Hi folks,
God, have we been slack or what!!! Two whole months & a bit have passed since we last posted a blog entry so to make up for it this one's gonna be an extra long one (sorry). We're just about nearing the end now, just a couple more weeks to go & hallelujah X & D's blog will finally be finished!
Just hang in for a bit longer & persevere with us as we wrap up our 10 month RTW adventure. In this entry, we venture to mystical Ireland, land of the shamrock & leprechaun.
LONDON (UNITED KINGDOM) TO DUBLIN (IRELAND) (27/05/08)
- DAY 288
This morning we rose bright & early and said good riddance to the easyHotel where we had endured 5 nights in the claustrophobic room we nicknamed Solitary Confinement. Hell will freeze over before I’ll be staying at another one of their establishments! Luckily the pick up point for our shuttle bus to Stansted Airport was just around the corner from Victoria Station so we didn’t have very far to walk & even had enough time to stop at Sainsburys for breakfast items & light snacks for the flight. Stansted Airport is located quite a long distance from London & took us a whole 1.5hrs to reach, but we arrived well ahead of time for our 11:55am departure to Dublin. It was still too early to check-in for our scheduled flight so we found a spot to sit & munch on our breakfast, noting with amusement all the backpackers scattered around the airport who had located any available nook & cranny to stretch out on & were snoozing away whilst waiting for their next flight. At 10:30am we located the Ryan Air counter and were dismayed at how long the line stretched. X had reserved us online tickets to Dublin with this popular European no-frills airline for a total of €140 ($306) flying return from Stansted Airport to Dublin which was quite a bargain although restrictions include a maximum checked-in baggage allowance of only 15kg/pp and any excess over being extra. Weighing our luggage prior to check-in on the scales provided at the airport, we had to remove some of the heavier items from my bag and transfer them to our carry on luggage which had no weight restrictions. We waited about 40mins before it was our turn to be checked-in and proceeded through without any hassles although the couple ahead of us discovered that they didn’t have the right paperwork & had to leave the line, grumbling agitatedly that they’d miss their flight.
It was quite an eye opener when we boarded the aeroplane of this budget airline, discovering the interior décor to be very plain & cheap looking with the seats being an unattractive yellow & blue plastic & gaudy advertising banners covering the overhead compartments (far far worse than our own Jetstar’s or Virgin Blue’s interior – X). This was definitely cattle class travel for the masses but at the bargain price that we were paying, who could complain? It was absolutely packed to the rafters inside as we settled back for the short flight to Dublin. The departure time was supposed to be 11:55am but the flight was delayed & we didn’t take off till 12:20pm. One hour & 40mins later we touched down in Dublin, to be greeted to more dismal, grey skies, slightly colder weather & a light downpour. We passed through immigration without any trouble although everyone waiting in the queues couldn’t help but take notice of the distraught Asian couple who were being interrogated & detained by several officials. Don’t know what the story was there but the young lady was visibly upset & bawling her eyes out.
No frills airline, Ryan Air
Outside the terminal, we located the bus stop & waited in line for the next bus into the city centre where X had made us online reservations for hostel accommodation at Jacobs Inn. With the SatNav handy, X kept track of the bus’ route into the city & 45mins later knew exactly where we had to hop off. From the bus stop it was about a 10min walk to the very centrally located Jacobs Inn where we had paid €60 ($90) for a private room with ensuite which turned out to be one of the best hostel accommodations we’ve lodged at. We were allocated a family size room which could accommodate 5 & the bathroom was very modern & immaculate (not only that the friendly service here was so much more pleasant than what we have left behind in Eastern Europe - X). Much to X’s chagrin however, he discovered that there was only intermittent Wi-Fi access from the room’s 3rd floor location but as the hostel was fully booked, we couldn’t ask for a room change. Deciding that it was already too late in the day for any sightseeing & with the wet weather hampering our movements, we settled for a quick stroll downtown to get our bearings & to take in our new city. We both noted with interest that there were quite a few Polish businesses (restaurants, delicatessens & hair dressing salons) lining the streets & we wondered the reasons for the Poles mass exodus to Dublin but gathered that it had something to do with better job prospects & higher wages.
Hostel accommodation at Jacob’s Inn
Spotting a Dunnes supermarket along our route, we ducked inside & purchased a couple of microwave dinners & bedtime snacks for later in the evening.
DUBLIN (IRELAND) (28/05/08) - DAY 289
This morning neither one of us bothered rising early for the included breakfast as we’d been told it was only a very “light” meal of tea, coffee & toast. We checked out of Jacobs Inn as X had only been able to reserve us one night there & walked down the street to Abraham House where he’d reserved us another private room with ensuite for a little less at €44/pn ($66 – cheaper on the pocket but of course the quality is more towards a backpacker’s hostel - X). Leaving our bags in luggage storage, we ventured out to explore Dublin, Ireland’s capital & voted the world’s friendliest city in 2007. It also ranks highly as the 5th richest in the world & the 3rd most expensive, which we were rather surprised about ‘cause we discovered that dining out is dearer here than in London even though London ranks number 1. Switching back to euros again, it was a nasty shock to discover that everything in Dublin is very expensive on the hip pocket, even more so than London (now who would have thought – X!).
Our 1st sight for the day, Tyrone House proved to be a bit elusive. It was given a brief mention in our guide book but even a friendly local who offered her assistance when she saw us wandering around aimlessly, couldn’t point us in the right direction. When we finally located the site, it wasn’t terribly exciting except for the nice fountain outside & the stucco work on the building which is now occupied by the Department of Education.
Art sculpture outside Tyrone House
Moving along to O’Connell Street, we couldn’t miss the striking & innovative monument gracing the Dublin city centre. The Spire of Dublin, the world’s tallest sculpture stands at a height of 120m & has an elongated cone base which narrows to an elegant & slender apex piercing the sky. Its shiny stainless steel surface reflects the colours of the streetscape during the day & when darkness falls, the base & tip are gently lit to reveal a beacon lighting up the night sky.
The Spire of Dublin on O’Connell Street
Ha’penny Bridge over River Liffey
By accident, we ventured onto our next sight, the House of Lords located in the Bank of Ireland when we went to exchange our remaining Eastern European currency. The beautifully decorated historic building once housed Ireland’s parliament chambers until it was purchased by the bank & converted into the Bank of Ireland’s headquarters. We had just missed out on the last guided tour of the building but were free to roam around the room & take pictures.
