Ireland In Pictures - Part I

So now that we are back in Florence and back to putting off schoolwork, I wanted to give a recap of spring break (in stages). I'll try to use the pictures we selected as a guide and go day by day, sharing some of the highlights.

March 13th

We (seven WSU students) arrived in Dublin on Friday night, surviving our first RyanAir experience with no real complaints to speak of. The flight was around three hours long and those of us sitting on the right side of the plane had some impressive views of the various mountain chains within Italy and Switzerland during the first hour.

Once we landed, we got a three day Dublin bus pass and rode to the O'Connell street stop in downtown Dublin. The seven of us stopped for some fish and chips before our little pod of four (Jenny, Amanda, Geoff, and I) split off to catch a bus to our hotel, which was located to the southwest of the city.

March 14th

Saturday was a very full day. We rode the bus into downtown Dublin and walked around the Temple Bar area. We didn't yet have a plan for the day, so we ducked into a Starbucks to thumb through our guidebook and visitors' pamphlets to make a plan. We only got coffee there to justify our taking up one of their tables... We then visited Trinity College and saw the Book of Kells. Afterward, we walked around the Trinity College neighborhood and saw loads of the colorful doors that are common in Dublin. We found the Government Buildings, but they were closed because there was government "business" going on.

Just before noon, we crossed the river (Liffey) and met the three other WSU guys at the spire on O'Connell Street. Unfortunately I don't have a picture of the spire that quite conveys its size, but if you look it up on Google Images ("Dublin Spire"), there are quite a few shots that will give you a good idea. It serves as a great meeting place because you can catch a glimpse of it from most places downtown if you get disoriented. (I'm getting off track again. Guidelines. Focus. Okay.)

We met the guys and Pat (from our Rome adventures), got lunch, and visited St. Patrick's Cathedral and the Christchurch Cathedral before getting a tour of the Guinness Storehouse. The tour at the storehouse ends on the top floor of the building in a room with glass walls and amazing 360 degree views of Dublin.

Then (to off-road a little bit and stray from the pictures) six of us wandered through the area just east of Trinity College, poking around for an Irish Céili that Pat had heard about. An Irish Céili is a traditional Irish dance. After several pokes in the wrong direction, we found it and had a stumbling, laughing, authentic good time. It was put on by a local cultural institute and we found we were some of the few non-regulars there, but the young people leading it were extremely nice and fun. It was organized somewhat like a dance class, with an "I demonstrate, you repeat" structure ramped up to turbo speed and I think I can say that we all did everything incorrectly (minus Pat) and had a fabulous time. Afterward, we met up with the other two from our group and ducked into several different pubs, ending at one called "O'Shea's" that had a great live band that pleased Jenny, Amanda, and I by breaking their rule of repeating the same song in one night and finishing with "Galway Girl."

1) Trinity College and Jenny in park next to St. Patrick's Cathedral

Waiting in line for the Guinness tour

Views of Dublin from the 360 room

Temple Bar area in the evening


March 15th

This was the morning that we got a ride into town for our favorite hotel man, Christopher. Once downtown, we got a locker at the station to store our bags (since we would be leaving for Galway in the afternoon) and then set off to find breakfast. We ended up stopping at a little grocery store and packed our goodies to St. Stephen's Green for an early morning picnic. Afterward, we went to church at St. Kevin's, but had a little difficulty finding it (the smoking local on the corner of St. Kevin street didn't even know where it was). Then, we got lunch and headed for the bus station to catch a bus to Galway.

Once in Galway, we went straight to our bed & breakfast located just beyond Salthill. We got to the entryway and found an envelope on the door from Anne (who runs the b&b) containing a note, saying that she was gone watching her son's rugby match, and our keys. We climbed up to the third floor and opened the door to our cozy, little, blue room. We also poked our head into the huge bathroom and found a GIGANTIC jacuzzi tub. We wanted to capture the size of it, so we put on a quick photo shoot. I've included one picture below. I think you'll enjoy it :)

After getting settled, we walked downtown. A leisurely walk from our B&B to downtown Galway took about an hour, but it is a wonderful walk. The majority of it can be walked along the promenade or, as it is locally called, the "Prom." The Prom runs along Galway Bay and can lead you from downtown to Salthill (or vice versa, of course). Listen to "Galway Girl" and the Salthill Prom gets a mention. A cute little fact is that there is a little rock wall at the end of the Prom and it is a local tradition to stroll down the Prom, kick the wall, and walk back. From the B&B, we had to walk along a regular sidewalk for five or ten minutes before we could jump onto the Prom at the Salthill wall end of things. We observed one couple strolling along, nearing the end of the Prom, that glanced at each other, laughed and broke into a sprint, each trying to reach the wall first. With another couple, the girl did not kick the wall before she turned around and the guy with her was giving her a hard time. He ended up picking her up and carrying her back, tapping her feet against the wall. See? Cute.


L & J in Dublin, overlooking the River Liffey.


J & L at St. Stephen's Green after our picnic breakfast, a really beautiful park in Dublin.


