Ireland - Day 4 and Day 5

[snogged]

Two for the price of one :)

Day 4: Belfast

Yesterday we did a full day trip to Belfast and took the "Bullets and Bombs" tour. This means we drove around on a bus and went to Falls road and Shankill Road and the Peace Lines. It was intense to see the murals and the cement wall and to hear the history of such an intense civil war between the Catholics and the Protestants. It was definitely a different world than what I've been seeing in Dublin but I'm way thrilled that we got a chance to see that. Our tour guide was truly amazing.

We also got to go to NICIE, which is the Centre for Integrative Education and learned that since the Good Friday agreement (60 schools, or 6%) have chosen the integrative model. I thought that was wonderful that they've at least been able to get that far. I'd say that's a picture of hope but I guess I might be an optimist...sometimes...when I feel like it.

After Belfast, I headed out with Tara, Jennifer, and Brian to the Temple Bar District. The Temple Bar itself is damn cool. I love the courtyards and the music but the craziness felt a little much at times. We were often shoulder to shoulder, which made it hard to go anywhere and I'm not really a club person so it took some getting used to. We also visited Oliver St. John Gogarty's pub and that was neat too. They had a great Irish band playing upstairs and I even knew the words to a few songs (Whiskey in the Jar and Leavin' of Liverpool).

Around midnight, I went home and crashed :)


Day 5

I'm gonna say it -Thank Heaven for Starbucks!! I really don't think I've been sleeping that well. I mean, I've been sleeping but I don't wake up feeling refreshed or anything.

Today we had five of the doctorate students on our trip present on issues, such as mental health, substance abuse, gender roles, and sexual orientation. We had a really great discussion and I was totally on top of the class participation :)

Then, we went to County Wicklow to visit Glendalough. OMG!!! It was amazing. It's the ruins of an old monastery and you could just feel the ancient thrum of it all in the stones and the grass and the wind and the water coming off the two lakes. It was a heaven for a deeply spiritual Pagan girl like myself. And our tour guide was amazing.

Tonight we took in a concert at the National Concert Hall for the band Alton, who were backed up by the RTE concert orchestra. It was a truly stunning experience and I loved it massively. The singer's voice was so soothing and so beautiful, it was hard not to feel entranced and mesmerized by the power of the strings and songs.

And tomorrow I have a free day...which I plan to spend going to the Guiness factory, visiting Dalke, and going on the Ghost Bus Tour.

Also...I can't wait to show you all pictures when I get home!!

Comments

[sweet-lyri.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you had a good time in Belfast, and you got to see some of stuff, and learned a bit about thecity I grew up in. I just hope we haven't scared you off for good, lol.

[snogged.livejournal.com]

I had a really wonderful time and felt extremely educated at the end of it.

I promise I'm not scared off!

[lzod.livejournal.com]

You're going to see a Dalek?????

[magpieinthesky.livejournal.com]

WIN.

[lzod.livejournal.com]

See? Someone else who agrees with me! :)

She should bring one back....

[magpieinthesky.livejournal.com]

I'm going to disagree with you there - say it with me, "We do not bring aliens bent on destroying Earth back as souvenirs" :)

[lzod.livejournal.com]

well the dead one she could bring back.....have one like John Barrowman does...I hear he has one that talks when you walk in front of it! :)

[velvetwhip.livejournal.com]

Wow...what a time you are having!


Gabrielle

[rileysaplank.livejournal.com]

I'd like to go back to Belfast one day. With my Dad having been in the Army we lived about 5 miles from it during the early Eighties.

[magpieinthesky.livejournal.com]

Aw, I'm glad you're having such a blast, hun! I hope you get some better sleep and are able to be more energized for the rest of your trip :)

[secondmezzanine.livejournal.com]

It's the ruins of an old monastery and you could just feel the ancient thrum of it all in the stones and the grass and the wind and the water coming off the two lakes. It was a heaven for a deeply spiritual Pagan girl like myself.

Sounds absolutely amazing. Good for the soul!

[rua1412.livejournal.com]

Awww Belfast!!!
I'm glad you are enjoying your trip!
Is it Galway neatr it? ^_^

[tamakin.livejournal.com]

Heee hello, catching up on your entries! Sooo glad your enjoying yourself! Hows the weather up there? Twas loverly n warm down here for a change! :P

SO SO SO glad you got to Glendalough! Its made of awesomeness and if i could id live a LOT closer to it.

Im also thrilled you found some hippy/spiritual/goth type shops in Temple Bar. Theres about 4 or 5 there if you look around, n i lover em. Theres one in particular that has an upstairs with the rockinest clothes evah hehe.

What do you think of 'the spike'? lol. The big ubertall white needle thingy in the city center. The general consensus here is that it was a huuuuge waste of money :P

Anyway, so bummed i cant make it up there. :( I keep thinking about you during work lol, and whining to anyone who'll listen... aka the dogs. :P

[snogged.livejournal.com]

I am definitely enjoying myself :) And the weather's pretty good. We've had the mix of rain and sun, which I've come to understand as fairly standard.

I'm really glad we made it to Glendalough too :) It was truly beautiful.

And yay for the Temple Bar district. I might have to search around a bit more.

I think the "spike" or the "spire" does look pretty stupid.

Question for you...how long do you work for and how far away are you from Dublin? I could try to sneak in a free day since I'm a continuing ed student and find a way down there somehow...suggestions would be appreciated of course.

[tamakin.livejournal.com]

FECK it to hell im only getting to this now!

*whines*

I work all day mon to fri, and til 2 on sat.

But now ive gone and been stoopid and said id help walk greyhounds whenever im needed on saturday afternoons/evenings. Lol. Uh, the people i got Fionn from ship unwanted hounds off to europe via rosslare port, which is 20 mins from my place, so ive agreed to help walk the doggits before they board the ferry. Often theres like 15 dogs and 3 people, so they really need the help.

I definitely have to do it next weekend as the dog:peoples ratio is even lower than normal hehe. Im not sure whats going on the saturday after that.

So its safe to say im only 'free' on sundays. And like i honestly dont know how free i really am til like, saturday. Ive not been free for more than a couple hours the last two sundays cause of the 489389084903 things that need doing. Rawr. Rawr i say!

BUT!! Now that im almost signed on for another year, i might be able to swindle a free day in about 2 weeks time (i have to give that much notice). How long are you in ireland for again? I dunna remember.

[snogged.livejournal.com]

Oh hunny...

I left Ireland last week Thursday.

*sniffle*

[tamakin.livejournal.com]

OH BOLLOX IT TO HELL!!!!!!!



*cries*

[snogged.livejournal.com]

I promise I'll come back to Ireland someday and then we'll see each other for sure.

Unless you make it out to Wisconsin sometime.