Final Ireland 2011

It is home from our fabulous, fun and magical journey to the Emerald Isle we are but I have a few more tales to tell.

Cat asked me why I didn’t tell you about her escapades out with the Irish folks on Friday and Saturday nights.  It isn’t my tale to tell, but she wants me to and so I will.

Saturday 11/11/11 after the meditation I was wiped.  So many wonderful experiences in that hour left me needing sleep.  After getting back to the hotel, I crashed.  About 1900 Cat said she was hungry and was going down  to dinner.  I told her to have fun.  Little did I know how much she would have!

About an hour after she left I hear lots of guys yelling and hooting like they do when they are watching sports and their team is winning.  Then I hear one woman’s voice - Cat!  After a while the shouting is over and I realize the match is over.  I go to sleep and wake about 0200.  Still no Cat.  About 0330 or so in she strolls!  She hooked up with some of the guys watching the match and they took her to another pub and then to a club or two for dancing.  She met some women at the dance club too so she hung out with them and the guys all night.

One of the guys walked her back to her hotel to make sure she arrived safely.  When she came in she was all excited about her night.  She loves the Irish anyway and this solidified it.  She had a ball and had made some fast friends.  She already was communicating with them on Facebook!

The next night she and I ate dinner downstairs.  After dinner she got to talking with some guys by the bar and we ended up having great chats.  However, I was still not ready to party all night and anyway It just didn’t feel right running around with the 20 to 30 crowd.  She told me later that the dance club was patronized by people of all ages including mine:-).  I guess in a small town with only so many places to go everyone goes where the action is.  And the Irish can party, no doubt about that.

When she arrived back at the hotel at 0230 (she got home early because we were to leave at 0700 for Dublin!). She, once again, had had a great time.  She met up with the women and some of the men from the night before and danced until all hours.  Again another of the men walked her back to the hotel to make sure she got home safely.  She was quite impressed with that.  They were fascinated with the fact that she is an American redhead.  They had never met one before.  

It seems that Kenmare is full of single, really good looking, late 20’s to early 30’s single guys.  This is the place to be if you want to grab a husband, it appears.  The men appear to outnumber the women in that age category.   Also, the legal drinking age is 18 so there are many men under 21 as well :-).

Sunday night 11/13 we spent in the bar at the Hilton Hotel at the airport watching the SF Niners beat the Giants in a nail biter.  There is a station that televises two American football games each Sunday and one of the teams was the niners!  How fun!  

Our flight was at 0545 and the shuttle to the airport at 0400.  The game was over at 12:30, I was up at 0245.  After checking in at the airport we headed out to find the BMI lounge.  At our gate I stopped an airport employee and asked Do you know where the BMI lounge is located?  Yes, he replied- silence.  Well, I prompted, can you tell me where it is?  Well, he said with a twinkle in his eye, that is a whole other question!  I LOVE the Irish wit.

To finish I thought I would offer some tips for traveling in Ireland and Europe in general:

1. There are now toll roads that make traveling through the Republic of Ireland much faster.  In the past only Northern Ireland had them.  The back side of this is that you don’t go through the quaint small towns and villages.
2. If you have a GPS with European maps, update it.  It did cause some frustration with getting around using my outdated GPS maps.  
3. The Dublin Pass is a great deal.  It offers entry into most of the major sites many of which have a fast track lane.  In the National Museums that are free it offers discount shopping.
4. The Hop on Hop off Bus pass is great too.  Get the Dublin Bus one as it also allows you to travel on the public bus system for free and has a free bus from the airport into Dublin and from there you can catch a public bus to anywhere you need to be.
5. I took too many warm and bulky clothes.  The weather was chilly but not that cold.  Lighter layers would have been a better choice.  You’d think I’d know that by now!!!  If the weather says in the 50’s F, lighter layers will work fine.  Southern Ireland is warmer and more temperate than the north.  Take a raincoat, one with a removable lining is ideal, and umbrella.  It rains 12 months out of the year.  
6. Frequent the local pubs for food.  Ours was fantastic.  Gone are the days of the bland Irish fare.
7. American Express platinum card charges no transaction fee and no conversion fee.  They also use the bank rate of conversion so we got the best rate by using that card.
8. As in all cases when traveling internationally, use the ATM machines to get cash.  You will get the best exchange rate.  Check with your bank before leaving to see what they charge for fees.  I find that my credit union is the best, charging only 1%.
9. When shopping, ask for a VAT tax refund receipt.  Some shops even take the amount of the refund off your purchase and then trust you will put their form into the box at the airport so they get refunded.  The VAT tax that is added to everything and embedded in the price you see is 21%.  You get 17% of that back.  This applies to all sales no matter how small.  However, if you purchase one item amounting to 2,000 Euro or more you will have to go to the Customs desk at the airport to get a stamp and you MAY have to have the item with you.  Otherwise you can choose to go to a manned VAT Tax return desk or drop your filled out forms in a collection box.
10. You have 3 months to export your items from Ireland and get back the VAT.  However, if you leave Ireland and then mail in your forms, you will have to fill out a form, have it notarized and then mail it back, so take care of it before you leave.
11. Remember petrol is priced by the liter, not gallon so be prepared to spend about equivalent of $10.00 to $12.00 per our gallon!!!  If you can manage a manual transmission and shifting with your left hand, you will get a better rental price and gas mileage.
12. If you are flying UNITED out of Europe, you will need to get an extra stamp on your passport from security at the GATE.  This is only if you are flying UNITED and not Lufthansa.  I do not know if American and Delta do the same, but be prepared to stand in a LONG line at the gate to get this done.  This should apply only to connecting flights in the EU since the check in counter attendants should take care of it at the time of check in if you are going directly to the US from your first airport of departure and not connecting in the EU.  It applies only to your last point of departure from the EU.  
13. All flights within the EU are considered domestic flights and are treated as such.  If you are in transit for a flight stateside, keep your passport handy as you will have to show it more than once.
14. If you are thinking of bringing back liquor from the EU, check the prices at home before you leave.  We found that the duty free price was less expensive than in the country, but not compared to prices at home.  This is caused by the unfavorable exchange rate of dollar to euro.  The same applies to perfume and makeup.  
15. Don’t want to drive, but don’t want to take a formal tour?  Look into the bus systems and train within the country.  There are buses that leave from Dublin downtown and from the airport to many points in Ireland.  There are trains from Dublin Heusten station to the south.  Google works for tracking this information down.  Then when you get to your destination you can take a local tour or hire a car and driver.
16. If you have an iPhone or Droid download the free App called Tango and then have your friends and family who have these phones do the same.  With this app you can make FREE VIDEO or audio calls to home and they can call you free also.

