Manatees to Mermaids to Manatees Again!

Here are pictures from the weekend!

Hello, all my faithful readers! As mentioned in the last post, we got to meet some mermaids Sunday afternoon! After church that morning, Michael and I met up with Meredith to embark on a wonderful undersea adventure: Weeki Wachee Springs State Park! This is something to get excited about, folks… Mermaids swim here!

Weeki Wachee Springs is a beautiful, clear, freshwater spring where wildlife such as manatees, sea turtles, otters, sea plants and more live and play. Not only that, it’s the deepest freshwater spring in North America, going far down to depths of over 400 feet!

Weeki Wachee Springs has been a roadside attraction since 1947. A man named Newton Perry, who trained Navy SEALS to swim under water in WWII, invented an underwater breathing apparatus there at Weeki Wachee after his run in the Navy. He did a lot of work with people in Hollywood—so anything you see from the 40s and for many decades after that involves water, Newton Perry had a hand in!—but he also wanted to bring people to Weekie Wachee. He began hiring girls to perform underwater shows as mermaids!

Back in the day before Facebook, Twitter and other forms of mass communication, mermaid girls did their own marketing! They would stand on the side of the road in their bathing suits and wave to people so they’d come watch the show.  Even if they just had one audience member, the girls would give it their all and perform their very best show! Bear in mind that the water is 74.2 degrees year round. That sounds pretty nice, but that’s more than 20 degrees below body temperature! Too much time there in the water, and you’ll get pretty chilly! The mermaids only do shows for 30 minutes at a time. The three of us saw two shows that afternoon: one about the history of the park and showcase of what all the mermaids can do, and the other was Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Mermaid!

In the first show, we saw what the mermaids can do and how they do it. The girls have be able to swim of course, and then they have to go through a year of training and be able to hold their breath for a very long time. The breathing apparatuses are the same design that Newton Perry came up with in the 1940s. The whole show takes place under water, so of course the girls need to be able to breathe sometime within that 30 minutes. They can hold their breath for a while, but certainly not half an hour! Anyway, the things look like microphones, so it’s a pretty clever little device. They’d take a breath, but it looked more like they were singing or speaking into a microphone.

In addition to just being in the water for 30 minutes at minimum, they have to be able to swim down, down, down to at least 117 feet (12 stories) using the breathing tool, and then come up without taking in any air! The girl we saw made it up in around 2 minutes, maybe less, but then she started doing flips and swimming around until she absolutely needed air--2 minutes and 38 seconds later! It was quite impressive! 

And then it was time for a break between shows! We wandered around the park for a bit, and we took a little boat tour around the Springs. The tour guide was a HOOT! He had a fabulous Southern accent and just cracked everyone up with his laid-back humor. He pointed out all kinds of wildlife and plants and told us interesting facts about them. They said manatees and larger animals like them make their way into Weeki Wachee from the Gulf of Mexico--several miles away! 

After the boat ride, we made sure to hit up all the photo ops, including this one! 

And this one! 

Yes, we had FAR too much fun! =) But is anyone surprised? 

And then came the main event... Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Mermaid! The show was such fun. Of course it was only 30 minutes and didn't go along with the version by Disney, but it was even better because, well, there were real mermaids playing the parts! 

There's the mermaid princess doing her thing! And yes, those fish swimming around are real! Such fun! The princess went up to the surface to see what it's like, and there was a terrible storm! A handsom prince fell into the water, and the princess, of course, gave him the breath of life so he could swim and breathe underwater as well! He had to go back to his world, however, and the princess was very sad. She heard that the sea witch could help her get legs and go up to the surface to find her prince! 

Sure enough, the sea witch did as the princess asked... but she took the princess' beautiful voice in exchange! The princess found her prince, but she also needed to go back to her own world as well. The prince and the sea witch fought because he wanted to be with the princess forever, and the prince won! He and the princess lived happily ever after, with legs, above the water. Hooray! 

And that was that! Afterward, we went to a place called Neon Leon's for supper. I got to have gator AND frog's legs for the first time! It was all kinds of delicious. =) 

The next morning, Meredith and I went kayaking out on Crystal River to see some more wildlife before I needed to leave for the airport. I'm so thankful for my newfound friend! I didn't have to bother Michael the whole morning, and he didn't have to take off work to take me to the airport! I made it to my flight just in time and jetted back to DC. I had so much fun in Florida! If any of you would like to go for a manatee swim, let me know and we'll go visit my friend Mike! 

Telling Manatee Tails...

Greetings from Crystal River, FL! Things were getting a little chilly up in DC, so I cleverly scheduled a trip down to sunny Florida for December!

