Land of the Irish Part 2

We dropped Ian's family off at the Dublin airport on Tuesday and continued our travels down the east coast of Ireland.  We stayed a night in Dublin looking at ancient artifacts like the Book of Kells and the oldest harp in Ireland.  To get our Celtic dancing and music fill we enjoyed the performance Riverdance.

Another highlight was Newgrange.  This tomb is 1000 years older than Stonehenge and 400 years older than the Pyramids.  Built of rocks carefully stacked on top of one another, it is still standing today with little restoration being done.  This tomb could also have been used as a worship center or a calendar.  During the Winter Solstice, the sun shines perfectly through the opening, to illuminate the inside.

After spending time in the city, we always moved back to the countryside where the views were spectacular!  We took two very scenic drives around the country.  This picture is at the top of Sally Gap in Wicklow National Park.  

The other scenic drive was around the Ring of Kerry near Killarney National Park.  Ian took this picture on that drive.  He was excited about seeing sheep everywhere!

One night we stumbled upon a little town called Dunmore East along the coast.  We stayed at a Bed and Breakfast there with a view of the ocean. It was everything you would expect of an Irish town with thatched roofs, friendly Irish folks, and spectacular views.  

 

Close by was the Waterford Crystal factory which we toured the next morning.    

  The factory here only makes high end items.  Ian is pictured in front of some of the items for sale.  It was so interesting to watch the crystal pieces being made.  On display was an NBA trophy, a Pebble Beach trophy, and a 9/11 memorial replica on display in NY.   

 Our last and favorite stop was in the town of Portmagee on the Iveragh Peninsula.  We took a boat ride out to the Skellig Islands.  There are two islands.  One is only inhabited by birds.  The other is famous for a monastery that was built on the top.  Monks lived there until about 1200AD.    

 To give you an idea what an incredible feat it was to build on this island, here are the steps we had to climb up to get to the top.  

A bad fall would take you over the edge in this picture.

The monastery had "beehives" where they lived, cooked, and worshipped.  

In the foreground is the cemetery.  

We enjoyed being in the land of the Irish where we both have ancestry and are looking forward to going back someday.  

The land of the Irish Part 1

The past ten days we have been exploring Ireland!  We went to celebrate the 60th wedding anniversary of Ian's Grandparents as well as continue our own honeymoon.  Here are some highlights of the trip.  

Ian's family picked us up at the Shannon airport and we went straight to the Cliffs of Moher.  These vertical cliffs were a great introduction to Ireland! 

The first few nights we stayed in a quaint town called Adare.  All the women enjoyed high tea at the Adare Manor where we were staying while the men did a little golfing.  Left to Right is me, Alana, Erin, Ian's mom Margaret, Grandma Helen, and Aunt Helen.   

Apparently Tiger Woods and many other famous golfers have golfed on this course.

The next day we went to the 15th century Blarney Castle.

After hiking to the very top, we all kissed the Blarney Stone to receive the "Gift of Eloquence" or the "Gift of Gab."  To do so, you have to hold on to two bars and bend over backwards.

   

This is the Finlay family on the top of the castle.

The food in Ireland was delicious.  Many mornings we had what was called the full Irish - eggs, bacon, sausage, tomatoes, and toast.  Our favorite was the Irish Stew.  Really just a beef stew with vegetables.  Here is our first taste of it.  

After leaving Adare, we visited St. Michael's Church in Limerick where Ian's great, great, great grandparents were married.  Here is the whole group in front of that church.  

  

From here, we traveled to Northern Ireland.  The first stop was in Londonderry or Derry.  A tour guide took us around the city explaining the history of the city and the conflict between the Catholics and the Protestants there.  This conflict came to a head on January 30, 1972 where 13 civilians were killed in Derry now known as Bloody Sunday.  This city is one of the few still surrounded by a wall.  We are standing on top of the city walls with the outer city in the background.  Apparently this is the area where the phrase "Cat Walk" was started.  The high-class ladies of the city would come to this portion of the wall and strut down the wall in their finest apparel to show off.  The poorer population outside the walls would yell and make fun of them coining the phrase "Cat Walk."      

Another highlight in Northern Ireland was Giant's Causeway.  The hexagonal columns made from volcanic rock look surreal and were thought to be placed there by giants.

Dragon Boat Racing

This weekend we added a new experience to our bucket list.  Ian and I participated in dragon boat racing!  Every year there is a dragon boat racing festival at Sloan Lake in Denver, CO.  We joined up with the Ernst and Young team to race across the pond in dragon boats.  As you can see from the pictures, this was the real deal with a drummer and official dragon boats.  Here is the team practicing paddling in sync with the drum beat.

The dragon boat race.