Thursday, September 3--Edinburgh, Scotland

So, today was a really, really long travel day for me. This afternoon I flew from Dublin to Aberdeen (which is on the eastern coast of Scotland). Then, I took a bus to get to the train station, and took the train from Aberdeen to Edinburgh (which is farther south on the east cast, near an inlet). I had a flight into Aberdeen but decided that I wanted to go to Edinburgh, so once I landed I had to figure out how to get there. All in all, I was waiting at the airport or rail station or traveling for about nine hours, which was very boring and somehow quite tiring too.

I'm staying in the West End Hostel in Edinburgh, and I really like the atmosphere of it. It's comfortable, and although I'm staying in a room with 12 beds instead of just 6, I still like it.

Sorry there aren't any pictures, but it was pouring all day so I didn't feel like adventuring and getting soaked again.

I'm going to plan my next two days (they're going to be pretty full), then go to sleep. And when I wake up, I can eat a breakfast that's not toast (for super cheap)!

Wednesday the 2nd

Shandon Bells tower

Our Lady of the Peace church

Inside St. Mary's Cathedral

Ceiling of St. Mary's Cathedral

Stove at hostel that made me very, very angry

I didn't really do much today because I had to check out of the hostel early in the morning so I could fly back to Dublin, plus it was pouring the entire day. I started off with another lovely breakfast of toast (I'm pretty sure that after this trip, it will be a long time before I eat toast for breakfast).

I still explored a little bit, though, and did a bit of unintentional "church-hopping". I left the hostel because I wanted to check out some nearby cathedrals that I hadn't seen yet and look at the Butter Museum.

First I went to Our Lady of the Peace church near the hostel and attended their 10 a.m. service because I got there right at 10. It was a beautiful church, and it was interesting to listen how services are different here than in the States. The major difference I saw was that mass is only half an hour and there is no communal wine.

After that, I walked to see the Church of Saint Anne, which houses the Shandon bells. This is one of the most famous churches in Cork, and the tower of the spire can be seen throughout most of the city.

After this I decided to check out St. Mary's Cathedral, which was built in 1808 and is right on the River Lee. I got here a little before 11, which was right when their service started, so I attended it and then took some pictures. The focus of this mass was on St. Joseph, a topic which I've never heard preached about, so it was an interesting sermon.

After this I was soaked so I went back to the hostel and cooked some pasta from the free cupboard. Unfortunately, the stove's burner fire went out about every 30 seconds, so I had to keep lighting it in order to cook. It took me over half an hour to cook a bowlful of pasta, so I was really frustrated before my flight back to Dublin. I was also really warm because in an effort to get the weight of my luggage down (on the previous flight I had to pay an extra 15 euros--which is almost $25--because of it), I was wearing eight layers of shirts and a jacket to boot.

Tuesday the 1st--Cork/Mitchelstown Caves/Cahir

Some graffiti from right by the hostel entrance. It's supposed to be here--it gives the entrance an interesting vibe.

A cannon and I. I love castles.

Me in a window seat!

Cahir Castle.

A view of the Galtee Mountains from near the caves.

Today was another interesting day. The person that Maria is staying with, Christian, decided that he wanted to visit the Mitchelstown Caves with us and another friend of his, a Canadian gal named Amy.

We left a little early in the morning because it was about a 45 minute drive to get to the Caves. There was no photography allowed in the caves, so I don't have any pictures, but it was beautiful. According to lore, the caves were discovered by Michael Condon, who was just looking for a crowbar he had lost in a crack while breaking stones for his house. He dug in the rock to find the crowbar, but he discovered the caves--and never recovered the crowbar. There were a lot of towers (such as the Babel Tower which kind of looks like a dragon), "pig's ears" (which are kind of like folds made of calcite), cascades, and the stones were colored in peculiar ways, which made it easy to see different things. There was also a formation that looked like a witch lying down, a one-eyed monster eating a rock, and a gingerbread house.

As we left the caves, some of the fog had cleared up so I got a decent view of the Galtee Mountains.

After this, we had a little extra time so we decided to visit the castle at Cahir. I don't know what it is about castles, but I pretty much love them. There are so many nooks and crannies to explore and there's always such a history attached to them.

After this, Amy, who lives in Cork for now, decided to show me around a bit. We went to some of the major shopping centers so i could get a charger for the international cell phone I borrowed from Emma (I can call people now!). We also stopped at a place called lush, where i bought a shampoo bar (it's extremely lightweight). Then we went to the English Market, which is a hidden grocery area where you can buy meat, cheese, fruits, and vegetables. We ate in a nearby park (where I recognized my first rooks, which are terrifying crow-like birds), then got a pint at An Brog. I tried some Murphy's, which is the drink of choice in Cork, and Bulmer's, which is a cider beer. After this I decided to go back to the hostel and spend the night in so that I could catch up on blogging.

