Sunday, May 11, 2008
Our first full morning in London began under the bluest of skies with warm temperatures, which, according to our tour guides, are not typical weather conditions this time of year. It’s usually still a bit rainy. We’ve been very fortunate, then, since the only rain we’ve encountered was in Dublin right before our ferry departed Ireland for England.
Sunday would mean the city would be abuzz with activity, though most of the shows in the West End were dark – meaning that no performances were scheduled – other than a matinee for “The Lion King.” Still, it was going to be neat seeing an alive capital city, and trust me, there was plenty to see and do!
A bus tour of the central city was to be the dominant activity for the morning. Departing our hotel, the Copthorne Tara in the trendy Kensington borough, we headed east along Kensington High Street past Kensington Palace, Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park, which at 750 acres, is one of the largest urban parks in Europe. The route we followed was the same route taken by Princess Diana’s funeral procession from Kensington Palace to Westminster Abbey. Our tour guide, Bob, informed us that following Diana’s death in 1997, the flowers lined the outer walls of Hyde Park along the funeral route and were more than 3 feet thick outside the walls of Kensington Palace, which was Diana’s London home.
Hyde Park, Bob explained, would likely be full of people given the sunny weather and warm temperatures today. The park contains numerous sites, including the Princess Diana memorial gardens and fountain, as well as the Prince Albert Memorial, which stands in the park just opposite Royal Albert Hall. Prince Albert, who was Queen Victoria’s husband, became famous for staging the Great Exhibition of 1851, which brought huge amounts of artwork and culture into Hyde Park. A century later, in 1951, to commemorate the Great Exhibition, the Festival of Britain was held in the same location. The Albert Memorial is simply beautiful, with its gold gilded features and statue of Albert himself, with one foot atop the catalogue for the Great Exhibition. Also named for Prince Albert, Royal Albert Hall is considered to be Britain’s premier concert hall, with an auditorium seating 5,000 people. A performance of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s “Requiem” had been held there Saturday evening, and concert performances of the Tim Rice-Benny Anderson-Bjorn Ulvaeus musical “Chess” was scheduled for Monday and Tuesday nights.
Continuing down Kensington High Street, we soon got a glimpse of the famous Harrod’s Department Store before reaching the Wellington Arch, which is located at an intersection called Hyde Park Corner. The arch is named for the Duke of Wellington, a statue of whom stands nearby with him atop is beloved horse, Copenhagen. We then move further down to what’s referred to as the Marble Arch, which had been constructed as an entrance to the Buckhingham Palace grounds, only to be ordered removed to its present location at Park Lane at Oxford Street by order of Queen Victoria, who did not like it.
Working our way through the Mayfair area, we soon arrived at Grosvenor Square, which is often referred to as “Little America” because the U.S. embassy is located there. Grosvenor Square contains a memorial to U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, whose efforts, along with British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, are seen as having helped saved Britain from the Germans during World War II. Grosvenor Square also contains a memorial to the Eagle Squadron, a group of more than 250 American pilots who came to help defend Britain as part of the Royal Air Force during the German onslaught in the early days of World War II before America officially joined the war.
From Grosvenor Square, we soon moved to Berkeley Square in the Mayfair area. An interesting fact about the Mayfair area is that a significant amount of property there is owned by the Duke of Westminster – more than 100 acres, to be exact. That makes the Duke, who has countless other holdings, the wealthiest landowner in Britain.
Moving down to Piccadilly Street, we soon pass the Fortnum and Mason department store, which was established by a former Buckingham Palace porter and his friend. The unique clock outside the store is somewhat akin to a cuckoo clock, only that statues of Messrs. Fortnum and Mason emerge from the clock and bow to each other every hour on the hour. Today, however, we would not get to see the statues emerge, though we had arrived in front of the store right on the 9 o’clock hour.
Our tour then passed through Piccadilly Circus and on past Trafalgar Square, known for its huge fountains and the statue of Viscount Horatio Nelson that sits above a column 172 feet high. The four sculpted lions at the base of Nelson’s column were sculpted by Sir Edward Lanseer. Nelson died during the British military defeat of the French and Spanish at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1843. The square is a memorial to that battle and to its heroes, Nelson chief among them. A popular gathering spot in London, many of us would return on foot late in the day to find the square packed with people. Trafalgar Square is also home to the National Gallery and National Portrait Gallery, which are located on the square’s north end. In the northeast corner of the square is St. Martin’s-in-the-Field Church.
From Trafalgar Square, we move on through the street known as the Strand and onto Fleet Street, passing the British Broadcasting Corporation’s Bush House and the Royal Courts of Justice along the way. We continue on to St. Paul’s Cathedral, which was designed by Sir Christopher Wren and is considered his architectural masterpiece. Built from 1675 to 1710, St. Paul’s was also the site of the 1981 wedding of Prince Charles and then-Lady Diana Spencer. The cathedral, in recent years, has undergone a massive exterior cleaning that has returned its façade, in the words of our tour guide, “to sheer brilliance.” We continued through some other areas of London near St. Paul’s, learning about the great London fire of 1666 that helped bring about the end of a terrible bubonic plague that had claimed thousands of Londoners, though some four-fifths of the city burned over 5 days.
Our bus tour then crossed the River Thames on the London Bridge, providing us with a spectacular view of the river and of the British destroyer HMS Belfast, which is now permanently moored in the Thames and used as a memorial to honor the British navy forces who served in World War II. The Belfast, was the first British Navy ship to open fire on the French coast of Normandy during the D-Day invasion in June 1944. After crossing the London Bridge and making our way through a warehouse district along Tooley Street, we then crossed the Thames again over the famed Tower Bridge, passing the modern London City Hall before reaching the Tower of London on the other side. The Tower of London, now home to the Crown Jewels, as we reached the other side. Its first section erected in 1098, the Tower of London has served as a palace, fortress, state prison and execution site. The Tower of London has a long anecdotal history with numerous British monarchs.
From the Tower, our tour moved west along the Embankment Street, passing such buildings and sites as Queen Victoria’s Embankment Gardens, the Ministry of Defense and Scotland Yard. We also received a spectacular view of the London Eye, which has now become London’s most visible landmark. Built to commemorate the millennium, the Eye is akin to a Ferris wheel some 450 feet tall, but with 32 gondolas in which up to 25 people can move around comfortably. Rotating in at a rate of .85 feet per second, the 30-minute ride in the Eye provides a bird’s-eye view of the city, and it’s said that on a clear day, one can see more than 40 kilometers away.
We then turned west at the Westminster Bridge and into Parliament Square for a close-up view of the famed Big Ben clock tower, the Houses of Parliament and the breathtaking immensity of Westminster Abbey. The original foundations for the massive Parliament building housing the House of Lords and the House of Commons was laid in 1295. Having survived an attempt to blow it up in 1605, most of the buildings were destroyed by fire in 1834. Based upon plans by Charles Berry and detailed designs by A.W. Pugin, the Parliament building today stands as a masterpiece of Victorian Gothic architecture.
