York Minister & Arriving in London

Today we departed from Edinburgh, Scotland, down to London, England. We took a quick stop in the quaint town of York, which is in the very north of England. Dr. H had us stop by the beautiful York Minister, a famous Church of England cathedral. We then had a quick lunch break and headed back on the bus for our long journey to London. When we got to Roehampton University, we had pizza and met all of the new students. We all finally showered after a long day of traveling and went to bed early.

Inverary Castle

Today we headed west to the Inverary Castle, an iconic Scottish castle in Argyll, Scotland. The castle is the ancestral home to the Duke of Argyll, the Chief of the Clan Campbell since the 17^th century.

The house is a mostly mid-18th-century neo-Gothic design. Both designers SirMatthew Digby Wyatt and Robert Adam worked on the castle. The interior includes various neoclassical rooms open to the public, created for the 5th Duke by Robert MyIne. The 13th Duke and his family live in private apartments occupying two floors and set between two of the castle's crenellated circular towers.

State Affairs/Dining Room

In 1975 a devastating fire struck Inveraray and for some time the 12th Duke and his family lived in the castle basement while restorations requiring a worldwide fundraising drive were carried out. The castle is surrounded by thousands of acres of beautiful botanical gardens.

When we got back later that night, we had a farewell dinner at Mums Comfort Food. Their food was amazing and we ate so much that we didn’t want to do anything for the rest of the night.

Deacon Brodie's Haggis

Today was our free day to tour Edinburgh on our own. The group of seven of us (Jill, Jillian, Claire, Abby, Ashley, Alexa, and myself) started off the day with some necessary grocery shopping at the local market right down the street. We came back and had the brilliant idea of going out into town to a popular restaurant, Deacon Brodie’s, to try some Haggis. Essentially, haggis is all the left-over parts of a sheep, such as their liver, lungs, stomach, etc. It is cooked inside of a sheep’s stomach, but ours was not served inside the stomach lining as the brain-like pictures on Google Images suggested it would be.

Like I said, the restaurant we went to was well known for a reason. Deacon Brodie, the Scottish locksmith and craftsman it was named after, was an extraordinary man of all trades and great character. He was well liked and respected by all in Edinburgh. But that all changed when nighttime fell. Every time Deacon Brodie would make a key for someone, he would make one copy for himself then use it to sneak into all his customer’s homes at night to steal their expensive items, like jewelry and silverware. No one in the town would have expected him of such a thing until he got caught red handed stealing from a prominent clerk in Edinburgh. Since theft was punishable by death, Deacon Brodie was hanged right outside what is the present day pub named after him, coincidentally off a chair that he crafted for someone in the town. Some say that Deacon Brodie’s double character inspired the famous book Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde.

Edinburgh Castle

A bit later, some of the girls and I stopped by Primark, an inexpensive department store. We all ate later that night in our kitchen, celebrating Memorial Day in the United States and enjoying having had the day and night to ourselves.

The Highlands: Glencoe & Loch Ness

Today we took a long but scenic trip through the Highlands to visit Glencoe and the Clansman Center at Ft. Agustus. The drive through the Highlands was amazing. The hills and mountains (and cows) were unlike any I have ever seen in the United States. Glencoe is an area of the Highlands known for its deep valleys that are ideal for hiking, skiing, horseback riding, fishing, and, oddly enough, filming movies. We actually passed the place where many scenes in the Harry Potter series, like the tri-wizard tournament, were filmed.

Hamish the Highland Cow eating potatoes.

On the way over we learned about the Clan Campbell, a clan in Scotland that terrorized its people. Although the Duke of Argyll is a Campbell himself, the clan is very much disliked throughout Scotland as a result of the massacre of Glencoe in 1692, during the era of the Glorious Revolution and Jacobitism. The massacre began simultaneously in three settlements along the glen - Invercoe, Inverrigan, and Achacon - although the killing took place all over the glen as fleeing MacDonalds were pursued. Thirty-eight MacDonalds from the Clan MacDonald of Glencoe were killed by the guests who had accepted their hospitality, on the grounds that the MacDonalds had not been prompt in pledging allegiance to the new king, William of Orange. Another forty women and children died of exposure after their homes were burned.

