05/23/11 Dublin & Irish Countryside

At the moment I'm torn between staying in the British Isles longer and going home. Of course, it's not really up to me. It's entirely up to the volcano in Iceland. I don't know what it is about the month of May, but it likes to go off whenever I'm overseas. So far it's not blowing in Ireland's direction, but winds can change. I'm praying it doesn't change direction until tomorrow. Weather forecasters predict that it will continue to blow north, over Scandinavia and Russia.

Irish Sea & Irish Countryside

Since Obama came into town today, most of downtown Dublin was barricaded to automobile traffic, and so we took the coach to the Irish Sea. Even in the cloudy weather, the ocean was a turquoise-green color.  We stopped at Fourtyfoot, where a lot of Irish people go swimming. A good part of Jame's Joyce's Ulysses takes place here. Today was the windiest day I've ever experienced in my entire life. There were several times when i had to hold the cap of my hat, hold onto my scar, and try not to get blown off a cliff. On our country drive I save a greater variety of architecture, even Italian-style homes. If I hadn't known it was cold and windy, I would have thought we were in a much warmer place. I can't really think of a time when I saw the Oregon Coast on a completely sunny day, so maybe my perceptions are skewed.

We drove out to some Irish "mountains" that really seemed more like tall, steep hills. Only one mountain was tiny. Our tour guide said the tallest mountain in Ireland is 3000 feet high. I'm pretty sure the Three Sisters in Oregon are at least twice that high, if not moreso. Mount Hood is around 11,000, I think.

The Irish grow Christmas trees as cash crops and exports them to England and Germany. Sound familiar to anyone back home? I also learned that purple-flowered rhododendrons grow wild here, so much so that people consider them weeds. Braveheart and P.S. I Love You were filmed here in Whidlock.
Monastery of Glendelock

Our tour guide led us on a tour of a monastery's ruins. I love ruins. Is that weird? They have to be outdoor ruins though. The British Museum just didn't quite cut it for me. The monastery was built over 1,000 years ago. If a criminal could get through the gates and touch the holy stone, they would have refuge in the monastery for one year and one day. People believed that if they were buried in churches they would go to heaven the quickest. I also learned that St. Patrick converted the Irish without any martyrs. He had Bible stories carved on Celtic crosses.

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After lunch I spent most of my hike to the lakes trying to keep up with our tour guide. She walks super fast.

Dublin--Obama's visit

As soon as we got back to our hotel I went with a group to go and see Obama speak. We couldn't get within a block of the stage because of the barricades, but we really lucked out when it came to the procession routes. No police officer would give a definite answer on the best place to see or hear him, so we just guessed, and tried to get as close as we possibly could. We couldn't hear the stage at all, but we got to see the press and several vehicles of secret service unload near the backstage entrance. We were dropping our jaws when we finally saw  the formation of Irish police on motorcycles escorting the president's limo and a decoy limo. All of us were so shocked that none of us got a good picture of Obama waving at us. That's as close as I've ever gotten to a president. It's pretty cool, regardless of how I feel about some of his policies. Like I said, we couldn't hear the speakers at all, so we tried to find a way back to the Hard Rock Cafe, only to find out that our entire block was barricaded. We were stuck, so we did what a lot of Irish people were doing, and dropped in on a pub to listen to the speech on television. So many people filled the pub that I couldn't get past the doorway.

It was cool to see how the Irish reacted to Obama's speech. It was mostly about his Irish heritage, and the common ground between Ireland and America. Maybe it's a good thing to look for a common ground, not just differences. I didn't hear it because of a fussy baby nearby, but Obama ended his speech by saying "Yes we can" in Gaelic.

To see Obama's speech in Dublin: click here and here . Unfortunately, it's not the best quality video, but it's the best I could find of the entire speech.

As Obama left, he rode down the street we spilled onto, as we waited for the barricades to lift. I switched my camera to sports mode and snapped 5 pictures above the crowds even though I couldn't see very well. The guys in our group had to tell me when to snap a picture, there were so many cameras, arms, and hands in the way. This time I got a picture where you can actually make out Obama's head and his hand as he's waving.

Hard Rock Cafe--Dublin

We barely made it back on time to our reservation at the Hard Rock Cafe. I normally don't order burgers at restaurant,s but their group menu didn't offer many other choices. Surprisingly the cheeseburger I had was pretty good, as well as the appetizers. My favorite part was the chocolate ice cream. I've never had ice cream that tasted so much like fudge. Not even gelato captured the flavor so well.