Tomorrow I fly to Dublin then Scotland.

Monday the 31st-Blarney, Ireland

Here's Cork--it's in the Southern part of Ireland. I went to the Blarney Castle (it's labelled on the map, kind of in the middle) today. My hostel is right next to the Shandon Bells.

Cork City Gaol/Jail

Cork City Gaol/Jail

Tree at Blarney

Lookout Tower, Blarney

Blarney Castle

Maria (the German girl I met in the hostel yesterday) and I were fortunate enough to be sharing a room with an Australian lady named Rebecca who had rented a car. We all took the journey to Blarney (about a half hour drive) which is an old, dilapidated castle with a massive amount of land. Blarney is in Southern Ireland. The main draw is kissing the Blarney Stone--legend has it that those who kiss it will be "blessed with the gift of gab".

Blarney Castle has an interesting history. It's the third structure built on those particular grounds, with the first being just a wooden building. It was built by Cormac McCarthy, King of Munster. Apparently he helped supply troops to Robert the Bruce at the battle of Bannockburn, who gave him the Blarney stone in show of gratitude. The Blarney Stone itself was built into the battlements--this means it's at the very top of the castle, and it's over a ledge. They have installed metal bars and handles to make it safe, and a worker helps everyone lean out to kiss the stone.

The word 'blarney' itself comes from Queen Elizabeth I. She sent the Earl of Leicester to take the castle from McCarthy. He, in turn, always responded by delaying in some way, such as having a banquet. When the queen asked the Earl for a progress report, he would respond with long letters and flattery--the Queen is said to have been so annoyed with him that she remarked he was full of 'blarney'.

Lord Broghill broke down the walls of the castle, and succeeded in taking it. Most of the people in the castle had escaped through the Badger Caves, so there wasn't really any fighting.

At the beginning of the 18th century, another fellow by the name of Sir James St. John built a Georgian Gothic House up against the keep of the castle, as was the custom. They built a large garden on the estate around it, called Rock Close on druid remains. Most of the trees are incredibly old (this is why I included a picture of one above.)

Anyway, enough history lesson...the Blarney Castle was beautiful. Everything here was incredibly green--the grass is incredibly thick, the trees are in full green mode, and there is ivy or ferns or something growing on the trunks themselves most of the time. I also got to go into the Badger Caves--it was extremely muddy (it usually rains about 4 times a day in Ireland, or so I've been learning), but otherworldly. They also had a dungeon, fern garden, horse graveyard, wishing steps, waterfalls, and a fairy glade. We had a chance to take a nice long walk around the grounds, so we took it, and it was nice and peaceful.

We ended up getting back to the hostel around 3, and I decided to try and make it to the Cork City Gaol (which really just means jail) before it closed at 5. I got lost for a bit (of course), but found a delightful pedestrian footpath that went by the river. After I found my way (and climbed a gigantic hill to get there), I took the tour that's guided by tape through the jail and learned a little about it's sad history.

I walked around a bit more, and then headed back to the hostel for the night. Maria was technically couchsurfing for the night, but she came back to the hostel so we could go get a pint. We ended up going to a random pub we found while walking, but soon left to go to SinE (pronounced shin-AY), where we met up with Christina, who was hosting Maria for the night. There was a band playing--there's almost always a band playing at pubs here--that played mostly traditional Irish music after we arrived, which was great. After this, it was just a great night of sleep for me.

Sunday the 30th--flying from Dublin to Cork

At An Brog with friends

Church near Kinlay Hostel, Cork

View from the bridge over River Lee in Cork

Picture from An Brog in Cork

Just a building/sculpture I happened to come by while exploring in Dublin (yesterday)

St. Patrick's Cathedral (I saw this Saturday, but thought I should include some photos)

Sorry I haven't posted updates or pictures for a few days, but I was trying to figure out how to change the AC voltage for my computer charger so I could use it..turns out I don't need an adapter, but I just need converter plugs (which I got before I left, so it turns out I could have used it the whole time!)

Today was pretty uneventful. I checked out of the hostel in Dublin early in the morning and had about five hours to kill before I had to leave for my flight. First I went to a nearby memorial (I'm not quite sure what it was called, but it was beautiful.) Then I walked to a museum near the hostel, where the strap for my shoulder bag promptly broke, so I had to leave and get a new bag--it was heavy, so I went right away. After this I caught a bus to the airport and flew from Dublin to Cork.

As soon as I drove into Cork, I loved it. This city has much more of an authentically Irish feeling to it--to be honest, Dublin reminded me of Boston quite a bit. I checked into the hostel, started talking to some new people, and Maria and I met Lea and Michael and another friend that I originally met in Dublin at a pub in town called An Brog.

After a few pints, Maria and I went back to the hostel to sleep. It was a pretty uneventful day, but still delightful.