Dalky Castle: A Nightmare

Italians students climbing their way up the castle.

Bow and arrow.

Punishment in Medieval times.

Cart of some sort.

The town of Dalky.

Window in the castle.

Food in Medieval times.

Cemetery

The ocean!

Beautiful day!

Map of Dalky town during Medieval times.

In the cemetery.

The Italian students listening to a "dead" person.

Inside small chapel in the cemetery.

Chapel in cemetery.

Medieval doctor curing one of the Italian students.

To say that today was a horrible day, would be an understatement.

Liam, Geradline and myself took a large group of Italian students to Dalky Castle.

I knew nothing about this trip and had to ask my boss for more information. Dalky Castle is 30 minutes outside of Dublin. It surprised me that we could go that far with the students for just an afternoon trip.

We split the group into three smaller groups. We then took our groups to the DART (Dublin Area Rapid Transit) Station. That was the easy part.

Geradline was the first to get to the station and I was the second. We had to wait for Liam because he had all the money to pay for the tickets. The teachers really didn't like this. They were really concerned about the time and I would be too if I was them. Our appointment time was for 3:45 pm and there was no way we would make that on time. It takes forever to get into town and now we had a 25 minute DART ride and then a walk to get to the castle.

The teachers became furious that Liam was running "late". When he did come they all yelled at him. I could not believe it. Liam handled it very well. He basically said that they had to talk to Aoife about it. Aoife was the one who organized the trip; we, as activity leaders, just do what we are told. I felt so sorry for Liam! I wanted to say something to help him out because I know what it is like to get yelled at and no one is there to stand with you. But I didn't. I then thought that if I did jump in, I would probably say something and just add fuel to the fire.

Liam, Geradline and I got the tickets for the group and we loaded onto the DART. I was glad that we were all in the same area so I knew when to get off.

I really liked the DART ride because I saw the ocean! They have a beach! I was so glad to finally see the ocean!

Geradline also pointed out a very posh area near Dublin. It was called Blackrock and was around 15 minutes outside of Dublin. It was by the beach as well.

When we got to our stop we got everyone off the DART. The next step was to find where the castle was. None of us activity leaders knew where to go, so Geradline asked a man on the street and he said that we just had to keep walking straight and we could come to it. Don't know why our boss could not just tell us that.

To get to the castle, we had to walk through a small town. The town was really cute and still had its Medieval influence. Though the town was really cute, I would not want to live there. There seemed to be not much to do and I am more of a city girl anyways.

We were half an hour late to our appointment and the ladies that worked at the castle were not happy about this. They were 4 older ladies that were "helping" us. They were very short with us and I didn't like that, so I was short with them. They were barking at me all this crap and I eventually just said where do you want the students.

The students piled into this large room to start the tour. Liam, Geradline and I didn't want to join the students on this trip. We were fed up with the whole situation, but we ended up going on the tour anyways.

Dalky Castle is a very small "castle". I would not really classify it has a castle. It is more like one of the towers of the original castle survived, and they have turned it into a heritage center. The outside might date back to the Medieval ages, but the interior is all modern, which is kind of sad.

Our group took a tour of the castle. In each room there was an actor who told us some information about Medieval times. For example, the first room we went into, the actor pretended to be a worker who was an archer and prepared food and other items around the castle. I learned that they had different types of arrow heads to use in battle. One was made to harm a horse, but not kill it because horses were very valuable. He also told us that they would have a plate and on the plate were two holes where salt and pepper were stored in. The actor also told us how to make mead.

Next, we headed to the graveyard where a "dead" woman told us about social life in Medieval times. She asked the girls in our group if they were looking for a husband and was "shocked" when they all replied no. She even taught us a simple Medieval dance.

The tour ended with an actor doctor telling us how to cure certain aches and other aliments. I am so glad that I did not live back then! I would not want to be put under the knife with nothing to take the pain away! What I found most interesting was that they would reuse the same towels for surgery. To let them dry, they would put the white cloth, stained with blood, on a wooden pole. The wind would wrap the white and red cloth around the pole. Eventually the pole was red and white. This is where the barber shop pole originated. Usually barbers were also surgeons back in those times.

