Finding the Craic…and Then Not (Ireland 2 of 2)

Carla and I arrived early at the Arlington Hotel, Temple Bar, where we had purchased tickets to Celtic Nights, a dinner with both Irish folk music and modern dancing (featuring World Champion Irish dancers, many of whom have toured internationally with Riverdance and Lord of the Dance troupes). We arrived for dinner one hour prior to the performances, where we ate more traditional Irish food and matched it with a few glasses of Jamison and ginger ale (we were obligated to, since we never made it to the Jamison Distillery). The crowd slowly trickled in and we befriended an older married couple from Alabama (who sat to our left) and two older women from Manitoba, Canada (who sat on our right). A third of the room was filled with a bachelorette party of about 30 women (age 18-70 dressed in somewhat provactive boarding school uniforms) and 1 gay male (dressed as an old school primary teacher), who were definitely the life of the party for most of the night. The performances started with an Irish folk band playing traditional Irish songs (mostly requests from the crowd). The music was lively and upbeat; though unfortunately, we didn’t know the words to the songs and they had somewhat thick accents, which made it difficult to make out what they were saying all the time. The group would crack jokes between songs and just had great stage presence in general. The group played for around an hour before the Irish Dancing started.

The Bachelorette Party at the Arlington Hotel

The Irish Folk Band at the Arlington Hotel

The dancers looked really young, but were extremely talented (not quite sure how their feet moved as fast as they did). In addition, apparently one of the male dancers gave Irish dance lessons to the bachelorette party earlier in the day, so they screamed his name when he came out (though apparently him being there was a coincidence, because they didn’t know he was a dancer in this particular show). Towards the end of their performance, they asked for volunteers (two men and two women) from the audience to come up on stage. They grabbed the “Bride to Be,” as well as the gay best friend for two of the dancers. Carla and I were then volunteered by the older couples sitting around us, so we obliged. It was a lot of fun, though we pretty much just went on stage and tried our best to mimic what they were doing (brought back some memories of doing an Irish jig for St. Patrick’s Day on the Bonnie Hunt show). When the dancing was done, the folk band came back on stage for about another hour or so (including Molly Malone, which I actually recognized…apparently it is the unofficial anthem of Dublin City). When it was over, Carla and I ran to hop on the last SAS shuttle going back to the ship at 11:30pm.

The Professionals

Carla and the Bride to Be Dancing 

Myself and the Gay Best Friend Trying to Keep Up

On the way back to the ship, Carla and I passed by lively streets as well as an Octoberfest (in September…okay) festival and decided we weren’t in the mood to be done with the night just yet…especially since we felt like dancing after the show. We got back, threw our bags in our cabins, and headed back out at midnight. We were lucky and didn’t have to walk the 30-minutes to the city center, as a taxi came to drop students off at the ship right when we left, so we hopped in and asked the driver to take us to Octoberfest. Unfortunately, Octoberfest was only going till 12:30am, so we couldn’t get in; however, this didn’t stop us from dancing on the sidewalk outside the ticket area to “The Time of My Life” (Dirty Dancing) and a medley from Grease (guess no traditional Irish music at Octoberfest). We continued on to the Temple Bar area and tried a few pubs with live Irish music, but they were jam packed with people, so Carla and I kept moving. We decided to make our way back to the Arlington Hotel, where we knew live music had continued after the Celtic Nights performances. This turned out to be a good life choice.

When we walked in, the place was almost empty, except for the bachelorette party, which was still going strong (the entire group) and dancing to the live Irish music. We struck up a conversation with the “Chief Bridesmaid,” Linda, who remembered Carla and I as the other two Irish dancers that went on stage. We learned the group was half Irish and half English and the “Bride to Be,” Emma, is Irish, but works as a 2nd grade teacher in England (hence the group’s outfit choice). Linda is Emma’s younger sister and works as a dental hygienist in Perth, Australia. In addition, the wedding is set for April 2014 and the groom is an Englishman. The wedding site is in Wales, because I assume an English-Irish wedding has to be at a neutral site (I kid). Anyways…more information than you needed to know, but this group accepted two Americans with open arms and we ended up closing down the Arlington Hotel pub at 1am with them. I was impressed that everyone in their group stayed till close (even the grandmothers/older women). We then traveled with the younger crowd, who were staying out, to Fitzsimons Temple Bar (which is a pub/club with 5 floors, 4 bars, 3 DJs, 2 live bands, and a partridge in a pair tree). At 3:30am, Carla and I decided we needed to part ways and get some sleep, so we wished Emma the best, said our goodbyes, and taxied it back to the ship. I didn’t get to bed till 4am and set my alarm for…7:45am, so it was more like a power nap than sleep. 

