As you may or may not know, Troy and I did not travel to Ireland together. As he was going primarily for work purposes, IKEA flew him out to Dublin on an Air Canada flight from Ottawa to Toronto, from Toronto to London (UK) and from London to Dublin. His return flight, also on Air Canada, was the same route back. When I tried to book my flight to Dublin on Air Canada, I was told that this same flight would cost me $6600. So that was out of the question. Instead, I opted for a less expensive, more direct route: Ottawa to Philadelphia, Philadelphia to Dublin. Same route to come back home again. This meant that we had two different flights to catch on our way back on Sunday morning.
My flight was the earlier of the two to depart, at 11:00 a.m. Troy's would leave an hour later. Figuring that we would need time to be at the airport three hours before our international flights, and factoring in the time required to shower and get ready, have breakfast and get to the airport, I requested a 6:00 a.m. wake-up call. Ouch!
When the call came, I asked Troy to get ready first so that I could steal a few more minutes of sleep. Then, I also got ready and we went to the dining hall for breakfast. Troy's farewell meal in Ireland was the traditional Irish fry, while I had yogurt, fruit salad and hot porridge.
We left the hotel a little behind schedule, at 7:45 a.m., hoping to catch the next shuttle bus to the airport, which was scheduled to arrive within 20 minutes. Lo and behold, a cab driver saw us with our bags, pulled up near us and asked if we wanted a lift to the airport for 22 euros. We jumped on the chance, and promptly made our way to our destination. We chatted with the cabman on our way, and he pointed out to us the house that Bram Stoker lived in when he wrote Dracula in 1897. He also talked about the housing bubble in Ireland, and showed us properties that were once worth up to 1.3 million euros before the recession, and are now worth about half that amount. The Irish are dreading the future now with the austerity programmes the government has proposed to cover the costs of the 50 billion euro bank bailouts.
We got to the airport around 8:15 a.m., and I hugged Troy and wished him a good flight home. I rushed through the area where I had to deposit my luggage and through security, then made my way to the desk to get my taxes back. (Non-EU country residents are entitled to get back the taxes they paid in Ireland, so I had to bring my forms to the appropriate desk.) It turns out that I had two different types of forms, so I had to wait in both long lines to see the respective attendants. By that time, it was 9:30 a.m., and I had to rush to make sure that I could make my boarding time, which was 9:30 a.m., on account of us having to get through American immigration here in Dublin. So I joined the impossibly long line for immigration and was finally let through around 10:00 a.m. I was then able to board my flight fairly quickly.
We left Dublin airport on our way to Philadelphia with a slight delay, but nothing too dramatic -- something like 20 minutes, maybe. I started reading the book club book, The Book of Secrets by M. G. Vassanji. I was exhausted, so I slept about an hour, then returned to my book and made very good progress during my 7-hour flight to the United States. Our two inflight movies were duds (the one about summer camp with the likes of David Spade, Chris Rock, Adam Sandler, etc., and the live-action "Marmaduke"), and I can honestly say that lunch was a strong contender for my worst meal of 2010 (mushy tortellini pasta, but when I burped later, it tasted like the plastic container it was served in...)
It was 2:05 p.m. local time when I saw that we were starting our descent into Philadelphia, and I realized then that my 3:04 p.m. boarding time for the flight to Ottawa was going to be very tight. Our flight had been delayed about 40 minutes on account of the stronger than anticipated winds. We landed ten minutes later, and I rushed to do everything I had to do to get onto my flight: I had to locate my luggage on the caroussel and place it onto the next conveyor belt for my flight, go through security again, go through customs again, take a shuttle to my terminal, and then run to my gate. To make things worse, the lines for security and customs were exceedingly long.
I finally reached my gate at 3:35 p.m., roughly the time the flight was scheduled to depart. However, I was able to board. I couldn't believe that I had actually made it! It turns out that one passenger didn't have the appropriate documentation to board our flight, so they had to take out all the luggage from the plane to remove his bags, and then reload all the luggage back again. This gave me time to make my flight.