Geoff, Amanda, and Lauryn waiting for the Galway bus.


Synchronized swimming in the jacuzzi tub (Lauryn and Amanda).


Shots from the Prom on our first evening in Galway


March 16th
We got up and had breakfast at the B&B and got advice from Anne on how to spend our day. We ended up choosing to go on a tour of Connemara, which was fabulous. Our guide was a funny, older gentleman. He drove the bus and wore a microphone, rattling off random stories and information that he thought was relevant or entertaining. He also mumbled along to "Galway Girl" and said that he had "never seen any girls like that in Galway."

That evening we were fairly tired, but we walked to O'Connors Pub, which had been recommended to us. We stayed for a little while, but didn't get a chance to interact very much with the locals. It was an interesting place though. There were things all over the walls and the ceilings (lanterns, horse harnesses, pictures, etc.) and stray bits of sawdust on the floor. It was a neat atmosphere, with a fire going in a stone fireplace on one wall, and I can see why the locals enjoy it so much.


Breakfast at the B&B


Jenny, hooded and happy, during our stop at the Quiet Man Bridge. There was a scene filmed at the bridge for John Wayne's movie, "The Quiet Man."

Kylemore Abbey




Connemara and landscape northwest of Galway


March 17th
(morning only)

On the morning of St. Patrick's Day, we had another wonderful breakfast prepared by Anne before gathering our belongings and heading for downtown. We opted to walk so that we could get in some pictures and enjoy strolling along the Prom one last time.


The scenery out the front door of our B&B


Crossing the road to the end of the Prom (our starting point, coming from Salthill). The wall is on the right of Amanda, Geoff, and Jenny.

The Salthill Prom "Kick the Wall" Wall

We'll add more later, but we just wanted to get some pictures and information up regarding spring break before too much time had passed.

Lauryn

St. Paddy's Day

Just a quick check in. We are currently spending our last few hours in Galway. The St. Patrick's Day Parade just finished and we are now getting some food and planning to do a little window shopping.

We had a lovely day yesterday, the bulk of it was spent on a bus tour through Connemara and up to the Kylemore Abbey, but we'll add more about that later. The next few days we'll be exploring around Tralee, the Ring of Kerry and Cork.

We're loving Ireland :)

Lauryn

J & L in Ireland

So we're embarassingly behind on our blog updates, but it must be mentioned that we are currently on spring break in Ireland and we are LOVING it so far.

There are four of us in our little travelling pod and three others that are in Ireland but will have a slightly different itinerary. All seven of us started with two nights in Dublin and the four of us will be traveling around to Galway, Limerick, and Cork as well. We have our places to stay booked already, but are planning our daily activities as the days arrive.

So far we have been overwhelmed by the friendliness of the people we have encountered. For example, this morning we were leaving our hotel outside of Dublin around 8 a.m. The hotel is about 20 minutes outside of Dublin by car and it turns out, on Sundays, the buses don't start up until 10 a.m. We talked with the older gentlemen at the front desk about our options, the best one being walking about 45 minutes along the side of a sidewalk-less road to get to the nearest tram station. The tram, which comes every twenty minutes, would then take us to downtown Dublin to the bus station where we planned to drop off our luggage. After a few minutes of us, brainstorming, the gentleman, Christopher, looked up and said, "Well, there's my replacement," gesturing to a girl walking across the lobby, "C'mon, I'll give you a lift." We were quite surprised and incredibly grateful, especially since we were not particularly looking forward to that walk with luggage. It turns out he didn't just take us to the tram station, he took us all the way downtown (he lives near the station). We chatted a little in the car. He asked us a few questions about where we were from and what we planned to see in Ireland, responding to each answer with a "Oh right, good" in a wonderful Irish accent. Thanks to his offer, we were able to get into town earlier and had time to get some breakfast and eat it in St. Stephen's Green, a beautiful park, before heading to church.

We are currently in Galway and are on our way to find some fish and chips :)

More later,

Lauryn

The Real Italy: Abruzzo Style

Get ready, it's long! (but there are pictures)

This past weekend, Lauryn and I visited our friend Letizia at her home in Teramo, in the region of Abruzzo (southeast of Firenze). Letizia is working on her Ph.D in veterinary medicine at WSU-Pullman and we met at church in Pullman. She was here in Italy for two weeks for school and was able go home to Teramo for about a week and was kind enough to let us join her for the weekend.

On Friday we met Letizia and her sister in Perugia, where they both attend/ed university. Perugia is in the region of Umbria, which is known for its beautiful, hilly landscape. We ate at a fabulous pizza place where the normal portion is a WHOLE pizza per person... no complaints from me. Italian pizza beats all. Letizia drove us the final three hours from Perugia to her home in Teramo where we met her parents and dog, Sully (after Dr. Quinn's hubby). Her parents don't speak English and our Italian is very poor but we were able to exchange some simple conversation and I really appreciated their efforts (and vow to work on my own). They fed us another wonderful meal and then we three girls took a walk around Teramo before retiring.