Carla & I with Emma at Fitzsimons Temple Bar

Before I knew it, my alarm was going off and I was heading out on the Galway Day Tour: The Land & Sea (or more accurately titled, “Bus”). This tour would go from 8:30am till 10:00pm, since we were going from the east coast to the west coast and back…all in one day. A car ride (according to Google) from Dublin, Ireland to Galway is supposedly a little over 2 hours. In addition, a ride from Galway to the Cliffs of Moher (one of our destinations) is supposedly 1 hour. Thus, one would assume our total driving time would be close to 6 hours (to get there and back in one day).

Our guide, per usual, was extremely knowledgeable about all things Ireland. He explained a phrase “finding the craic” to us. Craic (kræk or “crack”) is a term for gossip, fun, entertainment, and enjoyable conversation; particularly in Ireland. Thus, “finding the craic” is translated to “finding the fun.” Carla and I definitely did this the night before and hoped this day would be more of the same!

It turns out this field program was going to make additional stops at various places where turloughs are located. Turloughs are a unique type of disappearing lake, found mostly in limestone areas of Ireland. They essentially are underwater caves that have formed allowing groundwater to drain to the sea (under the earth) and can be flooded at any time of the year (mainly in the autumn) making substantial sized lakes with just a few hours of rain. The bus stopped at three locations to show us this: Loughrea, Coole Park, and Gort. This was interesting, but honestly, these locations looked like anywhere in the US where a small lake is in the middle of a wooded area…not too exciting.

We stopped in Coole Park for lunch, which was tasty (yet rushed). In the early 20th century, Coole Park was the center of the Irish Literary Revival. We saw the Autograph Tree, where poet Willaim Butler Yeats (along with George Bernard Shaw and other prominent writers) carved their initials in an old beech tree that is still standing. We then got back on the bus and headed to the Cliffs of Moher.

I hesitate to say this field program was a complete waste, because I did get to see the Cliffs of Moher. The cliffs are located in the southwest of Ireland and rise between 390ft. to 702ft. above the Atlantic Ocean. Around one million visitors a year come to take in the amazing view and the Cliffs of Moher have appeared in a number of films, included The Princess Bride, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, and Leap Year. Talking with our guide, the weather isn’t usually good and sometimes the cliffs are entirely shrouded by clouds or fog. Luckily, the weather was absolutely perfect for our visit as the sun was out (with a few clouds), which meant we had a clear view of the entire area!

 The Cliffs of Moher

The Cliffs of Moher were incredible, but that being said, our group was only given 45 minutes to explore the area, before we had to board the bus once again and make our way to Galway for dinner. After close to a two hour drive back to Galway, we exited the bus, walked straight into a restaurant, ate another delicious meal, and went straight back on the bus for the return trip to Dublin (where we got back at midnight, two hours later than planned). 

More often than not, I’ve found SAS field programs are pretty good. Although they are a bit more expensive than doing things on your own, the convenience of things usually makes up for it. However, this was definitely not the case as this trip was almost a complete bust. In summary, we spent a total of 10 hours riding on a bus (though parts of the Irish landscape were beautiful), had 45-minutes at the Cliffs of Moher, and got off/on the bus in Galway for dinner (without seeing any of the city itself). I definitely wish I would have done this trip on my own, but hindsight is 100%...guess I’ll just have to move on and (obviously) come back to Ireland again in the future!

The icing on the cake for this trip being a bust is the fact that the All-Ireland Football (also known as Gaelic Football) Final was taking place that same day at 3pm…in Dublin!! The Final was being played at Croke Park, the largest stadium venue in Ireland (and 4th largest in Europe), holding 82,300. This Final is equivalent to the Super Bowl in the US (and I’m obviously a fan of all things sports related). To prove my point, an audience of 1.5 million watched the Final live (74% of people watching television in Ireland at the time) and single tickets for the match were being sold for more than €500. To make it even more exciting, Dublin’s team was IN the Finals against Mayo (also seen as “Maigh-Eo”, a team who hadn’t won a title since 1951…sounds like Cleveland), so the city was going crazy the few days leading up to the match. Now I don’t know all the rules and didn’t watch the game, but when the match was over, Dublin defeated Mayo by a single point (the scoreline was: Dublin 2-12, Mayo 1-14; which I want to say is 18-17 in regular scoring). The city was going crazy, people were partying in the streets…and I was on a bus in the middle of Ireland surrounded by SAS participants.

The View of Croke Park from the MV Explorer

Day 4 and my final day in Ireland consisted of me being on-call and stuck on the ship, so nothing exciting…actually pretty similar to Day 3 (minus the cliffs). I slept in then watched the award winning 2009 film Five Minutes of Heaven (with Liam Neeson) on the shipboard television. The film is based on a true story and was pretty captivating all around (Liam Neeson was great in it, per usual). Afterwards, the students returned to the ship and we embarked from Dublin the next morning.

