Running to Stand Still

 Pictures from Clifden and the Surrounding Landscape

                                                                   The Catholic Church in Clifden

 The Clifden Traditional Music Festival

Ireland Part 2: Beautiful Day

Way back in Amsterdam I came across an English language bookstore. While I was there I picked up a book on traveling to Ireland to help me plan my trip. I spent the next several weeks reading the book and picking out places to visit. It became apparent that I could not see everything I wanted when I realized I couldn’t rent a car (I’m not 25). So I pick to limit myself to only a few destinations. One of my priorities was to find a small Irish town and spend some time off the well beaten path. The book mentioned a town by the name of Clifden, in the Connemara region. It was only mentioned briefly in the book, but it seemed like a good fit. When it came time to book a hostel I was only able to stay for one night, since all the other nights that weekend were booked. So, I had to plan the rest of my trip around this fact.

After traveling from Dublin to Galway, I took a bus up to Clifden. The ride was very relaxed and the beautiful scenery was captivating. I arrived in town and was struck by the view of the mountains to the East. I headed to my hostel and checked in. I asked the manager for a good place to go for a walk and he pointed towards the coast. So I made my way West. As I got a little further out of town, I climbed a hill with a small monument on the top. I afforded me a magnificent view of the town and the mountains. After a few minutes on the hill top a large rain cloud passed blissfully overhead. I took refuge beside the monument for about a half hour. When the rain had finally stopped I continued on down the road. The walk itself was magnificent. I felt like I was truly in Ireland. After walking along the hillside of a bay for about an hour, I found myself at the end of the peninsula. The view of the ocean was breathtaking as the sun tore its way through the clouds. I sat there marveling at the rocky islands that dotted the coast. I began making my way around the peninsula as the clouds were dispersing. The small farm houses and open fields were bathed in sunlight. Many homes I passed had children playing as families and neighbors relaxed in amiable conversation.

As I made my way back to town, I began thinking about dinner. When I got back into town, I found a bar with a stage set up outside. I sat down inside, had a burger and a couple pints of Guinness. While I was inside a band took the stage and started playing traditional Irish music. As it turns out, this was the weekend of the Clifden Traditional Music Festival. Everyone from the town was there. After I had eaten I went outside to enjoy the music for the rest of my evening. There were even kids from the local step dancing class who performed on stage with the band. The night was fantastic and the weather was perfect. That was one of the first times I had seen consistent sun for most of the day in Ireland (even considering the passing rain clouds). When the concert started winding down I headed back to the hostel and went to bed.

The next day, I woke up to realize it was Sunday. I decided not to miss the opportunity to attend a small town, Irish Catholic Mass. To kill some time before the mass I walked back up the hill to the monument I had visited the previous day. The sun was shining and the sky was dotted with puffy white clouds. I sat there for a while just enjoying the day. Then I made my way back down to the church and to mass. It was a great service, being the Sunday after Easter. The choir had some traditional instruments from the night before performing with them and the kids from the step dancing class performed as well. After the mass was over, I walked around and explored the town some more before my bus back to Galway arrived. When it did arrive, I was sad to go. Clifden was definitely the experience that I had been looking for in Ireland and I will remember it always.

I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For

 "Bono Vox" is an alteration of Bonavox, a Latin phrase which translates to "good voice."

It's where U2's Bono got his nickname.

 Statue of author James Joyce                     Dinning Room in my Hostel/ Bed & Breakfast

 River Liffey and the Ha'penny Bridge

 Guiness Brewery

 The Kilmainham Gaol Prison                      The Victorian Wing of the Prison

 Atrium in the Guiness Storehouse

 Raw Power of Guinness

 View from the Guinness Storehouse "Gravity Bar"

 Poster in the James Joyce Center                Artwork at the James Joyce Center

The Temple Bar

Ireland Part 1: A Sort of Homecoming

After weeks of planning and anticipation, the culmination of all my previous travels had arrived, my return to Ireland (with a trip to Venice following). I had all my plane tickets and hostels booked. I had all my train schedules ready and thirst for Guinness growing. I should mention that I would be traveling entirely on my own for the next week and a half. My journey began with a trip to the Beauvais Airport, a place so remote and inaccessible that Ryanair (Europe’s largest low cost airline) could not think of a better place to set up its Paris operations. I took two trains and a bus and got to the airport four hours early, in anticipation of any potential mishaps. After the hours were up, I was on my way to Dublin. It would be my first time returning to Dublin in five years.

The last time I was in Ireland was with a school trip, just after completing my junior year of high school. It was also my first time in Europe and is now one of my fondest memories. It was only after my study abroad began that I realized how long ago those five years were and how much I have changed since then. I would be interesting to see how Ireland (my home away from home) had changed since my last visit. Upon first arriving five years ago, I felt a special connection to that place. My first trip was filled with the shock and thrill of realizing a dream come true. This time around my goal was to try and understand Ireland, a place I will only ever truly know as a tourist.

