So long Ireland! Cheers!

I noticed when we would leave a restaurant or pay at a gift shop, the attendants would always say 'Cheers' . In America we would say 'Thank You.' I am sorry it's over. It's kinda sad...hecka sad a boy once said.

So...this post is 'Cheers.' The trip is a wrap. I have been home a week and a half now and I am making good progress on my scrapbook. I hope to finish it this next week and then have our traveling companions over for Irish Stew.

It will take me a while to process my experiences in relation to my thoughts about the experience. In My Name is Asher Lev, Chaim Potok's main character identifies the beauty and benefit of travel as something in life that makes people better and more human. Travel certainly impacts my theoretical framework as I consider many aspects of the people's lives and cultures I was privileged to visit. I know that my travel time away from my normal, routine life makes me better and more kind and complete; I am thankful for the opportunity to go and see any part of the world when I have a chance.

Car rental drama

You know, Ireland has been as gracious and as kind and welcoming as London..except for the car rental system. Seriously, it is now a racket. The bad thing for Ireland is that for many travelers the car rental experience is their first and last impression, so if you ever go there, have a heads up on being scammed on your car...and I would recommend going with a big name like Hertz, even if it costs more.

We had an 8 passenger van and no luggage would have fit with that many people. Anyway, when they guys took the van back, the punks (Jay's word) at the Budget counter went out and looked at the car and said they were charging $600 for a new spare since there was not one in the van. There never HAD been one in the van! At one point the Budget guy told Jay to shut up and Jay told him to come over the counter and say that. They threatened to call security....oh the drama. I missed it all, thank goodness. And they all came back in one piece. Jim is going to try to solve it through American Express, but he was frustrated too.

Other highlights? Fish and chips were fabulous everywhere. The open air, local market at Kilmare. The views of rivers and parks and farms and cattle and sheep. Hearing little children speak with Irish accents. All the thousands of redheads. The flute player on the Cliffs of Moher. Seeing school kids head home in their uniforms - no buses or cars; they were just walking.

Donna's cemetaries. That was too funny. She kind of had an eye for doors and cemetaries throughout the trip. The first one, Jay said 'You aren't going to know anyone there.' Duh.... don't think he got the whole idea of the artwork of the headstones and the impact of that on the skyscape. She spotted one abbey ruin by a cemetary and it was rich indeed. We managed a negotiate a stop for that one, but I have no idea what town it was in.

Ali would love it -- they served us little pizzas on the flight from Dublin to Chicago. I got on this plane and was out cold for 6 hours because I stayed up most of the night working on my paper. Some moments I feel good about the test and writing, and other moments I feel hopeless.

Oh well, we are about to land and I am breaking the rules by having my electronic device turned on.

ttfn~slc

Dublin Airport...the adventure continues

We left our hotel at 2 a.m. U.S. Time and will arrive to OKC at 11 p.m. Long, long day, and it wasn't supposed to be that way. We were supposed to leave Ireland at 10 30 and be back home at 5 05. Delays in Dublin due to the bank holiday and school being out. We stood in line for hours and got bumped from one flight to another, but they gave us vouchers for food, so we are happy. The return saga continues.

By the time we boarded our plane, we all were aquainted with a lively Irish two year old named James. I believe everyone in our Terminal G knew James. We were more than a little relieved when Little James didn't board our plane. I doubt his parents would have given him a Valium, but that's what he needed to make it through an 8 hour flight!

ttfn~slc

Bunratty, Cliffs of Moher, and back to Dublin

This morning we left our last B&B in New Market on Fergus, near Bunratty Castle. Our innkeepers had three little boys and last night Jay went to the soccer game of the 9 year old while the rest of us went to the traditional dinner at Bunratty Castle. The photo is of an older group of boys from the same school, waiting for their bus to take them to their game. Not only did he get to watch local kids play soccer (just across the street from our B&B) but he also caught the next Ireland soccer game on TV. I can't remember who they were playing or where, but I know that Ireland won and that everyone is pumped because the new coach from Italy is shaking it up a bit and they all anticipate a good season.