X practicing his presidential speech in the House of Lords
One of Dublin’s most visited attractions, Trinity College was just opposite the bank so we took a stroll around Ireland’s oldest & most prestigious university which impressed us with its numerous large courts, playing fields and a mixture of old & new buildings. It happened to be examination week as signs were posted outside buildings asking everyone to keep noise levels to a minimum & students could be seen scurrying off in all directions & nervously milling around doing last minute cramming. The reason most visitors make a stop at the university is to see the famous Book of Kells, on permanent display at the Trinity College Library. This lavishly decorated medieval manuscript, transcribed by Celtic monks around 800AD is regarded as Ireland’s finest national treasure and contains 4 volumes of rich, colourful lettering, decorations & illustrations in Latin. Admittance to the Old Library where the Book of Kells is heavily guarded was a bit pricey at €8/pp ($12), which we’d considered paying anyway until X discovered that photography was strictly prohibited so we decided it wasn’t worth it especially if we couldn’t take away memories to remember it by (well what’s the point of seeing it when you can’t take any photos to look back in years to come – X).
Graduate Memorial Building, Trinity College
Good old uni days
Parliament Square & the Campanile
Continuing on, we ventured to Temple Bar, Dublin’s self-designated Cultural Quarter with its collection of lovingly restored old buildings and warehouses lining the narrow, cobbled streets. Home to an eclectic mix of artist’s studios, alternative boutiques, international cuisine & pubs, the area has a colourful bohemian character with buskers & street artists entertaining crowds during the day & by night becomes a buzzing hotspot for tourists to eat, drink & have fun at its many restaurants, bars & nightclubs which are frequented by flocks of stag & hen parties from the UK. We enjoyed seeking out some of the more traditional looking Irish pubs with their brightly painted exteriors & the legendary Guinness stout advertising.
Irish pubs galore
Inside a typical Irish pub
Famous Temple Bar & Guinness advertising
City Hall was our next destination and is an outstanding example of the Georgian architecture for which Dublin is world renowned. Built in the 18th century, the square building with its Corinthian columns out the front serves as the centre of the municipal government. The interior was quite uniquely designed, being a circle within a square with 12 columns supporting a domed stained glass roof over the rotunda. There was a permanent exhibit down in the vault where “The Story of the Capital” traces the history of Dublin City over the last 1000yrs. We decided to give this a miss as an entry fee was charged & to be honest, it seemed rather bland & unappealing. X though was quite fascinated with the building’s architecture, especially the glass dome roof & was busy snapping photos of it from every angle whilst I waited rather impatiently as there wasn’t much else to view & I was getting a tad restless.
City Hall - classical interior of the Rotunda & domed roof
We continued our sightseeing tour with a stop at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Ireland’s largest church, named after the country’s patron saint, who supposedly baptised the 1st local converts from paganism to Christianity beside a holy well on the site in 450AD. Built in the 12th century, with numerous restorations over the centuries, St. Patrick’s Cathedral is a stunning example of early English gothic architecture with its many gargoyles & faces in the stonework. The admission fee of €5.50/pp deterred us from entering the sacred site & we decided we’d seen enough churches anyway across Europe that we’d probably not be missing out on much.
St Patrick’s Cathedral
Nearby, Christ Church Cathedral is one of Dublin’s finest historic buildings & is the mother church for the diocese of Dublin. Like St. Patrick’s cathedral it is a Protestant cathedral & has been a place of prayer & pilgrimage since the 11th century. Little remains today of the original medieval structure which was given a major overhaul & restoration in the late 1800’s. We had arrived about 15mins prior to closing time so were pleased to be told that we would not be charged the usual €6/pp entry fee. The interior was dimly lit but is an architectural gem containing magnificent stonework, graceful pointed arches and chiselled columns. We rushed around trying to take in as much as we could & barely had enough time to descend downstairs to the crypt to view the Treasures of Christ Church exhibition which contained ancient manuscripts & historic artefacts.
On the way to Christ Church Cathedral, we passed Dublinia – a tourist attraction housing viking exhibitions
Christ Church Cathedral
Dim interior of Christ Church
The crypt
Ornate gothic features
We high tailed it over to Dublin Castle where we arrived just in the nick of time for the 4:45pm tour of the State Apartments which we had pre-booked earlier. Dublin Castle isn’t really a castle in the classical sense nor does it portray a fairy tale image, lacking the grandeur and style of ones we’ve seen in other European cities. It was formerly the seat of British power & has functioned as a prison, military fortress, treasury & courts of law. Tagging behind our large group of approximately 20 tourists, we were led through the castle’s interior comprising various uniquely decorated & opulent rooms with fitting names such as the Banquet Room, Science Room, State Corridor, Drawing Room, Throne Room & St. Patrick’s Hall. Being a state run facility, there was no restriction on photography so most of the time we were lagging behind the group as X constantly lingered in each room to snap photos. The tour guide with her lovely Irish accent, was a very knowledgeable young lass who had an excellent grasp of facts & historical anecdotes on the castle but X who was fully engrossed in his photography, hardly paid any attention at all & kept bothering me from time to time about information she’d just given.
Dublin Castle now serves as a venue for State receptions & Presidential inaugurations
Throne Room - just what we need for our house to show who’s King of the castle
Science Room
State Corridor
State Drawing Room
Picture Gallery
The Undercroft
Record Tower - sole surviving tower of medieval castle from 1228 & Chapel Royal next door
View of the Record Tower from Dubh Linn Gardens, tucked away behind Dublin Castle
We headed back to the Temple Bar area in the hopes of finding a cheap traditional pub to sample some true Irish fare for dinner but after scouring half a dozen or so & discovering the hefty euros charged for pub grub, decided who needs to sample Irish stew when we’ve got our own Dooley’s & Dicey Reilly’s back home anyway. So it was back to Dunnes Supermarket on the walk back to the hostel for some nice, wholesome microwave dinners (hmmm… wonder how different the Irish could do a steak and vegies – X)
To be continued ...