Memory of this massacre has been kept alive by continued ill feeling between MacDonalds and Campbells. Since the late 20th century the Clachaig Inn, a hotel and pub in Glencoe popular with climbers, has had a sign on its door saying "No Hawkers or Campbells".

Our trip through the Highlands would not have been complete without our final stop at Loch Ness. In Scottish Gaelic, “loch” simply means “lake.” Unfortunately, we did not see Nessie, the infamous monster of Loch Ness.

The Highlands, Scotland

Loch Ness

We made our way to the Clansman Center at Ft. Agustus, where we met an old man with few teeth, dressed in traditional Scottish regalia. We had an hour lecture about the life of Clanspeople in Scotland. I did not realize how prominent clans were in Scottish identity, and how they still exist fully functional today. The man actually showed us how to put on a kilt, and demonstrated on Jacob and Jill in our group. He also showed us literally every kind of weapon Scots used in battle. I did not realize how barbaric the Scottish were in battle until learning their tactics in war. Think “Braveheart!” 

Jacob and Jill in Scottish Clanspeople regalia, Loch Ness

Edinburgh Castle & Mary King's Close

Today we stayed in the city to take a tour of Edinburgh Castle. The castle was one of the oldest edifices in all of Edinburgh and sits imposingly on a cliff overlooking the entire city. I loved learning about the history or St. Mary’s Cathedral, the Military Prison, and Prisoners of War.

We had the middle of the day free to ourselves, so Claire and I went to a pub right next to our hostel to get a bite to eat, then we stopped by the grocery store for bread and food. We enjoyed relaxing mid-day, which is something we don’t get to do very often.

Around 5 PM, we headed up to the Edinburgh Cathedral to meet our group and take a tour of Mary King’s Close. The close is basically an underground city that used to be populated by thousands and thousands in Edinburgh before it was illegal to live underground. The close is supposedly haunted, so I felt a bit uneasy when chillingly cold air would brush by my legs. Our tour guide explained the class system underground; the lower classes lived in a decent size room, but had to share with up to 3 other families. It was anything but exquisite.

St. Andrews

In the morning, we departed on coach ride to Saint Andrews, Scotland. St. Andrews is a beautiful, remotely isolated town about 2 hours from Edinburgh known world-wide for its golf courses and St. Andrews University, which was founded in 1413 and is currently one of the top universities in the world. The university is known for its many famous writers and thinkers who have attended, and is perhaps most well known right now for being the university where William and Kate met while studying Art History for too long ago. The area is very picturesque and the people who reside and study at the university tend to be very wealthy. Interestingly, half of the golfers and half of the students at St. Andrews are from the United States.

We took a brief tour of the St. Andrews Castle. The castle overlooked the ocean and Andrea explained that the only good castle is a castle with a well inside because when castles are under attack, people my not be able to leave to get water for weeks. She also explained how enemies often tried to invade the castles by digging pathways underground beneath the castle to come up from below. The term “undermine” possibly originated from this technique, as the castle’s soldiers would dig tunnels underneath the enemies’ tunnels to undermine the tunnels, making them collapse completely.

The rest of the day we spent on our own exploring St. Andrews. Jill, Claire, Alexa, and I stopped at a noodle house to get lunch. We brought it out to a grassy area near the ruins of an old church to sit and eat. It was very sunny, so we spent a good part of the day relaxing in the sun and enjoying the surrounding scenery. We took one stop at a small village called Falkland on our way back to Edinburgh.

Arriving in Edinburgh

Today was devoted mostly to travelling. We left Belfast and departed for Edinburgh, Scotland, via ferry. We arrived, collected our bags, and had a four-hour drive into the city. When we got there, we met our Scotland tour guide, Andrea, and she took us on a walking tour of the city.

