Hello from Cork!

I'm writing tonight in the dimly lit, but lively common room of Bru Hostel. The place is full of travelers from different areas of the world, and we've been listening to a guy from New Zealand sing & play guitar while I upload and edit photos that I've taken during the last few days of our roadtrip--from Dublin all the way south to Cork.

Here are some of my favorite pictures to give you just a glimpse of some of the sights we've seen...

A family knocking down chestnuts in Phoenix Park. As Jarlath taught me last year, there's a game played with chestnuts, called Conkers, that is popular in the U.K. & Ireland.

This rocky road brownie was as good as it looks. :) {We had milk tea to drink, of course. I've been averaging about three cups a day.}

In beautiful Wicklow County--just south of Dublin--we went to Powerscourt Waterfall and Gardens.

This next photo cracks me up...

Jarlath as a leprechaun! haha (He just looked over my shoulder at this and said "aw, good grief!" while shaking his head. But I'm still keeping this picture posted.) ;)

Aaaanyway...the stroll through the gardens was absolutely lovely...

From the beauty of the gardens, we continued driving south through a bog area called Sally's Gap. It could also be called The Middle of Nowhere because that is certainly what it felt like...

See? No sign of civilization or wildlife for miles (err..kilometers). It was almost creepy.

On the other side of Sally's Gap was Glendalough...

...which is well-known for its monastery and scenic views, and is where we stayed at a hostel and had a full Irish breakfast the next morning.

This was a real treat since breakfast is usually just cereal or toast.

We've been grabbing a cheap sandwich/snacks for lunch, and then sitting down for dinner at a local restaurant or pub. (Tonight I had fish & chips for the first time in Ireland--deelish!)

We stopped in the cute country town Fern--long enough to stretch our legs--on the way to the next biggest town...

Wexford. (Where I spotted an adorable elderly couple walking arm-in-arm, and just had to capture the moment.) :)

"Aw, it's a little cottage with a shamrock above the door! And I'm wearing my "shamrock shirt" from Japan!" ("The life is beautiful and Happy.") Let's get a photo. :)

I took this shot on our drive to Waterford this morning.

Waterford is known for its crystal, and I was as careful as could be while walking around the displays!

I loved the scenic coastal drive south of Waterford...

Isn't Tramore a cute town? And we also drove through Dungarvin, where we made a spur-of-the-moment decision to check out the Dunhill Castle ruins...

See me peering out the window?

And finally, we made it here to Cork. Whew, all caught up now. :)

Well, the live music has stopped, it's getting late and time to sign off. Tomorrow we'll explore Cork before heading on to Kerry.

Slán go fóill! (Irish for "See you later.")

Down in Dublin

This is Jarlath, and due to Dana's blog entry being lost on upload, I'm your guest blogger.

So here goes...it's gonna be as blunt as a plastic spoon in a knife fight!

This is a picture of Dublin's coloured doors (I know...there is a "u" in colour!).

This is me touching hot pillars...I like to do in my spare time - really it's the General Post Office (GPO) in Dublin where the famous Easter Rising took place in 1916, and that's a bullet hole from then.

23rd September was Arthur's Day, dedicated to the founder of Guinness, Arthur Guinness. The company hosted a series of concerts around the city and parts of the world via TV link up to mark the event. As the company was founded in 1759, everyone in the audience and on stage toasted "To Arthur" at 17:59 to honour him - oh there's a 'u' in honour, too...hehe!

The famous comedian/TV presenter Patrick Kielty with the band aptly called The Hoosiers who we listened to and enjoyed.

This is inside a wee church dedicated to St. Augustine & St. John's which was opposite the concert we went to.

This is Dana jumping for joy at Dublin's Hall of fame --amazingly this was one take!

Dublin's cobbled streets --watch yer heels!

Some boy out on a day release programme chatting madness...

...and then two more day releasers with Molly Malone - She wheeled her wheel barrow, through Streets broad and narrow, crying cockles and mussels, alive-alive-ohhh!

A big game of Monopoly in Dublin!

A wee bit of culture at Trinity College where we saw the famous Celtic artwork 'The Book of Kells'. It ornately displays in Latin the four Gospels.

A big sign for a wee magical place that we never got to see for it was sold out. :(

But as luck would have it, sure didn't we meet one of the wee buoyos in the street looking for gold - although he was not so wee as he was bigger than Dana!

Eating sushi with Takai. Takai is living in Ireland for one year and learning English (haha...with an Irish accent!).

The Irish President's Residence...very easy to find...haha...I would have never have guessed that the beacon of Irish democracy is beside the zoo!!!

That's about it and sums up our visit to Dublin. I hope you enjoyed it. ;)

Along the Causeway Coast

On Tuesday, Jarlath and I took a mini road trip around the coast of Northern Ireland--starting in Strabane and ending in Belfast.

First Stop: Benone Beach

Mussenden Temple

We took a stroll along the beach and got back in the car the moment it started raining!

Second Stop: Dunluce Castle

"Wee Cottage" :)

A wee picnic by the castle ruins

Looking out to the sea

Third Stop: The Giant's Causeway--Ireland's top tourist attraction

According to legend, a giant named Finn McCool created this unusual rock formation as a path to cross the Irish Sea to Scotland.

Ta da! Here is is. Hooray for bright blue skies!

The basalt colums were actually created by a volcanic eruption millions of years ago.

Fourth Stop: Carrick-A-Rede Rope Bridge

Crossing over to a small island where local fishermen catch migrating salmon & visitors admire the view...

Final stop: Belfast

World-renowned Queen's University

Famous mural in the Nationalist area of a Republican prisoner named Bobby Sands who died in the hunger strikes in the early 1980s during "the troubles."

The international wall of murals dedicated to nationalist struggles around the world.

The famous Harland & Wolff cranes called Samson and Goliath--a symbol of Belfast and its ship-building industry--where The Titanic was built.

I enjoyed seeing so much of Northern Ireland in such a short time, and I'm looking forward to another roadtrip around the south, starting with Dublin tomorrow!

What's the craic?

Translation = What's up!?

This is where I'm staying--Jarlath's parents' home in Strabane, Northern Ireland.

Since I arrived three days ago, I've been busy exploring the territory and meeting Jarlath's friends and family left and right.

And I met the biggest pig in Ireland, too...

Touch his left ear for good luck. :)

The weather is the only thing that hasn't been lovely so far. (As you can see from the above picture, it's quite wet here. And chilly. But I was warned that it would be, so I was prepared.)

Here's the view overlooking Strabane...
And this is what the landscape of Ireland looks like on a beautiful day...

Yesterday, Jarlath and I went to the community center (where this photo was taken) for a special event of music and free scones & tea. I've had more scones in the last three days than I have in the last three years! haha

Anyway, here's a "wee" video I took yesterday...



Today has been a relaxing day--especially compared to yesterday, when we were running around all over the place! The rain let up in the afternoon so were able to go out for a nature walk...

I'm looking forward to wherever the path might lead us tomorrow... :)