That one time I walked for about an hour to find an abandoned castle.
I posted my pictures on Facebook (because there are 298 in total, and it would be impossible to post them here or on Tumblr). London was amazing, as I’m sure you’d expect! I’ve felt similarly in other places, like Paris and Brussells, but London would also be a great place to visit with family. It was nice with friends, but if I was going to do it again it would be with family (and in a hotel close to the center!). We stayed in a hostel (I liked the one in Dublin better, but it wasn’t bad), but the main problem with it is how far it was from everything. Luckily the tube system is excellent, and we used it SO MUCH. We got day passes each day and made sure we got more than our money’s worth. I feel like I saw more of the Underground during my stay than the actual city.
Highlights were definitely seeing the big sites and Harry Potter. The Crown Jewels were very cool, but of course you couldn’t take pictures. We did a free walking tour that was excellent and if I were to do it again, I’d go on some of their other tours (which were ₤9 for students, but I just didn’t have the time).
I did go to church on Sunday at Westminster Abbey, but they were prompt about getting us out of church before we could poke around (as visitors have to pay). Its a bit frustrating, but I suppose I understand. We sat on the right-hand side of the altar so we couldn’t see anything either. Although that was a little disappointing, I have now been to church in the three biggest churches in London, Dublin, and Paris! (Westminster, St. Patrick’s, and Notre Dame). The history alone makes that really cool for me :)
I’ll be in London tomorrow! It’s a bit hard to believe, especially because I’m sitting on my bed in Galway typing this. I suppose it would be easier to believe if I was going straight to London from the airport, settling in at my hostel, and seeing the city. But its not going to be that way! I’ll be going straight to the Warner Bros. Harry Potter studios after I get off the plane and then I’ll be heading into London in the evening. I think that’s what makes it a bit bizarre for me to believe. The studios sound amazing, but the weird thing is that I’m going by myself. I’ll be meeting up with two friends who are studying here in Galway when I get to London. They’ve been in Scotland since Sunday, and are taking a bus down to London all day. They’ll be going to the Studios the day I leave, but I couldn’t leave London without seeing the Harry Potter studios! I thought about it, and literally half of my life so far has been spent in the Harry Potter universe. I started reading the books in 2000, and twelve years later (now 21 years old) the series has concluded and so have the films. I was obviously a big reader when I was younger (and of course still am) but I would like to think that the Harry Potter series were some of the most influential books for me. Who knows, maybe I would be studying something else in college? I have a feeling that wouldn’t be entirely true, but I can only name a few books from when I was younger that allowed me to escape into another world that only books can do! A lot of how I came to understand England and London came from the Harry Potter books when I was younger. I remember being 11 and reading the books aloud with a “British” accent, albeit a terrible one I’m sure. I guess its a bit fitting that my first experience in England will be with something that gave me some of my earliest impressions as a young American. I’ll be sure to take a lot of pictures. I’ve heard that you get to see the Great Hall, and I’m really hoping I can get a picture of myself standing in front of it :)
Things I plan to do while in London:
- The Tower of London and the Crown Jewels
- See the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace
- Walk into Westminster Abbey, and see where famous authors are buried
- Visit the British and Tate museums
- Take a picture with a red phone booth and of Parliament and Big Ben
- See the Tower Bridge
- Visit the Peter Pan statue (as we all know that for me, a trip to London wouldn’t be complete without it)
- And I’m sure plenty more fun activities :)
I will be sure to take MANY photos! :)
Greetings from Dublin!
I’m in Dublin with my friend Naa, and we’ve been here since Wednesday. Its been a nice, relaxing and fun time so far!
We really haven’t done much, but its like a vacation to be in a different place.
Wednesday was our travel day as we both got into Dublin aroun 5. We then ate Italian for dinner, and spent the evening in the hostel.
