Lots of stuff happening!

           Have to start off by saying I HAVE A NEW NEPHEW!  Baby Nolan was born the evening January 10 in California, so technically it was January 11th here!  So I get to celebrate two birthdays with him ;) I am so sad I couldn’t be there to meet him for the first time with everyone else, but it will still be special to meet him when he is a few weeks old.  I just may have to be a baby hog for a day or so!

            Well, a lot has happened in the last few days since Nolan has been born.

Saturday we took a journey to Cobh (pronounced “cove”).  Cobh is the second largest natural harbor in the world, following Sydney.  This is the port that much of Ireland’s emigrants left from during Ireland’s hardships.  It also happens to be the last port of call that the Titanic stopped at before going on its last voyage (which is left out of the movie).  We walked up to this huge beautiful cathedral (turned out to be St. Colmans Cathedral, the largest cathedral in all the British Isles. [Side note: I’ve learned that many Irish people do not like this term “British Isles”, but this was what the American woman that led our tour said, so I’m just using her verbage!]).  We noticed a few people standing out in front of the cathedral and it turned out that they were there to unveil a commemorative stone that was placed on the cathedral grounds in honor of the Bridewell Prison which apparently used to be located where the street in front of the cathedral is now.  This stone monument would be the first external piece added to the cathedral since the 1860’s.  There were newspaper columnists and photographers there to catch the action, and it was funny because if we hadn’t been there, there would not have been much of a turn out.  After the stone was revealed, we took a tour of the cathedral and the crypts under the church where the bishops were put after they passed away (there were 6 in the crypts and 2 buried in the ground next to the cathedral).  Very interesting!  After the tour, we walked over to the Cobh Heritage Center.  This museum was dedicated to displaying the emigration that has occurred in its town, including a pretty neat section for the Titanic.  It also had a pretty great gift shop and little café where Hazel and I shared a toasty (grilled ham and cheese).  We then drove to Blarney and did a little shopping.  Only one person actually ran to the castle and kissed the Blarney stone.  We then arrived at our new hotel Saturday night.

            We arrived at the Devon Inn in Templeglatine.  This hotel was older, but the rooms were a bit larger than our usual, which was nice.  After we got settled in, we walked next door to a ceili, which is an Irish music and dance party!  Definitely the best night we have had! SO much fun!!!  There were all these kids (maybe 20 of them) playing these Irish instruments and music all together and then dancers took turns coming out to do traditional Irish dances for us, it was amazing! So much talent!  Then they encouraged us to come out and try out some of their group party dances.  Some of them were so hard but we had fun looking stupid while trying to keep up!  We danced and talked and listened to music until pretty late.  I ended up talking with two 13-year-old girls for some time.  They were fascinated by where we were from, but also equally enjoyed hearing what we thought was different here.  They talked about One Direction a lot, and how “dear” Abercrombie & Fitch and Hollister were to them out here.  They said it costs about 85 euros for a zip up hoodie here, so anyone who wears those brands is pretty awesome! Anyway, an entertaining conversation nonetheless…

            The next morning (Sunday) we had breakfast in the hotel and then headed off to mass!  We went to Saint Brigid’s where Father Pat who we had previously met was giving the mass.  We had heard that he had a full crowd for every mass, and they were right!  The small church was filled, with people standing in the back and along the sides.  The program that was handed out had a welcome note to us, very nice!  Before mass started, the church bells (I believe it was a recording) played Danny Boy… which I just thought was amazingly cool.  When mass started, Fr. Pat actually announced our presence and had everyone applaud for us, “Students from Saint Mary’s College of California in Morago!”  Haha, Morago… too funny, but very sweet and we felt very welcomed.  Here’s the crazy part, mass was only about THIRTY MINUTES long!!! Wow.  There was some confusion during communion when I went up to be blessed (since I’m not Catholic) that made for some entertainment… apparently they don’t do that here? After mass, as we were walking into Father Pat’s house, they played our country’s national anthem over the bell speakers!  So nice!  We all sang along.  We walked into the house and sat down and had homemade lunch!  Sandwiches, scones, salmon, muffins, apple tart, tea… so much goodness!  We also got to hear a talk from Professor Mary McAuliffe.  She is an Irish historian and gave us a great talk and touched on some of the current and past political issues in Ireland.  She told us stories of her ancestors, such as her grandmother who when she was 17 years old had actually hidden guns in that very church during the war in 1918.  So fascinating!  She also told us about how back in 1840 there were over 8 million people in Ireland, whereas now there is about half of that.  All of the country’s young people are emigrating!  Very interesting stuff.  When we left the church, we went to a pub where the publicans (means pub owners! One of my favorite new terms…) were waiting for us at the door.  We spent a few hours there, everyone had drinks and played snooker (similar to pool).  It was fun! 

