Ireland+ 2001
[04 September – 17 December]
...ENGLAND...
- London: 05-09, 11-12, 14-16 Sep; 17 Dec
- Oxford: 09-11 Sep
- Nottingham: 12-14 Sep
[stayed with Martin & Diane] - Stratford-Upon-Avon: 16-19 Sep
- Patcham (Brighton): 19-21 Sep
- Penryn, Cornwall: 11-16 Dec
[stayed with Beki, Damon, & Greg]
- Rhiwbina (Cardiff): 21-24 Sep
[stayed with Davis family] - Holyhead [ferry station]: 24-25 Sep
- Dublin: 25 Sep; 6, 11-18 Oct; 8-14, 20-21 Nov; 09-10 Dec
- Dunlaoghaire: 26 Sep-05 Oct
[stayed with Nuala, Mary, & Stacey] - Galway: 6, 18-26 Oct; 5-8 Nov
- Tralee: 7-8 Oct; 3-5 Nov
- Clonakilty: 9 Oct
- Kilkenny: 10 Oct; 14-20, 21 Nov-09 Dec
- Aran Islands: 19, 23-24 Oct
- Dingle: 26-29 Oct
- Killarney: 29 Oct-3 Nov
- Chelsea & I travel separately - 09 Sep to 14 Oct
- * FIRST DAY IN IRELAND * 25 Sep *
- Chels & I travel with Elisabeth – 26 Oct to 5 Nov
- Anna & Eric visit – 05-11 Nov
- Melissa visits – 08-11 Nov
- Chelsea heads home – 21 Nov
- I decide to return home early – 28 Nov
- * LAST DAY IN IRELAND * 10 Dec *
I can't believe it's finally coming true. In less than two months, I will be on a plane flying over the Atlantic Ocean to Europe, a land steeped in still seeable history, legend, and something that I think can only be called magic. I love America, I'm definitely not anti-America, but I do think that Americans have lost their sense of the past and the ability to allow the past its own beauty rather than attempting to always completely recreate. And Europe has experienced pains that America as a still young country quite [physically] separate from the rest of the world has not.
And I'm hoping that I can find writing inspiration through my travels. Perhaps Synge's words will ring true for me...
On the stage one must have reality, and one must have joy, and that is why the intellectual modern drama has failed, and people have grown sick of the false joy of the musical comedy, that has been given them in place of the rich joy found only in what is superb and wild in reality. In a good play, every speech should be as fully flavoured as a nut or apple, and such speeches cannot be written by anyone who works among people who have shut their lips on poetry. In Ireland, for a few years more, we have a popular imagination that is fiery and magnificent, and tender; so that those of us who wish to write start with a chance that is not given to writers in places where the springtime of the local life has been forgotten, and the harvest is a memory only, and the straw has been turned into bricks.
[Preface to Playboy of the Western World, J. M. Synge]
03 September 2001
DENVER. My brother, Ben, drove Chelsea & I up to Denver on Sunday and as we were approaching the city, we saw a double rainbow in its entirety. It was amazingly beautiful and all the more so since none of us had seen a whole rainbow before, much less two. It was also sort of a comforting moment, knowing that God chose the rainbow as a symbol of His promise to Noah. Neither of us can still believe that this whole trip is real, we keep looking at each other and laughing to think that we could actually be going to travel in Europe & live in Ireland for several months! Who does that kind of thing? *grin*
Our funnest adventure so far was our idea to have a scavenger hunt for the last few small items we needed (and had forgotten to bring) - things like string, saftey pins, a Sharpie, beef jerky (preferably Slim Jims), and string cheese. We thought of it last night & were going to go out this morning, which we did, but to no avail since we kept hitting houses that were actually apartment buildings. We did get a dog to bark incessently loud at us, but beyond that we just had a rather warm walk. So, the beginning was an adventure but it ended up in us simply going to the store & purchasing the items ourselves.
