There and Back Again...

Well, we had one more adventure exploring Glendalough in County Wicklow (beautiful country!), and then went back to Dublin for a day and a night before our 26-hour return journey! In Dublin we spent the afternoon at Keogh's Cafe in order to wait out the rain as well as have one last taste of the vanilla pear scones in hopes of being able to recreate their yumminess upon our return.

Our journey back was fairly uneventful, except for when I lost Melissa for about an hour in the Dublin airport. I had turned around to go buy a magazine before going through customs and Melissa thought that I realized she was going to get in line. When I returned to the line, she was not in sight and I thought she had gone to buy gum for the plane ride. So, I searched for her for about a half an hour, thinking there was no way she would go through without me. I finally decided she had gone down so I went through the line and then decided I couldn't go all the way through without taking one more look around, so I was let back out and searched around the area. I didn't see her, so I decided to go against my gut and just go downstairs and get through customs to our gate, hoping she would be there. She was! I was very relieved because we had no way of communicating with each other and apparently she thought that I knew she was getting in line as soon as I returned, but began to wonder when I didn't come down. At any rate, that was the most exciting traveling adventure.

We met some interesting people on the second flight. I sat next to a neural surgeon who talked to me all about his ranch in South Carolina where he and his wife have a program allowing physically handicapped and troubled kids to come work with the horses as therapy. He was very interested in what life in Alaska was like and asked about Sarah Palin. Actually, a lot of people in Ireland asked about Sarah Palin. I was surprised to find that people in Ireland had more familiarity with Alaska and what it is like here than a lot of people I have met from the states. It was a wonderful trip, all in all, and we have many good memories. I am in the process of loading photos onto my computer. There are many! I have posted some of them here, but will put the rest of them online soon and post a link when I do. I hope you will enjoy looking through them and sharing in our adventures! We are glad to be home!

Rocky Valley Drive and The Great Sugarloaf

We made it back to Dublin yesterday from Cashel, a long journey, but then got right back on a bus to head to Bray, about an hour out of Dublin. Once we were in Bray, we took the bus out to Kilmacanogue where we had a camp site to find but weren't actually certain of its wherabouts. The information lady told us to get off at the roundabout and walk up the hill. Usually these 'short' walks we are told will get us to the camp site end up being hour long treks, so we geared up for a long walk up Rocky Valley Drive to a rather uncertain destination.

The drive itself was lovely, seated at the foothills of The Great Sugarloaf. The Great Sugarloaf is a mountain that is not particularly high, but is of apparently unusual shape and is somehow significant. I was rather intrigued by the names of people's homes on plaques on their fences including 'Sugarloaf Mist', 'Applewood', 'Mossend', 'Cool Amber', etc. We made it up quite a way to a shoulder in the road but still hadn't come to anything. There was a woman parked on the shoulder, and so I asked her if she knew where Valley View B&B was. She hadn't even ever heard of it but lived in the area and had friends on the drive, so took us up the hill a bit to try to find some information, but we kind of struck out in all directions. Finally, we just asked her if she wouldn't mind dropping us off at a B&B we had actually seen signs for and perhaps they would have either space or directions. We took the fork in the road that led to that B&B and when we turned the corner, Valley View B&B was right there. As we got out of the car, the woman, who was going to be leaving for Portugal that evening, asked if we wanted milk and bread which she had in the car but had to get rid of before she left and so we happily took it and had milk for our coffee this morning!

We are in Bray currently, figuring out how to get to Glendalough tomorrow, and then back to Dublin.

Rats, Birds, and Bluegrass

Greetings all. We are currently waiting out a rain storm in the library in Cashel. We got here yesterday afternoon and set up our tent (which, btw, with our new tarp over it, stayed quite dry, despite the rain in the wee hours...) and then walked through town. We visited the tourist information and read some history and then walked up the hill to the Rock of Cashel which was quite intriguing. On our way down the hill from the castle, we came upon a black sheep (he was so cute!) who I tried to coax to pose for my camera, but it was a little difficult, because his jealous white sheep brother kept getting in the way, alas. As I was taking their picture, Melissa screamed behind me and grabbed me yelling, "Just go! Just go!" and pushing me down the hill. I looked behind me and there was a large, stiff rat on the ground in the middle of the trail. Then I screamed...and we ran down the hill laughing. Ick! Rodents...though I think I would have been more scared of it if it had been alive and running across the path. Rodents and birds that get trapped inside and can't figure out how to get out (like in airports, and other places...) send me into histerics; or pigeons that fly at your head from towers and turrets on castles, those are frightening as well. One has to try to be somewhat composed in public...