Well, there was a bit more motivation than that. My friend Michael, whom many of you from the DC area know, manages a manatee refuge down here for the US Fish and Wildlife Service. I came down to visit with him a bit... and to swim with MANATEES! And yes, I named one Barbara. =)

For your viewing and listening pleasure, enjoy the video here: Barbara Manatee Song--Veggie Tales

Pictures will follow soon, but here is the adventurous tale!

First of all, it's important to know that manatees are mammals. They have hair, and they breathe air through their noses. They are also appropriately nicknamed "Sea Cows." The mamas and babies are even called "cows" and "calves!" Many manatees like to come to the hot springs in Crystal River, FL, in the winter time because it's warmer here than in the open sea. It's also their mating season, and this is a nice, calm place for them to rest and start raising their calves.

There are several places where the manatees mate and hide out for the winter around here. Michael, his co-worker and friend Tracy and I went to Three Sisters Springs and Kings Springs today because we thought we'd have the best luck at seeing manatees there. Michael has taken me to Three Sisters Springs to swim on a previous trip here about 2 1/2 years ago, but mating season was already finished by then, so I didn't get to see any. This time, I deliberately scheduled my trip to coincide with the best time of year to see them! It's been warm down here (well, warm for FL in November), so there weren't a lot of manatees to see, but there were enough to give me a thrill! The three of us met at Michael's office this morning around 8:00 to suit up and head out to Three Sisters Springs.

Step 1: Wetsuit. This was the hardest part of all! I'd tried one on yesterday, with great struggle, mind you! Michael said it was supposed to be tight and uncomfortable, so as long as I could breathe, I was good to go! It was no easier to get the thing on (or off for that matter!) this morning, but it was totally worth it!

Step 2: Driving to Three Sisters. About five minutes away. Requires no other explanation. ;)

Step 3: Getting in! The water felt very warm to me, thank goodness! My feet are too small for any of the flippers from Michael's office, so I didn't have to worry about that. The only other accessories I needed were the mask and snorkel. I said the wetsuit was hard, but really the mask gave me the most trouble!

Step 4: Here we go! Again with my smallness, the mask was a little too big, even on the shortest strap adjustment. I kept getting water in the mask, and it didn't help that I'm completely inept at only breathing in and out my mouth! I'll get to more of that later so we can all have a good laugh at my expense! =)

Onward and outward! Michael and Tracy showed me where to look, and the first time I stuck my face in the water... a manatee swam just a few feet from me! I'd only seen manatees at zoos, in movies and once at a manatee rescue place here in Crystal River, but I never knew how graceful and majestic they could be until today! It's really amazing what those big, awkward sea cows can do and how they move! Things were going along pretty well for a while. The manatees would be sitting on the bottom, looking like rocks, and then--they'd move! It looked like big boulders rolling around and creeping along the bottom.

Then disaster started... My face is too small, and I discovered I am utterly inept at breathing exclusively through my mouth! I'd be going right along, all excited to be swimming next to manatees, and then air would begin to push through my silly nose! Air bubbles went out of the mask, water came into the mask, my mask started fogging up... But I made the most of my time with what I had! Michael said there weren't many manatees and they weren't very interactive, but I was overjoyed just to be there!

Anyway, back to the moving rock-cows! So, how could I tell a rock from a manatee? Simple... the tail! Their tails are a very distinct shape (hence the title of the blog: "Telling Manatee Tales"), and when coming up on a manatee, for some reason that was the thing I noticed first when deciding what it was I was seeing ahead. Occasionally Michael or Tracey would point out some manatees to me, either resting along the bottom or swimming slowly, gracefully along. I ended up just holding my nose much of the time, since that was really all that would ensure I DIDN'T try to breathe in and out my nose and would help me stay still.

As I floated along, holding my nose, I saw a manatee out of the corner of my eye. It rose itself, floated effortlessly to the surface, stuck its nostrils out to breathe, and let itself back down again. It sort of pulled itself up from the middle--not head first, as a person might do, and not with sweeping fin or tail movements as one might expect, just slowly, elegantly, naturally. The movement was so much more palatial than that, but I hope that gives you an idea!

We also saw several mamas and babies (cows and calves) swimming together or resting together. Michael said they're 60 pounds at birth, but these were definitely larger babies than that! After a while, I think Michael felt sorry for me and my foggy, leaky-masked self, so he said we'd go back and try a different mask and a different spring where there might be more manatees. I had started to get cold, so I was ok with moving on! We loaded back up in the SUV and went back to Michael's office.

I did, in fact, find a better-fitting mask and hoped for the best! One of the interns, Dan, was in the office this morning, and we asked him to come along as well. The four of us got in a boat this time and set out on another manatee search!

Now, I'll just be honest with you. I was cold, and I was getting hungry, and I thought, "Would it be rude and ungrateful if I asked if this one could be a short trip?" But I'm glad I kept my mouth shut because this was the better of our two swims!

