Emily's Worldview

One of the best parts about being a "permanent student" is the frequency of vacations. My Spring Break happened to line up with that of H, a college friend who is also a permanent student. So one Friday we rendez-voused at a New York airport, got on a plane, and woke up in Ireland.

D, a friend of mine who volunteered with my organization in Tanzania, is Irish and graciously put us up in her apartment in Dublin. H and I explored the city for two days; Trinity College, city parks, the River Liffey, and the rows of storefronts--groceries and pubs and take-aways. We took day trips out of the city to small towns nearby. In Howth, we discovered an off-limits castle that is still partially inhabited and went on a breathtaking cliffside walk overlooking a broad bay. In Dalkey, we braved unremitting rain to find some old castles nestled in a small town, and climbed a big hill just to be in the general neighborhood where Bono lives. In Kilkenny, we roamed the town that still mostly reflects its 15th century layout. We saw the superstar attractions (cathedrals, castle), but a brief unguided wander revealed massive centuries-old churches at the head of each narrow street. My breath caught when I wandered in to the medieval stillness of the Black Abbey. Everywhere we went, we ate like queens, took pictures, marveled at the usefulness of our waterproof shoes, and just generally enjoyed each other's company.

Nevertheless, one day we split up, and while H tackled an impressive set of art museums and specialty stores, I headed to the countryside. In the small town of Navan, I got directions to a walking path that ran between a river and an old canal that was punctuated by vine-covered stone bridges and abandoned locks. After about 90 minutes of walking, I rounded a bend and glimpsed the towers of a ruined castle on a hill across the river. Grey clouds rolled behind it and a flock of ravens circled it, I kid you not. I walked further and saw that directly opposite the castle, on the other side of the canal, was a spooky red mansion with tall dark windows and an umkempt lawn descending to the river. A single light glowed on the downstairs floor. A little further along, I made my way across the canal on a few slippery branches and climbed up a hill to yet another ruin--an old church with a tiny graveyard, encircled by a low stone wall. I ate my lunch surveying my surroundings--river, green rolling hills, abandoned castle. Lovely (see below).

For St. Patrick's Day, we were in the Western town of Galway, where we watched a noon parade of school bands, acrobats, traditional Irish sports teams, bagpipes, huge puppets and immigrant community groups. There was live music and food stands all over the pedestrian area of their small town center, and some people were tipsy by 4 pm. The overall atmosphere was joyful and pleasant; we had a great time.

On our last night, we ate dinner in a seafood restaurant in a small coastal town, where by pure dumb look we were seated by and window and saw fireworks set off over the sea. That night, we went with D and her siblings to the pub in their small town, and toasted our trip.