A Scottish Saturday

July 27, 2014 Erin Mueller 13 Comments

We took it a bit easy today, trying to get Reed on the mend through forcing him to rest. He was able to go across the street to Cadenhead’s Whisky Shop, Scotland’s oldest independent bottler, which was definitely a highlight for him. 🙂

Mom, Dad, Abbie, and I set out after lunch to explore Greyfriar’s Kirkyard (graveyard) in search of Greyfriar Bobby’s tombstone. We easily found it, but we weren’t as lucky with finding Tom Riddell’s or a good view of the castle. Oh well. I still enjoyed walking on the old town streets of Cowgate, Candlemaker, and Grassmarket.

Next we headed up the hill toward the castle to visit the Tartan Weaving Mill. The looms weren’t running which was kind of a bummer, but still we saw them and were impressed. You are fed through a bunch of shops at the mill so that is kind of lame, but again, oh well. The crowds on the streets are bonkers today…a jazz and blues festival is in town, and the Commonwealth Games are being held in Glasgow, which also brings a lot of people to Edinburgh (they are kind of like the summer Olympics, only just within the British commonwealth).

We strolled back down the Royal Mile, getting ice cream and a few souvenirs on the way. Dinner was next door to our flat at the Tolbooth Tavern, established in 1820 (building dates to 1591). We sampled a couple of whiskies (not my thing, sorry Reed!), and we enjoyed some Scottish cuisine. Mom and I had vegetarian haggis (made of kidney beans, lentils, oats, and seasonings rather than sheep innards), neeps (turnips), and tatties (potatoes). Yum. Reed enjoyed a steak and ale pie. Yum. Then we went back to our flat to watch more of the Commonwealth Games – I’m not sure whether to root for Scotland or South Africa!

Our flat

Tolbooth Building (built 1591)

At the Tolbooth Tavern (est. 1820)

Dave and Becky on the Royal Mile

Greyfriar Bobby RIP

Edinburgh Castle from the kirkyard

The castle from old town

Tartan Factory

Piper

Haggis (vegetarian) with neeps and taddies

Oldest independent whisky bottler in Scotland

Sunset in Edinburgh

Scotland, England, and Scotland

July 26, 2014 Erin Mueller 12 Comments

After a bit of airport stress (super security procedure and missed visa checkpoint!), we made it on our 6:35a flight from Dublin, arriving in Edinburgh less than an hour later. Our guide for the day, James Farrell, picked us up on his “wee red bus” in kilt and all. Pretty cool. 🙂

We booked an all day tour knowing we wouldn’t be able to check into our flat until later in the day. My sister and I (& our families) “gave” this tour to our folks for their 50th wedding anniversary, which will be on August 1. We chose the “Wizards & Warriors” Heart of Scotland tour as it seemed to have a nice combination of nature, castles, and Harry Potter. Much of the tour took place in England, but we heard a lot about Scotland and it’s history along the way.

We drove to Holy Island first, which is accessed by a road (no bridge) during low tide. We were able to stay about 90 minutes before the tide started to rise. There are little wooden platforms for people who get caught by the tide and have to wait out the 8 hour high tide period! Before reaching the causeway, we again traveled along the Atlantic coast. Once on the island, we visited Lindisfarne Castle…Reed and Jackson paid for the inside peek while the rest of us sought out coffee (we hade been up since 3am, about 7 hours by this point!).

We reboarded our wee red bus and went about 40 minutes to Alnwick Castle. This is where much of the exterior of Hogwarts was filmed in the Harry Potter films. It was massive and really impressed us all. We poked around the grounds, in the various buildings, and explored the sites and activities for a couple of hours. It was fun to imagine what life in the castle would be like, both in terms of the English royalty and the fictitious Hogwarts worlds. It was really fun to share this time together.

It was about 90 minutes to Edinburgh from Alnwick, and we made a “comfort stop” at the cute little village of Etal along the way. It was a warm, sunny day, maybe around 75, so we felt extra lucky to enjoy all of the sites in the full sun. James Farrell must have been roasting in his wool kilt, wool sweater, and wool socks! He found our flat, right on the Royal Mile, and our host was there to greet us. Reed and I found a grocery store and we brought home dinner and breakfast provisions.

