Jessicablair's Weblog

Back to the US of A…

jessicablair — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 13:01:13 +0000

I head back the US of A on Monday, to the sweet state of Maryland. Its been an absolute joy, and gift of time to be here!

I hope and pray that this is only the beginning of my love affair with Ireland, I have a huge crush on the country, its people, the landscape, hospitality, lifestyle…the list could go on. I could fill a house with new experiences, people, places, memories I will take away from this trip.

Thanks for following along, hopefully I will continue to use this as a good medium to document new places down the road. Can’t wait to see family & friends soon!

Take care & so much love!

Out in the country, past the city limit signs…

jessicablair — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 12:51:59 +0000

Spending a week & a half in Wicklow was quite an adventure, to say the least. I spent my time in the Wicklow Mountains, in Wicklow County which is just south of Dublin. I stayed with an lovely family who has been welcoming volunteers through the WWOOFing organization since May.

Here are some of the highlights & photos from my time there…

Everyone volunteering worked all day (10 to 630) with an hour break from lunch, and then the evening was all ours to enjoy dinner, watch movies, play cards, read, chat, and rest
Throughout the day were help with loads of different projects, kind of like one big family taking on different projects. Our projects included…working on building a retaining wall from recycled car tyres, polishing old antique lamps, reconstructing an old antique chandalier, planting an herb garden, composting, helping the local carpenter on installing windows, helping to prepare meals, mind the families little kids…we definitely embraced a spirit of flexibility and jumping into a project.
It felt like a condensed version of what it would be like to buy, design, and restore your own home. And all that goes into it. Amazing opportunity.
Seeing first-hand that there are loads of people living, and enjoying, very unconventional lifestyles. And that there are different ways to go about creating your home, that building it can be a lifelong passion, art, and project. And it can be built in a way that utilizes local materials, skills, and style.
Meeting other travelers from all over — Germany, France, Canada, and the states (Oregan, New Hampshire, Mass.). We all bonded quickly after spending 24/7 together, working together, sharing meals, and all being in a brand new place. We got to know eachother, and our hosts, very quickly. In a much more real way then if you are just coming and going with people. Really cool.
Taking the two days off and spending time exploring other parts of Wicklow County with Chad & Ross, my two new friends from Portland, Oregan. The three of us attending a mass at the local church together (there were 9 other people there…a wee church, but with a big welcome), taking a 2 hour walk together the nearest town (Aughrim), walking along the coast and checking out two towns (Greystone and Bray).
Manual labor is tough, I have a new found appreciation and respect for those that do.
Studying engineering and actually getting out there with a sledgehammer and level, thinking through a good placement of car tyres in a 10 ft wall, are two very different things. A marriage of the practical and academic.
Singing Dolly Parton’s version of ”working 9 to 5″ with Chad & Ross constantly throughout the day, ha.
Baking Rachel Allen cookies, or buscuits as the Irish call it.
Learning how to make a proper sheppard’s pie.
Admiring the fall…the temperature, the leaves. Just stunning.
You learn alot about yourself, the type of work you enjoy/dont, the patience and attitude you have for new places, and getting to know other people. Very interesting.
I will definitely pursue, and recommend, opportunities to WWOOF again, both in Ire, the states, or other countries — very cool way to travel, see real places & people, all on a shoe-string budget.

Working on the wall

Taking a walk along the coast between Greystones and Bray, Co. Wicklow

Our coastal walk came to an unexpected detour

The Wall

We saw a huge tyre on the side of the road, and of course had to take a picture with it

Adorable little drain on a roadside cottage, even that's cute here.

Bridge in Aughrim

Peaking in to a Gaelic Football Final, the entire town was decked out in local colors, cheering on.

View from the house. Loved the cool, old landrover truck!

Brasso-ing my little heart out. Polishing those lights til they shined!

Working on the wall

Baking with Emily

Beautiful coastal walk

I loved this little fresh food market/cafe.

Loved this market/cafe...I want to open something like this one day

View from an old cottage near the house

The Wicklow Way, a famous 132km hiking trails, runs just near the home & soon-to-be hostel.

In Wicklow

Taking a break on our hike near the river

In Aughrim, the nearest "big" town from the hostel.

Charming little details throughout Aughrim

Aughrim

Chad & Ross saying hello to our neighbors

At the house

Christine & I work on an old chandalier

The team

Chad attacking some old tiles, bringing them back to life.