The experience at Bunratty Castle took place in what was once a corn shed, or something like that. It was a re-creation of what life and entertainment would be like a few centuries ago. We had brown bread, lamb stew, apple pie, flat orange drink, weak lemonade and coffee. Music and dancing were excellent and we were able to see Riverdance! type dancing and hear the violin and the drum. The drum used looks like a large tambourine and uses only one drumstick held kind of around the fingers. The music was lively and the jokes were good. Nice evening... We just saw the castle from the outside and it was nicely lit. I think that the inside of that castle is restored to what it may have looked like at the height of its activity, but I won't know for sure until my next visit.

As far as castles go, we have been lucky to see so many, and it's staggering to just be driving down the road and see some castle ruin or abbey ruin in a field surrounded by cattle or sheep. The cattle here are huge! The Irish are big beef eaters and we have seen a bunch of hamburger joints -- not something I expected. I have eaten seafood the entire trip, but I am about to have a huge hamburger -- red meat sounds great. They also hold 'mushy peas' in high esteem, and even though I am all about experiencing international cuisine, I am not having any part of mushy peas -- they look like mashed potatoes only soupier and green. Bangers and mashed potatoes are popular; bangers are big sausages.

In Limerick we found the Munster headquarters and bought all kinds of rugby stuff. I wish that someone I needed to buy a gift for liked rugby shirts -- I love the cut on the shoulders of those shirts. The shopkeepers at the rugby store were a hoot. Limerick was not as touristy as Dublin -- we shopped and ate with locals. King John's castle is on the Shannon river and we got a couple of shots as we sat in a traffic jam. Angela's Ashes took place in Limerick, and we drove through some of the places that looked like the setting for parts of that book/movie.

As far as driving goes, I know there is my version and Jim Poteet's version (as well as Robert, Donna, Peggy and Jay's versions.) I was in a hole in the back seat, so I couldn't see the road very well, but it seemed like everything went well. Jay, Peggy and Jim got better and better at figuring out the roads, but discussion in the roundabouts was always lively as they figured out which option to take. The roads are NARROW and that doesn't bother the Irish at all. Huge buses and cars just blaze by, but Jim keeps us out of danger's way with a quick brake from 60 kph to 30 kmp. We saw beautiful landscapes and homes and fields and ruins. The homes here are much simpler and few colors are used on the actual homes, but the doors on the homes are wild and exciting colors and many are very unique in design.

Okay, before I bore you to tears, let me tell you about the Cliffs of Moher. They are overwhelming and huge and beautiful. Very muffled splashing of the waves on the cliffs because they are hundreds of feet below. We saw hundreds of shelves on the cliffs with seagulls perched. I would love to see the cliffs from the sea and on a sunny day, but our misty, foggy experience today was so much what I expected. We wandered up and down the paths and took pictures trying to catch the magnificence of the scene. I even took a video on my camera of the cliffs while a pipe was played in the background. I will see if I can load that onto this blog when I get home. I loved the Cliffs of Moher.

Hmm....when I get home. I don't want to think about that just yet. Everything is going fine there without me....maybe I should just stay here a little longer ;-)

Funny thing on the cliffs. There was a group of four guys from Indiana and Kentucky. They were standing in front of this camera thing where you could have your photo made and then email it to someone for one Euro. So they take their photo and then they are typing in the message and the guy turns around and says, "Where are we? Are we at some cliffs or something?" It was sad and funny. I shifted into teacher mode and explained where he was and how to spell it. Maybe he sent the email to his folks and they'll think they are getting their money's worth out of sending their son on some world tour! lol

We headed out from the cliffs and on toward Dublin. We stopped in a great town -- Nenaugh -- and decided it was just perfectly charming. Again, lots of local action, but it did seem more upscale than Limerick. The shops reminded me of those I had seen in Cean a couple of years ago. A lady in a shoe shop told us a great place for lunch and she was right! Plus the shoes in her window were great. I think Ireland is a great place to shop for fun shoes; Italy is way to serious about shoes. I saw a bicycle with a basket and flowers -- and I just wanted to jump on and ride around, but it was for decoration of a place where we had lunch, and I don't think they would have appreciated my inspiration.

After our late lunch stop, we trekked on into Dublin. The traffic was frustrating, but I didn't mind because I used the time to work on my revisions to my comps. Yes, I worked on my comps, but I did jump into conversations or look at stuff along the way too. Those of you who post and tell me not to worry about them don't want to have to console me if I don't finish in time. Passing is not a given, and after my experience with Spanish, I don't take passing for granted. So....I worked on comps and rode into Dublin.