The water was a bit murkier there at Kings Springs, but my mask didn't leak at all! I even did a good job of keeping my airflow exclusively through my mouth! There was another manatee tour going on with several other people, but this time there were enough manatees to go around! It took longer for me to see them, but again, I just looked for the tails! These cows were ok with getting close, too!

Michael and I were swimming next to each other, and he pointed over to my left and there--was a manatee! He was gliding by, lickety-split and fast-like, and I let out a little squeal of surprise! Of course Michael laughed at me, but I was delighted enough that I didn't care! The thing that really amazed me is how fast they can go without seeming to do any work with their fins until they just absolutely HAVE to! And it's as if they create no stir in the water at all. There'd be one swimming literally inches from me, and I wouldn't even notice a change in the water around me at all.

At one point, one was coming right toward me! I knew we're not really supposed to touch them, but they can touch us if they want. I stayed still until it was right up next to me, it grazed me, and then I started flipping out a little bit. I didn't want to touch it and scare it, nor did I want to get pushed out of the way and possibly hurt (those things are HUGE!), so in my attempt to quietly and calmly move away, I think I scared him! =( But apparently he's a lot braver than I, because he came back by me! Michael let me know it's ok if I touched the manatee, so I did! Their skin is a lot tougher than I thought it would be--a different texture entirely! It reminded me of leather, very rough, gray leather. His face got really close to me, and so I started trying to stay away again--it didn't help that I was drifting toward the restricted area with the water as well--and I think I scared him off for good. Sad day! But I definitely got to swim up-close and personal with some impressive sea cattle!

We swam around a bit longer and saw a few more manatees. Some rolled over, others scratched on real rocks, several even came up to breathe just feet away--and I had no idea they were even so close to us under there! I hope that if ever you get an inkling to swim with manatees, you'll do it! I know just the place!

So that was our big adventure! We went back to the office to change out of the wetsuits and dry off (again, the wetsuits was as difficult to get off as it was to get on!), then went to a local pizza and pasta place called Natalia's for a hearty lunch! Pictures to follow.

Oh, and tomorrow's adventure involves PROFESSIONAL MERMAIDS!!!!!! Stay tuned!

Adventure Whit

An Evening of Food, Folklore and Faeries... Exclusively at the Brazen Head, Dublin!

Saturday night's activity was the very best of the trip, in my humble opinion! We made it to the Brazen Head, the oldest pub in Dublin, dating from 1195, just in time to get to our seats and place our orders. Helena, the storyteller, greeted us and was just a delight right off the bat! We were seated by the fire in the corner, but we had no trouble seeing from our spot. I was happy to be by the fireside, myself, even though a couple of the waitstaff said they could turn it down if we got too warm. After such chilly weather, I was happy to be warm and toasty for the next three hours!

Just a few minutes after the 7:00 start time, Helena rang a little bell to get our attention. She explained the schedule of things—stories, food, stories, food and music, stories—and told us the types of things she’d be talking about: food, Irish culture, the world through Ireland’s eyes, and the “truth” about faeries and the legends of Old World Ireland. All that sounded good to me! Helena is a spectacular storyteller. She’s so entertaining and has an enchanting voice. She really made the experience special!

First up: Why is the potato so influential and prominent in Ireland and the Irish culture?

Irish folk

Ireland was the poorest country in Europe. Nearly all the land was owned by landlords, not be the people. Folks had to work very hard to earn enough money to pay rent and still feed and clothe their families at the end of the day. The crops most people grew took a lot of effort to plant, grow, and harvest, and people didn’t make much money off of these things. People were also rather unhealthy because they were not consuming enough food for energy in daily life. But when the humble potato was introduced in the 1790s, the Irish world changed for the better! In the span of just 50 years, Ireland’s population had move than doubled!

What was the magic? Well, potatoes can grow in most any type of soil—rocky, flat, hilly, whatever. They also LOVE rain… of which Ireland already had an overabundance! And the only tool you needed was a spade—no plow, no horse or donkey, no heavy machinery! One acre of potatoes could feed 6-8 people for an entire year. Your typical farmer himself was eating about 14 pounds of potatoes… PER DAY! People were finally getting the calories they so desperately needed to live, plenty of potassium and they could sell all these potatoes to pay their rent and still have enough to clothe their families!

The Irish got right creative with their potatoes. They would make boxty, potato cakes, colcannon, and other interesting concoctions and mixtures to change up the flavor of the potatoes and add bulk to their other forms of nourishment. They’d put potatoes in their stews; mix them with cabbage, onions and butter; make bread out of it, etc.

