18 June 2012
Galway, Cliffs of Moher, Bunratty Castle, Ennis (County Clare)
Because of our late night shenanigans and because Chappy's alarm didn't go off, we woke up ten minutes before we had to be in the taxi, so that was an exciting morning. We got everything together though (we had mostly packed the previous night before going out), so that was good. I ate the apple turnover I had bought the previous day in the car.
After a long, twisty drive, we made it to the Cliffs of Moher, which were beautiful. We went through an exhibit about the cliffs, which talked about their formation, climate, wildlife, myths, and those that live in the area (including some neat interactive stuff at each station!). The exhibit ended in a really cool 3D-like virtual reality movie that showed the cliffs and wildlife, from the perspective of the animals. Then we actually went out onto the cliffs, which were amazing. I got so many great panoramic pictures. Megan and I paid the extra €2 to go up in O'Brien's Tower, a little castle-y type thing on the cliffs which had a fantastic view. One part of the cliffs which was amusing yet sad was that next to the most dangerous part of the cliffs (easiest to jump off of), there was a sign that said "Need to talk? Call Samaritans." and gave a number. =/ We said hi to the cows up on the cliffs, and then it was time to go.
We then got back in the van and headed to Bunratty Castle (via a small hotel restaurant for lunch, where I got an Irish coffee [tasty!]). The Bunratty Folk Park had a bunch of old medieval houses, and in one of them we got to help churn some butter (though since our time was limited, we didn't stay until the end, so we didn't get to try any on the [probably] delicious Irish bread that was next to it). In another house, a woman was starting to make an apple pie from scratch. We also saw a lot of farm animals, and pet a super soft donkey (some of the girls kissed him too). The tiny pony didn't want to walk over and say hi to us; he stayed outside of petting distance (as did the sheep, and the cows). Bootheel chased a rooster around for a bit, trying to make friends. The piggies, however, were very excited to see us. The castle itselfw as smaller than I would've thought/smaller than other castles I've seen (I think it was an earl's or a lord's castle, rather than a king's), but it was pretty neat nonetheless. As we were meandering our way back to the van through the shops (full of handmade things, of course!), it started to downpour; just enough to get us thoroughly soaked for the rest of the ride.
We arrived at our hostel in Ennis around 5:30pm or so, and I think I liked this hostel the best of the three. Our 8-bed room was so huge, and there's two computers downstairs that are free to use. After a short but much-needed nap, Airriell, Olivia, Chappy, Megan, and I all went out to eat. Airriell was really missing pizza, so we found an Italian place, which was super tasty. I had Carbonara, which was really creamy and delicious.
Later, we stopped back at the hostel to pick up Alie and Bootheel and drop off Airriell and Olivia before going back out on the (tiny, retirement-seeming) town. First we went to the this bar called YOLO (You Only Live Once), which we found hilarious. It was pretty modern and seemed out of place--more an American bar than an Irish pub. Yet again there was live music--playing everything from Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here to Call Me Maybe. A few days after our departure they were supposed to have a band called "Plan B" playing there. At YOLO. ... In other news, they had a cocktail called "Jelly Baby" and a shooter that was "Baby Guinness"--supposedly Tia Maria and Bailey's (unfortunately I did not try either of these drinks).
We then made our way down the street to a pub called Dan O'Connell's that also had a live band, which played traditional Irish music, Mumford and Sons, MGMT, and of course, Johnny Cash. An older (~40s) drunk guy kept coming over the dance with Chappy, which was amusing. At one point he got all of the rest of us to get up and dance as well. Interestingly enough, after midnight, they shut the front door and blocked it with a table and stack of chairs, I guess to prevent more people from coming in, while still allowing the party to continue inside. There had been an Ireland Euro Cup game that evening, so the pub was pretty packed with football fans and just normal bargoers. Ennis really does roll up its streets though. Most businesses were closed by 5pm, and most bars (or at least the front doors) closed between 10pm and midnight.