DUBLIN (IRELAND) (29/05/08) - DAY 290
We woke up for the free breakfast this morning at Abraham House where we joined a queue of young American backpackers for our simple morning meal of croissants, juice & coffee. The place was packed with mostly young twenty-something year olds & we hadn’t been able to secure another night’s accommodation here so had to pack our bags yet again & left them in luggage storage with intentions to return for them in the afternoon & make our way back to Jacobs Inn Hostel where we had 1st stayed on our arrival.
The “Spike” & statue of James Larkin, a trade union organiser
We headed out to a rather bleak, cold & overcast day hoping to visit a couple more famous Dublin attractions. First stop was the over rated Molly Malone Statue on Grafton Street just opposite Trinity College which we had overlooked yesterday. The statue is a familiar symbol of the capital & the popular song “Cockles & Muscles” which immortalises the tragic heroine has become Dublin’s unofficial anthem. This much visited tourist attraction has been christened many names including: “The Tart with a Cart”, “The Dish with the Fish” and “The Trollop with the Scallops” as the song’s lyrics portray Molly as a fishmonger who sold seafood from her wheelbarrow which she pushed through the streets of Dublin. According to the lyrics she later died at a young age from cholera. Although there was nothing spectacular about the bronze statue & I thought it had little artistic merit, a steady stream of tourists lingered briefly for the obligatory holiday snap of the plump, well endowed Molly in her low-cut 17th century dress. A rather loud, uncouth American jock did not amuse the tourists with his crude antics & “fumbling for Molly’s boobs” pose.
Molly Malone statue
Women selling fruit from old fashioned baby carriages
With the iconic statue ticked off our list, we hopped on a double decker bus & asked the driver to signal to us when to get off for Ireland’s number one tourist attraction, the Guinness Storehouse located in the heart of the St. James’s Gate Brewery & top of the list for international visitors hoping to get the true Irish experience. We handed over a whopping €15 each ($22) for the admission fee then proceeded to the Atrium to begin our self guided tour through the former 18th century fermentation building which was recently remodelled to take the shape of a giant pint of Guinness laid out over 7 floors. Proceeding floor by floor, we journeyed through past, present & future to view the lively & entertaining exhibits, models & displays outlining the history of the world’s most famous brew, its brewing secrets, production process, iconic Guinness cartoon advertising & TV ads through the centuries. Disappointingly for us there was no guided tour through the actual brew house to view the brewing process of the magic “black stuff”. At the end of the tour we headed up to the Gravity Bar located on the 7th floor which forms the head of the giant pint of Guinness. Arriving at the busy bar, we tore off the vouchers on our admission tickets for a complimentary pint of Guinness Stout & watched as our French bartender expertly “pulled” our Guinness Draught from tap ¾ full then set it down. Embarrassingly, X who is definitely not a Guinness connoisseur, promptly reached out to take his beer only to have his hand rudely swatted away. Giving us looks like we were complete novices (which we are), the bartender explained that the Guinness “double pour” process was not complete & required the beer to settle 1st before filling to the full pint. We were then told to wait 2 mins before drinking as this delivery system that pours the beer is an integral part of the process that creates the famous Guinness look as well as taste where the thick creamy head appears after the beer is infused with a special blend of nitrogen & CO2. Okay, so Guinness may be the world’s most famous beer, Ireland’s most famous export & top selling alcoholic drink of all time but X & I could not get used to the dark colour & bitter, distinctive taste which gets its full-bodied & hint of caramel flavour from the unfermented roasted barley (I reckon Guinness is an acquired taste that you have to grow up with, similar to how you have to grow up with our very own Vegemite to enjoy it I suppose. I personally couldn’t get used to the roasted taste of Guinness – X). We both managed only a few tiny sips of our stouts, mostly pretending to drink the bitter black stuff so we could acquire the foamy Guinness moustache for some happy snaps. With pints in hand we wandered around the stylish & packed Gravity Bar, enjoying the stunning 360° panoramic views of Dublin city & relaxing in front of the huge glass windows.
Dublin’s star attraction - Guinness Storehouse
Barley - one of the key ingredients in beer
Mock up of massive copper kettles where the Guinness is brewed
Kegs full of Guinness
Learning about the ingredients, process, time, craft & passion that goes into every pint. In the olden days wooden casks were used to store the beer
Our complimentary Guinness Draught – The “meal in a glass” with its 2 tone white creamy head & black beer base
The mean French bartender who told X off for not being aware of the Guinness “double pour” process
“Cheers mate!”
“Is this the proper way to enjoy a glass of Guinness?”
What an awesome 360º panoramic view of Dublin from the Gravity Bar
Clydesdale horse outside fermentation plant at St Jame’s Gate Brewery
Guinness Storehouse - the home, heart & soul of Guinness, playing homage to Ireland's national beer
After 3 whole hours at the Guinness Storehouse we were ready to head off to our next attraction, St John & St. Augustine Church which is a unique Dublin landmark with its soaring tower & spire. The interior had a vibrant glow cast off by the beautiful colour stained glass windows lining the sides. We tiptoed our way around the church as we didn’t want to disturb all the parishioners sitting in the pews with heads bowed in silent prayer.
Soaring bell tower & spire of St John & St. Augustine Church
Stunning marble altar & stained glass windows
At nearby St. Audeon’s we joined a small group tour to learn about the history of the only remaining medieval parish in Dublin. Much of the Protestant church lies in ruins with one section completely roofless & remnants of the old city walls still visible. We were given a tour of the Guild Chapel which contained a small exhibition on the importance of the church during medieval times and entered the main nave which is still used for services on Sundays. In the bell tower, the guide directed our gaze upwards to Ireland’s 3 oldest bells dating back to the 15th century.
