Well, we all enjoyed Dublin... it definitely grew on us the second day, but the first day we were tired from travel, our hotel was average at best, and we had no WiFi (the horror). A little about the trip to Dublin - we took a ferry from Holy Head in Wales (Wales is beautiful country - mountainous). The ferry was the biggest in the world - it was appropriately named The Ulysses. If you lined up all the trucks and cars that travelled on the lower 4 decks, it would stretch over 3 miles long! The passenger floors were like a cruise ship complete with a movie theater and shops and lounges. Just before we boarded the ferry in Holy Head, we visited Conwy Castle - much exploring and climbing towers and walls and dungeons - one of the groups' favorite experiences! Ask for pics from the kids, since I still can't upload them appropriately here...
It took us 3 hours to get to Dublin; and at first take, we were not overly impressed the night we arrived. However, we had a big day yesterday exploring the culture and museums and cathedrals. We learned a lot about James Joyce, William Butler Yeats, Jonathan Swift, and Oscar Wilde (all Irish poets). We also visited an archaelogical museum (incredible - too much there almost) and a zoology museum as well. Dublin is a little more subdued than London.
We left the city this morning and fell in love with the Irish countryside. Everything is green. 40 shades of green. (It's way better than 50 shades of gray). We visited the burial site of Yeats - he is definitely a national treasure here.
We visited a beautiful waterfall on the side of a mountain next to a lake shrouded in mist. It rained all day today - approximately 65 degrees. I hope the A/C is working back home... :) I rained and misted all day. It was glorious. This place is like Northwest Washington state on steroids.
We took a boat tour and saw the Isle of Inisfree (sp?) - beautiful country. You can see why this lush, verdant, misty, fern-gully-ish-like landscape has inspired so much superstition, folklore, and fantastical imaginings. We bathed in Irish soundtracks and lyrics from Yeats as we wistfully viewed the landscape from our boat.
To top off the day, we rolled up to our hotel tonight and saw another seeming castle with an abbey/chapel next door. The Clarion hotel used to be an insane asylum! This place is "nuts"!!! By far the best place we have stayed all trip! This is the nicest hotel I have ever been to! My hotel accomodation includes 3 huge rooms complete with a kitchen, walk-in closet and dining area - they know how to treat chaperones here I guess... :) The students and I are hanging out in the middle kitchen room as I write this... Wonderful accomodations here and service - makes up for Dublin... Sligo is beautiful. The abbey next door has been transformed into a banquet hall for wedding receptions. This hotel is complete with a full gym on the ground floor, a full lap pool, and mini-golf! Some of the girls are a little freaked out about falling asleep in a former insane asylum, but we'll let their imaginations run for now and do nothing at all to provoke any further fears at all tonight... :)
The reality that our trip is fastly coming to a close is starting to sink in...
We head to Shannon tomorrow...
It's interesting to immerse ourselves in the cultures in which we travel to - we touch on their political struggles, religious beliefs and practices, and more as we move to and fro...
Pray that God shows us and others his Truth and that we remain faithful in our identity in Christ as we move about the country and people interact with us and we ask questions about this life, view history, and interact with the culture.
Until next time... Keep calm and carry on... and keep reading our blogs!
-Mr. Schaap
Oh Jon, it all sounds wonderful. Good to know everyone remains safe and adventurous.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, I hope your air-conditioner turns on real quick when you get home. It's in the low 100s here.