One of the first areas we visited in Edinburgh was the main square marker by an “x” where criminals were lynched. We kept walking up the hilly Edinburg streets until we got to the famous statue of Greyfriar’s Bobby. This was my favorite story. There was a lord by the name of Greyfriar who had a cute little Scottie dog named Bobby, who was very loyal to his master. When his master passed away, Bobby would wander the streets every day, and all the locals knew the dog and gave him water and food. However, Bobby always refused any kind of shelter. He would walk back the cemetery where Greyfriar was buried and sleep on his master’s grave every night for 14 years. When Bobby died all the people of Edinburgh were so upset that they actually buried him at the entrance of the cemetery and a memorial statue was later erected.

We visited a few churches and memorial sites around the area with Andrea. The girls and I went by a local market to get some food to cook in our kitchen so we could save a bit of money and be healthier on the trip.

Carrick-a-Rede, Giant's Causeway, Dunluce Castle

Today was a packed day. We began with heading to the Carrick-a-Rede, which is a swinging rope bridge one hundred feet above the sea. Fishermen erected the bridge so that they could check on their salmon nets. When we crossed the bridge, we were walking across the mountain of an ancient volcano that formed 60 million years ago. The views from the Carrick-de-Rede were stunning; the cliffs fell into the aqua blue sea with ease.

Next, we headed to the Giant’s Causeway, which is one of the natural wonders of the world. I’m not exactly sure how the rocks formed as perfect cylinders shooting up from the ground at various angles, but Dr. H explained to us the “real” story behind the Giant’s Causeway, which involved Giants who came to the island and stomped on the rocks.

Next, we headed to the Dunluce Castle. Dunluce Castle is dramatically positioned on a headland between the Giant’s Causeway and Portrush. It was built between the 15^th and 17^th centuries and, at this time, was one of the finest castles in the region and served to control the land and sea routes of North Ulster. We learned about the turbulent history and legends of the MacQuillans, the MacDonnells, and the Scottish settlers.

Lastly, we had a farewell dinner as an entire group of 25 and Kelly, Leslie, Kelly, and Dr. H. We went to a nice Italian place for a three-course meal, then headed to Whetherspoons with the group afterwards. 

Belfast: A Divided City

Today we departed for Belfast in Northern Ireland. When we arrived we were immediately greeted by our Belfast tour guide, who gave us a coach tour around the city.

What we began to notice about Belfast is that the city is extremely political. Belfast is divided into two sections: one section is the republican side and the other is the unionists/loyalist side. Republicans support Ireland as its own republic, apart from the rule of the Queen. The unionists, on the other hand, support Northern Ireland as a part of Great Britain under the rule of the Queen and British Parliament.

There is still much conflict between the two groups. When we drove around Belfast, we noticed many murals of political images. They were shocking; images of terrorists from the Irish Republican Army (IRA) dressed in all black and snipers aiming their guns directly at you invoked fear among citizens. We all signed the Peace Wall, which is a wall that divides the two factions within Belfast. When you think about that, it seems almost counterintuitive.

We then headed to the Titanic Museum, which was on the very dock where the Titanic was built. We learned about the workers and working conditions in Belfast at that time, and how the Titanic was built. The most interesting bit to me was the stories and documentaries of the people on the ship – both those who died and survived.

One of the boys at the hostel who works there for free housing, an Australian named Henry, made us all cheeseburgers on the “barby” (or “barbeque”). Even though this hostel had the worst rooms ever, it was so great because we got to meet and hang out with people our age from Australia, France, Montana and New York in the United States, etc. We all went out that night and had a great experience in Belfast.

County Wicklow & Dublin

Today we took a lovely trip through County Wicklow. Our first site excursion was the 7^th century monastic settlement of Glendalough, where we explored the ruins and Viking Tower there. Much of what we learned about today was related to the Early Irish Church.

Wicklow

Christianity reached Ireland sometime in the fourth century. In the fifth century, Pope Celestine appointed Bishop Palladium to the Irish Christians. The early church in Ireland was episcopal (governed by bishops), but by the late sixth century monastic settlements began to dominate the Irish Church. In time, monasteries and other church settlements became important centers of population, wealth, and activity.

We then visited another old monastic site in Wicklow, the “Priest’s House,” a miniature 12^th century building which was perhaps an oratory or shrine. The building displayed a unique alcove with a Romanesque arch. We then took a long walk around the outdoors site through the woods near the Wicklow Mountains.