Now, who knows what tomorrow will bring. Hopefully the reality of this will hit us at least upon arrival in London, otherwise we may come back and not even realize we left! :)
And for those of you who may wonder what one does the night before leaving on such an adventure...well, if you're me (which I am) you watch Braveheart, which Chels & I did. :)
06 September 2001
LONDON. It's a beautiful & intriguing city. Seems as if half the people aren't even British, or at least British-speaking. On the tube most the voices you hear are speaking a different language. Seems as if most of the British don't talk aloud much in public places, which to me is somewhat disappointing since that's one of the things I love so much about England - the accent. :) So, needless to say, I haven't been able to really pick it up quite yet & since we're planning on moving on to Paris tomorrow morning, I won't be able to until I return in January. Hopefully by then, though, I'll have an incredible Irish accent. *grin*
We've seen Big Ben, Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Westminster Bridge, Trafalgar Square, Portabello Road, and we've been in the National Gallery. So, so far we've gotten by quite cheaply - haven't paid to see a thing - only bought food twice & paid for lodging and the tube. Ah, the tube. Imagine the library on wheels and add a bit of jostling around. It's a very interesting ordeal. Almost everyone is silent, either reading the paper, a book, or just staring out the window opposite. No one smiles or asks pardon, but when it's full they'll stand right in your face, no problem. I still have the urge to laugh much of the time I'm on, but I resist - they'd all think I was mad. :) I love the way you can get around so easily on them, though. America really should look more into it. You basically have no need of cars in London if you use the tube & your feet.
I had fish & chips for dinner tonight soaked with vinegar and laden with salt. Amazingly I enjoyed it - though I'm not a fish or vinegar person. And I love the weather, as well. It's so nice to be walking about in 60 degree weather after 105 in Wichita.
Our packs are a downer - try carrying 30lbs around on your back for very long! But luckily we've been able to leave them in the hostel, so though our legs want to kill us, and we're still a bit tired (going to sleep last night after being awake for 36 hrs!) everything seems to be quite well, in general. And I think I'm getting used to not smiling at people - I'm going to appear rude when I finally return to the U.S.
I'd love to hear from any of you who read this. God bless you all!
08 September 2001
Still in LONDON. I think we're leaving for Paris tomorrow on the Chunnel; haven't talked to Chels all day though, so not for sure. I traipsed around solo today, which was rather nice - taking as long as I liked to see whatever - important things or just things. I started with the British Museum which is quite amazing, but so vast that I was overwhelmed and could only stay a few hours. I did see the Rosetta stone, which was a bit unreal.
Next was St. Paul's which I believe is my favourite place in London. I walked all around it first, which was beautiful enough - the building the statues, the flower garden. There's a statue of John Wesley in the courtyard and a small monument to those who died in the war. Very simple, but very nice, as well. Then, I went inside. No words can describe it eloquently enough & you're not allowed to take pictures, though they wouldn't do much good either. It's mainly the space, I think. There's so much of it that silence is tangible even amidst the noise. Hundreds & probably thousands of people are in there talking, whispering, but it barely makes a dint in the silence. I got tears in my eyes just looking around and seeing this beautiful cathedral, which was built for the glory of God. And reading the different signs they had up, it really seems as if they believe in Christ as God and as our Saviour, which made it all the more meaningful to be in a wondrous church where Believers still gathered to praise the Trinity. I climbed up to the Whispering Wall & the Stone Gallery, the floor above it, but couldn't bring myself to climb all the way to the top of the dome - I nearly chickened out after the Whispering Wall (which is inside, thus looking straight down) but I bucked up & went so I could get a good view of London (outside) - which was quite spectacular. I found the Globe Theatre, across the Thames [River], which was fun.
I also saw Tower Bridge & the outside of the Tower of London, but I just kind of walked around [the ToL]. It's funny because you see all these things and they're massively beautiful & memorable, but for some reason, you almost don't want to take pictures because you know they won't get the same affect you have when you see this huge building towering over you making you realize how small is man, yet at the same time, what great things man can do. These buildings were built by men & painted & sculpted by artists & they're so tall - it's incredible.
13 September 2001
NOTTINGHAM. Things have changed, but all is well. On the 9th, Chels & I split. I went down to Oxford, and on the 10th as far as I know, she went on to Paris & to the France-Spain-Italy portion of our previously planned travel. I am staying in England until my friend, Beki, can actually fly over here (to move down to Cornwall). And then, I'm getting on a ferry & sailing over to Dublin. Chels will meet up with me in about a month over there.