Last night, we decided to experience Guiness again, since Melissa hadn't really had any yet, and ran into a band from Tenessee playing here in town, so we got to listen to bluegrass. It was kind of a unique experience (bluegrass in Ireland) and the locals enjoyed it quite a bit, as did the non-locals (us...I love bluegrass!). Afterwards, we walked back to our campsite, which is located at a lodge right at the foothills of the Rock of Cashel. The stars were brilliant and there weren't a lot of lights, so after we got ready for bed, I got in my sleeping bag and laid down on top of the picnic table by our tent in hopes of seeing some shooting stars. I saw one for sure, and possibly a few others out of the corner of my eye. The stars were so bright though, and really, it was one of the first times we've seen them here.

Today, we got up and decided to stay one more night so have been drinking coffee, reading, and waiting out the rain. It looks as if it might be letting up a bit. This afternoon/evening, we have plans to explore the ruins of an old abbey across from the lodge. Tomorrow we will move on, I believe in the direction of Dublin, but then down to Bray and the next day to Wicklow, or Glendalough, in Co. Wicklow.

To Killarney and Back

Yesterday, Melissa and I slept in and then took a bus to Cork city centre where we walked through the English Market and saw many interesting and yummy things. One of the interesting things we saw were butchers carrying whole frozen pigs on their shoulders into the market. One of the yummy things was a bakery with warm loaves of fresh bread in baskets. Mmm!! Of course, there was chocolate too. That was yummy, to see and to smell, though we didn't eat any. We spent the day in Cobh (pronounced Cove), a neighboring town replete with significant historical events; the sinking of the Lusitania, the Titanic's last port, home of St. Coleman's Cathedral, etc., etc. We enjoyed the afternoon there and took the train back, and made it home in time to have dinner with Lindsey and Beth and some ladies from their church. Lindsey makes wonderful sushi!

Today, Melissa was a bit under the weather still, though I was feeling fairly well rested so decided to strike out on my own and take a day trip to Killarney. Killarney is about two hours west of Cork. The topography changes about three times during the drive, and not just subtle changes, but significant ones, literally from rolling pastureland to spruce trees and mountains, to rocky hills and plains; it is amazing to behold. Thankfully, Melissa sent me with a peanut butter sandwich which I ate on the way as I was feeling a bit bus sick. When I got there, I walked through the city centre and main streets and then had lunch and after lunch found one of the north entrances to the Killarney National Park. The park is quite large, but I just walked along the northern edge on a walk called Cherry Drive. It was a pretty little tree-lined drive and the trees were old enough and large enough to form an archway over the top of it. It reminded me of the White Way of Delight in Anne of G.G., though without the cherry blossoms! The trees were lovely in their own right, however, and had silvery-seafoam colored lichen all over their trunks. I sat under one of them for a while and wrote post cards to my grandmothers while other people passed through and then I took some pictures. It was quite a serene afternoon, I must say.

Well, tomorrow we head to Cashel, then to Wicklow, then to Dublin, then home! We are gearing up for our last few days, though are excited to return as well.

Galway, Inish Oirr, Doolin, Tralee, and Cork

When we left Kilcar, we were planning to go to a small surf town called Rossnowlough, but found out none of the buses ran there, so we decided to take the bus to Galway a little earlier than planned. We made it there by about 9:30 p.m. and thankfully, were able to catch the 10:00 bus from Eyre Square out to our campsite which was right on the beach, though the grass where we pitched our tent was sheltered by a tall hedge. It was another wet night, one of the wettest yet, however the next day we were able to remedy that situation.

In Galway, we started out the following morning with coffee and brunch and then decided to spend the day perusing the shop-lined streets. There were a lot of people walking, like in Dublin, but it had a different feel to it. It seemed a lot more local whereas when we were in Dublin, there seemed to be a lot more tourists on the streets, so the difference was enjoyable. Galway (well, all of Ireland...) but especially Galway, is apparently known for its rain. Everyone had umbrellas and if we weren't able to keep the pace of the people around us, we found ourselves frequently dodging spokes to keep from getting jabbed in the eye. We ducked into a cafe in the afternoon called Java Script for our daily downtime/drying time and had coffee and tea. This was after we had acquired a tarp for our tent, which was very much the highlight of the day!