Woods in Wicklow

We had a brief lunch then headed into a Celtic cross exhibit, where we studied the unique formations and symbolisms of the replicas of real crosses from all over Ireland. Then we headed into a museum on the founding of the Republic of Ireland and also got to view the monument ,which had inscribed in it the Republic’s Declaration of Independence.

Lastly, we toured the Writer’s Museum and got to learn about all of the famous writers of Ireland. I think my favorite Irish writer has to be Jonathan Swift, because he is so brilliantly portrays the politics of Britain and Ireland in metaphors and a clever use of language. Claire, Ashley, and I went out to dinner at the Hard Rock Café in Dublin, which was nice because it reminded us of home.

Dublin: Book of Kells & St. Patrick's Cathedral

Today was our first full day in Dublin. We departed for Trinity College Dublin at 9 AM to go see a well-known exhibit at the university’s library, called the Book of Kells. The Book of Kells is a lavish Celtic copy of the gospels that dates back about 1,000 years. During this time, the Irish church was largely monastic in organization. Monks traveled to remote places, like the Aran Islands, to fulfill their religious duties of prayer, manual labor, and manuscript writing. The Book of Kells was written by the monks of Iona, off the west coast of Scotland, but sent to Trinity when Vikings raided the monastery in 806 A.D.

We then toured the city by foot, visiting some coffee shops dedicated to famous Irish writers and poets, as well as the famously colorful Dublin doors. When Queen Victoria of England died in the early 1900’s, the English wanted everyone to paint their doors black as a sign of grief. The Irish, of course, painted their doors as colorful as they could to demonstrate their independence from the British monarchy.

Our next excursion was to St. Patrick’s Cathedral. This cathedral is perhaps one of the most important to Ireland because St. Patrick himself is said to be perhaps the biggest reason for social and religious cohesion in Ireland – Ireland being predominantly Roman Catholic. The oldest part of the cathedral, the baptistery, dates back to around 1190 A.D., where St. Patrick baptized converts to Christianity. Being in the cathedral itself made me think of something Kelly said yesterday about King Phillips XIII of England, who sent in his men to convert all Catholics in Ireland to Protestants.  King Phillips XIII himself was a Catholic who converted to Protestantism in order to not be ruled by a church, so that he could obtain Ireland and other neighboring lands. He imposed laws upon the Irish that would benefit all Protestants but critically hurt Catholics, such as taxes on all goods, a limitation on livestock, and the prohibition of selling their harvest, while Protestants enjoyed all their rights. Although it called for a nearly impossible life, there was much protest to converting within Ireland, which is one of the contributing factors to Ireland’s persistently large Catholic population.

We had free time for the rest of the day, so a smaller group of friends and I headed to the Guinness distillery. The Guiness distillery was about 8 floors high with the Gravity Bar at the top, which had all glass walls so we could see the entire city of Dublin. We learned a lot about the history of Guiness, which begun in 1759 with a bold Irish man named Arthur Guinness. It was interesting to not only see how the beer (“baere” in Galic, meaning “barley”) was made, but how much of a trademark it is for Ireland. We then took a horse and buggy to the Jameson distillery for a shorter tour. Ashley and Jill got to taste-test Jameson (Irish), Johnnie Walker (Scottish), and Jack Daniels (American) whiskeys. We learned about the company since it’s founding in the 1800’s by John Jameson and the triple distillation process, which sets Jameson apart from whiskeys like Johnnie Walker and Jack Daniels because it is distilled a total of three times, compared to twice (Scotch) and even just once (American whiskey).

Clonmacnoise & Dublin Museums

Today we headed out to the coach around 9 AM. Out first stop was Clonmacnoise, which is a monastic village in the midlands of Ireland. Clonmacnoise is primarily in ruins, but is well kept for a village that dates back to around 500 A.D. We observed the beautiful monastic churches, crucifixes, tombs, and architecture and learned about the complex history of Ireland through its history. A large influence in the history stems from Norman invasions, as well as King Phillips XIII of England and Oliver Cromwell’s persecution of Catholics in Ireland.

