Day 5: Dublin has the best Craic!

Don't be alarmed.  Craic means fun.  After one gains the gift of gab from kissing the Blarney Stone, they are almost guaranteed to become even more fun, tell better jokes, and keep a positive attitude.  Our day in Dublin started at the Wilton Hotel.  I had mentioned that it was a little more posh than the Kingscourt.  The rooms are more spacious and the bathrooms are nearly three times the sizes as those in Killarney.  One of our rooms has bunk beds, lol.  I assumed the breakfast would be more extravagant as well.  It was...but not by much, haha.  We still had our bottemless bowl of cereal, but we could accompany that with unlimited bread and coldcuts.  Frequent readers of this blog will remember that bread, cheese, and deli meats are common breakfast items in Europe.  Today, I had two small ham/cheese sammies.  In addition to our sandwiches and cereal, the kids could choose from a wide sample of fruits.  Overall, I think the breakfast quality was fairly similar, but we totally had more options here.

Yesterday, I had mentioned that I was working on another video.  I was able to convert and edit it last night...some of you might have already seen it, but I am adding it below for easier access and more complete record keeping.

The video is of the girls climbing the wishing steps on the grounds of Blarney Castle.  I honestly don't remember if I explained it or not, but I am going to do it now regardless.  The wishing steps are in a whole other world...and I think many Blarney visitors never even see them.  A wandering adventurer can stumble upon landscape that is reminiscent of the Lord of the Rings or some other fantasy world.  You definitely saw some pictures yesterday.  Amidst these interesting geological features stand the wishing steps.  Nearly 30 stone steps enclosed in a rock.  The steps are daunting on a lovely summers day, but you can imagine when a slick of Irish mist has settled upon them.  In a typical overcast/rainy day in Ireland, an ominous aura floats about the entrances to the steps.  Legend has it that only the bravest can complete an old task for the Blarney witch.  She lives nearby and has struck a deal with the landlord.  She can steal wood for her fireplace, but only if she promises to grant one wish to anyone who navigates these perilous steps.  "It can't be that easy," you say...you are right.  One needs to walk up the staircase with their eyes closed...thinking only of their wish.  Once they've reached the top, they must then turn around three times....still with their eyes closed....and still thinking of their wish.  They must then navigate down the stairs...again with their eyes closed...again thinking of their wish...but backwards.  As I do not believe in things like granted wishes and witches, I decided not to participate.  The girls, however, didn't chicken out like me and they handled the task with grace and ease.

Below are the clips I have from this task.  One is edited into two minutes.  I recommend that one.  The other is the raw footage.  It is 10 minutes.  You might be able to hear me giving directions to the girls to ensure their safety.  I don't recommend that one...because watching six people walk up and down stairs is as exciting as you might think...of course, I don't mind if you do watch it...that's why I am posting it.

(The raw footage will go here when it actually uploads)

I never asked the girls what they wished for. Part of the legend is that you cannot tell. I made a wish, though....it was that these kids continue having a great time and that Dublin wouldn't disappoint.  After breakfast, it was time to see if my wish would come true.

We left the hotel around 9am.  We left a little later than I expected, but Joseph explained that it was to avoid traffic.  Makes sense...it's Monday after all (it is, right?).  Our bus made the quick trip into town and parked alongside Trinity College.  There we picked up our local tour guide.  His name is James Creegan.  We had been told he was quite handsome and some of the girls on this trip agreed.  I think it is funny that they grabbed a picture of him, but what they won't know until reading this is that I did too.

History Heartthrob James Creegan

James comes from a long line of local guides.  Apparently he is a third, or fourth, generation storyteller.  He is young, but also knowledgeable.  I didn't really have a good seat on the coach for many pictures, but James crafted a tale of his city that kept the attention of all of our kids.  Our bus tour of the city lasted about 1 hour.  We also had time to get out of the bus and take a couple of pictures of some cool things.  The first stop was along a small street of Georgian homes.  The houses reminded me of the brownstones up on Beacon Hill or down in DC/Georgetown.  That said, these are a bit older.  The houses here also have decorative doors.  They are kind of famous...you can buy a poster called, "The Doors of Dublin" at the many gift stores.  You can also buy one with the pubs, lol, but I am not going there on this blog.   

The most famous door in Dublin 

A few other doors, I was too lazy to cross the street, but the girls did.

  

After the doors, we headed to St. Patrick's Cathedral.  The tour James led here was amazing.  I hope I am as good of a teacher as he is as a tour guide.  He explained the history of the man (St. Patrick), the Church, and those who made an impact on the church's history when it fell into disrepair.  I was enthralled when he told the story of the Butlers and the FitzGeralds (think Hatfields and McCoys) who had a bloody knife fight at the foot of the Altar within the church.  

St. Patrick's Cathedral

The Door of Reconciliation. Where the Butlers and FitzGeralds declared a truce among their families...for about a week.

