Sixth Week

Brace yourself: pictures are coming.

Ma & I at the Cliffs of Moher

Blarney Castle!

Kissing the Blarney Stone

The parents at Inch Beach - Dingle Peninsula

You can still feel the community pack
This place: it’s like going into a turfstack,
A core of old dark walled up with stone
A yard thick. When you’re in it alone,
You might have dropped, a reduced creature,
To the heart of the globe. No worshipper
Would leap up to his God off this floor. -In Gallarus Oratory by Seamus Heaney

The Cliffs!

One of the oldest pubs in Ireland, if not the oldest. Dad had to stop and get a drink.

Bunratty Castle

 

From the pull off on Conor Pass

Even after an exhilarating and exhausting trip in Berlin, I still had to wait 2 days for my parents to arrive in Ireland! Dad said they would be in Dungarvan in the afternoon, but when it started to get later I was worried they got lost. As it turns out, they did miss a few turns here and there, but at last they got to me. It was so nice to spend some time with my parents who I've missed so much, and that they got to spend their 25th anniversary here in Ireland. It has long been my mother's dream to come to Ireland, which made it that much better. The forecast called for consistent rain all week, but we managed to get lucky with a couple days of sunshine!

Due to the jet lag, on Sunday when I saw them we went to Merry's to eat, but after that, it was bed for them! They missed out on some great live traditional Irish music at the Park, but I couldn't blame them. It was like trying to have a conversation with zombies, and they only have a couple days to recover, whereas I had weeks. The next day I had class, and without Dr. Reed's, I got out at 12:30. My parents and I drove over to Blarney to see the castle and gardens. The castle itself is an awesome sight, but the grounds are just as beautiful. Blarney House was closed but there was the riverwalk, the fern garden, the poison garden, etc. and all of them were gorgeous. We got some hot chocolate for our climb, which in hindsight was a bad idea because it was difficult to keep your balance with one hand. Somehow Winston Churchill had made the climb, and he's my hero, so I felt encouraged. At first, I had no intention of kissing the stone, I mean that's pretty gross, but after climbing several stories and squeezing through passageways, how lame was it that we were just standing on the roof? If I had known ahead of time that kissing the stone involves hanging over a 50 foot drop upside down, I'm sure I wouldn't have done it. But it happened so quickly that I didn't have time to think about it. Plus, it helps when you have guys hanging onto you and these metal bars next to you to grip. 

When we'd climbed back down, we were all pretty starving so we asked the woman who'd given us hot chocolate to get her opinion on places to eat in town. She said just across the street was the Blarney Castle Hotel and the food there is "lovely". And it definitely was. My parents had their first homemade Irish brown bread there. That bread is my favorite; it's absolutely delicious and it is even better when you break it into pieces and let it soak in your soup. We got done with our meal around 6:30, and when we walked outside it was pouring. Better yet, the car park next to the castle where we'd left our car had been closed up and locked. We could get in, but we couldn't get the car out the way we'd come. Luckily, we managed to find another way out, otherwise we would have had to call the Garda! We got home safely and I spent the night at the 'rents casa. I loved being able to hang out with them and being able to talk for more than say 10 minutes at a time via skype.

Tuesday I was able to spend all day with my parents. We drove up to Waterford city to tour the Waterford Crystal Factory. All of the pieces were gorgeous and it was really fascinating to see how everything was made. The tour walked you through the whole process from start to finish and you were able to get up close and personal with some of the workers. Toward the end, we got to see these rare and custom made, intricate, complex pieces. After the factory, we walked around the city for a bit, through the small and winding streets. We stopped in McLeary's for lunch. The food was SO good, I got potato and leek soup and chicken goujons.

After we were sufficiently stuffed, we went to the Medieval Museum and learned about one of the oldest cities in Ireland. Waterford was first established in 914 by the Vikings. We also learned all about the huge port rivalry between Waterford and New Ross which tried to steal Waterford's monopoly. The museum was also home to some old vestments made of gold thread which were worn during High Mass in the Christ Church cathedral and they were the only pre-reformation vestments to survive in both Britain and Ireland. To say they were beautiful is an understatement. Right before you walk in to see them, you see a wall with Yeats' poem, Aedh Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven:

 "Had I the heavens’ embroidered cloths,
Enwrought with golden and silver light,
The blue and the dim and the dark cloths
Of night and light and the half light..."