19 June 2012
Ennis, Limerick
So this morning I woke up and breakfast at the hostel--pretty much the same breakfast that was served at every hostel--cornflakes, toast, coffee, and orange juice. The only difference was that I had to wash my own dishes here, unlike at all of the other hostels. Then I finally mailed my postcards (which haven't gotten here yet, and it's almost been a month [July 17], so it's highly likely that they are lost somewhere between Ennis and Chicago D=), and took a walk around town, which only took about half the day. It's a cute little town, but it seems like somewhere to raise a family and/or retire, not to visit as a tourist, so I'm not really sure why it was included on our tour [for those of you who followed my blog when I was in Germany, Ennis is smaller (or maybe similarly sized) than Holzkirchen].
For lunch I had a doner [FINALLY] from a place called Abrakebabra. Irish doners are quite different from German döners (and it's not just the ümlaut). It's got Irish lamb, cabbage, and red cabbage, and then there is a red and white sauce that tastes a tad bit spicy. it was tasty and interesting.
I then went back to the hostel and just hung out there for a bit before our last game. We got a coach bus to the game instead of a small taxi van! We ended up playing tag rugby again because their insurance had ended in May. Fortunately, we're starting to get the hang of it, and they weren't as good as the teams we played on Saturday (or at least cared less), so we didn't embarrass ourselves too much (though we did still lose). Another difference was that this team also normally plays 15s tackle, whereas the teams at the tournament are full on 7s tag rugby teams and train as such. I almost made a try, but I was tagged and I dove into the try line (~simultaneously, as I touched the ball down), which isn't allowed in tag for some reason.
After the game a few of us went out to get some dinner. I finally had the (infamous) taco fries that Alie and Bootheel had been talking about all week. They were pretty good, kind of like nachos supreme on fries instead of tortilla chips. We then went to a pub for our last night out and listened to some nice traditional Irish music. Some creepy guy (~40s, again) who was super drunk kept talking to us about rugby, among other things, and it was a bit awkward.
We left the pub a bit after midnight, and went back to our hostel room and drank some Bulmer's cider and rum and coke that we had bought earlier on our dinner adventure. We had quite a fun time just team bonding at the hostel, Ireland style.
20 June 2012
Ennis, Dublin, Airplane over the Atlantic, Chicago
So the hostel was really nice and put breakfast out early just for us (we had to leave at 6:45am, and normally breakfast isn't served until 7:30am). We then all piled into our coach bus and headed to the Dublin airport (arriving ~30 minutes later than planned). We said bye to Olivia as she met up with her dad and brother, and then proceeded into the airport. We got our boarding passes, checked out bags, and went through security, and then, interestingly enough, we went through customs. I've never done customs prior to getting on the plane before, usually it's upon landing. But this was US Pre-Clearance, and after asking all the necessary questions, the guy stamped my passport and said, "Welcome to the United States," despite the fact that I was still in Dublin. It was quite odd and I was stressed out since I thought we were going to be late. That stress continued when we got to the departure/arrival boards, which said "last call" for our plane. Luckily that just meant last call for customs, and we had at least another half an hour before they even began boarding Group 1 (we were Group 6).
On the plane I watched Winnie the Pooh (the new one, which was cute), Happy Feet 2 (surprisingly not awful like many cartoon sequels are; I actually enjoyed it), and Jeff at Home (this was interesting...still not sure whether I liked it or not). i also took a short nap (fell asleep during Jeff at Home, and rewinding on an airplane tv with no chapter select is very irritating). Then, I was home!
(pint glass count: 3)
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And now, I want to go back. The weather was much better than this disgusting heat wave. 60s>100s.
Co Clare Pics!
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Galway Girl
16 June 2012
Dublin, Carlow, Galway
After a breakfast of toast, cornflakes, coffee, and orange juice at the hostel, we got in the van to head to Carlow for our tag rugby 7s tournament. We were paired with a men's U-19 (high school) team from Pennsylvania--West Shore United--we each split our teams in half and put them together. Airriell, Chapman, and Megan were with the West Shore alumni and coaches, and Alie, Olivia, Bootheel, and I were with the high school boys. The alumni team won one of their two games, but our team didn't win any of our three. Since none of us had ever played tag rugby before (think flag football), it was in general pretty awful, since we were playing teams that solely play tag, not tackle (not to mention 7s, not 15s). It was like learning an entirely new sport, but we started to get the hang of it by the end and had a bunch of fun. A few of us met George Hook Senior, the father of the guy who organized our trip. Turns out he used to be a pretty good rugby player for Carlow and was once the coach of the US national team, the Eagles.
