Pilgrims and Indians in Ireland?

Hey devoted readers. Sorry it's been so long since I've written, but things have been a bit crazy around here lately. Naturally, I gotta catch y'all up to speed.

Two weeks back, my folks made the trek to the old country to share an expatriate Thanksgiving with none other than myself. They arrived on Tuesday and stayed through the following Monday. I met the jet-lagged pair at their hotel on St. Stephen's Green after class on Tuesday for an abbreviated tour of center city Dublin (an lair, in Irish). We walked around Grafton, O'Connell and ended up at a great fish and chips joint near my place. I also introduced them to authentic Guinness. Mom and Dad were struggling to stay awake at that point, so I saw the kids off to bed and hit the books. The next day, they did a bus tour of the city while I was at UCD. I later met up with them and showed them the Harcourt/Camden club area where we had dinner at The Bleeding Horse. There, we feasted on Guinness stew with a pint of Bulmer's cider. Lackadasically walking in a food coma, we hit up O'Donaghue's for some Irish music and good ole craic. Thursday was Thanksgiving, of course, so we went to The Shelbourne Hotel for a 5-star dinner. The Hotel was actually the residence of Michael Collins and many of the Irish revolutionaries at one time, so the exterior is still decorated with a few bullet holes for history's sake. Our food was ridiculously good. While Irish beef and vegatables with red wine isn't traditional for Thanksgiving, I could definitely get used to it.

Friday came along and we had to wake up at the crack of dawn to hop on a bus that would take us to Northern Ireland. Our first stop was Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge where we sufficiently experienced vertigo looking down into the salmon-infested waters. On the horizon from the little island, we could clearly make out Scotland.

Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge

Next on the tour was Giant's Causeway. This topographical phenomenon was formed from an ancient volcano spewing lava which instantly cooled into hexagonal columns with the freezing waters. We walked down the cliff to the main collection of rock formations and almost got blown over in the process. It was way cool.

Giant's Causeway

Following the Causeway, we went to Dunlace Castle which is the inspiration for Cair Paravel in Chronicles of Narnia. The mammoth castle is situated on the cliffs of one of the northern most points in Ireland. After connecting with my man C.S. Lewis a bit, we headed to Belfast for a quick tour of the city. It was crazy learn how much violence went on there for such a built up metro area. Nevertheless, we all really liked it. We finally made it back to Dublin really late and got our sleep on.

On Saturday, we we had another early morning for a tour of Central and Southeastern Ireland. Well, on Friday night, a snowstorm as mighty as the fires of Hell decided to descend upon an unsuspecting Ireland and sent the country into a state of chaos. Streets were unpaved, salt was missing, sleet was pouring, and children were crying (well maybe not the last one). Anyway, we weren't able to make it to the famed mountains of Wicklow and see Glendalough. Instead, our tour took us on the trecherous roads to Kilkenny. This medieval town is host to one of the bigger castles in the republic, a great Cathedral, and expensive shopping. The castle was amazing! I was a big fan. Anyway, the bus took us on the snow-infested roads to The Rock of Dunamase. Situated on a large hill with a breathtaking 360 degree view of central Ireland, this castle dates back to the 8th century. Nearly slipping many times on the snow and ice, we finally made it to the top and looked out over the beautiful countryside. Then it was time to head on home to Dublin.

The Rock of Dunamase

After a weekend of intense touring and travelling, we took it easy on Sunday. I had some work to do so I sent my parents down to Dun Laoghaire (Dunleary) for a chance to spot Bono walking the beaches. Unfortunately, they didn't see Paul or his neighbors Enya or Van on that particularly cold afternoon. That night, we warmed up with some shepherd's pie as we said goodbye.

It was awesome getting to experience the motherland with Mom and Dad. I was really grateful that they were able to make the trip out and see me over Thanksgiving. That week was really one of the highlights of my time here. There's nothing like getting in touch with your ancestral roots with your parents.

The following few days were jam packed with paper-writing before I got on a flight to Paris. And before the snowstorm of a century hit Europe.