Jet lag

I woke up the morning after I had arrived in Dubling feeling pretty decent, I think it was more my excitement pushing me forward. We got up and decided to go grocery shopping to have food on the 8ish hr road trip we would take stopping in Blarney and end up in Dingle. One of my favorite things to do when I travel is to check out the grocery stores. Something so simple that every country has tons of but they are all so different and unique. It gives you a small look into their daily lives and I love trying all the weird foods I can't pronounce. The typical Irish grocery store as I had assumed was loaded with potatoes and tons of different varieties of bread. We bought our supplies and were on our way.


 As soon as we hit the road I was out cold, missing the beautiful view of the cities on the way to our first stop, Blarney Ireland. Blarney is a place i am sure we all hear about, its bout as famous as clovers and leprechauns, but i didn't know much about it other then there was a big stone somewhere that stupid tourist like myself come from around the world to kiss. Locals probably wouldn't do it, and i have heard stories that the people who look after the stone piss on it every morning, but i had made it all the way here, i wasn't going to turn back now. Rain started to fall as we got out of the car. The chilly light Irish rain only added to the beauty of the surrounding area, giving the landscape a hush feeling and magical sense of beauty. We walked up the the entrance payed our fee and entered one of the most beautiful park i had ever seen. Lush bright green grass as far as i could see, giant old tree scattered all over the fields, even a small river ran through the park. Everything was so beautiful and so green. Had it not been raining i would have laid down and napped right in the middle of it all.

 

Don't worry, i didn't. I couldn't take a nap because as i kept walking i saw the Blarney castle poke through the trees and tower over the park.

 

when we arrived we looked for the way to the stone, and for some reason (excuse my ignorance) i had pictured the stone to be some were on the ground near the castle or inside of it, boy was i wrong. we started to climb up this very narrow and steep stair case, we just kept going higher and higher with tiny square windows giving us a glance at the every growing distance between us and the ground. it wasn't till way after that i learned that "Blarney's tremendous rectangular great tower,one of the very biggest in Ireland". Half way up my youngest sister realised this was going to be a rather intense height and the top and she headed back down, but i was determined to make it up there and kiss that rock no matter what.

Sure enough as we broke through to the top you could see right over the ledge of the tower straight down to the terrifying depths below. Not going to lie to you i was very scared, cried for my mommy to hold my hand for a while and contemplating going back down (I'm very scared of heights) but i didn't i pushed forward. we are at the very top of the tower the center of the tower is hollow and once again shows you the chilling view of how far you have come. we have to walk to the other side of the tower on a narrow path to get to where the stone resides. we are finally in line to kiss the stone and i eagerly watch the couple ahead of us move in for the smooch and almost cry out in terror at what i see happen. You have to lay down on your back, and are literally bending over backwards as you dangle over the ledge that looks straight down to the base of the castle and if they hasn't build a small grate there to "catch" you if you feel then you would fall straight down! i freaked and said i was not going to do it.

My dad who was very much tired of all my bitching said he was going to do it this was after he has gone on and on about how only stupid tourist do it and there is pee on the stone... he got on his back leaned all the way over and kissed it. i couldn't let him have the bragging rights for the rest of the trip so i swallowed my fear held my breath and got on the floor. then i realised that i am way shorted then everyone else i had seen go before me which would require me to dangle the entire upper half of my body off the side of the tower. the was a man there who helped everyone and he had a tight grip on me but i could help being scared as i looked down at the distance between when i was now and where i had come from. the man continued to lower me more and more as i still could not reach, i had even contemplated just sticking my tongue out and maybe just giving the thing a lick if my lips couldn't touch. slowly but surly i made it, and with an incredibly quick peck i was back on my feet again ready for the next adventure.

 

 



 

A dream is a wish your heart makes

When I was between the ages of 5-8 I saw a movie called The secret of Ron Insh, and I forever fell in love with the green isle. I even told people my name was Fiona and I was born in Dublin, because of my light skin blue eyes and few freckles everyone believe me, that is till my parents put a stop to it. I was literally obsessed with Ireland my whole childhood. I did multiple projects on the history and customs. In sixth grade when we did the Modle UN I insisted on being The delegate from Ireland because of my blood line to the country(which is true we do have Irish decedents). It wasn't just the movie that made me so passionate about a place I had never seen before, something about the mystery and magic, the tales the history, I could almost smell the grass and feel the breeze like I had been there. Like in some weird way going to Ireland was my calling, even now at 24 the pull has not weakened at all, I am just as enchanted by this untouchable world. only difference is after almost 20 years of wishing, at this very moment I am sitting in London England enjoying coffee waiting for my 12:45 flight to Dublin Ireland...

I arrived at about 2pm Dublin time 8am in my head, and was pick up from the airport by my dad who had already been there for a few nights with my mom and littlest sister. We rented a car and headed to the apartment they had rented. the city was very beautiful, hard to explain with its updated yet still original buildings, clean and not crowded at all. In my head I was expecting a city loaded with people and charged with hustling energy like London, but what I saw was nothing like that. I learned that in the entire country Ireland only has 4million people. Back before the great potato famine there were roughly 8million people in Ireland, 1.5mil migrated, 2.5mil died and with only 4mil living here now it's safe to say the country never recovered.

I did not get a moment to rest when I got to the apartment, I changed in to something a bit warmer and a little nicer and we headed out for a stroll through the Dublin city center.

Saw the pub streets and the shopping areas, explored till it was time for us to go to our dinner and show of folklore, fairies, and story telling at Ireland's oldest pub, The Brazen Head. the story teller told us all about the history of Ireland, the potato famine, and a few lessons about fairies. Then ended the evening with old Irish tales, it was so much fun and even educational.

 

The Grand Canal in Dublin Ireland, this was our view from where we stayed.

After such a long day and full night I slept a rock, and work up this morning packed up and ready to head to a town called Dingle, said to be a very magically charged location...