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Published: February 24th 2010
After Shannon left on the 14th, my roommate and I took off for a week in Ireland! We spent 2 nights in Dublin, followed by 4 nights in Cork and then spent our last night back in Dublin before heading home! The following is a summary of our adventures:
We flew out of Nice around 2:30 in the afternoon on the 15th. The flight out of Nice was incredible. It was a little overcast, and, when the plane took off, there was a good few minutes when the plane was flying below the cloud cover. It was like flying between two worlds--the sparkling, aqua-marine water below where you could still see the boats, and the blanket of clouds above with the sunlight piercing through in places as if there were holes. The flight didn't take long at all, and before we knew it we were in Dublin!
Once we arrived in Dublin we took a bus into town and went to visit Orla, a friend of Em's family. Orla and her husband and her three daughters had us over for a wonderful dinner. They were so welcoming and hospitable and very nice! Once we had finished dinner Orla was
kind enough to drive us to our hostel. I've got to admit that it was quite a sharp contrast from the warm, big home we had been just before. Em and I got our things situated and then took a walk around the city to get our bearings.
The next morning we headed over to Trinity College first thing. We initially planned to go see the Book of Kells, but we had trouble finding it and just kind of gave up. After Trinity we wandered over towards Grafton Street--a really cute shopping district near St. Stephen's Green. After a few hours we grabbed lunch at a restaurant called Avoca (it had been recommended to us by Orla and her daughters). Hands down some of the best food I have ever eaten. Avoca was like a mix between Panera, a boulangerie, and Anthropologie. No kidding. Afterwards we wandered over to St. Stephen's Green--a park quite close to our hostel. It was absolutely gorgeous. So green. In February! There was a gorgeous lake, stone bridges, gazebos--the whole bit. It was just so peaceful and breathtaking. That evening we got dinner in the Temple Bar area and then went to a bar--and
when I say bar I mean the equivalent of 3-4 bars in one building. It was huge. We got Guinness (of course, duh) and listened to some awesome Irish music by two fat guys. Not kidding. These guys were huge. Played great music though. On the way home we passed a Meditteranean we had seen before. It was pretty sketchy--as some of those restaurants go--but this was the kicker: there was a picture of the sultan from Disney's Aladdin on the sign. Two intoxicated girls see a Disney character on an open take-out restaurant at night...what do you think happened? Obviously.
The next morning we jumped on a train and headed to Cork to stay with other friends of Em's family. The train ride was absolutely breath-taking. Rolling fields of patchwork green separated by rows of hedges, horses, cows, sheep, small cottages, big farms--the works. Absolutely breathtaking. After about 3 hours or so we finally arrived in Cork. In Cork we stayed with an older couple, John and Jeanette, who were quite possibly THE most hospitable people in the entire world. We were so well taken care of while we were there. We had a gorgeous gorgeous room with
our own beds and huge breakfasts each morning; they took us to Blarney, into Cork, and to Kinsale; and they treated us to every meal. It was way above and beyond anything I had expected. Unbelievable. And they were the sweetest couple. I loved sitting in their sitting room every evening by the fire, drinking wine and just talking with them about anything and everything--Ireland, the States, politics, the EU, their travels, their families, the latest on the Tiger Woods apology--like I said, anything and everything. Hands down, one of the best moments came when John was telling us about his travels in Egypt. He left the room to check on dinner and he came back wearing an outfit he had bought there. Scared the crap out of Em when he walked in. Hilarious.
The first evening we went out to dinner at a restaurant in town called Eco. It was absolutely wonderful. Em and I were so stuffed afterwards we didn't know if we would ever be able to move again! That first night also marked my first experience with a hot water bottle. As we were sitting and talking, Jeanette looked over at me and asked if
I wanted a hot water bottle. I have seen hot water bottles, and when I saw what she was talking about I understood completely. However, never in my life has anyone just casually asked me if I wanted a hot water bottle. I don't think I even know of anyone who has ever used them. So I am sitting there on the couch with the most confused look on my face and thinking, "Is this like some weird term for a cup of tea or something?" when it dawns on her that I have no idea what she is talking about. This threw her into a frenzy and she went running off to find the hot water bottles. Needless to say, each and every night Em and I went to bed with hot water bottles. I must say, they are probably one of the most amazing inventions ever. Ever. I hate socks. I despise them actually, and I spend most of my time trying not to wear them. However, I am always, always cold. Freezing cold. Especially my feet. So combine my distaste of socks with the fact that I am always cold, and I have quite the conundrum during
winter. Hot water bottles provide the perfect solution. Absolutely wonderful. And they are so much better than electric blankets--no worry of causing a fire; no gross, crinkly sound when you turn over or try to wrap up in the blanket; and you aren't roasting. Definitely getting one of those when I go home.