Inside of the house, part of the original school house building from the 1820s

The building on the left is the original 1820s school house, which the family has spent the last 3 yrs working to restore. The building on the right, which is new, but built using materials from the property will eventually become the hostel for visitors. The tyre wall in the front right is what we worked on most of the week.

Traveling with Erin

jessicablair — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 21:38:52 +0000

Erin spent almost 2 weeks in Ireland and it was wonderful. Man, it was cool spending time with her. Its neat to be constantly reminded that each of us sees and experiences the world around them in very unique ways – Erin is so gifted to share her passion and knowledge about nature, trees, plants, animals, birds, etc. Its was so neat to walk through Ireland with her, becoming more sensitive to the sights/sounds/smells around me through her. We had an absolute blast spending time with my incredibly gracious family here, touring the attractions off the beaten tract, meeting locals, renting a car, making meals together, and soaking up the culture here.

Here are some of the photos & highlights from out trip…

Getting to chat with Erin & spend precious time while walking, cooking, driving, soaking up the outdoors, etc.
Going to mass in Kilcurry, at the church where my grandparents attended then enjoying an afternoon walking in Dundalk, along the bay banks, observing local birds.
Having lunch at Fitzpatricks, running into folks I had met a before (feeling like a real local!) then enjoying an evening in Carlingford.
Exploring a great little seaside town, Malihide, just outside of Dublin. And hanging out at a party with friends of my cousins, Ruth and Roision.
Renting a car! Driving on the left-hand side of the road, manual transmission…it was so much fun. I got behind the wheel and Erin played co-pilot, and we conquered the road! Memorable driving moments were…passing loads of sheep, succcessfully getting around enourmous round-abouts, getting a flat tire. The driving up a curvy, steep road and knowing that I couldn’t get up the hill in 2nd gear, we started to roll backwards…fortunately, we rolled safely to a flatter road to switch gear and get up the mountain…oh, what fun!
Getting tons of great suggestions from my family here of where to go on our roadtrip…great surfing spots, best views, pottery places, etc.
Visiting Belfast, taking a taxi tour to learn about the Troubles that plagued Ireland in recent decades. Rich history. Our taxi driver was a little dramatic in his storytelling but it really painted a good picture of how hostile the city was about 15 years ago. Our taxi driver was a character. He dropped us off at his “uncle’s” house for a cup of tea while he secretly when and bet on horses (only in Ireland).
Driving up the coast in Northern Ireland, very beautiful and not as touristy route.
Staying in a couple very sweet B&Bs, such sweet people running them.
Having a very “rough” guide of where we were headed, but choosing to take a very coastal route. After northern Ireland, we choose to see county Donegal, in northwest Ireland. Its known for being very rugged, stunning coastline, less built up part of Ireland. It was beauitful, so unique.
Staying in two of the most unique hostels I have seen yet, one old restored mill house and another built partially outdoors into a side of a cliff. So cool.
Making pesto sandwiches in the car for lunch each day and cooking awesome dinners in the hostels with pesto pasta and fresh vegetables. We were pesto addicted.
Taking in gorgeous landscape and scenary.
Finding the location for my future summer home, Strandhill in County Sligo (start booking you holidays now, summer 2019).
Taking a seaweed bath, so odd but really cool spa treatment.
Going on a hunt for local cheese for Erin to bring home…we were spoiled for choice here.
Making dinner for the Wordens…san diego inspired fajitas with fresh guatamole, yum!

Erin in Ireland

jessicablair — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 12:34:46 +0000

My beautiful cousin Erin, from sunny San Diego, just arrived in Ireland yesterday and will be here for another 10 days. Last night we enjoyed night of stopping in to a few pubs, listening to good traditional music, and meeting locals. We are renting a car tomorrow and heading north, hoping to see much of the northwestern part of the country while she is here. I’ll keep you posting on our time together

After Erin leaves, and before returning to the states, I’m going to spend two weeks working at a hostel in Wicklow. Check them out (http://wicklowhostel.wordpress.com/about/). They are located in a beautiful part of the country and are focused on building an environmentally-friendly, sustainable hostel. Awesome stuff. I’m really looking forward to it. Found out about it through an amazing organization, WWOOF (http://www.wwoof.ie/), World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms, with tons of great opportunity all over the world to live, work, and learn about sustainable living/farming/building. Great stuff.

