I can not believe how dark it stays in the morning! Set the alarm for 8 AM and when we woke up it was still pitch black outside. The sun doesn't come up til around 9-9:30. Nuts. Had another less-than-stellar shower (the water pressure just blows- I still have conditioner in my hair) and headed over to tour the castle. Unfortunately Irish tourism isn't as eager to open as we were to get out of bed so we had to kill some time before the castle opened. Walked around, grabbed a muffin for breakfast, took some pics, and checked email.
The castle tour was interesting. The same family, The Butlers, lived in the house for 500+ years. They have recreated a few of the rooms and still have some of the original furniture so we took a tour of the rooms. The girl who led the tour had a super annoying voice. It was really fake and rehearsed sounding. Eww. Drove me nuts.
Decided to go ahead and buy a heritage pass for 21 euros (well, only 8 euros for me. Thank you SLU student ID with no expiration date!) We have several heritage places we plant to go to so hopefully it will save us some money. Skipped the Smithwicks brewery in order to get on the road sooner. The Rock of Cashel was listed on our Heritage Pass, so we toured there on our way to Kinsale, our next stop. Stopped at a gas station for some snacks and I made the mistake of asking for directions from 2 old men who worked there. The directions they wrote out made no sense at all, plus I could barely understand a word that they said. We opted to find our own way there rather than use their state-of-the-art road map.
Rock of Cashel is pretty much some ruins of church monestary. It was really pretty, but not particularly interesting. The craziest part was how incredibly WINDY!!! it was there. We tried to take pictures and video to show just how windy it was, but they just don't do it justice. We're talking practically being blown away. Unbelievable. We had to pay 3 euros to park, so we decided to make the most of it and walk down into the town. Bought some shampoo, conditioner, and body wash, since I stupidly left all those items in the shower in Kilkenny. Grabbed some sandwiches for lunch and then drove onto Kinsale.
Kinsale is a harbor town on the southern edge of the coast. It is apparently the closest port to mainland Europe. It has a lot of Spanish influence to it. Our 1st stop was to a bar called The Spaniard (how appropriate.) We read that they play music there on Wednesday nights, but unfortunately not that night. After a pint there we tried to find a room in that area. I ran into what I thought was the Harbor Lodge, but was in fact the Harbor Bar, to check room rates. Obviously not a B&B, but I did have a lovely chat with Tom, the bartender, who was probably going crazy with boredom seeing as he and I were the only 2 people there.
We were on the side of the harbor called Scilly. Not a lot of luck finding a place there, so we drove over to the town and found a B&B called Olde Bakery. It was in our Lonely Planet book so we decided to check it out. The B&B is owned by a very nice couple, Tom and Chris. 40 euros per person with breakfast included. Tom showed us our room, gave us the key (again- nothing needed from us), took our breakfast order, and we were off in search of dinner.
Kinsale is pretty dead in the winter and it was rainy and windy so not many people were out. Found a restaurant called Dino's and both had Fish-n-chips (again). After dinner we walked thru a "casino"- a building with lots of slot machines. Tried to find a bar with music (I thought I heard music at one point...but it was actually the wind blowing over empty kegs in an alley- music to some peoples' ears!) but settled for a pint and a glass of Baileys at a placed called Armada Bar. A very quiet, but nice evening in Kinsale.
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
Ireland Trip- Day 4
Got up around 9 AM, packed up our stuff, and left our luggage with the reception people. Headed back to the jail and took a really interesting tour with Michael. The jail was super old and pretty creepy looking. And it was COLD! The west wing of the prison was rebuilt and more recently it has been used to film movies. He mentioned that parts of the "Italian Job" were filmed there. I'll have to go back and watch it again. After the tour Michael escorted Will and I back to the exercise/workyard/excecution area so Will could take a picture of a plaque and I asked Michael if the place was haunted. He said there are no official documents saying that it is, but he has seen a ghost or 2. Freaky!! The place where he said he saw a ghost once is exactly where I got a creepy feeling while we were on the tour.
After the tour we bussed it back to the center of the city and stopped into Carrolls to buy some souvenirs. I bought a Guinness t-shirt for Dad and a sweet zip up sweatshirt for me. 1 souvenir down, about 7 to go!