            The next morning we drove into Galway! This hotel is very nice and right in the city’s center.  There is a college here in Galway, so we have been seeing people our age! Our papers were supposed to be due this day, but the teachers decided to extend it to the next morning and have us go on a quick walking tour of the city instead.  We walked around (in the rain!) and went into the Galway Cathedral. So beautiful!  I had a quick lunch from a place called Centra, similar to a 7 Eleven but they had a deli.  Great sandwich! I got chicken and cheese and cranberry sauce.  After the walking tour we stopped at a fish & chips place for dinner where we ran into Fr. Tom.  I didn’t order anything, and instead had some delicious gelato afterwards!  I also got picked on for being foreign and it made me feel very weird!  A guy tried to overcharge me for bottled water… not cool.  We procrastinated a great deal back at the hotel, but eventually we all got our papers done.  Thanks to JJ I got some good info and material!

            Today, we had very good breakfast in the hotel, then took a drive to the Irish Famine Museum in Strokestown.  We got to learn quite a bit about the famine and got to walk through a very old Irish home.  We had a small break when we got back, then went for a group dinner at a place called The Quays.  It was a prearranged menu, so we got to choose from turkey, fish & chips, boiled bacon (I believe?), and a veggie quiche.  I got the turkey and it was very good! Came with mashed potatoes and chips (French fries), and cabbage and veggies.  Afterwards, some of us went out for gelato again and then to the King’s Head pub for a bit.  Now we’re back and getting ready for bed and another big day tomorrow! More soon!

Update!

            The amazing thing about this trip is that everyday is just as busy and amazing as the last!  I haven’t been able to update in a couple days because we leave so early every morning and get back in so late! But I finally found some time (since I can't sleep!) to give an update of what's been going on over here! I apologize in advance for how long this entry is going to be!

            So let me back up a little bit…

            For our second day in Ireland, we took a trip to the Dingle Peninsula.  We (my roommate Theresa and I) woke up around 7:30 and went down to breakfast.  So delicious!  The continental breakfast was porridge (with sides of local honey and brown sugar), juices, cereal, breads, scones, croissants, and different kinds of “fruit cocktail”.  Then we discovered that the hot food from the menu (eggs, bacon, sausage, etc.) was all included as well! Pretty amazing breakfast, we are all in love with the porridge. Then we left for Dingle! It was about a two hour drive, but SO amazingly beautiful.  We stopped to look at the Atlantic Ocean for a while, it was so windy and cold, but the cliffs were amazing and the waves were huge!  The green hills are more gorgeous than I could have ever imagined… and there are sheep everywhere! On our bus drive our driver/tour guide Philip informed us of what they call “beep the sheep” which is when you honk at a bunch of sheep whenever you pass them and they’re close to the road.  It makes them all run away, and is pretty hilarious.  Speaking of Philip, he’s a pretty amazing driver!  It’s amazing how thrown off we all are over the cars being on opposite sides of the road (on the left instead of the right).  But Philip navigates cliffs and windy roads like a champ!  On our way to Dingle we hit a road that they were getting ready to close due to flooding, but Philip put the bus into a special mode and went right through.  Then we encountered what Philip says is called the “Devil’s Elbow” because it’s a road on a cliff and the turn looks just like a person’s folded elbow!  It was pretty scary, but again not a problem for Philip!

