TWO WEEKS IN IRELAND (2003) #4

CORK  

This country is just so beautiful. It is green like I have never seen before. Not the raw green of Queensland, or the olive green of South Australia.  This is a fresh, rich green with too many shades to count. Looking out the windows I see …cattle clustered in multicoloured groups like liquorice all sorts, …slate grey churches standing timeless among the hedgerows, …showers of sunlight breaking through the heavy clouds and then, as we rounded a corner, the valley opened up in front of us. Undulating hills shimmered with the eerie green of a Summer afternoon in Brisbane just before a hailstorm. Then bursting from a mass of clouds clustered at the top of the tallest hill, a brilliant rainbow escaped upwards into the sky gradually fading and then vanishing into the clouds waiting above. A herd of about 23 bay horses stood motionless facing the one direction paying homage to the beauty unfolding before them....

There IS magic in Ireland.  

One thing to remember when traveling in Ireland... (maybe even Europe), is not to carry US$100 bills because no one will exchange them. Oh well, life wasn't meant to be easy. One cashier couldn't quite grasp the fact that I  was an  Australian, working in Shanghai, being paid in US$, banking in Hong Kong and we just wanted to spend some Euros in Cork. That afternoon we went sightseeing  driving  to towns like Youghall, Ardmore and Ballymacoda.  One of the highlights of the day was visiting St Mary's Collegiate Church in Youghall. This church is one of the oldest in Ireland and was founded in 450. We found a page in a visitors' book from 100 years ago that had an entry from a Queenslander. 

The next day we all bundled into the car for a little trip to Blarney Castle. Js friend GJ drove there but had a few at the bar so I had to drive back. GJ being the lovely man that he is decided to navigate me back the "easy" way to avoid all the traffic.  Omigosh it was an interesting drive in and around and down tiny lane ways with hardly enough room for one car let alone a multitude going in all directions. More than once I had to drive up on the footpath to get past. Eventually we got home and had a little rest before heading out for a big night in Cork. GJ took us to listen to a Blues Band which was very good and we would have stayed if the bar hadn't looked like something out of a very bad B grade movie with extras scattered around gazing at nothing in particular with vacant looks on their faces. The seats were padded boards sitting on kegs and it wasn't long before H and I decided to call it a night and hit the sack. 

A lovely sleep in until 8 then up and ready for breakfast. The breakfast room was full of British men over for work. When GJ was ready he took us on a tour of the nearby towns. First stop Cobh a picturesque town with a star studded maritime history. The first Atlantic steamship crossing was made from Cobh. The Lusitana was sunk offshore in 1915 and it was the Titanic's last port of call before setting off. Next stop Kinsale.... an intimate village with medieval buildings and streetscapes. It is called the gourmet capital of Ireland and has an annual 4 day gourmet festival. We seemed to be winding along forever on tiny twisting roads before finally arriving back in Cork. GJ and J were busy so H and I entertained ourselves at a local pub. Home to bed for another early night.

TWO WEEKS IN IRELAND (2003) #3

CLONMEL                                                                                                                                                      On the drive from Kilkenny, I was constantly reminded of the beauty of this country. Although the weather was dreary the landscape was amazing. The countryside between Kilkenny and Clonmel gradually fills with large hills which roll past the car windows their tops barely visible through the thick clouds surrounding them. The fences have disappeared beneath the thick foliage and not one surface is immune to the determination of nature to leave it's mark. At last Clonmel appeared and we settled for a B &B down by the river which was only 20 Euros a night because it was actually a B & -- !  It was a huge rambling house built on many levels which met at awkward angles and corners. Every corner seemed to be collecting dust or piles of peeling paint. Once settled in we parked the car and headed out to meet the people of Clonmel.  J had an interesting encounter with a twitching Romanian lad wearing a sports coat. He was very interested in J's phone and offered several times to swap with her.   Later  when we got back to the hotel we found a message from Arthur, “Would the foreign girls call if they wanted to go sightseeing.” ( at this stage we didn’t know who Arthur was). So we called anyway and he picked us up in his little, red car

We were pleasantly surprised to see it was the elderly gentleman we had run into and chatted with twice earlier that afternoon. Each time we had found him standing outside a different church watching a different funeral. He was a true Irish gentleman and seemed very happy to have new people to talk to,  and believe me, if anyone had ever kissed the Blarney stone, it was this man..  Well, we saw all the sights which he felt were significant enough to share with us which were the following important landmarks... 

1. A theatre that the owner was trying to sell for one million but he wasn't going to get that much,       "he shouldn't be asking for such an amount of money."

