Kilkenny, Ireland - Thursday September 8th & Friday September 9th

After catching a train from Dublin to Kilkenny, Thursday evening, St, his wife and I went out for a nice dinner and just relaxed for the night. On Friday, St offered to take me around Kilkenny area to see a few interesting and historical sites.

Kilkenny itself was a unique town and when I was there Kilkenny was having a city wide party because the town's handball team won the national tournament just a few days ago. Through out the entire town there were these dark blue and yellow flags, and I mean every where. There were flags hanging out the windows, hanging from the trees and somethings string of flags stung from building to building across the street.

Tourist Train with the Town Flag

Beautiful Church in Kilkenny

On Friday the first place we went to was the Brownshill Portal Tomb. To many people this place has a lot of history and mystery. When you first see this area, it really looks like a regular field, with a walking path. Once you get to the end of the walking path you see a huge pile of rocks that looks completely out of place. There are no similar rocks around the area at all and many historians wondering how did the rocks get to this area. 

A portal tomb is so called because the entrance to the burial chamber is marked by a pair of tall portal stones and covered with a single massive capstone which rests on the portals and slopes downwards towards the rear. The capstone at Brownshill weights about 150 tons and is probably the heaviest of its kind in Europe. Most portal tombs were surrounded by a mound or cairn of smaller stones. Though no trace of this mound survives here. the artist's impression gives some idea of what the tomb might have looked like about 5,000 years ago.

Next in Kilkenny we went to Kilkenny Castle, which is a castle next to the river and a great tourist spot in Kilkenny. When you look at the castle it really has a great medieval time look to it.

Again the castle did not allow for me to take pictures. But there were many different rooms, in many different colors. The best place was the long room which has the name implies was a long room with a gorgeous white marble fireplace in the middle of one wall with very detailed carvings on it. All long the walls were many different portrait paintings of the pst people who once lived in the castle. It was amazing to see all the history.  And the view from the castle was great.



Behind the castle there was a large garden and park, where many people were playing and having picnics. There was also a beautiful water fountain and flower garden.

After a nice relaxing time in Kilkenny (St) drove me to the local train station so that I could get on the train to Galway, which is a beautiful town on the west side of the country.  (St) helped me get my luggage on the train and then I was off to the three hour train ride to Galway.

St. Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin, Ireland

Ok, now back to my adventures.  I have been doing a lot of traveling, working and writing. I am hoping to have my first scientific publication out in 2012. =) 

On the afternoon of September 8th, I made my way back to St. Patrick's Cathedral.  Earlier that week I had tried to enter the church but it was after 5 pm and everything was closed. That adventure was posted on the blog titled "September 5th: Dublin, Ireland".  But this time I was there at 1pm so I had plenty of time.  This Thursday was a beautiful day with the sun shining and few clouds in the sky.  The gardens around the church and the church itself looked amazing.

I made my way around the church to the front entrance. Now some of you may not know but in some Churches like this one during viewing hours you have to pay an entrance fee usually about 5 euros or about $7. Honestly I do not mind because I believe a good portion of the money collected from the entrance fee is used to maintain the building.  Once inside the church I was aw struck by how large it was. There was even a small gift shop in the back corner of the church.


When you think about a huge cathedral you invasion beautiful cathedral ceilings, decorative walls and huge stain glass windows and that is exactly what I saw once inside St. Patrick's Cathedral.

As I started to walk around the cathedral I started to notice the large amount of history on display in the cathedral. I have always had an interest in history and that is one of the many things I love about Europe, the unique history that the USA does not have.

IMAGE 1

These two granite stone was located in the vicinity of the church that was here before the Cathedral was built in 1192. When it was unearthed in 1901, the stone on the left [IMAGE 1]  covered the remains of an ancient well. It may have been the well where St. Patrick baptized converts in the fifth century.

IMAGE 2

The  second stone [IMAGE 2] probably marked the grave of an early Christian. Scholars believe the stones were carved some time between 800 and 1100. Where the stone was quarried remains a mystery. only 32 stones of this type have been found in Dublin; six are located in St. Patrick's Cathedral.





Through out the Cathedral I saw many statues many were of past Archbishops of Dublin.