Things were going along great for a while. The people in Ireland thought the faeries were all happy with them… until August of 1845. The potato blight came to Ireland. Know what happens in a potato blight? Potatoes rot in the ground. And you and can smell it. People didn’t know why this was happening. Were the faeries upset with the people of Ireland? People thought a volcano had erupted underground. Priests took holy water out to the fields and tried to fix the situation, but nothing helped. By 1847 (called “Black ‘47”), hunger was taking its toll, and diseases such as cholera and various fevers were spreading rampantly.

Many Irish felt they had no choice but to emigrate. Most went to the States or Canada in what they would call “coffin ships.” Whenever someone died onboard the ship, they had to be buried at sea. Once the survivors made it to America, they had a hard time integrating, especially in the larger cities. America was largely a Protestant nation, and the Catholic faith the Irish brought with them was seen as a threat to the American way of life. Also, the Irish spoke Gaelic, not English—or at least not much of it. But they made their way! There are currently around 17 million Irish and people of Irish descent all over the world—they say the biggest Irish export is people!

And then we had our appetizers. I had the fish cake, which I thought would be like a crab cake. It sort of was, but it was thicker and included lots of different sea creatures, not just crab—and of course potatoes!

 Fish cake with sweet marinara-cocktail sauce

And now, on to the faeries!

When things happen that people don't understand, the human mind begins to fill the void--or make things up. =) That's where the faeries come in for the Irish. The faeries live in the underworld, which is an idyllic place to live. The faeries controlled everything, and they were not necessarily good people--they were to be feared! 

This is what the Irish people believed, and to a degree some still do, until St. Patrick came in to teach them about Catholicism around the 5th century. When that happened, people used to explain the Biblical accounts and facts using faery tales, as a way to find common ground with these people. 

There are two types of faeries: trooping and solitary. Trooping faeries move around and can take on any shape or form--including that of a person! Mostly they do this on Samhain (pronounced "sah-wen"), which is Halloween! So obviously, children in old Ireland do NOT go out on Halloween--they don't want to be caught in the path of a faery who could take them away! 

Solitary faeries pretty much keep to themselves. Leprechauns are this type of faery! Their job is to make shoes for faeries and to guard their treasure. Crafty leprechauns are known to encourage drinking and gambling. But we know them today as happy, jovial little people who wear green all the time and lead people to their pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. =)

Other faeries to be feared are the banshee and the pucah. Ever heard the term "screamin' like a banshee?" That expression came from Ireland and alludes to the fact that banshees wail and scream when they're about to steal someone away with death! The pucah is an evil of a different sort. He hangs out in the pubs. When men finish drinking at the pub and start home for the night, the pucah will take him and carry him away for hours! So when the man went stumbling home at 5:00am the next morning, he blamed it on the pucah's magic! Another thing about faeries is that they like little boys. And by like, I mean they take them away! So, the Irish tended to dress their little boys in dresses to look like little girls to fool the faeries!

So, faeries live in the underworld, but they come up to Earth on occasion. Where do they stay during that time? In faery trees and faery forts, of course! People do NOT build homes or other buildings on a faery fort or tree. Some have tried, but there are even recent accounts of terrible things happening. When DeLorean built a car plant on property where there was a faery fort, it failed! Others have built homes on faery forts and had the houses burn down or have other bad things happen like that. Once, when the government wanted to build a road clear through a faery tree, the people of Ireland protested! Helena described the out come of the road, "Straight, straight, straight. Around the tree. Straight, straight, straight." When asked if they believe in faeries, some Irish folk will say, "No, but they're there anyway." Ha!

And then it was time for our entrees and dessert! =)

Irish Stew

Apple Pie

Yes, it was as delicious as it looked, and less blurry. =) Sorry, my camera doesn't do darkness well! 

anyway, back to the final stories and songs. During our lovely dinner, a duo or Irish instrumentalists and singers came in to entertain us! They played traditional Irish songs and had us all playing games and clapping during the meal, without being intrusive. =) It was such fun! 

Back to the storytelling! Helena informed us that, as we may have already figured out, the Irish didn't just kiss the Blarney Stone, they swallowed it! They have a love of conversation and stories, which has been spread with them throughout the world. Winter has always been the best time to tell stories because of the cold, short days. Sitting in front of the fire is the perfect place for telling stories, as the fire is the spark of the family. As a matter of fact, the family fire was never extinguished. It burned low throughout the night, then was stoked in the morning. Even when the Irish decided to emigrate, they would take embers from their family fire and share it with neighbors, as if to keep the family going in the hearts and homes of their friends. She told us a few other Irish tales that kept us entertained, then sang a beautiful version of Van Morrison's sing, "Irish Heartbeat," dedicated to her sister and other Irish who have emigrated throughout the world and would like to come home. 

