Lectured Out

Over the last month I've experienced the liquid sunshine of Scotland, full force tourists in Dublin, and managed to wrap up the last lectures and papers of my college career. Here's the highlights:

A 3 day venture to Edinburgh, Scotland left me wanting more. The city itself has architecture and history enough to rival London (although much smaller in size and less people). Matt and I went on a free walking tour one morning which hit all the sites from the Royal Mile to the cafe that inspired JK Rowling. Our tour guide could have doubled as Ari Gold (Entourage) but was very informative and proved for a great time. The next day we hit a tour bus all over the Scottish Highlands. Originally, I planned on spending a day or 3 in the highlands region which includes Loch Ness and Ben Nevis, the tallest mountain in the UK. The first week in March, however, provided rather cold temperatures and "liquid sunshine" in the highlands. Luckily, the tour guide on the bus was one of the best I've ever experienced. Descending from the clan Buchanan, his family's slogan was "Brighter hence the honour", and he proved it by getting the whole bus fired up at 7:30 in the morning with great stories, plenty of history, an attitude for adventure, and a bottle of Scotch. Just kidding about that last one, but the whole trip was great.

A week after Scotland, I bussed over to Dublin to meet up with Scott who flew in from Sweden to celebrate the weekend before St.Patty's day. It was great to be back and this time I managed to check out Kilmainham Gaol (Gaelic for jail). Perfect timing, actually, as one essay question on my Irish history test was about the Irish Revolution. On Easter Sunday, 1916, several members of the Irish Brotherhood held a rally in Dublin square and started an uprising against the British. While they lost a weeklong battle and were held and executed at Kilmainham Gaol, they did ignite the patriotic spark in hundreds more Irish who fought the British until Ireland was granted home rule status in 1919. Anyways, Dublin was packed with tourists, there was a carnival taking up 4 city blocks near Trinity College, and I met my long lost twin (or some guy that looked identical to me...unfortunate buzzed haircut and all) in one the many pubs packed with people and live music.

St.Patrick's in Cork was completely different than America. Most of the Irish went to church in the morning and packed the streets for a less than par parade (save for one amazing robot float). The Irish make pubs part of the day as well, but that's really not different from any other day of the week, except the younger crowd went at it harder. The day after I met up with my parents who survived a week in London and couldn't travel that far without going to Ireland and seeing me :) Deloris (the lovely lady operating the B&B they stayed at) greeted me each morning I went over and it was a struggle to keep the resulting conversation down to less than half an hour. After a few days of catching up, sightseeing, and perfect weather, I showed them to the bus station where they left for Dublin. 

Last week actually felt like school and kept me busy everyday and night with work. I did take the opportunity to run my first colligate 5k on the track at UCC's athletics (track) meet. It was pretty low key but felt great. Now I'm done with class and gettin set to take on Europe for a month before finals start. Tentative plans include leaving for Paris next Tuesday, the beaches of Normandy on Thursday, overnight train to Barcelona Thursday night, bus to Madrid on Sunday, fly to Cairo on Monday, leave for Rome on Easter Sunday, then starting a Eurail pass and ride the rails up Italy, through Switzerland, over to Vienna, Prague, then into Germany. There's plenty of flexibility in there so hopefully I'll find plenty of other cool distractions on the way.

Cheers 'til next time.

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.

Graduation!

Last Friday through Sunday Megan, Allison, Matt and I took in all Dublin has to offer. With my total amount of sleep for the whole weekend somewhere between 3 and 4 hours, I left with a feeling of accomplishment and a slight cold. After a 3.5 hour bus ride, we arrived in Dublin around noon and proceeded on to fulfill our thirst...for knowledge. Trinity College houses a gigantic library and the Book of Kells. While the Book of Kells was not on display, we did receive half price admission, plus the amount of old leather bound books in the library was amazing. The Irish History Museum was only a block away, and also extremely interesting, probably because I had been directly learning about everything in there in my Irish Archaeology class (and I'm easy to entertain). Incidentally, I found myself more in tune with that class today as the professor showed pictures of late bronze age artifacts in Ireland, all of which I had seen in person at the museum.

Later on the first night we met a Shane, a friend of Megan's who was studying at a nearby seminary. He took us to our first authentic Irish dinner. My dish was called Celtic-something or another and was delicious - and the price of 9 euros was much better than expected. After retiring for the evening in our hostel, I spent the next 4 hours trying to fall asleep amidst the noise of the street and hostel. Around 4 am, our other roommates burst in the door in classic Irish fashion (aka drunken stupor). We spent the next hour or 2 talking, laughing, and getting to know Ross, Phil, and Ryan who were from Northern Ireland and came to watch the UFC fight on Saturday. While the lack of sleep wasn't ideal, the hostel surprised me in safety, amenities, and friendliness. However, earplugs are a must next time for this light sleeper.

