Carrol's Gift Shop
One of the most enduring images of Ireland... 
Showing posts with label Ireland. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ireland. Show all posts
Monday, March 13, 2006
The Brazen Head
Another random story. Friday night I believe it was. We decided to go out for dinner at The Brazen Head; the oldest pub in Dublin; founded in 1104, or something ridiculous like that, by the Vikings; it just so happens that we sat down beside two older guys; Americans. As the conversation unfolds they ask were we go to College, we say Ontario, they say what University, we say proudly say Redeemer University College, to which they respond: “you’re not Christian-Reformed are you?” needless to say we were shocked that they had not only heard of Redeemer but also knew about the Christian Reformed affiliation. Anyways, it turned out these guys were from Grand Rapids, Michigan and worked for Zondervan. Not only that, but they bought us drinks and asked us to send them information on Redeemer because one of the guys had a daughter that was looking at colleges and he was trying to persuade her to go to a less expensive one. How many people can say they have had drinks bought for them from Bible publishers?? Not many I think.
Dublin
Dublin is a strange city. During the day it is very dark and dreary. At night all the sudden there are hundreds of people on the street (maybe they're vampires). Everybody is laughing, flirting, having a good time. The lights are all out; in some places it is brighter than it is during the day. The city is also much prettier at night.
Our 2nd… or 3rd night there (it’s all a blur to me now) we went on a Literary Pub Tour which was one of the most fun parts of the trip I’d say. We visited four different pubs and were treated to bits of plays by two talented actors. We even got the first bit of Waiting For Godot by Samuel Becket which we are actually going to be studying. Ireland has birthed many talented writers and they are very proud of that fact. We learned more about James Joyce and Oscar Wilde than we’ll ever really need to know, although it did make us look really smart when we studied Wilde in class last week. At the end of the tour a lady took a picture of us for her website. www.welovedonegal.com it also has useful information about Ireland if anyone is planning a trip there in the near future!
Saturday, March 11, 2006
Wicklow
This is where parts of Braveheart was filmed.... so we were probably walking in the footsteps of Mel Gibson. This was a big moment for me...
Wicklow
The chaplain's house... well he doesn't live there anymore. Our tour-guide pointed out that the roof was built of stone. Something that you don't see much anymore because stone roofs are so heavy they have all normally fallen in by now.
Wicklow
This cross was built around 800 AD; the oldest cross in Ireland, or so we were told. The craftsman responsible for building it died in the middle of the project and it was left unfinished as a tribute to him.
Wicklow
Watch tower that would have had a light at the top back in the day. Also useful for hiding valuables when the vikings attacked. Also apparantly will give young ladies husbands if they run around it three times. Lauren and I did... so I'll be waiting to see how long that takes.
Wicklow
Celtic crosses were everywhere. The cross: the symbol for Christianity; the circle: the symbol for the sun - part of their pagan religion. Lauren and I had a discussion about the idea of combining pagan and Christian elements which didn't really come to any definate conclusions. My thoughts is that it doesn't always have to be a negative thing. The pagan religion was perhaps preparing their hearts to receive Jesus when he was brought to them. Regardless of the meaning behind the symbols, they are beautiful.
Friday, March 10, 2006
Wicklow Mountains
We took a tour into the Wicklow Mountains. This is the part of Ireland I really enjoyed.
The Guinness Brewery
Do we have any idea what this ancient equipment used to do?? No, and most likely neither do the people who set up the display... it all kind of looked like it was from a Dr. Seuss book.
Dublin
Man these people are obsessed with their Guinness. It was everywhere. So, to truly appreciate the culture, we took a tour of the Guinness Brewery complete with a free pint of Guinness... that's a taste you'll never forget.
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