Yesterday, I went to the National Archives to use the Genealogy services there. Naa came with me and it was a good thing too, because I had planned on visiting the Archives and then meeting her at the Hostels Free Walking Tour. It ended up taking longer thanw we would have liked, and we missed the Walking Tour. That ended up being fine though as we experienced a bit of it today, and I don’t think we were missing much. What I did find out at the Archives though is that the Thomas and Abby I fould in the Castlehaven parish are probably the correct parents of great-great-grandpa Phillip. The genealogist also basically told me that I the marriage records are nonexistent from that place and time, and given the fact that Phillip was born around the famine, a lot of records were lost (and since that area experienced the worst of the famine, too). He explained that this was an Irish speaking community, which would explain how the two other baptisms of Thomas and Michael read “of G.Heenaling,” as that would be an anglicized abbreviation. Basically, what I took away from my visit is that I have done the most work I can do with the resources available, and that to look farther down the line will be very, very difficult. He gave me references to tithe applotments, Griffith’s Valuation records, and parish records, and directions to a couple other offices. It was a lot of work that I wasn’t prepared to do this weekend! There were two sets of microfilms I could look at at the Archives, so I did do that while I was there. I had never used a microfilm machine before so that was kind of fun. They didn’t reveal anything new. I found a couple of Thomas Attridge references, but none in Glasheenaulin. And then, I did find a John Attridge in Glasheenaulin, so its possible Thomas inherited the land and home from John. The earliest censuses available are from 1901, so searching that we found that there were no Attridges living in Glasheenaulin. Somewhere down the line, their family moved away (but to where, who knows?) We found a possible death date around 1880 for Thomas, too. Anyways, I’m visiting Skibereen before I leave and that will be the end of the Attridge Family research for awhile! I’m proud of myself that I’ve found as much as a genealogist could find, and that I’ve come this far (which, granted isn’t very far) but I’ve come to a better understanding of where our family came from in Ireland. Its a bit late to start the Black family side. But that’s definitely a more common name, and Black key chains are sold when you find Irish family name places in souvenir shops. I might buy a couple to take home for family members, but you can buy these in the States too.
Yesterday, it was BEAUTIFUL in Dublin so we walked over to Boojum’s, a burrito place like Chipotle, and I’ve only seen it in Dublin. After we walked down Henry Street and visited stores like Forever 21, Penneys, and H&M, but we didn’t seem to be in luck for shopping (which is probably a good thing for my wallet!). Then we did souvenir shopping. This was very successful! I’d been planning on buying my Ireland souvenirs here since Galway doesn’t have many options. We came back to the hostel, and then after a break, we walked across the Liffey to the Jameson Distillery for a great tour! I personally enjoyed it much, much more than the Guinness tour. Naa doesn’t like beer, so she isn’t interested in seeing the Guinness Storehouse, but I would definitely recommend it to anyone visiting Dublin. It’s part of the experience! Don’t feel pushed to buy souvenirs in the Guinness gift shop though, as all their merchandise can be bought for the same price elsewhere in Dublin (Carroll’s gift shop has a large inventory). Jameson, on the other hand, felt a little like Disney! It had a tour guide, a video (which was neat as it was set in 1802 Dublin, and not a documentary), and then you walked around as they showed and explained how the whiskey is made. It was all very cool. Then of course, a taste experience. You could have Jameson on the rocks, with cranberry juice, Sprite, or ginger ale. Naa had the Sprite, and neither of us liked it very much. It was syrupy and had an odd after taste. I had the cranberry, and although it was fruity and nice, I didn’t really taste anything at all. It was a bit watered down, and if I had ordered that in a bar I would have been disappointed. Interesting experience though! We then had dinner at the oldest bar in Dublin, The Brazen Head. Yum!
Today, we had breakfast (they do a free continental, but its really cereal, tea, and toast), walked down Dame St as I needed to pick up some Sudafed (I know, getting sick, again). Then we walked around waiting for the Walking Tour to start. When we met up for the tour, we only walked to about 3 stops where we got to Temple Bar, and stopped to take a picture, and majority of the group got separated from the tour guide! Naa and I weren’t complaining though, as the tour was supposed to last for 3 hours! We were hungry and found the Mongolian BBQ, a lot like Fire and Ice, as Naa loves stir fry and I had found this restaurant before. We walked back to the hostel and we took a siesta. Now I’m sitting in the lounge area (feeling guilty that I never post enough on this blog, but really, I don’t do anything exciting!!). We’re planning on staying in for dinner as Naa has left over stir fry and there is a full kitchen in the hostel.
It’s also a weird weekend to visit Dublin, as there are a lot of people from other countries here visiting for the Easter Holiday. Good Friday is one out of 2 days when Ireland closes all pubs, and no alcohol is served. Unfortunately, a lot of other businesses and attractions are closed as well. We’re planning on visiting the Dublin Zoo tomorrow, and then Naa will be leaving around 10 Sunday morning. I might visit a museum or two before I get back on the bus to Galway. Then I’m planning on spending a boring few days prepping for my trip to London on Friday the 13th!!! (dun dun dunnnn)
A bit about the hostel. We’re staying at the Dublin Four Courts Hostel, across the street from the Four Courts (seen above, looks like the Capitol buidling). I was a bit apprehensive at first about staying in the hostel, just because I’ve never stayed in one before and I didn’t know what to base it off of. I can honestly say though that it is excellent. It’s safe, secure, and since Dublin is so small, its pretty close to everything else. I don’t mind sharing the room with others, nor are the beds bad. The shower is hot, there’s free breakfast (even if it is just toast and cereal), and the bed’s are comfortable. The only complaint is that I’m on the 3rd floor and the elevator is broken. I guess that’s my workout while I’m here though ;) I would definitely recommend the hostel to others (VERY friendly and VERY helpful staff, too!). And there are even families here, and groups of older people visiting from America. I’m in a room with a family from Spain. Its a unique experience, and very accommadating. Defintely a lot friendlier and more communal than a hotel. We’ve met another girl from Germany, Mona, who is here by herself for the holidays and she’s very nice. She doesn’t like to drink alcohol so has a hard time enjoying the nightlife, which Naa and I can relate to and we’ve just been watching DVD’s in the movie room at night. They have an AMAZING collection of movies, games, board games, even tuned guitars for you to play! Again, exceeds expectations :)
This is probably the longest post I’ve made on this blog, but I felt a little bad that I hadn’t posted in awhile nor have I been posting as frequently as I have been. I’ll try to make a post while I’m in London during some downtime, but otherwise I’ll just post afterwards.
