Notes from Rome

The second part of my trip to Ireland required me to overcome a really big fear: driving on the left side of the road. Oh, the anxiety! I was pretty much convinced that driving on the left equaled impending doom for me. Not only would I be doing it for the first time, I would be alone, with no one in the passenger seat to shout obscenities at me should I find myself drifting into oncoming traffic. This, I told myself - and anyone else who would listen - could be bad.

I arrived at the car rental location at Dublin Airport a pretty tightly wound bundle of nerves, but claimed my little Volkswagen Golf and bravely hopped into the driver's side on the right. Before I knew it, I'd white-knuckled myself right on to the Motorway and out of Dublin. And...it wasn't so bad! Thanks to my trusty GPS system, things went pretty smoothly. Ok, I may have bitten holes through the insides of my cheeks the first dozen or so times I had to navigate a roundabout...and I may have driven SEVERAL additional kilometers after taking the wrong exit(s) on said roundabouts. But, no casualties. I actually enjoyed the long, straight drive between Dublin and Galway. The rolling green hills stretching as far as the eye could see, the cows, the sheep...it was pretty much exactly the same as you'd imagine Ireland to be.

I arrived in Galway to my fantastic little B&B on a sunny Sunday afternoon. Thus far, in 3 days in Ireland, I had yet to see a raindrop. And this beautiful day was no exception, which meant the streets and parks (and pubs) were flooded with people enjoying the late-October weather. It was a nice sight and a good welcome to the city. I spent the remainder of this day and the next one (another beautiful day!) exploring Galway and taking in its sights. Galway is a small place, and easily walk-able I particularly loved Galway Bay, and my long walk on the walking path which runs alongside the River Corrib. Galway also had restaurants, cafes and pubs aplenty, especially in its colorful and bustling Latin Quarter. Being a solo traveler, I spent less time enjoying the pub scene than I probably would have with a companion, but I did make sure to catch some live music and have a Guinness! Here are a few photos from my time in Galway.

If the photos look a little bit different than my usual shots, it is because I am testing a new image processing software called Topaz Labs. I'm loving it so far, but still learning my way around.

A sculpture of Oscar Wilde and Eduard Vilde in Galway city center

The bright and busy Latin Quarter area of Galway

I absolutely loved the Guinness ads, which I saw all across Ireland, usually painted on the outside of a building.

A quick bit of Google research explained this ad to mean: You can't persuade him black is white. As in, a wise man won't be fooled into drinking anything that Guinness.

A beautiful, ivy covered building at the National University of Ireland, Galway

These ruins were at the Spanish Arch. The sign says A fireplace of 1602 A.D. showing the Lynch and Penrice coats of arms.

The Spanish Arch. On the morning I was here, they were filming a scene for a TV show, where a homeless man grabs a woman's handbag as she walks past him under the arch. I was walking right up to this scene as it was being acted out, without realizing what was going on. The camera was on the other side of the arch, around the corner. So the man grabs the woman's bag, she screams, and he starts running right toward me.

Yes, for a moment I did start to run away. Then I realized what was going on and felt like a huge idiot. Now I've admitted it and we can all move on!

One of the bridges over the River Corrib

A view across Galway Bay from the old Claddagh Village.

Boats tied up at the old Claddagh Village

Taking in the scenery and looking out to Galway Bay

I sat and watched this dog for a few minutes as he chased seagulls back and forth across the waterfront. He was having the time of his life!

I am writing this post from the desk of my room in a cozy B&B in Galway, Ireland.

What's that, you ask? When the heck did I decide to go to Ireland?

Well, it all happened very quickly. A couple weeks ago the opportunity arose for me to travel here on a photography mission. It was all booked, and before I knew it, here I was. This road trip around Ireland is the kind of trip I always imagined spending months planning, working up to, and anticipating. As I have Irish heritage, (my great grandfather immigrated to America from County Cork) I always knew this trip was one I'd have to take. I just never imagined I'd be here in this particular set of circumstances...traveling alone, for one. With little to no planning involved, no exact itinerary. Just me, my camera, and all I can explore in 10 days.

