Blogs from Ireland, Europe - page 359

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Europe » Ireland October 13th 2007

Everyone slept well last night and this morning we had the idea to bath the kids before breakfast that way we would ensure that the dining room would be open. On the weekends they provide toast and cereal as well (though I had bought some yesterday). I opted to skip the morning run, hoping that I would feel better this afternoon. Everyone had a huge breakfast surrounded by lots of young Irishmen. Apparently a group arrived late last night and will be spending the weekend spelunking in the area. The kids loved watching them dress up in their gear. We set off around 10am for the Cliffs of Moher. We drove through the little town of Doolin, which is famous for its Irish music scene (at the three pubs in town!). As we continued down the ... read more
Our dorm room
The Cliffs of Moher
Emma bundled up at the Cliffs

Europe » Ireland » County Dublin October 12th 2007

We had little trouble catching a train to Dublin as our accommodation in Belfast was right next to a suburban train station and it was easy to change trains to the express train to Dublin. We caught quite an early train which we thought would give us plenty of time to find a place to stay as again we couldn't find anything within our price range on the internet. We arrived at Dublin Connolly Station (one of their two terminus stations) and after grabbing something to eat we went for a realtively long walk to the centre of the city where the visitor centre is located. There were a number of lines at the visitor centre, with a separate one if you wanted to book a b&b/guesthouse/hotel from the one to book a hostel. We decided ... read more
Grattan St Dublin
Trinity College

Europe » Ireland October 12th 2007

Happy 10 year anniversary to us! We had a good rest last night as Eliza actually stayed in her bed! Unfortunately with the hour time change the kids were up before seven (visions of our January return haunt me now!). The dining room at the hostel didn’t open until 7:30 so we got the kids dressed and then I brought them down while Jonathan caught an extra hour. I think I now have his cold. There is a full kitchen we can make use of and free tea and coffee. I made the girls and I a pot of tea and they had chocolate chip muffins and bananas and peanut butter. Jonathan came down at 8:30 and the girls played computer games while I took a nice run. I have not run hills, rolling or otherwise, ... read more
Leamanegh Castle
Miles of Rock walls
The Family at Cahercommaun

Europe » Ireland October 11th 2007

It was a miserable night. The big girls, of course, did great, but Eliza was up every half hour or so. Because Jonathan has not been feeling well I nominated myself to try and deal with her which left me a little more than exhausted once morning came round. After a nice quick run around the castle grounds though I felt like I was able to tackle the day. The girls got dressed and watched tv in their room while we showered and packed up. I can’t say enough about how great this set up was with the family suite. I would highly recommend a family staying here, and I felt this way BEFORE breakfast. We had an amazing traditional Irish breakfast. Eggs, blood sausage and regular sausage, bacon (big pieces which prompted Abigail to say ... read more
Entrance to Newgrange
Stones from Far Away
Another Cannon Shot

Europe » Ireland October 10th 2007

I have written it before but feel I must repeat myself: travel days feel like six days rolled into one. I got up at 5am after a pitiful night’s sleep. Eliza was, once again, in bed with us and between her tossing and my anxiety over sleeping through my alarm I was up about every half hour checking the clock. When 5am rolled around I got dressed and made some tea. I packed the backpacks into the saddle bags on my bike and took out the recycling. Jonathan got up at about 5:30 and showered. We packed up the computer and double checked on passports and documents. We woke the girls at ten to six (Abigail: I am still tired, come back and wake me later). But we dressed them and got them loaded onto the ... read more
The Lighthouse in Howth
Malahide Castle
The Ladies at Ardgillan Castle

Europe » Ireland » County Dublin » Dublin October 9th 2007

Everybody's been asking for a more scenic Ireland but you do need to hold your horses because I haven't had much time or opportunity to wander out of the city. The irony is I haven't yet explored the city completely either, i.e. it's historical and cultural sites and landmarks. There's been Lonely Planet's Literary walking tour that I've been intending to make, which has pit stops at the homes and birthplaces (etc) of Ireland's infamous writers and poets (such as Yeats, Shaw, Joyce) but I've yet to do that. The procrastination comes from living in the city itself and always thinking it'll be there. But here's an entry of a scenic 'town' with their rolling hills, evergreen valleys and deep blue seas. It's a town called Dalkey and 20mins south of the city by train. It's ... read more
A street
Archibold's Castle
Bulloch Castle

Europe » Ireland » County Dublin October 7th 2007

I am stuffed. My roommate Carin and I cooked Chinese tonight. We bought a meal for 2 in a box at the local grocery store, Sainsburys, and it was delicious. But soooo much food. Probably the most I ate in a week. Insane. We spent the day shopping at Oxford St., heh, bad idea on a Saturday as it was absolutely packed. To try anything on it was a 20 minute wait and then if you wanted to buy anything it was at least 30 minutes in queue (line). So I bought soap and called it good. I really wanted a fleece blanket as I miss my HP one dearly, but I didn't want to wait in line. Perhaps a weekday I'll sneak back that way. I do pass the Oxford St. stop on my way ... read more
Malahide Castle
St. Patrick's Cathedral
Guinness Storehouse

Europe » Ireland » County Galway » Connemara October 6th 2007

August 2005 We were looking for somewhere easy and price competitive from EMA for a spontaneous trip at August Bank Holiday. The best option was direct to Shannon on board the penny fight champions without a particular plan of action thereafter. The most obvious destination was Limerick. However a quick read of certain travel guides, seems to focus on a place with unemployment, crime and general neglect at worst and a place where the visitor might still have to dig a little to appreciate it’s charm. We landed at Shannon and turned towards Ennis. Ennis held enough charm without digging for a Saturday night out. A typical Irish market town with a ruined friary, painted shop fronts and enough establishments selling the black stuff to make the night out entertaining. Ennis was our first experience of ... read more
Connemara
Connemara
Sky Road - Connemara

Europe » Ireland » County Dublin » Dublin October 4th 2007

Yes. Everyone's been asking about how a lowly paid student-coolie lives and what his living space resembles? Well, according to my supervisor, the quarters that I'm in - Goldsmith Hall - is a dog house. A little larger than a doghouse that is. As you can see, it's meant to be an apartment but it really is resembles those testosterone and estrogen infested Halls of NUS. You enter the 'apartment' to see a corridor and alongside are the 4 rooms, two toilets, and a Kitchen / Living Area. So yes, that's how the 'apartment' looks. The room is a shoe-box of shelves and cabinets dully placed and unimaginatively designed (in fact, many modern Dublin buildings look really really ugly). So there ... that's my living space; a place I'll call 'home' for at least a year ... read more
The place called home
Work Corner
The 'Apartment'

Europe » Ireland » County Dublin » Dublin October 1st 2007

Well we made it home in one piece last week. Jet lag really kicked in so only getting back to normal now. It was a great trip and we had a ball - would recommend a trip to South America, strong stomach required though! Thanks for reading, catch up with you all soon I hope... read more




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