Galway is also known for its music and we had read about several pubs that were going to be having traditional music in the evening so we decided to check it out. We have found that finding the right pub is very difficult. They are either packed body to body with trendy younguns, teeming with tourists looking for traditional music (us...), or small, quiet pubs where you walk in the door and get stared down by about five or six local older men. We finally decided to walk a short distance to a pub closer to the university that the lonely planet guide told us about, Monroe's Tavern, and found it to be the perfect mix of locals, young people and older people, and tourists looking for traditional music. It was a bit vacant when we got there since the music didn't start until 9:00 but we ate and I drank my Guiness while Melissa tried the Galway Hooker so that she could test something local. She found it to taste a bit like fish. I didn't like it either, but we finished it nonetheless and had a lovely evening listening to the band that played. When the music started, we moved closer so we could hear and so someone eating could have our table. We were sitting on stools near the wall at a little side bar. Melissa had put her empty mug up there behind us, and we had also rested the bag with the tarp in it there, against the wall. About ten minutes after the move to the stools, the tarp bag shifted, falling towards the beer glass and kocking it to the tile floor, where it shattered. It was kind of a classic 'us' situation, and not the first. I forogt to mention how we nearly took out a couple of topiaries with our backpacks in Edinburgh at a restaurant that felt way too fancy for us. But that was a long time ago...we're much better at maneuvering now.

Since we had been gone all day, and because it had been raining all day, we hadn't had any chance to dry anything out. Our tent and sleeping bags were drenched, and because I was still sick on top of that, we cooked up a plan to sleep on the couches inside the tv room at the campsite. On our way back, 'nurse Melissa voice' rehearsed a speech about how in her professional opinion, as my nurse, I needed to sleep in a dry, warm place to keep from getting sicker, and how we had payed our fees, and were entitled to sleep inside. This was all in case we were faced with opposition. Well, we got back and sat there for a bit, trying to wait out the people who were still in the kitchen and showers, but then were met with the owner of the site who bascially told everyone to leave and turn off the lights when they did. She looked at Melissa and I and told us that if we wanted, we could go to the adjacent sun room, which would be open all night. Little did she know, we would actually be there, all night. We went and packed up our wet paraphanalia and walked to the sun room, which had a fold up bed and a long, leather couch in it. We still had the problem of what we were going to sleep under since both our sleeping bags were wet, and so, we whipped out the new tarp! We piled on the couch with half the tarp under us and half over and it was remarkably warm considering its rather stiff and scratchy nature.

The next day's advenure was to go to the Aran Islands. We decided to go to the smallest island, which is said to be the prettiest as well. We packed up early and after a forty-minute bus ride to the pier in Galway, we got on the ferry for a rough, wet, and very fun ride over to the island. Melissa wanted to know what it was like set-netting, and since we were on a smaller boat going to the small island, she had a chance. In her words, she has now been, "Indcuted into the world of the sea, the wind in her hair, the taste of the sea on her lips, her wet pants clinging to her ankles, the water dripping into her shoes, and confirmed in the painful fact that she has no balance, especially at sea!"

It was nice arriving at the island and having our hostel right by the pier. We were able to go in and get dry as well as do all our laundry and dry everything we had, including our sleeping bags and tent. We spent the day resting in the sun since, besides the occasional shower, it was a warmer, breezy day. The islands in particular are still heavily Gaelic-speaking so that was very interesting to listen to. Life was very slow there, and refreshing. We spent one night there and the next day perused the ancient ruins then took the ferry back to Doolin. Doolin was a small backpacker/surf community below Galway in County Clare and we greatly enjoyed our time there, as well as located some of the best fudge we have ever eaten, which was drenched by a cracked egg on the train last night, but has since been wiped down and salvadged. The things we have to go through for choclolate...

