Cliffs of the Moher

Today we took a drive up to the Cliffs of the Moher. The Cliffs of Moher are one of Ireland's top visitor attractions. The Cliffs are 214m high at the highest point and range for 8 kilometres over the Atlantic Ocean on the western seaboard of County Clare. O'Brien's Tower stands proudly on a headland of the majestic Cliffs. From the Cliffs, one can see the Aran Islands, Galway Bay, as well as The Twelve Pins, the Maum Turk Mountains in Connemara and Loop Head to the South. The Cliffs of Moher take their name from a ruined promontory fort “Mothar” which was demolished during the Napoleonic wars to make room for a signal tower.

Needless to say, they are breathtaking. In fact, they are being discussed as being added to that short list of Wonders of the World.

Next stop was Galway for lunch and some shopping. For being a Sunday, the streets were swelled with people. Shops, pubs, coffee shops and sweater stores were all over. They are all so quaint and privately owned. I didn't see any chain restaurants today.  Not even Subway.  Naturally, I had some more of that Irish coffee that I just can't get enough of.

On the way back to the hotel, we stopped at an Irish Marble store. We listened to the ower talking about how the marble is harvested and what the colors of each marble mean. Just so you know, the green color of Ireland's marble is over 600 million years old.  That was no typo...........it's 600 million years old.  Naturally, I had to buy a little marble to take home with me.

Tomorrow is our last day. We are going to head out in style by touring the Cabra Castle.

I look forward to seeing you back here tomorrow night!

Beautiful aren't they???

 

Michael and Mary Beth

Day 6 - We Toured A Dairy Farm!

Today we traveled to Limerick where we will be staying in the elegant Strand Hotel. The first stop of the day?  The Molanna Dairy Farm. This farm has been in the Molanna family for hundreds of years. It still produces milk from over 100 cows every day.

We were greeted with coffee, tea, scones and sweet bread. As we looked around the home which is now converted into a bed and breakfast (now that the children are all grown and gone). Each of the 5 bedrooms have their own bathroom. It was a beautiful home!

The family took us through the older home on the property that was built in 1611. Our host explained that the home was built out of mud and clay with a thatched roof. It was so small that you didn't even have room to change your mind. Some of the family still live there today (although they are building a new home on the property to move into in the next 6 months).

The highlight was learning about the dairy process. As I said before, they have 100 cows. They must be milked twice a day, every day, 365 days a year. Each milking takes 3.5 hours so you have 7 hours each day of milking. Keep in mind, they still have to do the normal chores that you would expect with a farm. It's hard work and you never get a day off or a vacation. In addition, each dairy farm must report what they will produce in a year. If you produce over what you have reported, you are fined for each liter of overage. The system keeps farmers from mass producing, but it also keeps them from progressing. Because of this, you have less and less family wanting to continue the family tradition. Click here to hear a short film that has been uploaded to our alumni Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?v=2342760971118. You can hear for yourself how the process works by one of the Molanna farmers. It is really interesting and so educational. You're going to love it!

Next stop of the day? The tiny town of Adare where we had some free time to enjoy lunch and a little shopping. This beautiful town not only is an attractive stop for the tourists, it is also a place that the locals who live outside of town come to. We did a little shopping and I enjoyed another cup of coffee.  Speaking of the coffee, I don't know why it tastes so good here, but I can't get enough of it.  Maybe it's the real whipping cream that they slather on the top. It's fabulous. A local told me not to expect cream like that back in the states because it is full of preservatives. Here in Ireland, it is fresh off a farm everyday. There is no need for the preservatives. Now that I am addicted to this wonderful coffee with fresh cream, I have a feeling I am going to have a hard time adjusting when I get back home.

On our way back into the town of Limerick, our tour guide pointed out King John's Castle. Not a popular king, he wasn't here very long but his castle remains. There is a bit of controversy regarding this castle. The city of Limerick built a modern building right in the middle of the castle. As you can see from the picture below, it's quite an eyesore against the beautiful castle.

Tomorrow will be another exciting day as explore the Cliffs of Moher and Galway. Tune in and read all about it!

King John's Castle. Can you see the modern building right in the center of it? What were they thinking???

Michael and Mary Beth Pacha with Sam and Susie Wright in front of the older home on the Molanna Dairy Farm.