Last but not least here is the video of the tree cutting incident in Kenmare.  The internet was too slow to download it in Ireland.  Enjoy!

Meditation Stone Circle, Ireland 11-11-11

Howling wind and pelting rain greet me this morning, but I am feeling calm, almost too calm.  Cat and I are prepared for this weather by bringing our raincoats, plastic ponchos, gloves, hats, boots, warm socks and those silver “blankets” you see at football games.  We will not be deterred by the weather.

Arriving at the site of the stone circle called Uragh, we stay in the car until it is closer to the time of the meditation.  As we are sitting there we notice a little red car approaching and wonder if it is one of the locals or if it is coming to the circle.  Soon it arrives and parks next to us.  There is one passenger, a man.  He gets out of his car and pulls warm gear out of the trunk of his car.  After donning his gear, he nods at us and strides up the winding trail leading to the circle.  It is now 10:40.

We wait a few more minutes, get out of the car and begin to don our plastic ponchos.  The wind is so intense it is almost impossible to get them on, but we finally mange and begin our trek up the hill against the wind.

We make it to the top and see the man standing up against the tall stone sheltering from the worst of the wind.  Up here on the hill the wind is even stronger.  We find out later that it was blowing gusts of up to 55 miles per hour!  

I approach him and say “I’m going to ask a silly question - are you here for the Fire The Grid Meditation?  He smiles and acknowledges that he is. Then he helps me get settled on the ground with my silver blanket that threatens to blow away at any moment.  I offer to share some of it with him, but he says he’d rather stand.

Cat positions herself inside the circle with him and me up against the tall stone.  He asks if it is O.K. if he opens some gates (meaning gates in the universe) and I reply that it is.  Then I ask if I can play the special music given by the people of the light for this day and he accepts.

We spend the next hour each in our own meditation in the howling wind and occasional rain shower.  The wind blows like crazy and then we have a moment of calm.  The skies vary from completely socked in to periods of bright blue peeking through.  The sun never shines where we are, but does make the far away hills glow with golden light for a short time.

I give thanks for the cleansing wind and rain.

Most of the time my eyes are closed and I have too many visions to share them all here.  At one point the golden glow behind my lids is so bright I could swear the sun is shining through them.  The top of my head feels like the sun is beating down, but the sky is dark and grey.  I see swirls of violet, gold and white.  At another time a golden cross hovers, shimmering and pulsating.  Then it changes into a figure that dances and moves so gracefully that it brings tears to my eyes.  In another vision I see angels hovering over us and around us in all of their white and bright splendor.

 

From the vantage point of an astronaut I see the earth  covered with light coming up from under the surface.  In the universe around me golden light rains down to meet the light from the earth.  That’s a small part of the journeys I take during that hour.  I feel a great love and joy radiating out from my heart into the earth and then the sky then two great shudders rack my body as if I am given something back in return.

After the hour is over we all make our way back down to the car, the man is first.  When Cat and I reach the cars he is standing waiting for us.  We learn that he is from Switzerland, just found out about this circle and decided to be there today.  I thank him for being there and make the statement that 3 is the number of manifestation.  There is somewhat of a balance of feminine and masculine energy with his presence.  He is glad we are there too as he usually meditates with a small group in Switzerland instead of alone.

