Ireland: Céad Míle Fáilte!

Unfortunately I waited too long to begin writing this last post about my summer travels. My main excuse is that I was enjoying Ireland so much I couldn’t be bothered with sacrificing time to write all my experiences down. I would like to thank the select few people who kindly pestered me to finish this last post, per my instructions at the begining of my trip. I’m going to do the picture and description layout again for much the same reason as before; I have so many great pictures from Ireland to share, plus I can’t remember exactly what day we did what.

We flew into Dublin and based ourselves there in Abilgail’s Hostel for seven nights. The hostel was in a great location in the heart of Temple Bar and right on the River Liffey. While we enjoyed the attractions and nightlife in Dublin, the best part about Ireland was exploring the beautiful countryside and landscape while driving from one small town to the next. We did a little of this during three different day tours from Dublin and it made us wish we had planned a more nomadic trip around Ireland instead of basing ourselves in one city for the entire time. But, Rachel and I had an amazing trip nonetheless and considered it a fact finding mission for our future trips to Ireland, of which we hope there will be many!

Our first day there is easy to remember because we joined a free walking tour of Dublin led by Eoin (the Irish spelling of Owen) who was a History and Politics major at Trinity College in Dublin. The idea behind the free walking tour was that the guide must provide his followers with the best experience possible and hope to leave a lasting impression that will translate into a generous tip at the end of the tour. Eoin did a masterful job of introducing us to Dublin through Irish history, culture, and what he called Irish logic, the special brand of thinking and problem solving found only in those few who are lucky enough to call themselves Irish. We saw attractions like Dublin Castle, Trinity College, Christchurch Cathedral, St. Stephen’s Green, and the Millennium Spire, heard first hand stories about the Queen’s historic visit to Ireland in 2011, and learned a little about the Viking history of Ireland as well as the humble beginnings of U2. 

The same company that put on the walking tour also ran nightly Pub Crawls which started and ended in the Workman’s Club, a pub owned by Bono. Rachel and I and the majority of our Tour group bought tickets for that night's Pub Crawl. We met a lot of great friends that night and had a blast exploring a few of the many different pubs Dublin has to offer.

The next day we had planned to tackle the majority of Dublin’s attractions so that we wouldn’t miss out on anything there because, for the next three days, we had signed up for day trips around Ireland. Considering the events of the night before, we did an admirable job of waking up decently early and seeing quite a few of the sites, including:

Christchurch Cathedral, the oldest church in Dublin and home to a mummified cat and rat

 Dublin Castle, former seat of power for British rule in Ireland. Its negative connotation continues today as it is the current home to the Irish tax collectors.

 Leinster House, home to the Irish Parliament and the building after which the White House was modeled.

Trinity College in Dublin, home to the famous Book of Kells and the Old Library

 AKA the Long Room. Statues,  like the one below, line both sides of the Long room

 We started our 3 day trek around the island with a trip to the Cliffs of Moher. Our tour guide, Bud, ensured that our experience was quintessentially Irish. He related a few Irish legends and introduced us to a number of Irish ballads during our drive to the Southwestern coast.  Bud's dry, Irish wit had us laughing all day and helped me realize that my sense of humor is almost certainly genetic. 

We also visited King John's castle on the River Shannon in Limerick, 

Drove past some beautiful golf courses (AKA Links) and an estuary of the Atlantic Ocean 

 (These two pictures were taken in the town of Lehinch, pronounced very similarly to Lynch)

The Burren, an outcropping of Limestone that made up the seafloor and was exposed during the melting of the ice after the Ice Age.

Corcomroe Abbey, 

And ended the day with a stop in Kanvara, a small harbor town near Galway Bay

Our next day trip was to Galway City, home to the 12 Tribes of Galway (of which the Lynch Tribe is one of the most influential).

(Fresh Galway Bay oysters and a pint of Guinness = the perfect lunch!)

On the same trip we also visited the largest lake in West Ireland, Lough Corrib

Ashford Castle, where Pierce Brosnan was married

And the Abbey and grounds of Cong 

The last day trip we took was to Glendalough, a monastery built between the 6th and 10th century in the Wicklow mountains. 

We stopped in Kilkenny for a few hours to grab some lunch and explore the city

 Kilkenny castle (below) is situated on the banks of the Rover Nore (above)

On our last day in Dublin, Rachel and I visited St. Patrick's Cathedral, 

Kilmainham Gaol,

and took a tour of the Old Jameson Distillery

Where we got certified as "Expert Whiskey Tasters"

Of all the places I visited this summer, Prague was probably my favorite city, but Ireland was definitely my favorite country. It's beautiful landscape, captivating people, and family history make it feel more like home than any other place besides Florida. I can't wait to go back and explore the rest of Ireland in the future!

