Author: Laura Irwin

Ireland 2015: Day 5 – Kilkenny to Kinsale

Laura Irwin

Today started off gray and rainy.  As in, pouring rain.  Yesterday, I had seen a sign for the “Kilkenny-Cashel Scenic Drive”, and since Cashel was my first stop for the day, I decided to give it a try.  Good thing the route was well-signed!  Between the narrow roads, rain, fog, and oncoming cars, it was a bit of a white-knuckle drive!  When I got to Cashel, my only planned stop was at the Rock of Cashel.  The Rock of Cashel was the seat of the kings of Munster for several hundred years before being donated to the church in 1101 AD.  In 1749 the roof was removed, and the ruins have been an attraction to visitors ever since.  It was interesting to walk around inside the old cathedral with the rain coming down, but I was even more impressed by the cemetery outside, with its views of the surrounding countryside.  In 1930, they made a register of those who would be able to be buried in the churchyard.  Only those living could be recorded in the register (no would-be children or grandchildren).  There are only 5 people left on the register to be buried, all in their 80s now.  I’m sure a sunny day would have made for a better visit, but somehow the rain and clouds added to the atmosphere.

Rock of Cashel
Rock of Cashel

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Ireland 2015: Day 4 – A Day in Kilkenny

Laura Irwin
Parliament Street, Kilkenny
Parliament Street, Kilkenny

I now understand why they tell you to dress in layers in Ireland.  You can go from enjoying a sunny day to a downpour in 10 minutes’ time!  This morning was a mix of sun and clouds (now I sound like a weatherman!), and I started my day with a hotel breakfast before heading to Kilkenny Castle.  I did some reading up on scrambled eggs because everywhere I’ve been in Europe, the eggs are very moist and gooey, not at all like what we’re used to in the U.S.  It turns out, while we normally make our eggs by mixing them with milk and then cooking until they are dry; here they put the milk and butter in the pan, add the eggs, and cook just until they’re set.  I’m not a fan.  Fortunately, croissants also seem to be staples of an Irish breakfast, so I’m not going hungry!  I met two nice couples from Virginia at breakfast this morning, who asked me to pull up a chair and discuss vacations with them.  They were just finishing a 12 day trip very similar to mine, but in reverse.  They were able to share some of their favorite places and experiences, and I took plenty of mental notes!

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Ireland 2015: Day 3 – Dublin to Kilkenny

Laura Irwin

Today started with a trip back to Dublin Airport to pick up a rental car for the rest of the trip.  There were red, white, and blue balloons everywhere, including in arches over the doorways.  Pretty impressive!  I finally got the car, a Volkswagen Jetta (my only requirements were automatic and a/c; no small feat – or price tag – in Ireland), and discovered that it runs on diesel.  Add that as another first for me!  Having driven for a week on the left in England back in April, I wasn’t nearly as nervous or apprehensive this time.  I should mention that my nervousness this time stems more from the low mileage – only 19 km! – on the car than the driving.  I’m afraid of getting any little scratch on it.  They actually have pictures taken of it just before I picked it up.  Hertz’s NeverLost system seems to spend more time “searching for a GPS signal” than it actually does navigating, but I managed to make it to all my intended stops for the day.

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Ireland 2015: Day 2 – Scholars and Prisoners

Laura Irwin

After sleeping for almost 11 hours last night, I woke up to the sun reflecting directly into my face off the wall mirror in my hotel room this morning.  It was time to get up and explore Dublin some more!  My first stop of the day was Trinity College.  My walking tour was slightly delayed, as we had to wait for John Boehner’s entourage to clear out.  The tour

Long Room - Trinity College Library
Long Room – Trinity College Library

was fascinating.  Would you believe that for a €3,000 registration fee per year, a student from any country in the European Union can attend Trinity College?  Another interesting thing I learned was about the scholarship program.  At the end of their freshman year, students can choose to sit for an examination. Those who score first honors (70% or higher) become Trinity College Scholars.  This includes free tuition, room, board, etc. for the duration of their bachelor’s degrees, plus an additional 5 years to complete a Ph.D. if they choose.  Only about 65 to 70 scholarships are awarded per year (out of 17,000 students).  The library at Trinity College is most known for holding the Book of Kells.  While this was interesting to see, the mobs of people surrounding it made it nearly impossible to get a close look.  The library is also a legal deposit library for Ireland and the U.K., meaning that Trinity College has a copy of every book published in Britain, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland (a total of about 4.5 million books!).  My photos don’t do the Long Room justice, but this 360 degree panorama certainly gives an idea of the space.