After he leaves, Cat and I decide to go up the hill from the ring to see the famine hut that supposedly is up there.  The road turns into a path- a slippery path.  We make it to the top and drive through into the car park, but decide not to go further, turn around and start back down the path when we meet a truck pulling a trailer coming up.  They want me to back up - HA!  In the best of times my backing up is tenuous let alone up an uphill slippery path.  I ask if one of them can back it up for me.

One of the other men gets out, I follow the older guy up the hill as my car is backed up with speed and accuracy.  The man asks where we are from and I tell him.  He asks what we are up the lane for.  I say to go to the famine hut.  He gestures at the slippery lane and says “You are a brave woman” :-).

These men are the sheep herders and have been out shearing their sheep.  In the trailer are bundles of freshly shorn wool some of it sticking out all fluffy and soft looking.

The rest of the afternoon is spent driving part of the rugged coast roads of the Ring of Beara.  We see the sign for another stone circle and investigate that one.  Instead of up on a hill as most are, this one is in the middle of a pasture at the bottom of a hill that is covered with boulders and giant rocks.  The moving glaciers during the melting of the ice age sure dropped some major stuff in this area.

We find a place called Josie’s that is open for lunch.  Cat has a sandwich and I have Irish stew.  The stew is delicious but I am feeling strange from the morning and can’t eat most of it.  I just want to sleep. 

From our window table we can see the water and massive hills surrounding it.  The wind is coming from all directions like a vortex.  It whips the water up into the air and blows the pampas grass almost to the ground. One major hill to the right is covered with trees and bare patches that are shaped like molten lava pouring down the side. The colors are muted dark greens, blacks, light and dark gold brown and dark purple. The other hills at the left are barren of trees, but have what appears to be low vegetation.  It is wild, beautiful and spellbinding.

We decide to make our way back to Kenmare before it gets dark.  The drive back is uneventful until we get almost into the town.  Cat says, “Mom, there’s a tree across the road!  Sure enough there is and it is blocking both lanes.  It is a huge tree that has fallen over due to the soft earth from the rain and, I’m sure, the wind.  What to do?

There are cars following me and we all just sit there for a moment.  Then the man in the car behind gets out and Cat gets out.  Just at that moment one of the trucks that was in line behind us pulls up in the right lane (remember we are driving on the left), opens his side door, reaches in and pulls out a chain saw!!!  He fires it up and proceeds to cut branches that are covering the road making a “tunnel” for us and those approaching from the other way, to get through.  Well, maybe not the big bus!  Cat and the man in the car behind us help pull the branches off the road.

In the states it would have been calls to the road crews and hours of waiting until the problem was solved.  I thanked him profusely and said an angel was watching over and sent him to help.  He grins from ear to ear.  Still don’t know the fate of the bus.

Since the lunch was a late one, no dinner for me tonight.

Ring of Beara, Ireland Nov 10,2011

Woke up this morning with a sense of great anticipation and a feeling of electricity traveling through my body.  Today we will go in search of “my” stone circle :)))

While it is a sun-peeking out-once in a while kind of day, it is a pleasant temperature and not too damp.  We set off at about 10:30; about 24 hours before the 11-11-11 Fire The Grid world-wide meditation is to take place.  The sign for the stone circle is father up the road than I remember and then when we find it, there is a sign for a park that I also don't remember.

The road we turn onto is paved, my road was dirt, but it has been over 6 years so we motor on.  The road is very narrow, the width of a car and a half-maybe.  It winds up and down, past some houses, by some water that I do not remember either.  Am I in the right place?  There is a strangeness but yet familiarity about this drive. Finally we turn a curve and there is another sign to the circle.

We reach a gate.  Beside the gate is a crudely handwritten sign that instructs us that the stone circle, famine hut and a couple of other things are beyond the gate.  It is a 2 Euro PP cost but children are free.   It further instructs us to please close the gate.  I’m feeling like this is it when Cat gets out to open the gate.  

Further up the road we cross over a stream - YES!  I remember this part.  Then a small car park on the right at the foot of a hill.  YES!  then the hand written sign Stone Circle.  YES!!!!! This is IT.  Hooray! I have found it!

The circle is not visible from the bottom of the hill so we begin the climb up the winding path that leads to the top of the hill.  We crest the hill and there it is!  BUT it is bigger than I remember and it over looks a lake that I don’t remember.  BUT the same tall stone is there, the huge flat boulder I sat on situated a little up the hill is there, the hills in the distance are there. How wonderful the mind and how strange the memory.

It is “my” stone circle even though it is not quite as I remember it, the magic, the energy is still the same.  After touching all the stones especially the tall one, I perch on the boulder to absorb the energy.  It is very windy.  I turn on the music I will use tomorrow and the clouds part, the sun peeks through and the winds calm.  Wow!  Magical. Breathtaking.