Friday morning we set out on foot for the castle a little after 11:00. Reed and my dad waited in line quite a long time for our tickets. It seemed as if every tourist in Edinburgh had the same idea we did! We entered the grounds and were impressed, though I think perhaps we had built it up a bit too big (at least I had). The view of it from a distance is maybe more awesome than when you are in the midst of it. Jackson said afterwards that it is his #3 of 5 we have seen so far. Luckily, our timing was good to witness the 1:00 canon fire.

We walked the short distance to The Elephant House cafe for lunch. This is where JK Rowling wrote some of her Harry Potter books. It was fun to sit inside and imagine the characters coming to life there. Then we went down the street just a bit more to find the statue of Greyfriars Bobby, the little dog who guarded his master’s grave in Greyfriars Kirkyard (written by Eleanor Atkinson). I was happy to see it as I’m reading the book now (thanks, Chris!). It was fun to explore a bit of the “Royal Mile” today – the apartment we are staying in is right on it!

Causeway to Holy Island

Holy Island

Abbie near a piper!

Below Lindisfarne Castle

Holy Island

Tea and Coffee on Holy Island

Walking up to Alnwick Castle

One of the Harry Potter tents at Alnwick Castle

Jackson near a captured dragon

Selecting our weapons

Boys in the stocks

Gals in the stocks

50th Anniversary Stocks!

On the grounds of Alnwick Castle

Abbie!

Jackson!

On guard

Dave and Becky at Alnwick Castle

A view from our flat in Edinburgh

Lower portion of the Royal Mile

Edinburgh Castle at the top of the Royal Mile

Viewing Edinburgh

Near the Great Hall

JK Rowling stop

Inside the Elephant House

Greyfriar’s Bobby

Right near our flat

(Just tastes like tea 🙂

Another Castle and a Few More Pubs

July 25, 2014 Erin Mueller 9 Comments

Today we had Dublin Castle on our agenda. It is kind of amazing that a castle lies in city center and you don’t really even see it. It’s not a towering one like Blarney, but it impresses nonetheless. We did a fairly quick tour of it as we did not pay to enter the “fancy” part. We did, however, get to go in the Royal Chapel, as well as the garden. It was a warm, sunny day, so many people were out enjoying the midday sun along with us. We lunched at The Stag’s Head, an historic pub I had read about in my guidebook. It was really cool inside (check out the stained glass windows), and our waitress was very friendly (she attempted to serve Jackson his dad’s Guinness). 🙂

This evening we had a literary pub crawl tour with our students. Basically, you walk from pub to pub, as well as places like Trinity College and St. Andrew’s Church, to hear tales of famous authors (e.g., Samuel Beckett, James Joyce, Oscar Wilde) who frequented the area. The two guides are actors and go in and out of character. It was entertaining and informative, but we gave the kids a pass and I’m sure glad we did as they would have found it incredibly boring (especially with the 20-minute stops for people to get their pints). I ducked out with my folks a bit early to get everyone settled into bed as we have a 4:30am bus to catch to the airport for our flight to Edinburgh. (Also the reason why this post is short!). More from Scotland…

Inside the Stag’s Head

Outside the Stag’s Head

YaG at the Stag’s Head

Dublin Castle

Inside the chapel at Dublin Castle

at the garden

Dublin Castle

Jackson “complying” with a picture

50th Anniversary Gift from Erin and April (and families)

Literary pub crawl

Molly Malone

Tuesday at Trinity

July 23, 2014 Erin Mueller 3 Comments

Today we stuck close to our Trinity College “home” after a weekend of traveling around the Irish country- and seaside. We slept well and took the morning fairly easy. I stocked up on some provisions at the little shop on campus, and then I did three loads of laundry simultaneously at the launderette (for €15 or about $20!). Mom and dad kept me company, and Reed showed up to help tote the clean piles of clothes back to our apartment. Small, yet large, blessings indeed.

Then we ventured out to Temple Bar for lunch, returning to The Quay (say “key”). This is where we ate our first meal in Dublin. We again were quite pleased with our food, the atmosphere, and the cheerful staff. Abbie had bangers and mash and Jackson had cottage pie, so they are becoming good Irish kids. I enjoyed my mushy peas with my fish and chips, so I’m right there with them. Reed had (another) burger. 🙂 My folks shared salmon, and dad tried a “Guinness Black.” This is where black currant syrup is added to the Guinness, resulting in a sweeter pint. He liked it better than normal Guinness, but I just don’t think it’s his drink. He will likely stick to Coke from here on out. [Sidebar… I neglected to mention yesterday that our bus driver told me how Guinness is very good for pregnant women due to the iron. The saying “Guinness is good for you” is wholeheartedly endorsed over here!]