Westminster Abbey as it stands today was begun in the 11th century under the direction of King Edward the Confessor on the site of the modest Benedictine abbey church of St. Peter, which was consecrated in 1065. The Gothic Abbey is one of the largest churches in the world and has served as coronation site for all British monarchs since King William I. The architecture here, along with the stained glass windows, is simply exquisite. At Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament, we were given a half-hour off the bus to take pictures up close.
From there we proceeded to St. James Palace to prepare to watch the changing of the guard at Buckhingham Palace. One regiment typically leaves the Friar’s Court at St. James then proceeds down the Mall past St. James, around the Queen Victoria monument and through the gates into the front gates of Buckhingham Palace. Today, we watched the Royal Malaysian Regiment and the Irish Honor Guard conduct the changing of the guard. Buckhingham Palace, located at the junction of St. James Park and Green Park is immense. The crowds gathered outside the palace were a testament to the popularity of the guard changing.
At Buckhingham Palace, our formal tour ended, and we were then given free rein to explore London on our own, with many of us visiting pubs for lunch before stopping at such sites as the London Eye, the British Museum, the Natural History Museum, and Winston Churchill’s Cabinet war rooms from World War II.
One more day to go!
BLH
Monday, May 19, 2008
At Long Last-Friday and Saturday in Ireland and England
Friday, May 9, 2008
We had been told to prepare for the possibility of rain during our stay in Ireland and England, and our last full day in Ireland brought the first possibility we might get a soaking. We awoke this morning to overcast skies and cooler temperatures than what he had been experiencing on the Emerald Isle. After another traditional Irish breakfast, we set forth on a bus tour of the Dublin, learning about some of the various types of housing options and the influence of Georgian architecture on the city. We also passed by the 82,000-seat stadium that is the pride of the city and also hosts the Celtic Games.
Each of our two motorcoaches had individual tour guides offering a variety of information about the city. The guide on my bus, Catherine, was particularly willing to answer our questions, even about negative issues facing Irish society such as homelessness and alcoholism. But it was through some of the city’s more historic sites that she proved invaluable.
One of first major stops of the tour was a visit to Trinity College, which is located in the heart of Dublin, to learn about the Book of Kells. Trinity College itself is one of the world’s oldest universities, having been established under the charter of England’s Queen Elizabeth I in 1592. The library, where the Book of Kells is housed, is known for being one of the great research libraries in the world, holding the largest collection of printed books and manuscripts in Ireland and, since 1801, holding the right to claim a free copy of all British and Irish publications under the relevant copyright acts. The library’s more than 3 million volumes are housed under 8 buildings.
The Book of Kells is housed in what’s called the Old Library. Written more than 1,000 years ago, the Book of Kells reflects the change in Ireland from the worship of pagan gods to Christianity, containing lavishly decorated copy, in Latink, of the four gospels of the Bible’s New Testament – the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The Book of Kells has long been associated with St. Colum Cille (521-597 A.D.), who founded a monastic order on the island of Iona off the west coast of Scotland in about 561. Its believed the Book of Kells was produced in the early 9th century by the monks of Iona, working both at Iona and at Kells , in Ireland’s County Meath, where they moved after 806 A.D. The Book also contains many of the traditional Celtic symbols and designs cherished by the Irish people. The Book of Kells was sent to Dublin around 1653 for security reasons and came to Trinity College in 1661.
After viewing the exhibit on the Book of Kells and the actual book itself, we completed our visit to the Old Library at Trinity College by visiting what’s known as the Long Room on the library’s second floor. Entering the Long Room provided many of us with a “wow” moment. Some 65 meters long, the Long Room is the main chamber of the Old Library and houses 200,000 of the library’s oldest books, many of which are currently undergoing a painstaking restoration effort thanks to the contributions of private donors. Almost cathedral-like in scope, the Long Room, is dominated by shelf after shelf of books along a central open area. Along either side of the Long Room are marble busts of some of the great thinkers and writers from throughout history, along with noted Irish leaders. The collection of busts was begun in 1743 when 14 were commissioned by sculptor Peter Scheemakers.
After leaving Trinity College, we next headed for St. Michan’s Church, which has great historical significance to not only those who appreciate great music, but also to the history of fine arts. Established in 1095, St. Michan’s is Dublin’s oldest parish church located on the north side of the River Liffey. The present church building dates back to 1685. The church organ was built by John Baptiste Cuvillie between 1723 and 1725 at a cost of 470 pounds. Legend has it that George Frederick Handel used the organ to practice for the premiere performance of his most celebrated oratorio, “The Messiah,” which took place in 1742 with the combined choirs of St. Patrick’s Cathedral and Christ Church Cathedral in a hall in what is now known as the Temple Bar area of Dublin just south of the River Liffey.
The other significant fact about St. Michan’s Church is the presence of several preserved mummies in burial crypts under the church. The mummies were discovered in the last 19th century and have been a staple for visitors to the church for more than a century. It is said that the combination of the consistently dry atmosphere in the vaults – likely resulting from their construction of moisture absorbing limestone and the presence of methane gas. Among the mummies are a pair of brother lawyers who were executed, drawn and quartered for their roles in the Irish Revolution, as well as a warrior from the Crusades whose mummy is believed to be more than 650 years old.
Our bus tour also included a pass through the neighborhood frequented by playright Oscar Wilde and where famous Irish novelist James Joyce grew up and lived most of his life, as well as Phoenix Park, a name given to the area by the British as a derivative from a traditional Irish word. Phoenix Park is immense, totaling nearly 1,100 acres. The park is larger than New York City’s Central Park and is home to several critical locations, including the Irish presidential mansion on which the design of The White House in Washington, D.C., is based, the American Embassy and the Dublin Zoo. After the bus tour, many of us headed back into the heart of Dublin to explore the shopping areas along Nassau and Grafton streets, as well as visits to the National Museum of Ireland and the National Gallery of Ireland.
This evening would see the Wind Ensemble perform a joint concert with the Aarhane Community Band in Ireland’s largest church, St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Located on a site where St. Patrick was said to have baptized Christian converts in a well in a park adjacent to the cathedral. The Normans built a church on the site as early as 1191 that was rebuilt in the early 13th century and is the current building seen today. The west tower of the church was rebuilt by Archbishop Minot in 1370 after a fire, and a spire was added in 1749. Irish writer Jonathan Swift, author of “Gulliver’s Travels,” served as dean of the cathedral from 1713 to 1745 and is buried there.
Performing in St. Patrick’s proved to be a highlight for the Wind Ensemble. Certain pieces -- including “Vigil’s Keep” by Julie Giroux; “A Lark in the Clear Air,” a traditional Irish tune arranged by Associate Director of Bands Clifton Taylor; and “Armenian Dances” by Alfred Reed – seemed to resonate in the gothic arches of the cathedral. The significance of performing in such a historic church was also not lost on the Wind Ensemble members.