St Audeon’s Tower & Chapel
Crumbling remains of St Audeon’s Portlester Chapel
Seagrave monument inside the chapel
The organ
Exiting the church we spotted a Lidl Supermarket just ahead & decided to shop for groceries as we didn’t plan on eating yet another microwave meal for dinner that night. We bought a couple of steaks & a crispy green salad to go along with it, then decided we’d seen enough of Dublin for one day & began the long journey on foot back downtown. As we were walking along, I vaguely noticed a group of 3 Mediterranean looking teenagers following closely behind us but thought nothing of them. When we stopped at a pedestrian crossing, I thought I felt something on my knapsack & quickly turned around to look behind me only to see the male teen standing there. Alarm bells should have immediately sounded inside my head & alerted me to be on guard but naive me was none the wiser. It wasn’t until we proceeded further along the street that I was jolted to my senses by a passing van with the driver honking its horn loudly & with his head thrust out the window, was screaming out: “Watch your bag, watch your bag!” If it hadn’t been for this kind, vigilant man’s loud warning, the male pickpocket stalking us would have managed to steal my camera & MP3 player stashed in the rear compartment of my knapsack whilst his 2 female accomplices targeted X. Sure enough when I whipped my head around after hearing the loud warning, all 3 pickpockets quickly fled the scene & I was alarmed to discover that the sneaky culprit had managed to unzip the 1st compartment all the way down. Luckily they hadn’t had the opportunity to steal anything yet as the attentive stranger (whom we never got an opportunity to thank) had spooked them off & saved us from experiencing a traveller’s worst nightmare. X was totally incensed at the audacity of the 3 teens & was standing there zooming in with his camera at the 3 fleeing criminals as he snapped one photo after another of them. I don’t know to what purpose that would have served but X claimed to at least have evidence of the culprits in case we decided to file a police report later on. Left slightly shaken by that experience, we vowed to be more vigilant especially after being told by the hostel reception staff that petty crime on tourists is rampant around Dublin (an experience which really soured our memories of Dublin, much like how we have come to hate Paris after having my pockets picked when we were there in 2001, losing my wallet and a few hundred dollars in the process  . And yet Paris continually ranks as one of the top destinations for most people – X)
Teen pickpockets caught on camera (does anyone living in Dublin recognise him & the other teenage girl?)
Entering the hostel kitchen around the dinner hour, we found it abuzz with young backpackers preparing their evening meals. We noticed for a change that some were actually going to the trouble of whipping up wholesome home cooked meals such as lasagne & pork chops as opposed to the typical backpacker staple of pasta & sauce or 2min noodles.
DUBLIN TO COUNTY MEATH (IRELAND) (30/05/08)
(HILL OF TARA & TRIM CASTLE) - DAY 291
I opted to sleep in & not rise for the dry toast, tea & coffee breakfast this morning so X ventured down to the kitchen alone for his free morning feed. After checking out of Jacob’s Inn Hostel we made our way to O’Connell St & waited for the 16A bus to take us back to Dublin Airport where we had a reservation with Hertz for a rental vehicle which was part of our “Fly Drive” package with Ryan Air. So we waited & we waited & the queue slowly started to grow longer & longer with still no sign of the elusive bus which was supposed to run quite regularly. After a half hour wait & no idea when the tardy bus would eventually show up, we decided to catch the Airport Express instead & forked out €10 for a family pass (in comparison to the €1.90/pp for the local bus) which we really should have done right from the beginning as this bus makes much less stops along the route & arrived at the airport in only 25mins as opposed to 45mins. A Hertz shuttle bus took us straight to the airport rental office where we picked up our silver 4 door Opel Corsa hatchback which cost us a very reasonable €186 for 14 days hire which worked out to be a paltry $AU20/day.
With X behind the wheel & the familiar female guided voice on our trusty little SatNav that we’d grown quite fond of to direct us on our way, we left Dublin & headed out to the Hill of Tara in County Meath. It was bumper to bumper traffic for most of the journey as we inched our way along for 1.5hrs, caught in snail pace traffic. I reclined my seat back & as is often the case on long car journeys, felt my eyelids slowly droop as I dozed on & off.
I’d run out of time when we embarked on our second RTW trip last August so hadn’t finished my research on Ireland, having only made a vague list of cities we should stop at. So this segment of our travels was mostly organised by X who took over the reins & mapped our travel route for the remaining 2 weeks we had left.
When we arrived at the Hill of Tara, it appeared to be quite a popular tourist attraction as there were a few cars parked in the visitors parking area. The Hill of Tara is one of Ireland’s more famous sites & was the coronation place & ancient seat of power for pre-Christian kings. After wandering around the rich, green archaeological complex which contains a number of ancient stone monuments, ceremonial enclosures & large earthworks but no surviving buildings, I began to wonder the reason why it’s listed as one of the top 10 Irish sights. It wasn’t until I obtained an information pamphlet with an aerial view of the site & read about the wealth of history & legend connected with this sacred royal acropolis, that I realised why it attracts ongoing interest. Unfortunately visitors viewing the hill from ground level will only be able to see a green landscape & the full effect of the 3 ring forts which are quite prominent & spectacular from high above will not be visible on lower ground. Amazingly archaeological excavations have revealed that the settlement dates back to Neolithic times around 2500BC. We didn’t stay too long & made a brief stop inside St. Patrick’s Church, an old disused church, before heading off to our next destination.
The Mound of the Hostages is a megalithic 'passage tomb' and is the oldest monument on the hill of Tara, dating to about 2,500BC. The tomb gets its name from the custom of Irish kings taking important people hostage
Exploring Hill of Tara
The Lia Fail (Stone of Destiny) – considered to have been a fertility symbol
St Patrick’s Church
Inside St Patrick’s Church
Aerial view of Hill of Tara – much more interesting looking from above
It was a big rush to try & make it to our final site, Trim Castle which we arrived at just in the nick of time for the last guided tour at 5.00pm. The admission fee was quite reasonable at only €3.70 p/p, being a government run attraction. We joined a small group of 8 & followed our guide into the main keep which consists of 3 levels & is unique in its design being in the shape of a 20 sided cruciform. I could’ve listened to the young lady’s lovely Irish accent all day (for me just behind the accent of the English and the French but in front of the Canadians and much much more pleasant to the ears compared to our nasally Aussie accent – X) but paid enough attention to learn that Trim Castle is the largest Anglo-Norman castle in Ireland which was constructed over a 30yr period & comes complete with curtain walls & defensive towers, helping to serve its purpose as a garrison during the many battles that were fought here. The imposing castle stands high above the banks of the River Boyne & covers more than 3 acres. The interior of the castle is completely bare, mostly in ruins although a few repairs, improvements & a walkway have been constructed to allow visitors to explore the building. The guide led us through all 3 floors of the centre block via a narrow & steep winding staircase, pointing out the various uses of the rooms including the chapel, living quarters, lord’s chamber, cellars & Great Hall. We proceeded all the way to the very top & out onto the parapet of the keep where we were rewarded with a bird’s eye view of the surrounding town & open countryside. The tour lasted approximately 40 mins, at the end of which we didn’t have much time to wander around the grounds to read all the interpretive panels. Movie buffs will be interested to know that Trim Castle’s claim to fame in the 90’s, occurred when it was used as a location shoot for the academy award winning film, Braveheart (incidentally X cried like a baby watching this movie (hey this doesn’t have to be in the blog – X), so moved was he by William Wallace’s patriotism for his country). The guide even showed us one of the props left behind from the movie where Mel Gibson’s character, William Wallace was tortured. She mentioned that the prop was particularly popular with female tourists who couldn’t resist touching & posing in front of it after hearing that Mel Gibson had sweated all over it during filming. We lingered long enough for a few photos of the ancillary crumbling buildings on the grounds before crossing the pedestrian bridge to the meadow across the River Boyne where we meandered amongst some abbey ruins & gazed back at the visually striking image of Trim Castle, once a stronghold of great might & power.