Take care & love!

Natalie & her sunshine

jessicablair — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 12:20:08 +0000

Natalie brought the sunshine from her sunny home of San Diego, CA. Nat spent an amazing week in Ireland and it was the best weather of the year!

Natalie and I have known each other longer than we haven’t known eachother. We met when we were 9,while my neighbor Wes and I were riding bikes down the street. We have been the best of friends ever since then. She is incredibly smart, kind, and always up for a new adventure. She geniuely loves to travel and experience new cultures. We have seen and supported eachother through many, many seasons and stages of life. I hope and pray the best is yet to come.

Here are some of the highlights from her time here…

One of the best surprises with Nat’s visit is that my cousin Ciarán decided at the last minute to join us on our roadtrip through Ireland. We had planned to rent a car (I was ready to conquer the left-side of the road!) but fortunately, Ciarán stepped in as our lovely driver. We had an amazing week together!
A lot of what we saw was new to Ciaran too, as most of us don’t explore our own country enough, so it was wonderful having him along.
We had no idea where we were heading for Wednesday and Thursday, but it worked out so wonderfully that way.
We saw, and appreciated, 3 nights of sunsets in 3 unique places (Dingle penisula, Doolin, and Galway Bay).
Listening to music in the car, especially exposing Nat to traditional Irish pub songs. Ciarán had many bands that we had never head of. Best new song I heard was, Ireland Call, a song played before all the rugby matches. Ciarán said that I officially answered Ireland’s call.
Laughing, a lot. In the car. On walks. At pubs. Always laughing.
Learning Gaelic expressions from Ciarán, who took his entire secondary school curriculm in Gaelic. And wow, he was patient with us. Now, we successfully know how to count to 10, say “thank you”, “how are you”, “good bye”, and ”welcome”.
Asking eachother a lot about American & Irish culture.
Pulling over in random places on the side of the road for incredible views.
Hanging out at a Windsurfing competition, meeting and having dinner with loads of windsurfers, and sitting out on the beach in Galway.

This was the route we took..Dublin to Wicklow Mountains, stopping in Glendalough, spending the night in Cork, driving part of the ring of Kerry, through the town of Kenmare (adorable!), driving the Dingle Peninsula, spending the night in Dingle, driving north to Doolin, spending the night in Galway and Salthill, then back home to Dundalk. Quite a loop of the south part of the country!

Here are some of the best photos from our trip…

Spending time in County Louth.

jessicablair — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 22:34:51 +0000

I had a little break from US visitors so had a wonderful, laidback week spending time in the area. Some of the higlights were spending the day with my cousin Glen at a local beach (he windsurfed while I took a walk & photos), taking a walk with my cousin Rita and meeting her 94 yr old friend (who shared adorable stories about growing up in the area, meeting he husband while riding bikes, and marrying him 6 weeks later), chatting with Rita’s friend Maya and learning about her family, and spending the weekend with my cousins Marian & John who have 2 children (Daniel, Colin, and Lauren) who live near a local beach in a much more rural part of the county.

It was especially fun getting to spend time with Colin, Colin’s girlfriend Fiona, Daniel, Daniel’s new wife Ashling, and Lauren. It was also special to attend a mass & dinner with them. Marian’s brother, Niell, passed away unexpectedly 7 years ago, and every year since then Niell’s family hosts a mass and dinner in the backyard of their home. Its incredibly powerful and beautiful to be in a home filled with friends and family connected to one man, to celebrate his life, and the impact it had on their lives. I was honored to be there.

Here are a few photos from a week spending time in the area…

NASA mission cont.

jessicablair — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 20:30:50 +0000

A few more photos from Casey’s visit…

Craft & Art Gallery in Kilkenny

Awesome bidge over the Liffey in Dublin

River Liffey in Dublin

Lovely street light in Dublin

Fitzpatrick's Pub

Knowth

At Knowth, another popular passage tomb near Newgrange

At Knowth

Showing off

Walking tour to Newgrange Ancient carving at Newgrange

Casey taking photos at the Newgrange site

Carlingford

At Carlingford

View from the Log Cabing porch

View from the porch

Outside Kathine's Log Cabin home, its adorable, one of a kind in the area. She had it shipped from Estonia and built on site, pretty neat.