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Today has largely been a travel day, as we bid a fond farewell to Ireland and boarded a Stena Lines ferry to cross the Irish Sea to Britain. Our bus drivers, Eunen and P.J., had become part of our traveling family, and we said our good-byes to them with a tinge of regret.
The ferry ride was vastly different from what we expected. The ferry was akin to a cruise ship without the cabins. The seating was around tables arranged in lounge style, and despite prior warnings of potential motion sickness from choppy seas, we enjoyed a smooth ride. The ferry came complete with a food court, a large gift shop, video game and casino arcades and a currency exchange station.
After the ferry ride of more than an hour and a half, we arrived in Britain, meeting our English tour guides in Holyhead, Wales, before departing on a nearly 8-hour bus ride to London. Like western Ireland, Wales was very mountainous and offered several breathtaking views of the coastline. As we traveled deeper inland, the lands and rolling hills resembled Ireland a great deal, but just as beautiful. One of our tour guides, Bob, gave us an overview of how England is divided into counties, all ending with the term “shire,” which refers to the historic use of sheriffs in the British counties. Bob also gave us an overview of the differences between greater London and the traditional City of London, a one-square mile that is the original city.
Our journey across England has largely been on what we would consider a traditional Interstate highway. We did make a stop in a town with an extremely large name. In traditional Welsh, the name is Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch. Translated, it means "The Church of Mary in the hollow of the white hazel near the fierce whirlpool and the Church of Tysilio by the red cave." What a mouthful!
We made a couple of other rest stops along the way to London to give our bus drivers a statutorily required break. The rest stops came complete with a two- to three-restaurant food court, convenience and gift store, and a bevy of coin-operated massage chairs which many of us used to great relief after being on the bus for awhile.
We reached the outskirts of London shortly after 8 p.m. that evening and immediately got caught in a traffic jam since road work was under way on the main thoroughfare leading into the city. Once we got through it, we moved through the outer city quite quickly before coming into the Notting Hill district (the area made famous by the Hugh Grant-Julia Roberts film a few years back) and then into the Kensington district where our hotel, the Copthorne Tara, was located.
Upon arrival, many of us took to the streets to explore the immediate area around the hotel, many of us stopping at the McDonald's on Kensington High Street where Princess Diana used to take princes William and Harry for burgers as children, according to our tour guide. They would often walk to the McDonald's from their home in Kensington Palace, just a couple of blocks away. After a brisk walk, we were all ready to settle in for the night, for a busy day awaited us on Sunday.
We had been told to prepare for the possibility of rain during our stay in Ireland and England, and our last full day in Ireland brought the first possibility we might get a soaking. We awoke this morning to overcast skies and cooler temperatures than what he had been experiencing on the Emerald Isle. After another traditional Irish breakfast, we set forth on a bus tour of the Dublin, learning about some of the various types of housing options and the influence of Georgian architecture on the city. We also passed by the 82,000-seat stadium that is the pride of the city and also hosts the Celtic Games.
Each of our two motorcoaches had individual tour guides offering a variety of information about the city. The guide on my bus, Catherine, was particularly willing to answer our questions, even about negative issues facing Irish society such as homelessness and alcoholism. But it was through some of the city’s more historic sites that she proved invaluable.
One of first major stops of the tour was a visit to Trinity College, which is located in the heart of Dublin, to learn about the Book of Kells. Trinity College itself is one of the world’s oldest universities, having been established under the charter of England’s Queen Elizabeth I in 1592. The library, where the Book of Kells is housed, is known for being one of the great research libraries in the world, holding the largest collection of printed books and manuscripts in Ireland and, since 1801, holding the right to claim a free copy of all British and Irish publications under the relevant copyright acts. The library’s more than 3 million volumes are housed under 8 buildings.
The Book of Kells is housed in what’s called the Old Library. Written more than 1,000 years ago, the Book of Kells reflects the change in Ireland from the worship of pagan gods to Christianity, containing lavishly decorated copy, in Latink, of the four gospels of the Bible’s New Testament – the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The Book of Kells has long been associated with St. Colum Cille (521-597 A.D.), who founded a monastic order on the island of Iona off the west coast of Scotland in about 561. Its believed the Book of Kells was produced in the early 9th century by the monks of Iona, working both at Iona and at Kells , in Ireland’s County Meath, where they moved after 806 A.D. The Book also contains many of the traditional Celtic symbols and designs cherished by the Irish people. The Book of Kells was sent to Dublin around 1653 for security reasons and came to Trinity College in 1661.
After viewing the exhibit on the Book of Kells and the actual book itself, we completed our visit to the Old Library at Trinity College by visiting what’s known as the Long Room on the library’s second floor. Entering the Long Room provided many of us with a “wow” moment. Some 65 meters long, the Long Room is the main chamber of the Old Library and houses 200,000 of the library’s oldest books, many of which are currently undergoing a painstaking restoration effort thanks to the contributions of private donors. Almost cathedral-like in scope, the Long Room, is dominated by shelf after shelf of books along a central open area. Along either side of the Long Room are marble busts of some of the great thinkers and writers from throughout history, along with noted Irish leaders. The collection of busts was begun in 1743 when 14 were commissioned by sculptor Peter Scheemakers.
After leaving Trinity College, we next headed for St. Michan’s Church, which has great historical significance to not only those who appreciate great music, but also to the history of fine arts. Established in 1095, St. Michan’s is Dublin’s oldest parish church located on the north side of the River Liffey. The present church building dates back to 1685. The church organ was built by John Baptiste Cuvillie between 1723 and 1725 at a cost of 470 pounds. Legend has it that George Frederick Handel used the organ to practice for the premiere performance of his most celebrated oratorio, “The Messiah,” which took place in 1742 with the combined choirs of St. Patrick’s Cathedral and Christ Church Cathedral in a hall in what is now known as the Temple Bar area of Dublin just south of the River Liffey.
The other significant fact about St. Michan’s Church is the presence of several preserved mummies in burial crypts under the church. The mummies were discovered in the last 19th century and have been a staple for visitors to the church for more than a century. It is said that the combination of the consistently dry atmosphere in the vaults – likely resulting from their construction of moisture absorbing limestone and the presence of methane gas. Among the mummies are a pair of brother lawyers who were executed, drawn and quartered for their roles in the Irish Revolution, as well as a warrior from the Crusades whose mummy is believed to be more than 650 years old.
