Fall Break: Dublin Ireland and Beyond
October 15-19, 2012
Working Danes have 5 weeks of holidays a year - not including the national holidays. Most people take 3 weeks during the summer, about a week around Easter and the last week around Christmas. Children in elementary school have 7 weeks off during summer, 1 week in the spring (vinter-ferie), one week in the fall (efterårs-ferie) and another for Christmas.
In the old days, the fall vacation was called potato-vacation (kartoffel-ferien), because the children were off from school to help their families with the harvest of the potato crop.
Although we won't be harvesting any potatoes this Fall, we will be visiting Ireland where the Irish potato soup is popular among the locals. It has been part of Ireland’s custom foods for many years and is still traditionally made as it was many years ago.
With Ireland not having the greatest of weather, this recipe dish is mostly served on a cold wet day, typical for Ireland.
Although we won't be harvesting any potatoes this Fall, we will be visiting Ireland where the Irish potato soup is popular among the locals. It has been part of Ireland’s custom foods for many years and is still traditionally made as it was many years ago.
With Ireland not having the greatest of weather, this recipe dish is mostly served on a cold wet day, typical for Ireland.
Sooooo....Let the Potato Vacation begin!
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Day 1: We flew into Dublin Ireland on Monday morning the 15th. The plane had to circle the airport before landing about 4 times because of the heavy fog that was on the ground but once we touched down and collected our bags, the fog lifted and it turned out to be a beautiful day. Ireland is known for it's frequent rain so we came prepared, in case.
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| Happy to be in Ireland |
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| So FOGGY but safe on the ground...Hello Ireland!! |
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| Randell figures out how to get to the city center |
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| Randell in our rental car |
We drove to the city center and after parking the car, ventured around. Dublin is a beautiful city, so full of old and beautiful buildings. The River Liffey runs through the city. There are many foot and traffic bridges that cross the river, each with it's own bit of character and charm. Some were built and named after an important historical figure while others were built for an important event.
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| I caught a Leprechaun!! How Lucky!! |
to greet us and welcome us to Ireland! We finished up our preview of the city by picking up a few postcards, thimbles (for a friend who collects...Hi Brenda!!) and some other souvenirs and then headed to our hotel to check in.
Our reservations were with Bewley's Hotel Ballsbridge. This hotel was an absolute beauty and so full of history and charm. It was originally built as the Masonic Female Orphan School. The foundation stone was laid by the Duke of Abercorn on St John’s Day, June 25th 1880. There was a lovely restaurant and bar on the premises and we ate there several times.
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| At the head of O'Connell Street stands this statue commemorating Daniel O' Connell-"The Liberator", after whom the street is named. In 1811, he established the Catholic Board, which campaigned for Catholic Emancipation, that is, the opportunity for Irish Catholics to become Members of Parliament. In 1823, he set up the Catholic Association which embraced other aims to better Irish Catholics, such as: electoral reform, reform of the Church of Ireland, tenants' rights, and economic development. |
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This is O'Connel Street and the O'Connel Bridge 1880 that crosses the River Liffey |
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| Finn's Hotel is the setting where James Joyce (famous author of the novel Ulysses) met chambermaid Nora Barnacle. The 1904 rendezvous began a long relationship that eventually led to marriage in 1931 and continued until Joyce's death. Joyce's father remarked, on learning Nora's surname, "She'll stick with him." |
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| Beautiful red ivy-covered building on the right |
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| O'Neill's Pub where we ate dinner on Wednesday night |
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| Kildaire Street, so charming with it's flowers and store fronts |
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| St. Patrick's Cathedral 1192 (more pictures to come) |
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| Approaching Christ Church Cathedral-Dublin's oldest building 1030 |
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| There is a medieval crypt that contains a magnificent collection of church treasures. We returned to the crypt on Wednesday night as part of our Ghost Bus Tour where we were told ghost stories and scary facts. |
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| The tomb of Strongbow, leader of the Normans is located here |
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| This is the Cathedral district and yet you don't have to go far to find a pub or Guinness advertisement. We were told that there are around 600 churches in Dublin and twice as many pubs!! |
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This is the Kilmainham Gaol (prison). It is now unoccupied but was in use in 1796-1924. Leaders of 5 Irish rebellions were detained here. Apparently, U2 (natives of Dublin and one of my favorite bands) recorded an album inside the jail for acoustics and inspiration.