Main keep of Trim Castle - “I’m the King of the Castle.”
Crumbling ruins of castle
Scale model of Trim Castle in its heyday
Interior of Trim Castle
Dark, spooky passages
Bird’s eye view from the tower
Barbican Gate
The giant iron key that actually opens the doors to Trim Castle
Prop used by Mel Gibson in Braveheart
Exploring the crumbling remains
Main tower of Trim Castle
Entrance to Trim Castle
D being punished for husband nagging
Pedestrian bridge across River Boyne
Enjoying view of Trim Castle from meadows
With evening approaching, we worried about finding accommodation for the night, especially as it was only a small town & there didn’t appear to be too many options available. The 1st B & B we stopped at was fully booked for the night & we had no luck either at Bridge Tourist Hostel where I stood for 5 mins ringing the doorbell to no avail. Spotting a “Rooms for Rent” sign at a local pub in the city centre, I was told by the bartender that it was only for long term rental but was given directions to the Bounty Pub just across the bridge where we checked into a spacious & comfy room upstairs for €60 euros but didn’t include a cooked breakfast (our first pub accommodation on this journey. Turned out quite nice actually though I was initially worried about how we would have fitted in with the pub clientele. However kudos must go to the owner and host, a really nice and pleasant fellow. A highly recommended place – X).
Pub lodgings for the night at the Bounty Bar
Not bad digs for a pub lodging
We took a quick stroll around Trim Town Centre, contemplating what we’d have for dinner but it turned out there weren’t many dining options available at all besides pub grub, expensive Chinese, greasy chicken or fish & chips. We decided on take-away fried chicken & chips which we scoffed down back in our room as we laughed along to the Dame Edna Show & enjoyed Britain’s Got Talent.
More to come ...
COUNTY MEATH (IRELAND) (31/05/08) - DAY 292
The weather was unusually warm this morning when we awoke at 9:30am. After a quick breakfast of pastries from the convenience store in town, we hit the road at 11:00am & drove for an hour to the Boyne Valley to visit two of Ireland’s most important prehistoric megalithic sites; Knowth & Newgrange.
Leaving Trim
Our 4dr Opel Corsa hatchback rental car
The car park was chock-a-block full today probably due to the Bank Holiday so X dropped me off at the Bru na Boinne Visitor Centre to make enquiries about booking ourselves on the next available tour as access to the megalithic passage tombs are by guided tours only. There were a few tour options available so I decided on the all inclusive package which covered Knowth, Newgrange & the visitor centre to view the interpretive displays & exhibits. It was a little expensive at €10.30/pp but I figured we might as well see everything whilst we were here. Luckily for us, our timing was spot on with the next tour of Knowth leaving at 12:15pm which didn’t leave us any time to grab some lunch from the cafeteria as we had to make our way across the pedestrian bridge to the pick-up point where we would be driven by shuttle bus to the site. Arriving at Knowth we gazed in awe at the scene before us which comprised of a large mound, 17 smaller tombs and various standing stones & henges. Our large group was split into 2 as we headed off in opposite directions, following our guide around the vast complex as she regaled us with her extensive knowledge on the history of the area & the building methods involved in the construction of the passage tombs over 5000 yrs ago. At the Great Mound we were told that beneath it were actually 2 passage tombs placed back to back with the outside enclosed by 127 massive kerbstones, each one decorated with motifs, spirals & serpentine forms which represents the greatest concentration of Megalithic art in Western Europe. We weren’t allowed into the passages leading to the central burial chambers which measure a lengthy 40m, but were permitted to clamber on top of the grass covered Great Mound which gave us superb sweeping views over the surrounding countryside. The tour took approximately 1hr then we were allowed to wander freely around the grounds on our own to take photos. The shuttle bus arrived right on schedule to return us to the pick-up point to await the next bus which would take us to Newgrange for the 1:45pm tour. Luckily we had packed snacks & drinks in our knapsacks as there wasn’t sufficient time to walk back to the cafeteria for lunch.
The burial mounds at Knowth
The Great Mound of Knowth
Wood henge or timber circle
Decorated kerb stones with serpent & spiral motifs
Dark passage leading to burial chambers
“No way am I squeezing through that itty bitty passage.”
Newgrange is by far the more impressive & most visited archaeological monument in Ireland. It has great eminence throughout Irish history as legend tells us the foundations of Christianity were laid here. It was built around 3200BC which makes it 500yrs older than the Great Pyramids of Giza & 1000yrs older than Stonehenge (which we visited on our 2001 trip). It is mind boggling to imagine the monumental effort required to transport all the building materials required in its construction including over 200,000 tons of earth & stone & 450 giant boulders, a task believed to have taken over 40yrs given the primitive tools & methods utilised 1000’s of years ago. The awe inspiring passage tomb stands 12m high & 76 metres wide with the outside surrounded by 97 kerbstones with the most impressive & beautifully carved large entrance stone standing out as a well recognised symbol of Irish history.