Stopped for lunch at Supermac's. We both had fish & chips, which were quite tasty. Supermac's is basically a beefed-up version of McDonalds, they even have their own version of the Big Mac called the Mighty Mac. Will was rather peeved about it the whole time we were in Dublin. Every time we passed a "Mighty Mac" sign he would gripe about "copyright laws, etc..." Whatever. The fish was good.
Next stop, a city bus back to the airport to pick up our ride for the next couple weeks. It felt like it took way longer to get back to the airport than it did to get to the city a few days ago. We were both pretty tired. I think is was still jet-lag. Made a wrong turn at the airport and ended up at the rental car return area instead of the renter sign in spot so we had to trek back to the arrivals terminal in the cold. Today has been the 1st real cold day we've had since we landed.
The car itself is pretty much a piece. It's a black Nissan Micra, and it is small. We can only fit one piece of luggage in the trunk, so my suitcase rides in the back seat. It was nice to get out of Dublin and onto the open road.
I am playing navigator this trip while Will drives. We were headed to our 1st planned stop- Kilkenny. Kilkenny is maybe 1 1/2 hours from Dublin (a little longer in our case thanks to a missed exit- road construction prevented me from seeing the exit #. We took a "scenic" byway through a charming little Irish town.) It's big draw is the Kilkenny castle. We got to town around 5:30/6-ish. Then we drove straight out of town trying to find our way around to get a room for the night. We only booked our 1st 2 night's hotel stay in Dublin. We plan on winging it the rest of the time. We were trying to use the Lonely Planet map to look for a place, but it was close to impossible- Lonely Planet's map isn't exactly to scale, and Kilkenny doesn't believe in street signs. We drove up and down til finally I found Daly's B&B. It had probably the smallest little entryway/driveway area ever. You had to drive through it to get to the B&B and park your car. It was pretty comical driving through it. It was crazy tiny (like everything else in the town!)
We lucked out and got a room for 30 euros each. The interaction with the owner was crazy- she answere the door, gave us the price (no breakfast included since it was the holiday), and showed us the room. We said we'd take it so she gave us the keys and said "see you in the morning." No credit card infor needed, no names, or anything. They are just completely on the honor system here. How refreshing!
Once we had our room we stopped in for a pint at Langtons, a super nice looking restaurant. After that drink we wandered up the street and ended up at a placed called The Field, where a guy was singing. Unfortunately, he was singing his last song of the night so we didn't hear much. There were about 10-15 people in the bar and I would say 75-80% of them were shit-faced. I guess they were still on vacation. We were about 1/2 way done with our drinks when the owner came over and struck up a conversation about where we were from, etc... He knew a lot about the colleges over here- he knew the CU Buffs and the CSU Rams. We talked for about 5 minutes or so, and the next thing you know, Will was behind the bar! The owner pulled him back there to bartend for awhile. It was so funny and completely random.
While Will was pouring terrible pints of Guinness (and other beer, but particularly Guinness) I talked to 2 older couples- Josephine and Francis, who were sisters, and their husbands. They were so nice and friendly. They put Irish music on and the whole bar started singing along, even me, at least to the songs I knew. Will eventually made it out from behind the bar, and the owner gave him a bottle of Mickey Finns for being a sport. Mickey Finns is pretty much just like Apple Pucker, but I guess it's a pretty popular shot to do over there.
My older couple friends left to get their Chinese takeaway and play cards. Will and I moved to the bar and started drinking pretty quickly. Beer was going down well that night. A little while later the owner came over and got me this time. Not to bartend, but to dance. On a table. Good thing I was a little tipsy! And even better that I knew the song they played. So there we were, me and the owner, dancing and singing to Galway Girl from the top of a table. Such fun, great memories!
Eventually things started to slow down there so we snuck out to grab some food at Abrakebabra. Both got wraps, and more importantly witnessed some crazy Irish relationship drama. A couple was fighting and the guy just upped and threw his whole tray of food and then stormed out. Food flew everywhere! It was madness. After we ate we finished out the night with one more pint at O'Lanalans and then headed to bed. By far the best night since we've arrived!
After the tour we bussed it back to the center of the city and stopped into Carrolls to buy some souvenirs. I bought a Guinness t-shirt for Dad and a sweet zip up sweatshirt for me. 1 souvenir down, about 7 to go!