That night after I parted with the parents, a decent sized group of us Mercyhurst students were able to get into a little concert at the Local for free thanks to Joe O'Flaherty. The name of the band was Solas, they're Irish-American, and they are a cross between traditional Irish and country western/bluegrass. Their music was AMAZING and a lot of their songs focused on the huge movement of the Irish to Butte, Montana to the copper mines to find work earlier in American history. I had a blast out with everyone!

Wednesday was my parents' solo day. They drove around and explored Ireland while I was in class. We met up for dinner at The Tannery, which was voted the best restaurant in Ireland a couple times and best chef in Ireland, etc. I have to say, it really didn't disappoint! The food was delicious...like an explosion of flavors. I ordered the Tannery Bellini (a drink, it was yummy!) artichoke soup, and ratatouille with fried chickpeas. When I came back to the townhouse I was raving about it. If we have any money left to speak of at the end of our trip, Danielle, Lauren, Maire, and I might go there, but I would wager that it probably won't be happening.

Thursday after class, my parents and I embarked on our two day journey west. We stopped again in Blarney to visit the Blarney Woolen Mills, Ireland's largest store. It was closed when we visited the first time, and I really wanted some wool socks! We also had lunch there. Mom and dad weren't going to get anything, but I saw the Blarney Beef Stew on the menu and I really wanted to try it. I wasn't expecting the crazy amount of food I got in return. Literally like six scoops of mashed potatoes and a huge pile of beef stew with carrots and celery. When mom and dad saw what I got, they decided to order the same thing! It was delicious and super filling. We then departed Blarney and headed west toward the Dingle Peninsula. Because we had some trouble with the roads it took us a little longer than expected, but we managed to get there. We stopped at Inch Beach to hang out and take pictures and see the views. Even though it was pouring earlier that day, the sky had completely cleared and the sun was shining. That beach was one of the most beautiful I've ever been to. No offense to Hilton Head or anything, but this beach combined everything I love: fields, mountains, and sea. 

In my literature class, we talked about Gallarus Oratory because it was in the title of one of Seamus Heaney's poems. Gallarus Oratory is in the Dingle peninsula and it is believed to be an early Christian "church" though it is way too small. Archaeologists aren't quite sure of what the purpose of the structure was, or even when it was built, since estimates range between the 6th and the 12th centuries. Well, since we were in Dingle, I wanted to see this famous structure! The building and how it was constructed is really brilliant, but I'm not an architect, so I really can't explain it well enough. 

At first, we were planning on staying in Dingle for the night, but because my mom wanted to see the Cliffs the next day, we decided we would stay a little closer in Tralee. From there, we would drive for a little bit to take the ferry across the Shannon to go up to the Cliffs. The man who was working in the visitor center for the Oratory told us we could take the route we'd taken in, all the way back out of the peninsula and up (basically backtrack) or we could take Conor Pass. The way he said it so nonchalantly made it seem like no big deal, but when he said it cut across the mountains in the center of the peninsula to the other side, that should have been the moment where we all had warning sirens going off in our heads. When we got to that fated roundabout where we were forced to decide whether or not to take the route or Conor Pass, somehow, for whatever reason that I've forgotten, we chose Conor Pass. Now, roads in Ireland are narrow enough as it is, and it started out the same way for this road that apparently is traversed frequently enough. Then, we started going up, and up, and up. I was distracted, because from the backseat I was getting pretty cool shots of Dingle Bay with the camera. I didn't notice quite what was happening. Before I know it, we're in the mountains, and before we know it, the cliff drops off, there's no guard rail, and...this is the best part...IT BECAME ONE LANE. On one side was a part of a mountain, and on the other side of us, hundreds of feet below, was a valley. My mother, to say the least, was not taking kindly to this route. The road winds throughout this mountain, and it is only one lane, but there's two-way traffic. I'm pretty afraid of heights and I get some bad vertigo, but I was trying to pass it off like it wasn't a big deal, still taking shots of the mountains and the expanse below us with the camera, but I was starting to lose it. Mom had already lost it. In the middle of this mountain, there was a little stop, a pull off where there were already a few cars waiting. Dad pulled over and I got out to take more pictures. There was a lovely orange sign that said TURN BACK NOW in big black letters. To be fair, the sign only refers to busses and larger trucks, but still. It really warms the heart to see signs like that. Some other people were climbing up the huge, jagged rocks into the hills, or checking out the waterfall. After a few more minutes of gathering our wits, we left the safe little turn off and went back to the one lane. Thankfully, it wasn't long after until it turned back into a two-lane, and not much longer after that when we started to descend again. While it may have been one of the scariest moments of my life, I have to say, I don't regret the views. Coming down, you could see out into another bay, with rolling green hills and beaches. 

