Ireland: The Land of 1000 Welcomes? That'll be just grand.

            As I told my mom a few days ago, I am quite sure I spent the last week, or most of it at least, living in some sort of twisted Serta mattress commercial. Ireland is not only full of sheep, and farms for that matter, but every single sheep has a number stamped on its back, written in bright blue ink. I didn’t think that actually existed! Let’s just say I wasn’t counting sheep only in my sleep… 

Branded red, but you get the picture

            My trip to the Emerald Isle started last week, when I flew from Paris to Dublin. Actually, I should say “Paris” rather. The airport Paris Beauvais is an hour and a half outside of Paris in an incredibly small town. To get there, I squished into a RyanAir bus, and randomly got placed next to an Irish girl. What are the odds? She completed the long list of must-see sites and must-do activities that my roommate, Aoife, had already given me. For those of you who are European, or have done some budget traveling in Europe, you know the likes of RyanAir. It is by far the cheapest airline in Europe, known to offer roundtrip airfares for around 30 euro. I’m currently very tempted by a 24 euro ticket to Rome…Only problem with RyanAir, is that they fly in and out of incredibly inconvenient airports, at incredibly inconvenient times. My flight to Dublin was meant to take off at 11pm, but was somewhat delayed, so instead I landed some time around 12:30am in Ireland.

            I planned the trip to visit a friend of mine, Kate, who is Irish and goes to school in Dublin. She was on exchange in the US last year, studying law at Emory. As it just so happens, one of my best friends from UVA, Jose (I was so tempted to call you Popa, but I’m using the “grown-up version”, you’re welcome very much), was in his first year of Emory Law School last year. So when we all went to his house in the Dominican Republic for spring break, and he brought Kate, I guess you could say the rest is history. Kate and her roommate, Ailbhe, picked me up from the airport and gave me a brief driving tour of the city. First and most important thing to know? “Watch out for the knackers in tracksuits.” Not sure at all what a “knacker” was upon my arrival, I can now spot them out with ease. Think of the seediest person you know. Now multiple by 10 and dress them in a tracksuit. Total knacker. We pulled into Kate’s adorable house in Ranelagh around 1am. I had heard that the other roommates, Gemma and Jane, were quite the chocolate fiends, so I greeted them with French chocolate in tow (Lion bars to be exact). And for Kate? A total cheese-lover and girl after my own heart…she got two types of smelly French cheese. Yum. I, in turn, was presented with a big mug of Lyon’s Tea, which was soon to become a staple of my Irish diet.

With Kate at St. Stephen's Green

            Wednesday we woke up early to get started on my Dublin site seeing. First on the list? The Book of Kells. For any of you who know me well, you know that I am a total nerd. I was an art history major in college, and love to learn. Lethal combination when it comes to traveling because I like to go to all the nerdy, historical, artsy things in town, and spend significant amounts of time there. On the way to the exhibit, we walked through St. Stephen’s Green, a park in the center of Dublin that was designed by the same guy who designed Central Park (saw my fair share of knackers). Apparently one of the most famous events that happened on St. Stephen’s Green was when U2 was presented with keys to the city of Dublin. They brought sheep to the Green and Bono got pooped on by a sheep. Little tidbit of trivia knowledge from me to you. Not much later, we arrived at Trinity College and took a brief tour around the cobblestone campus. Kate told me that the school was founded by Protestants hundreds of years ago. Until very recently, Catholics had to get a special dispensation from their archbishop to attend. And supposedly, one day a year you are allowed to sit on top of the campanile (bell tower) and shoot Catholics…not sure how much I believe that one, though. However, you are allowed to play croquet and graze your sheep on the greens of the campus. Must remember to bring my sheep next time! 