The Ring of Kerry

Today was a very relaxing, entertaining and educational day. We spent the entire day exploring the Ring of Kerry. You can learn much more about the Ring of Kerry at http://ringofkerrytourism.com/, but it is basically a giant loop that you drive around. It takes you through many small, quaint, little towns but the main attraction is the stunning views of the beautiful landscape. Mountains, the ocean, grazing sheep in the fields, huge cliffs of stone and beautiful trees, flowers and foliage. It was exactly what you have read about in books and what you have seen in movies. It was so beautiful, I felt like I was on a Hollywood movie set.

The weather is so interesting in Ireland.  In 8 hours you can experience hard rain, sunshine, fog, mist, sunshine again and then a chilly breeze. You get it all! As quick as the rain comes, it disappears again. You are constantly putting your jacket on and then taking it off again.

We made several stops in towns to do a little shopping. Woolen items are extremely popular and made of very high quality. We also stopped to take in the views and take pictures.

Lunch was at this small pub that overlooked the ocean. We ate our soup and sandwiches while watching the green hills and water. Our tour guide was sure to let us know how fortunate we were. In most cases, it is too foggy to really appreciate the view for what it is.  It just so happened that while we were there it was sunny.

Along our route, the tour guide told us about many stories of Ireland's history. What was of particular interest to me was the potato famine. Millions of people either died or immigrated to the United States. How do millions of people die when they live on an island? Why couldn't they fish to survive?  She explained that unless you were a wealthy land owner, you had no rights to fish, hunt, gather berries or plant any other food for yourself. What was perfect about the potatoes is that they provided an extensive amount of produce in a very small space. The potatoes were also very nutritious.  When you take them out of the equation (the potatoes suffered from a disease that killed all the plants in the entire country) people could not survive. To increase the economy, the government started exporting their other food sources like beef and sheep. Starving workers were loading up food to send out of the country when they had starving children at home. The government didn't care and other countries turned a blind eye. It was a very dark and sad time in Irish history.

Something else about Ireland that I find so interesting are their tiny roads. They have extremely small lanes with NO shoulders. Trees and bushes literally brush against our coach as we drive by. Sometimes when 2 large vehicles meet either other on the highway, one of them has to pull as far over as they can so the other can get by. Everyone drives very small, economic vehicles. It's nothing like the Escalades, Tahoes, Expeditions and Navigators that you see in the states. In fact, it's a rare occasion when you see a 4x4 pickup.

This evening we walked through the town of Killarney and shopped at their quaint little stores. Fish and chips are a popular menu item as well as lamb stew and Shepperd's Pie at the pubs and restaurants. What is the most popular item that shows up on your plate in several different forms?  You guessed it!  POTATOES!  It's not uncommon to receive mashed AND fried potatoes served on the same dinner plate.

I am really looking forward to tomorrow.  We will be off to visit a real working farm in the countryside. Tune to hear all about it!

Ray, Michael, Penny and Jodi by the ocean and mountains.

Pucker up! We were kissing the Blarney Stone!

Today was the day! The day I have been waiting for. The day I could cross an item off of my Bucket List.  The Day I Kissed The Blarney Stone!

Needless to say, I was pretty excited to get there. After another fabulous breakfast, we loaded up on our coach for a 2 hour drive to Blarney Castle. Speaking of the coach, which has been our only form of ground transportation, it is the way to travel! We have large seats, plenty of room, a bathroom, and a professional driver to get us exactly where we need to be. We have absolutely no worries about drivng.

ColletteVacations (our tour company) has taken care of everything. They take our bags to our rooms and then come and get them to take back to the bus when we leave a hotel. Our tour guide takes care of all our entrance tickets. We are able to go around long lines and not have to wait. Anytime we have a dinner, the restaurant is ready for us with a room specifically for our group. If we have any questions or concerns, our tour guide is always availalbe. This is the first tour I have ever taken with a group and I am completely impressed. All of the worry and concern about how to get where, how long it will take, what it will cost, or any other problems are gone. Completely gone. This entire trip has been so easy and worry free. We have felt safe, secure and taken care of the entire time. 

I got a little off track there, but I felt it needed to be said. Tours are the way to travel!