When our third game was over, we hopped back into the van to head to Galway. We arrived at our hostel and checked in--this time we had two 4-person rooms instead of the one 8-person room in Dublin (so two bathrooms for 7 girls instead of one). After showering, we headed out to a famed fish & chips restaurant--McDonagh's. Since I don't like seafood, I got one of the only non-fish things on the menu, sausage and chips, which was pretty tasty. We sat down at a table where another guy (a local) was already sitting, and I had a nice chat with him about Galway and what to do there whilst we ate. It turns out he doesn't like Galway much--too small town for him--though he thought it was a great place to grow up.
After dinner, we went to the Quays (pronounced Keys), a large pub recommended to us both by the hostel receptionist and the fish and chips guy. It was huge and crowded, with at least five hen (bachelorette) parties. I had a Guinness (it was a really cool glass, with a 3-D harp on it, but we were being watched like a hawk so I couldn't take it), and was falling asleep at the pub, so I went home after the one drink with Airriell, Chapman, and Megan and immediately fell into bed.
17 June 2012
Galway
Ow. This morning I tried to wake up at 9, but didn't actually get up until about 11 since I was so sore. My lower back and my knee hurt so much that it was a bit difficult to move until I took some Aleve. I finally made it through a shower and out the door to a cafe where I had a cappuccino and bowl of oatmeal (porridge), which came with a berry compote and honey (plus there was brown sugar on the table), so I tried it plain as well as with each topping in turn. The porridge was quite delicious (this hostel did not have a continental breakfast).
After breakfast, I walked around Galway, which is a beautiful little town. It was actually my favorite of all the places we went. Ironically, our game was canceled due to a forecast for a really bad storm and generally shitty weather, but it was actually sunny and warm all day long; probably the warmest it was the whole trip. Though it's one of the 4 most populated Irish cities, Galway is a pretty small city so it's luckily definitely doable in a day. I saw the Spanish Arch, the harbor, and the cathedral. I walked along the river, which was beautiful. I also did a bit of shopping for souvenirs and such. There was really neat artist market on the street as well. As I was wandering, I ate some Guinness flavored gelato, which was fantastic.
Since our game was canceled, George Hook made us dinner reservations at a swanky hotel restaurant. We had a three course meal--we got brown bread and Irish butter, I got potato & leek soup for my starter, my main dish was chicken breast with a bunch of stuff (i.e. sun-dried tomatoes, basil, and a lot more things I don't remember) stuffed inside, which came with mashed potatoes and mixed veggies, and profiteroles for dessert. We were also given two jugs of water--both still and bubbly--and I had a glass of Merlot with my meal. Tasty dinner.
After we were done stuffing our faces, we stopped by the hostel to pack our suitcases for the next day before going out. We went to the King's Head, which after the DJ was done, a live band started. This band (like most live pub bands in Ireland, as I found) covered everything from Johnny Cash to Pink Floyd to Black Eyed Peas; their range was ridiculous. A group of boys out for a stag (bachelor) party came over and talked with us all night. They were astounded that I was drinking Guinness; maybe that's not something that Irish girls do? One of them attached themselves to each of us, and one boy, James, who had a gimp leg from a soccer injury, attached himself to me and bought me drinks (despite the fact that he knew I have a boyfriend). Airriell ended up arm wrestling most of the boys, as well as some of us. It was definitely an interesting night, and we didn't end up getting home until 4:30am or so.
Photos from Carlow and Galway!
Dublin, Carlow, Galway
After a breakfast of toast, cornflakes, coffee, and orange juice at the hostel, we got in the van to head to Carlow for our tag rugby 7s tournament. We were paired with a men's U-19 (high school) team from Pennsylvania--West Shore United--we each split our teams in half and put them together. Airriell, Chapman, and Megan were with the West Shore alumni and coaches, and Alie, Olivia, Bootheel, and I were with the high school boys. The alumni team won one of their two games, but our team didn't win any of our three. Since none of us had ever played tag rugby before (think flag football), it was in general pretty awful, since we were playing teams that solely play tag, not tackle (not to mention 7s, not 15s). It was like learning an entirely new sport, but we started to get the hang of it by the end and had a bunch of fun. A few of us met George Hook Senior, the father of the guy who organized our trip. Turns out he used to be a pretty good rugby player for Carlow and was once the coach of the US national team, the Eagles.