Newgrange, imposing looking even from a distance
The large entrance stone of Newgrange & the roofbox on top through which sunlight enters on the winter solstice
Again we split up into 2 groups of about 12 but this time we were allowed entry to the spectacular central burial chamber, one group at a time. We were forewarned that the passage was extremely narrow & that it would be necessary to stoop low to reach the inner chamber – definitely not recommended for those suffering from claustrophobia! The long passage we shuffled through led us into the burial chamber with a corbelled roof that was 6m high. Amazingly the chamber is watertight even though there was no mortar used to actually hold the stones together. We were told that the cremated remains of the dead were laid on large stone basins inside the chamber along with goods for them to use in the afterlife. The guide then told us the reason why Newgrange is such a marvellous feat of ingenuity & construction through a natural phenomenon known as the winter solstice (December 21st), the shortest day of the year. Once a year at dawn on this day, a shaft of sunlight enters an opening above the entrance known as the roofbox & penetrates the passage to illuminate the floor of the inner chamber for exactly 17 mins. Due to the popularity of this phenomenon & to prevent 1000’s showing up on this one day of the year, an annual “lottery” is held to draw winners lucky enough to witness the actual event. However for visitors to Newgrange at other times of the year, an actual re-enactment of this solar alignment is demonstrated by the use of a light bulb & switch. At the conclusion of our tour the guide warned that the chamber was about to be plunged into total darkness then switched on another light simulating the sun as it would appear in a beam of light through the roofbox. If the re-enactment in itself was awe-inspiring & left us completely speechless, I can’t imagine what being there for the naturally occurring phenomenon would be like, but chances of that happening would be like…well winning the lottery actually (Newgrange and Knowth are definitely must see destinations if you are in Ireland – X).
Newgrange took 200,000 tons of earth & stone, 450 giant boulders & 40 years to build
Amazingly the chamber is completely watertight even though no mortar is used to hold the stones in place
White quartz façade of Newgrange
The claustrophobic corridor of Newgrange
Newgrange burial chamber
Corbelled roof of the burial chamber
Our sightseeing for the day complete, we drove further on arriving in the city of Longford around 5:30pm where X suggested we stop for the night. Even though it was a bustling town, our hunt for B & B accommodation proved to be fruitless. Enquiries at a couple of B & B’s in our Ireland B & B Guide were unsuccessful with all the rooms fully booked (again damn long weekend) so whilst X found a spot to park the car in the city centre, it was quicker for me to just wander up & down the streets keeping an eye out for B & B signage & running inside to make enquiries. I was about to despair when I spotted the Anvil Pub & walked in self consciously to a bar filled with blokes sitting around watching a soccer match & nursing their Guinnesses. The bartender told me there was only one room left, a twin upstairs for €50 ($85). The room turned out to be pretty old & run down with a shower inside but shared toilets outside & breakfast wasn’t even included. I ran back to tell X of our slim pickings & wasn’t at all keen on staying for the night but given the fact that it was getting late, the heavens had just opened up, dumping down buckets of rain & X was tired from driving, I reluctantly gave in, suggesting we just grin & bear it for one night. We paid for the room then drove around town deciding what we’d have for dinner before settling for fish & chips. Back at our substandard, grungy looking lodgings we ate our meal in front of the TV (at least it had that), tuning into another episode of Britain’s Got Talent then prepared to hit the sack. We would discover to our dismay that the shower was clogged & the beds sagged ( big sigh…what would one expect anyway from a place that was run by blokes).
COUNTY ROSCOMMON & COUNTY SLIGO (IRELAND) (01/06/08)
- DAY 293
We gladly checked out of the Anvil Pub this morning & drove to the town’s shopping centre where we shopped for breakfast munchies at the Tesco Supermarket. Then it was back on the road again as X drove our little Corsa hatchback to County Leitrim, stopping at a little town called Carrick-on-Shannon, a recommended short stopover according to our guidebook. We found a lovely shady spot overlooking the water where we sat to have our breakfast of greasy crumbed chicken & potato wedges then decided to take a stroll to explore the quiet town. Try as we might, neither one of us could really see the town’s appeal even though we read that it is a popular inland holiday resort & renowned for its fishing, water sports & leisure activities. Apparently in August, visitors descend from every corner to watch Carrick-on Shannon’s famed highlight, the regatta. We wandered down to the marina where the pleasure boats & cruisers were moored but none of them were operating yet this early in the season.
Strolling along the marina at Carrick-on-Shannon
After checking out Market Yard, a showcase centre for craftspeople & interior designers as well as shops & restaurants, followed by Carrick-on-Shannon’s famous Costello Chapel which is the world’s 2nd smallest, we strolled through the main street doing our usual window shopping & admiring a couple of the Irish & Celtic pubs scattered about.
Fancy a pint of Guinness?
Market Yard
With not much else to hold our interest, we hopped back in the car & continued on towards County Roscommon where we made a stop at Boyle Abbey, a Cistercian monastery founded in the 12th century.
We were the only visitors at the time as it isn’t a very popular site so the guide on duty was more than happy to give us a personalised tour of the ruins & grounds. Due to centuries of attack & raids between two warring clans, most of the abbey has fallen to ruins & one part was completely off limits due to reconstruction work which the guide told us may take a few years. However, despite its dilapidated & run down state, many features of the Romanesque & Gothic abbey remains with intricate Celtic carvings of animals & figures still visible on some of the rounded & pointed arches. After the guide’s tour, we spent time wandering around the grounds on our own & to take a couple more photos.
Boyle Abbey
Wandering around the ruins of Boyle Abbey
Just before heading out of town we made a brief stop at St. Joseph’s Church as its unusual dome shape had caught our eyes as we were driving past. Luckily a baptism service had only just finished & we waited for everyone to file out before ducking in ourselves for a quick stickybeak.
St Joseph’s Church
Unique domed roof & interior of St Joseph’s Church
Back on the road again, we continued on our journey to County Sligo. Arriving in town we drove down Pearse Road where quite a few B & B accommodations were concentrated but after I had walked up & down the street knocking on a few doors & receiving no response or ignored a couple altogether due to the “No vacancy” signs displayed, we decided to return later in the day as there were a couple more sites we wanted to visit before the day’s end. We had no luck either at the 3 hostels listed in our guidebook as they were all fully booked for the long weekend.