Traveling alone is interesting. I like it a lot more than I ever imagined. I went to Oxford, which is beautiful - the university is simply amazing, though I only saw portions of it. I did tour around Magdalen College, which is the one I had hoped to go to when I tried for the Rhodes, and it's lovely. I think one of the coolest parts of being in Oxford, was thinking of how C. S. Lewis saw these same sights, walked these same streets, perhaps sat on this bench I'm on. I loved it. And I had some amazing scones with devonshire cream at "the oldest coffee shop in town."
In London, I've been to Westminster Abbey (thanks to a lovely Missouri lady who not only let me stay in the extra bed in her airport hotel room for free, but let me traipse around with her a bit the next day & paid my entry fee for the Abbey! To Lana Sutherland, many thanks. May God bless you for your kindness, to a fellow American. And to her sons, Ryan & Trevor, for encouraging her to befriend me.) and saw the outside of Buckingham Palace. I've also been to the Tate Modern, and seen the Globe Theatre and the Rose Theatre (which is where I heard about the New York disaster - very odd to hear of such a thing in a historic place far from your country, whilst talking of things which happened hundreds of years before). My favourite parts of the Abbey were the poet's corner and the tomb for an unknown soldier - one of the most moving things I've seen - simply the way it's worded is amazing and brought tears to my eyes.
I'm now in Nottingham, visiting friends, which has been fun. I'll probably head back down to London tomorrow to pick Beki up at the airport. The Lord is taking great care of me & all of you who are praying for me, please know, how comforting & important that is to me. I think of it daily. And know that all of you who read this are in my prayers. May God bless you & keep you & may His light shine on you.
15 September 2001
LONDON again. I have seen such things today that fill my head almost to bursting. Starting at the British Library I saw the handwritten musical compositions of Bach, Beethoven, Handel. As well as written manuscripts of Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, William Shakespeare, Charlotte Bronte, Lewis Carroll. And beautifully written and illustrated Bibles.
Next I went to the National Army Museum where I saw how the British Army was created & its weapons throughout time. And finally, I went to the Imperial War Museum where I mainly looked at their Holocaust exhibition. To see all these photographs of the World Wars and be able to hear the actual bombs being dropped and see footage of propaganda and fighting was truly amazing and heartwrenching.
Such sights make one feel the weight of history and make one's heart wish to still hope for the future of humanity. What an amazing and serious day I've had.
My wished for companion today was my dad who I know would have fully appreciated all I saw and would have had tears in his eyes, as I had.
25 September 2001
WALES. [from an email]
“...the beauty I've seen around me fills me to almost aching at times. There was one sight in particular yesterday on the ride up through Northern Wales, where I almost cried, it was so lovely -- magical blue mountains surrounded in mist as a background to green and brown tree-clothed hills on one side, complete with a front field of intense green, dotted with sheep and cows. And on the left, the Irish Sea stretching to the dewy old blue sky...”
26 September 2001
DUBLIN. Wow, I've been to Stratford-Upon-Avon (Shakespeare's home), Warwick Castle (near Stratford), Patcham (a small village just north of Brighton - a "base" to get to Gatwick to see my friend Beki when she finally arrived!), Cardiff, Wales - staying in an area just north of it, Rhiwbina with the wonderful Davis family who took in a complete stranger & fed me better than I've been fed in a long time (& thus possibly spoiling me for the rest of my travels! *grin*) & shared their church with me & St. Fagan's (a place with Welsh houses/buildings from different time periods - a Cow Town place, for those of you from Wichita). S-U-A (as I call it) was a lovely town with a nice hostel a few miles outside of town (which I walked daily...even with my pack twice!). The Shakespeare houses were well-kept & the gardens were beautiful. I met a girl (Heleen) from Holland my first night in the hostel who was really cool, though she left the next morning (giving me my one ride into town - very sweet). My trip to Warwick Castle was great - it's a huge castle that you can traipse through - I spent an entire day there & rode on the top of an open air double decker bus both ways--lovely views. :) In the castle, some of the rooms are set up with Tussaud wax figures dressed in the fashions of the different era's, doing what they would be doing in different "scenes" (i.e. preparing for battle, etc.). Definitely a great place to go if you ever have the chance. :) Patcham was another beautiful place - I was able to climb a small hill and have a wonderful view of the surrounding area - full of trees & green grass & all sorts of flowers. There were even moments while I was walking that I couldn't see any houses or cars or other "signs of man." And I found some wild blackberries, a few of which I ate - very good. :) And then I got to see Beki when she arrived! It was only 20 minutes or so of seeing each other, but it was nice all the same. Can't wait to visit her later. :)
Now I'm in Dublin, but I'll save that for another day to write on...