2. A place where they sell cars... (we saw that twice)

3. Dunn’s Stores which are open 6 days a week. "marvelous that"

4. The new roundabout "this is really nice to see"

5. The place where “they have freezers which freeze meat.”

6. All the shops and flats owned by his ex brother in law.

7. An Indian restaurant. "I don't like Indian food much"

8. A German Supermarket.

9. The recently erected statue of an Irish tenor that he went to school with.

10. A huge garden supply place where we stopped and had a cup of tea.

11. Several other monuments to martyrs.

12. The highlight, was a visit to the cemetery where we saw his wife's' grave. 

It was wonderful to see and hear what was special to Arthur and to know that he was doing it to be neighbourly to two strangers in town. We had to smile when we found out his name.. 'O'Malley'.  

That night we started at Hearns Hotel  and had a drink. Derek the barn man was very helpful although when J asked if he knew Denis McMenace (she really thought that was his name) he had to think a bit. Finally he realised who we were talking about and went off to call him. When D showed up we were suitably sympathetic about his poor broken wrist. I would like to tell you that is was broken in some heroic action but I can't. Anyway we caught up on all the gossip and reminisced about his time in Shanghai. When we moved on to the next place we were privileged to meet 'Uncle Dickhead' .(sorry about the language, but that's how it was) We had a great time chatting and listening to the band. As usual we were the last ones in the bar and got home lateish.

The next  night, we went over to a pub where we knew there was going to be a band.  It was like going back in time to the local small town bush dances in country Victoria. The band was great and people gradually filled the hall but sat around looking at the empty dance floor. We  grooved away at out table causing a few raised eyebrows but many more smiles.   Met up with a random truck driver just passing through and I did my best to do his jive and he tried to salsa. I think we met in the middle with a very interesting Latin/Irish style. J chatted with a local who was trying to tempt her with the use of his washer/ dryer and sausages for breakfast.  Sensibly she declined. Got home about 4am and was a bit weary at breakfast.  Another local sat down at the next table and greeted us with "Have a big night girls?" then promptly gave us the number of a 'mad' friend of his in Cork  who would show us around. 

Surrounded by snoring in our riverside B & ? I couldn't get back to sleep.  I knew I had to take the car down to the car park to avoid paying parking fees so left the ladies to their duet and raced downstairs. With the car safely stowed I raced back and jumped back in to bed for another snooze. Once we were all up and ready we set off to find some breakfast. We followed D's directions  to find Nimhs.  "Walk down the road and when you smell apples turn right." Believe it or not, but the directions worked and we were soon eating  the best breakfast yet.  After breakfast we headed out and asked a local for directions out of the town. "It's a bit complicated so don't follow the signs because they get turned around." We followed them anyway and actually managed to get out quite easily. 

TWO WEEKS IN IRELAND (2003) #2

DUBLIN

We awoke our first morning in Ireland to blue skies, bright sunshine and and the smell of bacon.  Breakfast was great and H got to taste her very first black and white puddings which she said were "not black or white and not even puddings". I think that she will be giving them a miss from now on.  Most of the day was spent on the hop on and off city tour taking in sights such as St Patrick's and the Guinness Distillery. Did you know that Mrs. Guinness (the poor woman) had 21 children?. We actually saw the President heading off in her car flanked by dozens of police on blue bikes. At the end of a busy day doing nothing much really we went out in search of a good Irish dinner. I think we passed 2 McDonald's, an Australian pub, 2 Chinese takeaways and an Italian Pizza shop before finding anything remotely Irish. So about a third of the way through my first ever pint of guinness I decided that Ireland wasn't a bad place to be. 

KILKENNY                                                                                                                                      Another yummy breakfast and then set off to the airport to pick up the car. Hmmm, J's license was expired and H didn't think she could change gears with the 'other' hand so guess who gets to be the driver. YAY!!!!!!! I was so nervous about driving after so long. (what if I couldn't? which pedal does what? what are all these buttons for? The indicator switch should not be on the left!!!!) Anyway J and H promised not to laugh so we set off. It was great to be behind the wheel again. If I took my eyes off the road, I could see green everywhere, thick  foliage creeping towards me trying to reclaim the space. The trees appeared older and grew more thickly. They seemed to have been standing guard since the beginning of time.  Little villages surprised me, suddenly appearing around corners with flashes of bright colour before vanishing back into the landscape.  On one side of the road I saw a flock of sheep standing naked and embarrassed wondering what had happened to their woolliness. The many houses along the way seem to be clutching the thick ivy to their grey-stone walls in fear of crumbling without the support.  The country side changed as we headed towards Kilkenny.  In Macroom, there was a Guinness Drug Delivery located in Temperence Lane. (hmm that made me think). We passed through town after town, each one more beautiful than the last until we arrived.