Around 4:30 p.m., our flight left Philadelphia with close to one hour's delay, and I settled in to continue reading my book, which I almost finished by the time we arrived in Canada about 90 minutes later. On the way, I was subjected to a loud-talking American man with a heavy southern drawl, talking about his reading a biography of Ronald Reagan: "I didn't know that Reagan had been a union leader for five years! But after that, he saw the light and came around." I bristled, but then sought comfort in the thought "Ronald Wilson Reagan, 666". LOL
So I got through Canadian Customs without a hitch and my luggage was among the first to arrive. I was able to exchange the few remaining euros for Canadian dollars and got into a cab that got me home around 7:00 p.m. My cats were really excited to see me again, so that was a pleasant welcome home.
When I next checked my e-mails, I discovered that Troy did not have it that good: he missed his connecting flight in London, on account of his flight from Dublin being delayed. He was on stand-by for the next available flight to Ottawa, but couldn't make any on Sunday, so he had to stay overnight in a tiny room at the Holiday Inn near the airport (at £144 a night, or close to $233 Canadian). He was finally confirmed on a direct flight to Ottawa for 1:00 p.m. local time, and arrived in Ottawa at 3:23 p.m. yesterday, after a seven-hour flight. I was glad to hear he made it home safely.
And so our trip to Ireland is now officially over. I can't believe how quickly it went by, but at the same time we made sure that our limited time there was jam-packed with things we wanted to see and do. We never made it outside of the capital city (except for that one short jaunt to Powerscourt, just outside the city limits), but Troy had me promise him that we would return one day soon to see Ireland in all its glory. I was only too happy to oblige, and I reminded him that the prerequisite for us to return would be that we keep seeing each other. ;-)
I never expected to find such a warm and friendly people, such great food, wonderful music, and an easy and relaxed atmosphere. I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Ireland. I resolved that when I came back to Canada, I would find time to do the things I have always wanted to do but cannot on account of my sticking to routines. The main resolution was to start writing again, no doubt partly due to the James Joyce immersion, and the fact that Ireland has such a rich literary tradition (including producing four Nobel laureates for literature -- Shaw, Beckett, Yeats and Heany -- more than any other country in the world). Troy also encountered some travel-related soul-searching and at one point exclaimed that he felt he was wasting his life on matters most trivial and mundane when he could be enjoying life more! I was able to reassure him that what he is doing is still vitally important.
But such is the wonder of travel, that it shakes up our very foundations and allows us to explore other possibilities. And this is one important reason why I like to travel so much. It offers me new vistas and reminds me that anything is possible if we truly want to make it happen.
Slainte,
M.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Our Last Full Day in Dublin
Troy Posing With A Real-Life Leprechaun
The Formal Gardens of the Royal Hospital Kilmainham,Near the Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA)
"Symmetry Is The Way Things Have To Be" -- Jane Siberry
The Staircase Leading to the Gardens
A "Single Portion" of Ice Cream: Five Scoops in a Soup Bowl
Casks of Irish Whiskey at the Jameson Distillery
Sculpture on a Bridge Over the River Liffey
Fish and Chips, Anyone?I honestly wish that this wasn't the case, but I am afraid that our time in Dublin is almost over. What a fan-feckin-tastic vacation this was. I had never expected to enjoy the city as much as I did. In fact, this evening, at Carrolls, the souvenir shop, I nearly started weeping, thinking about leaving Ireland so soon. It didn't help that "Danny Boy" was playing on the sound system.
We awoke this morning on our own at 8:00 a.m. sharp. We took our time getting ready, and even watched some TV. We made it down for breakfast, where Troy had the smoked salmon, and I had the traditional Irish breakfast (scrambled eggs, toast and jam, sausages, bacon and white blood pudding). Honestly, I think I prefer the blood pudding to Irish bacon... I have really enjoyed the music they play in the hotel. Last night, at dinner, they played Björk ("It's Oh So Quiet") and Tori Amos ("Winter"), and this morning, at breakfast, they played Kate Bush ("Wuthering Heights"). You would think that they were playing songs from my iTunes or something...