 
Even the floor of the Cathedral was a decorative tile and there were decorative arches throughout the Cathedral. 

In the Cathedral there were many different historical artifacts one was a Carved Oak Chest created in the 14th Century. 

This chest was used to protect the Cathedral's vestments, silver and important legal documents from loss, theft, or being eaten by rodents. It is decorated with four carved panels depicting mythical beats on top, a stallion in the lower left and a goat in the bottom right.

In the front of the Cathedral there was a magnificent alter and choir area, it was amazing to see the unique architecture and beautiful stain glass.

On each side of the main alter are a small chapel area, each one had a unique name and style.

  

In St. Patrick's the Lady Chapel has played a unique role in welcoming believers of other denominations. Having the persecution in France in 1666 Huguenot refugees were grant used of the Lady Chapel for their services by the Dean and Chapter. The Huguenot exercised a very important influence on the cultural and commercial lid of the country. Services in French continues in the Lady Chapel until 1816.  For a few years, the Lady Chapel was used as a Chapter House. In 1845, Dean Henry Pakenham undertook restoration of the Lady Chapel which was conducted under the supervision of architect Richard C. Carpenter.

It was great to see such history and beautiful architecture. I really enjoyed learning all the history and took so many pictures and videos. After spending about 2 hours in the Cathedral, it was time for me to head back to the hotel and get ready to leave with my co-supervisor (St) to Kilkenny, Ireland.

It is hard to believe that ..

It is hard to believe that I have lived in Denmark for a whole year.  Looking back at the past blog posts, pictures and videos I have done many things.  I wanted to make a list of all the things I have been able to do while living in Denmark this year. 

I have walked many times in the town market, buying fresh fruit and veggies. 
I have found unique food stores in town. 
I have found a cute small bead store in town where I can make necklaces and earrings.
I have learned a lot about the food and culture in Denmark. 
I have learned to read and speak a bit of Danish. 
I have learned about Danish holidays. 
I have learned Danish Christmas holiday traditions.
I have learned to wait for the bus to work when it is pitch black outside during the winter.
I have learned to sleep while the sun in still up during the summer.
I have walked around Copenhagen. 
I have enjoyed the flowers that bloomed during the spring. 
I have enjoyed the fall colors during the fall.
I have seen the many castles in Denmark, Ireland, Holland, and Russia.
I have seen many beautiful churches in Denmark, Ireland, Holland, Finland, and Russia.
I have seen many beaches in Denmark and Ireland.
I have learned the unique history of Denmark.
I have made many new friends at work from around the world.
I have had some great nights out with friends.
I have learned how to make unique food from around the world.
I have seen the sun set while standing on a beach in Denmark.
I have swam in the sea while watching the sun set in Denmark.
I have traveled to Ireland and had a great time.
I had my first Guinness in Ireland.
I saw the 'Book of Kells', an ancient bible written by monk ca 800 AD. 
I had 'fish and chips' in Ireland.
I have seen 3000 old fort in Ireland.
I saw a rainbow while in Ireland.
I have been surprised by the man I love who visited me unexpectedly. 
I have traveled to Holland and had a great vacation.
I walked around Amsterdam and found a farmer's market.
I celebrated Halloween in Denmark and carved a big pumpkin.
I have traveled to Helsinki, Finland and walked around the town.
I have traveled on a ferry cruise to St. Petersburg.
I have traveled to St. Petersburg, Russia and saw so many things and learned so many things. 
I have seen the sun set in Helsinki, Finland.
I have seen the sun rise in St. Petersburg.

Also personally it is hard being so far away from C my boyfriend. But I really think that our appreciation and love for each other has grown during this time. I do miss him very much and even though we get to talk to each other every day,  I miss his presence.  So another thing to add to my list above. 

I have learned to love and appreciate C more then I did before I moved to Denmark.

 It is amazing to look back at all my blog post, pictures and videos and to realize that I have done all these things in one year. 

September 8th: St. Ann's Church and Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland

On September 8th, I was not interested in any of the talks for that day so I decided that I would rather look around Dublin.  Since the hotel I was staying at was near Trinity College, I decided to go there first. As I was walking towards Trinity College, I found something interesting.

I really liked how you can see such a unique and historic place in such a modern area.

