House (only about 8 miles from Cork). The House is especially cool because it's still a residence. Cork is a good city for staying in if you want to go to Blarney Castle. The downtown area is really nice (neat places to eat, et cetera).
Thumbs up also go to Muckross House and Traditional Farms (in Killarney). The gardens are so beautiful at Muckross House.
Kilkenny was a neat place. It has interesting historical sites--Kilkenny Castle and Rothe House--and it also has a wonderful craft center where you get to observe artisans at work (and you get to spend lots of money on pottery, fabrics, jewelry, or glass). Plus, it has that great pub that was originally owned by a "witch" in the 1700s.
What did I learn?
The open-road pass is a good idea because Bus Eirann goes to all the major cities. However, it might have also been a good idea to look into car rental for part of the time, especially for driving to the Ring of Kerry, Cliffs of Moher, and the Burren (which we didn't get to see). We had to cancel our reservation near Donegal b/c Bus Eirann didn't go there; also, Bus Eirann doesn't go places in Northern Ireland, so Belfast was out of the question for us on this trip. The bus system is great, but it doesn't get you everywhere.
Street names aren't always posted. This can be confusing when you get off a bus and try to figure out where your hostel is.
Even though street names aren't always posted, even big cities like Dublin, Cork, and Galway are pretty easy to navigate.
If you want to visit smaller towns, it may be better to rent a car than to rely only on the bus.
I think that's it. Ireland really does rock! It's such a beautiful place, and the cities are rich in history. For those of us literature nerds, it's a great place to go to pay homage to some really important writers--Yeats, Swift, Joyce, Wilde, et cetera. And for those of us history buffs, it's a great place to go if you want to visit sites where you can step back a few centuries. And for those of us who just like a good view, the countryside is green, lush, full of trees and flowers (and rocks). Yeah, I recommend going.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Back to Dublin
Back in Dublin. It's really crowded here because of the Bank Holiday weekend. I prefer Galway, with its winding cobblestone streets. The last two mornings we were in Galway, I took a long walk out before the city was fully awake, through the pedestrian area where people were driving delivery trucks and shopkeepers were scrubbing the fronts of their cafes or shops, or sweeping the cobblestones. The roads in the pedestrian area lead to the bay, where you can walk all around the water and out to the pier. It's so beautiful! The water reflects the colors of the houses along its banks: white, yellow, pink, blue. And large flocks of swans swim near the boats. There were few people awake this early (around 7), but some were out jogging or walking their dogs.
Also, I enjoyed people-watching in Eyre Square park while in Galway. I took a book out to the park one afternoon while John stayed at the hostel. My favorite image: there was a girl around 18 years old wearing black combat boots and with hot pink hair, with tattoos and piercings (I love how youth express themselves!). But her tough girl look was completely spoiled by the following: the roundest, happiest, fattest little brown puppy was bouncing along with her, at the end of a leash, and she was eating an ice cream cone.
Also, I enjoyed people-watching in Eyre Square park while in Galway. I took a book out to the park one afternoon while John stayed at the hostel. My favorite image: there was a girl around 18 years old wearing black combat boots and with hot pink hair, with tattoos and piercings (I love how youth express themselves!). But her tough girl look was completely spoiled by the following: the roundest, happiest, fattest little brown puppy was bouncing along with her, at the end of a leash, and she was eating an ice cream cone.
Friday, June 4, 2010
Aran Islands
We left yesterday morning at 9:30am to visit Inismore, the largest of the Aran Islands. It cost: 7 euros for the bus (tickets bought from an Aran Island ticket office, not directly on the bus); 20 euros for the ferry ride, tickets bought at the student rate from our hostel; 10 euros for conveyance in a mini-bus on the island.
And you know what? It was worth every penny.
The journey to get to the Aran Islands took about an hour and a half: the bus ride took about 45 minutes, through Galway and then down a tiny road to a port in Roseveal; then, from Roseveal to the harbor of Inismore is another 40 minutes.
The scenery is so beautiful, and the water isn't Caribbean turquoise, but it is a shimmery blue. The ferry was a large boat with seating on two levels on the inside and a row of seating on the back deck. For the ride over, I stood on the back deck which was very crowded, but I got a good spot by the railing. John sat inside. He doesn't like boat rides. But from where I stood, I could see the coastline of Inismore develop out of the mist, forming into a green and gray island with water lapping against its rocky sides. Ducks sat placidly in swells, and the wind blew a sea-spray into my hair.
