No To White Winters?

It’s now the second decade of the millennium. The hustle and bustle of the holidays can indeed be stressful but winter I believe that many are still hung over from the festivities and may wish to extend the travel, eating, and merrymaking.

I have always wondered how it would be like to spend winter in temperate countries. However, having used to a tropical, warm climate all my life, the sight of bitter cold snowy outdoors seem frightful to me.

Interestingly, I have just learned that Irish winter is relatively mild. Snow is very rare and the though still chilly and wet, the meadows remain with green vegetation. Fare and accommodation is also said to be cheapest during this time of year.

So, to all those who have the time and the budget for travel, why not try winter in the Irish countryside? Getting around the country is affordable with buses, trains, cabs, or a private or rented car (i.e. Car Hire Ireland). Winter vacation has just actually begun.

Bogs, Mist, and Winter

The Connemara Bogs

Frodo, Sam, and Gollum crossing the bogs on the way to Mordor

I was watching the Lord of the Rings trilogy (again, for the nth time) yesterday and was so enthralled by the peat bogs that Frodo, Sam, and Gollum had to cross to get to Mordor. The place just seemed so cold, damp, mysterious, and forlorn.

Incidentally, since it’s still the holidays, I was looking for some great winter destinations in Ireland and came across the Bogs of Connemara – I was thinking that the landscape cannot be very different from that in LOTR. I read that the Connemara National Park is very cold and damp and almost completely covered by mist during winter. Imagining the place gave me chills and almost transported me to the very spot that the LOTR characters were traversing.

Connemara National Park is in within County Galway in western Ireland. The entrance is located in the Clifden side of Letterfrack. Buses and trains can bring one to the county but you might still need a tourist bus, private, or rented car (i.e. Car Hire Ireland) to get to the park entrance.

Creevykeel: Stonehenge Ain’t Alone

Watching loads of documentaries about history and archaeology sent me daydreaming about becoming an explorer or archaeologist of some sort. I was not quite content with Newgrange in my previous article that I went ahead to find some more.

Luckily enough, there are thousands to be found in Ireland. While the Newgrange burial site has remained hidden underneath what could be mistaken as a naturally occurring hill, Creevykeel is exposed to the elements (at least at present) and is friendlier to “sightsee-ers”. It is what is called a “court tomb” with two burial compartments and a court where burial rituals were carried out by Stone Age men. The site is somehow reminiscent of the Stonehenge’s appearance.

Creevykeel is nearest to the village of Cliffony in county Sligo. Unlike Newgrange, it may not be frequented by tourist buses but you can always head for the village first. It’s best to bring a private or rented car, such as those from Car Hire Ireland.

Older Than Giza

I was awestruck when I watched a collection of History Channel features that includes the Megalithic Passage Tomb at Newgrange. It is located in County Meath and is approximately 5000 years old – which means that the site is 500 years older than the Great Pyramid of Giza and was built a millennium prior to the Stonehenge.

More than the precious archaeological finds and works of art inside the

inside the Newgrange chambers

burial site, the way in which the tomb was built was beyond fascinating. The builders created a man-made hill 40ft high that covers one acre. Prior to restoration, the interior of the hill was impressively intact and the roof remained waterproof for 5000 years.

Newgrange can be reached strictly by guided tour only. One can take a cab or rent a car (i.e. Car Hire Ireland) to reach the ‘pick up point’, Brú na Bóinne Visitor Centre, in Donore, County Meath from where visitors are taken by bus to the site.

Shopping for Schools (I Wish!)

Alright, I’m quite in the ‘academic mood’ at the moment. This feels pretty much like a few years back when I was ‘shopping’ for universities. As I’ve previously pointed out, I’d very much like to study in Ireland.

So far, I’ve learned of four universities in Dublin alone – the Trinity College, University College Dublin, Dublin City University, and Royal College of Surgeons. Since Trinity College is the oldest in all of Ireland, I automatically had a bias for it.

Trinity College was founded by Queen Elizabeth I in 1592. Only Protestants were admitted, and Catholics had to renounce their faith if they really wanted to enter the university. This denominational restriction was lifted in 1873 but Catholics did not start enrolling until the 70s. Among its famous students were Oscar Wilde, Bram Stoker, and Jonathan Swift.

The university is accessible via taxi, rented car (i.e. Car Hire Dublin), or tourist bus.



