Dublin

Sometimes it’s what you don’t plan that is the best plan of all. That was how our days in Dublin went.

We started by walking up to St. Stephen’s Green and enjoyed the lovely park. Then we hopped on the Hop on, Hop off bus for a short ride to Dublin Castle.

This is where our day took off in a wonderful direction. We joined what we thought was a twenty-minute free history walk that was actually a three-hour free walk filled with history told with an Irish twist by our guide, Robbie.

Because of him we learned that there is no coach house behind the wall labeled “Coach House.” Instead the wall was built to protect Queen Victoria’s delicate eyes from the derelicts who lived nearby. We learned that the Dublin Castle is really a guest house for visiting dignitaries such as Presidents Obama and Clinton and others of high rank.

Leaving the Castle and passing the apartments where J. Swift (Gulliver’s Travels) lived and worked, we ventured passed Christ Church, one of the two “cathedrals” in greater Dublin.

We then wandered up Temple Bar (not a place for service of alcohol but a natural levee for the River Liffey). Robbie pointed out a plaque on Carlisle Bridge (the only bridge in the world wider that its length) in honor of poor dead Father Pat Noise, who never existed. Dubliners staged a protest when town leaders removed the plaque forcing its return.

Near the bridge is the Millenium Spire, the tallest spire in Europe, finished in 2003, a bit late for the celebration.

The Irish, with their gift of language, love rhymes and plays on words. Among the more acceptable nicknames for the spire are Stiletto in the Ghetto (it is on the poorer side of the river) and the Binge Syringe because of its cost. In front of the Spire is a statue to Daniel O’Connell, leader of the Catholic emancipation and a role model for Gandhi and M. L. King. We also wandered passed the Molly Malone's statue, otherwise known as the Tart with the Cart.

We then went to the campus of Trinity College, built in 1592 by Queen Elizabeth I to properly educate the Protestant minority who were being adversely affected by their exposure to Catholics. The school didn’t allow Catholics to attend until the 1700s. Legend has it that the bell of the Tower only rings if a virgin passes beneath and if anyone else walks under it, they will fail their exams.

After a brief respite to refresh with coffee and yummy scones, we continued along Temple Bar back to St. Stephen’s Green where we saw the horrific Famine Statue.

There we learned the Irish starved amid abundance. The crops they grew belonged to absentee British landlords. The Irish could only eat potatoes which were being destroyed by the blight so they starved while providing food for England. Their other alternative was to emigrate which vast numbers did though not without great risk during the voyage. This was one of the many stories of the wars between these two countries.

We were worn out from walking and settled into a corner of the Duke Pub where we were refreshed by Guinness (men) and water (women). Then most of us dug into the traditional fish and chips followed by apple crumble with ice cream.

This dinner prepared us to join the Literary Pub Crawl. Actors Derek and Colum led us on an oratory journey around the downtown area. They enacted scenes from Samuel Becket (Waiting for Godot), Oscar Wilde, Brandon Behan and other great writers.

Ireland has had four Nobel Laureates for literature (can you name them?)

There was a quiz following the tour and Sandy won second prize.

We continued our history lesson in the morning with a tour of the Kilmainham Gaol, both a traditional and political prison. Men, women and children, imprisoned for crimes ranging from murder to stealing a loaf of bread, were kept in silent isolation until the famine when the cells overflowed with starving people seeking prison as a way to get some food.

Anna Lee and Lois even tried on a cell for size.

Political prisoners filled their own section of the prison following the 1916 Easter Rising. Sixteen rebels were executed following the failure of the fifth attempt to gain independence. After these executions Irish leaders did sign a treaty with England giving 26 counties independence; the other counties (with a large Protestant population) became Northern Ireland.

After the gaol, we took a brief run-through of the archeological museum to see the Viking display. As museum lovers, this quick visit was very frustrating, we hope to find time later to go back.

In the evening we gathered to meet the rest of our tour group in preparation for our five-day drive around Ireland. A large part of the group is from New Jersey, much to Sandy and Lois’ delight. We celebrated our great day in Dublin (sunshine!) with a return visit to Sussex Restaurant where we toasted our trip with another chocolate pannecotta and a wonderful Figgy Sticky Toffee Pudding.

Boyne Valley and Newgrange

Mary Malone is an archeologist by education and a tour operator by profession and, boy, is she good. Along our drive we learned about the 7000 years of Irish history including the Vikings, the arrival of Christianity, Celtic history, the major emigrations, gaining independence from Britain, and the development as a center for technology.