05 October 2001
DUBLIN. The Irish rain is truly an experience. At times it seems to simply mist around you and though tiny droplets do touch your skin, they seem to somehow semi-evaporate back into the air leaving you feeling as though you had been wet but you are no longer. Then, when it decides to truly rain, it is still in tiny droplets so there is still the misting sensation, but you are definitely getting wet...just more slowly than you do in the States. And no matter which direction you're going, you get rain in your face.
I've been staying in Dun Laoghaire (which is just south of Dublin) for the past week with three wonderful Irish girls - Nuala, Mary, Stacey - who are apart of Emmaus (a Christian community unifying Protestants & Catholics). I've mostly just been walking around Dublin, not even doing many touristy things, though I have seen the Book of Kells (in Trinity College), National Gallery, National Museum, and St. Patrick's Cathedral. I didn't stay long in the museum because I just couldn't handle all the looking at little artifacts; I think I'll go back later when my head can deal with it because there are some interesting things there. The Book of Kells was beautiful & they have a nice walk-through explanation of its origins before you see it. I wished I could turn the pages though and look through it...alas. :) There were some nice paintings in the gallery; I especially enjoyed the Yeats room which has paintings of Jack (William's brother) and John (William's father). I guess the whole family, sisters & all, were very artistic & literate. And St. Patrick's Cathedral was beautiful. It's in the shape of a cross & has quotes of St. Patrick scattered around. Jonathan Swift is buried there & after studying him for a research project in AP English, senior year of high school, I've had a fondness for him (he was Dean of St. Patrick's for a while & one of the advocates of keeping it up & bringing in artifacts). The site is supposedly where St. Patrick baptised people & there are old celtic slabs which at least date the site back to ancient Christianity. Handle's Messiah was first sung there, as well. I hope to attend a service there before I leave, perhaps when I come back from my short tour.
I'll be leaving tomorrow on a six-day tour of the South & West of Ireland. I'm hoping to find a place that seems more home-like to me where I can settle for the next few months. I'll be going to Galway, the Cliffs of Moher, Dingle Peninsula, Killarny National Park, Blarney Castle, the Rock of Cashel, medieval Kilkenny, Glendalough, and the Guiness Brewery. I'm also hoping to make some friends on this trip, as I'm going alone. Hopefully it doesn't rain the whole time as it's doing today. :)
13 October 2001
DUBLIN. The tour was great. I went with Tir Na Nog (which is Irish for Land of Eternal Youth). There were twelve of us total, including our guide. Out of the 12, Stuart, our guide, was (of course) Irish, I was (of course) American, there were 2 New Zealanders [Daniella & Colleen] and the rest were Australian [Karen, Nik, Loo, Boo, Ben, Andrew, Norm & Kris]. Just can't get away from the Aussies if you're traveling. :) Everyone was cool, though & we had a lot of fun throughout the week.
We spent the first night in Galway & along the way got to see Clonmacnoise, which is an old monastic sight on the Shannon River - an extremely lovely spot. And that night we saw a cover band at a pub. They were pretty good even though the volume was a bit loud; they actually attempted to cover a Rage Against the Machine song which I'd never experienced before - they actually did as good as you could, but it was definitely not Rage. :) We ended up hiking a hill/mountain the third morning and caught a great (but quick) view of Dingle Peninsula before the fog rolled in and surrounded us. And I, the girl from Kansas, the flatlander, actually made it. :) Stuart let me borrow his nice camera to take pictures with while on the tour, which was extremely nice of him, and so I got some great shots. Not quite sure where my favourite spot was, the whole trip we saw beautiful things whenever we'd look out the window basically. God blessed us with wonderful weather - it only rained a bit at the beginning & the rest of the time was sunny & even warm at times! I really liked Dingle Peninsula & Slea Head in particular. The Cliffs of Moher are spectacular & I could have easily spent more time there just drinking in the view. I wanted to peer over the edge, but couldn't bring myself to since I'd have had to make someone tie a rope around my legs & slowly crawl to the edge! *grin*
Still not sure what my plan of action is for sure, but I found out that Chels is flying into Dublin tomorrow (Sunday), so I'll see what she's thinking before I make any definite plans. I'm leaning towards Galway simply b/c it's a cool place & I'd been thinking of it before, anyway. So...we'll see. But Ireland definitely is wondrously beautiful & I could look at the green grass FOREVER - it really is amazing.