Getting off the boat, you walk up a road to a couple of B & B's and restaurants. We stopped at one for lunch, where we were served overpriced but very delicious butternut squash and carrot soup. Further up the road are shops mainly featuring the Aran sweaters, which are very thick to keep out the island's wind. Also on this road is a line of horse and carriages (jaunting cars, they're called), mini-vans/buses, and bike rental places. The drivers of the mini-van/buses are pretty aggressive in trying to get you to pick their van. We payed out our ten euros to a tall man in a striped sweater with bright white hair sticking out in tufts on either side of his head (he was bald in the middle). His name was Sean, and he drove us up to the main attraction, the large ring fort.
The ring fort sits at the top of a large hill, and to get there, you have to go through a visitor center and pay 3 euro. Then, hike up a paved path between stone walls, past the most breathtaking scenery--all rocks and grass and wildflowers and butterflies. Right before you go inside the ring fort, there is a wide plateau where you can see the jagged edges of the coastline of Inismore, all cliffs jutting out of the water 100 meters below. I got as close to the edge as possible to take a picture. One book says that young men used to be lowered on a rope over the edge of the cliffs to seek out birds and birds' eggs.
The fort is surrounded by tall stone walls, set up in two tiers, so it looks almost like stadium seating. It is even higher than the plateau, and the wind was very strong. From the ring fort, you can see almost the whole island. The place looks so wild and barren, and only about 800 people live there, though it used to have a population in the thousands. Inismore used to consist of a monastic community and school; now, from what the tour guide said, the people who live there make their money from cattle farming and tourism.
We walked up to the fort and down from the fort, and we got tea at a tea shop with a thatched roof.
Then, our driver took us around the coast to see the seal colony--a colony of seals uses this island as a place to sun themselves. We weren't able to go down to the beach for a close look, but from where we stood at the top of a hill, we could see a couple of seals sunning themselves on rocks and a few playing in the water.
The driver dropped us back near the harbor, and we browsed the shops until time to go.
And you know what? It was worth every penny.
The journey to get to the Aran Islands took about an hour and a half: the bus ride took about 45 minutes, through Galway and then down a tiny road to a port in Roseveal; then, from Roseveal to the harbor of Inismore is another 40 minutes.
The scenery is so beautiful, and the water isn't Caribbean turquoise, but it is a shimmery blue. The ferry was a large boat with seating on two levels on the inside and a row of seating on the back deck. For the ride over, I stood on the back deck which was very crowded, but I got a good spot by the railing. John sat inside. He doesn't like boat rides. But from where I stood, I could see the coastline of Inismore develop out of the mist, forming into a green and gray island with water lapping against its rocky sides. Ducks sat placidly in swells, and the wind blew a sea-spray into my hair.
Getting off the boat, you walk up a road to a couple of B & B's and restaurants. We stopped at one for lunch, where we were served overpriced but very delicious butternut squash and carrot soup. Further up the road are shops mainly featuring the Aran sweaters, which are very thick to keep out the island's wind. Also on this road is a line of horse and carriages (jaunting cars, they're called), mini-vans/buses, and bike rental places. The drivers of the mini-van/buses are pretty aggressive in trying to get you to pick their van. We payed out our ten euros to a tall man in a striped sweater with bright white hair sticking out in tufts on either side of his head (he was bald in the middle). His name was Sean, and he drove us up to the main attraction, the large ring fort.
The ring fort sits at the top of a large hill, and to get there, you have to go through a visitor center and pay 3 euro. Then, hike up a paved path between stone walls, past the most breathtaking scenery--all rocks and grass and wildflowers and butterflies. Right before you go inside the ring fort, there is a wide plateau where you can see the jagged edges of the coastline of Inismore, all cliffs jutting out of the water 100 meters below. I got as close to the edge as possible to take a picture. One book says that young men used to be lowered on a rope over the edge of the cliffs to seek out birds and birds' eggs.
The fort is surrounded by tall stone walls, set up in two tiers, so it looks almost like stadium seating. It is even higher than the plateau, and the wind was very strong. From the ring fort, you can see almost the whole island. The place looks so wild and barren, and only about 800 people live there, though it used to have a population in the thousands. Inismore used to consist of a monastic community and school; now, from what the tour guide said, the people who live there make their money from cattle farming and tourism.
We walked up to the fort and down from the fort, and we got tea at a tea shop with a thatched roof.