Back to our day… When we returned to campus, we went to the Old Library to go (wait in line to) see the Book of Kells. This is Ireland’s most treasured possession, so it is a true must-see (even though we had seen it before). It is a beautifully decorated, illuminated Biblical manuscript dating from around AD 800. After you read about the book, how it was made (it took 185 calves to make the vellum pages!), and see some other ancient manuscripts, you go into a dimly lit room and there it is, in a big glass case under soft lights. There are four volumes but only two are on display at any one time. We saw an open page in the gospels of John and Luke. It truly is beautiful (no photos allowed).

But, it gets even better, in my opinion. Next you ascend some stairs to enter the Long Room, which is the amazing old library. It looks like something straight from Hogwarts (sorry for yet another Harry Potter reference; they will likely keep coming). There are two levels of tall, wooden bookshelves, and the rows are lined with statues at each end. A bonus this time was an exhibit of Brian Boru, the Irish king who battled the Vikings and died in the battle of Clontarff in 1014. The artwork in this exhibit is magnificent (see/read more here). I was looking forward to seeing it as I had read a bit about this part of Irish history (thanks, Faye!), and I marveled at both the art and the story.

We walked around campus a bit after we left the Old Library, and then we wandered back to our apartment for awhile. I took my folks out for a little shopping (we had to replenish our Irish shortbread cookie supply), and we FaceTimed with my sister and nephew so mom and dad could get caught up on the happenings in Iowa. Reed left to meet up with the students for class at “their pub” out in the suburb of Clondalkin where their home stays are. I cooked some scrambled eggs in an aluminum takeout pan (we have no cookware) and made some toast for the rest of us for dinner. Pretty gourmet (not). We have tomorrow in Dublin before heading to Edinburgh early Thursday morning, so we will see what the day holds!

Abbie’s Bangers and Mash

Jackson’s Cottage Pie

Erin’s Fish & Chips

Relaxing while Mom stands in line

Waiting for the Book of Kells

Long Room in the Old Library (Abbie is so shy)

Long Room with Grandma and Grandpa

Harp of Brian Boru (associated with him by myth, but dates from 14-15th century)

Boru exhibit

Sphere within a Sphere (Arnaldo Pomodoro)

Wild Irish Deer

On the way to their Trinity apartment

New heights in Eireann

July 22, 2014 Erin Mueller 3 Comments

Today we had a “phenomenal tour,” as Sean Finnegan would say. He, and our bus driver Frank, did a fine job motoring us over the Irish countryside. We set out for the Cliffs of Moher, spectacular 700 foot high walls above the Atlantic. This was not scheduled on our tour as it is weather dependent. Although the skies were a bit gray, the visibility was good enough to take in excellent views, as the photos clearly show. We hiked up like “real Irish people” rather than going on the sidewalk from the parking lot. We were on more of a cow path, complete with nice Irish cows.

The views once we arrived to the top were spectacular and made me feel very small. We did not lay on our bellies and look over, though some around us did. Sean clearly warned us about the danger of doing so. We also saw a huge sea cave that was in Harry Potter 7, Part 1. The cliffs themselves were also featured in The Princess Bride (“The Cliffs of Insanity”). Pretty cool.

We ventured on for a lunch stop next to the Bunratty Castle. (We saw LOTS of castles today, many of which looked a bit “broken down,” as our nieces stated.) It was a nice stop with good food (all of which is very excellent here, though a bit heavy…lots of potatoes, which we learned today are mostly imported from Cypress and Spain as the farm ground here is too valuable to waste on potatoes!).

We departed for County Cork, specifically the Blarney Castle. Reed and I visited three years ago, so we knew what to expect. You climb many, many stairs up a narrow, winding stone staircase to the top of this mid-15th century castle. Then you wait in line to lay on your back, grab two iron bars, lean your head back, and kiss the stone in the wall. The Irish believe this process gives one the gift of gab or eloquence. We all kissed it so we will see what happens! (Abbie already has the gift, so she said perhaps it will work in reverse for her!)