Last night, we got into Tralee from Doolin, right in the midst of the Rose of Tralee Festival. Melissa kept telling me I should have entered, but we ran into the problem of what I would wear and decided we could create a very fashionable dress out of black trashbags and duct tape, a poncho cape, and a bus-ticket/heather corsage, properly showcasing the wind-blown look while sporting the versatile and fast-drying croc for footwear. Unfortunately, we weren't able to find a place to stay in Tralee and we were wet by the time we reached our campsite, so we decided to move on to Cork on the last train out and will be here for a few days, staying with a Homer friend and her roommate who have been extremely hospitable and allowed us to just relax and dry out, as well as given us some ideas of what to see and taught us some of the history of Cork. From here, we'll leave in a couple of days for the Wicklow Gap just below Dublin, and then back to Dublin, and home in little over a week.

a) Melissa on the beach in Ft. William, Scotland
b) Ivy in the Botanical Garden, Belfast
c) Slieve League, Carrick, Ireland

Killybegs, Cliffs, and Sheep!

It has been a while since we've been able to e-mail or update the blog, so I will start with where we were when we last wrote. After we got back from Scotland, we spent a couple of days in Londonderry, which is in Northern Ireland. We camped at a very quiet camp site out of town and the next day got to see the murals commemorating Bloody Sunday, an important date in N. Irish history. (If you aren't familiar, you should look it up.)

After Londonderry, we geared up for another bus journey to County Donegal, which looks a lot like Scotland as far as the landscape. Instead of stopping in Donegal City, which seemed a bit crowded and touristy, we kept going to a small fishing town called Killybegs. We got off the bus and asked where the nearest camp site was and were told it was about 1 1/2 km down the road. Well, we took a longer route by mistake and ended up in front of the fire station and were directed to walk up a hill to our right and after the hill, it would be about 1 1/2 km to Fintragh Beach, where we would have no trouble camping. So, we hiked the 3 or so km to the beach along a rather windy road with our 'rucksacks' on our backs; I'm afraid Melissa was ready to ring my neck at points for speed walking, which I apparently have a tendency to do quite often when I am ready to be somewhere and not hiking through the rain with 40lb backpacks. (It was an evening of many apologies for impatience on both our parts!)

We finally arrived at the beach, which was ridiculously windy, but also ridiculously gorgeous. We were able to set up our tent between two grassy embankments which provided for a rather uneven, yet also solid, ground. I sat on the beach after we set up camp and ate a sandy tomato/cheese sandwhich (one of the yummiest I have ever eaten!); we were so hungry after our hike. That was the last of our groceries (actually, Melissa ate one too, I wasn't a cookie monster...). We have been grocery shopping as we go rather than eating out every night which has been working quite well and saving us a lot of money, as well as making the times when we do choose to eat out more special. We have also discovered a lot of new favorites this way, such as our beloved chocolate 'buscuits', Fox's Shortcake, which we buy whenever we have a long bus trip.

It was a windy and rainy night and I woke up with a sore throat, which was not pleasant or welcome, however, on the upside, I've been able to lighten my load a bit by consuming all my Emergen-c, vitamins, seudafed, and cough drops! We packed up our wet gear and made our way back to town, thinking we'd be on time for the bus, only to find that it wasn't leaving Killybegs until four-thirty. Both of us at this point were in a rather irritable state, me sick, and Melissa ready to be dry and move on to the next place. After a couple of hours of sitting in the sun, the church bells rang and things started to open up again so we stepped into a local pub for coffee/tea and were greeted with familiar worship tunes playing on the radio. They were songs that I have heard a million times on K-Love and other such stations and have tired of, but hearing them here was different because it was like a welcome sound from home. I haven't particularly felt homesick, maybe at points, but it was something of a trigger of home-like feelings and also provided for our own little church service as we sat reading our Bibles over coffee, and tea. I have to say both coffee and tea now because Melissa has latched onto the tea drinking ritual with great vigor. One verse in particular came to mind that morning, "But I have calmed and quieted my soul..." the first part of Psalm 131:2. That sort of became the theme for the next few days.

After Killybegs, we decided instead of heading straight down to Galway, we'd spend a couple of days in another quieter coast town and so took a twenty minute ride to Kilcar, just North, and spent two nights at a hostel called Dun Ulin. The first night we camped, but then moved inside the second to try to dry out some which was nice. Our second day there, we decided we'd go for a hike to Carrick, the neighboring village, and have lunch. It was about a 4 km hike, which wasn't too difficult without our backpacks. Everyone had been telling us we absolutely had to go see Slieve League, the highest sea cliffs in Europe. After much deliberation, we decided to hike up to the cliffs since we were so close, though it was another 4 or so km from the pub we had lunch at. In the end, we were exhausted but it was well worth the hike. The view was beautiful and the scenery was amazing on the way up. Heather everywhere! And sheep! One of my favorite parts was looking down the cliff and seeing the water hit the shore; the color was such a deep, deep teal.