On Saturday morning we walked Sully by the small river that runs through town, out to where we had a good view of Letizia's mountians, namely Gran Sasso. The view was spectacular and the walk was refreshing:
We jumped in the car and drove to a small hill town (quaint as you can imagine) were there is a father-son ceramic shop that Letizia frequents. The son was there working and he led the three of us around his workshop to show us the whole process of forming, firing, and painting while Letizia translated. The actual retail part of the shop felt like a candy store... there were so many beautiful pieces. I splurged and bought a set of espresso cups (true to Italian coffee style) with the Abruzzo landscape painted on them. The son joked with us and gave me a discount on my purchase.

We stopped by Il Santuario di San Gabriele dell'Addolorata (the Sanctuary of St. Gabriel, patron saint of students). It is a tradition for Italian students in the area to come to the sanctuary 100 days before their final exams. The sanctuary is at the foot of the mountains and is a beautiful retreat.


We searched for an agriturismo for lunch (a designation reserved for local, traditional agriculture businesses that are usually family-run... you know it will be a real experience) but were unable to find one open. We ended up at another restaraunt that was still really good (cheese and meat, pasta with tiny meatballs specific to the region, spinach and tomatoes, finished off with a caffe macchiato). Below, searching for lunch:

After lunch we drove to our final destination, Prati di Tivo, a ski resort in the Apennines. There were people skiing, kids sledding, and all age groups hanging around on a sunny Saturday afternoon. I have heard about these mountains numerous times from Letizia so I was really happy to finally see them in person...very stunning landscape less than an hour from her home!

We headed back to Teramo to meet a high school friend of Letizia's for aperitivo. People go out to a restaraunt and buy a drink which comes with aperitivi (sausage spread on bread, cheese, meat, and a pastry/quiche-like dish) and just sit and talk. It's a great way to gather with friends. Before aperitivo we walked the corso, a street designated for walking... people of all ages turn out simply to walk up and down the street, stopping to talk to people they know. It was amazing to see how packed it was on a Saturday evening. It was pure Abruzzo culture without the dilution of tourists!

On Sunday morning we said goodbye to Letizia's parents. They had been so kind the entire weekend and constantly checked in to see if we were having a good time, sleeping well, enjoying the places we saw, and of course- that we had had enough to eat. We drove to Pineto, a seaside town on the east coast, where we attended mass. It was the first mass I have been to that felt like a normal parish from home...families, a great choir, a baptism, and a funeral right after. We had lunch on the beach (generously packed by Leti's mother) and took a little walk down the beach.

After lunch, we headed out to Letizia's old horse school where she took lessons and competed in jumping competitions. The school is operated by a father-son duo and we found them there lunching with several adult students. They were all very excited to see Letizia and talked very animatedly with her about her life in Pullman. Italians would pronounce 'Pullman' more like 'pool-man' which sounds like the word they use for 'bus'... this particular group got a kick out teasing her about riding a 'poolman' to 'poolman'. They were a fun crowd that reminded us very much of small-town folks here at home... it was a fun visit to observe.

Just before catching our bus, we stopped at a medieval church in another hilltown. It was locked when we arrived but the bar (cafe) nextdoor gave Letizia the key and we were able to go in... it was a little surreal to be walking free in a church (still in use) that dates back to about the year 1000. Below 1) getting the key 2) the facade 3) inside 4) Letizia locking up 'her property' :)

We bused back to Firenze on a bus with mostly Italian university students and arrived home around 12:30am... quite the full weekend. Lauryn and I digested the events of the weekend on the ride home. I think the conversations that we shared with Letizia about life and culture, and all the interactions we were privileged to either observe or take part in were the best parts of the weekend. It was great to see her life here in Italy and we are tankful for the window into Italian culture that we were able to access because of her. For me personally, I hope to bring home the Italian attitude toward:

- socializing, which focuses more on people/conversation and less on escape-reality entertainment

- food and health, prioitizing quality over convenience

This weekend felt like a turning point for me in my experience here. I feel more comfortable in my life in Firenze. While I'm not homesick per se, I am very excited to come home and implement the habits, attitudes, and feeling of capability that I am acquiring here. There are so many levels to this experience that I didn't anticipate and they are hard to convey here in a timeline of our travels.

In future entries we will detail some of the everyday aspects of our life here. If you have any suggestions, email us!

Jenny

NOTE: It's best to scroll from the bottom to the top of this entry if you want to look at these pictures in order. I'm still getting familiar with the way this blogging format works...

The park we walked through on the way to the train station


A Sunday lunch break before leaving Rome


"Il Papa"


Waiting for Benedict. (If you can find it, the window in the upper-right with a red banner below is the window where the Pope appears).




Sunday morning at St. Peter's


The Trevi Fountain and the masses of people waiting to chuck their change in.


Studying ancient Roman architecture in the Roman Forum.






The floor of the Colosseum is long gone and what used to lie beneath the floor, cages for animals and areas where gladiators would wait to compete, is now exposed.


The interior of St. John Lateran


Jenny, Eric, and Pat entering the Basilica of St. John Lateran