Powerscourt

Wanting to see a little more before Amila left, we made plans to take the City Bus out to a little town on the southern outskirts of Dublin, called Powerscourt, where we would hike 6 km to see the highest waterfall in Ireland, by the same name. What we hadn’t planned on as we set out from the town centre, was the Irish road system. And so it was that, about 0.5 km from town, the sidewalk disappeared and a bit of rain started to fall. Then, another 0.5 km out, the side of the road

Irish Roads!

disappeared entirely, leaving us no option but to walk on the sidelines along a narrow winding road, boxed in by a small cliff on one side, and a stone wall on the other. We soon came to realize, as the rain got worse, that it was unsafe for us to venture on and took refuge in someone’s entranceway, just outside their gate. And that’s how we came to be offered a ride back to town

by a thoughtful Irish-American lady and her daughter who took pity on the two of us huddled under a small umbrella in the hail! They even drove us all the way up to the entrance to the Powerscourt Estate once we told her that was our new destination!

At the estate, we confirmed that the only way to the waterfall is with our own car as there are no bus services out that way. So, we bought a couple tickets to the estate and wandered around in the vast gardens, enjoying the stunning view of Sugarloaf Mountain in the distance.

Italian Gardens

Guard's Tower

Chinese Gardens

Pet Cemetery (Horses, Dogs and Cows)

Howth

Howth is a popular summer home and golf destination about 20 minutes North of Dublin on the Dart, the coastal train. Amila and I went hiking around the islet on a sunny Sunday, enjoying views of the Irish Sea, the Wicklow Mountains, and about 30 different kinds of wildflowers in bloom. We sauntered through the Market that is held in town, buying a few gummy bears from a merchant, and walked out along the pier in the harbour, reading the names of all the boats, Amila’s favourite being:

When in Dublin, Howth is definitely an accessible day trip and a lovely coastal town worth visiting!

On our way back home, we ran into Mary and her friend, who proceeded to invite us over to cook dinner all together! So Judith, Amila and I went over later that evening for an Italian-style dinner consisting of pasta, salad and some nice wine!

The Wild West

Shop Street, Galway City

Amila and I jumped on a bus to Galway in order to explore some of Western Central Ireland for a few days. After nearly four hours on a bus that stopped through all the small towns (Galway is only 200 km from Dublin), we arrived, groggy but eager to start exploring. We walked up to check in to the hostel we’d picked and none other than a Canadian was working behind the desk! So it came about that he was just finishing his shift and asked us if we

wanted to go drink some beer and enjoy the afternoon sunshine by the Spanish Arch. And we did JUST THAT while waiting for David to join us in town as he lives just out in the Galway countryside.

Once David arrived and we’d had a quick bite to eat, we followed him out to a house party, where we met a number of his friends, and then some! We were fortunate enough to

have a hookup to wheel the party taxi back to the city center, in which we sang our little hearts out, listening to a number of random uTube videos. After the whole day travelling, Amila and I were exhausted and decided to call it a night.

The next day was mostly spent making our way to the Cliffs of Moher and back as they are just South of Galway City. Despite being adequately prepared, we were both still awed by the sheer size of the Cliffs. This is one sight which cannot compare to photos and definitely must be seen in person. Of course, we followed in the footsteps of many before us and walked on past the barriers, out onto the narrow winding path that follows the edge of the cliff. But I must note that, had it not been for Amila’s audacity, I would probably not have ventured out there and would likely have regretted not doing so afterwards. The whistling wind, the sound of the waves crashing on the shore 120 meters below and the cry of the seagulls drifting about all made for a few moments of tranquility where neither of us spoke.

Although we could have easily stood there all day, the bus back to Galway set a limit to our time there and off we went again, this time on route towards the ferry in Rosaveel, where we would cross over to Inishmore, the largest of the Aran Islands, just off the West Coast of Ireland. We alighted

around 8 pm and set off in the direction the road from the port took us in search of the hostel we’d booked the night before. We were surprised by a rooster pecking around in the front yard of an abandoned pub along the way and, despite my gut feeling telling me to keep walking in the same direction, Amila was unsure as to whether we would manage to find this hostel at all!

And so, she flagged down the next approaching vehicle and walked up to the Jeep window to ask the man at the wheel for directions, hoping he knew a bit of English at least (as this area is most renowned for its high percentage of Gaelic speakers). As it turns out, the first words he spoke were to warn her that he was completely and utterly drunk and may not be in the proper mental capacity to answer any of her questions, but she was free to go ahead and ask! We probably should not have been so surprised as we were on a tiny isolated island, which would likely mimic countryside lifestyle! But, sure enough,

he pointed us in the direction we had been walking in and, a few minutes later, we found a sign pointing off towards our hostel.

The hostel was owned and managed by an older woman with a few missing teeth, who greeted us in kind manner and offered to put on a cup of tea right away, which we politely declined as we hadn’t yet eaten dinner and were going to immediately head out in search of a restaurant.

We soon found that basically the only restaurant on the island open at 9 pm is one that is part of a hotel right on the end of the pier in the harbour! And, of course, the prices were a bit steep, but we treated ourselves to some nice fresh seafood and white wine!