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Ireland 2015: Day 1 – Jetlagged in Dublin

Laura Irwin
Ireland 2015 003
Arriving in Dublin

This is going to be a short but sweet blog post because I am seriously ready to fall asleep (at 7:15PM!).  At 5:00 yesterday afternoon (east coast time), I indulged in a burrito from Chipotle.  I figured that would be my dinner before heading to the airport, and hopefully I could ignore the food on the plane and try to get some sleep.  If you know me, you know I’m generally in the “early to bed, early to rise” category.  So I figured by 9:30 or 10:00, I’d be dozing in my seat.  Nope.  The food cart came rolling by around 10:30 and I was ready to eat!  Turns out, I could have easily passed on the vegetarian pasta and Pepperidge Farm cookies, but once I had it, it would have been rude not to eat it, right?  Sleep came in the form of a 2 hour or so nap after “dinner”.

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Ireland 2015: Day 0 – Ireland Bound

Laura Irwin

Screenshot IrelandVacation is finally here!  In a few hours, I’ll be hopping on a plane to Dublin, Ireland to add another stamp to my passport.  Ireland has always been on my bucket list, and I knew it would require longer than our week-long school year vacations.  In my initial planning, I had expected the trip to be about 10 days, but as I kept researching areas I wanted to visit, I ended up settling on 14 days.  After spending two days in Dublin to rest and sightsee, I will be heading to Kilkenny, Kinsale, Killarney, Dingle, Doolin, and Galway before returning to Boston on July 15th.  I can’t say that I am looking forward to any area more than another, but I have visions of Killarney National Park and the southwest coast as being my favorites.  Being a music lover, I have high hopes of enjoying evenings in the local pub listening to “trad” sessions and mingling with the locals.

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England 2015 – A Few Anecdotes

Laura Irwin

I love to travel.  I love seeing new places, meeting new people, doing new things, eating new foods… it’s one of my favorite things to do.  I also love coming home.  By the last day of vacation, I am usually ready to be home.  This trip was no exception.  As much as I love to travel, looking out the window of the plane and seeing Cape Ann on our approach into Boston Friday night, I was reminded again that this part of the world is home.  There is a flowering magnolia tree in front of my apartment building, and I returned home to see it in full bloom.

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England 2015 – Day 7: Homeward Bound

Laura Irwin

This morning, I was torn between wanting to lie in bed a while longer and wanting to go out to take some early morning pictures on my last day of vacation.  Knowing I could catch up on sleep when I got home, I was out the door a little after 6 AM.  If you’re not an early morning riser, become one!  Even if it’s only once in a while.  One of the things I love to do at home when it’s above freezing is get up early on a weekend morning and head to the beach for sunrise.  There’s something entirely different about being out before most of the world wakes up.  This morning I had the same feeling I get on those mornings at the beach.  My first stop today was Ebrington.  I wandered around the village for a few minutes taking pictures and then headed off to the field with the sheep near the church in Chipping Campden.  I planned to just stop for a few pictures, but ended up leaving my car and going for another walk on one of the walking paths.  This one crossed the sheep pasture and met up with the second part of the path I was on yesterday behind the church fields.  There was dew on the grass and a low fog over some of the field, and it was just a perfect morning to be out enjoying it.  I passed only two other walkers on my way.

Morning walk through the fields of Chipping Campden
Morning walk through the fields of Chipping Campden

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England 2015 – Day 6: A Walk and A Garden Visit

Laura Irwin

I woke up this morning with absolutely no plans for the day.  Sure, there were a few things I was considering, but I didn’t really have any idea where I would end up.  I had wanted to spend a day exploring Wales (the Chepstow and Tintern areas), but decided I didn’t feel like driving 1.5 hours each way.  The morning was grey and cloudy, so I took my time getting ready and headed over to breakfast around 9:00.  The nice thing about staying in this old manor hotel is that breakfast is included every morning.  Not just a few bagels and toast, but a full, cooked, English style breakfast.  The bad thing about staying in this old manor hotel is that breakfast is included every morning.  To be honest, I’m getting a little tired of the choices.  There are delicious croissants, cereal, fruit, yogurt, etc. on the continental table, but I’m a pretty picky eater and the hot food choices that I will actually eat are pretty limited.  As in eggs or eggs.  I had eggs Benedict the first morning I was here, and will probably have it again tomorrow.  I had just a cold breakfast on the second morning, scrambled eggs yesterday, and cold again today.  On Tuesday when I said I didn’t want anything hot, I overheard the server saying to another waitress, “She doesn’t want a cooked breakfast!”, as though it were scandalous!

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England 2015 – Day 5: Village Hopping

Laura Irwin

The highlight for today was clearly hitting a bird and then realizing that not only did I hit it, the dead bird somehow managed to lodge itself behind the grille on the front of the car.  So now I’m driving around with bird feathers sticking out of the front of the car.  Fortunately, it is in the lower front by the fog lights, so I don’t think it is doing any damage.  Don’t ask me how it got there either.  It must have gotten flung up through the wheel well when I hit it.  I figure the worst that can happen is the rental car company will charge me to remove it.  Goodness knows this isn’t nearly as bad as the time I had to exchange a rental car because I rear ended someone and the whole front end was destroyed.  But that’s a whole different story…

St. Barnabas Church, Snowshill
St. Barnabas Church, Snowshill

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