We had planned yesterday afternoon to head to another coast town, Rossnowlough, before going to Galway for a few days, but found out that none of the buses ran there, so we are now in Galway, preparing to explore today and tomorrow are hoping to go over to the Aran Islands, just southwest of here and out in Galway Bay.
Before I sign out, I have to share some Irish sayings that we copied off the GEM Sugar packages over coffee the other day: (and tea!)

1)What is strange is wonderful.
2)Some people are never satisfied.
3)Still waters run deep.
4)The day of the big wind is no time to be doing the thatching.
5)A good word in court is better than a pound in your purse.
6)Beauty does not boil the pot.
7)Good men can often be found wearing worn britches.

Slan go foill!!

Travel

Hello all; we're back in Ireland. We left Ft. William yesterday after a 'proper' Scottish breakfast with Stephen, and several cups of tea, and had a long bus journey back to Glasgow where we spent the night and left early this morning for Belfast, via the ferry back in Stranraer. We then took a bus to Londonderry and are hoping to move on to County Donegal in the next few days. More later!

The Highlands, Ft. William, and Abernathy

Last night we arrived at Abernathy Ardgour, Adventure Leadership Training in the hills of Ft. William where Stephen works, after four hours on the bus, a short ferry ride, and a drive up the mountain. The traveling was not tiring, however, simply long, and the drive up through the Highlands of west Scotland was amazing. The landscape and geography were incredible; I don't even know how to properly describe them. Where's a portable Prof. Van Dommelen when you need him? The low, rolling hills and craggy cliffs, meadows and tundra-like heather covered plains combine to make one of the most wild looking places I have ever seen. Indeed, "The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork... Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all that fills it; let the field exult, and everything in it!" (Psalms 19:1, 96:11-12).

Here at the school, the students are about to undergo a week-long assesment of their outdoor skills which is a very stressful pass or fail period in their year-long training. Thankfully, they have Melissa's and my sterling example to look to. Just joking...though we haven't done a bad job in coping with the various ills of camping, namely the wet weather, as well as the wind. Last night, we put Melissa's poncho on top of the tent, since it nearly covers it, though now our tent has a hood. I think it blew off a few times during the night, though not entirely, since it was fastened at the corners with home-made ties constructed from our trusty roll of versatile black duct tape.

Being on this trip has thus far reminded me greatly of my time fishing, for several reasons, but largely for the fact that 'roughing it' teaches one to rely wholly on God for even the 'simple' things, and also to develop a deep appreciation for those simple things, and to regard them as far more significant than they are normally regarded to be. For instance, learning to 'pray without ceasing' for the day to day unknowns of whether we will be in a hostel or in a camp site and whether or not we will catch the right bus, and how we shall plan each day out, really makes each and every moment of the day recognizable as a providential instance in which to give thanks and praise to the Lord for His unending goodness.

I believe we will be taking a 'stroll' tonight with Stephen to explore a bit around the foothills and then tomorrow will continue on our journey.

Belfast, Stranraer, and Edinburgh

After two days in Belfast, we made our way across the North Channel to Scotland. Belfast was much more spread out than Dublin and we spent our time there, for the most part, resting and making use of our day pass on the bus. Our campsite (caravan park as they call them), was located right next to an olympic sized hockey rink, so not difficult to find at all. We did not get too much sleep there, given the fact that our tent, which claims to fit two six-foot men, doesn't fit two five-foot nine-inch women, as well as the fact that the site was right next to the highway. However, in spite of those minor inconveniences, we made many good memories and spent the time that we weren't sleeping laughing, and probably waking up the rest of the campers trying to get some rest. We spent our second day there driving out to Lady Dixon Park, which I think was on the East side of Belfast, and wandering about in the rose garden. It was very peaceful in contrast to the city. In the morning, we had an excellent Irish breakfast at Maggie May's on Botanic Avenue and the next day headed for the ferry dock to sail across to Scotland.