5/22/11 Day 14: Dublin

I'm enjoying Dublin more than I thought I would. I didn't think I would find much to do as an alcohol-free Protestant. Despite my misgivings, Dublin has a charm I can't quite identify. It's not ridiculously old, or drop-dead gorgeous, or full of famous monuments, but it is its own. The Irish have stubbornly held onto their own culture, in spite of their diversity.

We had to show up for breakfast at a certain time, though we served ourselves. It's not the worst breakfast 5've had, but it's definitely not the best. Irish yogurt is disgusting. Very thick and not very flavorful. Their cheese is amazing though. I wish they could keep their croissants warm somehow. Maybe I should track down a microwave.

Book of Kells

Our first stop was at Trinity College to see the Book of Kells. Apparently Trinity College was founded by Queen Elizabeth I. The Book of Kells was okay, but I was more interested in the library. I wish more than anything they would have let us take pictures in there. It was like something out of a fantasy novel.

The Book of Kells is an illuminated manuscript of the Four Gospels, dating to the 9th century in Iona. This village faced Viking attacks in the 8th century and established a monastery in Kells. It was plundered by Danes several times. I also saw the Book of Armagh, which was St. Patrick's new testament.

In the library I saw Jonathan Swift's death mask. He was declared to have an unsound mind before he died, but he paid to have St. Patrick's asylum built. I also saw the Irish harp, the symbol of Ireland. It dates back to the middle ages, and is the oldest harp in Ireland.

Next our bus driver took us around Dublin before going to Christchurch Cathedral. We drove by the Guinness Block, the Bono Block (he owns a very exclusive hotel) and Oscar Wilde's house. We also stopped at a park that had a memorial to him. After reading the quotes, I really want to read some of his work.

Christchurch Cathedral

Christchurch surprisingly is an Anglican/Episcopal church. It was founded by Sitrue, the king of Viking Dublin and his bishop in 1030 AD. Henry VIII closed the Augustinian priory in his reforms. He replaced the Latin liturgy with the Book of Common Prayer in English and destroyed many relics. Oliver Cromwell conquered Ireland and outlawed the Book of Common Prayer.

I also learned that Mary of Orange was King James II's daughter and that her father was Catholic.

My favorite part was the crypt, full of ancient documents and artifacts. It kind of looked like a wine cellar or a cave. The cafe was called "the Foxy Friar." Foxy must have a different connotation here. I also saw costumes from The Tudors television series, because much of it was filmed here.

St. Patrick's Cathedral

St. Patrick's was beautiful. Of all the churches I 've been to so far, I had the most spiritual experience here. Lots of the tombs had museum style explanations and I learned even more about St. Patrick. Instead of having candles for the dead, this church had candles you could light for the homeless. I surprised myself by donating some change and lighting a candle.

The cathedral was built in 1192. Two granite stones were found when the church was built. The one to the left covered the remains of an ancient well, where St. Patrick may have baptized his converts in the 5th century. With the 16th century Reformation, daily services were remodeled to give a new emphasis on Holy Scripture in Matins and Evensong, which are still sung daily. St. Patricks is the largest church in Ireland. It is the burial place of Jonathan Swift, who was the dean. This church is also Anglican. Where are all the Catholic churches?

My plans to go to Crosspoint Dublin completely fell through. Only one person stuck around long enough to go with me. Our tour ended much earlier than I expected, so many groups went exploring Dublin while I scrambled to figure out a new walking route. Another complication is Obama's arrival tomorrow. Not only are there Irish police everywhere, but there's also an anti-war protest going on. Whitney and I walked through some not-so-nice parts of town and found two similar hotels before we found the right one. When we finally got there, it was almost 6 p.m. and the reception said the church hadn't met there for a while. I'm not exactly sure what happened.

Whitney was craving more greenery, so we went park-hopping on our way back to the hotel. Our first stop was St. Stephen's Green, teeming with love-struck couples and beautiful landscapes. It was less wild than Kensington Gardens, but more wild than our next park Merton Square. Compared to St. Stephen's it was almost  deserted. Whitney and I visited the Oscar Wilde memorial again and read the rest of the quotes. We also walked most of the park and played on the swing sets.

On the way back, we came across a heavily guarded hotel. We're pretty sure it was Obama's hotel, but we will never know for sure. One lady, probably from England, asked us for directions, which made me think that we look like locals.

5/21/11 Day 13: Dublin

I didn't do much today but wander aimlessly around the Georgian and Shopping districts of Dublin.