The newest addition to the church.  Parishioners and visitors can write message to those impacted by war and leave them on the Tree of Remembrance.  

Within the church

On the grounds of the Cathedral.

The Cathedral

The next stop on the trip was the Phoenix Park.  It is the largest national park in Europe (I think) but it has two houses within it.  The President of Ireland lives there and so does the Ambassador to Ireland from the United States.  The connections between our two histories is so prevalent.  Many times, on European travels, people say you should hide that you are American.  I think that is a bit overstated, but I can understand the caution.  In Ireland, however, I've seen no Anti-American hostilities.  At the Phoenix Park, we saw the residences, some Gaelic sports fields, and the Pope's Hill.

Over a million Irish folks gathered here to hear Pope John Paul II speak in 1979

  

We left Phoenix Park and James at Trinity College.  We walked into the old library and saw many old religious artifacts.  One of them is the Book of Kells, it is one of the oldest manuscripts (complete with calligraphy) that historians have found of early Christianity.  There are no pictures allowed.  We could take pictures in the research wing of the library.

This library inspired the Jedi Archives in Star Wars II: Attack of the Clones

The harp of Brian Boru, the king of Ireland around 1,000 AD)

When the kids started talking, I told them to mind their Ps and Qs.

When our tour of Trinity finished, we departed from the other two groups.  Joseph was going to give them a hand in navigating the city.  I have been to Dublin a few times and know it well...as such, I asked the girls if they wanted his tour or mine, lol.  They chose mine.  We went to Grafton St. for lunch.  The girls stepped way out of their comfort zone.  They ate at a Scottish place.  The fare was skinny potato spears and ground beef within baked flour patties.  They really liked it...I hope this chain makes it to America one day.  It was called, "McDonalds."  I stepped into a foodie place and had a bop. I forgot to take a picture.  It was basically a Bufallo chicken sandwich, but more fancy.

We gathered again on Grafton St.  (It is like an upscale Fanueil Hall) and departed towards Temple Bar.

The Temple Bar region is the heart of Dublin.  Artists of all types have made their mark in its vicinity.  There are also a number of bars/pubs in this section of the city.  The most famous is ironically called Temple Bar.  We walked along the cobblestone road and I told them about some of my past experiences here.  

A few years back, I came to Dublin with my Parents.  This was our first stop. My mother still claims its the best Irish Coffee she has ever had...it is tough to argue with her on that point.

After leaving Temple Bar, we crossed the O'Connell Bridge and walked down O'Connell Street. James had told us the history of Daniel O'Connell and the Easter Uprising (two separate events).  We saw the results of that uprising on the statues and pillars along the street.  We made our way down Henry St.  It is another shopping district, but not as expensive as Grafton St.  Dublin is divided by the River Liffey.  The South Side (Grafton St.) used to be more wealthy.  The North Side (Henry St.) is more my style, lol.  A few years ago, my luggage was lost.  I bought replacement cloths from stores on Henry St.

In our pre-trip meetings, I had mentioned that I spent some time at a coffee shop called Insomnia.  I said it was fitting because I don't really sleep much.  The kids remembered that and they wanted to go to Insomnia too.  It isn't a really unique place...kind of like Dublin's Dunkin Donuts...which is probably why it feels like home.

Staying awake all night...not.

After a couple cups of Joe, we headed off to meet with Joseph and the rest of the groups.  We were having dinner on O'Connell St. 

 Dinner was a deconstructed chicken and mushroom pie.  It was really good.  Every meal here has felt home cooked.  That isn't that common on student trips, but we have eaten really well.

For dessert, we had apple slices.  It was a version of Apple Pie.  It was also really good.  I ate about four hours ago and am still full.  

Our Dublin experience came to a close.  We boarded our bus and Sean took us back to the hotel.  Tomorrow morning, at 6am, we depart for our ferry and the UK.  We will leave Sean behind and have a new bus driver.  He has been amazing.  His craic made this portion of the trip extraordinary.  The kids will surely miss him. 

I've often compared Dublin to Boston.  Five years ago, my Dublin experience was riddled with sorrow and tragedy.  We were just coming to terms with the Boston Marathon bombing when we learned of the passing of Nancy Lemoine, a SHS teacher, mentor, and friend.  This experience was so different than what I can remember from that one...I often reread my blogs from April of 2013...and among those tragedies, I find peace in the way our kids handled themselves.  The kids on this trip have not had to endure such tragedies, but I cannot be more proud of who they have been.  We all have things going on at home in our personal lives (or professional), but the essence of travel if finding a way to compartmentalize those concerns to live in the moment.  I am besides myself with how good these six young ladies have been (he types with his fingers crossed) and although our trip is more than halfway completed, I am excited for the next few days.

Thanks again for reading...I appreciate it.