We arrived in Stranraer yesterday and missed our bus to Edinburgh, but gladly spent the next five or so hours waiting for the next bus by sitting on the beach between the harbor launch ramp and the sea wall. Stranraer was quiet and quaint and the beach we sat on was covered with beach glass, so I had great fun collecting some while Melissa made a shell necklace with shells and twine she beachcombed. Edinburgh is huge and quite busy as we have arrived in the midst of one of the largest art festivals in the world. I believe there are several other festivals taking place as well, so it is quite packed, but everything is beautiful and we are taking many pictures. We only have about ten minutes left here in the cafe and then are off to do some exploring. Tomorrow, we head up to Ft. William to meet up with Stephen Bean, our Scotland contact and will explore a day or two in that area before heading back to Ireland. Melissa loves it here, as do I, though I am eager to get back to the Emerald Isle and see the west side!

Keogh's, Flowers, and Ancient Manuscripts

Our second day began with a brisk forty-five minute walk into Dublin with Casey, one of Colleen's roommates who supplied us with quite a bit of good advice from where to grocery shop and what to see next to, "Be sure to avoid the gypsies." We took all of her advice, including what to see next and made our way up Dame Street to the Chester Beatty Library, situated on an edge of the courtyard at Dublin Castle. Here we observed parts of Beatty's extensive and rare book collections, including Greek copies of Paul's epistles dating back to about 150-200 A.D. from Egypt, seen to the left. By the way, we didn't take this photograph. We probably would have been shot if we had tried!  

This intriguing venture took up most of the morning, after which we made our way to Keogh's Cafe to do some planning. Keogh's is situated on the corner of Trinity Street and took a bit of finding as it is somewhat tucked away, but for that exact reason, is also quite charming. We bought mochas for a little over two euros and split a vanilla pear scone, which was quite delightful. Keogh's is apparently famous for their scones and after testing one, I can well imagine why that is so! 

The cafe was packed so we took our scone and coffee and sat in Stephen's Green looking over our map and guide book, deciding what we wanted to do with the rest of the day. We chose to meet Colleen at three-thirty to see the Book of Kells at Trinity Library but had several hours to kill in between so spent some time walking and sightseeing on the streets surrounding City Centre and then decided to step into St. Ann's Church on Dawson Street. Its gigantic red door attracted me, so we went in and saw its lovely stained glass windows and traditional domed ceilings and wooden pews, as well as plaques commemorating the remains of former elite church members. We were browsing through stacks of leaflets providing information about the history of the church when we were approached from the side by who we think was the Reverend David Gillespie (at least, according to one of the leaflets, that was his name). At any rate, he said to me, "That one's not here anymore. Don't you see, I was cutting out the hearts." I was slightly confused but soon realized he was talking about the particular piece of paper that I held which was apparently no longer in print. He was in the midst of weeding them out of the stacks and was compiling some sort of a scrapbook from them, from what we could gather. The page included a heart with an old map of the church's location and the phrase, "The church in the heart of the city in the heart of the day." He then asked, "Would you like one?" I said, "Sure," not knowing exactly what he was asking, but deciding to pretend that I did. "You'll have to wait a minute," he said, "I've got to go to my laboratory!" He then turned and walked swiftly through a door in the back of the church, his blue robes flying behind him. He seemed more like a funny professor than a reverend; perhaps it was his lack of stereotypical traits that made him so amusing. He returned about five minutes later and held out a red paper heart with cutouts from the pamphlet taped and glued to it, as well as a safety pin affixed to the back of the heart. "What do you think?" he said. Melissa and I decided that I could wear the heart around Dublin and start a new fashion trend, but I think instead it will find its way into the pages of a future scrapbook. 

After we saw the Book of Kells, we decided to take a journey up to North Dublin to see the Botanical Gardens. It was exactly what we needed in order to relax and get away from the crowds of people in the city. We meandered through the sunflower maze and then ended up taking many random and amusing pictures of ourselves in the Magnolia trees and beside the wildflower rows and Holly hedges. After we had been there for a while we heard a bell ringing in the distance to which Melissa queried, "I wonder if that means anything?" "I don't know," I responded, figuring that if it did mean something that we would be notified in short order. Sure enough, moments later, an irate Irish woman in a cart came speeding around a corner chasing people out of the rows. "Hey! That's enough! We're closing!" she yelled, over the sound of the motor. We laughed a bit to ourselves then turned to walk out, but Melissa, deciding for some reason to ignore the severe command, turned down a paved aisle leading into some trees. "Melissa, get back here! She's coming!" I yelled after her through fits of laughter. A moment later she veered around the corner behind me and yelled, "Hey! Get out of there, we're closed!" Melissa soon re-joined me declaring her desire to rebel, but desiring more to obey and to ease the obviously bad day that the poor woman was having, we made our way to the exit. I was sad to leave as we hadn't found the rose garden yet, but perhaps I shall see it if I am able to make another visit in the future. 