St. Matthew, Book of Kells

On to the Book of Kells. For those of you who don’t know what it is, it’s a 1000-year old, lavishly decorated copy of the four gospels. Probably written by monks on an island off the west coast of Scotland, the book was transferred to Dublin in the 17^th century. It’s home is now the Trinity College Library. Having only studied the book in my AP art history course in high school, my knowledge was more than fuzzy. But I had studied medieval manuscript illumination in college, so I knew somewhat of what I was meant to look for. Sadly only two of the books are on display, one open to a page of script, and the other open to an image of St. Matthew, but they are exquisite nonetheless. The miniscule handwriting was in perfect cursive, and the use of color in the image was brilliant, even after all these years. We left the exhibit of the Book of Kells, and walked upstairs to the Long Room, home to Trinity College’s 200,000 oldest books. The long hall is floor-to-ceiling books, and while we were there it was filled with an exhibit on the 1641 Depositions.  Afterwards, we made our way over to the National Gallery of Art. In total, I think we spent about 20 minutes inside. Unusual for me and a museum, but sorry, Ireland, your collection is somewhat lacking. No offense. Next on the list? Shopping! So exciting. I was introduced to the wonderful and exciting world of Penney’s. No, not JC Penny’s. This is entirely different and much more amazing. Very cute clothes, shoes, accessories, etc, at very reasonable prices. I got two sweaters for 11 euros. Since I don’t do a lick of shopping in France (French style is so not my style), I was like a kid in a candy shop (well a kid on a very limited budget, but still)! After parading around the city, shopping bags filling our hands, we made our way home for a nice, hot cup of tea. 

Getting ready for a night out!

As Kate prepared dinner, the rest of the girls and I started to get ready for a night out on the town in Dublin. From what I had heard, I was in for a real treat. Knowing that I would be unable to keep up with the Irish and their drinking habits, I filled myself up on Kate’s homemade Irish stew and potato farrlls (actually no idea what it is, really) for dinner. After a few glasses of wine, and a few comments on my behalf about my Irish heritage, the girls decided we should find out the true origins of my grandfather’s family, the McHughs. As it turns out, McHugh comes from the name McAodh, an old Irish family from the west of Ireland. When I happened to mention that my grandfather was what we called “Black Irish” (meaning he had very dark skin, hair, and eyes), and that growing up I had sincerely thought he was Cuban, Jane checked the landings of the Spanish Armada in Ireland, and sure enough, they landed on the west coast! Being Irish historians, the girls all seem to think that somewhere along the line, my family mingled with some Spaniards. ¡Que bueno! I always knew there was something up with his serious Cuban looks…

After dinner we had a small preparty at the house before going to Coppers, a nightclub downtown. It was really a good time! Good music, lots of dancing, and a late-night meal complete with sausages, rashers, and grilled cheese. Yum.

Western Ireland

Thursday morning I woke up not feeling too shabby. Can’t say the same for everyone else…but I sure did learn what an essential part of the Irish hangover cure is…and you guessed it, tea! Water? Gatorade? No, a nice cup of Lyon’s tea is just grand. In the afternoon, Kate and I were off to Galway, a city on the west coast of Ireland. We hopped the bus (after missing the first one because we were on the wrong quay, obviously), and made the short 2-hour hop all the way across the country. Now, I’m normally a big sleeper on public transportation (even though I have a desperate fear of my mouth hanging open in public), but on this bus ride I wasn’t so lucky. I got to stare at farms. And sheep. The entire time. Note: extreme Serta mattress syndrome in the Midlands of Ireland. Occasionally there was a horse, or a Papa John’s delivery sign, but that’s about all the variation I got. As we neared the west coast, stone walls began to appear, outlining all the property lines and farms. These walls are unique to the west coast, as there is a ton of stone in the ground over there. When Kate awoke from her nap, I mentioned to her the amazing sites she had missed during her sleep – all the cows, sheep, and green land. She really should have been jealous. Just as I was lamenting the lack of variation, she groggily looked out the window and said, “Oh look, there’s two cows having sex.” Just like it was the most normal thing in the world. I swiveled my head immediately to the left, but of course missed the most exciting moment of the ride!

Claddagh Ring

When we arrived in Galway, Kate’s friend Roisin picked us up from the bus station. We made a quick trip into town to pick up something I had been wanting for a long time – a Claddagh ring. The Claddagh ring is a traditional Irish ring whose features – two hands clasping a heart with a crown on top – denote loyalty, friendship, and love. Originally it was meant to convey the romantic availability of a woman. If worn with the heart facing out, you are single. If worn with the heart facing in, you are taken. Your heart has been “captured”, as they say. I think the rings are beautiful and delicate, and have wanted one for a long time. I am now proud to say it lives on my left index finger. 

Oompa Loompa doopedy doo...

