Hill of Tara

I visited my hill yesterday! I went exploring with two people from work. Fred is from our Canada office and was in town for 2 days in the Dublin office doing some classes for the local employees. He rented a car for the 3 day weekend and invited Trish and I along. We started with tours of Knowth and Newgrange which are ancient burial sites about an hours drive North of Dublin. Here is an excerpt from a website about the sites I saw...

"The Megalithic Passage Tombs of Newgrange, Knowth, Dowth, Fourknocks, Loughcrew and Tara are located in the present day County of Meath on the east coast of Ireland. The Boyne Valley Mounds at Newgrange, Knowth and Dowth were built around 3200BC making them older than Stonehenge in England and the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt. Built by Neolithic farming communities about 5000 years ago, the passage tombs have clear astronomical alignments such as the Winter Solstice Sunrise at Newgrange and the Equinox Sunrise at Loughcrew. "

Then we will to Hill of Tara and I took quite a few pictures :) We also did some exploring of Trim Castle and other castle and church ruins. It was a great day trip and concluded with dinner in a wonderful Italian bistro in Sandymount (just south of where I live).

Tomorrow is the Dublin Marathon and bank holiday. As far as I know, there is no significance of why we have the day off. However, the trains are completely shut down where I live this weekend due to a stadium renovations about a mile south. So, I am on foot anywhere I go! Lauren and Jon, my American friends in Dublin, are running the marathon tomorrow. I am planning to cheer them on! GO LAUREN & JON!!

Galway & Aran Islands

I went away for the weekend all by myself. I have never traveled on personal time alone and it was actually good. I met lots of interesting people that probably never would have talked to me if I was traveling with someone. I took the train from Dublin to Galway on Saturday morning, arrived in Galway located my hotel and toured Galway on foot. It is a really charming town. I don't know if I would call it a city, but it does have great shopping! It has a pedestrian only street with restaurants, pubs, clothing and jewelry stores and of course the cheesy tourist shops. Now that tourist season is over (I think it officially ends in late September), the stores had some sales. I enjoyed the shops and then found a quaint little restaurant for dinner. I was the first person in the restaurant and about 20 min. later an American couple from Texas came in. The man was joking with the waiter, and I could tell they were American, so I asked where they were from and the three of us ended up talking all the way through dinner and then going to a local pub. The pub had the most fantastic music I had heard in Ireland. There were 8 musicians and the place was packed!

On Sunday, I took the bus and the ferry to Inishmore, the largest of the Aran Islands, off the western side of Ireland. The American couple from the night before were on the ferry too. Our ferry ride was quite rocky and we had a bit of excitement when a coast guard helicopter landed on the back of our boat. We later found out it was just a drill, but they attached a basket to the helicopter before it took off. I spent the day touring with a group of 8 and we hiked up to Dun Aengus in the pouring rain! The island of Inishmore is actually the largest of the Aran Islands and it is only 9 miles by 2 miles. The islands are very desolate! I think one day on Inishmore was enough for me! On Monday, I walked around Galway and caught a train back to Dublin. All in all it was a great trip!

Yesterday was Oct.16 and I fly home on Nov. 16. Only one month left! I have come down with a cold and I am missing Panera soup, medicine that I know what it is and my comfy bed! I went to the pharmacy yesterday and I asked what you take for a cold and they recommended lemsips, strepsips and Day nurse...I didn't have any idea what they were! I'll be home soon!

Starbucks & Howth

About a week ago on my walk to work after I got off the train, I looked up and was surprised to see that Starbucks was moving into a newly renovated old building in Blackrock, Ireland. I was excited for them to open so I could get a latte! I told the girls at work and was actually a bit surprised by their reaction. One of the Irish girls thinks that American companies are trying to take over the world, such as McDonalds and Starbucks. She was upset that it was opening and hoped that the Irish coffee shop, Insomnia, which is on the same street about a block away, would not lose business. I had no idea that Starbucks could be so controversial.

I went with a friend from work yesterday on the cliff walk in Howth. It is absolutely beautiful and has amazing views of the Irish sea and the rock formations on Howth peninsula. We hiked for several hours and then had very upscale fish and chips in a restaurant at the end of the Pier. I am recovering today from all of that hiking..I have some sore muscles! I am realising that my time is quickly coming to an end in Ireland, so I am trying to see a couple more things before I leave. I'm planning to head to Galway next weekend which is on the western side of the Ireland.