We drove out to Strandhill, a beautiful seaside resort just 8km out of Sligo Town, famous for its spectacular Atlantic coastline, seaside villages, beaches & unusual shaped hills rising from steep valleys. A hostel & a couple of B & B’s situated just a couple of minutes walk from the beach were all fully booked as well as X began to fret that we might have difficulty finding accommodation for the night. Strandhill Beach is strictly for surfing only with “no swimming” signs posted everywhere due to strong beach breaks, big swells & rip tides so most people were just content to sit on the rocks & soak up the warm sunshine. We stayed for only a little bit before deciding to head back into town.
What? A beach with no swimming!
Horrible rocky & pebbly beach at Strandhill (Just look at those miserable souls sunbathing on what they call a "beach". Just how lucky are we to have some of the best beaches in the world at our doorstep – X)
Along the route we came across a sign pointing towards the Carrowmore Megalithic Cemetary & out of curiosity decided to make a stop as there was plenty of daylight hours left. We rocked up to the admissions office right on 5:00pm, the last admission time, with another trio right behind us. After paying the €2.10 fee & being given a self guided map, we entered a vast grassy field with plateaus & ridges. Scattered around the sprawling landscape were several tombs, piles of stone circles, standing stones or more ornate passage graves. Carrowmore is the largest megalithic tomb cemetery in Ireland & among the country’s oldest as the site is thought to be built in 3200BC. Archaeologists recorded over 60 tombs in the area but only 30 remain today as many were destroyed during clearance & road building as a major road runs smack through the centre of the site. We followed the recommended tour map, making stops at each of the numbered sites & learning of its history by reading the brief descriptions. Upon reaching site 51, the largest tomb known as Listoghil we had just ducked into the passage when we looked ahead at the scene before us & immediately stopped in our tracks. We then made a very hasty exit as we scurried straight back out the way we’d come, trying hard to hide our disgust & wish that we hadn’t walked in on the horny, half naked couple doing the horizontal tango right up against the central burial chamber (well, from what I saw, not quite horizontal but I digress  - X). What sacrilege & really there’s a time & a place for such activity & getting it on in public at a tomb site is certainly not the place!!! Of course the couple had immediately spotted us as well so whilst we waited discreetly outside for the them to get decent, we chuckled quietly to ourselves & tried hard to keep a straight face as they emerged a couple of minutes later looking very embarrassed & sheepish as they filed silently past us. Just as well for them that it was us who had walked in on them doing the dirty deed instead of the elderly trio trailing behind us who would surely have had a thing or two to say about their inappropriate behaviour.
Listoghil – the largest Central Tomb surrounded by over 100 kerbstones
Can you believe we caught a couple doing the dirty deed up against this sacred burial chamber
A dolmen circle tomb
Several tombs are scattered around, from the massive to the mundane.
We completed a circuit of Carrowmore within 45mins before worry wart X insisted that we head back into town to hunt down accommodation. We passed plenty of B & B’s along the way but weren’t too sure we wanted to stay as they were a bit far from town with no dining options nearby which meant that we’d have to drive into Sligo later that night for dinner. X stopped anyway for me to check out a few but they were either all fully booked or the rooms too old fashioned & run down for my liking. Most of the B & B’s tend to be run by elderly retired folks so it’s not surprising that they haven’t bothered to upgrade or modernise their lodgings in keeping with the times with the decor being floral country style & old fashioned pastel coloured bathrooms to match. They were all asking €35 euros/pp per night ($55pp/pn) but we were hoping to stay in one which had Wi-Fi access as we hadn’t been checking emails or posting any blogs for quite some time. After at least a dozen enquiries at various B & B’s, we finally checked into St. Ann’s B & B after the owner informed us there was a modem in the guest sitting room for internet access. X really should have checked to confirm that this was true before we settled into our room as we discovered later to our annoyance that the landlady had lied to us & there was in fact no modem connection from anywhere within the house. The cunning woman had insisted we pay her upfront as well so it was already too late to change our minds & relocate. We ventured into Sligo town in the evening where we located a Macca’s for dinner then retired back to our room where X spent the night plotting tomorrow’s route & I had half an eye on the TV whilst catching up on some journal writing at the same time. When we finally went to bed around midnight, we discovered that not only had the landlady tricked us into staying there she’d also given us the worst room in the house which was the noisiest one located at the front within earshot of all the passing road traffic. X slept like a baby as usual, unperturbed by the whooshing of cars zipping past all night long whilst I relied on my ear plugs to block out the noisy traffic.
Our noisy bedroom at St Ann’s B & B
SLIGO COUNTY (IRELAND) (02/06/08) - DAY 294
We’d placed our breakfast order last night with the landlady & had requested a hot Irish breakfast each for 8:30am. There was only one other couple in the breakfast room when we entered & were surprised to be served by a Filipino housekeeper instead of the landlady. It was our 1st experience at a real Irish B & B so we were wondering what to expect for an “Irish breakfast”. As it turned out it was no different to any normal hot breakfast of bacon, eggs, sausages, tomatoes & toast. It wasn’t a very big serving (certainly not as much as X would cook for us every Sunday morning back home) so we filled up with cereals, yoghurt & fruit which we were allowed to help ourselves to.
Starting the day with a hearty Irish breakfast
After breakfast we checked out of St. Ann’s B & B, loaded up the car & drove into town to visit Sligo Abbey. We were the 1st ones on their doorstep when they opened up for business at 10:00am. Instead of paying the entry fee this time around at another OPW site, we discovered to our chagrin that we could have saved ourselves a lot of money if we’d purchased an annual Heritage Card in the 1st place, allowing access to hundreds of Irish government run sites & attractions. We figured we’d be visiting quite a few more within the next 2 weeks so decided to save ourselves some money by purchasing the cards for €21 ($33) each.
Side view of Sligo Abbey, founded in 1252
We were each given a self guided map & information sheet of the abbey & left to our own devices to wander & explore the ruins at our leisure. Although called an abbey, it’s really a Dominican Friary dating back to the 13th century. We spent a good hour here weaving our way through the roofless & crumbling buildings, admiring it’s wealth of well preserved carvings, tomb sculptures, decorative cloisters & the 15th century high altar which has the distinction of being the only surviving one in any Irish monastic church.