On our first full day in Cork we went to Blarney to visit the Blarney Castle and grounds. The grounds were huge, and we could have spent the entire day wandering around them--it reminded me of a more medieval, Irish version of Versailles haha. Walking up the castle is a little crazy--the winding staircases are so steep and narrow that you almost feel like you have to rock climb to get to the top. Kissing the Blarney Stone was absolutely not what I had expected either. We had heard from others that punk teenagers sneak in and pee on the stone because they know all the tourists come to kiss it. I will say that I do not believe there is anyway that a bunch of pubescent teenage punks could get into the grounds and all the way to the top of the castle at night
to pee on a rock. So if you ever find yourself at the Blarney Castle don't worry--I think the stone is fairly sanitary for a rock in a building that millions of people have kissed. Of course I had envisioned the Sword and the Stone without the sword--a giant, round, grey rock sitting in the middle of a field somewhere that you just bend down and kiss. Wrong. 100 percent wrong. Kissing that stupid rock was one of the most frightening experiences of my life. I found myself hanging nearly upside down of the side of a building, holding onto two steel bars bolted into the rock, with a man holding my torso so I didn't plummet to my death. The only thing I could think of the entire time I was reaching down trying to kiss this rock was "Dear God, please don't let this strange man drop me, and if he does can my parents at least sue him?". Thankfully, I survived. And now, thanks to the Blarney Stone, I will forever be blessed with the gift of gab. Like I needed that. I thought it was just for good luck. Oh well, I suppose the gift of
gab could come in quite handy when one is seeking to enter the legal profession. After we had wandered around the castle and grounds for about an hour and a half we headed back to meet Jeanette at the Woolen Mills--basically a huge outlet near Blarney Castle. We wandered around for about an hour or so and then grabbed lunch and headed back into town.
That evening Jeanette made us corned beef and cabbage for dinner complete with carrots and potatoes. It was absolutely wonderful, as per the usual, and neat getting to eat a classic Irish meal.
The next day was spent in Cork City and Kinsale. We went into Cork City in the morning and visited the English Market--a huge market selling meat, cheeses, pastries, fruit, veggies and a ton of food. We wandered around the city, stopping at a restaurant called the Newport Cafe for a scone and a coffee. After a couple of hours in Cork we headed back to the house and then drove out to Kinsale--a little town on the Atlantic Ocean. We stopped at a place overlooking the sea and the port of the town to take pictures--there are quite a
few--and then went into the town for lunch. After lunch we spent some time walking around and taking pictures before it started to rain and we had to head back to the car. Kinsale actually reminded me a little bit of Cape Cod, but with a much different feel. There was the port and the sea and lots of beachy looking houses with the wood siding. The town was very quaint, quiet and peaceful--perfect for a vacation or weekend holiday.
The next morning Em and I boarded the train one last time to head back to Dublin. We checked back into the same hostel we stayed in at the beginning of the week, and then went to the Guinness Factory. We had heard that it was an absolute must in Dublin, but I must say it was kind of a rip-off. 15 euros for a very subpar tour with the only consolation being that you get a free pint out of the deal. I will say that Em and I learned how to pour our own Guinness....not that it was difficult, but now we have a cool paper that says we poured the perfect pint of Guinness. Only 15
euros. But regardless, we had a great time. We grabbed a burger and a beer for dinner and then headed back to the hostel to get a good nights sleep since we had an early flight in the morning.
It was an amazing trip, and I am really looking forward to doing more traveling in Ireland.
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