Dublin was a fantastic port city and one of my favorites thus far. There’s plenty in the Emerald Isle I didn’t get to see, so I will definitely be returning. Some sights I missed included: the Blarney Stone, Belfast/Northern Ireland, the Kilmainham Goal/Jail (which is in Dublin…I just didn’t have time to visit), the Giants Causeway, and then spend more time at the Cliffs of Moher, and plenty additional places I’m sure.

Off to Lisbon, Portugal! 

PS: Go Tribe!!

"Every day is a chance to start over. Any day can be bad, surely, but any day can be good, can be great, and that promise, that potential, is a beautiful thing indeed."

Free in Dublin (Ireland 1 of 2)

The MV Explorer pulled into the Port of Dublin early in the morning of September 20th. Where the ship was docked wasn’t the best of locations as we were in a shipping area and not close to the city center (a 30-minute walk). SAS provided shuttles directly from the gangway of the ship to the city center, which was nice. I was the secondary on-call and had to be back at the ship by 2000, so as soon as the ship was cleared, I was out the door and on the shuttle bus to the city.

One of the first sights we passed was the Samuel Beckett Bridge. At first I thought it was just a unique design for a bridge, However, it turns out the harp (or stringed argent: a golden harp with silver strings on a blue background) is the coat of arms of Ireland. Reference to them as being the arms of the King of Ireland can be found dating back to the 13th century. In addition, the harp was adopted as the emblem of the Irish Free State when it was separated from the United Kingdom in 1922. So…a little more than a unique looking bridge, this is a symbol of Ireland, right over the River Liffey.

The Samuel Beckett Bridge

The first stop of the day was at Trinity College. Founded in 1592, Trinity College is the oldest university in Ireland. It just so happened to be Freshman Orientation Weekend, so we walked in to find students tabling for the various activities/clubs all over the quad (side note: apparently Jack Gleeson, the actor who plays Joffrey Baratheon in the HBO series Game of Thrones, attends Trinity College and was out tabling for different clubs just like any other college student would be doing. This apparently happened in the afternoon, as some of the students in my “sea” got pictures with him). After walking the grounds, we decided to make our way to the big attraction at Trinity College, the Library (no…seriously), which is a legal deposit library for Ireland and the UK and is regarded as one of the world’s greatest research libraries. It contains over 4.5 million printed volumes and significant quantities of manuscripts, including the Book of Kells. The Book of Kells is a lavishly decorated copy (in Latin) of the four Gospels of the New Testament. It was created by Celtic monks around 800AD and is a masterwork of calligraphy and regarded as Ireland’s finest national treasure. The second floor of the library is the main chamber (65 meters in length) and houses 200,000+ books (just think…soon these can all just be placed on one kindle/nook) and has 24 marble busts down both sides of the room (48 total) of prominent intellectuals throughout history (ie: Socrates, Homer, Shakespeare, Isaac Newton, etc.). In addition, the main chamber isn’t just for show, as Trinity students can request the use of manuscripts and they are retrieved two times per day.

Student Organizations Tabling at Trinity College

The Main Chamber of the Trinity Library

After wandering through the Temple Bar area, we found a pub for lunch, Porterhouse, which is the oldest microbrewery in Dublin. The traditional food (Irish stew) was great and the selection of beers was good (did a taster). I couldn’t try one of their signature beers, the Oyster Stout (made on the premises with real oysters), but the others who drank it enjoyed it.

Porterhouse Taster

After fueling up for the afternoon, we headed to Saint Patrick’s Cathedral…it’s actually a requirement if you visit Dublin, Ireland. St. Patrick is said to have baptized converts to Christianity at a well that once existed in the park alongside the Cathedral, and because of this, a church has stood here since the 5th century. St. Patrick was actually taken, at the age of 16, and brought as a slave to Ireland, where he lived for six years before escaping and returning to his family. He returned after becoming a cleric to spread Christianity in Ireland (so maybe he is actually the person most responsible for the battle between Protestants and Catholics, but I digress). St. Patrick’s Day (which apparently the Irish celebrate fervently…I checked with various Irish citizens) is the date of St. Patrick’s death, March 17th. The cathedral had beautiful stained glass windows and the baptistry was stunning with its medieval tiles. Afterwards, we hung out in the park alongside the church briefly before continuing to walk around the city.