We woke up at four this morning to leave for our flight. Many of us napped in the afternoon, but I forced myself to stay awake so I could sleep tonight. Our bus driver was a no-show, so they called in a guy who normally only drives buses from one bus bar to the other. He circled the block several times before he found our hotel, because he was just as new to Dublin as we were. Paddy (the driver) had to stop several times, open the door, and ask complete strangers for directions. Poor guy.

Our hotel room has a twin bed. One twin bed. My roommate and I like each other, but not that much. I can't complain too much though--we get unlimited free wi-fi, and our bathroom seems nice.

Is it just me, or does this hotel look like something out of a horror movie?

Most of our group left to go see Pirates 4 at the movie theatre. I skipped it because I could see it for free at home. I bought all my souvenirs but my Irish postcards for Sam and Ali. Sam hasn't gotten hers yet. Hopefully I got the address right.

Jordanna and I went to an Irish pub for dinner. It didn't seem all that different from  a restaurant, except for the noise. I went so long between meals so I nearly cried until I ate a snickers bar. Then I soon went to dinner and almost passed out on the way back. I probably haven't gotten enough iron or water these past few days. Not good.

The closest thing I had to an authentic Irish meal: pub food

05/20/11 Day 12: London

I wish we weren't leaving London today. I had so much more that I wanted to see. Hopefully I'll be able to return one day. It is my favorite city so far. I think the MAX will feel easy to ride after riding the Tubes. Going from the British Museum to Big Ben, we had to make 2-3 transfers. It was insane, but so much fun.

St Paul's Cathedral

If you look carefully, you might recognize this dome from a recent Pirates movie.

Half of our group went to St. Paul's. It was gorgeous, but they wouldn't let us take pictures inside, so we spent more time climbing to the "galleries" than anything else. We were also very sick of cathedrals by that point. There were points on the spiral staircase when I thought I wouldn't  make it. I hate heights. It's the worst on ladders, nearly as bad on stairs that have holes in them so I can see exactly how far I am from solid ground. The view from the golden gallery was worth it though, even if I couldn't see Big Ben's clock tower from there. It was also interesting to learn the history of St. Paul's, especially the Blitz of WWII. There was a huge hole in the floor and parts of the walls were missing.

St. Paul's has existed since 604 AD, when there was a Saxon church on the property. In 1087, it burned down and the Normans built a cathedral in its place. In 1166 it was badly damaged in the Great Fire of London, so Wren designed the current cathedral. Princess Diana married Prince Charles there.

Inside I found a memorial to the American dead in WWII, as well as the tomb of William Blake and John Donne's statue. I climbed a total of 528 steps to get to the Golden Gallery of the cathedral, making the Sir Walter Scott Monument seem short.

the view from the Golden Gallery

The British Museum

We ate lunch at via a grocery store and went in our trio to the British Museum. It was kind of a let down to rush through it, and to see so many international treasures dissected from their rightful homes. But, I did get to see the Venus Statue as well as the Book of the Dead without going to Greece or Egypt, so I can't complain too much.

canoptic jars

Probably most interesting for me was seeing first hand what Egyptian religion looked like. I plan on using what I found about animal worship in my first novel. I also enjoyed seeing the real Rosetta Stone and cuneiform on Babylonian monuments.

Big Ben & Parliament, and the Eye

Big Ben is not the Clock tower, but the bell inside of it

We then went on several colors of Tube lines to Westminster to see the Eye (which we didn't have time or money to ride), Big Ben & Parliament (which we didn't have time to enter) and Westminster Abbey (which closed to tourists the moment we found the ticket line.) I really really need a week, maybe two, to see London properly.


Westminster Abbey

Westminster Abbey was founded over a thousand years ago as a Benedictine monastery. Edward the Confessor rebuilt it in 1065. Henry III built the present church in 1245. Since 1066, Westminster Abbey has been used for coronations. It is the burial place of Henry III, Henry V, Henry VII, Edward I, Elizabeth I, Mary I (Bloody Mary), and Mary Queen of Scots. It is also the home of the Poets' Corner, with memorials to Shakespeare, Charles Dickens, Rudyard Kipling, Jane Austen, and the Bronte sisters. The Abbey also honors scientists like Darwin and Newton are honored here, as well as politicians like Winston Churchill

Trafalgar Square

Hm...I wonder if this has been bewitched by Blackbeard....

Feeling slightly defeated, we went to Trafalgar Square and enjoyed some people watching while Whitney went to the National Gallery. After stopping for dinner and souvenirs, we met up at the hotel to ride a bus to a hotel at the airport. It is a lux hotel with 45 minutes of complimentary Internet!! Even if I don't have separate sheets anymore, I'm pretty happy.

