A city of struggle...

So we had a good night’s sleep and got up to head over to meet at a pub in the middle of Dublin for a 1916 rebel tour. Going into the thing I didn’t have much knowledge about 1916, only that it was a year of significant importance for the Irish. We met our tour guide, Lorkin, who was the typical Irishman. Wicked sense of humor, wonderfully kind, and always had a story to tell you. He didn’t want any video taken of him but I sneaked some audio of him so you could all get of an idea of how he spoke:

 Lorkin speaking by postmodernist529 

Yeah so that's obviously me.

So then we started the tour and the entire thing was fascinating. As a brief rundown, there were 16 or so main leaders of the Irish rebellion movement, going against the unfair English rule that had governed them up until that time. So the tour took us around the city, showing us where the battles had taken place as a result of this movement in the year 1916.

I love when old buildings reflect in the windows of new ones.

The amount of passion and pride the Irish have in their land and their people is extremely infectious. Hearing about these people going against an army that was far more prepared and ready than they were, and knew they would most likely get jailed or die for their cause, was truly inspiring. They didn’t even have access to weapons because the British didn’t allow it. The whole thing was very eye opening and gave an insight into the city that was necessary to understanding it.

Note the bullet hole above her left breast. Yes, it's actually a bullet hole.

As always, Oscar knows all the answers.

At the end of the tour I realized that I was in a city that had been through an amount of struggle and repression that I had never seen before. At least that had never been as tangible to me. You could see it in the buildings, the streets, the faces of the people. It’s a country of hardship, but that’s part of its charm.

"The great appear great because we are on our knees: Let Us Rise." A plaque I found fitting for the entire city.

The controversial Justice statue at the Dublin castle. 1) She doesn't wear a blindfold. 2) Her back is to the city of Ireland. 3) Her sword is drawn. 4) She is holding the scale as if it's someone's dirty laundry. So much for justice.

We then went down O’Connell Street, a long street with a bunch of shops and things like that. And music. They love and cherish music over there, and it’s easily seen as there are singers and musicians all over the place.

And THEN I got to see a statue of one of my idols, THE Oscar Wilde.

We had an interesting conversation...

It was a proud moment for me. They had a beautiful statue surrounded with pedestals that had a good amount of his best quotes engraved on them...

"There is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about." Brilliance.

I was in heaven. 

A chalk drawing that I thought was beautiful and showed the spirit of the city. 

Then we made our way down to the Guinness Storehouse, where Guinness is made. And who knew that the making of beer could be so fascinating.

The museum was actually extremely well done and in a beautiful building that had the world’s biggest pint glass in the center of it, 7 stories high. Gradually we made our way to the top to the “gravity bar” where we had a complimentary pint of Guinness and beautiful views of Dublin. Not being the biggest fan of Guinness, I had a few sips and just enjoyed the atmosphere. However I must say it was the best pint of it I had ever tasted, for whatever that’s worth.

We then ended the night at a crappy but LED-filled so therefore kind of cool pub!!

And that was that! But at the end of the night we were absolutely knackered, so the next day was dedicated to the calm and beautiful Irish countryside.....

Returning to where it all started.... part one

Ireland.

So the morning we left Bath I woke up to find this outside:

So if you were to make a stereotype of what would happen at the beginning of a journey to Ireland, seeing a rainbow would probably be on the top of the list. I followed it and it led to Ireland, wherein I found a leprechaun and a pot of gold. Even cooler still, it turned into a DOUBLE RAINBOW.

While getting on the airplane noticed this bank ad, just a noticeable difference on the way things are approached over here.

And then there we were, the Emerald Isle...

That's not the whole island, I swear.

We met up with our lovely friend Alison who led us to our hotel and then took us to jail.

For you people who tend to watch movies and things like that,  In The Name of the Father with Daniel Day Lewis was filmed here.

This is Kilmainham Jail, the jail that housed leaders from the 1916 rebellion. Not knowing much about Irish history, the place fascinated me. The amount of repression and injustice put upon the Irish people from the English was pretty staggering. The people housed here, the "rebels," were mostly scholars, poets and teachers. All of them just trying to fight for justice in their country.

Through one of the cell peep holes. If you looked at the back of the door, the hole looked like a pupil in an eye carved in the wood so they felt like they were always being watched. Which they were.

The jail was a proper introduction to a city whose history was far more fascinating and deep than I had anticipated.

We drove around and happened upon a beautiful church along the way...

Behind the church they had a grotto based upon a real grotto, Our Lady of Lourdes in France. The whole thing was strange but quite beautiful. Especially in black and white.

The rest of the day was spent just simply going into the city and getting a bite to eat Dublin's oldest pub, founded in 1198 I believe by the Vikings. To be able to eat somewhere that is roughly 600 years older than my home country was pretty sobering.

Here's a group of guys in the corner of the pub, playing music loud with everyone singing along. And this was a Tuesday night. Any night in almost any pub, especially in a district called Temple Bar, there's music every single night. 

The night ended at this pub in Temple Bar. It was filled to brim with people, an Irish man sat in the corner belting out ballads, and there were drinks all around. Now what could be better than that?

