Ireland Part Three: Limerick!

And now for the last post of this three part journey, our final destination: Limerick. Early Wednesday morning, Sarah and I traveled to Limerick, Ireland. The bus left us a little outside the city center and it took us a little while to get to the tourist office to ask where our hotel was. Yes, you read that right. In this third and final town, we stayed in a hotel! Honestly, we stayed there because there were no hostels in the area. But it was so nice to be able to have our own room and bathroom.

I'm tiny in comparison to King John's Castle

That morning we started by walking to St. Mary's Cathedral. It was actually a tad disappointing because it is currently under renovations. It was still beautiful but I can only imagine how it'll look when they are done! From there, we headed to King John's Castle. You might be familiar with this guy too. He was the villain in the wonderful Robin Hood stories! However, this castle portrays him in a more favorable light. I loved visiting this castle. The museum was interactive, it told the history of the castle and of the terrible siege that took place there in 1642. If you ever visit Limerick, I highly recommend it! Sarah and I spent around two hours there before making our way across town to a local art gallery. Their exhibit featured pieces of wood and I didn't quite understand it. But the gallery was very lovely all the same.

The next day was a day that Sarah had been looking forward to the whole trip (I was looking forward to it too but it was number one on Sarah's list of things to do). We were taking a tour to Bunratty Castle and the Cliffs of Moher. Our trip was actually booked with a tour guide company and we were apparently supposed to hitch a city bus to our tour bus. This was a surprise to us and the ladies at the tourist office who helped us book the trip. As a result, we missed the bus. Luckily, the ladies in the tourist office were incredible and they took care of us. An hour later, we were on the bus and ready to go!

A medieval bedroom

They used to use turtle
shells as pots!

Bunratty Castle was the first stop on our tour. This castle is "the most complete and authentic medieval fortress in Ireland."And it was truly amazing! They had the rooms decorated like they would have been when people lived there. Again, I was impressed by the inhabitants of the castle and all the history that took place right where I was standing.

Part of the castle grounds include a 19th century village. Sarah and I had a blast walking around and seeing the animals. They had ponies, donkeys, and pigs. There were actually some others, but those were my favorites. The village also included some houses that reminded me of Pride and Prejudice. All it needed was Colin Firth and I could have been on the movie set!

Our next stop was the one we'd been waiting for: the Cliffs of Moher, aka the Cliffs of Insanity (Princess Bride, anyone?). Words cannot properly express the cliffs. They were breath-taking, gorgeous, extraordinary, etc. Honestly, it was probably the most beautiful place I've ever been.

We started our third day out with a traditional Irish breakfast. Exceptionally delicious, but I definitely miss pancakes and french toast. Sarah and I decided to divide and conquer that day. Sarah wanted to visit a small, neighboring town and I wanted to visit a couple museums. So we parted ways and I made my way over to the Hunt museum. This museum holds pieces of art by Renoir and Picasso, weapons and tools from the Celtic time period, a cross worn by Mary Queen of Scotts, and a coin that was possibly one of the thirty pieces of silver given Judas to betray Jesus. I also visited the Limerick Museum that day. As soon as I walked in, I was greeted by a man who was there to figure of the time period of some very old pictures he had. The beginning of the museum consisted entirely of old photographs and he was comparing his photos to the ones on display.

That night Sarah and I left Limerick for Dublin. We had a 6am flight the next morning so we stayed in the airport that night. Thankfully I can sleep practically anywhere. The next morning we said goodbye for now to Ireland and headed back to France and our own beds.

Ireland Part Two: Cork!

The second city Sarah and I visited in Ireland was Cork City. We traveled there by bus and were lucky to see the beautiful countryside outside our windows. Just like in the movies! We arrived in Cork and headed to our home for the next two nights: Sheila's Hostel. A quaint building with perhaps the most friendly front desk person I've ever come across.

Stained glass window in St. Anne's

As we did in Dublin, Sarah and I decided to walk around the city for our first day. This time though, we did it without a guide. The lovely front desk lady showed us the best way to hit all the major things to see and we were off. Our first stop was a charming Anglican Church, St. Anne's Church Shandon. There, one can ring the famous Shandon Bells. Sarah and I opted not to, as there was already a couple up there ringing them. As we left, it started sprinkling and we started up a large hill to the Cork City Gaol (prison). Because we had just toured a prison, we both decided to just see the prison from the outside and take in the incredible scenery. We proceeded to get lost after attempting to head down the large hill. We were told of a bridge that would take us to our next destination but it probably took us about an hour to find said bridge. And by this time it was pouring rain. We decided to stop at a cafe, hoping that the rain would let up a smidge so we could sightsee a bit more. I had a delicious caramel chai tea latte, however, the rain did not let up. Sadly, we couldn't stay in the adorable, warm cafe all day, so we faced the rain and hurried to a nearby, indoor market. The market was exactly what you'd expect: fresh meat and fish, pastries, and crafts. It was a perfect respite from the rain.

We had a couple other places we wanted to see but, because of the downpour, Sarah and I decided to have a pizza and movie night in our hostel instead. And it was just what we needed! We watched the slightly silly Coyote Ugly and feasted on cheese pizza and chicken fingers. My favorites!

Kissing the Stone!