5/19/11 Day 11: London

Today might be my favorite day so far. I did so much on my list that I had trouble telling people all that I had done! I rarely had a moment of waiting around, which is perfect when I had so much to see and do and explore. I also took initiative, found people that were interested in seeing what I wanted to see, and led them around London.

Kensington Gardens

First the three of us went to Kensington Gardens, initially to find the Peter Pan statue. We found it within half an hour, with another hour to spare. So we explored the gardens, looking for other interesting landmarks. We found an awkward statue of a naked man on a horse, representing physical energy. We also found Diana's memorial fountain, which was "under transformation." We found a memorial obelisk to an explorer in Africa, and met some Algerian women who were very kind to us. We also found several dogs, one of which was a puppy that wanted to be petted a lot. I mean a lot.

Tower of London

After that we met up with our group back at the hotel, and went together through the Tower of London. I had no idea that it was so huge. I didn't get to take pictures of the dazzling crown jewels (and unfortunately the gift shop postcards just don't do them justice), but I got to take pictures of everything else, including royal armor and weaponry. It'll be interesting making my camera last through tomorrow.

The Tower has only been breached once, in the year 1381 at 9 a.m.

They had crowns all the way back to George I. There would have been older circlets, but those were melted down when Charles I was executed. George I's crown held over 12,000 diamonds. The royal orb and scepter contain the world's largest cut diamond.

For over 600 years, the Tower served as a royal zoo. Henry III had a polar bear on a leash so he could fish in the Thames. Servants wrapped snakes wrapped in blankets and kept the bundles on stoves to keep them warm. James I designed a "nipple" so he could bottle feed his sick lion cubs. He also had lions, bears, and dogs fight for his entertainment.

I also learned a lot about the British Monarchy's history. Great Britain has only had one joint monarchy, that of William and Mary of Orange. Traditionally, if the king is married before his coronation, his wife is crowned Queen Consort. In today's royal family, Harry served in Afghanistan and William is training to be a Royal Air Force search and rescue pilot.

The Bloody Tower is named for the supposed murder of the Princes there, the sons of Edward IV. Sir Water Raleigh was imprisoned here for marrying one of Elizabeth I's maids in waiting, and for plotting to replace James I. He was freed to explore the Americas for gold. Torture was used to get information and persuade prisoners to sign confessions in the reigns of Henry VIII, Edward IV, Mary I, Elizabeth I, and James I. Torture was ordered for at least 81 prisoners in that time.

The Tower Bridge

Then we got food from a Starbucks (which isn't as expensive when you're in downtown London) and crossed the Tower Bridge. The Subway station seemingly closest to the Globe was closed, so we decided to walk on foot from the Tower Bridge to the Globe. (Once we took pictures from the Millennium Bridge we realized how silly we were in walking so far. We were even more silly when we realized there was a subway station less than a block from St. Paul's, across the bridge from the Globe (sh.)

Yup, that's how far we walked.

Kings Cross Station

At the Globe, Caitlin and I bought tickets to As You Like It (more on that later.) On the way back to the hotel, we stopped at the Kings Cross Station to find the 9 3/4 platform. We searched everywhere and couldn't find it. As we were about to give up, we walked up to a train station employee, who immediately knew we were looking for Harry Potter, and gave us perfect directions. The actual site was quite tacky, but none of us cared.

The Globe

After freshening up at the hotel, Caitlin and I met for pizza and left for the play. It takes about an hour to ride the Tubes from our hotel to St. Paul's. We were groundlings for five pounds each. My feet are killing  me right now, but it was so worth it. I got to see a professional Shakespeare production  at high school prices (plus the conversion rate.) I picked up a lot more innuendos and understood it better than before. Perhaps it was a combination of the production and my four years of college. (I can only hope.) At one point a bearded man cross dressed as a woman, and I'm not sure whether or not the actor cross dressed, or the character cross dressed. Either way, it was hilarious. They also set the play in Victorian times, complete with an old school still camera with a curtain. Some of the actors had crooked teeth and the women playing a male character at the beginning wore higher healed men's shoes. I would have probably waited for autographs, but I knew it was a long ride/walk to our hotel.

5/18/11 Day 10: Windsor Castle & London

Windsor Castle

We left the hotel this morning for Windsor, which is about an hour east of London. Apparently the King who built this castle built it because it was a day's march from the Tower of London. He wanted an eastern defense point for his capital city. Windsor is the oldest castle in the world still used by a monarch. The Queen wasn't there while we were, because she apparently beat us to Dublin.