We at last made it to Tralee, checked into a nice hotel, and started to relax. The three of us got a drink at the bar and got caught up on the Masters. Only a few doors down from the hotel, we stopped in an Italian restaurant for dinner. The food was really good and the three of us enjoyed a nice bottle of pinot grigio. After the day we'd had, we were pretty much spent. We were ready to get rest before our long day tomorrow.

Early, but not too early, the next day, we grabbed some breakfast and headed north toward the Cliffs. It took a while to get there because we had to wait for a ferry, take the ferry ride, and then take a winding road all the way up the coastline. Again, there was hardly a cloud in the sky. The Burren sure looked very different from the more wooded and green area of Ireland I was staying in. There were hardly any trees and much of the grass was a more golden color. It was still beautiful, of course. Walking up to the cliffs took a lot of effort because the wind was insane! I really thought I might get blown away. The Cliffs of Moher are truly a sight to see. You get the feeling that you're standing at the edge of the world. The sea was bright blue that day, and with the sun, it made for some nice shots! My mother and I walked up the hills in both directions...it's safe to say we had our workout covered for that day. There were new paths built, though, a little further back from the edge because there were signs that warned that the cliff edge was unstable. It's a good thing since mom and I both had our fill of cliff edges. Even with the crazy wind you could still hear the waves crashing against the sides. 

Although my mother was hoping we would be able to get to Galway, we decided we would just drive back that night, or at least get closer to it by stopping in Limerick. We figured out a better, less winding and quicker route to head back, and right on the way was Bunratty Castle. Since we did still have some afternoon to kill we decided we would stop to check it out. When we got there, we only had about an hour and a half until the park closed, and even less until the castle closed. There's a lot more than just the castle, but again dad and I climbed up these small, steep, and winding staircases several floors. The castle was designed with four towers, so multiply that by four! Again, we just couldn't comprehend how people, especially women, moved around back then on such staircases. Everything about those homes was based upon defense which is pretty crazy to think about. For example, you will find that most staircases run clockwise from the ascender's point of view. This is because most fighters would be right-handed, and the asymmetry of such staircases meant that their swords would get "caught" for lack of a better word in the central pillar, giving the advantage to the defender.

After seeing the castle, we walked around the park which has all kinds of buildings from back in the day and farms and a church that was moved brick by brick from Tipperary. Bunratty House was closed, but we saw plenty enough in what little time we had left. I was obsessed with all of the farm animals around and walking about up close and personal. I tried to make friends with a donkey, but he/she rejected me. Same with the sheep. There were also a couple of Irish wolfhounds and I immediately decided that I want one, or two! As we were leaving Bunratty, we drove by this pub that was right next door. It was called Durty Nelly's and it was established in 1620. I noticed the sign and I told my dad, who had a mission of his own to go to the oldest pub in Ireland. Durty Nelly's isn't the oldest, but it is one of the top, so we stopped and got a drink. When we'd finished, we were ready to head all the way back to Dungarvan. The rest of our weekend before my parents headed back were for the most part spent just hanging out, enjoying great food and each others company. By the time my parents had to leave came around, I was sad to see them go. But it's okay, we had a wonderful week, and I only have a few more to go!

Fifth Week

I'm halfway through my experience abroad, and what a way to mark it than by spending the week in Berlin, Germany!

The Reichstag/Bundestag (German Parliament)

Topography of Terror: Remains of the Berlin Wall and the center of Nazi Germany

the famed Ampelman!