Our bus tour also included a pass through the neighborhood frequented by playright Oscar Wilde and where famous Irish novelist James Joyce grew up and lived most of his life, as well as Phoenix Park, a name given to the area by the British as a derivative from a traditional Irish word. Phoenix Park is immense, totaling nearly 1,100 acres. The park is larger than New York City’s Central Park and is home to several critical locations, including the Irish presidential mansion on which the design of The White House in Washington, D.C., is based, the American Embassy and the Dublin Zoo. After the bus tour, many of us headed back into the heart of Dublin to explore the shopping areas along Nassau and Grafton streets, as well as visits to the National Museum of Ireland and the National Gallery of Ireland.
This evening would see the Wind Ensemble perform a joint concert with the Aarhane Community Band in Ireland’s largest church, St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Located on a site where St. Patrick was said to have baptized Christian converts in a well in a park adjacent to the cathedral. The Normans built a church on the site as early as 1191 that was rebuilt in the early 13th century and is the current building seen today. The west tower of the church was rebuilt by Archbishop Minot in 1370 after a fire, and a spire was added in 1749. Irish writer Jonathan Swift, author of “Gulliver’s Travels,” served as dean of the cathedral from 1713 to 1745 and is buried there.
Performing in St. Patrick’s proved to be a highlight for the Wind Ensemble. Certain pieces -- including “Vigil’s Keep” by Julie Giroux; “A Lark in the Clear Air,” a traditional Irish tune arranged by Associate Director of Bands Clifton Taylor; and “Armenian Dances” by Alfred Reed – seemed to resonate in the gothic arches of the cathedral. The significance of performing in such a historic church was also not lost on the Wind Ensemble members.
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Today has largely been a travel day, as we bid a fond farewell to Ireland and boarded a Stena Lines ferry to cross the Irish Sea to Britain. Our bus drivers, Eunen and P.J., had become part of our traveling family, and we said our good-byes to them with a tinge of regret.
The ferry ride was vastly different from what we expected. The ferry was akin to a cruise ship without the cabins. The seating was around tables arranged in lounge style, and despite prior warnings of potential motion sickness from choppy seas, we enjoyed a smooth ride. The ferry came complete with a food court, a large gift shop, video game and casino arcades and a currency exchange station.
After the ferry ride of more than an hour and a half, we arrived in Britain, meeting our English tour guides in Holyhead, Wales, before departing on a nearly 8-hour bus ride to London. Like western Ireland, Wales was very mountainous and offered several breathtaking views of the coastline. As we traveled deeper inland, the lands and rolling hills resembled Ireland a great deal, but just as beautiful. One of our tour guides, Bob, gave us an overview of how England is divided into counties, all ending with the term “shire,” which refers to the historic use of sheriffs in the British counties. Bob also gave us an overview of the differences between greater London and the traditional City of London, a one-square mile that is the original city.
Our journey across England has largely been on what we would consider a traditional Interstate highway. We did make a stop in a town with an extremely large name. In traditional Welsh, the name is Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch. Translated, it means "The Church of Mary in the hollow of the white hazel near the fierce whirlpool and the Church of Tysilio by the red cave." What a mouthful!
We made a couple of other rest stops along the way to London to give our bus drivers a statutorily required break. The rest stops came complete with a two- to three-restaurant food court, convenience and gift store, and a bevy of coin-operated massage chairs which many of us used to great relief after being on the bus for awhile.
We reached the outskirts of London shortly after 8 p.m. that evening and immediately got caught in a traffic jam since road work was under way on the main thoroughfare leading into the city. Once we got through it, we moved through the outer city quite quickly before coming into the Notting Hill district (the area made famous by the Hugh Grant-Julia Roberts film a few years back) and then into the Kensington district where our hotel, the Copthorne Tara, was located.
Upon arrival, many of us took to the streets to explore the immediate area around the hotel, many of us stopping at the McDonald's on Kensington High Street where Princess Diana used to take princes William and Harry for burgers as children, according to our tour guide. They would often walk to the McDonald's from their home in Kensington Palace, just a couple of blocks away. After a brisk walk, we were all ready to settle in for the night, for a busy day awaited us on Sunday.
Monday, May 12, 2008
Difficulty posting...
Hello again from Jolly Olde England...
I know I had promised full posts of the MSU Wind Ensemble's past three days in Dublin and London, but the hotel's broadband system just doesn't seem to be jiving with the laptop computer I'm using. Apparently Windows Vista users have had similar problems. I encountered a similar problem in Dublin...
Unfortunately, that means that the lengthy posts I have written for the past three days cannot be posted since I am using a public terminal at a cost of 1 pound per 20 minutes, or $2.18 per 20 minutes. So I will be posting all the remaining documentation of the trip when we return to the states Tuesday night...
I will report that our third and final concert at the Royal Military Academy of Music in Twickenham west of London went very well. We had our best audience yet in terms of numbers (about60 or 70) and enjoyed learning about British Army band history in the museum at historic Knellar Hall on the post. The cadets there were most gracious.
Most of us are planning to see shows in the West End to cap our time in London... I know several are seeking "Wicked," " Les Miserables," "Avenue Q" and "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat." We've enjoyed many a good meal here in London, and I think most would agree that we would like more time here. But we depart the hotel at 5:30 a.m. tomorrow for an 8-hour flight that will put us back in Atlanta in the early afternoon because of all the time zone crossings.
So pray for us as we travel home. I apologize again for not being able to make the detailed posts I'd planned, but our hotels just haven't been very cooperative...
Good-bye from England...
Brian
I know I had promised full posts of the MSU Wind Ensemble's past three days in Dublin and London, but the hotel's broadband system just doesn't seem to be jiving with the laptop computer I'm using. Apparently Windows Vista users have had similar problems. I encountered a similar problem in Dublin...
Unfortunately, that means that the lengthy posts I have written for the past three days cannot be posted since I am using a public terminal at a cost of 1 pound per 20 minutes, or $2.18 per 20 minutes. So I will be posting all the remaining documentation of the trip when we return to the states Tuesday night...
I will report that our third and final concert at the Royal Military Academy of Music in Twickenham west of London went very well. We had our best audience yet in terms of numbers (about60 or 70) and enjoyed learning about British Army band history in the museum at historic Knellar Hall on the post. The cadets there were most gracious.
Most of us are planning to see shows in the West End to cap our time in London... I know several are seeking "Wicked," " Les Miserables," "Avenue Q" and "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat." We've enjoyed many a good meal here in London, and I think most would agree that we would like more time here. But we depart the hotel at 5:30 a.m. tomorrow for an 8-hour flight that will put us back in Atlanta in the early afternoon because of all the time zone crossings.
So pray for us as we travel home. I apologize again for not being able to make the detailed posts I'd planned, but our hotels just haven't been very cooperative...
Good-bye from England...
Brian
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Greetings from London!
Cheerio, mates! This is just a quick note to let you know the Wind Ensemble and entourage made it safely to England and have had a fabulous time in London thus far. Internet access has been somewhat limited -- namely the free Internet service we were to have had in our hotel rooms is non-existent -- so I've had trouble posting to the blog.