It was wonderful! I would highly recommend the evening to ANYONE visiting Dublin! The food was fabulous, the stories and music were such fun, and Helena was just fabulous! I'm not sure how many other storytellers they have, but I'm sure it's incredible every time! Helena left us only after we promised her one thing: that we would all go home and tell stories. She said everyone heard her telling the same stories, but all of us had different pictures in our heads. Everyone has an individual imagination! 

That'll be no problem for me... as you well know by now! I hope you've thoroughly enjoyed our Irish adventures! Where will QuickWhit turn up next? I'm open to suggestions! Wherever it is, I hope you'll join me always!

Dublin Day Two and the Journey Home!

Dublin Pictures are HERE! 

Well, I’m a bit behind, but here’s Sunday’s account!

Sunday morning, my friend’s friend, Angela, swung by with a cab to pick us up for church. I knew Angela via my friend Andrea, who studied in Dublin last year. It was nice to finally meet in person! Meeting and worshipping with Christians in other countries and seeing their dedication is one of my favorite things about traveling, as well as one of the most encouraging things I can do!

Their worship service was very nice one. Some differences I noticed were that they only stood to pray, and they stood each time they prayed; and they sang in unison, not with harmony or in parts. Neither of these things is better or worse than any other service I’ve been to, just different! The sermon was on baptism, and the preacher hit on a few points I hadn’t heard in a while. The people there are a tremendous encouragement because their beliefs are so different from those of their families, friends, coworkers, and others around them. There are few, if any, “second generation” members—meaning that most everyone was converted on their own from their previous religion to the understanding they have today. I spoke with a few people afterward and got an idea of their perspective and experiences. Everyone was so friendly and really liked having visitors!

We caught a ride with one of the members back to our hotel—quite the wild ride full of laughs!—and off we went to explore Dublin one last time! We’d decided to split up for a few hours and then come back together to eat dinner. Matt explored some of the sights we didn’t get to the day before and took pictures all around, especially at Trinity College, and Cherie and I went to the National Leprechaun Museum!

Yes, the Leprechaun Museum. It sounds corny, and it was wonderfully so! I’d really wanted to go, but knew my companions may not be as interested. The museum is geared toward children for the most part, but I was really interested int he legends and the stories. Our guide was a fabulous storyteller! The first room is full of written accounts of Leprechauns and scenes from movies pictured on the walls. There are also "artifacts" referring to Leprechauns from around the world--figurines, Lucky Charms (which they don't sell in Ireland, I was told!), copies of stories of leprechauns, etc. 

Apparently, Leprechauns were not all that prominent in Ireland for centuries. Most of the legends and such from Ireland are a bit dark and unhappy, actually! Faeries are to be feared, the Banshee is out to bring death, giants are, well, gigantic and can squish you with one missed step! But the little Leprechaun, he's a nice and right jolly fella! When Irish emigrants began spreading throughout the world, and especially in America, they didn't want to put their homeland in a dark, scary, sinister light. They began to tell (and make up!) stories of the Leprechaun, which literally translates to "little person" in Gaelic. They are happy little folks, about 1/3 the size of a normal person! They are the designated shoemakers for the faeries, who loved to dance and would dance for hours on end--wearing out their shoes and needing more! 

Since the Leprechauns were so well-employed making shoes, they have lots of money--hence their pot o' gold, which leprechauns actually kept their gold buried in undisclosed places and not at the end of a rainbow. There's one story where a lazy farmer discovered a leprechaun working away on some shoes and sitting on a toadstool on his property. He walked up and caught the little man from behind, demanding to be taken to the pot of gold! At first the leprechaun tried to distract the man and get away--if you look away from a leprechaun for even a fraction of a second, he'll disappear--but to no avail. Mr. Leprechaun had to take him to the gold. He led the farmer to a tree in the forrest where he'd hidden the gold, but unfortunately, the farmer didn't have a spade with him to dig into the ground and find the gold. He tied a red ribbon to the tree so he would know which one to go back to and told the leprechaun not to remove the ribbon. Mr. Leprechaun said sure, but leprechauns are very, VERY mischievous...

When the farmer returned, he knew the leprechaun would already be gone, which is why he'd left the ribbon on the tree. He didn't, however, think the leprechaun would be quite so crafty... Every tree in the forest now had a red ribbon tied to it! The lazy farmer wasn't about to dig up every tree, not even for a pot of gold! 

We heard lots of stories and "facts" about faeries and giants and leprechauns (oh my!), so after that we decided it was time for a little rest! Cherie and I found a little coffee shop with wifi and just relaxed for a bit until it was time to meet Matt for supper! We three finally found some great live Irish music in a pub called The Old Storehouse. I don't think we could have found any place more authentic with better atmosphere! 