Okay, back to the castle.............it was all I ever dreamed it would be. The grounds were absolutley beautiful! Not only was the castle completely amazing, but the "Rock Garden" was ever bit and extraordinary as the castle. Unfortunately, it was POURING as soon as we got to Blarney. It is to be expected. After all, we are in Ireland, but we haven't really experienced that much rain until today. It rained off and on all day long and we even had a bit of hail while we were inside the castle. I didn't want to damage my camera in the rain,so I wasn't able to get as many pics as I would have liked.

Ray, Michael and myself were the only ones who kissed the Blarney Stone. We climbed 80 feet of small, wet, sharp angle/corner steps to the top. From there, we waited in line to give our kiss. We layed on our backs, bended backwards, hung upside down and kissed the stone where millions have kissed before. The legend states that we will be blessed with eloquence. Who doesn't need more of that?

After playing in the castle, we explored the grounds. As I said before, these grounds were every bit as entertaining as the castle. Streams, ancient trees, stones, waterfalls, stone steps and caves were all at our leisure. By this time, the rain had let up and I was able to get many pictures here.

From Blarney, we traveled on to Killarney where we were treated to a traditional Irish jaunting car ride (horse drawn carriage). We rode through the beautiful Killarney National Park and that alone was a treat, but the real treasure was in our driver, Patrick. He told us many stories in his intriguing Irish accent along our way. I could have spent the entire day with him! Soon we arrived at our destination.....Mucross House!

The Mucross House was built in1843 and was owned by several private owners before it was donated to the Killarney National Park. Unfortunately, we weren't allow to take pictures on the inside of the mansion/castle but trust me when I say, "it was impressive!" The Queen of England traveled here for a visit. She gave the owners an arrival date of....are you sitting down....get ready for this......wait for it.....
6 years (1861)!  That's right! So for the next 6 years the owers renovated the home and grounds preparing for her arrival. Since the queen was afraid of fires, she requested to be on the first floor. So they prepared private quarters for her on the first floor.  The renovation practically bankrupted the family. There were many amazing characterists about the home, but what was impresseive to me were the servants quarters. Located on the basement floor on the opposite side of the castle there were over 50 bells mounted to the walls and attached to strings. Each bell had a different sound. So when a lady or gentlemen of the house needed something, they rang the bell from their room. The servants had to know which ring belonged to what room. Think about that for a moment. There were over 50 bells all with a different sound. Clearly, their servants didn't get paid enough for what they had to accomplish. There were holes worn in the flagstaff floor from their constant running back and forth.

I could have explored that home all day long. It was so interesting!

When it was time to go, we walked outside and, you guessed it, our coach was waiting for us. We loaded up and headed to our hotel in Killarney. For the next 2 nights we will be staying at the elegant Killarney Avenue hotel where we have been treated like royalty. Our hotel keys are always given to us while we are on the coach in route to the hotel. Once we arrive, we walk up to our room where our luggage has been placed. We have been completely spoiled throughout this entire trip! We were prepared an excellent meal once we arrived at the hotel.

Tune in tomororw to hear about the Ring of Kerry!

Go to the WPU Alumni Facebook page to see all the photos at http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/William-Penn-University-Alumni-Association/153962729433?sk=wall

Our entire group at the Blarney Castle.

Michael Pacha giving the stone a kiss!

A Day in Kilkenny and Waterford!

This morning we loaded up on our bus and headed for the town of Kilkenny. Kilkenny is much smaller than Dublin and much more quaint. As soon as we stepped off the bus, we were confronted with the massive, beautiful and stately Kilkenny Castle. From the amateur's eye, it looks in near perfect condition. Although we couldn't go inside, the outside was plenty impressive. The city takes excellent care of the structure and the grounds. Rose bushes and a beautiful water fountain consumed the entire front yard. In the back yard, the locals and tourists would thrown down blankets and have picnics. It looked like something out of a movie!

We wandered the streets and passed countless coffee shops, meat and fish stores and small retail shops. Subway was the only chain store I spotted. All the businesses are locally owned and operated. Fresh scones, muffins, sandwiches and coffees were at every corner. I was in HEAVEN!

Next stop was Waterford, home of the Waterford Crystal Factory. Now don't get confused......most people think that the town was named after it's famous crystal, but the exact opposite is true. The Vikings actually named the town centuries ago. Waterford was extremely important and valued to many due to it's easy access from the Atlantic and its natural borders that protected the island against the ocean winds. It's still a booming city, but back in the day............. it was like New York City! THEE place to be!

