First a quick unrelated note. Through Blogger I can see the stats of my blog, and it looks like I'm getting page requests from all over the world, which is pretty cool. There are a few that I don't quite understand though, like Belarus, Ukraine, Russia, S. Korea, and New Zealand. Another one I get a lot of views from is Germany, but I don't think I know enough people currently living in Germany to produce that many page views. Anyway, just thought that was curious.
So back to Ireland...This weekend was pretty cool. First, I spent most of Saturday thinking about my future trips...lots of stuff to consider. But more of that later. After spending the day in the apartment, I went into the city center to Aviva Stadium with a friend from Syracuse, and a German friend from my Irish class to watch Ireland vs. Samoa in rugby. Now, getting there proved to be difficult. We thought we knew how to get there, but we ended up walking basically entirely around the stadium from about 3 or 4 blocks away...basically a 2 mile detour, but we got there eventually.
Now, I've got to say, rugby is a pretty cool game, but it's rough and violent...and I love it! The Irish players really thrashed the Samoans, and the game was full of hard hits and brute strength. The first Irish try was amazing. They threw it in from the touch line, then from the ruck just overpowered the Samoan team into the in-goal area. Also during the match, from the family section some kids were trying to get a wave going in the crowd. After a few tries, they got one going that went twice around the entire stadium...it was pretty impressive.
So yeah, the game was a great time. The match got pretty crazy at some points. There was a pretty big injury stoppage when two Samoan players collided. It got pretty bloody, as it looked like there were some cracked skulls. In general, there was just a lot of physicality and toughness. Those players are phenomenal athletes. They're strong, they can sprint, they can run long distances, and they have stamina. The stadium was great, the crowd was amazing, and the match was scintillating. Here are some pics from the match...
After the match, I went with my Syracuse friend to a house party of a Belgian friend of ours. It was a good time, hanging out with friends, listening to music, and relaxing a bit.
On Sunday, I had to wake up early and take a bus northwest of Dublin for an archeology field trip. First we went to an ancient, megalithic tomb. It was pretty cool, I guess. I'm not all that fascinated by archeology, but it was interesting to consider that given the necessities of everyday life those people faced, they still had time to build such sacred places.
After the megalithic tomb, we took a lunch break in Oldcastle, Ireland in County Meath. A few of my friends and I stopped at the Fincourt Bar and Lounge for a hot chocolate...with some Bailey's Irish Cream...to give it a little kick! It was pretty good, but Bailey's is a certain type of sweet that I can only take in small amounts. We then left for the last site at the Fore Abbey in County West Meath. This place was a little boring for me, but the pictures were still good, and the scenery was great. The one part that I found interesting was a tree planted in a well where people over the years had been coming to ask the St. Feichin ("Feheen") to grant their requests. They would tie things to the branches, or nail coins into the trunk. I'm not sure why, but it hit me hard, considering that people have been doing this for such a long time. There's a lot of faith in play there.
So back to Ireland...This weekend was pretty cool. First, I spent most of Saturday thinking about my future trips...lots of stuff to consider. But more of that later. After spending the day in the apartment, I went into the city center to Aviva Stadium with a friend from Syracuse, and a German friend from my Irish class to watch Ireland vs. Samoa in rugby. Now, getting there proved to be difficult. We thought we knew how to get there, but we ended up walking basically entirely around the stadium from about 3 or 4 blocks away...basically a 2 mile detour, but we got there eventually.
Now, I've got to say, rugby is a pretty cool game, but it's rough and violent...and I love it! The Irish players really thrashed the Samoans, and the game was full of hard hits and brute strength. The first Irish try was amazing. They threw it in from the touch line, then from the ruck just overpowered the Samoan team into the in-goal area. Also during the match, from the family section some kids were trying to get a wave going in the crowd. After a few tries, they got one going that went twice around the entire stadium...it was pretty impressive.
So yeah, the game was a great time. The match got pretty crazy at some points. There was a pretty big injury stoppage when two Samoan players collided. It got pretty bloody, as it looked like there were some cracked skulls. In general, there was just a lot of physicality and toughness. Those players are phenomenal athletes. They're strong, they can sprint, they can run long distances, and they have stamina. The stadium was great, the crowd was amazing, and the match was scintillating. Here are some pics from the match...
After the match, I went with my Syracuse friend to a house party of a Belgian friend of ours. It was a good time, hanging out with friends, listening to music, and relaxing a bit.
On Sunday, I had to wake up early and take a bus northwest of Dublin for an archeology field trip. First we went to an ancient, megalithic tomb. It was pretty cool, I guess. I'm not all that fascinated by archeology, but it was interesting to consider that given the necessities of everyday life those people faced, they still had time to build such sacred places.
The Irish countryside is really quite beautiful...
Baaaa!
A view of the main tomb
A cruciform-shaped smaller tomb
After the megalithic tomb, we took a lunch break in Oldcastle, Ireland in County Meath. A few of my friends and I stopped at the Fincourt Bar and Lounge for a hot chocolate...with some Bailey's Irish Cream...to give it a little kick! It was pretty good, but Bailey's is a certain type of sweet that I can only take in small amounts. We then left for the last site at the Fore Abbey in County West Meath. This place was a little boring for me, but the pictures were still good, and the scenery was great. The one part that I found interesting was a tree planted in a well where people over the years had been coming to ask the St. Feichin ("Feheen") to grant their requests. They would tie things to the branches, or nail coins into the trunk. I'm not sure why, but it hit me hard, considering that people have been doing this for such a long time. There's a lot of faith in play there.
Ruins of the church
The tree in the well
Coins hammered into the trunk
Moo!
The abbey
I thought this view was particularly cool. An island of orange in a sea of green
As usual, all the pictures can be found under the Pictures tab above. After coming home from the field trip, I was sufficiently exhausted, but still had to do laundry. I did, however, manage to continue my productivity. I finally booked some international travel flights. I now know I'm going to Italy during the first week of December, and just a few hours ago, I booked a bus day tour up to Belfast, Antrim Coast, and Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland this weekend. Should be a fun time.
Coming up this week...Possibly going out tonight to a pub for a comedy night, and spending some time with my family friend's cousin. Soccer on Tuesday, and probably nothing else until Belfast on Saturday. Given where else I want to go before I come home, I'll probably need to save some money. Until next time, see you later, and thanks for reading!
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