PS: It seems that the pictures for this one won't enlarge. Is this happening for anyone else?

BATH (Day 2)

The second day in Bath was another day full of roaming the city and seeing what we could find. Started off by getting quite a few new shirts, a sweater and a bag from the Holy Topman. I was beaming. The picture above was walking up to a pub after visiting an amazing little book shop that could give Barnes and Noble a run for their money. Quality, not quantity.

All of us at the pub, proof that I'm actually on this trip only exists in the mirror opposite.

Ballroom at the fashion museum.

It's like, pretty or whatever.

Inside the abbey...

One last look at the gorgeous city before I had a few pints and wasn't able to really look at anything.

 

So, of course, the city was fantastic. And I'd definitely go back. Intimate yet had plenty to see and do as well as retaining that big city bustle that I love. Next up, the land of Ire...

BATH (Day 1)

So after that second day in London we took the train over to Bath, a beautiful city about an hour and 45 minutes west of London. We met up with our lovely friends Janice and Ben and headed out into the city.

Bath is absolutely quintessential England. This gorgeous park with its brass band and a river that flows right beside it seems like it would be something you read in a book, not a place that actually exists. Seeing as it cost a pound to even get into the park, in my mind it still doesn't exist....

 Most of the day we just walked around and enjoyed the city, saw the shops, and enjoyed the pubs.

Street performer

Purty birdy

That night we went to the Roman baths (hence the name bath, lolz). The city was founded by the Romans, and the hot spring that fed the bath hundreds of years ago still exists.

Inside the Roman baths

The hot spring.... it was hawt

The place was truly stunning. It was inspiring for me to be somewhere where thousands of people have been before so many years ago. Yet it's always difficult for me to comprehend the amount of history and the stories that lie in the walls of ruins, as the reference point is so distant.

To be continued....

Second

Day 2

Woke up and had a wonderful full English breakfast at a cafe down the road from the hotel called The Muffin Man. From there we ventured to the Tate Britain, a museum that holds numerous art exhibits, with a focus on the Romantics. At first I wasn’t too intrigued seeing as I’m not the biggest fan of the art of the Romantics as I think it’s a step back from Impressionism, however I should’ve known better than to expect a mediocre experience in this city. While strolling through the museum, specifically a William Turner exhibit, I was sitting at a table sketching one of Turner’s line drawings. My mom came up and told me, “Liam, you’ve got to get downstairs, there’s people in costumes and stuff.” Being me, first I was just angry at my mother rudely disturbing my creative state. Alas, as seems to be the case a lot of the time, she was right in interrupting me. I went back down into the main gallery and there were these people in gorgeous costumes and makeup playing ethereal-classical music in the gallery. 

The experience was both surreal and wonderful, as it was unexpected and so different from anything back in the states. Nothing was ever said of its purpose or motive, but it was admired by everyone in the gallery and added a dimension to the usual gallery viewings that can often become stale. The surprises didn’t stop there, though. In another hall there were DJs blasting dance music surrounded by epic paintings detailing the apocalypse.



The entire experience was just so refreshing compared to walking through silent, lifeless halls as people merely stroll form painting to painting. This brought life to both the people in the museum and the art that surrounded them. Accompanying these little performances there were stations where people could create pins using magazine cutouts or boxes that expressed if you felt as if you were a part of Europe or not. It was just wonderful seeing creativity being so readily available and encouraged. Mind you, this was also all FREE.

Afterwards we walked down the street to the Science Museum, one that none of us had ever been to. I saw a poster earlier in the day for one of the exhibits that intrigued me. It was called “Who Am I?” and seemed to be all about discovering yourself and finding out what truly makes people unique. Walking into the museum, I was astounded.



Yet again, the whole thing was FREE, and was full of floors upon floors of fascinating exhibits. One exhibit was about the history of plastic, through which you had to walk into huge sheets of plastic to enter. Exhibits about space, cars, the future, the past. I could’ve spent days in this place. However, we headed straight to the back for the Who Am I? exhibit. Held in a humongous room, the place was filled with interactive features that all led to finding out who you are, how your brain works, why it works like that, and how you’ve become the person you are. The whole thing was very inspiring and awesome to see. Both myself and everyone around me were finding out about themselves in ways they never had before. Again, it was an experience that you can only find in London.



Afterwards we had to take a bit of a long tube ride (45 minutes or so) to Hampstead, one of my and my mother’s favourite parts of the city. While you’re in it, you don’t even feel like you’re in London. It feels more like a small village, with beautiful cottages and homes, gorgeous parks and intimate pubs. It’s where the elite of London live. From Tim Burton and Helena Bonham Carter, to Judi Dench, to of course, Sean Bean.... ;)

First we went to a pub for a bite to eat and a pint before we went on a pub walk throughout the town. Had a delicious steak sandwich with chips, and headed towards the meeting place for the walk. Every time we go to London, we take at least one of these London Walks. They’re only 7 pounds a person, and include at least a 2 hour walk throughout certain sections of the city with fantastic true British guides. This one was based around the town of Hampstead with a few pub stops along the way. The whole thing was extremely enjoyable, and seeing as the city is a quiet and tranquil escape from the city it was quite relaxing.