Saint Patricks' Cathedral - Baptistry

Saint Patrick (well...a statue)

Our group started heading back towards the city center; however, we noticed on the map there was a National Leprechaun Museum in Dublin, so naturally we were required to stop. Unfortunately, by the time we arrived, it was sold out for the rest of the day. The pamphlet stated, “Come explore Irish folklore, legends, mythology, and storytelling through our unique interactive experience.” This reminded me a little too much of the black light theater in Prague, so maybe it was best we couldn’t get tickets. I broke off from the group to return to the ship and figured I’d see a few more sights. I walked past the Spire of Dublin (or the Monument of Light), which is a 398-foot high steel pin-like monument and by far the tallest structure in the city. Truth be told, I’m not exactly sure why it was built (something about bridging art and technology), but at €4 million…I’m not sure it was needed (just my opinion). I walked past some more notable sights including the Ha’penny Bridge (pedestrian bridge built in 1816 over the River Liffey), the Custom House, The Dublin Convention Center, O2 Arena (largest indoor venue in Ireland), the Christ Church Cathedral, the Four Courts (justice building), and City Hall.

Foreground: Sir John Gray Statue (proprietor of the Freeman's Journal newspaper)

Background: The Spire of Dublin (it's much larger than it looks in this picture)

I made it back to the ship just as everyone else was heading out. It was “Culture Night” in the city, which meant everything (tours/entrance to museums and various sites) was open late and free of charge. I couldn’t take advantage, but apparently everything was packed with people anyways, so I didn’t feel like I missed out too much. Another RD, Carla, was on-call with me, so we planned to explore the city together during our second day in Dublin. Luckily it was a quiet night on-call, so I was able to get a good night’s sleep!

After sleeping in, and having to wait an extra hour while the crew was doing a mandatory drill, Carla and I left the ship at 11am. Carla had been stuck on the ship the entire first day, so we planned to hit the few spots I had already seen. We started with Trinity College, then moved on to the Dublin Castle, where the tour group leaving in 10 minutes had just filled up. We were talking and discussing how we didn’t really care to wait 40 minutes for another tour and were about to leave, when the tour guide told us she had room for two more. Score…we purchased tickets, though we weren’t really sure what to expect. The tour was awesome and the guide had some great stories. One of my favorites involved Queen Victoria in the Throne Room of the Dublin Castle. The throne was originally made for a visit from King George IV of England, who was a large man (the throne was still ridiculously big…unless he was 7ft. tall and weighed 400lbs…which he wasn’t). When Queen Victoria ruled, she visited Dublin and attempted to get on the gigantic throne. Her majesty failed to get up onto the seat, so her attendants rushed to her aid and hoisted Queen Victoria up. On the next visit to the throne room, there was a matching footstool added and the legs of the throne had been shortened (I imagine Queen Victoria saying, “Off with its feet!”...but that's just me).

Dublin Castle's Throne (with shortened legs) & Footstool

Oh...what's up Earl Grey? Thanks for the tea!

One more story: Lady Justice, the Roman goddess of Justice, is an allegorical personification of the moral force in judicial systems. The Lady Justice statue on the exterior of the Dublin Castle was erected in 1751 by the British Authorities, though it betrays many characteristics of Lady Justice. 1) Lady Justice is supposed to be blindfolded, showing she is blind to discrimination…she wasn’t. 2) Lady Justice’s scales are supposed to be in balance (innocent until proven guilty)…they weren’t (and the scales actually leaned to the side where the Dublin’s Tax Office was situated). 3) Lady Justice’s Sword is supposed to be pointed down, but is instead held proactively upright. 4) Lady Justice (all over the world) faces out from government buildings, in reference to her looking out over the city and its citizens. In Dublin, she faces into the courtyard of the castle, essentially turning her back on the people of Dublin. I’m sure this was all just coincidental, as the British Authorities couldn’t possibly have been trying to intentionally snide the Irish…right? Exactly.

Carla & I with Lady Justice

(prior to our tour and finding out the injustice of this statue)

The rest of the tour of Dublin Castle was fantastic as we saw the Inauguration Room, where the President of Ireland gets sworn in; the ruins of the original city walls; and heard other interesting stories, including the day Ireland gained independence and the fact that when Queen Elizabeth visited Dublin in 2011, it was the first time a member of the British Royal Family set foot in the city since 1911 (and after Ireland gained independence in 1922). Not sure if this is because the British were bitter or the Irish weren’t welcoming…I could see it both ways.

Dublin Castle: The Inauguration Room

Next, we headed back to St. Patrick’s Cathedral and while Carla checked it out, I relaxed at the park right next to it. We then made our way to the Guinness Storehouse, the #1 tourist attraction in Dublin. The Storehouse was a fermentation plant from 1904-1988 and has been turned into a visitor experience dedicated to the history and making of Guinness beer (a brand over 250 years old!). In 1759, Arthur Guinness signed a 9000-year lease on a 4-acre brewery at St. James’s Gate. It now occupies over 50 acres and produces 3 million pints of Guinness each day. Clearly Arthur knew this was going to be a long-term investment. But still…a 9000-year lease sounds pretty crazy…though I wonder what’s going to happen in 2659 when the lease runs out. 

