This past Saturday I went into the city with two fellow Appalachian student's (Rachel and Rebecca) and a student from Indiana University (Kathleen). The first stop on our expedition was St. Patrick's Cathedral. This is the largest cathedral in all of Ireland. I took some pictures of the outside structure and accompanying tower. Not to far from there is Christ Church Cathedral.
Both churches have crypts in them. On this particular day we did not venture inside a couple of places, we were just there to do some recon. On our way to lunch we took a look at the Dublin Castle. The castle was very interesting because it was comprised of multiple forms of architecture. Sadly they were not running tours that day but I will be going back.
After a quick bite to eat (veggie soup w/ ham and cheese sandwich) we moved onto Grafton Street. This is one of the major places in Dublin to shop. You know how I'm big on shopping! Grafton Street runs into St. Stephen's Green: this is where I got a picture of the statue dude wearing sun glasses. Our walk continued on toward the Bank of Ireland and Trinity College. The college is lovely, unlike any college back home in the states. I will be heading back to the college to take a look at The Book of Kells.
The rest of the day was spent going down O'Connell Street (where The Spire is located) and just being tourists. After a long day of walking we decided that we would hit up a pub for food and drink. The pub was called Cassidy's Pub, apparently former President Bill Clinton once ate there. My order consisted of fish 'n' chips. It was nice to sit down, relax, and watch some football.
Sunday was very busy as I had daylight savings time to contend with. Frank (host Dad) and I went up into the Wicklow Mountains for a "walk". I did not know that a "walk" would be a hike straight up a mountain, but it was well worth it. The area we were in was only about twenty minutes from the suburbs of Dublin, and as you can see in my pictures nothing could spoil the view. Once we reached the summit of the mountain we could see for miles. It was a clear day. I have been told that on a really good day you can see across the Irish Sea into Wales.
My day did not end there. After returning from the mountains, I had to cleanup and get out the door for a rugby match. Sports are very much a part of the culture here in Ireland. The sports they do play are much different from the sports back home. Hurling, Gaelic Football, Rugby, Hockey (Field Hockey), Soccer, and Golf are the most popular, with Hurling and Gaelic football being the national sports. The rugby match I saw was a part of the Magner's League between to provinces here on the island, Leinster (Dublin area) and Ulster (Northern Ireland). It was a good match until Leinster ran away with the game in the second half; they scored four tries in that half. Rugby is a lot of fun to watch as anyone could break free at any moment.
I started working at Powerscourt National School on Monday. It is a lovely school with only 65 students across eight different class levels (junior and senior infants, classes 1-6). Students start off their day with an assembly. During assembly role is taken and they sing a hymn before dismissing to their individual classrooms. I will get a video of the students singing because I thought it was cool.
I have spent the past two days getting to know the students. Yesterday I told them about myself and let them ask me questions. It was nice to know that no matter where you go, kids still ask the most off the wall questions. Questions like, how many bones have you broken, how's Ashely Tisdale doing (I don't really know who that is), favorite food, color, and the best one being, is your brother the devil cause he broke you arm and your nose. I found a picture book about North Carolina today and plan on showing them some of the places I have been.
Wednesday we went to the Mermaid Arts Centre in Bray. A photographer had taken pictures in and around Enniskerry (where the school is located). Many of the students helped her with the research needed for such an undertaking. Yesterday we went to a village called Lullymore. It was an hour and a half bus ride. On the bus ride I showed all the kids what an American dollar looked liked, and, as well, gave them some American gum.
They are curious about what the US is like. Apparently we are the weird ones driving on the wrong side of the road. We visited a heritage center near the village (sort of like a nature center back home). The students enjoyed their time there as much as I did. It was a lovely day full of sunshine and warm weather. The center is located near the largest bog in Ireland--the Bog of Allen. I had no idea how a bog was formed or much of the flora and fauna of Ireland, not to mention how peat is formed. The only unenjoyable part of the trip was the bus ride back, lets just say there was no A/C.
After arriving back at school Rachel and I decided to go up to the Powerscourt Estate and Gardens. For those of you that have seen the newer version of The Count of Monte Cristo, this is where Edmond Dantès lived in the movie. The gardens were the highlight of this trip. The inside of the house has been rebuilt and remodeled due to a fire in 1974. The gardens had many sights to see. There was a tower, Japanese gardens, Italian gardens, and a pet cemetery.