This is The Clarence Hotel and it is owned by U2's Bono and The Edge.
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| We headed into Phoenix Park 1662, originally a deer park and royal hunting grounds is now home to the Dublin Zoo, the Irish president and several monuments. This is the Wellington Monument built in 1817 to commemorate the victories of Duke Wellington in Waterloo and the Indian Wars. |
In 1759, Arthur Guinness started brewing his famous "Porter" which is produced around the world at the rate of over 10 million glasses each day!! We toured the 1904 Storehouse later in the afternoon and enjoyed our complimentary pint in the Gravity Bar overlooking the city of Dublin.
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| One thing that I found so charming about the city is that EVERY light post in Dublin had a 3-leaf clover motif. They were so pretty!! |
Once our bus tour was complete, we decided to grab lunch before visiting some of the sights and historical places. A trip to Ireland wouldn't be complete without authentic fish-n-chips! For lunch we went to the famous Leo Burdock's (since 1916) to get fish-n-chips wrapped in newspaper. The little crispy pieces that fall off the fish while they are frying are called "Irish caviar" and they are a favorite of many, including Randell.
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| Such a cute little man...been there for ages. He was so taken with the boys and wanted to know where they were from and shook their hands! So friendly and sweet :o) |
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| The Hall of Fame wall that lists all of the famous people who have been in to taste Ireland's famous fish and chips |
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U2, Tom Cruise, Rod Stewart, Patrick Stewart, Liam Neeson, Katie Couric, Sandra Bullock, etc.
On the door of the shop...
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| We took our newspaper wrapped fish and chips to the nearby church, Saint Patrick's and ate lunch in the courtyard. Such a beautiful setting!! |
The bells were tolling in the bell tower and it was lovely!
Merrion Square is the largest Georgian square in the city of Dublin and is surrounded by original Georgian Buildings. These are distinguished by the simplicity and elegance of their exteriors. Oscar Wilde lived in one of these homes and his memorial can be found across the street from his one time residence.
Oscar Wilde was an Irish writer and poet. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of London's most popular playwrights in the early 1890s.
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| Oscar just begs for company, at least Randell thought so!! |
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| Two very fine and distinguished gentlemen!! Randell and I enjoyed a romantic stroll around the park, it was such a beautiful autumn day. The boys found a playground to run around in while we were gone.        
After our visit to Merrion Square we ventured on to Saint Stephen's Green. This 22 acre park is another beautiful public park in the heart of Dublin's city center. The water features, paths for strolling and many areas for sitting and relaxing make it a truly lovely location (perfect for another letterbox).
       
If you read my blog about our trip to Finland, then you might remember the "Man-Bear-Pig" statue that Randell called a piece of art...well, this fountain now has a name...Corn dogs-Hot dogs-Cattails" :o)
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| Next stop..The Guinness Storehouse Tour |
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| The boys looking at the water source used to make the beer. |
Learning all about the process of brewing beer and the founder of Guinness...
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| Learn to pour the perfect glass of beer and taste test...YUM! |
We then went to the very top floor which is a round, glassed-in area called the Gravity Bar. Popular for it's view of Dublin from above and it's endless supply of Guinness beer. People gather to socialize and drink their complimentary beer. Corey and Cam inside the Gravity Bar enjoying a soda.
It was especially sunny and bright up there!!
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| Cheers! |
Dublin from above...
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| Last stop before calling it a day and heading back to the hotel for dinner...a candy store!! |
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| Turning boys loose in a candy shop can be quite dangerous! |
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| Randell asks the girl, "What's the damage"... We finished off our day with a lovely dinner at the hotel Brasserie and then did some relaxing in the room before bedtime. A wonderful, fun-filled day!! |
Close to the end of our lunch, we got caught in a down pour and ran for Saint Patrick's to get out of the rain. My boys turned around to check on me and I was wearing my brown paper bag that once held my fish-n-chips to keep the rain off of my head. I thought it the smart thing to do as it kept me dry, and they were mortified and told me I looked like a homeless person! LOL...I got the last laugh when I boarded the bus and my hair was dry!