We separated from our California group as they were staying in Cork for the night. We headed back to Dublin on the 7:20 train from Cork via Mallow and Limerick. Then we went by bus to Trinity….it was good to be “home,” which is also my folks’ home for the next few days until we head to Scotland. Our students are a bit weary and may be taking the day off from their placements tomorrow, which I approved of. It was a very busy weekend…we saw a lot of this small, green island, and feel much better acquainted with her (called Eireann in Gaelic, my namesake).

A Walk along the pasture to the Cliffs of Moher

Cliffs of Moher Welcome Center

TeamMueller @ The Cliffs of Moher

Cliffs of Moher

The Cave in Harry Potter

With Grandpa!

Lunch near Bunratty Castle

Getting ready for eloquence…

Abbie @ Blarney Castle

Jackson under the Blarney Castle

Grandma kisses the Blarney Stone

Grandpa kisses the Blarney Stone

Erin kisses the Blarney Stone

Abbie kisses the Blarney Stone

Jackson kisses the Blarney Stone

Reed kisses the Blarney Stone

We were surprisingly quiet afterward!

From atop Blarney Castle

Jackson explained castle defense to us along the way

Dungeon w/ prisoner (she must have done something very bad!)

Yep, Erin’s a gift indeed!

Must be true, the sign says so.

Don’t see these much anymore

Relaxing aboard the 7:20 train to Dublin

Aran Island Expedition

July 21, 2014 Erin Mueller 6 Comments

Sunday we spent a day on the largest of the three Aran Islands off the coast of Galway. I was too tired once we finally settled back into our hotel last night to blog, and this morning we head out soon, so this will be a bit brief (though there are lots of pictures to share!).

We took a bus about 20 miles to the ferry port, and then we rode the ferry about 45 minutes to the island of Inishmor. It is a lovely little island, about 8 miles long and 2 miles wide. Our guide was local and full of wit…lots of zingers. 🙂 I could imagine him and Uncle Jeff in some sort of battle of one-liners!

We visited a few sites on the island, including a 2500 year old fort, Dun Aengus. This was probably the highlight, as it is perched atop a 300 foot cliff on the edge of the sea. If you google it, you will see pictures of people laying on their bellies with their heads over the edge looking down. Yes, some in our party did this as well. It was quite a hike up the rocky path to get to the fort, but it was well worth it.

We lunched on sandwiches, soup, wraps, and fudge at a nearby cafe and enjoyed the sunshine. We reboarded the minibus and went to the Seven Churches, a monastic settlement dating back to the 8th century with the remains of some 11th century Celtic crosses there too. Only two of the churches are in tact, and it is still used as an active cemetery with new headstones mixed in with the old ones.

We had a little time for refreshments before getting back on the ferry and heading to Galway. The kids, Reed, and some students passed the time playing “slappy hands” and “zip bong”…extreme silliness! It was a nicely paced, though long, day. Sean Finnegan was with us but he let the local guides have the spotlight. Tony stayed behind to take one of our students to the doctor as she has been dealing with a rash on her hands (diagnosed as hand, foot, & mouth so we all are taking precautions to keep healthy while helping her recover).

We got the kids fed and settled in for some gaming time, and the four of us went out for dinner. The busy Shop Street was less crowded, though still fairly lively for a Sunday night. We ate at The King’s Head, an historic pub we had learned about the day before on our walking tour. Mom had her first mushy peas and fish & chips, so she is adapting well to the local fare! Oh yeah, we snuck in some gelato too, but don’t tell the kids. 🙂 Onto Cork and the Blarney Stone today before returning to Dublin…we will go by the Cliffs of Moher if the weather is good, so fingers are crossed!