The guys are returning the rental car now. They have been gone a long time, and I hope everything is alright. The rental car industry here is pretty corrupt so I think they are going to video tape the entire transaction. Oh darn, I guess I missed that. So I am now in my very European Holiday Inn Express by the airport, watching British music videos and waiting for my hamburger. I will post again tomorrow with final thoughts and any other details that I think might be fun to write about -- I know that I am forgetting somethings, and I'll add them later. After that, this blog, as far as the Ireland trip goes, is a wrap. As far as my fieldblog and dissertation goes, I'll continue on, but I'll take you all off the email list so you won't be bothered with those postings. If there is anything I left out or anything you want to know, just comment and I'll make sure I cover that detail.

ttfn ~ slc

The bike ride...

After tromping back and forth to the bank to pay cash for the B&B, we rented two bikes for the day (30€) and took off for Killarney National Park. No vehicles are allowed -- just bikes and carriages. The path was so nice and the entire experience peaceful and beautiful. When I go back there some day, we will plan to te the entire day and take a picnic lunch nd enjoy the boat ride and checkout more paths and the island. What we did see was wonderful -- Ross Castle, Lough Leaen and deer, cattle, ducks, calla lilies and some kind of yellow wild flower that is either from the iris family or the orchid family. Of course Jim led the way because his agenda was to go hoever far as fast as possible. I was dubbed 'Daisy' after Driving miss Daisy because I took advantage of opportunities to look around and take some photos and explore the castle. Cal me crazy, but at least Jim won his race ;-) I really really wanted to get on the boat by the castle, but we were out of cash and time.

Last night we took off for music about 11 30 and found a little pub withal guitar and a bass guitar. Sounded great -- I like hearing songs I don't know b/c I can enjoy the music better. Walking back to our B&B later, we passed a night club and as the doors opened we heard 'Sweet Home Alabama' rolling out and I loved it. That is the second time since we have been here that we have heard Lynyrd in Ireland -- defintely a good sign from my point of view.

On to Limmerick. Music and writers. We are hot for Munster souveniers since they won the European rugby championship last Saturday. We saw bits of the game in sports bars as we walked to our soccer game. We would have gone to the rugby game instead but it was played in Cardiff vs. The French. According to the papers, Munster won because in the end, the other team was just 'too French' -- I loved it!

Speaking of souveniers, I am barely hanging on in that area. Things are expensive here, but we are also doing so much stuff that I haven't spent too much time shopping. Peggy and Donna shopped instead of bike riding and found the linen and wool stuff they were looking for. I do love the Claddaugh (love, friendship & loyalty) ring that Jay gave to me as an anniversary gift.

Ttfn ~slc

Real Research

Another full Irish breakfast at our Killarney B & B. I am going to have to run 10 miles a day when I get back to get into any kind of shape for summer! Eggs, bacon (which is more like Canadian bacon), sausage and blood pudding all on one plate. I didn't eat the pudding -- it didn't look like pudding at all; it looked like dry, sliced sausage. Tomorrow it is yogurt and fruit. Hmmmm.... It seems as if people here buy good coffee at coffee bars because the coffee in homes hasn't been particularly noteworthy, but the coffee off the street is wonderful.

So we took off for the Ring of Kerry drive, which is a circle of a lot of kilometers around a peninsula. Breathtaking views of the ocean and cliffs, hillside farms and small towns, sheep and castle ruins. We went off the beaten path a bit and climbed all over a 'round fort' built between 500 b.c. And 200 a.d. Out of stone but with no mortar. (dry stack) These structures are scattered around the island, and I was glad to see this ruin in such a simple way. Since it is a bit of a trek to reach, the tours don't get there, and we could see this ancient bit of life in a quiet setting among sheep dung and a farmhouse.

Robert had read that we should do the drive backwards to avoid getting stuck behind all of the tour busses, and he was so right! Donna counted busses we passed, and it was more than 50. It seems that most of the towns in this area start with a 'K' -- and many signs are printed in both English and Gaelic. The drive was gorgeous and just what I thought Ireland would be like I love to know that this place really does exist.

My research? Napping. Yes, I have gathered the data and it is possible to take two lovely naps in one day. Ireland is a great place to nap. The music in the pubs is wonderful but doesn't even begin until 11, so our early mornings seem...early. Plus, time seems weird here because it doesn't get dark until 10 o'clock. Really.