Not only is this “my” circle but it is located behind the hills that are “Cat’s” hills from her dream and the ones we saw yesterday!  So it makes it “her” circle too.

We spend time taking goofy pictures and just generally having fun, laughing a lot and filling up with joy and love.  A great preparation for the event tomorrow.

We return to Kenmare to have lunch.  Wandering down the street we pick a pub/restaurant called The Atlantic.  We walk into a place full of locals.  Any place full of locals is usually the place to be for good food.  This was no exception.  Cat’s tuna melt and my chicken melt were so yummy.  Food here is just so fresh.  No processed chicken or canned tuna; it’s the real thing.

Many of the people around the bar and in the pub were speaking “Irish”.  It was so fun to hear and delightful to watch the comings and goings.  At the strike of 2 the place emptied out as if there had been some silent fire drill.  Lunch in Kenmare is from 1 to 2 and they take that seriously, I guess.

After lunch we pop into a little shop that displayed hats in the window.  They are the type that Cat wears and look so stunning on her.  She buys three as I have a great chat with the proprietress.  She says Cat has made her day!  It is off season here and is very quiet.  Many places are shut for the season, will open briefly for Christmas, and then shut again until spring.  I rather like the quiet.  Hardly any tourists, only locals so I can feel the real flavor of the place.

There is a stone circle here on a hill in the town.  We decide to explore that one too. It is a bigger circle than “mine” and has a burial boulder in the middle.  This is unusual to find in a circle such as this.  The burial boulder is perched on four other stones and covers the actual burial place without smashing down on top of it.  There is not a tall stone here as is common with other circles.

We walk around feeling and touching all of the stones.  Cat finds one stone she really likes.  It has an animal shape and begs to be petted.  On one side it could be a dog, or gorilla and the other it looks like an elephant.  One stone vibrates and “moves” when I touch it and the burial boulder, when touched, makes me rock back and forth. 

There is a tree off to the side of the circle that is covered with all sorts of odd bits.  Mostly hair scrunchies and hair bands, but also odds and end such as business cards, a tiny mirror; stuff people had handy at the time.  It looks like a decorated Christmas tree except it is a thorn tree with berries not a fir or pine.  It probably has leaves in the summer, but has none now.  I tie some of the loose strands from my scarf on it and Cat attaches three of her Geo Cache tokens.  We can only guess as to why all the bits were put on the tree.  Perhaps as an offering or a request like the prayer bundles found at a sacred Native American site.

We then walk out of town to explore some of the close by neighborhoods.  First we stand peering in a Real Estate office window.  As we are doing this a man passes by and says “they’re cheap enough you could buy two or wait a week and you can buy three”.  He sounded quite bitter when he said that. The world economy has hit here too and properties are very low in cost for the most part.

About 5 to 7 minutes walking distance from town there is a development of duplexes and single family homes.  The sign announces that units are selling, furnished, for 93,000 Euros or about $130,000!  We wander around and peer into windows of the empty units still under construction.  They are really lovely and well made.  It would be a good investment to use as a holiday rental.  In the season the places sell out.

You may ask why this is.  There is the famous Ring of Kerry, Dingle Peninsula, Druid ruins and circles, hiking, fishing, and the Ring of Beara.  Lots to do and see here.  It is located in the south of Ireland and surrounded by water.  Dolphin and whale can be seen and boat rides taken.

Dinner time finds us at the Horseshoe Pub and Restaurant.  A cozy fire and gentile atmosphere greets us as we walk in the door.  We are seated by the fire and are the only ones in there.  Once again the food is delicious.  We share a wild boar and venison terrine that is tender and moist and at the same time rustic.  The taste is fabulous.  Cat has ocean perch fillet with a delicate cream sauce, a melt in your mouth concoction.  I have atlantic salmon souciaun (not spelled correctly), both are outstanding.  No dessert tonight.

Tomorrow is the BIG DAY and I am filled with excitement.

Creacon to Kenmare, Ireland Nov 9, 2011

Our last morning at Creacon.  All too soon the visit ends, but before we leave I walk the property taking in it’s beauty.  Hidden wood carvings of old monks are here and there.  A hammock hangs from under one of the covered walkways.  Swings and sitting areas dot the various lawns and by the Healing House.  While the weather this morning is rather gray I can see how wonderful it would be to sit in one of these areas or swing in the hammock on a warmer sunny day.

At 10:30 Johnathan offers to show us the 5 Tibetans yoga moves that are purported to reverse aging, keep the weight down, muscles firm and flexibility at peak condition.  I join the class while Cat takes pictures outside.  As in anything worth doing this is not an easy routine, but I can see how it is a benefit so will work with it when I get home.

At noon we wave good-bye and are off to Kenmare where we will spend the next four nights.  This is where we will be at 11-11-11 at 11:11 GMT.  The drive is great until we get to Cork where I am in the wrong lane and am forced to take a different exit on the roundabout.  My Tom Tom valiantly tries to get me back on track, but it becomes very confusing and after the 4th or 5th wrong turn I pull off in extreme frustration.