The next morning, we made the trek to Blarney Castle. It's a six hundred year old castle set in the middle of the most beautiful grounds. It also happens to be the home of the Blarney Stone. You may have heard of kissing the Blarney Stone? Well, people flock to this site to kiss the stone and receive, as the legend tells us, the gift of eloquence. One of the great things about visiting castles, in opinion, is imagining how people lived 600 years ago. I often wonder how what it would be like to be the daughter of a lord or a servant in one of these, huge ancient castles. Sarah and I climbed through the castle, pondering this until we made it to the top. We stopped at the Blarney Stone. Leading up to it there are quite a few little cartoons about the history of the stone and why people visit it but nothing really prepared me for the kissing. As you can see in the picture, I was held by a man as I lied on my back and stretched to reach the stone (you can't tell in the picture, but the stone looks different than the ones surrounding it and you really have to stretch to reach it). It was a slightly terrifying experience! There were bars preventing me from falling to my death but I was scared nonetheless! However, I now have the gift of eloquence, so keep that in mind next time you speak to me!

Another marvelous thing about the Castle are the other things to see on the grounds. One of these being the Poison Gardens. Most of the plants weren't blooming during our visit (it being February and all) but we got to see a marijuana plant and a couple of the plants mentioned in the Harry Potter books/movies: the Mandrake plant and Wolfsbane. Being an avid Harry Potter fan, I thought this was one of the coolest things we saw!

After spending a couple hours at the Castle, we journeyed back to Cork city. We had sightseeing to finish! Luckily the weather was perfect for walking around. The first site we visited was the Red Abbey. From what I had read before traveling, I thought that it was the ruins of an old abbey. And it is, but there is only a wall left, not an entire building, as I had thought. We also visited St. Fin Barr's Cathedral. And it was ginormous! Unfortunately, it was closed by the time we got there.

Sarah and I spent the rest of the day walking around and trying to decide where to eat (an extremely difficult decision!). Then we headed back to the hostel to prepare to voyage to our third and final destination, Limerick.

Blarney Castle

Ireland Part One: Dublin!

I have always wanted to go to Ireland, partly because some of my family emigrated from County Cork, Ireland and partly because I grew up watching movies like The Quiet Man. So this February I decided to travel there with my friend Sarah. We chose to spend nine days in Ireland, visiting three cities. I've divided the trip into three blogs to save your eyes a little bit. Instead of having to sit reading for an hour (I hope they're not that long), you can read one and come back later (hopefully they're interesting enough to come back to!). Our first destination and thus my first post was/is Dublin!

Statue of Justice

We landed in Dublin around 1am and immediately headed to the hostel we would be staying at for the next three nights. After getting a tad lost, we arrived at Four Courts Hostel and at once went to bed. For our first day we decided to go on a three hour walking tour of the city. Our tour guide: an attractive, "struggling" actor. Perfect! The first stop was Dublin Castle and after every traveling student got exciting group pictures of people they'd never see again, the tour officially got started. Dublin Castle is not your stereotypical castle, no turrets or moat (there is one remain tower but it is barely visible from the inside courtyard). The castle is, however, one place where we saw a symbol of the oppression that the Irish people faced under British rule. There, the statue of Justice has her back to the outside of the castle, turning her back on the people of Dublin. She is also supposed to be blind-folded, symbolizing her being blind to discrimination. As you can see, she is not. From there we walked to Trinity College, something like an ivy league in Ireland. Apparently some scenes from Harry Potter were filmed in the buildings there. Another highlight was St Stephen's Green, a beautiful park in the middle city. The birds there were huge and James Joyce used to write there. And, according to my older sister, a bridge in the park was in the movie Leap Year. Those were just the highlights because if I gave you a more in depth description you'd never need to visit yourself!

Bridge in St Stephen's Green

From there we headed to the Guinness Storehouse and let me tell you, it's ginormous! There are seven flours, shaped like a pint of Guinness. Each floor details a different part of the Guinness making process, ending at a bar in which one can learn to pour the perfect pint. So, with enormous amounts of concentration, I pulled a perfect pint (not to toot my own horn or anything!). Then Sarah and I were able to enjoy the Guinnesses we poured, or pretend to enjoy it as was the case for me. Guinness isn't really my cup of tea.  

Kilmainham Gaol

Sarah and I began the next day by visiting an adorable farmers' market and partaking in fresh made smoothies. Next on the agenda was the Old Jameson Distillery, which, in my opinion, is the better of the two alcohol tasting tours. We participated in a guided tour with a choice of Jameson neat or Jameson ginger and lime. I chose the latter and highly recommend it!

Fun fact about me, I love prisons. So, after we finished our beverages, Sarah and I visited the Kilmainham Gaol, an old prison from the 1780s to the 1920s. The tour started with a museum, detailing the history of the prison. Many people were incarcerated there during The Famine and through the many revolutions. We then got to go into the prison. Our guide told us that many movies, including Shawshank Redemption, have been filmed there.

Our third day in Ireland was a Sunday and I decided to head to Christ Church Cathedral, an anglican church, for eucharist. I was thrilled to be able to attend a church so similar to my own. And the choir was fantastic!

When church let out, Sarah and I met up for a traditional Irish breakfast: eggs, sausage, hash browns, beans, "bacon," mushrooms, and black and white pudding. I wasn't a big fan of the puddings. It's a texture thing.

After that delicious breakfast, we made our way to the National Leprechaun Museum. It was really geared more towards children, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. We snuck under the giant's causeway into a giant's hut. Luckily the giant didn't show up! We walked through a rainbow to find a pot of gold. And we stopped in an enchanted forest, all the while learning about Irish folklore. 

That night we packed our backpacks and got ready to travel to Cork the next morning! 

Sarah and I at the Guinness Storehouse