St. George's Chapel was as large as some cathedrals I had seen. Inside I found the tombs of Henry VIII, George V, George VI, Edward III, Jane Seymour, and Charles I. Like the Boldleian Library, St. George's also had an exhibit marking the 400th anniversary of the King James Bible. I learned that Tyndale was caught and burned alive before he could finish his translation of the Old Testament. Following Luther's lead, Tyndale used Greek, not Latin text. The Latin translation of Matthew 4:17 reads "do penance" whereas the Greek reads "be penitent." In Gutenberg's Bible, it was difficult prevent errors since the letters had to be arranged in a mirror image. The "wicked Bible" read "Thou shalt commit adultery" in the Ten Commandments. Puritans published the Geneva Bible in Switzerland, alarming King James I with their anti-royal sentiments. He published the King James Bible in reaction to the Geneva Bible.

I most enjoyed watching the palace guards. My trip roommate asked one if he could talk. He should his head. She apologized. He nodded. She said "Have a nice day." He nodded again. I also almost got run over by some marching guards. I can't wait to listen to watch my videos on my computer.

the guards that nearly ran me over

It was beautiful inside the State Apartments. I saw Henry VIII's armor, Prince Phillip's drawings, and Princess Mary's dollhouse and tons of weapons. Prince Phillip is Queen Elizabeth's husband and third cousin. He's also the prince of Denmark and Greece. After they married, they became the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh. I also enjoyed the gardens in the motes.

We went to our hotel in London. the water was terrible so we skipped Hyde Park/Kensington Park to go tho the Underground for the first time. Some of us also ate way-overpriced Korean food. But riding the Underground was amazing. I even enjoyed scrambling to find the entrance on our way back. I think it'll make riding the MAX feel easy.

5/17/11 Day 9: Bath & Stonehenge

Bath might be my favorite town so far. There are two tall hills surrounding the river, both covered in trees. It also has a mix of Roman, English, and Modern architecture. For lunch we found a fair-trade shop and bought "toasties." For dinner, we went to an Italian pizza restaurant with real Italian pizzas! So worth the five pounds I paid for it. I haven't had any British food today and I'm perfectly happy with that.

We started out with a couple free hours in Bath, and I explored some alleys while I waited for the fashion museum to open. I stopped in a "travel" store that had no specific books on Oregon. I could easily write one. I also visited a modern "art" museum, in which every painting looked like it had been painted by a three year old.

the stocking room at the Fashion Museum

Then three of us went to the fashion museum. It was nice, but not really large enough to pay six pounds for.

Bath--Roman Baths

The Roman Baths blew my mind. I would be an anthropologist if I could, and this was like walking into another world. Someone should make a Roman-style gym or spa. Except everyone should be give some sort of clothes to wear, or at least bathrobes. If only I had five more minutes there, I would have enjoyed it even more.

These baths were built around Great Britain's only hot spring. The Romans thought that it had been made by a goddess, and that it had healing properties. They built the bath complex in the 1st century AD. The temple wasn't built until the 4th century, and it was dedicated to a fusion of the Roman goddess Minerva and the Celtic goddess Scyllus. Back then the village was called Aquae Sullus.

The statues around the top of the Baths actually come from the 19th century, and depict Roman emperors and officials that have connections to Great Britain.

The temple was likely destroyed in the 7th century, when a monastery was built there.

Stonehenge

Then we went to Stonehenge! It was really cool to see the stones live and in person. I really want to see "Woodhenge" next. Stonehenge means "the hanging stones."

The first henge was built over 5,000 years ago, a circular bank and ditch. Around 4,500 years ago, the prehistoric builders brought the blue stones over from Wales. They set them up in a double horseshoe shape. These stones feel warm to the touch, and are blue with white specks when split open. An altar stone sits in the  middle. Forming the outer circle and the lentils are the sarson stones, from the Marlborough Downs 19 miles north of the site. Builders curved them to emphasize their height. The largest stones way as much as seven large elephants. The heel stone lines up with the midsummer solstice sunrise. It also marks the end of the procession from the River Avon.

Stonehenge was abandoned 3,500 years ago. Only half the stones remain, and none have been replaced. Some were used in other building projects. In the past some visitors would hire blacksmiths from Amesbury to chip off a keepsake for them. Ancient visitors buried their dead around Stonehenge.

Some have theorized that the druids built Stonehenge, but they would have no use for it. Druids met in forest clearings, not in man-made structures.

As a surprise to Dr. Tenant, we went to Lacock Village. Apparently a few scenes of Harry Potter were filmed there. I met a cat outside a primary school who crawled into my lap. He purred endlessly while I held him. If only I could take him home!