Stopped for lunch at Supermac's. We both had fish & chips, which were quite tasty. Supermac's is basically a beefed-up version of McDonalds, they even have their own version of the Big Mac called the Mighty Mac. Will was rather peeved about it the whole time we were in Dublin. Every time we passed a "Mighty Mac" sign he would gripe about "copyright laws, etc..." Whatever. The fish was good.
Next stop, a city bus back to the airport to pick up our ride for the next couple weeks. It felt like it took way longer to get back to the airport than it did to get to the city a few days ago. We were both pretty tired. I think is was still jet-lag. Made a wrong turn at the airport and ended up at the rental car return area instead of the renter sign in spot so we had to trek back to the arrivals terminal in the cold. Today has been the 1st real cold day we've had since we landed.
The car itself is pretty much a piece. It's a black Nissan Micra, and it is small. We can only fit one piece of luggage in the trunk, so my suitcase rides in the back seat. It was nice to get out of Dublin and onto the open road.
I am playing navigator this trip while Will drives. We were headed to our 1st planned stop- Kilkenny. Kilkenny is maybe 1 1/2 hours from Dublin (a little longer in our case thanks to a missed exit- road construction prevented me from seeing the exit #. We took a "scenic" byway through a charming little Irish town.) It's big draw is the Kilkenny castle. We got to town around 5:30/6-ish. Then we drove straight out of town trying to find our way around to get a room for the night. We only booked our 1st 2 night's hotel stay in Dublin. We plan on winging it the rest of the time. We were trying to use the Lonely Planet map to look for a place, but it was close to impossible- Lonely Planet's map isn't exactly to scale, and Kilkenny doesn't believe in street signs. We drove up and down til finally I found Daly's B&B. It had probably the smallest little entryway/driveway area ever. You had to drive through it to get to the B&B and park your car. It was pretty comical driving through it. It was crazy tiny (like everything else in the town!)
We lucked out and got a room for 30 euros each. The interaction with the owner was crazy- she answere the door, gave us the price (no breakfast included since it was the holiday), and showed us the room. We said we'd take it so she gave us the keys and said "see you in the morning." No credit card infor needed, no names, or anything. They are just completely on the honor system here. How refreshing!
Once we had our room we stopped in for a pint at Langtons, a super nice looking restaurant. After that drink we wandered up the street and ended up at a placed called The Field, where a guy was singing. Unfortunately, he was singing his last song of the night so we didn't hear much. There were about 10-15 people in the bar and I would say 75-80% of them were shit-faced. I guess they were still on vacation. We were about 1/2 way done with our drinks when the owner came over and struck up a conversation about where we were from, etc... He knew a lot about the colleges over here- he knew the CU Buffs and the CSU Rams. We talked for about 5 minutes or so, and the next thing you know, Will was behind the bar! The owner pulled him back there to bartend for awhile. It was so funny and completely random.
While Will was pouring terrible pints of Guinness (and other beer, but particularly Guinness) I talked to 2 older couples- Josephine and Francis, who were sisters, and their husbands. They were so nice and friendly. They put Irish music on and the whole bar started singing along, even me, at least to the songs I knew. Will eventually made it out from behind the bar, and the owner gave him a bottle of Mickey Finns for being a sport. Mickey Finns is pretty much just like Apple Pucker, but I guess it's a pretty popular shot to do over there.
My older couple friends left to get their Chinese takeaway and play cards. Will and I moved to the bar and started drinking pretty quickly. Beer was going down well that night. A little while later the owner came over and got me this time. Not to bartend, but to dance. On a table. Good thing I was a little tipsy! And even better that I knew the song they played. So there we were, me and the owner, dancing and singing to Galway Girl from the top of a table. Such fun, great memories!
Eventually things started to slow down there so we snuck out to grab some food at Abrakebabra. Both got wraps, and more importantly witnessed some crazy Irish relationship drama. A couple was fighting and the guy just upped and threw his whole tray of food and then stormed out. Food flew everywhere! It was madness. After we ate we finished out the night with one more pint at O'Lanalans and then headed to bed. By far the best night since we've arrived!