After supper, it was time to say goodnight to Dublin one last time and go to the Hilton hotel next to the airport. We'd left our stuff with the front desk at the other hotel, so we took a cab there, picked it up, took the same cab to the other hotel, and checked ourselves in. Matt had the earliest flight, so he was already up and gone by the time Cherie and I got up about an hour later. 

I had a new experience on this trip that I liked a lot and was very thankful for... we got to clear customs in Dublin instead of waiting till we got back to the States! =) That made for much easier connections later on! I finally got into DC around 6:15 pm Monday night and am gradually adjusting back to DC time! 

More to come... I am still writing about the "Night of Food, Folklore and Faeries" because that evening deserves its very own post! Be on the lookout... ;) 

Dublin!

First order of business: Muckross and Blarney Pictures!

Dublin pictures to come in the next post! 

Our first day in Dublin was definitely a good one. We decided to do the Hop on-Hop off bus tour and get an overview of everything before deciding what to do first. I’ve never done one before because I generally like to explore on my own and find things the creative way, but seeing as there’s much to do and not much time, we wanted to be as efficient as possible. The bus drivers were wonderful! They were funny and seemed to have a fabulous attitude, even when sitting in traffic!

The Kilmainham Gaol (jail) was just across the street from our hotel, so that’s where we picked up the bus. That’s where people involved in the 1916 Rising were hanged and strangled, so it’s very important to Irish political culture.

The Liffey river is the barrier between North Dublin and South Dublin. Apparently it’s like the Mason-Dixon line in the States. We bussed along the river aways until we came to Phoenix Park, the oldest city park in Europe, dating back to 1662! The streetlights are all the original Victorian gaslights, so that’s kind of a neat thing, too. The Dublin Zoo is there, which is the fourth oldest zoo in the world. They’re known for their lion birthing, and as a matter of fact, the famous MGM lion was born and raised in the Dublin Zoo!

We came again to the River Liffey and heard about the Vikings who came to settle the area in the mid-9^th century. I wish he’d talked more about that! One of these days I’ll go up to Scandinavia and get the full scoop from the source!

Moving right along, we came to O’Connell Street, named for Daniel O’Connell. There are LOTS of things named for O’Connell, and with good reason… he’s the reason Ireland was emancipated!

Stop here, switch buses, and on we go! Next stop: Trinity College. My friend Andrea went to Trinity last fall for a semester of school, and she inspired me with her stories of life in Ireland! Queen Elizabeth the First of England founded the school in 1592.

We made our way around again and decided to stop at the National Irish History Museum… mostly because it’s free! We only got through one exhibit—the one about war. It’s a huge museum made in an old Army Barracks, which is pretty interesting. It was just way too big to be able to get through in a day.

Next stop: Lunch, then souvenir shopping! We found a really busy café (appropriately called “Busyfeet”), and you know what the best thing about that was? Cherie’s and my hot chocolate came with mini marshmallows—white AND pink ones! =) Fun fun. Now that we’d gotten all fueled up, it was time to do the thing we needed to do: Shop.

Now, those who know me know I loathe shopping. But put me in a new country and it’s great fun! It’s a way to learn about the people and culture in that country—what they like, what their stereotypes are, what’s authentic, how good or bad is the conversion rate between dollars and their currency, etc. AND you get to decide what to take back as a reminder of where you’ve been! I got a green wool blanket and some wool socks, as well as some Christmas presents. Cherie and Matt had the same idea: Christmas shopping!

Purchases made, we decided to take our things back to the hotel and figure out exactly how to get to the Brazen Head, where our dinner reservations were for the evening. Lucky for us, we would be able to hop the bus back to the Gaol across from our hotel. Unluckily for us, where was a protest going on in the streets! Abortion is still illegal in Ireland because of the STRONG Catholic presence, but apparently not everyone shares the stance. These folks were very much pro-choice. They were also irritating since we were trying to adhere to a schedule!

But fortunately, our bus finally came! We had to follow the protestors down the street for a ways, but the driver got a call giving him permission to deviate from the normal route and get around the marchers! He had a lovely attitude, as all the bus drivers did, and delivered us to the stop closest to our hotel in a timely manner!

Armed with long johns and hand warmers, as we had been all day, we set out to find the Brazen Head! It’s the oldest pub in Dublin, dating back to 1195! The lady at the front desk said it would be a 20-minute walk and gave us directions. It was actually a 40-minute walk and it was not in exact sight. Had we not known what we were looking for, we surely would have missed it! An interesting thing about Irish signage: it’s bad! Even the Irish laugh about it and say you really have to know where you’re going before you can go anywhere! We could not rely on road signs, but thankfully we had landmarks!