After getting my ring, we made our way to Roisin’s boyfriend’s house, or abode for our time in Galway. We made a quick dinner, played a few rounds of Kings, and headed downtown to experience the Galway nightlife. I must admit, I was caught completely off-guard. I had been told no one in Ireland dresses up at all for Halloween. Lies. Everyone in Galway was dressed up and I had no costume! Can you imagine the travesty? I, who had not one, but TWO costume trunks upon my graduation from UVA. I, who adore dressing up more than the normal person, was costume-less amidst a bunch of costumed people. Sad. My only reconciliation? Finding an Oompa Loompa in the late night burger shop and requesting a picture with her. Her costume (and facepaint) was actually fantastic. Now after a night out in Galway, the Supermac’s, I guess their equivalent of McDonalds, is more crowded than a Walmart on Black Friday. The thing to order? Garlic cheese chips (or for us Americans, fries). Basically a heart attack in a small box.

When we finally made our way home, Roisin, Kate and I all realized that we had to be up in about 4 hours for our lovely tour to the Cliffs of Moher the next day. It was splendid! 8am the next morning we were up bright and early, made our way to the coach station, and promptly visited the local convenience store for a breakfast roll. Sounds delish, doesn’t it? Basically, a heart attack in a small baguette. (They’re fond of the heart attacks here). A breakfast roll is a demi-baguette with sausages, rashers, hash browns and ketchup all stuffed inside. Hits the hangover spot, I’ll tell ya, but makes you feel slightly less human than before. It was the last time I “enjoyed” a breakfast roll. Upon entering the bus, the three of us promptly fell asleep.  

Poulnabrone Dolmen

We woke up outside Dunguaire Castle, a 16^th tower house outside Galway. We examined the castle, and promptly fell back asleep. We woke up the second time at a fairy fort. We hopped out, made the circle around the fort, careful not to step inside for fear of death (apparently this is what happens when you disturb the fairies), and got back on the bus. This time I stayed awake for the drive in the Burren, basically a karst (had to look that up – limestone, essentially) landscape. It is apparently one of the largest in Europe. While in the Burren we visited the Poulnabrone Dolmen, a 6,000-year-old portal tomb. From there, we made our way to Doolin, where the Australian man on our tour who had thus far refused to wear any shoes at all (despite trekking in rain over rocky terrain), continued his barefooted stint indoors to have lunch. Appetizing. Managing to regain my appetite, I had a lunch of vegetable soup and brown bread (an Irish specialty, basically a form of soda bread). Afterwards I felt totally fortified to visit the Cliffs of Moher. Now for any of you who don’t know what the Cliffs of Moher are, proceed immediate to Google, do not pass go, or collect $200. It is Ireland’s most visited natural attraction. The beauty of these cliffs is captivating – even in freezing rain (I should know). They tower over the Atlantic Ocean on the western coast of County Clare. Closest land mass directly across? New York. I urge each and every one of you to go visit these cliffs. They are truly majestic. 

Cliffs of Moher...doesn't do it justice, needs
some serious googling

On the way back from the cliffs, we followed the coast road up to Galway. Along the way, our guide told us stories about the potato famine and other trying times in Irish history. For a brief moment we had a slight pause because the bus was actually stopped by a herd of cows in the middle of the road! You know the postcard, the “Irish traffic jam”? Well, we had one. I was very excited. All the Irish people on board did not look too thrilled. When we finally got back to Galway, we basically died of exhausted. We curled up on the couch, had a movie marathon, made dinner, and went to bed. Early the next morning, Roisin, Kate and I headed to Wexford, Kate’s hometown.