Galway Getaway

July 20, 2014 Erin Mueller 5 Comments

This morning we departed Dublin by train for the roughly two-hour journey west to the seaside town of Galway. About 60,000 full-time residents live here, but it swells on weekends when many come for a getaway. We found that to be true this weekend, especially with the arts’ festival in town. The gentle rocking of the cross-country train was quite pleasant…we felt rather European. 🙂

We settled into our lovely hotel and got lunch prior to departing for waking tour #2 by Sean Finnegan. He is a wonderful, knowledgeable man, but boy has he got the gift of gab (I wonder how many times he has kissed the Blarney Stone and been touched with its eloquence?)! The kids stayed behind in the hotel, which was a good thing as it grew rather long (again). Still, I really enjoyed learning about this once fishing village with quite a trade route to Spain. It is even rumored that Christopher Columbus was inspired to sail west to the Americas by experiences he had in Galway!

We had a group dinner scheduled at Monroe’s, a famous Galway pub (there sure seem to be a lot of famous pubs in this land). We have joined up with a student group from Fullerton, CA, so we are quite a spectacle going around, all 30 of us! Reed stayed on longer with the students to listen to traditional Irish music…I returned to our hotel with the kids and my folks. We have a ferry to catch to the Aran Islands in the morning, so we are looking forward to another new adventure, this time on the sea.

At the station in Dublin

Countryside

Lynch Home (1500s)

Tricolor and Galway Region flags

Art imported from America

Erin Anne!

Lynch’s Window (sad story)

Gargoyes at the Church of Ireland, Galway

Catholic Cathedral

Our dinner pub

Shop Street

Fun (& Educational) Friday

July 19, 2014 Erin Mueller 3 Comments

Reed headed out fairly early this morning to meet the students for class and coffee. They also visited Kilmainham Gaol, a prison that holds tales of “some of the most heroic and tragic events in Ireland’s emergence as a modern nation from the 1780s to the 1920s” (from the Dublin Pocket Guide). They shared lunch before meeting the rest of us at the Guinness Storehouse for our afternoon tour. It was quite interesting to learn about the history, agriculture, chemistry, and marketing of the famous beverage. I guess it was a fairly educational experience, as well as a refreshing one as we enjoyed our “free” pint (or glass of soda) at the end of the tour in the “Gravity Bar” with 360 degree views of Dublin.

Then Reed and Jackson walked back to Trinity while my folks, Abbie, and I hopped on the bus to see a few more sites of Dublin, including the docklands. I really liked the Samuel Beckett (harp-shaped) bridge (again!), the U2 graffiti wall (where U2 wrote much of their early music and where fans now go to paint murals portraying their songs), and bronze statues depicting people suffering from the famine and their subsequent emigration process to the USA, Canada, & Australia (among others). We also had some time for a little souvenir shopping, one of Abbie’s favorite activities. 🙂

We headed back to my folks’ hotel for a bit, and then we met the guys at a neighborhood pub for dinner. Afterward, we reshuffled our suitcases in preparation for our weekend excursion to Galway, on Ireland’s west coast. We are looking forward to the getaway!

Kids taking a drinking quiz (it was health focused 🙂

Abbie had a question (why does Guinness cascade?)

Gravity Bar @ Guinness

Girls on the bus

Potato Famine memorial

Samuel Beckett bridge

U2 Graffiti Wall #3

U2 Graffiti Wall #2

U2 Graffiti Wall #1

The Irish “White House”

Catching a few winks on the bus

Dinner venue

Special Guests

July 18, 2014 Erin Mueller 7 Comments

Today I woke early and headed to the airport to fetch my parents. They arrived on time and had a fairy easy journey from Iowa (via Chicago). They commented on how it takes about the same amount of time to fly to Dublin as it does to drive to Indianapolis (which my dad had just done for our nephew’s AAU basketball tournament), and it is a whole lot easier than flying to South Africa! Perspective can be a helpful tool!

We stowed their luggage at their Trinity City Hotel as their room wasn’t yet ready (it was only about 9:30) and we headed to our apartment. The kids and Reed were glad to see them, and we visited for awhile over morning beverages. Then my folks, Abbie, and I headed out to catch the big green “hop on/hop off” bus tour. I thought it might be a nice way for them to get oriented to Dublin without too much exertion.

We hopped off at Merrion Square and visited Oscar Wilde’s statue, something I had been wanting to do. We hopped back on the next bus and got lucky with witty live commentary. So, rather than hopping off again, we rode most of the rest of the route before meeting Jackson and Reed for lunch. We heard a bit of history, a pinch of humor, and skosh of sarcasm while winding through Dublin. It is a very interesting city with lots of character…there are a few sites I’d like to go back to and hop off to visit.