I was so drained from concentrating on the road and traffic and watching the speed, I fell straight on to the bed for a snooze. We thought it was an omen to have found a place near the centre of town with a car park and it was called O'Malleys.  Later we set off on an afternoon tour of Kilkenny's highlights. Our guide was a friendly chap who brought his two children and dog along for the ride. Muckross house was grand and rather imposing. It reminded me of the manor from "The Secret Garden".  Muckross house has 365 windows and 52 chimneys. “One window for every day of the year and one chimney for every week.”  We took a 'jaunt' around the grounds with Sally (the horse) and saw the ruins of an old abbey.  Torc Waterfall was cool and if you stood very still and listened you could almost hear the tree spirits whispering their ancient secrets and with each breath feel your batteries recharge. That evening  we set off in search of dinner and stopped at Paris, Texas for a long cold Kilkenny and a hearty Irish meal of Nachos and Fajitas.  I spent some time looking at the jewellery in the shops and found a nice little silver ring so now I have my very own 'ring from Kerry'. Home for an early night because my body is still confused by the late night daylight. It was a bit difficult to sleep with the duet of snoring filling the room but eventually I fell into a deep sleep. I slept like a baby until a strange moaning sound woke me. After a few minutes both H and I sat up and looked at each other. It was J and I am unable to describe the horrible nightmare she was having. All I can say is that it involved a big hairy scary chauffeur but no more details!!! 

TWO WEEKS IN IRELAND (2003) #1

We began our four continent journey with a stop for coffee at Starbucks. Of course we were doubtful that England would have what we needed in the coffee range so we thought we should stock up. The journey to Pudong was uneventful. We saw the usual sights... child taking a dump on Nanjing Lu, a truck with about twenty heads peeking over the high sides, pajamas on bicycles and of course the driver who had to stop and hoik at every opportunity...AHHHH SHANGHAI ... smoggy one day...smoggy the next. There are times when it becomes obvious that one has been in China too long without a break. Everything seems to become too difficult to cope with. Taxi drivers, pedestrians and temperature takers with laser guns in hand. So here I am finally.... 36,000 miles in the air going VIRGIN. I love this airline and vow never to fly with anyone else. As we boarded I spied a familiar face amongst the crew. Last time I saw him was late at night in a very dark and seedy bar called Goodfellows situated in Ju Lu Lu. Any airline that hands you a glass of champagne before you take off gets my vote. It was difficult to contain ourselves as we simultaneously let out a silent cheer celebrating the beginning of our journey and farewell to China. With engines screaming we took off straining to tear ourselves from the grasp of the thick polluted air dragging us down. But , we made it and blue sky was visible outside the porthole windows. The next 15 minutes the three of us were technologically challenged trying to work the in-flight entertainment controls. Anyway to cut a long flight short, we landed an hour ahead of time in Heathrow and only had a few days to kill before taking the jump across to Dublin.

LONDON
Well, here I am. In a London basement on a beautiful rainy day checking emails. So far everything is going well, no huge upsets. Our hotel is great. It really is lucky that I took the cat out of my backpack before I left because there really was no room to swing it and I now know why it is called the 'Water Closet'. It is about the same size as the box they gave us to hang up our clothes. Luckily you can have a shower while sitting on the toilet, if that is what you want to do. Bacon, beans, eggs and toast for breakfast everyday it's almost like heaven. In fact that's where I thought I was when I lay down on my bed and discovered that bouncy mattresses do still exist. Not much happened Thursday, I relaxed into the day and set off downtown for necessary items like ...tweezers. ( well, tweezers do perform some really important functions.) We had a great time doing a couple of the “London Walks”. It was exciting to find out that our guide Emily played the mother in “The Empire of the Sun” J and I had watched it several times just recently because it was based in and around Shanghai. Emily told us some interesting stories about Steven Speilberg and John Malkovitch and her time in Shanghai without her new baby. At some point we thought that we'd give Starbucks one more chance.. so two Caramel Macciattos coming up. "Much better, London: 8 out of 10 this time." Next we headed for the place that we with curves and live in China would describe as Paradise: Marks and Spencer's Underwear department. The things they can do with Lycra now days. They have things to suck you in at the bottom and push you out at the top. They come in strapless, backless and even frontless.(hmmmmmm) You can buy snakeskin straps, invisible straps and even straps with little English flags.. if you are feeling patriotic. The 'ego boost' bra caused a few heart palpitations just looking at it let alone trying it on. Well after long consideration and deliberation, I decided that it was ridiculous to try and improve on perfection so I didn't buy anything. Thursday evening I went out for a BBQ dinner at Elaines' house out in Acton Town. It was great to eat real food in a real home again. After dinner I think we solved all of the problems in the world over a cup of coffee and then Elaine drove me back to my little hotel. I staggered up the stairs and fell into my comfy bed. Next morning as I opened my eyes to the early morning sunshine, I thought to my self: " I think I'll go to Ireland today."

Laden with slightly heavier backpacks, we set off for Heathrow.