St. Ann's Church in Dublin, Ireland

The architecture of the church was amazing to look at.

Before I could enter the church I actually had to cross quite a busy road. Once I entered the church I could no longer hear the sound of the cars passing by on the road. I was greeted by a really nice man, looking at him I thought his was the Father of the church. He said in a very thick Irish accent "No, I am just the caretaker." He asked me where I was from and told to go ahead a look around and take a few pictures and please put at least 2 euros in the offering box.

 

 Inside St. Ann's was a very beautiful church, I was impressed by the baptism fountain it looked as if it was made from one piece of marble.

The stain glass windows in St. Ann's were amazing. I tried to take a few pictures of the glass but many of the pictures did not turn out. I think I need to get photography lessons from my sister.  Some of the pictures of the stain glass did turn out and I was quite happy about that.

 What I thought was really interesting was that all along the walls there were many different plagues that stated the name, birth and death of the person that was buried there.  Some of these burials were quite odd and the plagues were unique.

 Upon making my way out of the church I found many different postcards. I asked the caretaker how much were the postcards, he kindly asked to just place more money in the offering box. I took four postcards and placed 5 euros in the offering box. The caretaker wished me well on my travels through Ireland. And I was off to find Trinity College again.

The reason why I wanted to go Trinity College was to see the Book of Kells and the Library.

The Book of Kells (sometimes known as the Book of Columba) is an illuminated manuscript Gospel book in Latin, containing the four Gospels of the New Testament together with various prefatory texts and tables. It was created by Celtic monks ca. 800 or slightly earlier. The text of the Gospels is largely drawn from the Vulgate, although it also includes several passages drawn from the earlier versions of the Bible known as the Vetus Latina. It is a masterwork of Western calligraphy and represents the pinnacle of Insular illumination. It is also widely regarded as Ireland's finest national treasure. 

 

Now once I entered the Trinity College Library I was sad to see a big sign that said NO pictures or video. Sigh...so I put my camera away and just read all the information and looked at all the cool pictures.  I was able to see in person the Book of Kells, under thick glass.  When you actually see the Book of Kells itself it is truly beautiful and colorful.  Of course I could not take pictures but I found some pictures on the internet for you to get an idea of what I saw.

Can you imagine in ca. 800 a monk might of spent days or months making this?

The color and the writing were amazing to see. I was glad to see the Book was in really good shape.

 After viewing the Book of Kells there were stairs leading up to the Library.  I was thinking 'Well it is just a library so there is nothing spectacular about it'.  WOW... was I wrong! When I got up to the Library my jaw hit the floor, the Library was absolutely amazing.  I really wanted to take a picture but sigh.. no pictures allowed.  But even if I could take a picture .. no picture I took would do the Library justice.  I could only imagine the amount of history and knowledge in all the books in the Library. For a while I sat on a small bench and just took in the awesomeness of this place because once I get to the other side of Library I will have to walk out the exit. 

While in this Library I was so happy to be able to see a place like this. To be able to say to others in the world that I have been to place that holds so much knowledge, history and just unparalleled awesomeness.  Other people in the Library might of thought I was crazy because I just sat there with a huge smile on my face and my eyes as big as saucers; just looking at the high ceilings, the shelves of books, the unique staircases, the relics in the glass displays, and the busts of statues. I really did not want to leave but sigh... I left after being in the Library for about an hour.

Once out of the Library, I was so happy to find postcards of the Library. The postcards were professional pictures and I could easily scan these postcards to have my own digital copy of these pictures.

I am really glad I was able to see St. Anne's Church, Book of Kells and the Library. Each place was just as grand and beautiful as the next. But there still was one more place I had to go, St. Patrick's Cathedral. After having a relaxing lunch at a cafe in Dublin I made my way to the the Cathedral.

September 6th: Ireland

On Tuesday 6th, was the day the people at the conference went on a little tour of Ireland. We got on two different buses, drove through Dublin and then another hour to the Teagasc Research Center.

Once at the Teagasc Research Center, they showed us their research there but honestly I was more interested in the view. There was a beautiful view of the fields and mountains.

After lunch at the Teagasc Research Center, we drove another 45 minutes to an Irish dairy farm. During the drive we passed many old churches and cemeteries and everything looked so green. I was really happy that I was able to see the countryside of Ireland.