Then, our driver took us around the coast to see the seal colony--a colony of seals uses this island as a place to sun themselves. We weren't able to go down to the beach for a close look, but from where we stood at the top of a hill, we could see a couple of seals sunning themselves on rocks and a few playing in the water.
The driver dropped us back near the harbor, and we browsed the shops until time to go.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Ennis to Galway
Ennis was the most relaxing place we've stayed yet. Good thing, too, because after a week of travel, I was exhausted. Also, Rowan Tree Hostel is wonderful! The best hostel we've yet stayed in, mainly because it is so clean and cheerful.
We didn't do too much in Ennis. It is well-situated for driving to the Cliffs of Moher or the Holy Island, but since we didn't have a car (or schedule enough time to take the bus), we didn't do either of those things. However, the town is very nice, with lots of traditional Irish music, and our hostel had a man come to give a free Irish lesson. My name in Irish is [Ay-leesh] (that's how it is pronounced). John's is Sean. In addition to teaching us some Irish phrases, this man (his name was Sean) and his partner, Maire (Mary) taught us to dance to Irish music, played on a concertina by a French girl named Laure. Laure was here for the music festival, and she played so well! The concertina, for those who don't know (I didn't!) is a mini-accordian. We also learned (and sang) a folk song in Irish about market day.
This morning, we caught the 51 Bus to Galway at half-past 9. We arrived around 11am, and since we couldn't check in until 3pm (at Snoozle's Hostel, also a very nice place, highly recommended), we dropped off our bags and went for lunch and a walk around town.
Galway sits on the water and has a seaside feel as well as a medieval feel to it. There is a nice park in the middle of Eyre Square where John and I sat after lunch, watching people walk by or lounge on the grass. We sat on a low wall next to a couple of Irish men with two dogs. I asked what kind of dog one of them was. It was a beautiful dog, tall with dark black hair and a long narrow nose. The man said it was a Mexican Labrador (I think that's what he said--I still have trouble understanding the Irish accent). I said the dog was very pretty, and he said "Thanks, he looks like me." He and his friend found that really funny. Besides people and dogs, Eyre Square also has a memorial to J.F.K, who visited here once. I took a picture, and it should be up on FB soon.
In addition to Eyre Square, we also wandered around the pedestrian-only streets that lead from the city center to the water. These streets are lined with shops, pubs, cafes, et cetera, and they are what give the city its medieval feel. One of the shops is where the original claudach ring was created, and it has a little museum for the ring. They have rings from the ages displayed, going back to the 1700s. Neat!
Tomorrow, if weather permits, we're heading to Aran Islands.
We didn't do too much in Ennis. It is well-situated for driving to the Cliffs of Moher or the Holy Island, but since we didn't have a car (or schedule enough time to take the bus), we didn't do either of those things. However, the town is very nice, with lots of traditional Irish music, and our hostel had a man come to give a free Irish lesson. My name in Irish is [Ay-leesh] (that's how it is pronounced). John's is Sean. In addition to teaching us some Irish phrases, this man (his name was Sean) and his partner, Maire (Mary) taught us to dance to Irish music, played on a concertina by a French girl named Laure. Laure was here for the music festival, and she played so well! The concertina, for those who don't know (I didn't!) is a mini-accordian. We also learned (and sang) a folk song in Irish about market day.
This morning, we caught the 51 Bus to Galway at half-past 9. We arrived around 11am, and since we couldn't check in until 3pm (at Snoozle's Hostel, also a very nice place, highly recommended), we dropped off our bags and went for lunch and a walk around town.
Galway sits on the water and has a seaside feel as well as a medieval feel to it. There is a nice park in the middle of Eyre Square where John and I sat after lunch, watching people walk by or lounge on the grass. We sat on a low wall next to a couple of Irish men with two dogs. I asked what kind of dog one of them was. It was a beautiful dog, tall with dark black hair and a long narrow nose. The man said it was a Mexican Labrador (I think that's what he said--I still have trouble understanding the Irish accent). I said the dog was very pretty, and he said "Thanks, he looks like me." He and his friend found that really funny. Besides people and dogs, Eyre Square also has a memorial to J.F.K, who visited here once. I took a picture, and it should be up on FB soon.
In addition to Eyre Square, we also wandered around the pedestrian-only streets that lead from the city center to the water. These streets are lined with shops, pubs, cafes, et cetera, and they are what give the city its medieval feel. One of the shops is where the original claudach ring was created, and it has a little museum for the ring. They have rings from the ages displayed, going back to the 1700s. Neat!
Tomorrow, if weather permits, we're heading to Aran Islands.
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