I really didn't like the tour. I hate dramatized tours. I just want facts, not lame acting. The tour was only an hour and it was so not worth the money and all the hassle that we had to put up with from the teachers.

After the tour we had to leave to get back to the center. I really had to go to the bathroom and Geradline said that I could stay behind with the other girls that needed to go to the bathroom and we would be able to catch up with the rest of the group. Funny thing was, when we were all done the group still hadn't left.

Geradline and I told the group that we were leaving, but no one was moving. I looked at Geradline, who was trying to lead everyone, to see why no one was moving. Geradline was just as confused as I was.

I told everyone again that we were leaving and this time everyone started to move. As we continued to walk to the DART station, I noticed that Liam was ahead of us with a group.

We got to the DART station and just when our tram was pulling up, we see the half of our group is just getting to the station and making their way over to our side of the tracks. Where did they come from? I was the last person to leave the castle and even Gerdaline waited for the stragglers. How were they not with us? We almost missed our tram because of them.

I had enough of this group. After they yelled at Liam, I lost a lot of respect for them.

When we finally got back to the college I was so glad to get rid of my group!

I would not recommend Dalky Castle as a tourists destination. If you have young children, then it would be a great way to learn about Medieval history, but if you are older, then it is really not that great. Instead, take the tram and get off at the beach!

Which Way Is It To The Castle? Malahide Castle

Map of Malahide grounds.

Malahide Castle

The grounds around the castle.

A picture I took by accident. Pretty cool though!

Castle tower

Malahide Castle

The grounds

Walking back from the castle.

The forest we walked through.

Yes, readers. Again today I didn't know what I was doing for the field trip.

My boss called me in on my day off to go to Malahide Castle with an Italian group. I said that I didn't mind.

I was given no information about the field trip, as usual. One of the people in charge said that the trip started at 2:15 pm, so I was planning on arriving a little before 2:15 pm. Another person told me that the appointment was at 2:15 pm and that I needed to be at the school at 11:30 am. I said that was fine and I wondered why I needed to be at the school so early? It was only going to take half an hour by coach to get there.

I got to school a little early and waited for my group. A girl, that was part of the group going with me, came up to me and asks if I was the American girl. Yes, I am the American girl.

The teacher of the group comes up to me and starts talking about how we are to get to the castle. She goes on about taking public transportation. What? My worst enemy. I called one of my bosses to make sure that was the plan. She said yes and thought I knew that. No, I didn't know that. Now I knew why I had to get to the school early....

So, next came the acting part. Acting like I knew what I was doing.

We got to O'Connell Street and had to meet some parents and grandparents of the students because they were coming with us. I was worried about the time so this kind of made me stressed, but at the same time I thought it was cute that some parents came out to visit their children. Reminded me of my parents.

We then had to catch the 42 bus to get to Malahide Castle. I had never taken the 42 before, so it was kind of nerve racking.

I found a stop that had the 42 A and B coming, but not just the regular 42. The other teacher said it was at the next stop and there was already a 42 bus there. I love it when other people tell me how to do my job.

We missed that bus because I didn't want to run to catch it. The thing with the students is that they walk so slow! So I knew trying to get them to hurry up would be almost impossible.

The teachers seemed not to like that we didn't get that bus. We only had to wait 20 minutes and we were fine on time I kept telling them.

Soon the bus came and we all piled on. One of the teachers asked the bus driver how long it took to get to Malahide Castle and the driver replied that it took 30 to 40 minutes. I thought that in 30 minutes I would ask the driver exactly what stop to get off at for the castle.

I never got a chance to ask the driver because after a while on the bus, I looked up and saw a sign for the castle. I ran to the front of the bus to make sure that we got off at this stop. I didn't need to worry because the teachers had already gotten the students together. Again, doing my job for me.

We then had to walk half an hour to get to the castle. I didn't mind this at all because we were able to walk through a forested area and it was very beautiful. It reminded me of the UCSC campus. The only pleasant memory I have of the school.

I was really hoping that I was going the right way. I sort of just followed other people that looked like tourists.

When we saw the castle I breathed a sigh of relief. I had lead them the right way.

