Day 8-11: On Top of the World

"I can see the rolling fields of green and fences made of stone. I am reaching out, won't you take my hand... I'm coming home, Ireland" - Garth Brooks Ireland 

I felt like I was on top of the world!

IRELAND!

I can't even describe how amazing it was. I have always wanted to visit Ireland for several reasons: I am Irish by heritage, green is my favorite color and every picture I have ever seen just makes me drool. When my London trip became official, I knew Ireland had to be a small part of the trip. I planned a 2 day bus tour hitting the major sites with 2 days of travel there and back. I went for the full European travel experience by staying in a hostel, only carrying my backpack and eating as cheap as possible. Overall the experience was amazing. There were ups and downs but everything was worth it to see the rolling fields of green and fences made of stone.

We arrived in Dublin around 7pm after a train and ferry ride from London. We had a nice dinner, did some shopping and then hit the sack in preparation for our bus tour. Day one of our tour was to see the famous Blarney Castle. On the way there we also stopped in the port city of Cobh, famous as the final port of call for the doomed Titanic. This was such a cute city and features the third deepest port in the world. Given that I had family who went down with the Titanic, this was rather moving for me. Next was the main event....

Blarney Castle did not disappoint. The grounds were immaculate and stunningly landscaped. You walk through a grove of trees before it clears and the castle looms above you in an intimidating feat of raw beauty. It was breathtaking. We took a million pictures before climbing up the winding, tiny, ancient spiral staircases to the top. The view was amazing and you could see for miles. We waited in line before laying on our backs and hanging down in a hole at the top of the castle to kiss the famous Blarney Stone. It is said that one kiss to the stone gives you the "gift of eloquence" for 7 years. (sorry Zac, I will talk even more now). After some further exploration of the grounds, we found the Poison Garden which features a variety of poisonous plants including Mandrakes and Wolfsbane..... if you have read Harry Potter you will recognize those plants. Pretty cool. I wish we had more time to explore but just to see it was worth it. Our second night was in a cute little hostel in the city of Cork. 

Kissing the stone!

What a view!

Not your average flowers...

Day two of the tour took us to the mystical Cliffs of Moher. First our guide took us to the Mini Cliffs to see the former Coral Reef that is now exposed and features a strange rock face. That was just a warm up. After a quick lunch in the small city of Doolin, we were on our way to the Ciffs of Moher. Breathtaking is about the only word to describe it. Words do not have enough effect so I am just going to let the pictures do the talking. By far the most beautiful place I have ever seen. 

On top of the world!

Our last stop was Bunratty Castle and we only had enough time to take some pictures and use the toilet at Durty Nellies, the oldest pub in Ireland. Then it was back to Dublin for one more night and then back to London this morning. Our train was delayed on the way home due to a fatality on the track.... That was a sad and bizarre experience and we made it home 2 hours later then expected. Granted, that was the biggest hiccup in the trip so I can't complain considering it was my first trip abroad planned 100% by myself. 

It was an amazing trip overall. I am so glad to have seen the home of my ancestors finally after years of yearning. I can cross one more thing off my bucket list thanks to this trip and I know I will be back someday... it's the kind of place you could never stay away from. 

Ireland.... Until next time

Day 7: The Tower of London

The White Tower

The Crown Jewels Building

Today we visited the Tower of London. Wow. My favorite thing so far this trip by far. It is such an imposing fortress with the huge moot, 15 ft thick walls of stone and the White Tower plunging into the sky in the center. We got in as soon as it opened and were able to follow along with the Yeomen Warder tour in the beginning of the castle. Yeomen Warders are the caretakers and protecters of the Tower of London and also the tour guides. They must serve in the royal military for 22 years of active service before even being eligible for this post. It is a highly revered job and they have the honor of living inside the tower of London.

Our Yeomen Warder tour guide- he was awesome!

Through our tour, he told us of the beginning of the Tower of London. It was established by William the Conquerer in 1078 to protect himself against the english people. He was a Norman (French) and had taken over by sheer force and brutality. The White Tower was the original structure and throughout the years, the rest built up around it. The moot around the Tower was an engineering feat in it's time and stayed a working moot until 1848 when the Duke of Wellington ordered it to be filled in.

