Irish Luck

Well, here we go. Roy and I began our trip in Dublin, Ireland on June 3rd. We are now in Lyon, France, but due to wanting to pack as much into three full days as possible in Ireland, I am just now sitting down to start this blog. We were incredibly lucky in Ireland, as we only had rain today- the day of our departure. I told Roy that Ireland was crying because we were leaving. I was also pretty sad to be leaving Ireland...but am of course excited about the trips to come.

Dublin- Day 1
Our first day in Dublin consisted mainly of walking around and seeing the city. A beautiful sight there is the Liffey River in the center of town, with the Ha'Penny and other bridges going across it. Roy told me it was called that because it was the first bridge to get across and it cost half of a penny to cross. This area could be considered the life of the city. There are many shops and restaurants surrounding it, with a memorial on every corner or center of street. This is also where the 1916 rebellion occurred at the General Post Office. The dinner I had in that area was the best I had in Ireland, mainly due to the atmosphere. We sat upstairs in lounge chairs next to a window looking out on the center of town. The room was decorated like someone's home, with a huge wooden bookcase full of books across from a fireplace. St. Patrick's Cathedral was also another highlight from our first day in Dublin. Contrary to popular belief, this is not a Catholic church. It started out as one, but was reformed to Church of Ireland (Anglican) some time during the Reformation. Other than its grandeur and its beauty, this was a really exciting trip for me because of all the artifacts of Jonathan Swift- most importantly his grave. I still can't believe I actually got to stand in the place where Swift is buried! The stained glass windows were also extremely beautiful. The church is neat because it is actually built in the shape of a cross, with smaller chapels on the left and right, and an ornate altar at the head.

Dublin- day two The next day we went around with friends from Law School to explore the city. That day we visited Kilmanum Gaol (jail), where many of the rebels in the 1916 uprising were executed. We also went around Grafton Street. This street is known for its shopping. Though I like shopping, it wasn't hard to pass up shops like Channel and Lacoste....but I did want to stop in Clarks. Though Grafton Street is home to many exquisite stores, local musicians have also found a place there. (Almost like people playing in the French Quarter in New Orleans....but not quite the same). If anyone has ever seen the movie Once, this was where the main character stood and played guitar. If you haven't seen this movie, it is not your typical hollywood film, but still very worth watching, especially for the music. That night we stopped in a few pubs and walked around more. I now wish I would have kept a running number of the pubs we went to while in Ireland, though I am keeping a food and drink photo journal. We also went to the coast of the country one day, to a little town called Bray. This place offered the best view we saw in the country, with pebble shores meeting greeeeeeen mountains. Though it was extremely cold, it was an experience I couldn't have missed. A resident of Bray (who had actually been to Louisiana and did not think highly of Slidell for some reason) pointed out a village in the distance off a mountain where he said Bono and Enya have houses.

Dublin- Day 3 The hands-down best experience I had there, though, was our last night in Ireland. Roy and I found a pub that is mostly visited by locals. After two pints of Bulmers (Irish cider, called Magners everywhere else- possibly the best drink in the world) and a pint of Guinness, we were ready for some music. In a smaller room near the front of the pub, there were about fifteen people aging from 20-80 having a "trad session," short for traditional (Irish) jam session. They were playing traditional instruments such as uilleann pipes (like bagpipes, without the blowing), Irish drum, fiddles, accordions, a guitar and banjo, and various flutes. The result was some of the best music that could make any day better. I tried to take a video with my camera, but the sound didn't work, which is really sad. My best way to describe it is, again, through film. If you've ever seen Titanic (I know, I know) there is a scene in the bottom decks of the boat where they are playing traditional Irish music and dancing. Now multiply that fun level by a hundred and take out Leonardo DiCaprio, and you come somewhat close to the sound of it all. This was the best way to finish my stay in Ireland. Now I am in Lyon, France, which will be our home-base for the next couple of months while Roy attends class Monday-Thursday. (That's right......a different trip each three day weekend!) The adventure begins..... P.S.- Posts will not always be this lengthy, as I had to cover an entire country all in one post.