When our third game was over, we hopped back into the van to head to Galway. We arrived at our hostel and checked in--this time we had two 4-person rooms instead of the one 8-person room in Dublin (so two bathrooms for 7 girls instead of one). After showering, we headed out to a famed fish & chips restaurant--McDonagh's. Since I don't like seafood, I got one of the only non-fish things on the menu, sausage and chips, which was pretty tasty. We sat down at a table where another guy (a local) was already sitting, and I had a nice chat with him about Galway and what to do there whilst we ate. It turns out he doesn't like Galway much--too small town for him--though he thought it was a great place to grow up.
After dinner, we went to the Quays (pronounced Keys), a large pub recommended to us both by the hostel receptionist and the fish and chips guy. It was huge and crowded, with at least five hen (bachelorette) parties. I had a Guinness (it was a really cool glass, with a 3-D harp on it, but we were being watched like a hawk so I couldn't take it), and was falling asleep at the pub, so I went home after the one drink with Airriell, Chapman, and Megan and immediately fell into bed.
17 June 2012
Galway
Ow. This morning I tried to wake up at 9, but didn't actually get up until about 11 since I was so sore. My lower back and my knee hurt so much that it was a bit difficult to move until I took some Aleve. I finally made it through a shower and out the door to a cafe where I had a cappuccino and bowl of oatmeal (porridge), which came with a berry compote and honey (plus there was brown sugar on the table), so I tried it plain as well as with each topping in turn. The porridge was quite delicious (this hostel did not have a continental breakfast).
After breakfast, I walked around Galway, which is a beautiful little town. It was actually my favorite of all the places we went. Ironically, our game was canceled due to a forecast for a really bad storm and generally shitty weather, but it was actually sunny and warm all day long; probably the warmest it was the whole trip. Though it's one of the 4 most populated Irish cities, Galway is a pretty small city so it's luckily definitely doable in a day. I saw the Spanish Arch, the harbor, and the cathedral. I walked along the river, which was beautiful. I also did a bit of shopping for souvenirs and such. There was really neat artist market on the street as well. As I was wandering, I ate some Guinness flavored gelato, which was fantastic.
Since our game was canceled, George Hook made us dinner reservations at a swanky hotel restaurant. We had a three course meal--we got brown bread and Irish butter, I got potato & leek soup for my starter, my main dish was chicken breast with a bunch of stuff (i.e. sun-dried tomatoes, basil, and a lot more things I don't remember) stuffed inside, which came with mashed potatoes and mixed veggies, and profiteroles for dessert. We were also given two jugs of water--both still and bubbly--and I had a glass of Merlot with my meal. Tasty dinner.
After we were done stuffing our faces, we stopped by the hostel to pack our suitcases for the next day before going out. We went to the King's Head, which after the DJ was done, a live band started. This band (like most live pub bands in Ireland, as I found) covered everything from Johnny Cash to Pink Floyd to Black Eyed Peas; their range was ridiculous. A group of boys out for a stag (bachelor) party came over and talked with us all night. They were astounded that I was drinking Guinness; maybe that's not something that Irish girls do? One of them attached themselves to each of us, and one boy, James, who had a gimp leg from a soccer injury, attached himself to me and bought me drinks (despite the fact that he knew I have a boyfriend). Airriell ended up arm wrestling most of the boys, as well as some of us. It was definitely an interesting night, and we didn't end up getting home until 4:30am or so.
Photos from Carlow and Galway!
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Rugby Trip to Ireland!