Kathine is a professional boxer, so we all took turns attempting to do a chin up, I needed alot of help. Casey, because I love you, I won't post your attempt.

Inside the Log Cabin home, warm by the fire.

NASA special mission to Ireland.

jessicablair — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 23:50:29 +0000

Casey, one of my amazing girlfriend from GT, came to visit Ireland! She was here for a little visit, just under a week, but it was awesome

We spent the week checking out Dublin, visiting Athlone where we had dinner with some GT alums who work at GT’s international research lab, spent the evening in Kilkenny (a great medieval town with tons of great places for dining & nightlife), catching up and chating on trains & buses, spending time in Dundalk, seeing a dog race (and winning 20euro!), walking in the rain with sweet folks from Liverpool, meeting Barney, lots of tea, learning new irish phrases (Casey’s favorite was “dodgey” aka sketchy or shady…so that would make us a couple of dodgey-pi’s ), meeting cousins (wow, she was a trooper, she started to wonder if everyone in Ireland was my cousin), having a drink in the Temple Bar in Temple Bar with my awesome cousin Ciaran, visiting Newgrange (a burial ground/tomb that is older than the pyramids, perfectly aligned with the stars), spending the day with Siobhan & Glen (they loved her and her amazing stories about NASA), having a spot of tea at Fitzpatricks pub, seeing Carlingford (the most beautiful little fishing village north of Dundalk), visiting Kathrine’s (Siobhan & Glen’s beautiful friend) log cabin home….plenty of good craic! Casey was a wonderful travelor given her short, and a little landlocked, visit but she is already planning her return to Ireland. She will be missed over here, she could not be more comfortabe or enjoyable to be around, so thankful for her friendship and visit!

Here are some photo highlights…

Only in Ireland.

jessicablair — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 22:32:05 +0000

Hill-walking is very popular here. There are tons of groups you can join to go on monthly walks through the scenic countryside. One of my cousins, Rita, loves hill-walking. She has so much energy and passion for the outdoors, she is always recruiting new hillwalkers, so I joined in.

One saturday last weekend, she invited me on taking me on a walk in Northern Ireland, near the village of Mullaghbawn, which is not too far from Dundalk. She had visited it weeks before and was admiring a wee (:)) cottage along the road when she was invited in by the owner. She spoke about how lovely the old home was and how gracious the wee old owner was to welcome them in, fixed them tea, threw another log on the fire. She raved about how beautifully furnished it was, and insisted I see it. She told the owner that she had an ”American relation” coming to visit and wanted to show his wee cottage to me if that was okay….he said come on by, so we did!

Barney, the owner, was luckily home when we arrived for our walk and welcomed us in. Barney is the classic example of a sweet, rough, old Irish man who is smoking, drinking tea, and telling stories. They really exist. He put on tea and we sat around the table as he told stories about how his whole family, parents and grandparents, were reared (raised) in the cottage. I could not get over his generosity, as he offered us tea, cookies, and candy bars from his lovely little kitchen. He told plenty of jokes and filled us in on the area. His home is in superb condition, especially since parts of it are 120+ years old. It’s beautiful, just out of a postcard (you can see for yourself below!).

As we were leaving for the walk, Barney suggested to Rita that he take the “wee American girl” for a ride on his quad (4-wheeler) through the mountains. Rita insisted I jump on the back. After a couple nudges, I got on. It was awesome! We rode along an overgrown path through acres of farmland, which is now only used for a couple horses, to see amazing views below. I held on to the belly of Barney as drove the quad, smoked, and told me loads of stories about the area. Unforgettable. After going through the fields, we drove along the rode to catch up with Rita and her crew. Along the way, we stopped and chatted with each family or couple passing us on the road, and humorously tried to explain how I knew Barney. Barney explain how in Ireland, you got to stop and chat, or they’ll think you’re crazy. Love it. Rita was glad, and relieved, to see me smiling ear to ear and laughing along as we returned.

Once in a lifetime. Only in Ireland.

Cowgirls in Ireland

jessicablair — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 08:29:27 +0000

Had a great afternoon & dinner with my grandmother’s sister, Eileen, and Eileen’s daughters and grandchildren. Best part was putting on some cowgirl hats from her granddaughter’s recent “hen party,” aka bachlorette party