Prague, Czech Republic

I knew nothing about Prague before we arrived here four days ago. But after spending only a few days here, I feel certain I'll return at some point. The city is beautiful. Everywhere you look you see original Baroque and Romanesque style buildings, which is unique to Prague since it was one of the only major cities in Europe not to be bombed during WWII. All of the original character of the city has mostly been preserved, and you really feel like you've taken a trip back through time as you wander the cobblestone streets of Prague. Adding to the atmosphere of the city is the large number of street musicians you'll come across while walking around Prague. They'll be set up on the Charles Bridge or by the steps to Prague Castle playing Jazz or traditional Czech music, and they are all really, really good.

Random buildings of Prague:

                                                   

The Vltava River separates Prague into two halves, which are linked together by multiple bridges. The most famous bridge is Charles Bridge, a pedestrian bridge with 30 statues, 15 on either side. Thousands of people cross the bridge multiple times a day to get from the Old Town to Mala Strana. 

                                       (Rainbow over Charles Bridge after a quick rain)

Our Hostel was at the base of Charles Bridge, in the very center of Prague. We could be on the bridge after just 5 steps out the Hostel's front door. From there we could turn right and be at Prague Castle in Mala Strana in about 15 minutes, or turn left and be at the Astronomical Clock in the Old Town Square in 15 minutes. 

(Our Hostel is the blue building; it was also a tourist information center, so we got lots of discounts on tours, shows, and food)

If I didn't know much about Prague, I knew absolutely nothing about Czech food. But it is delicious, and thankfully cheap (The Czech Republic is part of the EU, but since it hasn't joined the Euro yet the exchange rate here is still in our favor). Since we've been here we've tried: Goulash, The Czech version of beef stew, usually served in a bread bowl; Fried duck breast with homemade bacon dumplings and cranberries; Schnitzel with various meats (veal, lamb, pork, etc); Lots of hearty soups; and way too many Czech pastries, strudels, and desserts to remember. While these were all delicious, as any citizen of the Czech Republic will tell you the most important food group here is Beer. Czech's have the highest annual consumption of beer in the world, drinking on average 148.6 Liters of beer per person, per year! Compare that with Germany (106.1), Ireland (98.3), and the US (77.1).  But I can't blame the Czechs; their beer is delicious. The preferred type of beer here is a Pilsner, but you can find just about anything you want. I've also sampled Grog, which is Czech Rum (made from potatoes) that's served in hot tea or water. Apparently Czech's only drink it in the winter, because the waiter looked at me like I was crazy when I ordered it in the middle of August.

                       (Dessert one night: Apple Strudel, Grog and Pear Brandy. And no, this wasn't all just for me) 

I'm going to do something a bit different and just post pictures of things we've seen during our stay here with short descriptions of what I can remember, partly because we've squeezed so much into this trip that the days have run together, but mostly because this city is beautiful and I want to post a bunch of the pictures I've taken!

 (The John Lennon Wall. Young Czechs would come here to air their grievances about the communist government during the Cold War. The wall got its name after thousands of Czechs came to leave flowers here and pay their respects after Lennon was killed.)

                                    (Interior of  a Catholic church in Prague)

 (The Astronomical Clock, built in the 1400s. Every hour the doors below the clock face open and mechanical saints do a loop around the clock.)

                                                 (Strahov Monastery)

 (Library of Strahov Monastery)

                                                           (Exterior of St. Vitus' Cathedral)

(Interior of St. Vitus' Cathedral) 

 (Jewish cemetery of Prague. The graves here are 12 layers thick, with a new layer of soil and all of the previous headstones being placed on top of the preexisting graves. That's why the headstones are so close.)

 (Spanish synagogue; we saw a concert here one night and the music was as beautiful as the setting.)


 (View of Prague from the gardens of Strahov Monastery on a hill above the city.)

  (View of Prague and the Vltava River from a tower in St. Vitus' Cathedral high above the city.)

(Charles Bridge at night. We took a dinner cruise up the Vltava river on our last night in Prague. The boat was propelled by a huge paddlewheel, the dinner was buffet style, and their was a live Jazz band.)

(Charles Bridge over the Vltava River with St. Vitus' Cathedral in the background.)

We leave tomorrow for the last leg of our trip which we'll spend in Dublin, Ireland. This will be the first time I will have been in a country where most people primarily speak English since mid-June, and I'm looking forward to it!