Day 3

We are back in our hotel for an early evening tonight after a very thorough tour of Dublin.  After eating a very hearty breakfast this morning, we boarded our coach with bus driver, Derrek.  We then picked up our first local tour guide, James, who is from Dublin and has a very nice Dublin-Irish accent!

As Derrek drove us around the city, James told us about much of the history involved here.  We have learned that the Guinness family is very powerful and wealthy. Guinness produces 3.5 million pints EACH day!  They are the ones who set up the Guinness Book of World Records, and they established a very prominent hospital in Dublin at which the babies born here are given Guinness in their bottles!!  It is said to have many nutrients for the babies and has become a common practice!!

We stopped at King Edward’s Door which was decorated for a visit he was to pay to Dublin but never actually made.  They are known here for their ornate and decorative doors.

We stopped at St. Patrick’s Cathedral and learned some history about St. Patrick and the Anglican church which was started by King Henry VIII after the Pope spoke to him about his divorces and other unacceptable behavior in the Catholic church.  

St. Patrick was the one who began using the three-leaf shamrock to teach about the Holy Trinity - Father, Son, and Holy Ghost (Spirit).

We asked about the Celtic Cross and wondered why they even had a different cross.  

James told us that the Celtic (hard “c”) Cross was invented by monks when Ireland moved from being Pagan to Christian.  The circle in the middle is really from the pagan symbol for the sun and everlasting life. The cross, of course, was from the Christians.  Celtic was the religion that combined the two.

Next, we went to Trinity College which was set up as a men’s college by Queen Elizabeth.  Most of the students, now, are women. At the college is a very old library which contains the Book of Kells and all sorts of old Irish books.  The Book of Kells is an ornately decorated version of the four gospels which are written in Latin and in Gaelic Calligraphy.

Next we had free time downtown where we were able to buy all things green and Guinness!  Unfortunately, we have not heard anything about Leprechauns, but we have seen some fun gifts that have Leprechauns on them!

We finished our day at The Czech Inn where we enjoyed pork chops and rice smothered in a mushroom sauce.  Then, we finished it off with an apple pie and vanilla ice cream! We did get rained on today, but we were prepared with ponchos and umbrellas!

Lastly, we learned that red heads do not come from Ireland!!!  Red heads are from Viking Blood, and the Irish really don’t like the myth!

It has been a very interesting day with some rather contrasting words.  Our tour director told us we would be having lots of Craic today and should stay well-lubricated!  He also taught us about Hookers as we were discussing a local beer called Galway Hooker. See below for definitions:

Craic - the Gaelic word for “fun”

Well-lubricated was actually a mistake.  He meant to say hydrated but couldn’t think of the word we use!

Hooker - a boat on the West coast of Ireland

So, tomorrow we are off to Belfast in Northern Ireland which Satyen tells us has a very interesting history!  Stay tuned for more information!

 

Jacqueline

Days 1 and 2

We made it!!  We have just completed Day 2 of our trip. We spent all of Day 1 traveling and arrived in Dublin at 8:00 local time this morning.  We are six hours ahead of Houston time.  Despite two lost (and then found) passports, we all made it and have learned some lessons in responsibility!  (One of those kids may or may not have been my own!)

We love our tour guide, Satyen!  He loves to travel and knows a great deal about the area!  On our way from the airport into Dublin, we rode along the River Liffey where we saw replicas of ships from the 18th and 19th centuries which carried people from Ireland to the Americas.  Specifically, we saw the Jeanie Johnston replica which made 16 trips to the Americas!  Surely some of us have ancestors who came over on it!!

We also saw a beautiful bridge made to look like a harp - one of the symbols of Ireland’s Celtic/musical history.  After a short free time to walk around and eat a little brunch, we did A LOT of walking.  We visited the Carmelite Convent which holds the remains of Saint Valentine.  We also visited The National Museum of Ireland where we saw Bog Bodies - people whose bodies have been preserved since the time BEFORE Jesus!   It was crazy, disturbing, and amazing - all in one!  Check out this link to see what we saw http://www.museum.ie/Archaeology/Exhibitions/Current-Exhibitions/Kingship-and-Sacrifice.

Apparently, one of the Bog Bodies is on display at The Natural Science Museum in Houston!  A few people recognized the pictures of it!

We didn’t purchase much today because we wanted to experience more before buying the memories, but we did notice quite a few things.  There are shamrocks everywhere, which we expected, but they are three-leaf (not four).  Satyen told us the three leaves represent the Holy Trinity and that the four-leaf clover is supposed to be lucky.  Therefore, it wouldn’t make much sense for it to be everywhere!

After not getting much sleep on the plane, our mantra for the day was “Don’t Fall Asleep”!  So, Satyen kept us moving, and the cold air helped us stay awake (along with a trip to Starbucks)!  On our way to dinner, we stopped at St. Stephen’s Green which is Dublin’s much smaller version of Central Park.  It was very beautiful and nice to see some greenery after realizing how business-like the city of Dublin is.

As we continued our walk, Satyen quizzed us on multiple flags including that of Ireland.  Here we learned that the flag is made of only three colors - Orange represents the Protestant faith, Green represents the Catholic faith, and the White between them represents the peace between the two faiths.  We have learned a great deal about the split between Ireland and Northern Ireland over theses religious issues.

We had a delicious dinner at a local “bar and grill” where they served us traditional mashed potatoes, chicken, and crusty croissant and green beans.  Some of us loved it.  Some of us didn’t care for it, and others only cared about sleeping.  So, as soon as we finished, we loaded up our bus with 14,000 steps for the day and drove to our “hotel” which is actually the dormitories for a local university.  I was a little concerned at first, but it turns out that they are perfect for our group of kids!

Most everyone was in bed before 9:30 p.m., and I am about to go to bed, as well!  We have a full day tomorrow and need plenty of rest to make it through!  

Sincerely,

Jacqueline Hughes