I've written the entries for Friday and Saturday's excursions and will post them, along with the recap of today's events, tomorrow morning when I get Internet access from my hotel room. Suffice it to say, there will be a lot to read on Monday, and I will post the blog of our last day in England sometime Tuesday, probably after we're back in the U.S.
Just to whet your appetite, though, for what's coming tomorrow, let's just say includes Big Ben, Parliament and the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace. Very cool...
Until then... I bid you good night from the heart of London's Kensington District...
Brian
I've written the entries for Friday and Saturday's excursions and will post them, along with the recap of today's events, tomorrow morning when I get Internet access from my hotel room. Suffice it to say, there will be a lot to read on Monday, and I will post the blog of our last day in England sometime Tuesday, probably after we're back in the U.S.
Just to whet your appetite, though, for what's coming tomorrow, let's just say includes Big Ben, Parliament and the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace. Very cool...
Until then... I bid you good night from the heart of London's Kensington District...
Brian
Thursday, May 8, 2008
The Wind Ensemble in Ireland, Day 3
Thursday, May 8, 2008
After another full Irish breakfast, we loaded the buses, got one last view of Galway Bay and, after a quick detour through the heart of the city, bid Galway adieu. We headed eastward toward Dublin, making a planned stop after about an hour and a half at the 6th century monastic site Clonmacnoise, which is located along the River Shannon in County Offaly.
Established about 548 A.D. by St. Cieran, the son of a master craftsman, Clonmacnoise -- whose name is derived from the meadow of the Irish noble Nos -- is one of the most extensive set of ruins of their kind in Ireland. St. Ciaran and seven followers were the first to establish the monastic order at the site. The site contained a number of churches varying in date from the 10th to the 17th century, a round tower, a castle, three stone crosses and large collection of early grave slabs. Since St. Ciaran is buried on the site, it has attracted pilgrims for nearly 1,500 years. The photo above shows our group during the tour of the site.
All of the original domestic buildings and churches on the site were originally built of timber and have not survived, though traces have been found during archaeological excavation. The monastery, which at times resembled a small town because of the number of laypeople often at the site, was plundered on many occasions by Irish enemies, the Anglo-Normans and the Vikings, with it finally being reduced to ruin in 1552 by the English garrison from Athlone.
Today, the site is operated by the Irish Office of Public Works, though it has been a national monument since 1877. A visitors center and exhibit have been erected on the site, which still boasts ruins of a castle built by the governor of Ireland in 1214, the Cathedral originally built in the year 909, and various small temples on the site, including Temple Ciaran, where St. Ciaran himself is buried. Oddly enough, Temple Ciaran is only about about 48 square feet in area -- the size of a small office or a walk-in closet.
One of the later temples built on the site, Temple Connor, has been used since the 18th century by the Church of Ireland. Services are held there every Sunday at 4 p.m. from May to late September. An annual ecumenical service is held there each summer, and Pope John Paul II himself officiated a Mass at the site in the early 1970s. Interestingly enough, the three sandstone Celtic crosses on the site, which date back to the 9th century, have been replaced by replicas on their original locations around the Cathedral at Clonmacnoise; the originals have been preserved inside the visitors center exhibition.
After a quick lunch at Clonmacnoise, we again boarded the buses for the two and a half hour drive to Dublin, arriving in the mid-afternoon. Dublin, we've found, is a blend of Old World charm and modern cosmopolitan, with historic buildings and sites blending with the sites and buildings of a 21st-century metropolis.
As we arrived in the city and headed for our hotel, we rode past several of the sites we will have the chance to visit, including Trinity College, Christ Church Cathedral, the Grafton Street commercial district and the historic bridges along the River Liffey. We had the opportunity to explore some of the city on our own after checking into the hotel, with many going for traditional Irish pub fare for dinner, such as "bubbles and mash," a dish combining meat/sausage with mashed potatoes. Others sampled the variety of cuisine offered around the city.
Many of us, myself included, made it a fairly early night after three days chock full of tours and activities. Tomorrow we have a more detailed visit of Trinity College and a panoramic bus tour planned, with the Wind Ensemble's second concert performance set tomorrow night at St. Patrick's Cathedral, which is the largest church in Ireland. Friday will be our last full day in Ireland.
Until next time, the luck of the Irish be with you...
Brian
The Wind Ensemble in Ireland, Day 2
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
GALWAY— Our second day in Ireland began with a full Irish breakfast that included fried egg over easy, bacon (more like country ham), link sausage, seasoned potatoes, toast, various cereals and such. We then boarded our motorcoaches for what would be an incredibly educational day with some amazing sights.
Our buses first headed for Moycullen (about 7 miles to the north-northeast of Galway) for visits to the Connemara Celtic Crystal Ltd. and Connemara Marble Industries Ltd., with one bus visiting each location at a time. At both locations, we had the opportunity to see some amazing Irish craftsmanship at work.
Celtic Crystal, established in 1972 by Mary B. Munnelly, is located on the site of a former railway station. The company prides itself on creating exquisite crystal pieces, taking the art of glass making to new heights. Mrs. Munnelly herself greeted us upon entering the showroom and proceeded to tell us about the creating of the fine crystal made there, ranging from religious pieces to specially designed wedding chalices and goblets. The firm prides itself on recreating the culture and history of Ireland in its crystal designs, most of which incorporate Celtic designs and Gaelic motifs. Many of the pieces we viewed in the showroom, which included some ornate vases weighing as much as 109 pounds and standing more than 3 and ½ feet tall, boasted such designs as the Celtic cross, the Claddagh ring (a symbol of fidelity that includes two hands holding a heart with a crown on top), the Irish Rose, the shamrock and various other traditional designs inspired by the Book of Kells.
The crystal pieces themselves are made of the highest quality glass, which is blown at the Celtic Crystal facility and contains a 34 percent lead content. The heavier lead content, Mrs. Munnelly says, results in a heavier glass that is of much higher quality that can withstand the multiple cuttings necessary to create some of the ornate designs. The glass cutters working at Celtic Crystal must undergo rigorous training, Mrs. Munnelly says. Those seeking an apprenticeship in glass cutting – which lasts 5 years – must first earn a certificate in mechanical drawing and art before undergoing training. Upon completion of the apprenticeship period, the glass cutter can begin work. To earn the right to cut the more ornate colored crystal pieces, an additional apprenticeship of 2 years is required. The designation of master glass cutter is then awarded.
Because of the impact working on colored crystal pieces can have on a glass cutter’s eyesight, the cutter is allowed to only produce three pieces of any specific color each year. The most common colors produced are red, cobalt blue and green, though some purple pieces were also seen in the Celtic Crystal showroom. In producing the colored glass, certain elements are added during the glass-blowing process – gold for red glass, cobalt for blue glass and nickel for green glass.