Main nave & tower
Main altar behind
Tower
O’Connor Sligo Monument
Chapter Room
“Love Knot” adorning cloister
Admiring the view from Reader’s Desk
Belfry Tower
Celtic cross in graveyard
Exterior of Sligo Abbey
Our tour of Sligo town complete, we hopped back in the car & drove on towards County Mayo, located in Western Ireland where we made a stop at the small town of Knock to visit the Shrine of Our Lady of Knock. This small church has been a major Irish pilgrimage site for over 100yrs & recognised internationally as a religious site that attracts one & a half million pilgrims annually. Even Pope John Paul II & Mother Theresa have visited Knock Shrine & given it their seals of approval. The devout, crippled, ill or those seeking miracles, have been making pilgrimages to this site since August 1879 when 15 locals claimed to have witnessed an apparition of the Virgin Mary, St. Joseph, St. John the Evangelist, a lamb & several angels flying around the altar of this small parish church. Other villagers also reported seeing a very bright light illuminating the area around where the church was located. The final verdict resulting from investigations & inquiries by the Catholic Church was that the eyewitness testimonials were trustworthy & satisfactory. Subsequent to this strange occurrence at Knock Shrine were reports of inexplicable healings & unusual cures associated with visits to the church. After news of the apparition & miraculous healings were featured in the international media, pilgrims from far & wide flocked to this small Irish town to seek their own miracle cures, a pilgrimage which is still made by millions every year. We joined busload after busload of visitors as they all filed silently into the small church to pray & view the altar depicting the 3 plaster statues of the Virgin Mary & Saints as well as the scene of the lamb & angels as they appeared to the 15 witnesses in 1879. The grounds of Knock are quite large & contains in addition to the shrine; chapels, a church, massive basilica seating 7000 people, bookshops & an information centre.
Our Lady of Knock Church
Church of the Apparition - shrine with altar sculpture at Knock Shrine based on eyewitness accounts of the apparition in 1879
Basilica which seats 7000 parishioners
Despite its spiritual significance, the atmosphere of strong devotion & faith & an opportunity to pray at a well known pilgrimage site, X was irritating me to no end by continually whispering in my ear that the shrine & town were nothing more than a big tourist rip-off gimmick intended at fleecing gullible believers such as myself of our money. I’ll admit to some extent this is true as in one building we watched on curiously as people lined up to pay money for what we assumed were prayer cards of some sort which they’d written their prayers on. I’m not sure why or how much money was being handed over but X could only shake his head with disbelief & kept repeating “I told you so”. Also there is quite a lot of religious literature for sale to the public in the bookshops. Nevertheless I ignored X the non-believer & all his scoffing & after offering my prayers, I filled the empty miniature shampoo bottles with holy water from the holy water font located just outside the shrine which I’d specifically brought along. They were for my little niece Haelee who I’ve mentioned suffers from a rare genetic disorder & is severely disabled. It never hurts to believe in miracles or divine intervention does it & God knows everyone could use one every now & again?
Bottling some holy water to take home
Wandering into Knock town, we discovered that the main city centre’s streets were lined with dozens of souvenir shops selling all manner of religious paraphernalia ranging from rosaries to candles to trinkets, key rings & even miniature plastic bottles to bottle your free holy water. “What did I tell you?”, X insisted yet again. “Okay, okay so it’s a little over commercialised but I’m still buying a souvenir to take home,” & with that I marched into a store & bought a Lady of Knock key ring for my sister Jenny & a charm of St. Christopher, the patron saint of safe travels.
Religious souvenirs & trinkets galore & of course don’t forget to buy a bottle to take your holy water home in.
It was back on the road again as we drove on towards our next destination, County Galway where gloomy, wet & cold weather greeted us. X suggested we begin searching for accommodation for the night so we made a stop at Snooze Zone, a centrally located hostel which was highly recommended in our guide book. Upon inspection of the rooms we found them to be pristine & modern looking but unfortunately all the double ensuite rooms were fully booked. They did offer us a 4 bed dorm room with ensuite for our use exclusively but were charging €34/pp ($53/pp) with no breakfast included so we figured we’d be better off staying at a B & B where we would get a private room with ensuite & breakfast for €35/pp ($55/pp). Again our hunt for accommodation proved to be quite time consuming as we had no luck at the 6 or so we stopped at in Galway city centre as they either had no vacancies or no Wi-Fi access. Consulting our trusty Irish B & B guide, we decided to venture out to the ones listed as having Wi-Fi access but were located about 3km out of town in the seaside suburb of Salthill. Just our luck they were again either fully booked, didn’t have Wi-Fi as listed or we simply couldn’t locate them at all. After 2 hrs of driving around aimlessly & getting frustrated by the minute, we stumbled upon a street overlooking the sea which was lined with B & B’s aplenty. By this time the wind had picked up with the rain beginning to lash down again so we decided it would be much faster if we split up to make enquiries at the B & B’s, with me heading in one direction & X the other. We both met up a couple of minutes later to compare our findings, discovering X’s B & B, Amber Bay offered the better deal. X asked me to check out the room 1st to give it my seal of approval which I did as it was very comfy & modern & by far one of the best B & B’s we’ve stayed at so far in Ireland. Even better we had access to Wi-Fi from our bedroom or could access the internet & printer from the system set up downstairs. Satisfied with our new lodgings, X negotiated with the owner for a 2 night stay, managing to bargain the room rate down to €120 ($188) for a 2 night stay including a full hot Irish breakfast each morning. Surprisingly the owner of this B & B was a young fellow in his mid 30’s who appeared to be managing the lodging on his own (definitely the nicest B&B’s we have been to so far. Of course it also had to do with the friendliness of the host – I just can’t stop saying how friendly the Irish have been – X).
After pocketing our key & being given instructions & access codes to enter the property, we unloaded our luggage from the car then promptly left again to go on a drive around town to see what we could scrounge up for dinner. We settled on healthy subs from Subway’s which we ate back in our cosy little room in front of the television whilst the unrelenting wind howled outside & a fierce rain lashed against the bedroom window.
Comfortable, stylish room at Amber Bay B &
Hope you enjoyed reading about our adventures through Ireland. We'll have more to follow soon.
Cheers,
Diana & Xuyen
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