After breakfast, we headed downtown on foot and ran into a few people dressed in leprechaun suits and I took a picture of Troy beside one. We then took a tacsai (taxi) to our main destination this morning, the Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA). Troy really wanted to go there, so I was happy that we could make time to go there today. The first gallery was a little disappointing: it featured contemporary prints and lithograph series, some of them printed in 2010, and none by artists we recognized. We got through the very small gallery in mere minutes. The curator then told us that most of the museum was closed because they are planning the next big exhibit, and only one more small gallery, the one devoted to American Modern Art from after the Second World War, was open. So, we took a break from the exhibit and ventured outside to visit the formalist gardens behind the IMMA. Wow! If anything, the gardens were way more impressive than the art we had just seen. We strolled through the gardens slowly, taking dozens of photographs. There were a few raindrops just then, but as this was the first time during our trip that it really rained, we still considered ourselves very lucky with the weather we have had.
After our stroll through the grounds, we entered the only other gallery that was open, and we were both pleasantly surprised by what we saw. This gallery was somewhat larger than the last one and featured works by such artistic heavyweights as Marcel Duchamp, Christo, Jasper Johns and Roy Lichtenstein. My favourite piece was "Little Orphan Annie Is Forty", by Richard Merkin. Troy's was John Goodyear's "Two-Sided Movement". And we both really enjoyed Marcel Duchamp's six different pieces he called "Rotoreliefs". All in all, a great visit of the IMMA, which was saved by the American art exhibit.
We left the museum some time around 2:30 p.m. I told Troy that as we suddenly had more time than expected, perhaps we could do the other site he had been hoping to see during our trip to Dublin, the Jameson distillery. We walked the ten or fifteen minutes it took to get there, bypassing the Cobblestone Pub along the way. When we got there, Troy announced that he was starving, and I was quick to echo that sentiment. So, we went to the Jameson distillery restaurant and had a great bite to eat. I had the pork dinner: a generous serving of roast pork, with roasted potatoes, parsnips and carrots, with apple stuffing and red wine gravy. Troy had the broccoli and Cashel blue cheese soup, the turkey ciabatta, and a side order of french fries. Very yummy meals all around.
As I was waiting for my dessert, Troy got in line to get us tickets for the guided tour of the distillery. The waiter asked if I wanted a single portion of ice cream. I hesitated, then said that yes, one portion would be sufficient. I thought I would try to be good. When dessert came to the table, I discovered that one portion meant five scoops French vanilla ice cream in a soup bowl. Let's just say I didn't complain...
We managed to get tickets for the 4:00 p.m. tour. We learned how Jameson whiskey is made from just three ingredients: pure water, malted barley and unmalted barley. The tour guide showed us a film on John Jameson's life, trying to gloss over the fact that he came from Scotland (the whole "who invented whiskey, the Irish or the Scots" debate seems to be a deeply entrenched one in these parts!). After the film, we saw rooms that explained each process in the making of Jameson Irish whiskey. But before that, the guide asked if there were any volunteers -- 4 men and 4 women -- who wanted to sample the difference between Irish whiskey (Jameson), Scottish whiskey (Johnny Walker) and American bourbon (Jack Daniels). I knew that Troy would really, really like to be one of those volunteers, so I caught the guide's eye and shot my arm up in the air. I was rewarded with the first chance to sample the three, which I gave to Troy. He looked like a happy camper. At the end of the tour, he was invited to sit at the head table with the other 7 volunteers and taste the difference between the three. As for the rest of us, we all got our free drink that came with the price of our ticket. At the end of the sampling the guide invited family and friends of the volunteers to taste the difference between the three, so I got to see that Jameson was my favourite. The Johnny Walker had that smoky taste that I despise so much in many other foods (smoked oysters, smoked mussels, smoked bacon... yuck!), and the Jack Daniels, being made out of corn, was way too sweet. And as for Troy, who also preferred the Jameson, he earned himself a certificate in whiskey sampling, to go with his certificate as an apprentice master brewer that he earned at the Guinness brewery.