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| Bag Lady |
Since the weather was rainy off and on we decided to start with some indoor attractions and a visit to the church of St. Michan's and it's crypts. St. Michan's beginning dates back to 1095. This almost 1,000 year old church is so rich in history and used to sit in the forest overlooking the River Liffey. It is now surrounded on all sides by the city, yet when inside, you can feel the church walls busting with stories of the past!!
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| Effigy of Bishop Samuel |
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| A lovely organ that was built in 1724 |
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| The cost of the organ was £470 (about 900 dollars) which included the case, two manuals, eleven stops and three bellows. In front is the ‘Organ Trophy’, a piece of wood depicting 17 musical instruments, possibly carved by Henry Houghton or John Houghton. |
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| We then met with Peter, who took us down into the crypts |
Underneath the church are five long burial vaults containing the mummified remains of many of Dublin’s most influential 17th, 18th and 19th century families, including the legendary Shears brothers and the highly decorated coffins of the Earl’s of Leitrim.
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| The mummy in the very back is thought to be a "Crusader" and a very tall one at that!! Standing about 6'7", in death, his legs were removed at the knee and placed under his body and his upper legs crossed, as done in a Crusader burial. He was too tall for his casket!! Same was done with the middle mummy, he was too tall to fit, so his feet were removed. The mummy on the left is a woman and you can still see her well preserved, dainty hands and well kept finger nails. |
The funny thing about this whole tour was that half way through, Randell whispers to me that the tour guide, Peter, is the guy that gave Samantha Brown her tour when she visited Dublin. Samantha Brown does a TV show called "Passport to Europe" on the Travel Channel. Randell has had a long-time crush on her and loves to watch her show. He recognized Peter and once he pointed it out, I did too. We asked him about the show, Samantha and the experience and ended up talking to him for about 1/2 hour. I had to have a picture of Randell with Peter, since he is a celebrity...LOL!! Peter gave Cameron the crypt keys for the picture, which unfortunately didn't turn out as well as I had hoped...oh well.
We hopped on the bus and rode around to Dublin's Natural History Museum to see the exhibits of "stuffed animals"...as the bus driver kept calling them..LOL
They have quite an impressive collection, I must say! The weather had cleared up so we walked around the city for a bit. We passed the Leinster House which was originally known as the Kildare House after James Fitzgerald, the Earl of Kildare. On becoming the Duke of Leinster in 1776, the house was named the Leinster House. It is now the seat of the Irish Parliament.
We stopped into a few stores to have a look around and pick up a few souvenirs Much to my surprise, there in the back of the store stood a penny press machine, or I guess in this care it was a Euro Press but it's all the same thing!! There were 4 different designs :o) Those of you who know me, know that I collect pressed pennies. So I rolled out 4 for my collection and a few more for someone else I know that collects!!
We grabbed some dinner and after finishing it was time to head over to catch the ghost bus. This tour was done by the same bus company that provides the day time tours around Dublin. They are super nice people. Our guide was Vincent and he told us all kinds of legends and ghost stories that have been around Dublin for many years.
So scared!!
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| We stopped here, the site of a church (Saint Kevin's) as well as a cemetery. The city dug up all of the graves and burned the bones. The headstones were moved to and leaned against the walls along the church and buildings, some 3 deep. |
Vincent is a gate keeper and is allowed to bring people into the church site. You can see the stones against the walls...
Vincent chooses Cameron to be his "helper" as he tells us the story of body snatchers or "stiffy lifters" as they are called in Ireland. A long time ago, hospitals were only allowed 6 bodies for research per year. Without refrigeration those bodies didn't last long so there was a need for more cadavers for research. That is when body snatchers were paid to dig up the freshly buried bodies for the hospitals.
Vincent demonstrates the hook and how it was used to pull the corpse from the grave by hooking it under the jaw bone...I would say Cameron was a bit uneasy at this point...LOL...no pun intended!