late October 2001
ARAN ISLANDS. [from a postcard]
“...quiet - the kind you can almost feel; the islands - they're so small and so beautiful - wrinkled, green-grassed earth-lined with stone walls and sprinkled with large rocks, ocean almost always in sight, cliffs and old stone forts...”
30 October 2001
Chelsea & Elizabeth & I are in KILLARNEY now. We're going to attempt to look for work here, but who knows how that will go. I must continue to trust that God will provide what we need, when we need it. We had fun in Dingle this past weekend just seeing Dingle Peninsula (for my second time, their first), cooking our own food, and playing a lot of cards. Dingle itself is beautiful and we were able to witness two devastatingly lovely sunsets set against mystical mountains and lakes. Beauty like that seems almost drinkable - the moon a pearl amongst purple over a breathtaking view of irradescent mountains and valleys and lakes. Now in Killarney, we're on the edge of the Killarney National Park which is also a lovely place; on my earlier tour we saw the Muckross estate, Ross Castle, and Torc Waterfall. I look forward to being able to walk through it though, perhaps even ride a bike! We'll see if the weather's clear tomorrow - today it's raining off and on.
We met Elizabeth in Galway at our hostel and she's from Quebec. Though French is her first language, she speaks English really well and we decided she'd teach us karate (she reached brown belt status!) for our help with her English. :)
I love Ireland and can't wait to be settled somewhere and meeting Irish people on a daily basis. I'm really hoping to get the accent down, but I can't without constant interaction/conversation with Irish people.
Daily I see God's care for me, though, and that's worth so much more than the annoyances and frustrations of travel -- of packing and repacking, of not being able to stock up food, of knowing that everything you buy - unless you consume it - you must carry, of having no idea where to go next, of having to pay exorbant amounts to use email(!). I can't wait until I can return home and think back on all I've seen and done and am able to see even more clearly than now how God has watched over and provided for me and blessed me in small and big ways.
08 November 2001
GALWAY to DUBLIN. [from journal]
“...On the bus I saw Ireland: All day the weather has been sunny - then rainy - then sunny - then rainy. At one point, I saw a rainbow on my left in the midst of a hazy, grey-blue sky with smudgy-brown clouds and the grass was glow-green. On my right, the sun shone through in patches on the ground and the sky was a deep yet muted blue. Looking back to the rainbow, a cloud of white birds flew up and away across the rainbow and grey-blue-brown sky...”
19 November 2001
KILKENNY. I've been here for almost a week now and love it. The town is known as the medieval town of Ireland which is seen in the old buildings scattered throughout the towncentre, the old, tiny alleyways, the castle, and the old cathedrals and abbeys with some of the most beautiful celtic crosses I've ever seen in their graveyards. There is a similar feel here as in Stratford, England - with the same small, simple beauty and sense of history which seems to have settled into the streets. Hopefully I'll be able to stay here for a while, God willing.
09 December 2001
KILKENNY to DUBLIN. [from journal]
“...My last real view was behind me where the land and sky met in a mix of brilliant colours - orange, blue, green - and it seemed earth and sky were a part of each other - that it was a place of magic - you'd have to slip right in through the middle, if you could, to make it through...”
[Ralph Waldo Emerson]
"Two roads diverged in a wood and I -- I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference."
[Robert Frost]
"An adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered. An inconvenience is only an adventure wrongly considered."
[G. K. Chesterton]
"Every man ought to be inquisitive through every hour of his great adventure down to the day when he shall no longer cast a shadow in the sun.
For if he dies without a question in his heart, what excuse is there for his continuance?"
[Frank Moore Colby]
"When my heart faints I will remember sights like these."
[Elsie Robinson]
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