We headed back on the road, stopping for lunch at a rest stop on the way. Kelly gave a brief lecture on the coach. When we got into Dublin, Leslie gave us a brief introduction to the city. We headed right to the National Museum of History and Archaeology where we focused on artifacts from the Bronze Age and Iron Age. The gold jewelry, chalices, and armor were so intricately hand made and well preserved. My favorite exhibit was on the “bog people.” These were preserved human bodies of Irish men who were sacrificed for religious purposes (it was rare to sacrifice a woman). Kelly explained the religious importance of the number 3; all of these men were “killed 3 times” – for example, hit on the head until unconscious, slit throat, and pierced in the body with a sword. It is the highest honor to be sacrificed to the gods, because it meant saving one’s own people.

We then headed to the National Museum of Ireland, just a few blocks away. This was a beautiful art museum with exhibits of both Irish and European art. I enjoyed the looking at all the paintings because, after taking Art History my freshman year, I know that not all paintings are meant to simply be aesthetically pleasing, but they often reflect a part of history, a culture, a religion, or how society should act. A lot of the paintings I looked at reflected Irish history in some way, or the unification of Irish identity with Catholicism.

Later that evening, we went out to dinner at O’Shea’s pub and actually managed to eat healthy. Then we went a pub that Kelly suggested for some good music. We had a great time and made friends with a group of French people, and even met some Americans who go to the same college as Claire and I back in the US.

The Aran Islands

Today we were off to an early start at 9 AM on the bus. We took the coach to the ferry and then the ferry to Inis Mor, the biggest of the three Aran Islands. This island is populated by almost 1,000 citizens who all speak in their native tongue, Gaelic. It was terribly cold near the water, but once we got off the ferry and away from the winds near the coast it was perfect out. Leslie, our Irish tour guide and bus driver, let us shop around for a while before our island bus arrived. We went into a beautiful Aran sweater shop, which has the most Aran sweaters in the country. I bought a beautiful wool scarf and socks to keep me warm on the island.

Cemetery in the Aran Islands

When the bus arrived, we took a ride around the island until we got to the cemetery. It was unbelievable to think that the cemetery consisted of structures from the 1500’s. The tombs were cluttered by stones and rocks around them. In fact, stones play a big part in the Aran identity. Our tour guide mentioned that there are 300 miles worth of stone fencing on the island, and the Irish government banned any reassembling of the rock walls in order to preserve the trueness of the Aran history.

Horse and buggy

We then traveled up to the Dun Angus fort at the very peek of the island. This fort is an ideal example of Bronze Age architecture. Not only was it aesthetically pleasing, but the structure was impressive and clever. The high winds would often come sweeping up the side of the cliff right into the crescent-shaped wall, and whisk enemies right off the cliff itself. Sharp stones lined the outer edge of the structure, making it impossible for enemies to get around; the only way they could get into the island was if they climbed over it, which gives the Aran people all the advantage of shooting them square in the chest with a bow and arrow. The views from the top were spectacular.

Amazing view from the top

We got back in the van and took a quick stop at the seal colony and saw some seals playing around in the water. We all ate at a local pub on the island, then walked around the small villages after. It’s the little things like these that make me really feel like I am truly experiencing Ireland.

Gamma Phi, all over the world

Exploring Galway & Its History

Today we got to sleep in a bit, because we didn’t have to meet as a group until 1:30. In the morning all the girls in my hostel room and I got ready for the day and then headed out into Galway to walk around and explore the city. Jill and I went into a few claddagh ring stores to look at jewelry. The Irish claddagh ring was first designed in a village called Claddagh in Galway. The heart in the center of the ring represents love, the crown above the heart represents loyalty, and the hands clasping the heart represent friendship.

The first claddagh ring shop, Galway

A few of us also popped in for a quick look around a small market. We bought some snack bars and tea. After walking around for an hour or so and stopping in other tourist shops, Ashley, Jacob, Claire, and I headed to a pub called McKearney’s for lunch. We enjoyed some really great Irish pub food and drinks.