Dinner was a very special, very culturally stimulating event. It’s called “An Evening of Food, Folklore, and Faeries,” and Cherie and I both said it was our favorite thing we’d did during the trip! It was so good, it deserves its own post. That’s coming up next! 

Cork and the Journey to Dublin!

Up and at it! The night’s sleep at the Anchorage B&B was a good one for me. Matt said he didn’t sleep all that great, and Cherie for some reason didn’t have any hot water when she showered that morning. Brrr!

We actually met three girls from DC who were also staying at our B&B. They had their breakfast at the table just behind us and while we waited for our food and told us about Dublin. One of the girls is studying at Trinity College there and said she really enjoys the city. We’re all ready to get there and begin exploring!

Now about Cork… we were disappointed. We’d all heard good things about it, but we were not impressed. Matt really wanted to go to the Cork City Gaol (pronounced “jail”), and that was fairly interesting. I thought it was supposed to be old, but it’s only been around since 1824 and was only in use for 99 years. At first it was co-ed, but from 1878-1923 it became an all-women’s jail. In all honesty, it was pretty hokey. Interesting, but hokey.

Well, surely the good things we’d heard about the English Market were true, right? After a few more adventures in driving around the city center of Cork, we at long last found a place to park and went in search of this market. Eh. It’s like Reading Terminal in Philly or Eastern Market in DC; fresh meats (we saw a man walk by with a whole pig and there were whole fish out in the booths for the pickin’s!), produce, baked goods, novelties, souvenirs, etc. We debated where to eat and what our next thing should be.

We decided on the bell tower Matt had heard about, but we couldn’t remember the name of it. Matt and Cherie seemed afraid to ask anyone about it, but you know me… Take Charge Marge! I went into a bank and asked a nice man in one of the offices. He seemed more than happy to help, which we certainly appreciated! We ate lunch at a deli and then went in search of the Shandon Bell Tower. A few more adventures in driving later, we made it! Matt got to ring the bells! Mission Accomplished.

And then we started the three hour drive up to Dublin! Matt is the best ever because he used his Hilton points to get us a room at the Dublin Hilton in the historic district. Woohoo! The B&Bs were definitely cute and quirky, but I think Matt and Cherie are more comfortable in the Hilton—they cater to Americans. ;)

The first night in Dublin was fine. I got to Skype with a couple of mom’s classes (she teaches jr. high), then we went off to return the car. We got a hefty refund for returning it early and downgrading to a smaller car when we started the trip, so that made for a good night! We got a cab to a restaurant we’d heard was good (called Shack Restaurant in the Temple Bar district), but when the cab driver dropped us off, we weren’t sure exactly where to go. He dropped us off on the correct street, but he didn’t know where the restaurant was exactly. So we walked around a bit until we found it. We got a sure glimpse of the bar scene in Dublin—people were already stumbling around at 9:00 pm!

We found the restaurant and enjoyed a lovely meal there—very traditional, as promised! I got Irish stew. I’m glad I waited till now to get it. Mine looked much more authentic than others I’d seen around at the more tourist-laden restaurants.

We’d been told that the restaurant was walking distance to our hotel, and the map made it look like a manageable distance, but an hour later, when we finally got back to the hotel after a walk in the rain, I think Cherie and Matt began to understand that “walking distance” is a relative term. ;) Those who know me know I don’t mind the walking, but we were all pretty pooped by the time we got back!

And that leads us to day one in Dublin. What will we get into this time? We’ll have to see! =) 

I know, I know. I haven't posted pictures yet. That will come. I promise! 

Kissin' the Blarney Stone! Mwah!

The adventure continues! First of all, I have to tell you that Noreen O’Mahoney, the owner of Mystical Rose B&B, is lovely, kind, and so much fun! When she greeted us last night, she was happy to see us—she said she’d thought we weren’t coming since we didn’t get there till around 8:00 or so that evening. She gave me a kiss and pulled us all in. She even let us have two rooms—one for me and Cherie and one for Matt—since we were the only guests there that night! Talk about hospitality!

The next thing I have to tell you is that each and every time I think of Killarney, and especially while we stayed there, the song “Christmas in Killarney” by Bing Crosby gets stuck in my head! Google it if you don’t know what I’m talking about. =)

Wednesday night was a cold one for us because there was a snafu involving the heat. But never fear! I brought my hand warmers and ended up being snug as a bug in a rug with one in each hand and one between two layers of socks on my feet! The covers were very effective in keeping the heat in!