Sorry I haven’t posted in awhile. It’s been a bit busy around here!
It’s the last week of classes, and also a MIRACLE in Ireland! The sun has been shining since SATURDAY and it has been beautiful and WARM. So everyone has been laying in the sun all week. But since its also the last week of classes, we’re all doing papers and studying as exams are coming up soon.
Last weekend I went to Dublin and did some really neat things. We went to the Guinness Storehouse, where we were able to pour our own pints. We saw Dublin Castle, the gardens, St. Patrick and Christ’s Church Cathedrals, and generally had a great time :)
I’m hoping to go to the Aran Islands this Saturday or maybe Monday, as long as its still nice. Then, the 4th-8th I’ll be with my friend (who I stayed in Belgium with) in Dublin. THEN the 13th-17th I’ll be in London! I have an exam on the 18th, and another on the 26th. In between the two, I’ll be travelling to Cork to see the sights there and then a side trip to Skibereen where I think my ancestors might be from.
Then, it’s home on the 29th!
Crazy!
Today was a bank holiday, so what did I choose to do? Well, not much besides grocery shopping and studying for my Irish language exam. But I did catch the 2nd half of this movie: The War of the Buttons. It was a cute film, and I just went to look it up online to find that it was filmed in Castletownsend.
Meanwhile, last night I was working on researching family history. Now, all I know for sure about the Attridge family’s roots in Ireland is that Philip Attridge was born in Co. Cork, and that his parents are Thomas and Abby Attridge. Well, I had searched Thomas and Abby Attridge in the church records online before and all I got as a result were two baptism records for a Thomas and a Michael with Thomas and Abby Attridge listed as parents. It said they were baptised in the Castlehaven & Myross Parish. It also said “of G. Heenaling” which I couldn’t figure out to mean. Last night, I figured out that G. Heenaling might mean Glasheenaulin. Well, when I read that the film was made in Castletownsend I thought “that sounds familiar” because I’ve been looking at maps of the area are Skibereen and Castlehaven parish for awhile now.
Lo and behold, the movie was filmed right around the area where Philip Attridge may or may not be from!
Kind of cool, and at the very least, a neat coincidence.
Found this online.
Happy Saint Patrick’s Day from Ireland!
I wore green today (#3) …and I am procrastinating studying for my Irish language exam (kind of #4?)… Sadly no pots of gold or luckiness today.
I have also yet to have an Irish breakfast…hmmmm
No but in all seriousness, I’ve had a great day so far. It’s a bit overwhelming for me, personally, since so much of the excitement is over drinking. The pubs were PACKED today. We were there to catch the beginning of the Six Nations game (Ireland vs. England, yikes!) but left to get something to eat. The parade was fun though, as I got to see the kiddos from my homework club and the Massachusetts State Police (who did not smile or wave back at us like my kiddos did).
Pictures to come soon! I still need to add Brussels to the blog. Whoops!
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Saw this movie Monday night, and it was so good. It kind of reminded me of Eat, Pray, Love in the sense that travel and culture are involved and the characters go to find themselves. It was cute, funny, and ended just the way you wanted it to. On top of that I couldn’t stop laughing at Dame Maggie Smith :)
Last weekend we went to Connemara. It was real Connemara/March weather where it was brilliant and sunny one minute and raining the next.
We didn’t see any connemara ponies, but we did visit Kylemore Abby (see above) which was my favorite part. I was also really taken with the mountains. For some reason, I didn’t expenct there to be mountains in Connemara (I don’t know why but I thought it was going to be relatively flat, boy was I wrong!).
Here’s the link to my flickr account to view the photos from our daytrip to Connemara.
Click here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/75621162@N04/sets/72157629167944384/