Berliner Dom

At the Checkpoint Charlie Museum with my favorite man, Winston Churchill

Checkpoint Charlie...where people could cross between East and West during the Cold War

Outside of the Sachsenhausen concentration camp

To my girl Mary Schaaf: I apologize for the delay! Here, you may officially stalk my life :)

Berlin certainly was not my first choice when I learned that the Ireland group always takes a little excursion around Easter. At first, Dr. Hosey thought we would be going to Paris, and I was crushed when she informed us we were going to Berlin instead. I could not be more pleased to be wrong! Berlin is an absolutely wonderful city. We were there for three and half days and I still feel as if I didn't cover half of what I could have! About half of the time I spent getting scolded for doing stupid touristy awkward American things, but it's okay, the fun I had makes up for it.

By 3:00 in the morning, we were all up and on the bus to the Dublin airport. Tom and Carmel Keith were awake and standing in the cold to see us off. They both gave me such big hugs and kisses on the cheek...I definitely teared up! We were on our way to the Deutschland, another hour ahead from home (that makes 6, if you're keeping track). When we were about to land, I looked out the window and to my surprise, there was snow! This was my first real snow since I've come overseas, and it was overall chillier in Germany than in Ireland. It's safe to say that I was really layered up...so much so that others in the group have identified me as the master of layering! (The maximum I've hit is two on the bottom and 5 on the top) Dr. Hosey hooked us up for the trip with three day passes on the U-Bahn AND the S-Bahn, and three day Berlin and Museum passes that basically got us in everywhere...I spent the majority of the trip with Lauren, Danielle, and Maire, and we took advantage of the passes. We walked from the train stop at the zoo to our hotel and dropped our things off. We got to relax for about an hour before we were off again, walking all around the city.

We saw the Brandenburg Gate which marked the official divide between East and West Germany. During the Cold War, an actual curtain was hanging up so that the citizens of either side couldn't see each other. Nearby is the Reichstag/Bundestag...the building has a million names, but it houses the German Parliament, and it is a huge, gorgeous building with a dome at the top. Apparently you can see everything there is to see from up there, but I didn't manage to get there. You need to reserve your place far ahead of time and give all this information just to get into the building, and we only had a few days! After seeing the building, we walked halfway across the city (at least that's what it felt like, but Berlin is honestly huge) to eat dinner near the Hackescher Market. Dr. Hosey was so sweet and got all of our tables a pitcher each of four different types of beer that the restaurant made! Too bad I'm not much of a beer drinker, but at least I gave them a try...but the fact that I haven't converted is a sign that I am just not a fan of the stuff.

The rest of the day was spent sleeping, since we were all exhausted! But the next day we began our epic travels around town. We went to the Topography of Terror, which stands on the remains of the center of Nazi Germany, and just in front of the building is a stretch of the Berlin Wall that wasn't torn down. You can still see the graffiti...a message to a mother, goodbyes, etc. You could have spent hours in the museum, but we had a limited amount of time because we were on to the next stop: the holocaust memorial. A long series of gray rectangular columns are laid out and from far away, they look to be about the same size, but it is an illusion. The ground slopes down and up throughout, so when you're standing in the midst of them, they can reach up to 15 feet or so. It is like a labyrinth in there, and you can lose your way. There is one column for every page of the Talmud. Our next stop on Dr. Hosey's custom tour was Checkpoint Charlie. It was the third official spot for people to cross from East to West Germany (there were two others, Alpha and Bravo). The signs are still up, and there are parts of the wall still standing there as well. There, Dr. Hosey let us go to go around the city on our own. Danielle, Maire, Lauren, and I went into the Checkpoint Charlie Museum, which was packed! Like the Topography of Terror, this one was so full of information, we could have spent all day in there. Before we left to wander, we ate at McDonald's, and just to let you know, if you're ever in Germany, maybe you will be brave enough to try the McCurrywurst. It sounds like the worst thing ever, but who knows!