Monday, December 31, 2007
Ireland Trip- Day 3
Slept horribly last night! We passed out early, but both of us were wide awake from about 1:30am to 3:30am. I guess the time changed messed with us. Once we got up for the second time, we walked over to Trinity College to see the Book of Kells, but it was closed for the holidays. So I go yet again without seeing them. After that we walked around a bit and got into our first fight of the trip. Will has no sense of direction and kept trying to lead us away from the River Liffey, our point of reference. I was strong-headed and after a couple frustrated tiffs we made it back to the college and found our bearings again (for the record, I was right and we found the way back after I directed us).
Our next stop was to the Kilmainham Gaol (jail). We took a bus there (it's about two to three miles from the city) and got there just as they went to lunch. In the words of the Brit in front of us, 'Typical, bloody typical.' Luckily, there was a pub just around the corner, The Patriot Inn, so we popped in there and had a couple of pints over their lunch hour. There were a few old 'regulars' there and one of them struck up a conversation with us about where we were from. Then he kept talking about the 'Colorado Kid.' I had no idea what he was talking about but it is fun to talk to locals.
Finally made it back to the jail, but the wait time for a tour was too long, so we decided to walk to the Guinness factory and save the jail for tomorrow morning. It wasn't very long walk to Guinness, but after a couple pints we both had to pee like a mutha. So, it turned into what may have been the longest walk of my life. There was nothing around - no bars, no restaurants, nothing... until we found a train station. Thank God! But it was a pay toilet! And we only had enough exact change for one of us...uh oh. Found someone to change a Euro for us and then proceeded to take a 30 cent pee (and poop for good measure). :)
Next stop was the Guinness factory. It was a cool building and the tour was interesting, but nothing special. It was crazy crowded, though; people everywhere! The funniest part of the Guinness tour was taking Will's pic next to the massive officer cartoon guy. Will posed the same way as him, hilarious! That'll be a framer... Saw some pretty cool views of the city from the 360 degree viewing area, drank our free pint, then bussed it back to the city to get ready for New Years'.
Had a bit of trouble finding a restaurant that was open for dinner but eventually came across a place called O'Sheas. It was a cute little restaurant, but there were only two girls waiting on about 50 people so it wasn't the quickest dinner ever. I had shepherd's pie, which was delicious going in but absolutely awful coming out. I made it about 45 minutes after dinner before I spent a good 5 on the toilet. NASTY! Poor Will had to listen to it from the room (though I tried to warn him to leave)!
Felt much better after purging my meal out my ass, so we headed out for drinks. Walked through Temple Bar area but opted to look for a more low key crowd. Eventually, we found O'Donoghues on Merrion Row, the same bar/B&B that Mom, Molly and I stayed in when we were in Dublin. Had a drink there, then went across the street to Foley's. We were probably the youngest people there but a guy was playing Irish music on his guitar so we stayed for a while.
We wanted to hear the ChristChurch bells at midnight so we started to walk back towards Grafton Street, stopping at Kehoes for a drink. Got outside just a few minutes before 12am and started walking in the rain towards the church. 12am came and went... and no bells. Damn. We did see about two fireworks go off over the river, but all in all a rather unimpressive New Years' celebration. Stopped off in Fitzgeralds for our first pint of 2008, then went home (after stopping in McDonald's for our first quarter pounder of 2008. It doesn't really count as two dinners in one night since the first one left me so quickly). HAPPY NEW YEAR, 2008!!!
Great way to start a new year- with my fantastic boyfriend in a fantastic country. We're having a great time!
Our next stop was to the Kilmainham Gaol (jail). We took a bus there (it's about two to three miles from the city) and got there just as they went to lunch. In the words of the Brit in front of us, 'Typical, bloody typical.' Luckily, there was a pub just around the corner, The Patriot Inn, so we popped in there and had a couple of pints over their lunch hour. There were a few old 'regulars' there and one of them struck up a conversation with us about where we were from. Then he kept talking about the 'Colorado Kid.' I had no idea what he was talking about but it is fun to talk to locals.