Saint Patrick's Cathedral & Park

Both Carla and I have done numerous brewery tours, so I think our expectations were pretty minimal for the Guinness Storehouse…just checking it off our list of things to do in Dublin, nothing more. After going, I would tell everyone to visit and spend some time there! It was 7 floors of information presented with the thought of multiples intelligences for learning. There were videos, information you could read, numerous interactive components, “Harry Potter” type portraits that would come to life when you walked near them, an ingredient experience room, and of course tasting rooms. This included the Gravity Bar (where you get a free pint) on the top floor, which offered a great 360-degree view of the city. They also showed their advertising throughout the years. This included caricatures of a hapless zookeeper trying to control various animals (toucan, seal, alligator, giraffe, and more) with the quote “My Goodness, My Guinness.” In addition, they showed some old/new commercials. One of their new commercials titled “Made of More” was fantastic!

On our way to the Guinness Storehouse

My Goodness, My Guinness (Oh...and Carla's)

View from the Gravity Bar 

(you can see the great height of the Spire of Dublin in this photo) 

Carla and I stayed in the Gravity Bar until closing time. We then made our way to the Arlington Hotel for dinner and a show!


"There is a place within each of us where we cannot hide from the truth, where virtue sits as judge. To admit the truth of our actions is to go before that court, where process is irrelevant. Good and evil are intents, and intent is without excuse."

Tour de Globe: Stage 4 (France)

Bonjour! The shipboard community had the option to travel with the MV Explorer from Antwerp, Belgium to Le Havre, France (a total of 272 miles) or to travel “overland” to Le Havre. Thus when we ported in Antwerp, the only restriction for participants was that everyone had to be back for “on ship time” in Le Havre in 5 days. This allowed many people to travel through Belgium, to Amsterdam, or to Paris for an extended period of time. I have already been to Paris and Normandy (though I’d gladly go back to both), so I wasn’t trying to cram a ton into this port city. In addition, I decided to travel on the ship because I was doing a Field Program in the morning after immediately getting to Le Havre.

After porting in Le Havre, the ship was cleared at 8am and I headed out for the Field Program, a trip to Mont Saint-Michel. My desire to travel to this destination was two-fold. First, over the years I have seen pictures of Mont Saint-Michel and thought it would be an interesting place to visit. In addition, I was watching the Tour de France this year (shocking, I know) and stage 11’s Individual Time Trial route took riders 54km from Avranches, finishing at Mont Saint-Michel. Seeing Mont Saint-Michel on television was awesome and I once again thought it would be an amazing place to visit. Low and behold, two days later I was looking at the various field programs offered by SAS in Le Havre, France when I spotted the picture icon of Mont Saint-Michel on the page. Done…that’s it…I was going (before reading the date/time). As it turns out, I was actually the RD On-Call the day the trip was being offered, but immediately switched (giving up a half day in Cuba) with another RD.  

 Looks like Chris Froom & Andy Schleck left their bikes at Mont Saint-Michel

We had a 2.5-hour bus ride before getting to our destination, during which our tour guide chatted about everything you’d ever want to know about France and Mont Saint-Michel. She also mentioned it was Heritage Day in France, which is scheduled each year for the third weekend of September. Thus, every museum and historical site was open and free to the public, which probably added to the mass numbers visiting Mont Saint-Michel (side note: 3 million people visit Mont Saint-Michel each year).

History Nerd Time: Mont Saint-Michel was founded in 708 when Bishop Aubert of Avranches had a sanctuary built on Mont-Tombe in honor of the Archangel Michel. Saint Michael, head of the heavenly militia, was of great importance to Medieval religious sensibility, as he was the one who led away the dead and put their souls in the balance on the day of the last judgment. Because of this, Saint Michel is often depicted holding a sword and a set of scales. In the 10th century, Benedictines came to the abbey and a village grew up below its walls. During the Hundred Years War (a series of conflicts from 1337 to 1453 between the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of France for control of the French throne), Mont Saint-Michel served as an impregnable stronghold, which resisted all the English assaults. Because of this the Mont became a symbol of national identity and caused Mont Saint-Michel to be a place of pilgrimage for many. In addition, the structure was a political prison until 1863, classified as a historic monument in 1874, and was listed as a World Heritage Site (a place of special cultural or physical significance) by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization) in 1979.