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| The back wall of the church |
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| In what was once the cemetery and is now a park, headstones lined up against the wall |
Vincent tells us the story of a little boy who in 1961 was murdered and found in the graveyard. Blood-stained stones were found nearby and many believe that it was the boy's uncle who killed him. A few years ago, a woman on one of the Ghost Bus Tours, who was visiting Dublin from Mexico and could have never known about this story, told Vincent that she saw a little boy running and playing near the tree. The tree that we are standing near, in the picture, is the same place where they discovered the body of the little boy!! CREEPY!!
When our tour was complete and we had our fill of ghost stories, we took the bus back to the hotel and called it a night. Time to get some sleep so we could get up early...
Day 4: We drove from Dublin to Blarney, Ireland, which is south along the east coast. It was a lovely drive full of green pastures and hillsides. It took close to 3 hours to get there but we stopped for lunch and took our time enjoying the scenery.
Finally we arrived...Blarney, Castle, home of the Blarney Stone!!
Over the last 200 hundred years, millions have flocked to this castle, climbed the stairs to the top, to kiss the Blarney Stone. Kiss it and you'll gain the gift of gab or the gift of eloquence. This destination is a world landmark and one of Ireland's greatest treasures.
Long ago, visitors had to be held by the ankles and lowered head first over the battlements. Luckily it is a bit safer now, although still scary for those already afraid of heights. We had to lay on our backs, scoot backwards (holding on to an iron railing) until our heads and upper body down in between the two walls until our face was close to the stone...then "PUCKER UP".
The caves under the castle were very fun to explore!
Corey is looking out of the Earl's bed chamber...he had quite the view!!
To get to the top of the castle, you have to climb a spiral staircase which is amazing in itself as it is all stone and still in great shape after all of these years!! It was slow going and a little treacherous at spots as the steps were wet from a recent rain.
Time to kiss the Blarney Stone!! Here's Randell...lean back more...a little more...
The bars you see to the left of Randell do NOT extend all the way across. In other words, it is a wide open hole that you lean backwards over!!
There is a woman standing below the "murder hole"...can you imagine having hot liquid dropped down on your head!! OUCH!!
This is what is left of the castle walls that used to keep the enemy out...pretty strong seeing as how they have held up so well over time!
Long ago, visitors had to be held by the ankles and lowered head first over the battlements. Luckily it is a bit safer now, although still scary for those already afraid of heights. We had to lay on our backs, scoot backwards (holding on to an iron railing) until our heads and upper body down in between the two walls until our face was close to the stone...then "PUCKER UP".
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| This is the North Wall. The area that projects out of the wall was the Earl's bedchamber. The three almost identical in size openings are the garderobes...translated, that would be the "poop-chutes". Cameron and Corey explore the dungeon area |
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My turn...I have to say it was a unique experience but a bit unsettling at the same time. While Randell has a much longer body than I do, there was more of him left laying horizontal on the edge. In my case, "shortness" had me going over the edge!! It was frightening but quick...I kissed that stone and got the heck out of there!! Actually, it wasn't caught on film but when I sat up, I hugged that sweet man, he was very kind and knew I was hesitant. He held onto me extra tight and I felt secure :o)I did it Folks!! Check another "to do" off my Bucket List!!!!
More exploring of the castle and castle grounds and gardens.
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This is Badgers Cave. These caves were under the castle and used as a means of escape when the castle was under attack. When Cromwells' general, Lord Broghill besieged the castle and entered, he found everyone gone. They had used the passageways to escape.
After we were finished exploring Blarney Castle and the grounds, we ventured over to Blarney Wollen Mills and a nearby park where I found a letterbox hidden. It is a special treat to find letterboxes hidden in other countries!!
On the way back to Dublin, we drove through some light showers but the rainbows that followed were so magical. Nothing like an Irish rainbow to end a perfect vacation!!
An Old Irish Blessing
May love and laughter light your days, and warm your heart and home.
May good and faithful friends be yours,
wherever you may roam.
May peace and plenty bless your world
with joy that long endures.
May all life's passing seasons
bring the best to you and yours!
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