Books by Monks

I’ve always dreamed of studying in Europe. Attending classes in gothic buildings, staying in old dormitories, and pouring over some old manuscripts are just among my personal version of adventure that I habitually fantasize about.

I’ve read about the Book of Kells and I can only imagine how thrilled I’d be to see it. It is a medieval illuminated manuscript written in the A.D. 800. It was created by monks, and is one of the oldest surviving books in the world. The oldest university in Ireland, Trinity College in Dublin, houses the manuscript and holds a regular exhibition about it, dubbed as “Turning Darkness Into Light”.

Perhaps one day I could at least visit Trinity College as a tourist. I’ve read that one can take the daily buses bound for the university. Or I could just hail a cab anytime or rent a car from Car Hire Dublin.

Witches’ Town?

Kilkenny Castle: oh-so-medieval!

Besides vampire stories, accounts of witches and witchcraft have never to failed to hook me as well. I’m particularly interested with the Medieval ones. It was indeed some dark era in history – sad yet very intriguing.

While browsing the internet, I came across the city/county town of Kilkenny in Leinster, Ireland. I have noticed that it was always mentioned in the accounts of medieval witch-hunts.

I have no doubt the old prejudices have long disappeared. What remains in the town though are the spectacular edifices of that period such as the 12th-century Kilkenny Castle and the divine St. Canice’s Cathedral.

I can only imagine the countless reminders of the history of Kilkenny. I’ve already marked the town in my ‘Notebook of Must-Visits’. There’s no reason you shouldn’t. If you’re visiting Ireland, book a train ticket or hop in your car (don’t worry, there’s lots to rent from such Car Hire Ireland) and see for yourself.

Where Vampires Are Born

I’m such a vampire stories fan that I’m still hung over  HBO’s True Blood. As such, I thought it best go back to places that influenced the ultimate vampire story: Dracula by Bram Stoker.

It is said that Stoker was significantly inspired by his visits to the catacombs of St. Michan’s Church in Dublin. I’m particularly interested with the character Eric on True Blood, a millenium-old Viking vampire. Incidentally, the church was built on the site of an early Danish chapel as part of an old Viking settlement in Dublin. The original church was erected on 1095, around the time Eric was still a very young vampire.

The church’s crypts house a purported crusader, a four centuries old nun, and some prominent figures in Irish history. St. Michan’s church is definitely a must-visit for vampire, history, or old church lovers like me. If you’re in Dublin, why not hail a cab or rent a car (e.g., Car Hire Dublin) and head for Church Street, Dublin 7?

Bubble Mania in Laguna

Nothing beats a weekend getaway out of Manila. I was so glad that my friends and I went ahead for a nearly-canceled 2-day vacation in Laguna at my landlady’s “hacienda” =) Thanks to Anne who loaned me the fare as I was so destitute at that time, the main reason I was hesitant to join the trip.

The getaway was only for a couple of days but I felt like it made me shed years of accumulated stress, tension, and cynicism. I think it was because of the BUBBLES!

We visited an old church and the girl selling bubble toys was so charming and effective in her sales pitch that we gave in. Who would have thought that the 20 pesos we spent on those toys were the best entertainment and rejuvenation investment we’ve made in years.

For every bubble that we blew, it was like a part of picture of our childhood was flashing back. Everyone among the four of us has spent a part or most of their younger years in the province so we couldn’t help but reenact those olden summer days of chasing each other in the grass. Even my middle-aged landlady, her “already-mom” nieces, and (most appropriately) some of her grand-nephews joined the fun.

Bubbles… gosh… they’re just Magical.

Shrine for Scribes

Not only am I in love with old churches but perhaps anything that is connected with the days of antiquity. With such interest, what better place to fly to other than museums.

Irish literature and history are stoutly bound in Dublin Writers Museum. Here you’ll find books, letters, and personal belongings from literary giants such as Oscar Wilde, W. B. Yeats, Jonathan Swift, Bram Stoker, etc. I can’t wait to lay my hands (or at least my eyes) on the earliest editions of Gulliver’s Travels or Dracula; or more thrillingly, read these writers’ personal letters to their loved ones. It’s not unlikely that I’d get confused where to start with the vast collection that is undoubtedly a literary and historical paradise.

For tourists and soon-to-be ones, get in your Car Hire Ireland rented car or tell the cab driver to head for 18-19 Parnell Square North, Dublin 1.