13/14 June 2012
Chicago, Washington D.C., Dublin
So the flight was pretty uneventful. We made our connection on time, which I was worried about since we had less than an hour, but it all worked out. I watched Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows on the plane, which was pretty good. There were a bunch more movies I wanted to watch, but instead I decided to try and force myself to sleep. Despite staying up until 4:30am the previous night, I was not really all that tired and had issues sleeping, probably due to being nervous, since this is (a.) the first trip I'm going on without a responsible adult (yes I know I am technically an adult but you know what I mean), (b.) the first trip I organized in which I am the responsible party for the whole group. I think I got a bit of sleep, no idea how much though. When we got to the airport, the customs guy teased us about how we didn't look like a rugby team--we aren't big or hairy enough--and also that the winning team has to buy the beers (we replied saying we hope that's true, since we probably won't win).
We then got in our taxi van (2 sets of three seats, facing each other in the back, with the 7th girl riding in the passenger seat up front) and made our way to the hostel. We couldn't check in right away, so we waited around a bit, then changed into our rugby gear and stored our bags. We practically had to run to the hotel where our Full Irish Breakfast reservations were, and quickly scarfed down our food in 20 minutes. It was delicious though: an egg over easy, Irish breakfast sausage, a big piece of Irish bacon (more like ham), baked beans, toast, orange juice, and coffee. Irish butter is delicious. There were also a bunch of other condiments on the table, including "Brown Sauce," which apparently is like a steak sauce.
After our speedy breakfast, we immediately went to our training clinic with Kevin West, an internationally ranked rugby coach. He was a fantastic coach, and we learned a lot of good drills. He also taught us some strategies/plays for playing 7s, since we've never really played 7s before.
We then hopped back into the van to head to Lansdowne Aviva Stadium, the home pitch for the Irish national rugby and football (soccer) teams. We had a guided tour of the stadium, and our tour guide, Danny, was quite amused by us and some of the things we said (one of the girls wasn't really up to date on Irish slang). There was a 3D Experience in which we each typed in our names and took a picture of ourselves on an iPad, then headed to our own little cubicle. In the video, I was the new star player of the Irish national rugby team, so I got to experience what all that was like, and got a virtual tour of the stadium. We then got to physically tour all of the places we just saw in the video, such as the locker room (which has physio beds, a replay meeting room, and two giant baths--an ice bath and a jacuzzi bath (players go in the ice bath for ~2 minutes, then the jacuzzi for ~5 minutes, then repeat both baths before every game--it cuts their recovery time in half) among other things). We got to walk onto the field via the players entrance, then we went upstairs and entered the spectator section. It was all quite exciting.
After Lansdowne, we headed over to the Guinness storehouse. We went through the self-guided tour of the museum, which talked about how Guinness is made, from the initial basic ingredients all the way to pouring it from the tap. The museum started on the ground floor and worked its way up to the Gravity Bar, a 360 degree panoramic room where we got to enjoy our free pint of Guinness. The man who gave me my pint made a shamrock in the head (like how coffee baristas make hearts and leaves in the foam), which was awesome. In line in the gift shop, I made a single-serving friend--she noticed I was wearing my rugby kit, and we started talking about rugby--she is the coach of Washington University's team in Seattle and is just on vacation around Europe by herself.
We finally made it back to the hostel for our first break of the day. We all got ready for the evening (finally changed out of our rugby gear) and went right back out into Dublin. Two of the girls went on the hostel pub crawl (which apparently included the pub from PS I Love You), but the rest of us decided to go to a pub that our driver had said had a traditional dancing show and meal for €17. Unfortunately when we got there we found out that it was actually €40, so we decided to go elsewhere. By this point we all looked like drowned rats, since it was pouring outside and we had been walking for quite a while. A hostess at a pub down the street ushered us into her pub. Our initial table wasn't ideal; the Irish were playing Spain in the Euro Cup, and we were right in front of a TV blocking everyone else's view. Our new seating arrangement was much better; we were actually all sitting at the same table, and though we had a view of the television, we were not blocking it. I had a Bulmer's cider, a steak and Guinness pie, and chips (fries). The steak and Guinness pie was really tasty, but unlike other savory pies I've had. The top crust had been baked separately, and was just on top of a stew. It was quite delicious though. Unfortunately Ireland lost the game 4-0, and everyone was quite sad, but the pub played Monty Python's "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" after the game, and everyone sang along, which was quite amusing.
After the pub, we dragged our tired, soggy selves back to the hostel and went straight to sleep.