With about 15 minutes to go, we had this impressive view out our bus window:

Mont Saint-Michel really is the only thing around the area and it instantly reminded me of the city of Minas Tirith in the Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (it also reminded me of Hogwarts from Harry Potter as well, but not as much). The structure was previously connected to the mainland via a tidal causeway (a trackway covered at high tide and revealed at low tide). This area also has the 3rd highest tidal range in the world as the tides can vary greatly, at roughly 46 feet between high and low tide. I was visiting at low tide, so the Abbey didn’t appear as an island, which would have been neat to see. Because of this, people are able to walk on the sand around the Abbey to other mounds or to the neighboring coasts. I’m sure doing this offers nice photos of Mont Saint-Michel; however, I don’t know if there’s a bad place to take a picture of it either.

Our group did a walking tour of Mont Saint-Michel and I didn’t really know what to expect inside the walls. As mentioned earlier, a village had been built up around the base throughout the years, which has now been turned into restaurants (about 25), hotels, and gift shops. As we were walking past the various levels making our way higher and higher, I couldn’t help but think of the city of Minas Tirith again (yes…I’m a nerd in many ways). My travels through Mont Saint-Michel were almost exactly like the scene where Gandalf and Merry are riding through level after level of Minas Tirith, climbing higher and higher till they reached the Citadel of Minas Tirith at the top.

 Models of Mont Saint-Michel (above) and Minas Tirith (below)

In Mont Saint-Michel, the Abbey Church, situated at the top, stands on crypts that create a platform designed to take the weight of a church 80m long. Our group was led through various rooms in the Abbey and my mind couldn’t steer clear from Lord of the Rings (or Game of Thrones or Harry Potter). For example the Great Pillared Crypt definitely reminded me of the Dwarf-City of Dwarrowdelf in the Fellowship of the Ring. The views from the Abbey were nice, but there isn’t much of anything around to actually view (the areas is all about the Abbey).

 

Great Pillared Crypt (above) and the Cloister (an open gallery near the top of Mont Saint-Michel, providing communications between buildings and was a place of praryer and meditation. 

After the extremely detailed tour through Mont Saint-Michel, we were given free time to wander around alone and to grab a bite to eat. Being in France, I naturally found a place with crepes and croissants (both were staples for my diet in France). I also took a ton of pictures of Mont Saint-Michel during this free time:

 Before leaving, we learned about the effects of erosion on Mont Saint-Michel and the engineering challenge to replace the causeway with a bridge. In 2006, the French Prime Minister announced a €164 million project to build a hydraulic dam using the waters of the river Couesnon and of the tides to help remove the accumulated silt deposited by the rising tides, and to make Mont Saint-Michel an island again. The construction began in 2009 and was scheduled to be completed in 2015. However, the construction is now complete (so a much better time estimate than Hamburg’s Elbe Philharmonic Hall). When finished with the view of the dam, we hopped back on the bus for the long ride back to the MV Explorer, where I was the RD On-Call again. Luck was on my side though, as it was yet another quiet night!

I woke up the next morning and went off to explore Le Havre with a few others. Le Havre is an urban French commune and the second largest port city in France (behind Marseille). This being said…there really isn’t too much going on in Le Havre. So much so that when other travelers on our ship explained to French citizens where the ship was docked, the French apologized (and probably surrendered…I’m kidding). The ship was docked about a 20-minute walk from the city center, but as soon as we started walking, it started to downpour. We ran for cover, called for a taxi, and made it into the city just as the sun started coming out again. The weather couldn’t make up its mind all day as we kept getting sporadic showers followed by clear skies and sun. 

I started the day in the non-exciting port city by finding a mall and going “shopping” for a much-needed 2nd pair of jeans. Per usual, my “shopping” lasted 15 minutes and I was done. Alison and Carla took a little more time (Alison loves shopping…apparently she’s been to a mall in each city we’ve traveled to) before we went and grabbed lunch (sandwiches on fresh French baguettes…can’t beat it) and sat outside the Hotel de Ville and the Le Havre City Hall. We continued our tour of the city by walking on the cold and windy beach, stopping by Saint Joseph’s Church (a Roman Catholic church built in 1951 as part of the reconstruction of the town of Le Havre, which was almost entirely destroyed during WWII. The tower is 107 meter tall and acts as a beacon visible from sea and a memorial to the five thousand civilians who died in the conflict), grabbing some pastries, and walking back to the ship.

At the beach in Le Havre, France

Saint Joseph's Church in Le Havre, France

The remainder of our time in Le Havre could have been better. Embarkation was rough as students, with apparently nothing to do in Le Havre, chose to drink large quantities of French wine, prior to getting back (or trying to get back) on the ship. This caused some issues on the gangway, which the staff had to deal with. In addition, the MV Explorer sat in Le Havre for 1.5 days before leaving for Dublin, Ireland. Now the reason for this is due to the fact that students HAVE to have class days on the ship. Because our European countries/ports are so close to one another, this hasn’t allowed students much time for “At Sea” or “In Class” days. Finally, one of the RDs, Carla, stayed in Le Havre for an extra couple of days for a student medical issue (which turned out to be nothing) and had to fly to Dublin to meet up with the ship.