I arrived in Dublin airport and took a shuttle bus into the city center. My timing for this visit was fortunate, since April is Ireland’s least rainy month (more on that in later posts). It was my first time seeing Dublin in sunlight. After hunting down my hostel, I checked in and headed out to explore the city and find something to eat. Dublin was much as I remembered it, and it was fun to retrace some of my steps. I stayed pretty close to O’Connell Street, the main shopping street in Dublin. I found a pub where I got a pint of Guinness and some fish & chips. After dinner (which was admittedly a bit lonely). I went back to the hostel and went to bed early, as I was pretty exhausted from all the traveling. The hostel was connected to a bed and breakfast, so everything was really nice and had a great character to it. The hostel goers also got to have a full Irish breakfast.

I woke up the next day and enjoyed my full Irish breakfast and set out for my day’s adventures. I started by walking along the River Liffey to a place called the Kilmainham Gaol. Kilmainham was a prison built by the British and used to hold Irish political prisoners during their fight for independence. The prison had been remodeled several times during its tenure and featured a Victorian era wing. The structure was fascinating both historically and architecturally. I saw rooms where many prominent political prisoners were held, including Charles Parnell, the so called “Uncrowned King of Ireland.” 

After touring the facility I headed over to the Guinness Storehouse, for a tour and a free pint of Guinness. The Guinness Storehouse was a bit kitschy and over stylized but it was fun and still pretty informative. At the top of the storehouse there is a bar that has a 360 degree view of Dublin. At the bar I got my complimentary Guinness and enjoyed the view. After touring the storehouse I visited the James Joyce Center in Dublin and picked up a couple of books. After that I found a good place to eat dinner and proceeded to explore the city. I spent several hours looking for places that I remembered from my last visit. The difficulty was the fact that I didn’t have a map last time and just followed the group around Dublin. This time I was able to piece together more of how I traveled around the city. After a long day and a great deal of walking I returned to my hostel, read a bit of my new book and went to sleep. I woke up very early the next day to catch a train to Galway; from there I could travel to my next city, Clifden.

Köln Pictures

 Train Station in Liege by Calatrava

 Köln Cathedral

 Köln Cathedral Belfry

 Views from the Tower

 Me in front of the Cathedral and some arguing street performers

 A park in Köln

 Art Museum built around a bombed out church

 Interior of the Cathedral where i attended Easter Mass

Cologne or Köln

The trip to Köln came the weekend after our project was due and presented. It also happened to coincide with Easter weekend. After the presentations were finished everyone was ready for a break. We headed to Köln Friday morning and arrived that afternoon. We stopped in Liege for a transfer and got to see a great Santiago Calatrava (a prominent Spanish Architect) train station. We left Liege for Köln on a German train, which was clean, beautiful, and efficient (as you might expect). We arrived in Köln HBF (central station), which was not the most grand of stations, but was still a very fine example of German efficiency. It was miles above the awful Amsterdam train station. Right outside the station was the Köln Cathedral, the second largest cathedral in Germany. We marveled and took a few pictures before walking to our hostel. Once we were checked in, we headed out to a great German restaurant and brewery called the Weissbrauhaus. We had great food and great beer. After dinner we got some ice cream and explored the city a bit more. We went to bed early as we were still pretty tired from the past week.

We woke up early on Saturday to arrive at Köln Cathedral to begin our class tour. We started by visiting the media center of Köln, the major center of the German media. After that we walked to a Museum by architect Peter Zumthor. The museum was constructed over a bombed out church, and preserves much of the ruin within a carefully designed space. There is a walkway going over the ruins creating the feel of an archeological dig site. The rest of the museum is very clean and modern, using light to create spaces that feel very gentle. After exploring the museum, we made our way back to the city center. Over the lunch break, I went with a few other students to climb the Köln Cathedral Belfry. It was a very difficult climb up the stairs, as there was no elevator, but the view was well worth it. We also got to see some of the more intimate space of the Cathedral. After lunch we went to explore some newer developments along the Rhine River. We then went to a restaurant/ bar that was once an old fire station. Our professor bought us each a beer to celebrate our last trip and our finished project. We sat and talked for a while, before parting ways. I went to the shopping area to look for a new backpack for my upcoming trip to Ireland. After finding a new one for about 80 Euros (on sale from 100 Euros), I met up with my group and we went to find a place to eat dinner. On the way we ventured into a barrel vaulted passageway, with a group of very talented street musicians playing. The ensemble consisted of a violin player, two accordion players, a tuba player, and a man with a massive triangular stringed bass. Between the five of them, they were able to mimic the sound of a large church organ with the help of the unique acoustics in the space. We stayed and enjoyed their performance for quite a while before succumbing to hunger. We found another great German restaurant near the Cathedral and had dinner. After dinner I went my own way and went back to the hostel.

The next morning I woke up early again, this time to go to the Easter Mass at Köln Cathedral. I arrived 30 minutes early and still found it difficult to find a seat. I ended up sitting to the south side of the altar. It was a magnificent service, though I didn’t understand much of what was said. My two years of high school German weren’t much help. The organ and the choir were the best part and would be the highlight of any Easter Mass. The sounds of the organ and the choir resonated throughout the massive halls of the Cathedral. After mass, we got coffee and went to lunch at a great burger restaurant. I then went back to the Cathedral to take some pictures of the interior and the surrounding area. After that we boarded our train back to Lille. It was my first Easter away from my family, but I think I made up for with a once in a lifetime experience.