I am writing this while sitting in front of a fire, inside a castle, on a rainy Irish evening. Uh, yeah, I am loving this. I have had an amazing few days so far. I am sorry that I am not able to post more pictures here, my iPad does not like interfacing with Blogspot. I will do what I can. Here's what has been going on.
Despite my struggles the first few days, I am really happy that I chose to rent a car. It is really nice to be able to travel at my own pace, and see a different perspective on the country. I have not had to fill the tank yet, so I will let you know if that changes.
Yesterday I went to the Rock of Cashel. This is a combination of buildings that have served as a fortress, as well as a center for the power of the church. I got to touch buildings that are almost two thousand years old. I got to see gravestones that are older than any building in our country. I got to see frescoes, actual frescoes. I got a little winded walking up the hill, but I recovered.
I also went to see a reproductions of a famine ship, really it was a cargo ship that made extra money by carrying people to America by the boatload, too much? It was interesting to see what the conditions were like for all of these people as they did what they could to save their families. The kitchen was particularly interesting.
My evening wrapped up with a lesson on an Irish drum called a bodhran. I was terrible at it, but so was everyone else in the pub, except for one Swiss kid. Stupid Swiss kid.
Today was filled with tours and feeding the parking meter. I got to tour the Waterford Crystal Center, which was very interesting. I saw the makings of the Irish Open Trophy and several other recognizable pieces. I am now very familiar with the history of the city of Waterford, the oldest city in Ireland. I saw recovered Viking artifacts, including the piece of a long boat that is pictured here. Everyone kind of looks at me when tour guides talk about invading Norsemen, I am not sure why.
I also learned that a man named John Roberts was responsible for building many of the well-known buildings in Waterford, including both the Catholic and Protestant cathedrals, which is pretty unique. I have decidied, without any real support, that this is my Irish ancestor on the Roberts side of the family. I am looking into any monetary claims that can be made. I will keep you posted.
Well, that's it for today. If you don't see any pictures yet, just wait, they will be here.
Red wine is out. Irish coffee has a real potential
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