Giant's Causeway

We took our first trek up to Northern Ireland.  The Giant's Causeway is an area with hexagonal volcanic pillars/stepping stones by the sea. The weather forecast had only a 20 percent chance of rain for the day.  We had been so lucky with weather thus far that I didn't worry too much.  Cold, rainy, windy and miserable.  At least with the lousy weather, there wouldn't be crowds though -- right?  Absolute chaos.  People everywhere.  Nearly impossible to get a single photo without other tourists.  The stones were slippery so it was a bit difficult to even explore.  It was gorgeous place.  Hopefully we will get back in nicer weather.  Unfortunately, our days of nice weather are numbered...

Dublin Castle

Okay, I have done seven posts in two days.  I'm desperate to get caught up with our travels so far but feeling uninspired and a bit tired of writing.  Castle, blah, blah, blah, green, blah, blah, silly kids.  Well, I will try to do better than that --but, not much.  

  

Driving all the time gets tiring, so we decided to stay close to home for a change.  Went into Dublin with a short list of things to do.  Only managed to accomplish one item.  It's a good thing we live close and can head back again soon.  Went to Dublin Castle.  Had a bit of silliness in the courtyard waiting for the tour.  Dante had some seriously fat hair going on.
 

There is only one remaining tower from the original Anglo-Norman castle.  We also went down where they have been excavating and saw the foundation of the original Viking settlement.  The majority of the tour is in the State Apartments which are more modern palace type additions from the 18th century.  

Stopped for some sweets.

The boys got much needed haircuts.  

 Nadia and I wandered around and found some colorful street art.

Alright.  That's at good as it gets.  

Blessington Lake and summer camps

Almost went a week without a trip (Alfonso had been working like a burro) so we went for a drive to Blessington Lake by the Wicklow Mountains (which are more like big hills.)   Took a long drive around the lake, picked up some delicious local strawberries and stopped at a pub for a bite to eat.  Beautiful spot.

I'm dumping the summer camp stuff here in this post ... because I can.  The boys did a week long soccer camp at a park across from Intel in Leixlip.  They have never played before and all the other kids had been playing for years.  So they struggled a bit but had fun.  

They were more in the element the following week in theatre camp.  Couldn't find one where they could put on a play.  This was more of a performing arts with different instructors for dance, singing, acting with camera work and stage theatre.

Nadia didn't get in on any of the summer camp fun.  It was nice to have some time with just the two of us again.  She'll be starting school full time in the fall.  (There is a mandatory pre-K program here.)  So I am trying to soak it all in while I can.

First Visitors

Aunt Maggie and company had a trip to Ireland on the schedule and were able to stay with us a few days. We never got a complete group photo.  Dante was looking for his shoes and Alfonso was fiddling with the timer -- then it started raining.  Oh well.

The kids had lots of fun having sleepovers with their cousins.  (Nadia bailed on the sleepover once it got dark.)   Ale and Martin buddied up and played soccer.  Caroline and Dante bonded over a shared love of Greek gods.  Nadia was just thrilled to have another girl around.  Fr. Jim was still out running around with the kids (much to Aunt Maggie's and Eileen's dismay!)

Most of the visit, we just spent time together at the house but we did manage to go explore Maynooth Castle.  (The constant picture taking is getting to Nadia.)  

Day #2 -- The Aran Islands

After the Cliffs of Moher, we stayed in a B&B in Doolin so we could take a ferry to one of the Aran Islands.  The man selling tickets talked me out of going to the big island that I had wanted to see; I'm so glad he did.  The smaller island, Innis Oirr, was beautiful and had plenty to wear the kids out!

The kids enjoyed the half hour ferry ride where a dolphin greeted us at the island.  We took a carriage ride around with a friendly, weathered-looking guide.  Nadia was less concerned with sight seeing and more interested in the guide's cute little terrier, Rex, that was in and out of the carriage racing against the horse.

The castle was in ruins, much to Dante's dismay.  On our drive through the Burren, we saw tons of stone walls -- more so than in other parts of Ireland.  Centuries ago,  they had to clear away all the limestone in order to build and farm and such.  Instead of hauling them away, they just stacked them into walls. 

The beach was gorgeous.  There was a local snorkeler that has been swimming with the resident dolphin for over ten years.  The dolphin's comfort with this one man has lead others to believe that it is tame.  Some idiot told his pre-teen son to touch it.  So the kid grabbed its dorsal fin, only to be thrashed by its tail and rammed in the leg by the dolphin's nose.  The boys were happy enough to get a close look at the dolphin while Nadia spent the whole time playing fetch with a random dog.

West Coast -- Day #1

Alfonso was finally able to escape from Intel for a few days, so we loaded up the car and randomly started driving in the direction of Galway.  Flipping through the tour book trying to see what was in the area and random signs along the road dictated our itinerary.  Despite the complete lack of planning whatsoever, we had a great trip.

First stop was Dungaire Castle.  I keep waiting for the kids to start complaining about another castle but so far Dante only throws tantrums if they are in ruins.  They were happy to be allowed to wander without a guide and see some furnishings.

Then we drove through an area called the Burren where the land is covered in limestone.  Went inside Ailwee Cave which was nice enough.  After the relatively recent visit to Carlsbad Caverns, everyone was pretty underwhelmed though.

Final stop for the day was the Cliffs of Moher.  Breath taking.  The lighting for pictures wasn't the best and trying to get three kids to smile for one lousy shot is worse than herding cats.  We take what we can get.

Newgrange and Farm

We went to visit Newgrange, a tomb/temple that is famous for its passage and chamber that is illuminated at dawn on the days near the winter solstice.  However, when we went to get tickets the next available tour wasn't for 3 1/2 hours.  So to kill some time, we went to the closest nearby attraction -- a farm.

The kids had a blast at Newgrange Farm. They got to feed lambs with baby bottles, hold ducklings and chicks, and pet the whole gambit of farm animals.  The only cow they were allowed to milk was made of plaster -- "Lame!"  But the fortuitous side trip ended up being the highlight of the day for the kiddos.  

The tour guide at Newgrange, although very knowledgeable was monotone and his demeanor was on the prickly side.  The kids perked up when he mentioned that the site was built 500 years before the Great Pyramid in Giza.  Otherwise, they pretty much zoned out.  Dante asked me as we were leaving, "So what exactly was this place anyhow?"  Right.

Ireland is so picturesque.  Every time you turn around, there is another gorgeous view.  We are clogging up our hard drive with photos galore.