Thursday morning, we awoke a bit late and sat down to a lovely breakfast around 9:00 or so. The tea was delicious (I should have asked her what kind it was), orange juice was waiting for us at the table, and again we had the traditional Irish breakfast, guaranteed to last us the day: two poached eggs, three slices of thick bacon, two sausages, tomatoes, and Noreen’s homemade brown bread, which she said was mostly nuts. She giggled when she told us that once a man asked her what the green things were in the bread, and she told him MOLD! Of course they’re really pumpkin seeds, but we all had a laugh over that!

She told us before we left that we needed to not miss the Lakes of Killarney before we left, so we were on our way! Next stop: Muckross House and gardens. We’re so glad we stopped there! Not only was it beautiful in the final weeks of the fall-colored trees, we also got to take a lovely “Jaunting Car” ride—or horse and buggy—to the beautiful Torc Waterfall! We got lots of pictures there! Robert, our guide, and Suzie, the horse, made the experience wonderful.

I believe Robert said he’s 68, and he looked like a true Irishman in his sweater, corduroy pants, driving cap and curly red and grey hair; bless his heart, the man had almost no teeth, but he sure was a sweetheart! He sang bits of Irish tunes and told us all about the Muckross grounds. He even knew all the tree names and knew exactly where the good places were to stop for pictures. Apparently, there’s a vein of brown marble somewhere in the lake of Killarney, and he pointed out the general area to us. He stopped at the base of a pedestrian trail and told us where to walk to get up to the Torc Waterfall. It was well worth the trip!

Then it was time to head back! We saw a few more sights along the way, and Robert got a picture of the three of us sitting in the jaunting car with Suzie in front of the Muckross mansion. Time for County Cork!

We’ve experienced some rather narrow roads throughout the trip of course, but none quite like the ones we experienced on the drive from Killarney to Blarney! The scenery was lovely, but we were definitely getting friendly with the stone walls! ;)

Onward to kiss the Blarney Stone! To me, this is one of the most Irish things we had to do while in the country. The castle isn’t the only thing to see there. I was surprised when we looked around at how much else there is to see! The flora all around was very pretty, with lots of moss to make even a dreary, overcast, fallish day seem pretty! There are some “wishing steps” that are supposedly bewitched. The Witch of Blarney Castle takes firewood from the castle grounds for her fire each evening. As payment, she grants wishes to those who walk up and back down a set of stone stairs—with their eyes closed! Matt and I tried it out. Our wishes should come true within a year!

We also saw the witch’s kitchen and a rock bearing her likeness. Quite the bewitching place! We also saw a glen where “faeries” live, and a druid’s hut, which made my first studio apartment in Old Town look like a mansion! Please enjoy the pictures. =)

And finally… into Blarney Castle! We found out that the difference in “baloney” and “blarney” is that “baloney” is a flat out lie disguised as flattery; “blarney” is the varnished truth! An example they gave was this:

See the difference? ;)

Up and up and up we climbed the tiny stairs. The passage up to the top of the castle was quite the tight squeeze, but we made it with minimal difficulty! All along the way there were signs to explain what certain rooms had been, as well as bits of history scattered about. When we got up to the top, we assumed we wouldn’t be able to take our own pictures. But this must have been our lucky day! The man helping people lean back to kiss the stone was not only allowing folks to take personal pictures, he was also telling them exactly where to stand to get the best shot! He seemed to be a sweet older gentleman who just enjoyed his job. I love the jovialness we’ve seen among the Irish throughout our stay so far!

And back down we went! We bought a few souvenirs and went on our way. We passed by the Poison Garden (didn’t linger too long there!) on the way out and found a cave where supposedly some people had dug tunnels to escape from the Castle in days gone by. All in all, it was a successful day! Next stop: Checking in to our B&B, eating supper, and meeting up with the church folk!

Now those who know me well know this is one of the very best things about traveling for me. It’s such an eye-opener and an encouragement to me to see how Christians in other countries worship. We’re all using the same book, and we all have the same examples, but there are always little nuances brought on by culture that leave an impression on me. For example, Ireland is predominantly a Catholic nation. That holds much weight in their approach to religious discussions with their neighbors and with each other. What’s really funny is that they were doing their Bible study using materials from Gene Taylor, the preacher at the church where Cherie grew up in Tallahassee, FL! Small world. =)

We stayed a while after for dessert and to talk. They seemed very happy to have visitors, and we were happy to be there! It’s so nice traveling the world and truly having family just about anywhere you go. Carrigalin is the name of the congregation, and Mic and Glen are the men to get in touch with if you’re ever in the area and want to find a church!

And then it was time to drive home! The drive back to the B&B was much better than the drive out. There are much fewer cars out at 11:00 pm and thus fewer cars to avoid! I got to drive again, which was actually quite fun! Hehe.

And for our next adventure: Cork City! We’ll visit the old jail (called a “gaol”), do some shopping at the English market, and head on up to Dublin for our final few days! Please join us! 

Pictures to come!