We arrived in Wexford, on the east coast of Ireland, around lunchtime. I met Kate’s mom, her sister, Zoe, and their dog, Cassie (for any of you who don’t know, that is one of my family’s dogs names as well). We all sat down for a big lunch together, and discussed everything from Irish history to the more recent law that passed allowing divorce. In the afternoon, Kate’s mom took me to a lovely choral concert in a church downtown. It was part of the Wexford Festival Opera, a world-renowned Opera Festival that brings in professionals from all over Europe. It was a combination of choral music and an orchestra. Simply beautiful. I miss singing. After the concert we traipsed down Wexford high street to a few art exhibitions, and then made our way home. In the mean time, Zoe had prepared dinner, and we all sat down together for the meal. A little while later, we made our way to a comedy show, put on by Kate’s mom’s drama group. Did I understand the Irish humor? Not so much. Especially the parts of the show that were in the Irish language! They did attempt to poke fun at Americans and our accents, but the last skit of the show was hilarious. It was called “Au Pair” and was all about the cultural misunderstandings we have when we don’t speak each other’s languages. For someone who loves to study language and culture, and who has definitely made some of those language mistakes, I found it pretty funny. Afterwards, Zoe, her friend Laura, and I, went out to meet up with the drama group at the Crescent Pub. There, I was introduced to the only other American in Wexford. I really cannot express how happy he was to see me. Living in Ireland for almost 4 years (married an Irish girl), he explained that he is practically dying of American cultural starvation, and was so excited I was there. Needless to say he monopolized my time all evening, but he turned out to be a very interesting guy! After graduating from college, he too went abroad to teach English, but went all the way to Japan. He stayed there for 3 years, met his wife, they traveled around the world together, and moved back to Ireland. They’ve both been to about 50 countries around the world (jealousy) and were more than happy to share their traveling wisdom with me. I was riveted! 

On the beach in Wexford

Sunday morning I woke up to a “full Irish breakfast”. Before leaving France, Aoife had made me promise that I would have this while in Ireland. What does it consist of? Well, here goes: sausages, rashers, fried eggs, tomatoes, mushrooms, potatoes, brown bread and tea. Basically a small heart attack on a plate. But it was so worth it. That afternoon, Kate, her mom, and I took a long walk along the beach in Wexford, through the forest, and over to Eden Vale, a beautiful little waterfall by their house. After dinner, we boarded the bus to Dublin, and sadly arrived after the last of the trick-or-treaters had visited the house.

Dublin Castle

The next morning, the morning of my last day in Ireland, I slept in, met Kate in town for lunch at Bad Ass Café (and it was pretty bad ass), and did a little more site seeing. We first went to Dublin Castle, which is now the seat of the Irish government. Built upon the foundations of the original Viking fort, one of the towers of the Castle is 1000 years old. Good old Viking cement did its job (made of horse hair, ox blood and egg shells, by the way) The original Viking fort was destroyed by fire and then rebuilt by the Anglo-Normans after their invasion. When the British ruled Ireland, it served as the seat of the English in Ireland. When the kings and queens of England came to visit Ireland, they stayed in Dublin castle, held court in the throne room, and threw banquets in the large banquet hall. Even the murals on the ceiling of the banquet hall detail the story of “how the English civilized the Irish”. Note: The Irish, not so happy about this. Also note: The Irish are not so happy about the Queen’s impending visit next summer… After our tour of Dublin Castle, we made our way up to Christ’s Church Cathedral, built during the medieval times. It is the official seat of the Church of Ireland. 

Before going home, I had a few last minute errands I needed to run for my roommate. Special requests made by Aoife: Barry’s tea, Cadbury chocolate (can’t get that in France), cheese and onion Tayto’s (type of chip), and Sudocreme. Ladies, listen up. Sudocreme is a miracle worker. Sort of like the Irish cure-all for any and all skin problems (blemishes, dry skin, etc). Kind of like the Greek woman who uses Windex in My Big Fat Greek Wedding…except this is an actual product! Any time you go to Ireland, pick up some Sudocreme at the pharmacy, it will do you some good!

My flight from Dublin left at a nice and early 6:35am. My cab to the airport arrived at 4am. It was a lovely time of morning (not). I arrived in Paris the equivalent of the walking dead. I made my way to my friend Victoria’s apartment, and vegged out all day until she came home from work. My best friend from UVA lives right in Paris. How lucky am I? She’s only two hours away if I ever get homesick, and her family truly is my home away from home. We watched Friends, Skyped our friends from home, and spent the entire time laughing about all the ridiculous times we have had together all over the world…I think we’ve been in the most countries with one another…up to 18 or so, if I am counting correctly…Anyway, I really couldn’t think of a better way to end my trip to Ireland.

Today it was back to work and the swing of normal life…except can I really even say that I lead a normal life? Not really. It’s off to Switzerland this weekend, and I am sure I will have more to report from there!