15 June 2012
Dublin
This morning I went to the Old Jameson Distillery with Alie and Bootheel. I found it interesting that the first half of the distillation process is quite similar to how Guinness is made-->harvest barley, malt (germinate) some of it, roast it, mill it, and mash it--then it differs. For Guinness, the barley mash is mixed with hops, yeast, and water, while for the Jameson, the barley wash (the liquid is used, not the solid like in Guinness) is just mixed with water and distilled (three times in the case of Jameson). At the end of the tour, we got a drink of Jameson--we got to choose whether to drink straight Jameson on the rocks, or with ginger ale, cranberry, or sprite. Not knowing what was to come next, the three of us decided to just get Jameson on the rocks so that we could properly taste the whiskey. We then were directed to sit down next to a placemat, on which were three shots: Jameson triple-distilled Irish whiskey, Jim Bean Black Label twice-distilled scotch, and Jack Daniels single distilled American whiskey. We tasted each one in turn, first smelling it, then letting it sit for a bit on our tongues before swallowing. The Jameson was the best of course. The Scotch had a smoky, kind of bittersweet taste--this is because they use peat in the roasting process, whereas Jameson uses natural gas. The American whiskey tasted woody--this is due to the fact that after the Prohibition Era, a law was passed that said you can only age liquor in new casks. (Jameson uses seasoned casks--they buy them from America [previously stored bourbon], and Spain and South America [previously stored port and sherry]. These give the whiskey different flavors.) Jameson was the smoothest, and everyone liked that one the best. We then got certificates that say we are Certified Irish Whiskey Tasters. Normally this whole tasting/comparing process is only one person per tour, but we all got to do it. I think that is because the three of us ended up with a tour of elderly people (we talked to them later, apparently they are all alumni from some US University. They all really liked us and kept taking pictures of us).
After the Jameson distillery, I went back to the hostel and met up with Chappy and Megan. We walked around a bit, and then had lunch at a pub in Temple Bar. I had bangers and mash and a pint of Harp, Chappy had an Irish breakfast and a pint of Harp, and Megan got a shepherd's pie and a pint of Guinness. Everyone's meals were delicious (we each had some of each others'); the black and white pudding that came with Chappy's breakfast was really tasty--fried slices of blood and liver sausage, so that they were crunchy on the outside.
We walked around Temple Bar a bit more, then headed to Trinity College. I went to the library and the Book of Kells exhibit, which was pretty neat. I got to see the Book of Kells, as well as four other richly illuminated books from around the same time. The Long Room of the library was beautiful, and so big. I got to see a bunch more old, illuminated books in there as well.
We then made our way back to the hostel to get ready for our first match against the Old Belvedere Rugby Club. They lent us two girls (and changed them out regularly), so we played "nines" instead of sevens. They were extremely good and beat us 80-35, but they were also really nice and gave us in-game tips. We later found out that one of their girls plays for Ireland's national team, so no wonder they beat us. They gave us lots of great tips though, and we got better throughout the game. We learned a lot from them.
There was a pub at the rugby club which we went to after the match where we socialized with the other team for a while. Eventually we left and went back to our hostel to get ready for the evening and pack up our suitcases in preparation for the next day. We went out to a pub that Alie and Bootheel had found the previous night on their crawl. There was a live band playing traditional Irish songs that everyone sang along to, which was a bit awkward since we didn't know the words, but still really fun. After a while, Airriell and I left to go back home. We sat in our hostel room for a while chatting until everyone else got back and we realized it was 4:30am and we had to get up at 7.
(pint glass count: 1)
Photos from Dublin!
Chicago, Washington D.C., Dublin
So the flight was pretty uneventful. We made our connection on time, which I was worried about since we had less than an hour, but it all worked out. I watched Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows on the plane, which was pretty good. There were a bunch more movies I wanted to watch, but instead I decided to try and force myself to sleep. Despite staying up until 4:30am the previous night, I was not really all that tired and had issues sleeping, probably due to being nervous, since this is (a.) the first trip I'm going on without a responsible adult (yes I know I am technically an adult but you know what I mean), (b.) the first trip I organized in which I am the responsible party for the whole group. I think I got a bit of sleep, no idea how much though. When we got to the airport, the customs guy teased us about how we didn't look like a rugby team--we aren't big or hairy enough--and also that the winning team has to buy the beers (we replied saying we hope that's true, since we probably won't win).