Our first stop was the Hill at Tara and its church and church yard.

To access the grounds we had to squeeze through a narrow gap in the stone wall.

Then we went to Bru na Boinne or New Grange, site of a 5500 year old passage tomb of the Neolithic period. Excavated and studied by Professor M. J. O’Kelly, the tomb is little changed from when it was first built (it has lighting inside now). The outside is covered with white granite and river stones.

The interior is made of slabs of granite weighing several tons with river rock filling in the spaces. Unfortunately, no pictures allowed inside.

It is considered the first astronomical observatory because its builders aligned the entrance so that at the sunrise at the winter solstice the Sun casts a beam of light ninety feet into the chamber. Considering the age of the structure, we marveled at this construction considering the total lack of technology available. This chamber is large enough to hold thirty people.

Within the chamber are spiral carvings along the walls, stone basins in which were found bones and artifacts and 200-year-old graffiti. The walls angle up ten meters to a large capstone. It is so well constructed that neither rain nor runoff has penetrated the tomb. The tomb is one of three major tombs in County Meath. So impressed were we that we know the visit to this tomb will be a highlight of our time in Ireland.

We had been told that one doesn’t visit Ireland for the food. Well that is just wrong. We had a delicious lunch at New Grange and a wonderful dinner at Queen Maebh’s. Starting with an aromatic hot spiced wine, we enjoyed huge bowls of soup, chowder for the men and vegetable for the ladies. That would have been meal enough but between us we also had corned beef and cabbage, beef casserole, and lamb stew.

We wandered around walking off dinner. We did such a good job that we rewarded ourselves with ice cream along a street already lit up with Christmas lights.

Brews and Views

After having coffee with Jeff, we left the Olde Judge Mansion in Troy and headed to Newark International.

Our drive through the rural countryside of New York was lovely. Even without fall color the old homes and farmlands have beauty. We stopped in New York at a real New Jersey-built diner for lunch.

Our route through New Jersey to the airport was hectic, too many fast drivers who knew where they were going and we hadn’t a clue. We started the next phase of travel at the airport where we met up with friends and neighbors Sandy and Lois with whom we will travel throughout Ireland for the next ten days.

On our drive from the airport after our overnight flight to Dublin, our driver kept up a constant patter on politics, his knowledge of the US and things we should do during our stay. Despite morning traffic, we finally arrived at the Mespil Hotel along the canal. Around the corner from our hotel is the Canal Bank Cafe where we each enjoyed a lox and egg brunch.

Then it was on to the must-see Guinness Storehouse, which is the museum for the brewery. The excellent displays and commentary taught us the ingredients and processes for producing this distinctive Irish beverage. The brewery has been in operation since the 1700s and has a 9000 year lease (at a rate of 45 pounds a year) so they must know what they are doing. This photo is of the actual lease which is under glass in the floor of the entry.

The walls and floor have numerous slogans from Guinness and his descendants, proof of the Irish gift of gab.

The reward for going through the six-floor tour is a pint of Guinness poured correctly (a three-minute procedure) so that the head settles and the beer adjusts its color and taste.

The Guinness is served atop the Storehouse in a room with the best panoramic view of Dublin.

Two sources recommended M. O’Briens (aka Sussex House) for dinner. This lovely restaurant lived up to its reputation. We all raved about the onion soup made with Guinness. The fish and pasta were excellent. Such a fine dinner deserved dessert and the chocolate pannecotta was the perfect final taste.

And our server was absolutely outstanding (and lived for a year in San Francisco).

Troy

After Jerry’s conference in New York, the three of us drove up to Troy where Jeff teaches electrical engineering. It was mini family reunion time, as Anna Lee’s cousins from Denver were visiting their family who also live near Troy. On Sunday night, we all met at an Italian restaurant where over-size portions are served on platters, guaranteeing leftovers for a week.

We stayed at the Olde Judge Mansion, a charming B & B featuring lots of personal attention.

On Monday we drove with Joann and Rich to Vermont seeking the last vestiges of color and finding most places closed for the season. The drive was still lovely as the two hundred year old houses are charming and the landscape beautiful even when bare of leaves.

One of our tasks was to deliver scarves Cheryl had knit for Jo and Rich’s grandchildren Edan and Liat.

On Tuesday Jerry and Anna Lee took one of their 10K walks through historic Troy. This was a thriving munitions town in the mid 1800s and then a mill town. The streets are lined with Victorian homes and well as old churches. We found several places with Tiffany windows.