Swearing at the GPS and pounding the steering wheel is not how to get where I want to go.  Cat hands me the map of Ireland so I can at least see what route we need to take out of Cork.  The Tom Tom keeps wanting to get us on Route 28, but we don’t see any signs for that on the roundabouts.

After calming down and taking some deep breaths I discover that it is route 22 we need to take.  Then as I enter the roundabout AGAIN we spy the fine print on one of the signs leading us to Route  22 and manage, at last, to go in the right direction.  Once on the right route we can, once again, enjoy the scenery.

The scenery is changing rapidly as we pass big hills and rock formations.  Cat gets a chill as we pass two tall hills that come together to from a pass through.  She has talked about a dream she had of Ireland and what it looked like describing the hills we are now passing.  As we round a corner I spy a statue of a rearing horse high up on the edge of a ridge.  She snaps a picture and captures it.  As she views the picture it looks like a unicorn instead of a horse!  We are on route 22 (her favorite number), the hills in her dream are there, and a Unicorn has long been her favorite animal.  Talk about woo woo!!!

We finally arrive 3 1/2 hours after leaving New Ross in Kenmare.  Tom Tom says make a left, I do.....onto a one-way street with traffic coming at me!!!  Two Garda (cops) are on the corner.  I stop short, roll down my window and say sorry, sorry.  One of the Garda says it isn’t a two way anymore - guess I need to update my Tom Tom European Map!  I back up and go to the next street which is Henry and the one I want.  It is one-way the direction I need.

Breathing a sigh of relief I park the car within 1/2 block of our hotel.  And there it will stay until 11AM tomorrow when I will need to move it.  We check in to the Coachmens Hotel and go to our room.  It is large and lovely with one double bed and one twin bed, a wardrobe, desk and bedside tables.  The bathroom is very large with a tub/shower.  It has the requisite electric kettle and tea and coffee makings.

After settling in we decide to walk around the town.  We come upon McCarthys Pub and Restaurant.  Since McCarthy is Bob’s Mom’s maiden name, we decide to go in for a drink.  Cat has read that McCarthy is a common name in County’s Kerry and Cork.  There sure are a lot of businesses with McCarthy on the door or truck.  We have chosen  a pub full of locals and it is fun to watch them interact with each other and the bar tender.

Foleys Restaurant is across the street and looks like a great place to eat.  We tuck in there to get our dinner.  Cat has a very tender and tasty roast beef dish, I have fresh local oysters and rack of lamb.  County Kerry is known for its lamb and its seafood.  Our meals are delicious and we end them with sticky toffee pudding.  Pudding is what all desserts are called in England and Ireland.  Sticky Toffee Pudding is a cake soaked in rum with toffee caramel sauce under it and vanilla ice cream over it which is drizzled with the toffee sauce.  YUM!!!

Tomorrow we will make the trek out on the Ring of Beara to see if I can find “my” stone circle that I visited in 2005.  This is where I want to meditate at 11:11 day after tomorrow (11-11-11).  

New Ross, Ireland, Creacon Nov 7 & 8 2011

It’s time to say good-bye to Dublin and begin the adventure to New Ross where we will stay for two nights at Creacon, a spiritual retreat owned by Derek O’Neill, my spiritual teacher’s teacher. 

We hop in a cab and are driven to the airport to pick up our car.  The cabbie convinces us that we don’t need to go to the arrivals hall at the airport, but can go right to the lot where the cars are kept.  It seems like a good idea and a way to expedite our departure.  Besides in the US that is where I get my cars all the time.

In Ireland, however, the cars indeed are picked up there, BUT the contracts are printed out at the airport desk along with the handing out of the keys!  At first we are told we need to take the shuttle bus back to the airport to pick up our contract and keys.  Then guy takes pity on us and says if he has the type of car we have reserved and he has the keys, he will let us stay there and pick up the car.  Luck is with us.  He has one Ford Focus and we can have it!!!

It is another bright sunny day.  A great day for driving south.  I fire up my Tom Tom (GPS) and away we go on the left side of the road.  I make it through the first round about flawlessly so I am confident all will be well for the entire trip.  For those of you who may not have ridden or driven on the left, when you enter a round about (circle) here you enter going to the left.  In the US you enter going to the right.  Thus your brain has to make that adjustment quickly.

As we travel south the clouds gather and the grey descends.  It gives a sprinkle every now and then.  Then the sun peeks out and thus it goes for the rest of the drive.  We drive along a newly finished toll road for many miles and then it changes back to the old two lane road that takes us through little villages and towns.  Cat is delighted with the scenery and takes one photo after another out of the car window.

Creacon is off the beaten path hidden up a country road outside of New Ross.  As we drive up the narrow lane bordered by tall hedges we can feel the tranquility settle in.  Creacon is set in amongst green lawns, covered pathways, with a stone courtyard in front of a white cottage-type building.  A water fall in the corner of the courtyard provides a sense of peace when we step out of the car.