After that we made our way back to the hotel, I took a nice bath, and went to sleep. Wonderful.

And that's it for my second day! If you're reading this, please give me feedback. Is this alright? Should there be more pics and less writing? I think I'm going to do some separate posts of just pictures to show some more of what I've been doing but yeah. Let me know. Thanks for reading!!

-Liam

First

Day 1

So here I am, jolly old London. It’s finally here. The day that I’ve been dreaming, fretting, sweating, and yearning for.

I took a separate plane from the rest of the fam, me getting a direct flight while the rest of them had to suffer four hours in Denver. Muhahaha. The plane ride seemed mysteriously quick, at just under 10 hours I felt like I was on there for maybe 5. And then there I was, in my favorite city in the world. Surreal doesn’t begin to describe what I felt and still am feeling as I type this. How can I actually be living here for a year??


After an exhausting but successful trip to the hotel carrying around two suitcases filled to the brim with all my things, as well as my laptop bag over my shoulder, I decided to explore. Started off with a croissant at Pret A Manger, my favorite sandwich shop in London (also with free Wi-Fi) and caught up with Facebook thingamajigs. Afterwards I decided to visit my college for the first time.

The trip wasn’t too bad. Our hotel is at High Street Kensington, and about a 20 minute ride from my university. First stepping out, I must say I was a bit... puzzled. The area is not the nicest, with run down stalls and shopping centres around and run down buildings on every corner. However, after a battle with the subway system (underground tunnels there, used sometimes instead of crosswalks) I approached my school. I ventured inside, butterflies in my stomach knowing that this is where I will be exploring my art for the next year.


Seeing as it’s summer, there wasn’t much to see on initial entry. I’m not an official student yet so it looked like I wouldn’t be able to get in much further than the entryway. But I went into admissions and talked to a lovely lady who said she’d give me a little tour of the place so I could see what I was getting into. And it was then that I decided that yes, I had made the right decision, even if it does mean I might get mugged walking to school.


She started by taking me through the building, showing me the various lecture halls and eating areas. We have a common room, which at night blasts loud music (sometimes live) and sells cheap food and alcohol for students. Sounds amazing to me. She took me by the graphic design shop, where I’ll get discounts, which was a treasure trove of wonderful supplies. From there on I got to see the printing room which was incredible. The school used to be a printing school, so all the printing machines that have been used for decades are still there. I was shown the library and study areas, full of macs and endless learning tools. The whole thing just made me extremely excited to see what kind of work I’ll be able to produce through the university and afterwards.


I then headed back to High Street Kensington and sketched for a bit in the park before meeting up with my family. We quickly checked into the hotel and ventured off into London. We went to an amazing exhibit at Kensington Palace that was themed around the entire home being enchanted.


Each room reflected a different princess that had lived in the palace at certain times, but it was the way these princesses were portrayed in the home that made the exhibit so incredible. Designers and artists helped create the separate women in extremely creative and thought provoking ways. It focused on things such as their lost childhoods, the intense pressure that comes with being the future queen, and the fragility of time. One room had a chair that beckoned people to sit on it, with a quote on the wall saying, “Sit here and feel your power, your words can change lives, speak out, be careful what you wish for.” At some points people would sit in the chair and one of the people who worked at the palace would come in costume and kneel for the....

And that’s when I literally fell asleep on my bed while writing. Good morning!

Anyway, he would kneel and tell whoever was sitting in the chair that they had all the power in the world, and everyone would proceed to kneel for them. It was quite cool, and while sitting in the chair I felt quite vulnerable. Another room focused on Princess Victoria waking up discovering that she had become queen. The room was dimly lit in a blue light, with the bed piled with overstuffed mattresses and a towering chair in the middle where one of the workers was telling bedtime stories. On the ceiling there were birds and branches projected, and eerie sounds throughout. It was just extremely creative and was an experience that I knew I could only have in London.



And here’s where the drowsiness set in. My sister and I ended up stumbling along Kensington Gardens, which is quite beautiful and has become one of my favorite areas of London. We walked across and found Royal Albert Hall, which is a gorgeous building and has some significance to me since The Killers recorded their DVD concert there.




We then met up with my parents and walked along High Street Kensington where I showed them the Whole Foods market there that I had walked through earlier in the day. This is not just any Whole Foods. It is incredible. They seriously have everything. An entire room of cheese that’s kept cold to keep the cheese at premium temperature. A truffle bar. A food court that puts the one in Awesome Town to shame. All were impressed.

Afterwards we walked to a pub to have some dinner, a place called Britannia. It’s a more modern pub, one that has been recently renovated and sells great pub food that’s usually a step above the rest. So we all had cottage pie (ground beef in gravy covered in mashed potatoes and then baked with some English cheddar on top) which was fantastic and a few pints of Strongbow. The Strongbow worked wonderfully as a sleeping potion, as it wasn’t long after we came back to the hotel that my sister and I crashed before 9. I had a hard enough time taking a shower before I went to sleep.

Hopefully this didn't bore you to tears, cause if it did this'll unfortunately be what my adventures will be documented like. So piss off if it did. If not, thanks for reading!!!

-Liam