This one, the Eternal City, was stunning.

The 100 year old Music Hall was beautiful and this mural depicts the inside of the building.

The best part of our walk was the people who went out of their way to help us: the Public Safety man who unlocked the Julia Howard Bush Memorial Center so we could see the windows and dome ceiling (not a dome but painted to appear like one), the woman at a church who let us in to see one of the best collection of Tiffany windows, and the waitress who truly made it Anna Lee’s way, re-mixing a chicken salad to meet her taste.

Who ever heard of a pretzel sandwich????

Each evening in Troy, we dined with Jeff giving us some (but too little) time together

.

Visit with Jeff

Our son came down from Troy, NY to join us. While Jerry went back to his conference, Jeff and Anna Lee indulged in a little retail work at the wonderful kitchenware store, Zabar’s. While the amazing array of food tempted us, we limited ourselves to purchasing cooking items.

After meeting Jerry for a quick lunch, Jeff and Anna Lee walked to the NY Public Library for a tour of this 100-year-old Beaux Arts building. Our docent gave us a history of the building and description of the special rooms and collections. Built atop an old reservoir, with its walls acting as foundation today, the stacks go down seven stories. We toured the general and special research

rooms.


There is a special exhibit room celebrating the centennial anniversary of the library. Displays range from a Gutenberg Bible, a copy of the Declaration of Independence that includes a paragraph advocating the end slavery (omitted in order to get the Southern States to sign), diaries of Malcolm X, and Christopher Robin’s collection of stuffed animals (Pooh, Tigger, Eyeore, Kanga and Roo).

The three of us enjoyed a delicious dinner at Natsumi.

Then we went to Lincoln Center for the Tony Award-winning Warhorse, a play with life-size “puppet” horses controlled by a three-person crew.

The story tells of World War I as experienced by a horse and his young owner. The power of the script, acting, and presentation gripped the audience. This was New York theater at its best.

To top our NYC visit, we enjoyed a typical humongous brunch at the Carnegie Deli.

NYC for CLLA

Jerry has a Commercial Law League conference in New York City and Anna Lee is left to entertain herself in this wonderful city. Before the meeting started, we walked through Central Park enjoying the fall colors.

We were able to have some great museum time together at the Frick Museum. Recommended by several friends and family, we were extremely impressed by this smaller museum. Built by coal and coke magnate, Henry Clay Frick as a private home and showcase for his outstanding collection of European Art, it was donated to the public upon his and his wife’s death.

We started with a movie of his life and collection. Then we entered the peaceful courtyard that is the center of the building. Surrounding this courtyard are a series of rooms originally part of the home. The paintings, wall panels, ceramics, and furniture were all part of the original decor. Frick collected A+ art and it is beautifully on display. We enjoyed both the beauty we saw and the information we gained from the excellent audio guide. Almost every piece has commentary and we had to be selective for fear of spending all week there. We plan to return to repeat this art experience again and again. Unfortunately, no pictures allowed.

While Jerry went off to get his continuing education classes, Anna Lee enjoyed walking about before we both met Dena, the NY daughter of friends of ours from home.

After a good Chinese dinner, the three of us went to Lincoln Center for a Target-sponsored Free Concert.

This one featured the Gilbert and Sullivan Players doing “their own thing.” That thing is a parody on Gilbert and Sullivan mixed with Broadway. An additional twist is the gender-changing presentation of familiar songs. The six performers have outstanding voices and great personalities. The show is highly amusing. The one poignant moment was a mezzo-soprano performing This Nearly Was Mine from South Pacific, a song made famous by Ezio Pinza on Broadway. The patter song parodying Gilbert and Sullivan mixed with Meredith Wilson, Rogers and Hammerstein was hysterical. Just a reminder, this show was free.

The New York Historical Society Museum reopened today after a three-year remodel. Costumed characters from early American history greeted guests.

The entry area has interactive panels explaining a collection of items going back to the arrival of the Dutch in New Amsterdam. Anna Lee was on her own touring the exhibit. A movie gives a brief historical overview of the city. Detailed history is told on two floors of exhibits. Anna Lee particularly liked the dueling pistols of Hamilton and Burr,

the Torah that had been burned by the British in the 1600s,

both near the entrance, and the attic on the third and fourth floors. That attic displays the vast collection that is too big for the main museum.

This is another great small museum.

After a networking cocktail party, we did what we love best in this city, walked the streets enjoying the lights and traffic.