Tomorrow, we are off to Belfast where we will spend a few days before heading across to Scotland for a brief visit.

Noteworthy Observations:

1)Lots of brilliantly colored doors!

2)Hard to find street signs

Dublin

We have arrived in Dublin! Our flights out of the states, however, particularly the first, were not uneventful. About forty-five minutes in, the flight attendants began hurrying up and down the aisles, speaking to one another in hushed yet audible tones in response to a call from one of the back rows. Soon after the call, one of them announced on the intercom, "If there's a doctor on board, please identify yourself. There's a man not responding and bleeding from the mouth." No one within our view got up and I suddenly realized that I was sitting next to a newly certified nurse. I nudged Melissa and it took her a moment to realize that she was no longer a student and was actually qualified to walk back and assist. She rose somewhat apprehensively but once she was discovered by the flight attendant, she was hurried to the back of the plane. I was sitting next to an elderly woman who was returning to her home in Minneapolis but had been visiting a friend, recently diagnosed with cancer, in Juneau. She had spent the last four or so months with the friend, while suffering herself from a rare and apparently incurable lung disease, as well as an increasingly worsening case of pneumonia. Her humble self-sacrifice was quite refreshing as well as encouraging. She sat talking to me as Melissa assisted the other nurse, who came from the back of the plane, to find out what was wrong with the unresponsive gentleman. The elderly woman commented that, "This was exactly why Melissa became a nurse and this sort of situation would do nothing but give her confidence!" She was very insistent in her statements. Melissa returned presently and informed us that the man had had a minor seizure and had bit his tongue during it, hence the bleeding. The flight attendants had overreacted not knowing the source of the blood and Melissa had been able to comfort them and inform them of the diagnosis and information she had gleaned from the second nurse.

When we finally arrived, we were greeted with unexpected sunshine. After we went through passport control, we found our luggage and soon after were met with our first official laughing fit. Aided by exhaustion and disorientation ("Dr. Melon, talking to yourself is not a sign of mental stability...") we attempted feebly to put on our backpacks while making change for the bus. The backpacks are not light; forty-three pounds to be exact. I'm not sure how that happened. I didn't think we were over-packing, however, we have since been able to redistribute/rid ourselves of some of the weight and that has been helpful. We have also mastered the cinching of straps to position the weight so as not to dislocate limbs with every movement. We finally got the bus to Dame Street, where we met Colleen, our Alaska/Dublin contact, at Starbucks and then boarded the 16a to Kennelworth and Rathgar Villas where Colleen lives with her four roommates; most of them studying at Trinity College Dublin. After getting settled, we took the bus back into town and managed to see the National Library, the National Museum (history and archeology segment), the National Gallery, Trinity Campus, and we also walked through Grafton Street, one of the main roads through Dublin. The National Gallery was most interesting with endless rooms of paintings, which were at points, somewhat overwhelming, but we managed to focus on a few works and exhibits of personal interest including the Yeats exhibit (W.B. Yeats' brother, John Yeats) and the Harry Clarke illustrations from the Hans Christian Anderson fairy tales, as well as a painting, the name of which escapes me at the moment, depicting the marriage of Aoife, the daughter of the King of Leinster, to Strongbow of Normandy, after Strongbow's help in fighting the High King in 1150. It was quite interesting since I felt that in comparison with many of the other paintings that I was unfamiliar with, I actually had some background knowledge to refer to. The painting was huge, covering almost an entire wall, and the walls were not small. We'll be in Dublin two more days, approximately, and hope to make use of our bus passes, seeing as much of the city as possible.

Noted Places of Interest:

1) Bowler's Barber Shop

2) M.J. O'Neill's Cafe

3) St. Stephen's Green

The Adventure Begins

Only two more days and we are off to Yeats country! Our blog title, taken from my most beloved of his poems, "The Wild Swans At Coole", speaks to the migratory nature of the swan, yet emphasizes the bird's lifelong faithfulness to its mate; a unique quality in the avian world. Like the swans, we shall migrate for a time to a distant land, but with hopes of faithfully returning to Alaska and to the next season in each of our lives accompanied by a broader scope of Creation; an appreciation for and knowledge of places we have yet only dreamed of.