Michelle greets us and show us to our room which is up the stairs and is called the Gold Room.  The room is full of light, the walls are painted a light yellow-gold color, and contains twin beds, a dresser and two night stands.  It is a warm and cozy room, but I feel an extreme sense of vertigo which is almost overwhelming.

We wander around the rest of the facility finding a cafe, dining room, art center, living room, meditation hall, and tea room.  The vertigo remains, but not as strong as upstairs.  I ask Johnathan, the manager, if anyone else has talked about having vertigo and he says that it must be the energy vortexes that are all over the property.

At dinner we meet Sandra and Marchella who are both long term residents of Creacon.  They have decided to stay there and learn more about themselves and to have Derek as their teacher.  Derek lives in Dublin where he is a Psycotherapist.  He holds workshops at Creacon off and on and is usually in residence the first three days of each month.

Dinner is delicious.  The Italian chef has prepared a half chicken with mushroom sauce and vegetables.  We have lots of laughs with Michelle, Johnathan, and Sandra.  We are the only guests.  After dinner we gather in front of a roaring fire to watch a movie called Yes Man with Jim Carey.  It is hilarious as only Jim Carey can be.

Day 2 at Creacon dawns grey and rainy much to Cat’s delight.  She has been told that Ireland is grey and rainy and has been somewhat disappointed with all of the sunshine!!!  We have decided that today will be a day of quiet and contemplation.  Sandra does intuitive readings and Cat decides to have a reading. 

After her reading with Sandra, I give Cat a Rising Star Healing.  She tells me that at the beginning of the healing she sees a golden ball being handed to her and then a purple haze.  This happens to her as I am working on her crown chakra and then her third eye chakra.   After that she falls deeply asleep while I finish the session.  There is a Healing House on the premises and is perfect for sessions such as Sandra and I give.

After dinner we once again gather in front of the roaring fire for a movie.  Tonight we watch one of Derek’s videos of a part of one of his workshops.  Then we have a lively discussion about what we felt about his teachings and what touched us the most.  

 

Tomorrow, November 9, we leave for Kenmare to prepare for our meditation on November 11 at 11:11 GMT.

Dublin, Ireland, Day 2 November 6, 2011

Sunshine again???  We are blessed!!!  Another glorious day to explore Dublin.  Today is Sunday and the museums do not open until 1400 (2PM).  This makes for a perfect time to find that darn GeoCache that we couldn’t find the other night.

Back to the Buddhist Meditation Center we go - in broad daylight.  We look and look and look to no avail.  By now we are feeling like big time trespassers and hope the police won’t be showing up to haul us off to the real jail:-).

Finally in extreme frustration Cat says she gives up.  Then as we are walking down the street she says that the overhead map shows an alley by the site.  So we walk across the street to an alley next to which is a metal box that hold telephone wires, she reaches behind and sure enough there it is!!!  The GPS coordinates in the instructions were WAY off.  Now she is feeling really good that she found a geo cache in Ireland.

Next we get on the hop on hop off bus and begin to take the ride all around Dublin.  We decide to stop at Trinity College to see he Book of Kells.  When I was last in Dublin it was located up in the long library under glass.  Now they have a proper exhibit that costs 10 Euro for Cat and 8 Euro for me (senior :)).  And what a wonderful exhibit it is.  They have blown up some of the more ornately decorated pages from the book as big posters on the walls (see above pictures).  There are samples of the minerals and plants that were used to make the ink used by the monks as well as the story of how the pages were written and then decorated.  A chart of the alphabet used was also on the wall.  We note that there is no K or W and that I&J are the same symbol.  While it is A,B,C, etc.some of the symbols looked nothing like the letter they represent.

Having the posters there was wonderful because only two pages of the book can be seen under the glass and they only change the pages every three months.  It takes 75 years to get through the whole book that way.

Up in the long library we gaze at all of the books on the shelves.  The shelves soar up  the walls to the ceiling towering 30 feet above us.  There are ladders that go up to the top shelves and the librarian climbs up to retrieve books that have been requested by the students and professors.  There are reading rooms off the upper levels.

Cat asks the guard what is the youngest book?  He replies the yellow pages of the phone book.  The Irish wit quick and sharp is so fun.  We all have a laugh, but then as we are wandering around the guard approaches us and, with a twinkle in his eye, he slaps a book on the case where we are standing.  It is the yellow pages! A worn, torn, dogeared copy that looks at least 20 years old. We have another laugh. The Irish are so friendly, helpful and have a great sense of humor.

It is now almost time for the museums to open and we want to go to the Archeology Museum where the “bog bodies” and the Egyptian artifacts are shown along with items from ancient Ireland.  We hop on the bus once more and then get off by St Stephens Green and wander to the museum.

