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Before I start, here are links to more pictures for those who are curious:More Dublin, my explorations from my last post, and the beginning of Howthhttp://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2449944&l=86af3&id=6838190
More of Howth pictures
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2451852&l=e53e3&id=6838190and the inside of the Transport Museumhttp://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2451898&l=0b17e&id=6838190
So I guess I should make an update, especially before I go to Northern Ireland this weekend. (We leave for Belfast on Friday morning and get back on Sunday afternoon. An update will come with all of those fun details next week.)Last Friday, I took a day trip to Howth (rhymes with both), Ireland. This is a little fishing village just north of Dublin. To get there, I just got on the DART (Dublin Area Rapid Transit) in Dublin City Centre and rode it to the end of the line.I had a lot of fun in Howth. It is very picturesque and the weather was great. I managed to go on a day it was sunny, warm, and no rain.Although Howth is very small, they have are very optimistic with a tourism campaign "Howth is Magic."
I wouldn't describe Howth as magic, but it was very charming. The harbor was very pretty and had a great view from almost any location.
Howth also has the attraction of 5 seals which live in the harbor. I got to see four of the five of them after some kids tossed strips of salmon in the water for them. As soon as one strip hit the water, a seal was there to pick it up.
After hiking around Howth (hiking being an accurate statement, because it is VERY hilly) and getting lunch, I decided to see some of the other sights that Howth had to offer. So I walked around the edge of Howth to St. Mary's Church, Howth Castle and the National Transport Museum.St. Mary's Church which was built by Sitric, King of Dublin, in 1042. It was replaced around 1235 by a parish church, and then, in the second, half of the 14th century, the present church was built. It is a good distance from the center of Howth, but not far from Howth Castle and the Transport Museum.
Howth Castle is a traditional castle, however it is unique because the original family still lives in the castle. According to locals, this is the sixth generation that has lived in the castle.
Last but not least in my journey to Howth was the visit to the NATIONAL TRANSPORT MUSEUM...
I am glad that the guy who gave me directions told me that it is in a big barn that was once a working farm, because I never would have found it otherwise. To call it the NATIONAL anything was a very large overstatement. It did have some vintage transportation vehicles contained in it. Kinda cool... I am not sure how it came into existence, but I expect it went something like this... Wow we have this barn full of old vehicles. What are we gonna do with them? I don't know... put a piece of paper detailing what they are on their windshields, open the doors to the public and call it a museum... and that is my ideas on the transport museum.
Overall, Howth was yet another adventure.Look forward for an update next week about Northern Ireland. I expect to have a lot of pictures.~ Dannielle
What to report... I have been doing very well... I have been exploring Dublin and the outlying areas some more and have stumbled on to some interesting things now and then.
A few days ago I spent a good part of the afternoon in St. Stephen's Green. Entrance to this park was once limited to local citizens... the affluent who lived in the houses around the green, but became a public park in 1880 at the initiative of Arthur Guinness of the brewing family. It is a truly beautiful park with several fountains, a pond (or maybe 2) and some trails. I took some pictures of the birds there... a lot of ducks and even a swan.
Although it may be difficult to see... the swans were HUGE! I had no idea they were that large. the one I saw easily came to my waist.
I had my first rainy day in Ireland yesterday... We had had some rain already, but it was always scattered: 10- 15 minutes of rain, then sun again. Yesterday, it rained all day and everyone was soaked. And just to clean up any misconceptions- Dubliners do use umbrellas. I know in other places like Seattle and London, only the "tourists" carry umbrellas. Locals take the rain with stoic acceptance. In Dublin, even the locals whip out the rain gear.
Today I did some exploring of Dublin's outlying areas. I live in the "suburbs" of Dublin already and ride the LUAS (the tram) into City Center everyday for class. There are several stops on the LUAS between Balally (my stop) and my destination. Today I decided to get off on a few of these stops and look around. The Dundrum (Dun Droma in Irish) stop had an old church and a run-down cemetery... very explorable.
So I rode the LUAS to Dundrum, then searched for, and eventually found a crayon (a harder feat than I thought) to do rubbings at the cemetery. None of the pharmacies or other convenient stores had one, but a nice Irish man in one of the stores had a little girl. And SHE had some crayons. He gladly gave me a blue one and I was on my way to the cemetery. It was in very sad shape, but I still enjoyed taking pictures of it... I got a few rubbings, too, but they did not turn out as well as I would have liked.
My last stop on my adventure for today was at Sandyford... This was the last stop for the LUAS so I got off and took a look around. Initially I was a bit dissapointed. It was mostly modern offices and apartment buildings. However, it was not far at all until I found something a unexpected. By the road were wild poppy flowers. I had no idea that they grew wild in Ireland, but I guess they do. They were quite pretty and seemed very delicate amidst all the green grasses and such . Me, being me, I could not resist the urge to snap a few pictures before I returned to the LUAS to head home... adventures over for the day...
More to come~Dannielle
Hi Everyone! I am finally here... I actually got to Dublin yesterday, but through a series of events none catastrophic, but all annoying I could not connect with the outside world. (The payphone at the airport would not take my VISA card. The phone at my hostel... broken... and my computer would not connect to the "Free wireless internet" at the hostel. Today has been a fun day so far. I got up and had breakfast. Irish soda bread with butter and jelly, a banana and an apple and very dilute orange juice. Not bad. Then I packed my stuff back up and started walking. I went to the bus station, intending to take a bus to the IES center. However, the station I went to did not have buses going there. So I continued walking... getting lost, referring to my map, (which did not actually show the road I was going to...) asking directions, and continuing walking. At one point I stopped in a Methodist church to look at the map and a kind man gave me particularly good directions, but also dropped the tidbit that it was only a 10-15 min walk to where I was going. I still had to get directions about 3 more times and backtrack twice, but an HOUR later I did get there. I looked up directions just now and discovered that I walked over 2.5 miles... (not including backtracking) with all of my luggage. I think I have had my exercise for the day. From there it has been a breeze. I got a taxi from the IES center to my apartment... which is absolutely lovely. (hardwood floors, bright, modern, pictures to come) I met some of the staff and am supposed to meet with my roommates later today, as they arrive.Keep praying for me... More news and pictures to come~Dannielle