We crossed the Ha'penny Bridge just as the sun was setting, making our way to the south side of the Liffey in our quest to find Isolde's Tower. There is nothing there anymore except for a marker, so I took a picture of it.
It was then time to do a bit of shopping. We went primarily to Carrolls and bought all of the souvenirs we still wanted to get. Troy happened to smash a small leprechaun while we were there, but we didn't have to pay for it. I got my friend Martin some gifts for looking after my cats, whom I miss a lot, actually, if truth be known. (The cats, not Martin, LOL).
Upon returning to the hotel, around 7:00 p.m., we packed all of our things, ready for tomorrow's early morning flight. An hour later, we were seated in the restaurant, listening to U2, Sinéad O'Connor and the Cranberries on the sound system there. Troy ordered his last beef and Guinness pie in Ireland, and I got a huge serving of fish and chips. We then went to the adjoining bar to listen to the live band that was playing there, in front of a large audience of sports fans who flooded into the place after the important football match tonight. I had a Jameson and cranberry juice, and Troy had a Jameson straight up before trying a Tyrconnell. We decided to call it an early night, so we paid our hotel bill tonight ahead of our departure tomorrow morning and headed to our room where Troy read his new book and I typed today's activities in my blog.
That's where we're at right now. I'm about to read Troy my blog entry. Then I will be off to bed. Once I get back to Canada I will write one final entry and add some photos.
I have loved every minute of my stay here and cannot wait to return again soon.
All best,
M.
PS- I tried reading Troy the blog entry for today, but I had to stop half-way because he was snoring. I hope that's no comment on my literary prowess...
;-)
Good night.
We awoke this morning on our own at 8:00 a.m. sharp. We took our time getting ready, and even watched some TV. We made it down for breakfast, where Troy had the smoked salmon, and I had the traditional Irish breakfast (scrambled eggs, toast and jam, sausages, bacon and white blood pudding). Honestly, I think I prefer the blood pudding to Irish bacon... I have really enjoyed the music they play in the hotel. Last night, at dinner, they played Björk ("It's Oh So Quiet") and Tori Amos ("Winter"), and this morning, at breakfast, they played Kate Bush ("Wuthering Heights"). You would think that they were playing songs from my iTunes or something...
After breakfast, we headed downtown on foot and ran into a few people dressed in leprechaun suits and I took a picture of Troy beside one. We then took a tacsai (taxi) to our main destination this morning, the Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA). Troy really wanted to go there, so I was happy that we could make time to go there today. The first gallery was a little disappointing: it featured contemporary prints and lithograph series, some of them printed in 2010, and none by artists we recognized. We got through the very small gallery in mere minutes. The curator then told us that most of the museum was closed because they are planning the next big exhibit, and only one more small gallery, the one devoted to American Modern Art from after the Second World War, was open. So, we took a break from the exhibit and ventured outside to visit the formalist gardens behind the IMMA. Wow! If anything, the gardens were way more impressive than the art we had just seen. We strolled through the gardens slowly, taking dozens of photographs. There were a few raindrops just then, but as this was the first time during our trip that it really rained, we still considered ourselves very lucky with the weather we have had.
After our stroll through the grounds, we entered the only other gallery that was open, and we were both pleasantly surprised by what we saw. This gallery was somewhat larger than the last one and featured works by such artistic heavyweights as Marcel Duchamp, Christo, Jasper Johns and Roy Lichtenstein. My favourite piece was "Little Orphan Annie Is Forty", by Richard Merkin. Troy's was John Goodyear's "Two-Sided Movement". And we both really enjoyed Marcel Duchamp's six different pieces he called "Rotoreliefs". All in all, a great visit of the IMMA, which was saved by the American art exhibit.