In producing the ornate crystal pieces, the design is cut into the glass up to three times depending on the size of the individual piece. The first cut “roughs” the design into the glass, while the second and third cuts refine and smooth the designs. The glass is in dipped briefly into a low-grade acid to complete the smoothing process and add a polish to the crystal.
After Ms. Munnelly finished her overview, we then had the opportunity to view master cutter Sean Tierney at work as he etched the designs of an Irish rose and a Celtic band on a bowl. The process of etching the design in the initial cutting took Mr. Tierney less than three minutes. Several of us then purchase jewelry and other items from the showroom. Since Celtic Crystal operates exclusively as an export company, no taxes were charged on the purchases.
Our visit to Connemara Marble also proved quite interesting. There, Ambrose Joyce, one of the members of the family that owns the firm, provided an overview of the types of marble found in Ireland and used in the creations crafted at Connemara Marble. The Connemara region of Ireland located along the western coastal region north of Galway is famous for its green marble, which is found nowhere else in the world.
Believed to have been formed between 500 million and 600 million years ago during the pre-Cambrian times, the green color in the marble resulted from the presence of copper oxide in the soil. Other types of marble were formed more than 300 million years ago. Wetting down the marble, Mr. Joyce said, helps bring out the color. The marble used in designing the jewelry and variety of other items is mined from a quarry several kilometers north of Moycullen. Several of us purchased jewelry, Celtic crosses, shamrocks and “worry stones” made of the green marble while at Connemara Marble.
From Moycullen, we continued north into what could be described as fairly remote country en route to the Connemara National Park. Thebreathtakingly beautiful terrain grew increasingly mountainous as we passed into the Inagh Valley, which was situated between mountains with a huge lake in the midst. Homes were located along the roadway and dotted the mountainsides and sheep aplenty could be found grazing in the grassier areas, some even making their way frequently into the shoulder of the road. We passed through the small hamlet of Kylemore and then the town of Letterfrack, where the main entrance to Connemara National Park is located. We would return to Kylemore shortly after our visit to the park.
Connemara National Park covers some 2,000 hectares (4,942 acres) of scenic mountains, bogs, heaths, grasslands and woodlands and incorporates some of the famous Twelve Bens mountains, including Benbaun, Bencullagh, Benbrack and Muckanaght. The park was established and first opened in 1980 and is one of six national parks operated by the Office of Public Works in Ireland. The focus of the park is on the Connemara region’s landscape, with specific attention given to land use and the flora and fauna of the area. The park includes numerous nature trails offering a variety of scenery and settings – some of which literally go up the side of a couple of mountains and back down again.
From Connemara National Park, we headed back toward Kylemore for our lunch break and visit to Kylemore Abbey, a castle built at the foot of a mountain in 1868 with a sizable lake in front of it. Standing as an example of one of Ireland’s great neo-gothic castles. Now owned by Benedictine nuns, the castle houses a school for girls, some of whom we encountered briefly during our visit. The property also includes a sizable church. The gift shop at Kylemore Abbey offered a variety of items handmade by the Benedictine nuns, including soaps with such scents as lemongrass, peppermint and lavender. The soaps were a popular purchase by many of us.
Returning from Kylemore Abbey to Galway, we had a short break before dressing for our first concert of the trip, but we first enjoyed a dinner of a chicken dish or smoked salmon with new potatoes, carrot souffle’, steamed cauliflower and brussel sprouts, followed by individual dessert samplers that included chocolate profiterole, a lime cake and what we believe was a strawberry mousse pie.
Following dinner, we headed to the heart of Galway for the Wind Ensemble’s first performance at the Town Hall Centre Theatre, located just a stone’s throw from the River Comb. The Wind Ensemble was preceded by local artists Margaret Duggan, who sang the Irish classics “Danny Boy” and “Galway Bay”; Eamon Shevlin, who treated us to “Ole Man River” from the Broadway musical “Show Boat” and “If I Were A Rich Man” from “Fiddler on the Roof”; and the Peter Galligan Trio, which performed three traditional Irish jigs on banjo, guitar, violin and panflute.
The Wind Ensemble, conducted at various times by Elva Kaye Lance, Clifton Taylor and Craig Aarhus, performed for a small, but enthusiastic audience of between 35 and 40 people, not including the chaperones sitting in the theater. Several of the audience members commented on how excellent the performance was and how they wished their friends could have attended the performance. One woman who attended with her son and daughter, upon learning that the Wind Ensemble was to perform at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin on Friday night, said she would be calling all her friends and relatives in the Irish capital to tell them “they’d be fools to miss the concert at St. Patrick’s.”
Another busy day, but a satisfying one. On to Dublin!
GALWAY— Our second day in Ireland began with a full Irish breakfast that included fried egg over easy, bacon (more like country ham), link sausage, seasoned potatoes, toast, various cereals and such. We then boarded our motorcoaches for what would be an incredibly educational day with some amazing sights.
Our buses first headed for Moycullen (about 7 miles to the north-northeast of Galway) for visits to the Connemara Celtic Crystal Ltd. and Connemara Marble Industries Ltd., with one bus visiting each location at a time. At both locations, we had the opportunity to see some amazing Irish craftsmanship at work.
Celtic Crystal, established in 1972 by Mary B. Munnelly, is located on the site of a former railway station. The company prides itself on creating exquisite crystal pieces, taking the art of glass making to new heights. Mrs. Munnelly herself greeted us upon entering the showroom and proceeded to tell us about the creating of the fine crystal made there, ranging from religious pieces to specially designed wedding chalices and goblets. The firm prides itself on recreating the culture and history of Ireland in its crystal designs, most of which incorporate Celtic designs and Gaelic motifs. Many of the pieces we viewed in the showroom, which included some ornate vases weighing as much as 109 pounds and standing more than 3 and ½ feet tall, boasted such designs as the Celtic cross, the Claddagh ring (a symbol of fidelity that includes two hands holding a heart with a crown on top), the Irish Rose, the shamrock and various other traditional designs inspired by the Book of Kells.
The crystal pieces themselves are made of the highest quality glass, which is blown at the Celtic Crystal facility and contains a 34 percent lead content. The heavier lead content, Mrs. Munnelly says, results in a heavier glass that is of much higher quality that can withstand the multiple cuttings necessary to create some of the ornate designs. The glass cutters working at Celtic Crystal must undergo rigorous training, Mrs. Munnelly says. Those seeking an apprenticeship in glass cutting – which lasts 5 years – must first earn a certificate in mechanical drawing and art before undergoing training. Upon completion of the apprenticeship period, the glass cutter can begin work. To earn the right to cut the more ornate colored crystal pieces, an additional apprenticeship of 2 years is required. The designation of master glass cutter is then awarded.
