Sick, but nothing is going to stop me from seeing Ireland!

I am sick of being sick. I guess the weather has finally caught up with me. Despite fighting a migraine ALL day, I still enjoyed myself.

After searching for a route to the Boyne and pushing through inches of water (everything was flooded!!!), we finally made it to our first destination. I learned (for the fourth time) about the most important battle in Irish history,...the Battle of the Boyne.

The next site, the temple passage in New Grange, was more my stride. The passage way we walked through was 5,000 years old. It is 1,000 years older than Stoneheadge and 500 years older than the pyramids. Everything about this site was mystical. One of my posted pictures shows the outside of the passage (no pictures could be taken inside, however). Back when there was no means of transportation (not even horses were domesticated yet), people moved HUGE rock over 400 miles. The site was build with no plaster....literally all that is holding up the passage is rock against rock. Scary but AMAZING. Even cooler,...check out the rock in front of the passage. Can you see the carvings? So cool, right? It gets better I promise! The reason this site is so impressive is because of what happens during the solstice. For only 7 minutes over a five day period, the sun perfectly aligns and illuminates the inside of the passage. The construction of the passage is so genius and precise, that it is said that the stone age humans that created this structure were light years more intelligent than our scientists today. What mystified me even more is that fact that no one can be sure why this passage was created. There are many conjectures, but no real answers. Some believe the passage was used by sun worshipers for religious ceremonies. Some believe the passage was used for burial purposes. Some believe the passage created as art for arts sake. Who knows? Honestly, I am happy not knowing...

The last site we visited was Trim castle. The other two pictures are from this area. Can you guess what famous movie star walked these grounds not too many years ago? Probably not...Mel Gibson! This is where they filmed Brave Heart. Very fun.

Music to my ears

Here is a little music for your enjoyment. I was walking down a street one day and ran into these musicians. It was truly grand to just sit and listen to the music. Hope you enjoy as much as I do!!!

I want to dedicate this blog to all my favorite musicians (Brandon, Cole and Felicia).

Wicklow Tour

Welcome to the beautiful Wicklow mountains. After taking a scenic tour up the mountain, our first destination was the Glendalough Monastic site. Monastic buildings located on this site dated back to the 10th century!

Fun fact about the Irish cross: In one of my picture you will see a grave yard with the remains of a church behind it. Look for an example of a cross. Before St. Patrick came to Ireland, the region's religions was paganism. When St. Patrick came to Ireland, it is said that as to not upset the Pagan culture, he meshed the christian cross with a cirlce (which represents the sun(and other earth materials) that the Pagan's worshiped). This is one theory that I was told today. Many Christians believe that the cirlce encompassing the cross symbolizes everlasting life. I do not know what your beliefs are, but I thought I would share both of these interesting theories.

After touring the monastic site, we took and hour hike up the mountain to view the waterfall (which I took a picture of). By the top of the mountain I was sweating and out of breath. Guess I should start to get in shape, huh?

We ended our day in the Powerscourt House and Gardens (This is the first picture that is shown). The Powerscourt Gardens is a collection of flowers and shrubbery, sculpted in artistic ways. To be truthful, I was slightly disappointed because most of the flowers were dead. The green grass was quit pretty, but all together I was unimpressed with this site. I did, however, have a wonderful scone from the gift shop.

Just another note:

Thanks to anyone that is reading my blog. Are you tired of my scenic pictures yet? It is so hard for me to even describe everything I am seeing. All I can say is that Ireland needs to go on every one's bucket list!

To all my students: Thanks you for listening to what I have to say. If you go away to college, you should take every opportunity available to you to tour other countries. Study abroad! I am learning valuable life lessons everyday. I miss you all! (P.S. Twilight opens on Friday,..I know a few of you have started your countdown! I will see it and then we can compare notes)

Belfast

Saturday, November 14

Belfast

Although we only spent a few hours in Belfast, I learned decades of history. For years and years Belfast was an area of destruction during the time of the "Troubles" between the English and Irish nationalists. Even today you can still see the remains of the fighting. They say that the Irish in this area are more Irish than the Irish and the British/Irish are more British than the British. The "peace line" (a giant fence), which is taller than the Berlin wall runs through the city and is a constant reminder of the separation. The term "peace line" is ironic because it is about anything but peace.
While driving through the city there are many examples of graffiti in the form of amateur paintings on the sides of the buildings. Depending on what part of the city you are in determines what perspective the paintings are from (the Irish nationalists (headed by Sinn Fein) or the British).

Heaven

Friday, November 13

I found a piece of heaven on Friday.
Ladies and gentlemen,....
Dumdrums: The largest shopping mall in Europe

5 hours of shopping and we only briefly touched the mall. As you can see in the photo, we all did some major damage. All I will say is that I will be avoiding my bank account for some time.

To finish off the perfect night, I ate an entire medium pizza at Pizza Hut.
Like I said,...HEAVEN!

First two days of school....

Three words: All Boys School

One word: Help

No, just kidding. My first two days of school were an adventure. I still need to get adjusted to the all boys atmosphere. There are so many differences in our school system. Let me tell you about a few interesting differences

-My day runs from 9-2:30 (Are all my American students jealous?).

-The children get two "yards" or recesses. During this time, teachers have tea. This is no joke. Probably my favorite part of the day is tea time. Every teacher in the school sits in the staff room for tea and biscuits.

-During lunch, the students have only ten minutes to eat their lunches in the classroom. They also have a "fruit break" early in the day. This is kinda like a snack break.

-Students learn Irish or Gaelic for almost an hour. I think you can imagine how confused I was as an hour of the day was spoken in a different language. Another hour is dedicated to religion

-There are no music, art or gym teachers. The homeroom teachers teach all subjects. Today, we had music. We sang "When the Saints Come Marching In" as we marched around the room. So fun!

I will tell you more about the school as I continue through my five week adventure.

I will try not to bore you with the details of my day, but I thought I should brag about the fact that I walked over an hour to get home today. My calves are now burning, but I feel great. I wanted to put my athletic activity in writing because I do not know how long it will take for me to become lazy again.

Here is a picture to keep you laughing,...I think I could beat this boxer anyday...

Finally Sunday

Finally caught up with all my posts.
It is Sunday and what a beautiful day. There were millions of activities Brittnee and I could have participated in today. Because of the sunshine, we dropped everything and took a ride through the countryside. I will not say much about the day because I believe my pictures will say it all. Just take a look.....
OOOOOOO! One final note. Where are all my P.S. I Love You fans? Today we ended our exersion with eating at the highest pub in all of Ireland; Johnnie Fox's. In P.S. I Love You, this is where our characters meet and first fall in love. Aside from the movie, you should know that famous actors, presidents and authors frequent Jonnie Fox's all the time (Examples include Brad Pitt and Bill Clinton) There is live, traditional music every night of the week. For anyone famous that comes to Ireland, Johnnie Fox's is a must see. Just think, I could have sat in the same seat as Brad Pitt,...what a day!