Next, we hopped on the S-Bahn to the Pergamon. Inside, they have reconstructions and original structures of ancient buildings like the Ishtar Gate of Babylon and the Pergamon, an Ancient Greek temple. Being a huge fan of all things Ancient Greek, I was basically in heaven! They still had a significant amount of the friezes depicting the Gods and Goddesses and Titans intact, and they were a sight to see. Luckily we were able to see enough of the museum before we had to sprint to the train and through Kurfaustendam Street to meet Becky, Rachel, and Christina for dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe! I know, it's definitely not German food, but with our Berlin Pass, we could get a free dessert or soft drink with our dinner so we figured we would take advantage of it. Plus, I had never been to a Hard Rock before. It seems like one of those things you should do at some point in your life. Our waiter, Roger, was a really interesting character. He kept shouting "Aye, aye, aye, LOVE YA!" I got the haystack chicken salad and it was delicious, even though Danielle picked on me for getting a salad and not a burger...she called my dinner the dinner of her dinner. Even though we split a sundae between the seven of us, we went to Haggen Daas after to get more delicious ice cream (like we did the rest of the days as well...) We stopped by the Ampelman store. Here's the story behind that: you know when you're crossing the street and there's a sign flashing go or stop and it's usually a person or a hand, or sometimes just a light, obviously. Well the sign in Berlin is the Ampelman. He has a hat, and his arms and legs are in motion, and his stopped version just has his arms out. Yes, they have entire stores dedicated to him, and I got myself a t-shirt! I'm ashamed to say I didn't experience too much of the night life while in Berlin. It is exhausting to walk an entire city all day long and then try to go out at night, but at least I wasn't the only one. Most of our group actually stayed in!

As if we didn't visit enough museums that first day, we really went all our our second day! We visited the Naturkunde (natural history museum), the Anne Frank museum where we saw her actual diary on loan from the museum in Amsterdam, the Humboldt Box, and the Alte national museum. We were also scolded by some scary German people at every place we went today. The language barrier was a serious problem! Danielle was set on seeing some Monet paintings, and although I was only expecting one or two at best, they had all of the Impressionists there, including my two favorite: Degas and Renoir! They were just as beautiful in person as they are photographed, if not even more amazing. For dinner that night, again, we didn't go anywhere German. Instead, I had some of the best Italian food I've ever had eating out (because nothing can compare to my mother's or Nana's). Is there anything better than some classic thin crust pizza margherita with fresh basil leaves and gorgonzola spinach penne with a glass of pinot grigio? After dinner we went to this way fancy bar, ordered way too expensive drinks, had some maize (fried, spiced corn) and then went home. I was tempted to try the absinthe just to say that I had some...but I chickened out, unfortunately!

On our final day in Berlin, a big group of us students along with the McFee family took a 40 minute train ride out to one of the earliest constructed concentration camps at Sachsenhausen. I only took a picture of the outside, and I don't know if I will describe anything about it here. All I can say is that it was truly a terrifying, sad, and yet memorable experience. Afterward, we traveled back into the city and walked around to do some retail therapy and get some ice cream to lift our spirits. Lauren finally got to visit the epic Christmas store on Kurfurstendamm, which is basically three floors of winter wonderland. It was so pretty in there...but like 20 some dollars was the cheapest ornament! I did a little shopping of my own after searching for some really good deals...a dress and a sweater (seriously I'm addicted to sweaters) as some new additions to my wardrobe. On our way back to our hotel we decided to make a visit to the BMW store we'd passed several times before. We played some games, sat in the cars, and talked to the nice man who was probably trying to sell us something. At least I got a little German toy car out of it as a souvenir. I seriously love free stuff and I'm a hoarder so I'll end up with that thing forever. The four of us also stopped at this little organic food market near the hotel where I got a meal for our travels back since we weren't really going to have time for breakfast. I got organic popcorn, granola bars, and an apple for a little over 2 euro. Who would have thought that organic would be cheaper than the stuff in the grocery store? If only it was like that back home.

All in all, I would say that Berlin is a must-see. I never would have thought before, and I never would have come on my own, but I had the best time there. Even with three and half days, there is so much that I didn't do, including the zoo (one of the best in Europe), the inside of the Berliner Dom, about half of museum island, and so much more! I had a blast...and more to come on my parents' visit to Ireland!