We lunched again at The Duke and enjoyed sandwiches, soup, and chips (aka fries). My dad had his first (half) pint of Guinness,which I think he enjoyed. We get to tour the Guinness storehouse tomorrow, so it will be fun to learn more about the Guinness family and their legendary black liquid. Then I got my folks settled into their posh hotel room so they could relax and freshen up before Riverdance.

Speaking of which, it was amazing! The dancers and musicians are so incredibly talented, and to see Riverdance in Dublin is beyond compare, in my opinion. The finesse and coordination exhibited is hard to put into words…truly spectacular. The show grew a little long for the kids, and my folks were pretty tired by the end after their super long day, but it was a delightful evening. The students enjoyed it too, and they were headed home after a full day. Here’s hoping everyone – all 10 of us – sleeps well!

Good morning, Trinity!

Samuel Becket Bridge (shaped like an Irish harp)

Marrion & Oscar Wilde

Phoenix Park

The River Liffey

Cheers…welcome to Dublin!

Ready for Riverdance

Inside the Gaiety Theater

Dusk at Trinity

Warm Wednesday

July 17, 2014 Erin Mueller 8 Comments

Wednesday was our warmest day so far (upper 60s) with lots of sunshine. I even got to sit on a sunny bench at Trinity and read for about an hour! It also was fun to watch the people and magpies around New Square, the green in front of our apartment.

The four of us ventured out after a late breakfast to walk to Christ Church Cathedral, about 15 minutes from Trinity. I had read that you can pay one entrance fee for both the cathedral and “Dublinia,” which is a Viking and Medieval Dublin experiential type of attraction next door, so that’s what we did.

The cathedral was quite impressive; Jackson had learned about that type of architecture, so it was neat to have him add to the conversation (can’t wait till he sees Notre Dame!). I especially liked the stained glass windows, particularly a room with various saints, including Patrick (of course). The tree of Jesse is depicted in the large window grouping at the end of the cathedral; it was spectacular to behold. Jackson and I lit a candle of remembrance for Uncle Bruce in a reflection room. After we saw all the features, including the spiral stairs up to the impressive organ, we headed downstairs to the crypt. It was kind of spooky between the below-ground dungeon feel and knowing there were bodies in the walls. It was good to get back into the sunshine. 🙂

Dublinia was next…you enter what looks like a Viking ship to begin the story of how Vikings invaded what is now Dublin (settled in 841). We learned lots about Vikings’ customs, weapons, houses, trading practices, etc. A highlight was going inside a typical Viking home and imagining what it would have been like to live back then. The portrayal of a Viking bathroom was humorous, complete with sound effects. Did you know moss was the toilet paper of the Viking world? And, Vikings didn’t actually have horns in their helmets – who knew?!

The next level focused on Medieval Dublin and what it was like to live in that time. Again, not an easy way of life. The traditional home was more advanced and there were interesting discoveries that had been made, but living conditions were hard and death rates were high. The final part of Dublinia was an exhibit about archaeology and how discoveries are made through hard work, patience, and science. It was quite interesting and I think we all departed thankful that we had spent the time and money on our excursion.

We walked back to Trinity, stopping for lunch at Pizza Hut on the way. The rest of the day was spent reading, playing games, and hanging out with our students. Reed held a session for the seminar he is teaching while here: Cultural & Political Psychology through the Lenses of Self & U2. It is a very interesting combination of Irish history, intergroup conflict, and application to self. They have been at their service placements for two days and they are good overall. Hannah is volunteering at a watersports school working with (adorable Irish!) children. Jamieson is serving at a facility for intellectually impaired individuals (complete with cat!). Jamie and Kayla are at a rehab & residential setting for people with brain dysfunction (zoo field trip next week!). We will visit their placements so we can get a better sense of what they’re doing. The students are seeking out a lot of additional cultural experiences…they are truly taking full advantage of their time here! As one of the students eloquently put it, “Dublin, I love you.”

Tomorrow morning I will head to the airport fairly early to fetch my parents. We are very much looking forward to their arrival and hope their journey is a smooth one. Tomorrow night we get to see “Riverdance” at the Gaiety Theatre; something I have been waiting for with great anticipation! Hopefully Reed and Jackson will be pleasantly surprised. 🙂