We left the museum some time around 2:30 p.m. I told Troy that as we suddenly had more time than expected, perhaps we could do the other site he had been hoping to see during our trip to Dublin, the Jameson distillery. We walked the ten or fifteen minutes it took to get there, bypassing the Cobblestone Pub along the way. When we got there, Troy announced that he was starving, and I was quick to echo that sentiment. So, we went to the Jameson distillery restaurant and had a great bite to eat. I had the pork dinner: a generous serving of roast pork, with roasted potatoes, parsnips and carrots, with apple stuffing and red wine gravy. Troy had the broccoli and Cashel blue cheese soup, the turkey ciabatta, and a side order of french fries. Very yummy meals all around.
As I was waiting for my dessert, Troy got in line to get us tickets for the guided tour of the distillery. The waiter asked if I wanted a single portion of ice cream. I hesitated, then said that yes, one portion would be sufficient. I thought I would try to be good. When dessert came to the table, I discovered that one portion meant five scoops French vanilla ice cream in a soup bowl. Let's just say I didn't complain...
We managed to get tickets for the 4:00 p.m. tour. We learned how Jameson whiskey is made from just three ingredients: pure water, malted barley and unmalted barley. The tour guide showed us a film on John Jameson's life, trying to gloss over the fact that he came from Scotland (the whole "who invented whiskey, the Irish or the Scots" debate seems to be a deeply entrenched one in these parts!). After the film, we saw rooms that explained each process in the making of Jameson Irish whiskey. But before that, the guide asked if there were any volunteers -- 4 men and 4 women -- who wanted to sample the difference between Irish whiskey (Jameson), Scottish whiskey (Johnny Walker) and American bourbon (Jack Daniels). I knew that Troy would really, really like to be one of those volunteers, so I caught the guide's eye and shot my arm up in the air. I was rewarded with the first chance to sample the three, which I gave to Troy. He looked like a happy camper. At the end of the tour, he was invited to sit at the head table with the other 7 volunteers and taste the difference between the three. As for the rest of us, we all got our free drink that came with the price of our ticket. At the end of the sampling the guide invited family and friends of the volunteers to taste the difference between the three, so I got to see that Jameson was my favourite. The Johnny Walker had that smoky taste that I despise so much in many other foods (smoked oysters, smoked mussels, smoked bacon... yuck!), and the Jack Daniels, being made out of corn, was way too sweet. And as for Troy, who also preferred the Jameson, he earned himself a certificate in whiskey sampling, to go with his certificate as an apprentice master brewer that he earned at the Guinness brewery.
We crossed the Ha'penny Bridge just as the sun was setting, making our way to the south side of the Liffey in our quest to find Isolde's Tower. There is nothing there anymore except for a marker, so I took a picture of it.
It was then time to do a bit of shopping. We went primarily to Carrolls and bought all of the souvenirs we still wanted to get. Troy happened to smash a small leprechaun while we were there, but we didn't have to pay for it. I got my friend Martin some gifts for looking after my cats, whom I miss a lot, actually, if truth be known. (The cats, not Martin, LOL).
Upon returning to the hotel, around 7:00 p.m., we packed all of our things, ready for tomorrow's early morning flight. An hour later, we were seated in the restaurant, listening to U2, Sinéad O'Connor and the Cranberries on the sound system there. Troy ordered his last beef and Guinness pie in Ireland, and I got a huge serving of fish and chips. We then went to the adjoining bar to listen to the live band that was playing there, in front of a large audience of sports fans who flooded into the place after the important football match tonight. I had a Jameson and cranberry juice, and Troy had a Jameson straight up before trying a Tyrconnell. We decided to call it an early night, so we paid our hotel bill tonight ahead of our departure tomorrow morning and headed to our room where Troy read his new book and I typed today's activities in my blog.
That's where we're at right now. I'm about to read Troy my blog entry. Then I will be off to bed. Once I get back to Canada I will write one final entry and add some photos.
I have loved every minute of my stay here and cannot wait to return again soon.
All best,
M.
PS- I tried reading Troy the blog entry for today, but I had to stop half-way because he was snoring. I hope that's no comment on my literary prowess...
;-)
Good night.