The next morning started early with bike rentals and a 30 minute trek on narrow winding gravel roads along the coast

to Dun Aengus, an old fort built in the 2^nd century BC. We spotted a few cows and donkeys along the way... and were even fortunate enough to see a couple seals waddling along the shore! What awkward creatures they are!

 

Since we started out early, and the first fairy   carrying tourists to the island hadn’t arrived yet, we were the sole occupants of the fort, which made the experience all the more amazing! We scrutinized the intricately placed stones,
observed  a  couple fishermen  in  their currachs,  and  lay down  onto the side of the cliff,  sticking our  heads out  over  the  edge  to see where the water crashed against the rock 100 meters below us. Definitely the most interesting castle I’ve seen thus far!

View of the cliffs from Dun Aengus

Overall, we managed to get on to a number of things in the little time we were in the West; including a bit of bickering, as sisters do! But we’re pretty good travellers together I think. J

Kilmainham Gaol

Judith, Amila and I made our way to the old jail in the heart of Dublin, which was only in use for a very short period of time before being turned into a museum. We were lucky to visit on the first Wednesday of the month, which turns out to be an important day in Ireland, as a number of attractions are free of charge on that day! And so it was that we were lead on a guided tour of the chapel, cells, inner hall and courtyard.

The tour brought much of the history of Ireland, and especially Dublin, with regards to the rebellions in the late 19^th, early 20^th century, to light. 

During this time, many of the residents of Ireland were fighting to gain their independence from British rule and uprisings culminated with the Easter rising of 1916, where an outright battle erupted in Dublin, evidence of which is still noticeable today, especially on O’Connell street. Following this event, a number of the leaders of the rebellion were held

Plaque and flag
commemorating those
executed in the courtyard

and executed in Kilmainham jail!

The execution of James Connolly could be recognised as the most controversial as a result of the manner in which it was carried out. Although all the rebels leaders of the revolution were executed by a firing squad in the courtyard, Connolly, who was injured during the rebellion, was brought in and tied to a chair before being shot as he could not stand and await the shots.

There was no segregation of prisoners in Kilmainham as men, women and children were held in the same cell (up to 5 people per cell). Many children were said to be held there for petty theft, with the youngest child recorded as being 5 years old only!

Many more details were shared, including the fact that it has been used in many films, including The Italian Job; and the scene for a U2 video (The Celebration).

Definitely a high point of interest in Dublin!

A Titanic Experience

My sister Amila arrived from Canada just a couple of days before the end of classes, which was perfect timing for us to venture out around Ireland together! And so it was that our first destination was Belfast to pay a little visit to Aran and his family, as well as go to the newly opened Titanic Museum!

Despite mixed reviews, I have to say that Amila, Judith and I were all impressed at the vast amount of information on display throughout the museum. The first section, which is probably the less captivating of all of them, related a history of Belfast and the reasons for which it became an important shipyard. The development of the canals was quite striking as most of the waterways in existence today are man-made.

The most interesting portions of the tour, in my opinion, included the logistics behind building the ship, like the amount of bolts used; the four chimneys and their functions (the fourth chimney was used to ventilate the engine room); the lists of passengers, various backgrounds, and fates, which certainly put a number of faces to the tragedy; also the SOS messages sent out via morse code and the replies from surrounding vessels.

Overall, we spent a good 3.5 hours walking around and I feel like that was somewhat rushed. So, I would certainly recommend visiting the Titanic museum, but make sure you plan to be there for a whole afternoon!

Ramble Around Glendalough

View of the Wicklow Mountains from the North

The second trip I made with the hiking club was up in the Wicklow Mountains just South of Dublin. Glendalough, is a glacial valley and literally means "glen of 2 lakes".

It is most famous for its medieval monastic settlement, the Round Tower being the best known, and most photographed, of all the buildings in the area. So, on a cloudy Sunday, Judith and I got our warm-up in for the hike by walking the 5 km to school in order to meet up with the rest of the students. After waiting around at the Helix for a while, during which time we discovered that Ireland hosts its version of The Voice on our campus (random I know), we were finally on our way.

Myself with Mary and Judith

The sun came out just as we got there, which was certainly a welcome warmth on this slightly chilly day. After a quick glimpse of the Round Tower of Glendaloch, which I took a picture of of course, we began our ascent, which was to take us all the way around one of the lakes. 

We climbed along the side of a small waterfall at first, before heading into the dense woods, walking along large beams of timber all the way up.

We emerged from the forest to find ourselves quite high up and right on the edge of the mountain, gazing down on the lake. It was quite an exhilarating sight. Of course, as is tradition with Irish weather, the sun disappeared just then to give rise to a soft rain, followed by a light bout of hail, causing us to shiver as we got wet. But the sun soon came back and the wind at this high altitude dried us off quite rapidly. We walked back down into the other end of the valley, where we stopped for a brief lunch by a little stream, enjoying the view and a little more rain. Luckily members of the hiking committee had some nice biscuits for us to munch on, which kept everyone’s spirits bright.