If Le Havre wasn’t a “gateway” to Paris, I don’t think SAS would return to this location (given the feedback I’ve heard). In fact, our Executive Dean spoke to the students at a Pre-Port meeting for Dublin & Ireland and stated, “Le Havre…they [the French] can Le Have it.” However, docking so close to Paris is a huge benefit (only about 2 hours by train) and no one really needs to stay in Le Havre, so I think future voyages will port here as well (just checked and the Fall 2014 voyage will be returning to Le Havre).

Au Revoir till the Emerald Isle!

"Hindsight, I think, is a useless tool. We, each of us, are at a place in our lives because of innumerable circumstances, and we, each of us, have a responsibility (if we do not like where we are) to move along life's road, to find a better path if this one does not suit, or to walk happily along this one if it is indeed our life's way. Changing even the bad things that have gone before would fundamentally change who we are, and whether or not that would be a good thing, I believe, it is impossible to predict. So I take my past experiences...and try to regret nothing."

A Fairytale Place (Belgium 2 of 2)

My 2^nd day in Belgium took me on a SAS Field Program to Bruges. This was a day-trip to an exquisitely preserved medieval town, which would bring us back to Antwerp by 8pm. I would have loved to have spent a night in Bruges, but this timeframe actually worked well for me, because I was on call in the evening and had to be back at the ship by 8pm. Prior to getting on the bus, students were asking me if I knew where Bruges was and how long the bus ride would be. After navigating across Belgium the entire previous day (though a good deal was Brussels, which we failed at navigating smoothly), I thought I could give a somewhat accurate answer. I explained that Bruges was just west of Antwerp and guessed it would take less than one hour to get there. Clearly I underestimated a trip where a bus was involved compared with that of a car. The day before, Ashley and I drove across the country (I mean the ENTIRE country…and at a reasonable pace) in just over 2 hours. The trip to Bruges was less than half as long, yet still took 2+ hours to get to the destination. I’m assuming the students have now lost all faith in me when it comes to time estimations.

The tour guide spoke the entire time on the bus from Antwerp to Bruges, which was great. Unfortunately his voice was monotone, so about 10 minutes into the trip 85% of the passengers on the bus were asleep. He talked about almost everything you could think of when it comes to Belgium. For example he explained that Antwerp means “hand thrown.” Legend has it that a mean giant controlled the river traffic and demanded tolls from everyone passing over it. Those who refused to pay had one of their hands cut off. However, one day a young brave Roman soldier, named Silvius Brabo, managed to kill the giant. He cut the giant’s hand off and threw it in the Scheldt River, giving the city its name (see picture of the statue in the main square of Antwerp). In addition, although Bruges has a population of only 117,000; it is the most visited city in the country by a large margin with 2 million tourists visiting annually. Pretty impressive…and I wonder what the numbers were prior to the movie In Bruges (I’m guessing that’s only increased the numbers).

Statue of Silvius Brabo Defeating the Giant

When we arrived in Bruges, we started a 2.5-hour walking tour of the city. I immediately saw a Belgian chocolate shop (not surprising), but the town is ridiculous! We must have passed 30 chocolate shops on our walking tour (which only covered maybe 1/3 of the city). I find it hard to believe all these shops can stay in business. I must either be drastically underestimating the Bruges tourist industry…or maybe just the female population in Bruges in general (assumptions aside…women love chocolate). In addition, Belgium is also known for waffles (no kidding), lace (interesting), diamonds (it’s actually the Diamond Center of the World), and beer (though currently they only have one pub/microbrewery in Bruges), so our group passed various shops of these items as well.

Brugge is really just a quaint medieval town, which still has a 15^th century feel to it.

Quote from the movie In Bruges

Ken: “It is a fairytale place. It really is.”

Harry: “Mm. It’s just a shame it’s in Belgium, really. But then, you think, if it wasn’t in Belgium, if it was somewhere good, there’d be too many people coming to see it, it’d spoil the whole thing.”

