Pictures

I've put up a few pictures on my facebook account and on flickr.

No Time Better Spent

Last weekend Matt and I ventured to London to do some damage. We flew out on RyanAir on Wednesday night and had an epic time. We both agreed that the perfect combination of exploring, checking out the sights, and experiencing the nightlife was achieved. After catching the late train into the city from Stansted Airport, we navigated across London Bridge and into our hostel at 2 am. The flight times were not so friendly, but the price was right. After a quick brunch from a local grocery store the next morning, we started walking towards Southwark Cathedral (same building where Shakespeare attended mass), the Tate Modern Art Museum, Millennium Bridge, and St. Paul's Cathedral (which we scored free admission to by stumbling in during choral evensong). We later met up with David Rice,  a SJU alum who currently lives and works in London. He showed us a proper time around Piccadilly Circus and led us to a bar in Soho where we randomly met the csb/sju group studying in London. This was great as we were able to stay with our new friends for free on Friday night. Even though London is experiencing a recession and the pound is at its lowest rates in 8 years, London is still rather expensive.

On Friday morning, we received a rude awakening from the maid at the hostel and quickly found ourselves exploring the city again. After checking out the Globe Theatre, Big Ben, Parliament, and the National Gallery, we met up with David again for a late lunch before trekking to the Hyde Park area to find the csb/sju group we met the previous night. It felt great to be able to meet a group of people for the first time, be invited in, and feel completely safe sleeping in a group room. Besides time spent with the cross and track teams, that was the first time I really experienced and was appreciative of the whole community aspect of the St. John's philosophy. There's not many institutions where that kind of welcoming would seem natural. Anyways, after another night out and one more day of exploring museums and sights of London, we pushed ourselves out on the town Saturday and made it to Liverpool Street Station at 4 am Sunday for a flight back to Cork.

Needless to say, new friends were met, great times had, and many memories made. This London section could go on and on, as we really did experience a trip where not a moment could have been better spent.

One other note: I've noticed throughout this trip the increasing awareness of global problems. Never before did I realize the worldwide effect of the current recession or the amount of people whose lives are effected by global warming. While eating breakfast at the hostel in London one morning, Matt and I met a man from Peru who was en route to Paris to attend a conference about wind energy. Previously, I thought only low lying coastal countries felt the effects from global warming and that only advanced nations were discussing the problem/solutions. Because Peru is mountainous and losing snow pack/water runoff, entire towns are at risk of losing their water. Our new friend wondered what would happen when thousands of villagers lose their only source of water. 

Even the guys we met in the Dublin hostel had science backgrounds and worked with a windfarm company. Pat, a man Matt and I met at the airport to & from London also commented on how developed the world is and how one nation's problems are deeply interconnected with another's. I always considered the default view/that portrayed by the U.S. media was that America is putting forth the most effort towards solutions for the global warming, population control, and the recession, and that some of those aren't even regarded as a significant threat. I'm normally more optimistic, but the easiest conversation to start with the Irish (besides rugby or soccer) involves Obama, the recession, or global warming. While the problems truly are on a worldwide scale, hopefully that just means more people will be able to find solutions.

Rock of Cashel & Irish Knights

Over the last few weeks I've travelled around Munster (the southwest region of Ireland, 4 regions total in the country) and gone hiking and learning about Irish history. School still hasn't felt like school, which is just fine. Little homework has allowed a head start on a few essays due later in the month and plenty of time for working out and spending money. I've explored most of Cork (that's accessible by walking anyway) and now the streets and traffic seem less intimating and it feels less like a vacation and more like a home. The city of Cork reminds me somewhat of St.Paul. The population is similar with a mediocre sized city centre (downtown), the roads are slightly more confusing to navigate, and there are areas that take on an extra historical/ethnic atmosphere. Obviously Cork has much more history to it than St.Paul as I noticed one day when walking to the Mardyke Arena (gym). The night before in history class, the professor showed a painting of the original arena circa 1870. There was a similar sized building for the arena and the street, grass, and scenery look identical. Walking down the narrow street that came directly from the painting, I attempted and failed to comprehend all of the history and many memories that people have experienced in the same spot over hundreds of years.  

On the 25th of January, Joe, Carson, Matt, and I went hiking with the mountaineering club at Mahon Falls (about 1.5 hours east of Cork). It was cold, wet, and a blast! The rain/sleet/snow subsided for most of the hike, making the venture tolerable, but the wind was vicious on top of the falls and visibility was poor. Here’s a website that explains the place we went hiking:

http://www.tompgalvin.com/places/ie/waterford_county.htm
Unlike the photos on that site, there was 3 inches of snow at the top and overcast skies when we went through. We also stopped at the town called Dungarvan which looked exactly like the picture on that website. There were 3 vans of hikers and apparently we needed to stop at a pub for a hour before returning. Despite being wet and cold, it was a nice way to top off an accomplished day.

Last Saturday Megan and I went with the archaeology class to visit several different sites around and to the north of Cork. The first site we visited was one of the largest wedge-tombs in Ireland, dating from 1500 BC. The site is called Labbacallee which means old/wise lady. Our professor pointed out that local legend says a woman used to rule the local kingdom and when the tomb was excavated in 1934, the remains of a woman were found inside. This indicates that folklore, along with the ancient name and tomb, could hold more truth to it than people realize.

The second site was called Glenworth, and featured an Anglo-Norman Keep (stone castle). Apparently there used to be several hundred kings in Ireland, each ruling very small regions/towns, like a mayor today except much more authoritatively. Anyways, this was a typical castle for the king and his family, built on a hill with plenty of defense features. Check out the pictures on my flickr account. My review won't do justice, but a visit with an archaeology professor explaining everything would. 

Flickr Photos

After a stop for lunch in the town of Cashel, we visited the Rock of Cashel. This was the biggest site of the day and served as the main seat for the Kings of Munster and was built between the 10th-13th centuries. During this time, different families had power and tried to one-up each other by means of building more impressive structures then the family before. First, one family constructed a keep and living quarters, the next had a round (bell) tower and church built. Converting it to a religious site ensured that those structures would always remain intact. Later, a much larger gothic chapel was built right next to the old chapel (literally 4 feet in front of the entrance from the old chapel). Anyways, the day was great, a little misty in the morning but full of great Irish history and archaeology. 

The following day, most of the csb/sju crew got together to watch the Superbowl. Unfortunately, it didn't start until midnight and because Irish television has much fewer commercials (zero during rugby and soccer matches), none of the American advertiser's excessive amount of spending was witnessed. About one third of the game was just a panoramic view of the stadium which aired when American tv went to commercials. Though I left after Bruce Springsteen's halftime show/crotch shot, it was still a great way to wrap up another week in the green paradise.