Friday, October 1, 2010
A Little Bit of Art, A Little Bit of Shopping
Fresh Fruit Salad For Breakfast
And Monster Burgers for Lunch
The Tomb of St. Valentine
A Pensive Troy, Wishing We Didn't Have To Go Back So Soon...
"Here Is The Bread, And Here Is The Wine"
Night Time View of The Windows of the Dining HallWhen we got up this morning at 8:30 a.m., on our own, we pretty much concluded that we would simply not be able to get out of the city to see what Dubliners call "the real Ireland". The truth of the matter is that there is really way too much to see and do in Dublin. So we have resolved that we will visit Dublin properly, and make plans to return again some time soon. It is amazing how I have fallen in love with this country!
We went downstairs for our complementary breakfast. This morning, I had the pancakes, and Troy, the French toast. I also enjoyed fresh fruit salad and chamomile tea, which is really helping with my congestion.
We were able to leave the hotel by about 10:30 a.m. We were sort of taking our time because we had already planned to take things in stride today. We decided that today we would visit the National Gallery. But before we made our way there, we wandered the Dublin streets a bit, determined to see the few remaining sites we had wanted to see on our trip. Along the way, we stopped at the chemist's where they had the Ulysses reading last night, which I completely forgot about. It turns out that yesterday's reading was from Molly Bloom's soliloquy. I was even more disappointed that we missed it. On Monday, they start reading Ulysses again, one hour a day for 50 days, until Christmas. Unfortunately, we will have already left Ireland by the time they start the reading. We also passed near J. & C. Nicholls Ltd, the undertakers that are mentioned in Ulysses, so I took a picture. We got to the National Gallery around noon and made our way inside. A full third of the gallery is currently closed because it is being renovated. We still got to see many impressive works of art. The old Italian masters were well represented in the gallery: Titian, Filippino Lippi, Fra Angelico and Tintoretto. The highlight of the museum is Caravaggio's Taking of Christ, a very imposing piece of art that Troy said was his favourite, and I think I share his opinion. But in addition to the Italian artists, there were great works from the Dutch masters (Rembrandt and Vanmeer). There were also impressive works by Picasso, Manet, Goya and El Greco. Another highlight for us was the Irish painters' wing. As neither one of us was familiar with Irish art, we really appreciated the wing dedicated to Jack Yeats, brother of famous Irish poet W. B. Yeats. Troy in particular really loved many of Yeats's bolder impressionistic pieces from his later career. All in all, a wonderful visit, which we somehow managed to complete around 2:30 p.m. In the gift shop, Troy showed me what he had found: a finger puppet of Virginia Woolf, much like the one I had bought of James Joyce. As Woolf is another of my favourite writers, I got the finger puppet, and Troy bought himself both the Shakespeare and the Oscar Wilde finger puppets.
By 3:00 p.m., I was starving. So, we left the gift shop and wandered down the narrow cobblestoned alleys in search of something to eat. We came upon the Gourmet Burger Kitchen, the little restaurant Troy had told me about. He had really enjoyed a meal here the week before I arrived to join him, so we went in and had a good meal. I ordered the garlic mayo burger, with the onion rings as an appetizer. Troy shared my rings and had the burger with blue cheese sauce. Very tasty meal, and a rare venture outside my usual traditional Irish menu.
After lunch, we decided that since it was already 4:15 p.m., we should try to get to the church on Whitefriars Street before it closes. We had tried to see it earlier this week, but our plans had been thwarted by a funeral. This time, there was no such problem. We were able to enter the church and explore the various chapels built therein. There was a chapel to Our Lady of Dublin, a chapel to Our Lady of Fatima, a chapel to Pope Pius X, a chapel to Theresa of Lisieux, a chapel to Saint Jude Patron Saint of Lost Causes. But the highlight of the church, and the reason for our visit, was the tomb of Saint Valentine. The tomb contained the holy relics as well as a cup containing the blood of the martyred saint.