Because of the impact working on colored crystal pieces can have on a glass cutter’s eyesight, the cutter is allowed to only produce three pieces of any specific color each year. The most common colors produced are red, cobalt blue and green, though some purple pieces were also seen in the Celtic Crystal showroom. In producing the colored glass, certain elements are added during the glass-blowing process – gold for red glass, cobalt for blue glass and nickel for green glass.
In producing the ornate crystal pieces, the design is cut into the glass up to three times depending on the size of the individual piece. The first cut “roughs” the design into the glass, while the second and third cuts refine and smooth the designs. The glass is in dipped briefly into a low-grade acid to complete the smoothing process and add a polish to the crystal.
After Ms. Munnelly finished her overview, we then had the opportunity to view master cutter Sean Tierney at work as he etched the designs of an Irish rose and a Celtic band on a bowl. The process of etching the design in the initial cutting took Mr. Tierney less than three minutes. Several of us then purchase jewelry and other items from the showroom. Since Celtic Crystal operates exclusively as an export company, no taxes were charged on the purchases.
Our visit to Connemara Marble also proved quite interesting. There, Ambrose Joyce, one of the members of the family that owns the firm, provided an overview of the types of marble found in Ireland and used in the creations crafted at Connemara Marble. The Connemara region of Ireland located along the western coastal region north of Galway is famous for its green marble, which is found nowhere else in the world.
Believed to have been formed between 500 million and 600 million years ago during the pre-Cambrian times, the green color in the marble resulted from the presence of copper oxide in the soil. Other types of marble were formed more than 300 million years ago. Wetting down the marble, Mr. Joyce said, helps bring out the color. The marble used in designing the jewelry and variety of other items is mined from a quarry several kilometers north of Moycullen. Several of us purchased jewelry, Celtic crosses, shamrocks and “worry stones” made of the green marble while at Connemara Marble.
From Moycullen, we continued north into what could be described as fairly remote country en route to the Connemara National Park. Thebreathtakingly beautiful terrain grew increasingly mountainous as we passed into the Inagh Valley, which was situated between mountains with a huge lake in the midst. Homes were located along the roadway and dotted the mountainsides and sheep aplenty could be found grazing in the grassier areas, some even making their way frequently into the shoulder of the road. We passed through the small hamlet of Kylemore and then the town of Letterfrack, where the main entrance to Connemara National Park is located. We would return to Kylemore shortly after our visit to the park.
Connemara National Park covers some 2,000 hectares (4,942 acres) of scenic mountains, bogs, heaths, grasslands and woodlands and incorporates some of the famous Twelve Bens mountains, including Benbaun, Bencullagh, Benbrack and Muckanaght. The park was established and first opened in 1980 and is one of six national parks operated by the Office of Public Works in Ireland. The focus of the park is on the Connemara region’s landscape, with specific attention given to land use and the flora and fauna of the area. The park includes numerous nature trails offering a variety of scenery and settings – some of which literally go up the side of a couple of mountains and back down again.
From Connemara National Park, we headed back toward Kylemore for our lunch break and visit to Kylemore Abbey, a castle built at the foot of a mountain in 1868 with a sizable lake in front of it. Standing as an example of one of Ireland’s great neo-gothic castles. Now owned by Benedictine nuns, the castle houses a school for girls, some of whom we encountered briefly during our visit. The property also includes a sizable church. The gift shop at Kylemore Abbey offered a variety of items handmade by the Benedictine nuns, including soaps with such scents as lemongrass, peppermint and lavender. The soaps were a popular purchase by many of us.
Returning from Kylemore Abbey to Galway, we had a short break before dressing for our first concert of the trip, but we first enjoyed a dinner of a chicken dish or smoked salmon with new potatoes, carrot souffle’, steamed cauliflower and brussel sprouts, followed by individual dessert samplers that included chocolate profiterole, a lime cake and what we believe was a strawberry mousse pie.
Following dinner, we headed to the heart of Galway for the Wind Ensemble’s first performance at the Town Hall Centre Theatre, located just a stone’s throw from the River Comb. The Wind Ensemble was preceded by local artists Margaret Duggan, who sang the Irish classics “Danny Boy” and “Galway Bay”; Eamon Shevlin, who treated us to “Ole Man River” from the Broadway musical “Show Boat” and “If I Were A Rich Man” from “Fiddler on the Roof”; and the Peter Galligan Trio, which performed three traditional Irish jigs on banjo, guitar, violin and panflute.
The Wind Ensemble, conducted at various times by Elva Kaye Lance, Clifton Taylor and Craig Aarhus, performed for a small, but enthusiastic audience of between 35 and 40 people, not including the chaperones sitting in the theater. Several of the audience members commented on how excellent the performance was and how they wished their friends could have attended the performance. One woman who attended with her son and daughter, upon learning that the Wind Ensemble was to perform at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin on Friday night, said she would be calling all her friends and relatives in the Irish capital to tell them “they’d be fools to miss the concert at St. Patrick’s.”
Another busy day, but a satisfying one. On to Dublin!
The Wind Ensemble in Ireland, Day 1
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Greetings from the Mississippi State Wind Ensemble and entourage in the Republic of Ireland.
After more than 24 hours of traveling that included five and a half hours on a bus, two airplane flights totaling a combined 9 hours, multiple hours of waiting at intermittent periods, the Mississippi State Wind Ensemble and entourage arrived in Shannon, Ireland, shortly after 10 a.m. today. We immediately met our tour operator and boarded two motorcoaches for what would be one of the most scenic bus trips many of us had ever experienced.
Leaving Shannon, we began weaving our way through the scenic County Claire, our bus drivers providing us with a variety of interesting facts on everything ranging from the Irish economy to tidbits about the various towns and villages through which we passed.
Almost immediately, we took notice of a golden flowering plant that was growing along the roadway. Called “furze,” the golden flowers bloom in May and September. As our motorcoaches traversed the countryside, we all had to become used to seeing the driver on the right side of the vehicle while driving on the left side of the road – a complete change from America. The narrow roads, too, often meant that our buses would slow down as smaller vehicles approached to let them pass. A lot of compact cars are driven here – we have yet to see anything larger than a Honda Accord, though some of the students spotted an American pickup – with the driver on the left side of the truck – as we entered Galway.
Interesting facts we learned about Ireland included:
The Emerald Isle, as it is popularly nicknamed, is actually two separate countries – The Republic of Ireland, which dominates most of the isle and operates independently from British rule, and Northern Ireland, which is still under the auspices of the British government. The Republic of Ireland has enjoyed self-government since 1922.
The Republic of Ireland has a population of some 4 million people and is divided into 26 counties. Of the major cities, the capital, Dublin, has a population of more than 1.3 million people, in comparison to Cork, with a population of 150,000, and Galway, with a population of around 75,000.
Agriculture and tourism are the predominant industries on the island.
Late American country singer Johnny Cash, we’ve discovered, is quite popular here. According to one of our bus drivers, P.J., he once wrote a song called “40 Shades of Green” that was inspired by a train trip he took across the island nation. Many street performers we heard around Galway could be found singing Cash songs. It was quite interesting hearing “Ring of Fire” with the distinctive Irish brogue.