Going to an Irish dairy farm was an interesting and unique experience. The majority of the farms in the United States are corn-fed with very little grass-fed involved.  This farm was using grass-fed with very little other feed involved and working in association with the Teagasc Research Center. It really liked like the Teagasc Research Center and this dairy farmer have a good collaboration.

At the dairy farm, I saw this cat in the barn and I just could not resist taking this picture.

I enjoyed my time at the dairy farm and I was excited when I even left the farm cause I was able to see a rainbow. A rainbow in Ireland!!

During this little field trip in Ireland I had a great time until I get back to the hotel in Dublin when I found out that I had lost my ipod on this trip.  When I realized that my ipod was missing there was not much I could do about it. I emailed the conference coordinator and her assistant but I knew that they would not be checking their email now and they would not be able to do anything until the next day.

So I just tried not to think about while A, T, S and I went out for dinner. S, who is Irish, asked if we could NOT go to some tourist restaurant in Temple Bar. He talked how he felt really uncomfortable in the restaurant on Monday night. We all agreed and S took us to this great Chinese/Thai restaurant and the food was great. I ate until I was stuffed when we left the restaurant.

I tired to not let the whole thing about my lost ipod bother me but it did. And I went to bed that night in the hotel pissed at myself that I lost it.

September 5th: Dublin, Ireland

On Monday September 5th, was the first full day at the conference and there were many talks I wanted to attend. So the majority of the day I spent in the Dublin Castle, listening to talks, taking some notes, and talked to many new people.

So there were a few talks near the end of the day that I was just not interested in and I decided this would be a good time to go out into Dublin and see a few things. I decided that since I was that far from St. Patrick's Cathedral I should try to see it.

At 5pm I walked the four or five blocks to St. Patrick's Cathedral and I was amazed to see the how big the cathedral was.

There was a nice garden there also but since it was raining while I was out I was not able to really good some good pictures of the gardens.  I walked around the garden and I noticed this plaque near the Cathedral.

"Near here is the reputed site of the well where St. Patrick [baptized] many of the local inhabitants in the fifth century A.D."

I was getting really excited to go inside since the outside of the Cathedral since the outside was amazing.  Sadly when I arrived at the front door I found out it closed at 5pm, it was 5:30pm.  Sigh... So since I figured everything else closed at 5pm I slowly walked back to Dublin Castle to meet up with the rest of my group. When I got back so early to Dublin Castle a few people were like 'what.. why are you back so early?'  When I told them what happened they all mentioned that there will be plenty of time to see Dublin and we went off to find a restaurant for dinner.

There was a large group of us looking for a restaurant in Temple Bar, there was about 12 of us. We were lucky that we were able to find an Irish restaurant that could the 12 of us in just a few minutes. The majority of us ordered some type of traditional Irish meal and an Irish beer. I ordered an Irish Ale and Irish stew with something like a potato cake. I really liked and when I finished it was so full. I had a great time.

When we left the restaurant we noticed a large group of people, we went over to see what was going on.  I noticed a small band planning Irish music and singing and a group of girls dancing.

After a great meal and then a short show I had a great day and walked back to the hotel with the rest of my group.

Ireland: Dublin Castle

Dublin Castle is a unique castle in the middle of Dublin. The history behind the castle was that during the time when Ireland was under England monarchy rule, this castle is where the King stayed.  During the time when the King was not there the Duke or Lord of Ireland stayed there in the king's place.

One of my supervisors S (who is Irish) was excited and honored to be give a presentation at Dublin Castle, because the castle has a lot of history in Irish culture and the Queen of England was recently there and also spoke there.

The flags in front of the castle represent each counties of Ireland.

The castle was quite unique and the first few days I was busy with the conference. But I was able to get a few good pictures of the outside of the castle.

On Wednesday night (Sept 7th) there was a conference dinner inside the castle. I completely forgot to bring my camera and before dinner we were given a tour of the castle rooms. Trust me during the entire tour I was kicking myself for not bring my camera. (Although I do have a valid excuse: I was already pissed at myself for losing my iPod and my lap top crashing on me.) But at least I was able to take a picture of the courtyard inside the castle.