After this pilgrimage, it was time to do a bit of shopping. LOL. We made our way to a few shopping centres in downtown Dublin. We finally found a store that sells wool, so I went in and bought myself 15 balls of Irish yarn to make myself a blanket. I haven't knit in more than 5 years, so I think it will be great fun to get back to it. I used to knit in front of the TV, listening to the running commentaries from DVDs, and now that I have a TV again, I think it would be great fun to return to knitting. Troy followed my lead and bought me five balls of wool so that I can knit him a scarf. I am looking forward to it.
We then located a Carrolls souvenir shop again, and took stock of what they have to offer. We will definitely return tomorrow to finish off our souvenir shopping. I especially like the Christmas ornaments they have for sale. I also finally mailed my postcards to family and friends.
We then returned to the bookstore we both fell in love with, Hodges Figgis. I promptly bought the books I had eyed yesterday, including ABBA The Scrapbook, a biography of Kate Bush, a book on the legends and sagas of Ireland, as well as a 22-CD box set reading of the unabridged Ulysses. Hey, it was the theme of our trip, so it seemed appropriate.
We returned to the hotel to get rid of all of our bags and to map out our next step. Troy took off his shoes and decided to read a few chapters of his novel (The Writing Class by Jincy Willett), and I surfed the Web a bit to see the news back home, and to read the Astrology Zone web page for October. After a while, we decided we would have dinner at the hotel here tonight. After all, it is well recommended in both our travel guides. So, around 9:00 p.m., we headed to the dining-room, which is even more gorgeous by moonlight. Keeping in line with the Irish menu, I got the seafood chowder for starters, followed by the chicken and vegetable pie in puff pastry, with a side of colcannon (cabbage and mashed potatoes). For dessert, the assortment of ice cream. Troy started with the duck liver pate on soda bread, then had the squash risotto. I think he is starting to tire of constant Irish fare. After dinner, he had a glass of 16-year-old Irish whiskey. I decided to join him and got a glass of 10-year-old Tyrconnell Irish whiskey. It is aged in sherry casks, so it takes on the flavour of the sherry which gives it a smoother taste. Very nice, although I think I would have preferred it on the rocks.
So that's it, I think. My blog is up to date just as Troy's wonderful Celtic CD has come to an end -- an Irish duo known as Lumiere. Speaking of music, I was also thrilled to hear this morning that Loreena McKennitt is coming out with a new album this month, a recording of traditional Irish songs. Can't wait!
Good night all,
M.
We went downstairs for our complementary breakfast. This morning, I had the pancakes, and Troy, the French toast. I also enjoyed fresh fruit salad and chamomile tea, which is really helping with my congestion.
We were able to leave the hotel by about 10:30 a.m. We were sort of taking our time because we had already planned to take things in stride today. We decided that today we would visit the National Gallery. But before we made our way there, we wandered the Dublin streets a bit, determined to see the few remaining sites we had wanted to see on our trip. Along the way, we stopped at the chemist's where they had the Ulysses reading last night, which I completely forgot about. It turns out that yesterday's reading was from Molly Bloom's soliloquy. I was even more disappointed that we missed it. On Monday, they start reading Ulysses again, one hour a day for 50 days, until Christmas. Unfortunately, we will have already left Ireland by the time they start the reading. We also passed near J. & C. Nicholls Ltd, the undertakers that are mentioned in Ulysses, so I took a picture. We got to the National Gallery around noon and made our way inside. A full third of the gallery is currently closed because it is being renovated. We still got to see many impressive works of art. The old Italian masters were well represented in the gallery: Titian, Filippino Lippi, Fra Angelico and Tintoretto. The highlight of the museum is Caravaggio's Taking of Christ, a very imposing piece of art that Troy said was his favourite, and I think I share his opinion. But in addition to the Italian artists, there were great works from the Dutch masters (Rembrandt and Vanmeer). There were also impressive works by Picasso, Manet, Goya and El Greco. Another highlight for us was the Irish painters' wing. As neither one of us was familiar with Irish art, we really appreciated the wing dedicated to Jack Yeats, brother of famous Irish poet W. B. Yeats. Troy in particular really loved many of Yeats's bolder impressionistic pieces from his later career. All in all, a wonderful visit, which we somehow managed to complete around 2:30 p.m. In the gift shop, Troy showed me what he had found: a finger puppet of Virginia Woolf, much like the one I had bought of James Joyce. As Woolf is another of my favourite writers, I got the finger puppet, and Troy bought himself both the Shakespeare and the Oscar Wilde finger puppets.