Cat cannot get over the gold jewelry pieces that are 5,000 years old.  They resemble pieces from Egypt during that time period further solidifying my gut feeling that there was some form of communication between the ancient Irish and the ancient Egyptians.  It IS amazing to see something made by man that is so old but yet could be from today in the finest jewelry shops.

We wander from room to room learning about ancient Ireland.  Then we stroll through the small but lovely Egyptian collection.  It is fun for me to see Cat’s enthusiasm about these ancient cultures.  As we are leaving the Egyptian exhibit and the mummies found there, she begins to swing her arms around saying that she couldn’t be buried that way because her arms have to be free and she would feel claustrophobic.  I say dead is dead and she wouldn’t even know. I say this as we are passing one of the museum guards.  He laughs and says exactly so.  We stop to chat.  He takes us to see one of the most amazing pieces in the entire jewelry collection.  It is called the Tara Brooch.  We had passed it and admired it, but until he shows us the different symbols on it, we did not appreciate or even see its finer points.

Made of cast silver-gilt, the brooch consists of a ring with a broad expanded area and a long free-swivelling pin. A knitted chain is attached to one side by an animal head grasping a hinged tab. Every surface is decorated. The margins of the ring carry fish-tailed animals in relief, the front carries elaborate filigree ornaments of animals contorted into elaborate knots and interlace embellished with gold granules. Different types of wire and gold strip are used in a variety of combinations to produce a sumptuous effect. Amber and enamel decorate the settings. The hinged tab is a composition of animal heads with two tiny cast-glass human heads. The reverse carries a tightly-packed group of patterns in cast work - beasts, including, in the centre of the broad area, a pair of entwined animals, and, on the margin of the ring a procession of birds. The silvered panels on the reverse bear elaborate scrollwork of spiral ornament in the La Tène style. The design is seen as copper showing through a thin silver layer. A similar technique is used to produce the pattern on the keystone panel of the ring but here the copper is overlaid by a thin layer of gold.  All in all a fabulous piece.

Next - the “bog bodies”.  Here in Ireland and in other parts of the world there are areas called bogs.  Here they are a source of fuel especially in the past.  Men work in the bogs cutting brick shaped peat out of the bogs

A few thousand years ago, someone living in what is now Ireland made some butter, stuck it into an oak barrel, wandered out into a bog about 25 miles west of Dublin, and buried it.

Somehow, that someone lost track of it, which two lucky archaeologists discovered earlier this year when they dug up the stashed loot from the Gilltown bog, between the Irish towns of Timahoe and Staplestown.

But that wasn’t the first keg of butter that’s been preserved by the strange chemistry of the bog. Or the 10th; more than 270 kegs of bog butter have been retrieved from the wetlands, along with dozens of ancient bodies, swords, and ornaments all of which have pulled from the peat.

All kinds of bodies have been found with their skin and organs intact. The objects are preserved by the remarkable properties of Sphagnum mosses, which come with preservatives built into their cell walls. After they die, they decay very slowly. and anything that falls into the Sphagnum peat bogs decays more slowly, too.

We hop the bus once more and squeeze in one more activity called Dublinia.  It is a heritage site located in the heart of medieval Dublin that exhibits three stages in Dublin’s history.  First is Viking Dublin depicting what life was like when the Vikings lived in the area.  Then Medieval Dublin shows the black plague, a rich merchants house and other scenes from that time.  Third is an exhibit of today and includes how archeological finds are handled in modern Dublin.

Another fabulous and informative day and we haven’t even scratched the surface of what Dublin offers.  We realize that two days is not nearly enough, but we love what we have experienced.

Since we are packing up and leaving tomorrow for New Ross and the Creacon Retreat, we decide to make an early night, have room service and watch the SF 49er game.  What??? You say -the niners game on TV in Ireland???  Well, being a lady of the Empire there is no way Cat will miss the game, soooo she has found a way to watch it over the internet! 

They win making their record 7 and 1 and all is right with the world!

Dublin, Ireland, Day One, November 5,2011

This morning dawns cold but bright and sunny - again!  Ireland isn’t known for its sunny weather so we are delighted. Armed with our Dublin Passes and Hop On Hop Off bus cards we head out to go to gaol (jail).  Our hotel is across the street from one of the must sees in Dublin, Kilmainham Gaol.

The gaol was built as a reformed gaol.  This means that it is built so that each prisoner has his or her own room unlike gaols before where all prisoners, men, women and children (yes, children) were all put into one room.  It opened in 1796 and closed in 1924.  Over its history it housed many leaders of the rebellions of 1798, 1803, 1848, 1867 and 1916.  During hard times when there was little food it also housed children, the youngest being 5, for crimes such as stealing bread.

The prisoners were either shot or hung when executed.  One day alone during the Irish Civil War saw 14 executions.  We learned much about the history of Ireland and its struggle for independence.  

The gaol was in a state of bad decay when the call went out for volunteers to come and restore it.  Former prisoners and guards were among those who took part in the restoration.  In recent years part of it has been used for movies. Over the front door is carved a symbol of 5 snakes with chains.  I really liked it so below is a picture of it.