We then got in our taxi van (2 sets of three seats, facing each other in the back, with the 7th girl riding in the passenger seat up front) and made our way to the hostel. We couldn't check in right away, so we waited around a bit, then changed into our rugby gear and stored our bags. We practically had to run to the hotel where our Full Irish Breakfast reservations were, and quickly scarfed down our food in 20 minutes. It was delicious though: an egg over easy, Irish breakfast sausage, a big piece of Irish bacon (more like ham), baked beans, toast, orange juice, and coffee. Irish butter is delicious. There were also a bunch of other condiments on the table, including "Brown Sauce," which apparently is like a steak sauce.
After our speedy breakfast, we immediately went to our training clinic with Kevin West, an internationally ranked rugby coach. He was a fantastic coach, and we learned a lot of good drills. He also taught us some strategies/plays for playing 7s, since we've never really played 7s before.
We then hopped back into the van to head to Lansdowne Aviva Stadium, the home pitch for the Irish national rugby and football (soccer) teams. We had a guided tour of the stadium, and our tour guide, Danny, was quite amused by us and some of the things we said (one of the girls wasn't really up to date on Irish slang). There was a 3D Experience in which we each typed in our names and took a picture of ourselves on an iPad, then headed to our own little cubicle. In the video, I was the new star player of the Irish national rugby team, so I got to experience what all that was like, and got a virtual tour of the stadium. We then got to physically tour all of the places we just saw in the video, such as the locker room (which has physio beds, a replay meeting room, and two giant baths--an ice bath and a jacuzzi bath (players go in the ice bath for ~2 minutes, then the jacuzzi for ~5 minutes, then repeat both baths before every game--it cuts their recovery time in half) among other things). We got to walk onto the field via the players entrance, then we went upstairs and entered the spectator section. It was all quite exciting.
After Lansdowne, we headed over to the Guinness storehouse. We went through the self-guided tour of the museum, which talked about how Guinness is made, from the initial basic ingredients all the way to pouring it from the tap. The museum started on the ground floor and worked its way up to the Gravity Bar, a 360 degree panoramic room where we got to enjoy our free pint of Guinness. The man who gave me my pint made a shamrock in the head (like how coffee baristas make hearts and leaves in the foam), which was awesome. In line in the gift shop, I made a single-serving friend--she noticed I was wearing my rugby kit, and we started talking about rugby--she is the coach of Washington University's team in Seattle and is just on vacation around Europe by herself.
We finally made it back to the hostel for our first break of the day. We all got ready for the evening (finally changed out of our rugby gear) and went right back out into Dublin. Two of the girls went on the hostel pub crawl (which apparently included the pub from PS I Love You), but the rest of us decided to go to a pub that our driver had said had a traditional dancing show and meal for €17. Unfortunately when we got there we found out that it was actually €40, so we decided to go elsewhere. By this point we all looked like drowned rats, since it was pouring outside and we had been walking for quite a while. A hostess at a pub down the street ushered us into her pub. Our initial table wasn't ideal; the Irish were playing Spain in the Euro Cup, and we were right in front of a TV blocking everyone else's view. Our new seating arrangement was much better; we were actually all sitting at the same table, and though we had a view of the television, we were not blocking it. I had a Bulmer's cider, a steak and Guinness pie, and chips (fries). The steak and Guinness pie was really tasty, but unlike other savory pies I've had. The top crust had been baked separately, and was just on top of a stew. It was quite delicious though. Unfortunately Ireland lost the game 4-0, and everyone was quite sad, but the pub played Monty Python's "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" after the game, and everyone sang along, which was quite amusing.
After the pub, we dragged our tired, soggy selves back to the hostel and went straight to sleep.