I checked the group in and they had some free time until our tour started. We had actually got there early and the worker asked if I wanted them to start the tour early. I said no, because everyone had to go to the bathroom and I didn't want to rush them. I wanted to make sure we were on time for our tour.

While I was in the bathroom, one of the teachers was telling me how the place was haunted. Once she said that, she walked away and just then the window to the bathroom slammed shut. Oh my. I really just wanted to blame it on the wind.

Though I was impressed with myself for making the decision to give them extra time to make sure we were on time for our tour, it didn't matter because we were still late for our actual appointment. I am sorry, but the Italians are never on time for anything.

We took an audio tour of the castle. It was all in Italian, which I thought it should be in English because the students are here to learn English, but I understand that the teachers want the students to actually enjoy the experience. I had to ask a worker for an English handout.

Malahide Castle is 30 minutes from the city center of Dublin. The castle was built around 1185 and was given to the Talbot family. It was actually given to Richard Talbot, who was a knight that went with King Henry II to Ireland. The king then gave him the land as a thank you for his service. The castle and the lands stayed with the Talbot family for 791 years, from 1185-1975.

The castle has survived many hard times. One being the Battle of the Boyne, in which 14 family members sat down for breakfast at the castle, but by evening they had all died. Another tragedy was the Penal Laws, which were strict laws against Catholics. The Talbot family, being Catholic, suffered under these laws.

In 1975, the castle was passed down to Rose, after Milo Talbot's death. She sold the estate to the Irish State, mostly to fund inheritance taxes.

The audio tour mostly just talked about the architecture and other furnishings of the rooms and the castle. I wasn't really interested in these things. I am more of a history person.

My two favorite rooms were connected and at the end of the tour. The first was the grand dining room. This is where it is rumored that the 14 members ate their last meal together. I really liked it because it was built during the medieval times and even with the renovations, it stilled maintained that influenced.

The next room was the library. It was filled with old books that covered many different topics. How I wished I had this library! It should be a crime that I can't have any of those books!

You have to pay to get into the castle and do the tour. I don't think I would recommend the tour to anyone. If you are into architecture and furnishings, then it is great! But if you want more of the history of the place and time period, then this is not your tour. The grounds are lovely to hang out in if the weather is nice.

After the tour the group got an hour of free time. It was so nice outside that we all just hung outside the whole time. I was able to talk to some other activity leaders from other centers around town. I was so thankful to feel the sun on my skin! That is one of the things I miss about California: the sun.

During our free time one of the girls asked me if I could be part of their human pyramid they were doing for a picture. Guess where they put me? At the bottom. They soon realized that this was not a good idea and put me in the middle. We never got the pyramid to work. They did try it again without me and it prevailed. I hope it didn't fail on my part the first time! But it probably did! haha.

One girl in the group was very sweet. She was the one who asked if I was the American girl. She talked to me the whole walk to the castle and even invited me to sit with her and her friends during free time. She said that it probably sucks that I have to hang out by myself on the field trips. I said some times it is boring, but I don't mind being by myself if I have to. She was really mature and sweet for only being 16. Definitely a quiet and gentle soul. I really need to be like that more.

At 4 pm we all gathered up to leave. Liam, an activity leader at the same center as me, said that if we left at 4 pm that should be plenty of time to get back to the campus in time for dinner at 6:30 pm.

Well, good thing I said 4 pm because we got back to campus only 10 minutes before dinner. That is because we didn't leave the castle until 4:30 pm, which I totally knew was going to happen.

Not only that, but when we got into town, the teacher said that we needed to find a Tescos (Safeway) because SOME students wanted to get a frozen pizza. I tried to explain that I didn't know where one was near by and that we were on our way back to get dinner.

When we were only a block away from our bus stop, the teacher found a place to get food and EVERYONE, not some, went in and got something. I was so mad! I was so tired and this was not part of my job description. I was beyond furious. I was so happy to drop them off at campus because then I didn't have to deal with them anymore.

All in all, the trip went well and I was so happy that I was able to figure everything out myself! I feel as if I am getting more confident in doing these trips alone!