            This drive was when we first were able to see the ancient history of Ireland.  We passed many beehive forts, which were built around 1500-1000 BC, and also saw ring forts which were set up to protect livestock back in ancient times.  We stopped again to admire the ocean leading into the peninsula.  We got to see (through some heavy mist) the Blasket Islands, the skelligs, and the “sleeping bishop”.  The landscape here is so different and dramatic in comparison to the U.S.  All of these intense formations were formed by glaciers thousands and thousands of years ago.  But everything we have seen is so beautiful, and it’s something so ordinary here.  We see old, broken castles everywhere in the distance as we are driving, some of which are poking up out of different waterways or ponds or lakes. 

            We stopped to visit the Gallarus Oratory, an early Christian church, estimated to be built between the 6th and 9th century.  VERY cool.    We then went into the town of Dingle.  It is EXTREMELY cute and small.  Before we had left I had heard of this town and how it supposedly had a dolphin (just one!) that lived in the peninsula.  His name is Fungie, and he has been there since around 1985!  So I was on the lookout for him all day, but had no luck.  We did go to this little music shop where a few locals (including one extremely attractive fiddle player) played music and sang just for us.  Afterwards they offered everyone Irish coffees (and regular coffee), and we eventually went on our way.

            When we got back into town, we all went out for a group dinner to a pub called The Laurells.  Since it was prearranged with the restaurant, we had four options to choose from for dinner: Fish & chips, a vegetable gateau, a hamburger, or potato cakes.  Everyone at my table ordered the potato cakes! Best things ever.  Sort of like a potato pancake, but it has bits of chicken and ham (or bacon to them… but more like ham) and a few veggies.  After dinner we met Father Pat, whose mass we will be attending this Sunday, and a “radio guy”.  We listened to them talk for about an hour in the hotel, discussing why they think Ireland is the way it is today.  We’ve been discussing a lot about the history of Ireland and the religious and political divide throughout the whole island and how it turned into a place of peaceful religion (like during the time of the Gallarus Oratory) to violence and unrest. 

            On our third day (Wednesday 1/8), we woke up early, ate breakfast, and headed out to the Beara Peninsula.  We had another breath-taking drive and eventually ended up at a writer and artist’s retreat.  A woman from the states bought this home in the most beautiful location I have ever seen solely for the purpose of having writers and artists come to get inspiration.  We listened to a writer, Paddy (Patty?) O’Connor read Irish poetry and discuss the main themes and ideas behind Irish poetry throughout history to feel the emotions of the people from each time period.  We also got to explore the giant property there and even got a delicious homemade lunch of tomato soup and “toasties” (grilled cheese) and salad and “crisps”, then an apple cake for dessert.  After we got back, some of us went back to the Laurells for dinner and had pizza!  The bartender (purposely) was really awkward and made us feel stupid.  Pretty entertaining.

            For day four, we went to County Cork and learned all about Michael Collins.  After watching the movie about his life (starring Liam Neeson), we had a fairly good understanding of who he was and how important he was to the history of Ireland, but after going to the Michael Collins center and meeting a man who has dedicated his entire life to researching and studying Michael Collins, we gained an even greater understanding.  This man got on our bus with us and guided us all around the county, showing us every important landmark regarding Michael Collins—his childhood home, the last pub he was seen at, and where he was shot and killed (we learned it is controversial whether or not he was actually “assassinated”).  It was very interesting and led to a better understanding of Irish history overall.  We arrived to our hotel in Cork City last night.  We were all amazed driving into town when we were on what resembled a freeway!  We were beginning to think those didn’t exist here.  But Cork is the second largest city in Ireland (after Dublin), so it has been nice to see what city life is like after being in smaller, more rural towns.  Some of us went out and walked around the city a bit, and had dinner at a recommended (by a local) restaurant called Scoozi.  It seemed pretty Americanized, but it was good!  I had goujons of fish (fish and chips), then we went out to a couple different pubs.  This hotel though is nice and is right on the river (Lee, I believe) so we have an amazing view.