Finally made it back to the jail, but the wait time for a tour was too long, so we decided to walk to the Guinness factory and save the jail for tomorrow morning. It wasn't very long walk to Guinness, but after a couple pints we both had to pee like a mutha. So, it turned into what may have been the longest walk of my life. There was nothing around - no bars, no restaurants, nothing... until we found a train station. Thank God! But it was a pay toilet! And we only had enough exact change for one of us...uh oh. Found someone to change a Euro for us and then proceeded to take a 30 cent pee (and poop for good measure). :)
Next stop was the Guinness factory. It was a cool building and the tour was interesting, but nothing special. It was crazy crowded, though; people everywhere! The funniest part of the Guinness tour was taking Will's pic next to the massive officer cartoon guy. Will posed the same way as him, hilarious! That'll be a framer... Saw some pretty cool views of the city from the 360 degree viewing area, drank our free pint, then bussed it back to the city to get ready for New Years'.
Had a bit of trouble finding a restaurant that was open for dinner but eventually came across a place called O'Sheas. It was a cute little restaurant, but there were only two girls waiting on about 50 people so it wasn't the quickest dinner ever. I had shepherd's pie, which was delicious going in but absolutely awful coming out. I made it about 45 minutes after dinner before I spent a good 5 on the toilet. NASTY! Poor Will had to listen to it from the room (though I tried to warn him to leave)!
Felt much better after purging my meal out my ass, so we headed out for drinks. Walked through Temple Bar area but opted to look for a more low key crowd. Eventually, we found O'Donoghues on Merrion Row, the same bar/B&B that Mom, Molly and I stayed in when we were in Dublin. Had a drink there, then went across the street to Foley's. We were probably the youngest people there but a guy was playing Irish music on his guitar so we stayed for a while.
We wanted to hear the ChristChurch bells at midnight so we started to walk back towards Grafton Street, stopping at Kehoes for a drink. Got outside just a few minutes before 12am and started walking in the rain towards the church. 12am came and went... and no bells. Damn. We did see about two fireworks go off over the river, but all in all a rather unimpressive New Years' celebration. Stopped off in Fitzgeralds for our first pint of 2008, then went home (after stopping in McDonald's for our first quarter pounder of 2008. It doesn't really count as two dinners in one night since the first one left me so quickly). HAPPY NEW YEAR, 2008!!!
Great way to start a new year- with my fantastic boyfriend in a fantastic country. We're having a great time!
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Ireland Trip- Day 2
Landed in Paris around 8:30 this morning. And after pleading with the stupid Air France people to switch our flight (even if our luggage wouldn't make the transfer) we boarded a 12:30 flight and landed in Dublin just after 2 PM. Got the passports stamped, and then Low and Behold! found our luggage waiting for us (the luggage went to JFK when we went to Paris.)
Figured out the bus system and found a room at the Lynhams hotel on O'Connell Street. The room itself is a bit of a dive. Not bad, but not the nicest for $100 a night. Guess we are paying for location over luxury. After a quick shower (or what you can better call a damp rinsing off, thanks to no water pressure) we headed out to explore the streets of Dublin. Our first stop was to Patrick Conway's- the oldest pub in Dublin City Center - for our first official pint in Ireland.
Ate dinner at a place called Fitzgeralds on Ashton Quay. Fish n' Chips and Irish stew. We were so tired from our trip we were in bed around 7:30pm. By that point we had been awake over 30 hours since leaving CHI the day before.
Saturday, December 29, 2007
Ireland Trip- Day 1
And we're off...travel plans changed slightly. We were supposed to fly from Chicago to New York, then New York to Dublin and get in at 7 AM on the 30th. But our 1st flight to NY was oversold so we each got a $400 Delta credit for giving up our seats and then Delta booked us on a flight from Chicago to Paris, then on to Dublin. So we went to Paris $800 richer! Ironically enough, another couple on the original flight to NY was headed home to Dublin on the same flights and they gave up their seats, too. It was pretty sweet- they gave us some advice on what we should see. Paidraig, the Dubliner, suggested that we go to Kilmainham jail, so we'll be sure to check that out!
The flight itself to Paris blew! It was such a small plane for an overseas flight. Will and I were in the 2 seat aisle side of the plane in the 2nd to last row. It was so cramped we didn't sleep at all. The only redeeming quality on the plane was the personal tvs. We played a lot of games- Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, Blackjack, and Mahjong Tiles.
The flight itself to Paris blew! It was such a small plane for an overseas flight. Will and I were in the 2 seat aisle side of the plane in the 2nd to last row. It was so cramped we didn't sleep at all. The only redeeming quality on the plane was the personal tvs. We played a lot of games- Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, Blackjack, and Mahjong Tiles.
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