By 3:00 p.m., I was starving. So, we left the gift shop and wandered down the narrow cobblestoned alleys in search of something to eat. We came upon the Gourmet Burger Kitchen, the little restaurant Troy had told me about. He had really enjoyed a meal here the week before I arrived to join him, so we went in and had a good meal. I ordered the garlic mayo burger, with the onion rings as an appetizer. Troy shared my rings and had the burger with blue cheese sauce. Very tasty meal, and a rare venture outside my usual traditional Irish menu.
After lunch, we decided that since it was already 4:15 p.m., we should try to get to the church on Whitefriars Street before it closes. We had tried to see it earlier this week, but our plans had been thwarted by a funeral. This time, there was no such problem. We were able to enter the church and explore the various chapels built therein. There was a chapel to Our Lady of Dublin, a chapel to Our Lady of Fatima, a chapel to Pope Pius X, a chapel to Theresa of Lisieux, a chapel to Saint Jude Patron Saint of Lost Causes. But the highlight of the church, and the reason for our visit, was the tomb of Saint Valentine. The tomb contained the holy relics as well as a cup containing the blood of the martyred saint.
After this pilgrimage, it was time to do a bit of shopping. LOL. We made our way to a few shopping centres in downtown Dublin. We finally found a store that sells wool, so I went in and bought myself 15 balls of Irish yarn to make myself a blanket. I haven't knit in more than 5 years, so I think it will be great fun to get back to it. I used to knit in front of the TV, listening to the running commentaries from DVDs, and now that I have a TV again, I think it would be great fun to return to knitting. Troy followed my lead and bought me five balls of wool so that I can knit him a scarf. I am looking forward to it.
We then located a Carrolls souvenir shop again, and took stock of what they have to offer. We will definitely return tomorrow to finish off our souvenir shopping. I especially like the Christmas ornaments they have for sale. I also finally mailed my postcards to family and friends.
We then returned to the bookstore we both fell in love with, Hodges Figgis. I promptly bought the books I had eyed yesterday, including ABBA The Scrapbook, a biography of Kate Bush, a book on the legends and sagas of Ireland, as well as a 22-CD box set reading of the unabridged Ulysses. Hey, it was the theme of our trip, so it seemed appropriate.
We returned to the hotel to get rid of all of our bags and to map out our next step. Troy took off his shoes and decided to read a few chapters of his novel (The Writing Class by Jincy Willett), and I surfed the Web a bit to see the news back home, and to read the Astrology Zone web page for October. After a while, we decided we would have dinner at the hotel here tonight. After all, it is well recommended in both our travel guides. So, around 9:00 p.m., we headed to the dining-room, which is even more gorgeous by moonlight. Keeping in line with the Irish menu, I got the seafood chowder for starters, followed by the chicken and vegetable pie in puff pastry, with a side of colcannon (cabbage and mashed potatoes). For dessert, the assortment of ice cream. Troy started with the duck liver pate on soda bread, then had the squash risotto. I think he is starting to tire of constant Irish fare. After dinner, he had a glass of 16-year-old Irish whiskey. I decided to join him and got a glass of 10-year-old Tyrconnell Irish whiskey. It is aged in sherry casks, so it takes on the flavour of the sherry which gives it a smoother taste. Very nice, although I think I would have preferred it on the rocks.
So that's it, I think. My blog is up to date just as Troy's wonderful Celtic CD has come to an end -- an Irish duo known as Lumiere. Speaking of music, I was also thrilled to hear this morning that Loreena McKennitt is coming out with a new album this month, a recording of traditional Irish songs. Can't wait!
Good night all,
M.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)