We met with our group and walking tour guide, Conor. He is studying for his PhD in archaeology and astronomy, so he was very knowledgeable about Galway history and Irish culture. We began in Eyre Park, which is named after Jane and Edward Eyre. Conor explained to us that a hooker was the kind of sails on Irish ships and that there are 14 tribes of Ireland. What I found interesting was what Conor told us about execution in earlier times. The first lynching was performed by a member of the Lynch family, who was mayor of Galway. He had to hang his son for committing a serious crime against a woman, and the process was thus named after him. We got to see the window where Mayor Lynch tied rope around his son’s neck and threw him out.

Hooker sails in Eyre Park

Lynch

We then went into St. Nicholas’s Church, which is an Anglican/Episcopal church that dates back hundreds of years. One of the more famous visitors of the church to us was Christopher Columbus. Both Jane and Edward Eyre’s tombs are located in St. Nicholas. Conor also showed us one of the older buildings in the city, a 500 year old Lynch family building that was turned into a bank. The gargoyles on the top of the building are a classic architectural design whose purpose was to spit water when it rains. This is where the term “gargle” comes from.

Jane Eyre's tomb in St. Nicholas's Church

National Bank of Ireland

We concluded the tour with the breathtaking Galway Cathedral and the National University of Ireland at Galway. The cathedral was built in the 1950’s (very new compared to most architecture in Galway) and has been named the greatest cathedral in Europe. I was taken back by the marble floors and cedar pews. We ended at the old main quadrangle at the university’s campus, which really looked like an old stone castle with vines crawling up the sides.

JFK

Galway Cathedral

NUIG

Later that night, we had a three-course dinner reservation at a local Irish pub and restaurant as an entire group. I loved chatting with Kelly and Dr. Haavisto and the girls around me at the table. I also have found a new love for Irish vegetable soup! After coming back to the hostel, all the girls in my room and I went out to the pubs to enjoy Irish folk music. Jill and I stayed out pretty late, but we got to meet so many great Irish people, and some visitors from England and even Idaho in the States. I feel that going to pubs and interacting with the locals is one of the best ways to really get to know the people here and learn about their identity.

Cliffs of Moher & Trad on The Prom

Our program did not start until today, but Claire and I arrived in Shannon a day early and stayed at the Park Inn Hotel right outside the airport. When we got back to the airport at 9 AM today, we walked towards the meeting area and were instantly greeted by Kelly, one of the CIS Abroad site directors. Our other site director who is an Ireland native gave us a brief orientation of everything we'll be doing in Ireland. We waited around in the airport until noon when our coach driver arrived, and we packed up the coach and headed for the Cliffs of Moher.


The Cliffs of Moher, located in the southwestern edge of County Clare, rise from 390 feet at Hag's Head to a maximum of 700 feet just north of O'Brien's Tower.  The Cliffs of Moher got its name from an old fort called Moher that once stood tall at the southern part of the cliffs, Hag's Head. It was demolished a few hundred years ago to make room for a new watch tower. The cliffs themselves represent a large part of Irish history and identity, and attracts around one million tourists each year.

Cliffs of Moher

O'Brien's Tower at the height of the cliffs

Claire and I at the top of the Cliffs of Moher

We departed from the Cliffs of Moher and headed to our hostel in Galway, Ireland. I was a bit apprehensive about staying in a hostel, just because I have never stayed in one and only know less than pleasant stereotypes about them. It ended up being really nice. We have 10 girls on our trip in one room together with one bathroom, which can be crazy when we all need to shower in the mornings and use the limited outlets. We all got settled in our hostel and ready to go out to dinner.


After dinner, we all went to see Trad on the Prom, a traditional Irish music and dance performance. One of the performers who played the violin and sang was world-renowned and played for Riverdance. In fact, all of the performers were some sort of the best in their league. Among all the Irish step dancers, they received 16 world titles. My favorite part of the performance was when they mixed traditional Irish music with American bluegrass. When the Irish settled in America, they played their traditional Irish music, which was primarily about immigration, love, war, and working hard. As time went on, the music gradually diverged into Bluegrass, but its roots will always remain Irish.


Late at night, we went out to the pubs and ended up going to a really fun club called Central Park with a group of boys from Cork. The club reminded me of Monday Night Pavs, except every girl seemed dressed like Lady Gaga to some extent.