View from the lunch 'camp'

Mary and Judith in the ruins

A stone and gravel path brought us back most of the way along the Eastern side of the lake, where we also encountered the ruins of old stone houses. During the last leg of the hike, Judith, Fabian and I found a little path leading down to the riverside and chose to sneak away from the boisterous group we were with to enjoy some of the peace and quiet that is characteristic of nature walks.

We sauntered along the bank, surrounded by trees and the sound of the light raindrops pattering on the water; what an invigorating few moments!

After rejoining the group (who had to patiently wait for us at the end of the trail as we sort of took our time), we stopped off at the little restaurant by the entrance to the park and had a nice refreshing pint of Guiness to end the day!

For a more lively version of my account, check out this cool video montage my friend Fabian made!

London Calling

Easter weekend 2012 was definitely eventful as Judith and I were reminded of just how close and accessible everything is when in Europe and made our way to England, just a wee 1h jaunt from Dublin! We landed in the late afternoon and took the Tube to Chelsea, where we quickly settled into our hostel, the Queen Elizabeth Fulham, before jetting off to Westminster for our first view of the city center.

And what a sight it was! Walking out of the tube station, not knowing exactly what to expect and catching a glimpse of a large ferris wheel just at the end of the tunnel... then realizing it must be the London Eye, which was quickly followed by this view as we reached the Thames and turned around!

Needless to say, we were elated! I turned to Judith to share my excitement, and next thing I knew, she was giving me the most excited hug! This reaction conveys my emotions perfectly! We spent about 30 minutes taking a million pictures around the parliament buildings, with every setting on our cameras and at every possible angle... I know... OF COURSE WE WOULD! Then walked along and around the river for as long as our legs could take us, spotting a Canada goose on the way!

Tra met up with us at the hostel early Friday morning and the three of us went over to Buckingham Palace to catch the end of the changing of the guards. It felt quite odd to be standing in such a well known place and immediately made me think of all the people that packed this very area only a year ago for the Royal Wedding.

We then walked through the Canada Gate (the two other gates surrounding the palace are Australia and South Africa) into Green Park and, by chance, were fortunate to witness a ceremony honouring Canadian soldiers from both world wars at the War Memorial! Judith and I stood by throughout the entire 2 hours and proudly sang along to O'Canada.

Canadian War Memorial

Indian food was on the menu after more walking around the city and, to finish off the evening, Judith and I went to see Chicago performed at Garrick Theatre, which was quite literally the best, and only musical I'd seen to date! It was a very hot performance and I was impressed at how fit and capable the actors were!

Saturday morning was mostly spent in the queue by the London Eye; when in Rome! (I was told the British like to queue). But the price, and the view, were worth the panoramic view of the city we were graced with once we reached the top! We jumped back onto the Tube to get back to our hostel's stop, where we would walk a few short minutes to Stamford Bridge to watch Chelsea play Wigan. It took us a few minutes to understand why the tube was so full, with almost no room to stand... of course, everyone was going to the match! At the stop, we actually could do nothing else but follow the crowd! The Premier League match was so very exciting! The whole crowd chanting in unison and 3 goals in total for Chelsea to win the match on a controversial ('offside') second goal during the extra time!

To make the most of our time, we went back out after the game and a quick bite, first finding the infamous Platform 93/4, then walking around Tower Bridge area, basking in the beautiful light of the city at night.

As an aside, I may be the only one to think this, but I though Tower Bridge was actually called London Bridge. It turns out, however, that the actual London Bridge is slightly West of Tower Bridge and, although it is nicely lit up at night, it's one of the more modern and boring bridges in London... So what I'm really saying is that if it were to fall down, I'm not sure it would be such a loss. ;)

Sunday, we signed up for a day tour, stopping to walk around Windsor Castle, then getting an audioguided tour of the Roman Baths in none other than Bath, and finally an hour gazing wonderously at the mystery of Stonehenge.

And Judith and I even made a quick stopover at Wimbledon ;)

If you think we'd done enough by now, it wasn't over as Monday rushed by with a major part of the time spent in Westminster Abbey, which ranks among cathedrals such as Santa-Maria-del-Fiore in Florence, St-Mark, Notre-Dame-de-Paris and St-Peters in my opinion. What history and intricacy it beholds!

Fish & Chips and sticky toffee pudding at a pub kept us going... for a time... in the British Museum where we caught a close-up glimpse of the 2012 Olympic medals. We decided to make one final stop before heading back to the airport, which almost cost us our flight... but how could we resist a chance to see the Olympic Venue, which still requires a good amount of work I might add!

Olympic Medals 2012!

Cool graffiti in a skatepark
in the middle of the city

Luckily, the delays caused by the Tube system delays and change-ups did NOT cost us the last flight to Dublin of the day as it turned out to be delayed by 1h30! You can only imagine how Judith and I almost hugged the perplexed check-in clerk as she wondered why these crazy Canadians were happy to have to wait over an hour for their flight! As another fun aside, I wore the Chelsea scarf I'd purchased through the airport and for a few days after in Dublin and customs officers and bus drivers kept telling me I wasn't allowed through, or on, with that around my neck! ^_^ I now have an appreciation of how difficult it must be to be a Chelsea fan! Haha