As we traveled from Shannon to Galway today, we passed through several small towns with many and interesting name and story behind them – towns with names like Ennistymon, Lahinder, Locannor, Lisdoonvarna, Ballyvaughan, Kimvara. Each town had its own story to tell.
Locannor, for example, is the birthplace of J.P. Holland, the inventor of the submarine. Along the main thoroughfare through the city, one can spot a metal-cast statue of Holland in a submarine on the street corner outside a local hotel.
Lisdoonvarna is known as “Spa Town” because of the natural spring wells there that boast water said to have unique healing properties. The town is also famous for its annual matchmaking festival.
Our first major stop on our travels is the Cliffs of Moher, which are located near Locannor. Jutting some 650 feet above the Atlantic, the Cliffs boast magnificent views in several directions with a variety of avian life found there. Standing atop one of the cliffs is O’Brien Tower, a turreted tower which history says was used to watch for invaders. The tower is named for the family that dominates the immediate region around the cliffs in Locannor. The visitors center there is built into the side of hills there and boasts restaurants, an interpretive exhibit and gift shop.
After leaving the Cliffs of Moher, we next traveled through a region known as the Burren, which is famous for its significant limestone hills. The story is that following the Ice Age, the melting ice and resulting water eroded away the top soil, revealing the huge limestone deposits below the ground. Limestone, we’ve found, is everywhere, used in building churches, homes, fences, etc.
Upon arrival in Galway, we rode along the Galway Bay Promenade to the Salthill area of the city where our hotel is located. The Promenade was bustling with people into the late evening hours – the sun was still out until after 9:30 p.m. – who were walking, jogging, sitting on the beach, and yes, swimming. The temperatures have been in the upper 70s Fahrenheit, which sent many of the younger Irish lads and lasses out to the beach for wading or a dip in some COLD water.
Our dinner included a choice of smoked turkey and ham with gravy and cranberry sauce or smoked haddock with assorted side vegetables including a variation on twice-baked potatoes, steamed zucchini, what we believed was carrot souffle’, English peas and new potatoes. For dessert, we enjoyed chocolate profiterole or rice pudding.
After dinner, many of us took in a Riverdance-style show playing at our hotel, while others went walking along the Promenade and into the Galway Town Centre, which is full of quaint shops, pubs, restaurants and nightclubs.
Greetings from the Mississippi State Wind Ensemble and entourage in the Republic of Ireland.
After more than 24 hours of traveling that included five and a half hours on a bus, two airplane flights totaling a combined 9 hours, multiple hours of waiting at intermittent periods, the Mississippi State Wind Ensemble and entourage arrived in Shannon, Ireland, shortly after 10 a.m. today. We immediately met our tour operator and boarded two motorcoaches for what would be one of the most scenic bus trips many of us had ever experienced.
Leaving Shannon, we began weaving our way through the scenic County Claire, our bus drivers providing us with a variety of interesting facts on everything ranging from the Irish economy to tidbits about the various towns and villages through which we passed.
Almost immediately, we took notice of a golden flowering plant that was growing along the roadway. Called “furze,” the golden flowers bloom in May and September. As our motorcoaches traversed the countryside, we all had to become used to seeing the driver on the right side of the vehicle while driving on the left side of the road – a complete change from America. The narrow roads, too, often meant that our buses would slow down as smaller vehicles approached to let them pass. A lot of compact cars are driven here – we have yet to see anything larger than a Honda Accord, though some of the students spotted an American pickup – with the driver on the left side of the truck – as we entered Galway.
Interesting facts we learned about Ireland included:
The Emerald Isle, as it is popularly nicknamed, is actually two separate countries – The Republic of Ireland, which dominates most of the isle and operates independently from British rule, and Northern Ireland, which is still under the auspices of the British government. The Republic of Ireland has enjoyed self-government since 1922.
The Republic of Ireland has a population of some 4 million people and is divided into 26 counties. Of the major cities, the capital, Dublin, has a population of more than 1.3 million people, in comparison to Cork, with a population of 150,000, and Galway, with a population of around 75,000.
Agriculture and tourism are the predominant industries on the island.
Late American country singer Johnny Cash, we’ve discovered, is quite popular here. According to one of our bus drivers, P.J., he once wrote a song called “40 Shades of Green” that was inspired by a train trip he took across the island nation. Many street performers we heard around Galway could be found singing Cash songs. It was quite interesting hearing “Ring of Fire” with the distinctive Irish brogue.
As we traveled from Shannon to Galway today, we passed through several small towns with many and interesting name and story behind them – towns with names like Ennistymon, Lahinder, Locannor, Lisdoonvarna, Ballyvaughan, Kimvara. Each town had its own story to tell.
Locannor, for example, is the birthplace of J.P. Holland, the inventor of the submarine. Along the main thoroughfare through the city, one can spot a metal-cast statue of Holland in a submarine on the street corner outside a local hotel.
Lisdoonvarna is known as “Spa Town” because of the natural spring wells there that boast water said to have unique healing properties. The town is also famous for its annual matchmaking festival.
Our first major stop on our travels is the Cliffs of Moher, which are located near Locannor. Jutting some 650 feet above the Atlantic, the Cliffs boast magnificent views in several directions with a variety of avian life found there. Standing atop one of the cliffs is O’Brien Tower, a turreted tower which history says was used to watch for invaders. The tower is named for the family that dominates the immediate region around the cliffs in Locannor. The visitors center there is built into the side of hills there and boasts restaurants, an interpretive exhibit and gift shop.
After leaving the Cliffs of Moher, we next traveled through a region known as the Burren, which is famous for its significant limestone hills. The story is that following the Ice Age, the melting ice and resulting water eroded away the top soil, revealing the huge limestone deposits below the ground. Limestone, we’ve found, is everywhere, used in building churches, homes, fences, etc.
Upon arrival in Galway, we rode along the Galway Bay Promenade to the Salthill area of the city where our hotel is located. The Promenade was bustling with people into the late evening hours – the sun was still out until after 9:30 p.m. – who were walking, jogging, sitting on the beach, and yes, swimming. The temperatures have been in the upper 70s Fahrenheit, which sent many of the younger Irish lads and lasses out to the beach for wading or a dip in some COLD water.
Our dinner included a choice of smoked turkey and ham with gravy and cranberry sauce or smoked haddock with assorted side vegetables including a variation on twice-baked potatoes, steamed zucchini, what we believed was carrot souffle’, English peas and new potatoes. For dessert, we enjoyed chocolate profiterole or rice pudding.
After dinner, many of us took in a Riverdance-style show playing at our hotel, while others went walking along the Promenade and into the Galway Town Centre, which is full of quaint shops, pubs, restaurants and nightclubs.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