After visiting the Gaol we hop on the bus and ride it to the stop that serves both St Michens Church and Jamesons Irish Whiskey old distillery.  First we go to church and then to the distillery :-).

St Michens is unique for several reasons.  The most famous one is because of the Crypts beneath the church.  The limestone used for the crypts is the type that absorbs moisture so quickly that you can see wet foot prints disappear as soon as they are formed.  Because of this a natural mummification takes place for all who are buried here.

It is against the law to open coffins, but over time some of the coffins have broken open due to age revealing the contents.  The most famous of these coffins, three of them contain a nun, a priest, and a crusader.  The nun and priest are about 200 years old and the crusader 400 years old.  It is said that if you rub the finger of the crusader you will have good luck.

The bravest of us on the tour crouch down, enter the crypt and make our way to the back past the nun and priest to the crusader.  I had rubbed his finger in 1984 when Bob and I visited along with friends from England.  What the heck, might as well do it again!  This time, to hedge my bets, I rub each hand.  It feels like a stick covered with dry old leather. Catherine joins in as well.  

Now off to the distillery.  Jamesons (pronounced Gemison) is the oldest whiskey in Ireland and some say the Scots took their method from Jamesons.  However, Jamesons is the only one that is triple distilled.  The Scotch Whiskey is double distilled and the American has only one distillation.  Triple distillation is part of the reason Jamesons is so smooth and mellow.

Scotch whiskey is also blended from many malt batches (there are some single malt) where Jamesons is only from one malt. A single batch of malt Jamesons is mellowed in three different used oak barrels, port and sherry from Spain and Portugal and cognac from France.  Then the whiskey from all of the barrels are married into one vat and allowed to blend before bottling.

Scotch whiskey barley to make malt is dried over a peat fire giving it a smokey flavor while Jamesons is dried over a smoke-less fire so its flavor is more like honey.

As one of the chosen tasters I sit at a table for 8 where we will taste the most popular of the three types of whiskeys, Jamesons 5 year-old whiskey, Scotch and American.  Johnny Walker Black Label is chosen for Scotch and Jack Daniels for the American whiskey.

First we are asked to tell our names and where we are from.  Then we are asked to smell and taste the Jamesons.  It is quite smooth and delicious.  Next we are told to taste the Jack Daniels.  I can’t help but to make a screwed up face the taste is so bad.  This gets a lot of laughter from the crowd sitting closest to the tasting table especially because they know I am an American.  After that, the Johnny Walker.  It’s not bad, but the Jamesons wins the taste test from all 8 of us.

Shopping for souvenirs is our next activity.  Cat has a whole list of people to buy for so we hit several of the shops.  After shopping it’s back to the hotel to off load packages and to prepare for the evenings activities - the Ghostbus Tour!

The Ghostbus Tour is a combination bus ride on the top level of a double decker bus with curtains drawn and the inside painted black, and walking tour to grave yards and churches.  The actor leading the tour is very entertaining and even gets some of the women to scream.  He speaks of the colorful people, hauntings and grisly facts of Ireland throughout its history.  

After leaving the tour we walk up to the Temple Bar area.  There is a famous bar called the Temple Bar, but it is also an area of Old Dublin with cobblestone streets and old buildings.  It is Saturday night about 2130 (9:30) and the place is jumping.

Dressed in our warm coats, gloves and scarves we are amazed at the number of women all dressed up in skimpy outfits and towering spikes heels and NO COATS!  The first group we encounter all have white bleached blonde hair, dresses so short they probably had underwear to match, and are teetering on heels so high I can’t see how they can move let alone walk.  My first thought is wondering why hookers would go about together!  Then after spying several more groups like this (not all with blonde hair, however) I realized this is the way many of them dress for a night out bar hopping.

Cat and I finally find a place to eat called O’Reilly’s that is virtually empty and right across from the Temple Bar itself.  From our window table we watch the crowds go by.  It is some of the best people watching ever.  Our food is delicious.  She has a salmon pasta in cream sauce and I opt for a more traditional Irish fare of cabbage, bacon (more like ham), mashed potatoes topped with a parsley sauce.  

As we are finishing our dinner we observe a cat fight.  Not of cats but of two women!  They all of sudden fall to the cobblestone street wrestling, punching, scratching and yelling.  Stunned we watch them go at one another.  Within less than 2 minutes we hear a siren whoop.  I think, WOW those cops got here fast.  No,not cops, but an ambulance trying to get through the street!  That broke up the fight in a flash.  Oh, you are probably wondering how women could fight in the outfits described earlier.  These two are in jeans and shirts and jackets.

To top off the evening as we are leaving the bar three people in windbreaker type jackets, slacks and shirts appear.  On the back of the jackets is written something about Lap Dancing!  We find out it is an Irish dancing group not anything to do with actual lap dancing.  Talk about speaking the same but different language.

Quite a full and wonderful day.