Bruges...A Fariytale Place

We passed over canals and by houses made hundreds of years ago. We entered the town and saw the Church on the Beguinage in Bruges (Church of our Lady). This church dates back to the 13^th century and has a tower 122.3 meters in height (tallest in the city & second tallest brickwork tower in the world). The Beguines were a religious movement of single or widowed women who wanted to live in a pious way, but outside the walls of a convent or monastery (still in use today). We also passed many of the main tourist attractions including St. Saviour’s Cathedral, the Market Square (with its Guild houses), Provincial Palace, Belfry Tower, and Burg Square. During our walking tour, the group took a detour and went on a 30-minute canal boat cruise all around the city. Similar to our bus/walking tour guide, the guide on the canal boat told us many stories about Belgium and Bruges. One of which was about the approximately 140 swans in Bruges. Legend has it Pieter Lanchals (‘long neck”) was the right hand man of Maximilian I of Habsburg, who tried to seize power in Bruges. When Maximilian failed, he was imprisoned at the Market Square, where he was made to watch the torture & execution of his men, including Lanchals. On his release, Maximilian regained power and forced the city to keep swans in the canals for eternity because of their long necks in honor of Lanchals.

The Swans (in honor of Lanchals) of Bruges

When the tour concluded, we stopped at a local restaurant, Maximilian van Oostenrijk (Maximilian…not surprising) and had a wonderful 3-course meal with two rounds of drinks (no complaints) finished by a cup of tea (even better). We then had 2 hours of free time to do whatever we wanted in the city. I took advantage of this time frame by hustling back to the Market Square and immediately climbing the Belfry Tower. In every city I travel to, I tend to climb large buildings/towers in order to get an aerial view of the city. However…if I’m honest…the other reason I wanted to climb the tower was because they did so during the movie In Bruges. After climbing the 366 stairs in the narrow, steep staircase, I reached the top and took some nice pictures of the city.

 Narrow Staircase to the top of the Belfry Tower

The Belfry Tower

Views from the top of the Belfry Tower

Apparently Middleburg (Heights, OH?) is that way...didn't realize it was a big city for Belgium!

I did take the conventional approach to exiting the tower (as compared to Ken, Brendan Gleeson’s character, in In Bruges)…ie: walking back down the steps. Afterwards, I wandered around the square, grabbed a snack, took some pictures, and waited for everyone else at the meeting location, the Belfry Tower. As the deadline approached, we were supposed to meet just outside the Belfry Tower (an easy landmark in the city), but were short one. I wasn’t the Trip Liaison (though I did offer my assistance), though I didn’t feel as responsible when we couldn’t locate this individual after 20 minutes of searching. Identical to Hamburg’s, “Bar-ba-ra” story, this student, Erica, figured things out on her own and went back to meet everyone at the bus. After figuring this out, the bus headed back to Antwerp, where I was to be stuck on the ship the rest of the evening. It had been raining on/off all day, and this continued through the night, so it wasn’t too bad, as I watched Saving Private Ryan (on our cabin TVs) and called it a night.

After a completely quiet night on call, I turned in the walkie-talkie (yes, we have walkie-talkies) at 8am (on the dot) and immediately headed out to explore our port city of Antwerp. It was nice to get off the ship so early…the only problem was, it was apparently early for the city as well. Practically nothing opened till 10am…apparently Belgians like sleeping in. Although I couldn’t see a whole lot, this was nice as it felt like I was the only one in the city. However, I did feel rushed with my time in the city, as I had to be back for embarkation at 3pm. I visited the Rathaus (Town Hall), Grote Markt (Main Square), and the Cathédrale Notre-Dame before meeting up with a few friends who had later starts to the day. My time in Belgium was running out and I still had yet to 1) buy chocolate and 2) eat a waffle. Priorities.

Rathaus (Town Hall) in Antwerp

Luckily, I was in Belgium, where it isn’t’ too hard to remedy either of these. I ventured with Carla near the main square and found a chocolate shop (without any trouble…you could probably walk blindfolded through Antwerp/Belgium and you’d end up with 3lbs of chocolate regardless) followed by a recommended restaurant (or small café), to satisfy our craving for a Belgian waffle. The waffle was delicious and the hot chocolate we ordered with it was perfect for the rainy day (my mom (and others) would definitely have enjoyed the treats that came with it: shortbread, a cookie, and a cupcake)!

Carla & I Satisfying our Belgian Cravings

My 3.5 days in Belgium was fantastic! What makes it even more impressive is the fact that the weather was terrible (rainy and overcast…kind of reminded me of home) the entire time. The cities I visited were great (though Brussels was tough to navigate), the people were extremely friendly (and most spoke English), and the food was excellent (though…how can you go wrong with waffles and chocolate?). I envision I will be heading back to Belgium in the future…but first, plenty more destinations to go!

Dag!

“We are all dying, every moment that passes of every day. That is the inescapable truth of this existence. It is a truth that can paralyze us with fear, or one that can energize us with impatience, with the desire to explore and experience, with the hope to find a memory in every action. To be alive, under sunshine, or starlight, in weather fair or stormy. To dance with every step, be they through gardens of flowers or through deep snows.”