15 June 2012
Dublin
This morning I went to the Old Jameson Distillery with Alie and Bootheel. I found it interesting that the first half of the distillation process is quite similar to how Guinness is made-->harvest barley, malt (germinate) some of it, roast it, mill it, and mash it--then it differs. For Guinness, the barley mash is mixed with hops, yeast, and water, while for the Jameson, the barley wash (the liquid is used, not the solid like in Guinness) is just mixed with water and distilled (three times in the case of Jameson). At the end of the tour, we got a drink of Jameson--we got to choose whether to drink straight Jameson on the rocks, or with ginger ale, cranberry, or sprite. Not knowing what was to come next, the three of us decided to just get Jameson on the rocks so that we could properly taste the whiskey. We then were directed to sit down next to a placemat, on which were three shots: Jameson triple-distilled Irish whiskey, Jim Bean Black Label twice-distilled scotch, and Jack Daniels single distilled American whiskey. We tasted each one in turn, first smelling it, then letting it sit for a bit on our tongues before swallowing. The Jameson was the best of course. The Scotch had a smoky, kind of bittersweet taste--this is because they use peat in the roasting process, whereas Jameson uses natural gas. The American whiskey tasted woody--this is due to the fact that after the Prohibition Era, a law was passed that said you can only age liquor in new casks. (Jameson uses seasoned casks--they buy them from America [previously stored bourbon], and Spain and South America [previously stored port and sherry]. These give the whiskey different flavors.) Jameson was the smoothest, and everyone liked that one the best. We then got certificates that say we are Certified Irish Whiskey Tasters. Normally this whole tasting/comparing process is only one person per tour, but we all got to do it. I think that is because the three of us ended up with a tour of elderly people (we talked to them later, apparently they are all alumni from some US University. They all really liked us and kept taking pictures of us).
After the Jameson distillery, I went back to the hostel and met up with Chappy and Megan. We walked around a bit, and then had lunch at a pub in Temple Bar. I had bangers and mash and a pint of Harp, Chappy had an Irish breakfast and a pint of Harp, and Megan got a shepherd's pie and a pint of Guinness. Everyone's meals were delicious (we each had some of each others'); the black and white pudding that came with Chappy's breakfast was really tasty--fried slices of blood and liver sausage, so that they were crunchy on the outside.
We walked around Temple Bar a bit more, then headed to Trinity College. I went to the library and the Book of Kells exhibit, which was pretty neat. I got to see the Book of Kells, as well as four other richly illuminated books from around the same time. The Long Room of the library was beautiful, and so big. I got to see a bunch more old, illuminated books in there as well.
We then made our way back to the hostel to get ready for our first match against the Old Belvedere Rugby Club. They lent us two girls (and changed them out regularly), so we played "nines" instead of sevens. They were extremely good and beat us 80-35, but they were also really nice and gave us in-game tips. We later found out that one of their girls plays for Ireland's national team, so no wonder they beat us. They gave us lots of great tips though, and we got better throughout the game. We learned a lot from them.
There was a pub at the rugby club which we went to after the match where we socialized with the other team for a while. Eventually we left and went back to our hostel to get ready for the evening and pack up our suitcases in preparation for the next day. We went out to a pub that Alie and Bootheel had found the previous night on their crawl. There was a live band playing traditional Irish songs that everyone sang along to, which was a bit awkward since we didn't know the words, but still really fun. After a while, Airriell and I left to go back home. We sat in our hostel room for a while chatting until everyone else got back and we realized it was 4:30am and we had to get up at 7.
(pint glass count: 1)
Photos from Dublin!
Last of Vienna
Samstag, 10. Dezember
Wien
(To be updated later.)
Sonntag, 11. Dezember
Wien
(To be updated later.)
Montag, 12. Dezember
Wien
(To be updated later.)
Dienstag, 13. Dezember
Wien
(To be updated later.)
Mittwoch, 14. Dezember
Wien, Chicago
(To be updated later.)
Currently this is just a placeholder for this bit since I want to write about my current trip in Ireland; I'll try and write a proper (6-month-old) post later.
Wien
(To be updated later.)
Sonntag, 11. Dezember
Wien
(To be updated later.)
Montag, 12. Dezember
Wien
(To be updated later.)
Dienstag, 13. Dezember
Wien
(To be updated later.)
Mittwoch, 14. Dezember
Wien, Chicago
(To be updated later.)
Currently this is just a placeholder for this bit since I want to write about my current trip in Ireland; I'll try and write a proper (6-month-old) post later.
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