Every little while, as I'm taking it all in, I have to pinch myself to be sure I'm not dreaming it all up. Yep...still here!

I had very grand ambitions upon my arrival, that I would blog every single night about my adventures from that day. However I have, thus far, been so utterly exhausted upon reaching my room in the evenings that I have done little more than take off my shoes before collapsing into bed.

So, I am backtracking. Here is my account of my first two days in Ireland, which were spent in the city of Dublin.

Let me tell you, I was more than a little nervous upon my arrival in Dublin. Most of this centered around the fact that I have never before in my life taken a trip of any length by myself. My logical side knew that I could handle it. I live in Italy, for goodness sake. If I can manage Rome, I can certainly cope in a nice, English speaking country. But my less-logical side still had butterflies in its figurative stomach. I would be alone, in a foreign country. Expected to navigate with a map (A paper one! The Horror!) and drive a car on the opposite side of the road! Every decision would be mine, for good or for bad. But the Irish are known for being a warm and friendly bunch, so my nerves had to share the stage with an equal measure of excitement for the coming days.

My arrival in Dublin couldn't have been better for squashing any remaining anxiety. As I wheeled my suitcase up to a taxi, the driver hopped out and began chattering away about anything and everything, putting me at ease right away. It is definitely true what they say about the Irish having the gift of easy chatter. And, even better, he kept on calling me "Chicken." As in: "You're traveling alone? You'll love it! It'l be grand, Chicken!" I never realized how much fun it is to be called Chicken...in fact, pre-Ireland me probably would have found it strange. But Irish-traveling me loves it. Maybe it's the accent.

Even better, once I explained to the driver that I would be driving on the left side of the road for the first time while on this trip, he promptly pulled over to the side of the road. "Up front, Chicken! I'll just give you a wee lesson so you don't have the nerves when you get behind the wheel." And so we spent the rest of the ride in a crash course on driving in Ireland. It really did help. Thank you kind taxi driver, wherever you are!

The next day and a half were spent traipsing all over Dublin, seeing as many highlights as possible in the limited time I had in the Capital city. Here is a look at my time in Dublin, in photographs.

My first stop was at the Trinity College campus. I absolutely loved this old campus. It's historical, picturesque and makes for a very scenic wander. This photo is of Campanile, the 98 foot bell tower which was built in 1853. It is the centerpiece of the University's Parliament Square.

This was the front of a dining hall in Parliament Square.

A side view of Campanile

This red brick building is known as The Rubrics. It was built around 1700 and is the oldest surviving part of the college.

There were some other things in Trinity College I would have liked to see, such as the Historic Old Library, with its Long Room and the ancient Books of Kels. But lines were long, time was short, and no photos were allowed. As such, I moved on.

Next was a quick stop at National Library building.

I peeked in Library's magnificent old reading room. The shelves were covered in very old books such as these. I would have loved to spend a long time browsing here, given enough time.

Gorgeous old books

A shot of the impressive old reading room. My camera's "clicks" were echoing through the whole domed space, so I had to leave after taking this photo.

One of many old churches dotting the streets of Dublin. There were far too many for me to note the names of all of them that I passed.

This is Mansion House. It has been the official residence of Dublin's Lord Mayor since 1715. I don't know what a Lord Mayor is, but it sounds awfully important.

Next, was on to bustling Grafton Street. This is Dublin's main shopping district. As I was there on a sunny Saturday, it was full of people. There was lots of music, outdoor cafes, street vendors, and many street performers as well.

Such as this man, carving a dog out of sand.

And this guy, who was a great singer! And the guy next to him...who dragged a whole massive piano into the street to sing and play. I would've shared that photo too, but it was blurry. But you get the idea - lots of street performers!

This is the famous Statue of Molly Malone, located at the end of Grafton Street. The statue was crafted in 1988 after an old Irish song of the same name. The song has become an unofficial anthem of sorts for the city of Dublin. There are several different versions, but here is a traditional one:

In Dublin's fair city, where the girls are so pretty

I first set my eyes on sweet Molly Malone

As she wheeled her wheelbarrow through streets broad and narrow