Tonight we are still in Killarney and tommorrow we are riding bikes around Killarney National Park and to Ross Castle. Then on to Limmerick area in the evening.

I am spending some time on my comps today as well. That's a good thing!

Ttfn ~slc

Chrystal and making out with a rock (the Blarney Stone

Up and down N25. Roads are in great shape here because there are not the weather extremes. And those circle things without traffic lights are called 'roundabouts' LOL.

The Waterford Chrystal Factory took us through the entire process of making a piece of chrystal from sand/ash/lead, through the mold, blowing, marking cutting and polishing. Very engaging process to watch and the factory there is huge. Every piece is hand made REALLY.

Beautiful drive through Cork by way of a cemetery. We took photos of the chapel and headstones. The info on headstones here is different -- includes name, died on date, age at death and address. A few times we even saw cause of death like 'unexpected illness' or 'surprising catastrophe' .... Lots of plastic and silk flowers -- some under glass. Celtic crosses on many stones as a topper.

Then on to the Blarney Castle to kiss the Blarney Stone. I love this castle because it is medieval -- never restored to 19th century use. We tromped up the circular staircase just like the knights and lords and ladies and servants would have done centuries ago. We saw bedrooms and the kitchen and hearths, the dining hall and great room. There was no flooring across the center of the castle but you could imagine how it all worked. Run of the mill castles are not all as huge as one might imagine, but are still very impressive.

The Blarney Stone is at the top of the castle and the roof is long gone as well. When I rounded the corner out of the stair well, to go around the ledge o get to the stone, a pidgeon flew up at me and I screamed like I was dying. I think everone on the ledge thought I had gone over the edge, but Jay apologized for me as I tried to pull myself together. So, trying to recover some sense of dignity, I held on to the rail and followed around to to kiss the Blarney Stone and didn't really look at how this entire exercise would go. OMG...it was so scary because you have to lie down on your back and they lower you about three feet (it seems) to reach the place where you are supposed to kiss. All this while, you can only see the green grass about 7 stories beneath you. I was still rattled from the bird incident, Jay isn't fond of heights anyway and the castle worker guy was in a big hurry, but I kissed that darn stone and now I shall be eloquent the rest of my life. I am counting on this to help me finish comps and write my dissertation. I wonder what people have to do for knowledge and wisdom? I think I will just hope and pray for those things -- I am sure not risking my life again in the next couple of days.

More later. Hope this isn't too boring. We are loving it here!

Monday -- Killkenny and on to Dungarvan

After my last post from the squashed seat in the back of the van, we went 'round about 100 circles. These highways and towns don't have traffic lights or stop signs -- you just go around a circle at an intersection and then leave the circle to continue on your same path or to turn onto another, perpendicular street. If I were driving, I think I might drive around in circles either for fun or until sure of where to turn off.... ;-)

Killkenny was charming and we visited the 12th century castle there. The Butler family had gifted the castle to Ireland in 1935 because their family fortune had diminished to the point that they could not maintain it. It had been developed over the years and it had running water and electricity and 30 bedrooms. The book store was in the kitchen and the stables were across the street. Turrets and towers on every corner except for the one that had been blown away in some battle.

We went through Waterford a couple of times trying to get on to Dungarvan (9000 people) and we stayed at our first bed and breakfast. The B&B is just what we had hoped f0r -- charming, comfortable and personal. It overlooks the bay. We had dinner at a small, local resturant and the samon was perfect as was the colcannon -- or something like that. Mashed potatoes with bits of cabbage and butter and flavors. And banaffi for dessert. I stayed up late, curled up under a wool coverlett, watching the lights in the town on the water's edge. I worked on comps since I couldn't talk anyone into checking out the local group at the Marine Pub.

I gotta go. Everyone is literally waiting in the van for me, so I will post again later. It's chilly and drizzly and windy.

ttfn ~slc

Leaving Dublin....another cathedral and great latte

Sunday in Dublin was as nice as Saturday...only we were more rested, and that was good. We left the hotel and walked to Christ Church for a vocal eucharist. The music was enchanting, and we even knew two of the hymns. Of course I enjoyed the simplicity of the order of service and the sermon was perfect -- over the passage in Matthew about not worrying. I will put that advice into practice right after I know whether or not I passed my comps!

