My Luck and the Irish!

Lolly

View from the backyard :)

I had the best time in Ireland! I spent six wonderful days seeing the sun shine over Dublin and falling in love with this incredibly charming Irish family. Laura, a friend from my Africa trip, was traveling in Panama at the time, but she put me in touch with her family and I ended up staying with them, and on a farm! Though not farmers themselves, the family happens to live on a farm with the most amazing view over Dublin; the green rolling hills were so beautiful (!) and I even liked the sheep bleating at us every now and then. I only planned to stay with them a couple days but they made me feel so welcome that I couldn’t resist the invitation to stay a while longer.

Ian, Elaine, Rachel, Timothy, Matthew, and Nathaniel <3

I didn’t grow up in a big family and have never really spent a lot of time around big families so seeing a family of six go through their days was a fantastic experience! I found it all utterly charming… “Kids, get in the car!”….”Nathaniel, put down your bow!”….”Matthew, no more computer!” I felt like I was one of the kids, except I got to drink with Mom and Dad at the end of the day :) It was very nice to be fussed over and cared for in a way I haven’t been since I was really young. They fed me very well and picked me up and dropped me off just like they did with their own kids. Elaine (Mom) even set up a “play date” for me with another American girl visiting Ireland and before I left for the pub, she asked me if I needed money for drinks. SO nice!

Apparently, I wasn’t seeing the real Ireland, especially with the mostly sunny, warm, and beautiful days I got. Everyone was out and about enjoying the weather and people just seemed so cheerful and happy. People were very kind when I had questions or needed directions though I think that’s generally “Irish” instead of just a weather-related phenomenon. When I was wandering Dublin, for instance, I was staring at a sign that read “Department of the Taoiseach….” It was the English translation of the Gaelic (Roinn an Taosigh) and made no sense to me. A nice man saw I was confused, stopped to explain that the sign was referring to the Prime Minister, and walked on after wishing me a good day :) With all the good weather though, people flock to the same places – St. Stephen’s Green in Dublin was absolutely packed when I visited and Glendalough was sheer madness getting in and out of the parking lot.

Glendalough

Glendalough, pronounced “Glendalock” instead of “Glendaloo,” is a glacial valley famous for its 6^th century monastery and round tower. In Gaelic, the place is called Gleann da Locha which translates as “valley of the two lakes.”  We went for a walk around the ruins and to the lake, then settled down for a lovely picnic. Elaine also took me to Marlay Park, Powerscourt, and the Pearse Museum in St. Enda’s Park. I got to see a lot of the Greater Dublin area and it was all so beautiful!

I spent a couple days in Dublin exploring by myself and this was wonderful too! One of the days, I saw everything I could – Trinity College (and the line for the Book of Kells), the General Post Office (GPO), Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin Castle, the Chester Beatty Library, Grafton St., Temple Bar Square, Meetinghouse Square, Merrion Square, the National Gallery of Ireland, the Natural History Museum, and more. 

Dublin

 

@ Trinity College

I didn’t bother seeing the Book of Kells because it costs 9 Euros and it seemed a lot to pay for a book I know nothing about. The line was long too and I heard that you only get to see the page on display for the day – I think I’d rather just use Google Images :) I loved wandering around the city though and seeing how very Irish everything seemed. All those Irish pubs you see in every country are actually pretty authentic! There were a lot of beautiful buildings and churches in town too, but what I enjoyed the most was the Saturday market at Meetinghouse Square. A bunch of food vendors set up every weekend and sell everything from soda bread to horse skewers. (Incidentally, I got some of both – Amazing!) 

Dinner/Dessert at home :) - Skewers on the BBQ, Chicken noodle stir fry, Chorizo mozarella penne, and Pavlova

On Food: The snacks from the market and Elaine’s dinners were amazing but Irish food generally is not my favorite. I didn’t get to try an Irish coddle (stew), but the other things I had like a fry up (traditional Irish breakfast) and fish ‘n chips were super greasy. The breakfast was particularly dissatisfying and made me really miss “regular” American bacon, eggs, and hash browns. Who actually likes baked beans or black pudding for breakfast?! Yuck! On the upside, the Irish do fantastic beer. I don’t like Guinness in the US, but it was really nice to have in Ireland. Murphy’s Stout is also delicious, probably the best dark beer I’ve had in years!

Traditional Fare: Fish 'n Chips, Guinness, Beef and Guinness Pie, Fry Up

Basically, my six days in Ireland were magical. I was so lucky with the weather and getting to spend time with such an amazing family. For me, Ireland epitomizes the joys of traveling – discovering a beautiful place and making connections with really wonderful people. I hope I can get back there soon :)

Up Next: England!