            This morning we got to sleep in a little bit, then had breakfast at the hotel (it’s usually our only free meal of the day, so we take full advantage of it!).  It was the usual buffet with cereals and breads and thick bacon and eggs and whatnot.  Yumtastic. Oh! And TEA J  Today was really great.  We started off by having a guided walking tour around the city (by John Borgonovo, from San Francisco actually).  It rained on us quite a bit but it was nice to do something that did not involve a long bus ride.  We learned a lot about the city, like the fact that it has about 200,000 residents and has been around since about 700-800 AD.  Cork was also built right over water, so we were shown some old buildings that still had staircases that now lead up to homes but were originally used to get on to the land after docking your boat.  We then went to UCC, University College Cork, where our tour guide is a professor of Irish history.  He gave us a quick tour of the campus and talked to us a little about the history, and then we were all on our own for the rest of the day (at like 3:30, the earliest yet!).  We all went off to lunch with most of us going to the college’s cafeteria (yay for cheap food and people our age!).  I got roasted chicken and mashed potatoes.  Better than our cafeteria food!  The students in the cafeteria looked at us funny, and then at some point we started talking with a student sitting near me.  Her name is JJ (Jennifer!) and she turned out to be so amazingly awesome!  She ended up hanging out with Blake, Hazel, Araceli, Alex and myself for the rest of the day.  She showed us around the town and took us to an AMAZING hot chocolate place (YES A HOT CHOCOLATE PLACE!!!) and to a couple cool shops and pubs.  We talked for a long time and learned so much from her about Ireland and its current state and history.  It was amazing to hear these things from a younger generation’s perspective.  I feel like in those few hours we gained such a better understanding of Ireland than we have from reading our books and embarking on our tourist-like adventures.  Such a great experience!  I’m Facebook messaging with her right now as I write this!

            After coming back to the hotel for a while, some of us went to dinner right next door at a small pub.  I had quiche and chips. Yum!  Now I’m getting ready for bed, but am NO WAY near sleep as my sister-in-law, Mikaela, is 9 cm dilated and about to give birth to my new niece or nephew!!!!!! Can not wait!!!!

Tomorrow we are off to Templeglantine (an apparently very tiny town).  More soon!

Finally made it!

What a crazy couple of days… Didn't sleep at all Saturday night, then got to SMC by 4am, then to SFO. Our flight left at I believe 6:30 or 7, and landed in Newark for what was supposed to be a 4 hour (turned 5 hour) layover. We were all exhausted before our first flight even took off! Then, finally, we got on board our flight for Shannon! We arrived in Shannon at about 7:30 am Ireland time (about 11:30 pm California time!). The seats were tiny and I was super cramped and uncomfortable the whole time… So landing was definitely exciting for everyone! Right after landing, we went through customs and made our way to meet our bus driver/tour guide, Philip. We all got on board the bus and were super excited to find that it had wifi inside! Woo hoo!
One thing we noticed right away was that Ireland still had Christmas decorations up… everywhere!
From the airport, we drove straight to breakfast at Oak Wood Arms.  There we had a nice Irish breakfast buffet consisting of toast, scrambled and fried eggs, potato in a sort of condensed hash brown form, fruit, yogurt, black pudding (which, come to find out, is not pudding. It's a sausage type thing that is black from using so much pig blood.), bacon (or what the Irish call bacon), scones, cheese, sausages, delicious Irish breakfast tea… and most likely other things that I can't remember!

Then, from breakfast, we drove to Bunratty Castle. It is a reconstructed castle that dates back to the 1500's and was restored in 1954.  Super cool! We got to see how these people lived in castles and what roles each room played in castle life.  Then we got to explore the recreated village next door.  We got to see firsthand how people lived in Ireland so long ago, along with personal stories from Philip (our bus driver).  Oh yeah, and it rained. A lot.

We then stopped in Adare for a quick bite to eat, walked around a little bit, and walked right in and out of our first Irish pub.

 On our way to Killarney, we saw a rainbow!

We got to our hotel around 4:30.  The rain was so heavy we had to wait before getting off the bus to unload… After a quick change, Father Tom took some of us around the town for a quick tour of the area, with pubs on every corner we kind of knew what we would be eating for dinner.  So after some looking around, some of us ended up back at our hotel's pub.  Now sitting here at 9pm, I'm falling asleep… I think it's time for some serious sleep (it's been SO long!).  More photos and videos soon! :)

Dingle tomorrow!

Leaving tomorrow!

I can not believe I will be on a plane to Ireland in less than 20 hours! I am ridiculously excited!
Still so much to do! Still need to pack everything into one suitcase and a carryon… this should be interesting!
Well I hope to keep this updated throughout our trip, so keep an eye out for more posts soon!