We toured the Waterford Crystal Factory, and let me tell you, I have a whole new appreciation for this crystal! Each piece is hand-made. Let me repeat that............each piece is HAND-MADE. It also must past 6 quality inspection points. If it doesn't pass, it is smashed and sent back to be melted down. The master craftsmen must study their craft for 8 years to be certified a "master". They must also memorize each and every pattern and cut. They take their quality serious and it shows in their product and their prices. You get what you pay for when you purchase Waterford. Some pieces are crafted for 4 months and cost tens of thousands of dollars.

Finally, we checked into the Granville Hotel and then met for dinner. Some of us went for a walk by the water and admired the beautiful city lights. Today was a great day. I can't wait for tomorrow when we will be climing the stairs to kiss the Blarney Stone!

 Kilkenny Castle

Day 3 of Ireland Trip

Today was awesome!

We started the day off with an excellent breakfast buffet at the hotel. From there we loaded up in our tour bus and took a drive around Dublin. Our tour guide was a local who knew all there was to know about this fair city. We learned about the Georgian homes, the people who lived there and what their struggles were.

The highlight of the day was St. Patrick's Cathedral. Pictures and words alone can't express how beautiful this building is. This 13th century structure has beautiful floors, stained glass, pillars and so many details. Our tour guide took us through the building and told us all the nuassiances about the cathedral.

From here part of our group took off on foot for their own private time with the city. The Richardson's, Wright's and I went with the group who was heading to The Brazen Head. This establishment is the oldest in the country of Ireland dating back to the 12th century (1198 to be exact). It was sureal to sit in the same place where the vikings had been centuries before.  We ate an excellent meal there and took some time to look around.

After departing the Brazen Head, some of us headed out on foot to Grafton Street. This street is a pedistrian only street that had all the major stores for shopping.  It was crowded!

It's been a wonderful day, but I am EXHAUSTED! I look forward to visiting with you tomorrow!

Good night lads,
Jodi

The Richardson's and Pacha's inside St. Patrick's Cathedral.

Day 1 in Dublin

Top of ye morning to ya!

After taking an overnight flight, we finally arrived in Dublin around noon today. Before boarding, our group met up at the Chicago O’Hare airport and we were able to get acquainted and take some pre-flight pictures. Below is our group:

• Ray and Penny Richardson flew in from Broken Arrow, OK. Penny is a ’68 alumna. 
• Michael and Mary Beth Pacha came from Cedar Rapids, IA. Michael is a ’76 alumnus.
• Ray Wrubel and his friend Samantha were on the flight with me from Des Moines. Ray is a ’78 alumnus.
• My parents, Sam and Susie Wright of Farson, IA also joined us on the trip.

We all discussed our excitement to get there and what we might experience.

Once we finally arrived, we were greated with warm and sunny weather. The locals tell us not to get too excited because the sighting of the sun is a rare experience. We had a little time to freshen up and then it was back on the bus to travel to dinner.

Dinner was held at the Irish House Party restaurant. They had a large banquet room ready for us where we met many other tourists who joined our group. Over 50 people were there and we had time to socialze with all of them. We met up with several other people from Iowa. They were impressed with our alumni group!

Dinner was served and I must say...........IT WAS AWESOME! Authentic Irish Beef Stew was just one of the items being served tonight and it was fabulous. We also received hot tea served with brown sugar cubes and cream. Yummy!

After dinner, we were entertained by several musicians and dancers. We listened all the classic Irish favorites and watched what I could only imagine was some classic River Dance dances. The crowd even got into the spirit and alumnus, Ray Wrubel, sang with the band.

It's been a very long day, so after dinner and the show, we headed back to our elegant hotel to rest up for tomorrow. Speaking of our hotel, Trinity Capital Hotel, it has some of the largest antique furniture I have ever seen. See the William Penn University Alumni Association Facebook page at  http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/William-Penn-University-Alumni-Association/153962729433 for additional photos.

I fare thee well tonight and look foward to blogging with ye tomorrah!

Jodi Greiner

Director of Alumni Relations, WPU

From L to R:

Sam Wright, Susie Wright, Ray Richardon, JodiGreiner, Ray Wrubel, Penny Richardson, Samantha Donnaley, Mary Beth Pacha and Michael Pacha.

Ray Wrubel getting his Irish groove on with the band!