Yikes! Sorry to have to cram SO much together, but I have little choice. I am going to give a bare-bones recap of these days, just to give myself some peace of mind and get caught up!
Friday, Day 13 we were in Dublin and it was my very favorite day because I got to see the Book of Kells. Honestly, that was the highlight of the whole trip to Dublin for me; it was really all I wanted to see...I was giddy with geek joy!
Saturday, Day 14 was another day of travel, that time from Dublin back to Belfast. A good time was had by all; and no one was attacked by Orangemen. Yipee!
Sunday, Day 15 was ANOTHER day of travel, that time back to the Isle of Man. We took the ferry to Douglas, then cabbed our way to our new home on the island at Castletown on the southern coast. We stayed at King William's College, which was literally right at the end of the airport runway...but it was also right across from the Irish Sea and was a magical little place. It was reputed to look like Hogwarts, but it was nowhere as grand as that.
Ahh, how the days start to run together here...Monday, Day 16-Friday, Day 20 were spent roaming around Castletown, visiting Castle Rushen there, nearby Rushen Abbey, taking a couple of trips into Douglas to get online (ARGH!), spending lots of quality time playing ping pong in the game room of our dorm, lounging at Hango Hill (site of the execution of Manx national hero William Christian in the 17th century) on the Irish Sea or on the lawn watching a cricket match. It was a nice, leisurely break after that short, hectic week of travel in and around Ireland. It felt like all we did there was go from one place to another! I definitely need to go back...The slower pace of the Isle of Man was much-welcomed. We also took one last trip into Peel to have dinner at our favorite little pub there, the Central; we also went back up the coast to Laxey, traveled around quite a bit on the steam train...it was wonderful. To say farewell to the Isle, we had quite a busy day on Friday. We took the steam train to Port Erin, hiked up the biggest, steepest mother of a hill you've ever seen (it still pains me to think about that incline) to see a Prehistoric spot called the Sleeping Giant. According to legend, St. Patrick came to the Isle and deposed Manannan, the Celtic god of Man, throwing him down from Snaefell Mounatin. Manannan rolled down the mountain and landed in the Irish Sea. The Sleeping Giant is a rock formation on the coast where you can see Manannan's head and face, lying on its side, submerged in the sea. It sounds totally hokey, but it was a really beautiful spot. After that hike, we spent some time in Port Erin, and then headed up to Niarbyl for dinner. This was an amazingly beautiful spot on a cliff, right over the sea, where we had dinner and battled the wind to watch the sunset. It was spectacular.
Saturday, Day 21 we got up early, cabbed into Douglas and hopped a ferry bound for Heysham, England. It was really sad to leave the Isle of Man for the last time. I had no idea what to expect when I arrived there, and I must say, after all the other places I've been on this trip, it was absolutely my favorite. It was such a little gem. I MUST go back some day! Back to the story...we arrived in Heysham around 1:00, then hopped a bus for the 3 hour ride into Glasgow. Travel, travel, travel! I will be sooo glad to be in one spot for a couple of weeks! We got into town and to our dorms around 4; unpacked, then headed out into the neighborhood to explore. Beth and I found a lovely little spot with terrific food, cheap wine, and free wi-fi called the Neighbourhood Bar. My fab friend Tito, who just happened to be in the neighborhood for the weekend too, met us there. It was really great to see a familiar face from home!
Sunday, Day 22 we got up and met Thomas Clancy, a professor at the University of Glasgow who is hosting us while we are here. He gave us a brief intro to the city and school; we'll be working there at the Department of Celtic and Gaelic for the next two weeks and hearing lectures from various literature, linguistic, and art history profs. I am very excited! Then we headed off to the Kelvingrove Museum, which has the most ecclectic collection I had ever seen; it was like a science museum, natural history museum, and art museum rolled up into one! After that some of us ventured to a street market and off to the Islay Inn for the Sunday Roast and some local whiskeys. Tito met us there again and a good time was had by all!
Today, Monday, Day 23 we all hopped the train from Glasgow to Edinburgh because it is a university holiday here, so there was nothing we could really do at the school. We took off as soon as we arrived (whenever one follows Charlie, it is a task in itself; the man has the longest legs I've ever seen, and his pace is always that of someone escaping a burning building) and headed to Edinburgh Castle and the National Library. Literature geek alert!!! I registered at the library today as a reader so that I can go and look at manuscripts from their archives...here's the drum roll: they house the John Murray Archive, which contains 12,000 papers, letters, and various manuscripts belonging to George Gordon, Lord Byron, including his letters to the Shelleys, etc. I am so excited!!! I will be making an appointment to go back and sit down in one of the reading rooms to work with some of the papers. I don't even know how to firgure out what to request first! I am giddy giddy giddy! Shopping was done, dinner was had, Scottish ales were consumed, and we hopped the train again.
WHEW. I am pooped. I can probably actually upload pics on this page again, but I am too darn tired. At least I'm up to date! All pics are still on Facebook...
I hate/miss you. Come back soon.
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