He also told us of the Royal Menagerie of exotic animals that were kept on the Tower property until 1835 for the viewing pleasure of spectators and visitors as well as the entertainment of the royals. There were a variety of exotic animals such as Lions, Elephants, Bears, Kangaroos, Snakes and Monkeys, just to name a few. During the reign of James I (1603-25), the animals were made to fight each other as a gladiator type of "royal games" to entertain the royals and their friends. After a serious of animal attacks in the mid 1800's the zoo was moved to its current home in Regents Park.

Recreation of what it was like when there were exotic animals living at the Tower

Another famous role of the Tower of London was as a Prison. This may be it's most famous occupation. It was a horribly unpleasant prison and the walls of some towers still bear the scars of the prisoners who carved upon them while waiting for their fate. Many of the priosoners held there were later executed. 75 noble men met their end on top of Tower Hill right outside the gates in front of a horde of people. They were beheaded and the head was displayed after as a gruesome example. The first person beheaded was the Archbishop of Canterbury; it was actually peasants who broke into the prison and took him out and executed him but the tradition stuck after that. The last execution on the hill took place in 1748.

Some prisoner carvings

Some other famous executions took place inside the walls of the Tower. Included in these were the three queens- Anne Bolyen, Catherine Howard and Lady Jane Grey. They were all three beheaded in the courtyard and buried in unmarked graves inside the church on the grounds. Their bodies were not found until the reign of Queen Victoria. Anne Bolyen and Catherine Howard were both executed as fated queens and wives of Henry the VIII. Lady Jane Grey was queen for only 8 days before she was killed by the bloody queen Mary in order to obtain the throne. She was only 16 at the time of her execution and was forced to stand over the headless body of her husband the day before her own execution. In an effort to maintain her families name even in the face of death, she practiced laying her headed upon the block the night before and the day of her execution she strongly walked to her fate and gave the signal for execution herself. What a strong woman. Another sad story of an execution in the Tower courtyard was that of an 80 year old woman, the mother of a Catholic priest. The sole reason for her execution was her sons status. She was never sentenced for anything but was led to the scaffold anyway. She was able to run away before the executioner swung the axe and proceeded to run around the courtyard before the executioner caught her and chopped her to pieces on the cobblestones.

Memorial to the 3 Queens executed here

Reproduction of the block and axe used for executions

Another bloody scar in the Tower's illustrious history was the 1483 disappearance of the two princes- aged 9 and 12. Their uncle, Richard of Glocouster,  sent them to stay in the Tower of London following the death of their father for their own protection until they could take the throne (so he said). They were last seen in a tower room inside the walls of the Tower of London. In 1674, workers were fixing some stairs inside the tower and uncovered a small box. When opened they found bones of 2 bodies- a boy of 9 and a boy of 12. It is assumed that Richard killed them in order to take the throne and hid them in the stone steps. The tower where they were last seen is now called the Bloody Tower. Their bones now rest in Westminster Abbey in the Corner of Innocents monument.

Bloody Tower

On a brighter note, the Crown Jewels of England have been housed in the Tower since 1333. We were able to view the jewels but not take pictures. All I can say in BLING BLING! They were breathtaking.

Another interesting aspect of the Tower of London is the official Ravens. There is a quote that said "If the 6 Ravens ever leave the Tower, England will fall". This is taken very seriously as 7 Ravens (6 plus a spare) live on the grounds with their own Ravenmaster. They are well fed on a diet of raw meat and bird biscuits soaked in blood and have mates for life as well as considering the Ravenmaster to be a part of their group. They were roaming while we were there... they are as big as cats!

The HUGE Ravens

I still found some project relation inside the Tower. Rudolph Hess, a Nazi official was imprisoned here for a time during World War 2. This shows the longevity of the Tower as a prison.

The Tower of London was truly an unforgettable experience. To be surrounded by so much history, in the place where Kings were crowed, queens were beheaded and exotic animals lived was just indescribable. It was certainly not an experience I will forget anytime soon. I got a nice Tower mug to remember the place once I am home in Ohio drinking my morning coffee... everyone wants to be reminded to executions and ravens first thing in the morning right??

The handle is even an axe...

**Sorry for the delay in getting this posted- the evening of this day I was given the sad news that my Uncle Darrell lost his year long battle with cancer and the next morning we left for Ireland. Ireland post coming up next. Also coming up is a special tribute to my beloved Uncle- he was a kind and wonderful man who will be so greatly missed.