Saturday was about as typically Irish as anyone can hope for - a tour of the Jameson Whiskey Distillery was up first during the sun filled morning, followed by a lunch of fish and chips, a small hurricane on the way to the Guinness Brewery, then a quick power nap, and topped off with another dinner and night out with new friends.  The Jameson tour was hands down the favorite part of Dublin. A 25 minute tour of the distillery was concluded with a complimentary drink for everyone, plus 8 lucky participants were selected (all 4 of us!) to taste test Jameson versus a black label Scotch and Jack Daniels. Afterwards, we were presented with diplomas from Jameson dignifying us as "Qualified Irish Whiskey Tasters".

The Guinness tour was not guided, but was much more modern and offered a 360 view of the city from atop its tower aptly titled "The Gravity Bar". Apparently stout beers diminish in taste the further the beer travels from the brewery. The delicious Guinness provided to us from the brewery is testament to that! The rest of the evening was a blast as we went out with our new friends who wanted to show us a proper time in Dublin.

Before taking the 2:00 bus back to Cork on Sunday, we went to the Irish Art Gallery, which I was pleasantly surprised to find that I enjoyed very much. While I have never been a fan of Renaissance Era art including all the naked statues and huge murals, this gallery also housed the works of many Irish painters as well as landscape and historical works of the country. I particularly enjoyed the works of Jack Beats, an Irish painter whose paintings in the gallery were in order by the year they were completed. Early on in his career he was a clear, focused painter who featured [among others subjects] landscapes of Irish cities. He became progressively impressionistic and it became harder to determine the focus and meaning of each painting. The last few paintings of his in the room were so sloppy that the subject was hard to point out. That's enough/all the art appreciation I have for now.

On a slightly depressing but equally interesting note, Anglo Irish Bank (AIB) succumbed to its insurmountable bad debts and was nationalized last Friday, making big headlines throughout Ireland. While the Irish are much more money conscious, they have been hit much harder by the recession than back home **(2 weeks ago I saw several hundred people lining up outside the Cork unemployment and welfare office before opening hours). As I was reading about the bank buyout in a newspaper in a Dublin cafe, I realized the picture in the paper matched a setting we just walked past. The picture here shows a main street that leads up to the city centre. The National Bank of Ireland HQ is in the shot and AIB is slightly off and way left of the picture. While pictures were lackluster in this trip (batteries went dead early on), I plan on at least passing through Dublin in the future and will fulfill my touristy obligations and take more photos. 

The Dirty Dozen

Started this blog a week ago...

With class and studies trying to force their way into life, I am thankful for Irish television. Even with only 4 channels, I am fortunate to be graced by a daily presence of The Virginian (a Bonzana like series), and the occasional movie like Wednesday night's showing of The Dirty Dozen.  A 1966 classic featuring Charles Bronzon and Telly Savalas among 10 other army misfits, this film depicts the tale of the group transforming from 12 court marshaled, independent bullies into an orderly unit with a hint of camaraderie and cohesion. That's enough review for an old WWII movie, but I actually did enjoy it and thought just the right amount of cheesy one liners, suspense, action, and all the dramatic themes of hope and brotherhood were portrayed. Plus Lee Marvin was in charge of the squad and he's basically the Chuck Norris of his day (John Wayne doesn't possess the cheesy/low budget aspect that Norris brings).

Anyways, last Tuesday was also my birthday, which was a blast. After a surprisingly interesting lecture about the potato famine in Irish History night class, I went back for a late dinner. Matt had put together homemade pizzas and Allison and Megan came over for apple pie and ice cream. We then met up with the rest of crew and went to a pub with live music (late 90's music is all the rage here).  After that closed at midnight, we went to another pub nearby to finish the night. A great evening of chill times was had by all and 9 am French class wasn't rough the next morning which means thumbs up for 22!

Blarney Kissin

Pictures from Blarney Castle. Yeah I might catch a cold (or worse...ha), but the gift of blarney was too tempting. That, and the prospect of lying down on my back and sticking my head over the top of Blarney Castle was irresistible.

Horrible picture, but taken from the top of the castle, it shows Kyle (another from SJU) leaning over the gap to kiss the Blarney Stone