The floor was covered in a very busy and varied pattern of clay tiles -- far different from all of the granite and marble in Italy. We took communion and I will always remember Jay's comment about the 'guy with the pole' making him laugh. That would be the priest/vicar carrying the cross.

Later we explored the National Gallery and saw The Taking of the Christ by Caravaggio. Haunting. Discovered an Irish artist by the name of Osborne. Jay passed on the museum and I was glad, that way I could enjoy it without explaining stuff or defending it to him! ;-)

Robert had discovered a crepe place in Temple Bar, so we finished the day eating and listening to a really good street band. I thought of my Comp 2 students Emily and Jennifer -- they would have been ecstatic to be part of that whole environment! They even had CDs, so we bought one.

And now I am sandwiched in a cubby hole among the luggage in our 9/5 passenger van on the road to Kilkenny. Jay and Jim are up front navigating and it is great fun listening to their constant banter. Both of them love maps and knowing where they are going, but they sure are in a hurry to get there for reasons I don't think exist. I just sit back here and look at all the countryside and houses and road signs and circle drive arounds. And sheep and horses. I am getting really ready for castles and the ocean...

Ttfn ~slc

RE: Trinity College & ireland vs. Serbia

-----Original Message-----
From: Stephoni@cox.net
To: strephoni1.irelandinmay@blogger.com
Sent: 5/24/2008 8:39 PM
Subject: Trinity College & ireland vs. Serbia

It is 8 p.m. In Dublin on Saturday night, but my body is so confused! Our flight was easy and fun traveling with the McArthurs, and then the Poteets had arrived 2 hours before us and were waiting at our gate with the 9 passenger van that held 6 people and luggage -- barely. We navigated (with a few loops) to our Trinity Capital Hotel and then took off on foot for Trinity College.

Fish and chips, coffee and seafood chowder for €23 and then we entered the gates of Trinity to see the Book of Kells. I love the colors and the goldwork on those old -- ancient -- manuscrIpts. It was all in Latin and dated back to the 7th century. Saw the library and the commons - or what we would call the mall at SNU. It is finals week at Trinity and we passed thru a crowd of students waiting to get into the examination hall, on a Saturday, no less. They all seemed very smart but nervous ;-)

Also, in front of the chapel door there was a small wedding party taking photos after the ceremony. The mother of the bride had a huge bright green feather in her hair that matched her suit perfectly. The wedding gown and tuxedo looked very similar to those I see in the states.

And now, after walking from our hotel to Croke park, we are at the soccer game. I am pretty sure we are the only Americans here, and it is just as loud and spirited as you see and hear on TV. The horn blowing is insane, and I hope they don't bust out the cowbells. Most of the 65000+ peole here are wearing green jerseys or scarves. A lot of not-so-serious swearing, but God help the bloke on the field who lets the ball get past him. Mostly males, but some women with their small children are here.

The game calls, and I will post again soon. I am loving Dublin and the non-tall buildings. This stadium is the tallest thing in town and we are on the next to the top row. Jay is doing GREAT and after this trip he may be as taken with international travel as I am.

Ttfn
~slc

Tickets to the soccer game

Good news on the soccer team! We have our tickets to see Ireland play Serbia at Croke Stadium on Saturday night. It a World Cup series, pool play kind of game. It will probably be a very different experience than our little league and high school soccer experiences. Kick off is at 7:45 Ireland time, so it will be showing in the states on some obscure sports channel about 2 in the afternoon.

Dublin might be something like this...

When I think of Dublin I think of a city -- but not a big city like London. I don't think there will be as many tall buildings or as many modern buildings. I think I might see scenes similar to the photo here....we'll see ;-)

Test for future Ireland postings...

One week from today I will be walking the streets of Dublin, searching for Trinity College and the Book of Kells...

The Countdown...

Okay. Two weeks and three days and we are headed to Ireland. I sure wish I didn't have my Comprehensive Exams between now and then, but oh well. This morning Jay actually said to me, "Do you know where my passport is?" He's never traveled across the Atlantic and this is his first time to need a passport. He is just now double-checking that stuff. Of course, I am a bit antsy on getting details set, but once I am there, I will love soaking it all in.

More questions, ideas, stories and thoughts later. I just wanted to get this set up for now.