The Comedy Crunch

Khush and I at The Comedy Crunch!

Lisa and I at The Comedy Crunch :)

Playing Senet, an Ancient Egyptian game, at The Comedy Crunch.

One of the comedians performing.

Danny, one of the hosts of The Comedy Crunch.

One of my favorite comedians, THE Trevor Brown, preforming his hit song, "A Midget and a Hoe".

Who doesn't like, or need, a good laugh?

For over the past month, I have been going to The Comedy Crunch to start my week off with a couple of good laughs :)

The Comedy Crunch is a free comedy show that takes place in the Sheeban Chic pub. The comedy show takes place every Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, with each night hosting a couple different comedians.

I heard about this from some girls in my group. They had come across this coupon book and in the book was an advertisement for the show. After attending the show, I learned that Trip Advisor said that this show was the second best thing to do for free in Dublin. Number one was a walk through St. Stephen's Green. I can't argue with that. I have a thing for walking and parks.

The Sheeban Chic pub is a great pub! I love the whole vibe of the place! The lighting of the place is just right; it is not too bright, but at the same time, you can see what is going on. The place has an eclectic feeling to it, but the items all seem to be from around the turn of the twentieth century. The floors are made out of wood and this gives it a touch of a traditional Irish pub feel.

When you walk into the pub, on your right is a small stage that musicians perform on. Jazz music is usually on the menu.

There is one bar to service the top floor. Behind the bar are bottles of various beers and other items of the past. There are old chandeliers hanging around the bar and this adds to the nice lighting of the place. And of course on tap is Guinness.

There is a good amount of seating. They have tables in the back; taller chairs with small tables and seating at the bar. Candles can be seen on all the tables and this makes the pub very cozy and welcoming.

If you go down the stairs that are in the back, you will find The Comedy Crunch. The Comedy Crunch continues the theme of eclectic items and the cozy, inviting atmosphere that is upstairs, downstairs. It is very calm downstairs and usually people who go to the show are very friendly and you end up meeting someone new.

There is a variety of seating to choose from, but I recommend that you get there early. The doors to The Comedy Crunch opens at 8:30 pm and seating can fill up quickly. If seating does fill up, people are more then welcome to stand in the back.

There is a bar downstairs that has a great deal. 4 Bavarian beers for 10 Euro. Not bad at all, especially when you go with friends.

Colm and Danny are the hosts of the show. Not only are they the hosts, but they also are comedians themselves! Every other day, one of them hosts the show and opens the show up with their act. Not only are they very funny, but they are excellent hosts. They talk to the people who get there early and make sure that everyone is comfortable during the show.

Danny and Colm have started to talk to me more because they have noticed that I have been coming there for over a month. Both are very nice and very interesting to talk to. They are very well traveled.

The show usually starts around 9:30 pm. There are usually two or three acts that start the show and then there is an intermission. During intermission everyone gets free ice cream! I know, you can't get better then that! I usually have to go at intermission to make sure that I catch the last bus.

I love going to The Comedy Crunch and I usually end up going three times a week! I always end up laughing my head off at something. The show has never disappointed me. It is a great way to start a week. Starting the week with laughs, free ice cream and time with friends. Nothing can be better.

I Survived Belfast

Irish countryside :)

Old and modern together.

Some ruins.

Countryside

The white spots are SHEEP!

Aqueduct. Always think of the Romans.

Belfast and rain.

Rain, rain.. go away.

In the past, this was a school for people who could not afford a higher education.

An apartment complex now, but was severely bombed during The Troubles.

Sinn Fein- group that advocates a united Ireland.

Famous murals in Belfast. Some are pro Irish and others, pro English. These can be found throughout the city.

Murals

Mural

Pro Ireland mural.

Hard to see, but that is a mural.

Belfast housing.

Mural to a famous Irish supporter.

Barricade to separate the Protestants and Catholics.

Peace Wall built to separate the Protestants and Catholics.

Gate. This gate is closed when there are tensions between Protestants and Catholics.....

English supporter

English pride

Protestants/Pro English celebrating victory at the Battle of the Boyne in Ireland. This battle took place in the 1600's....

England

Former jail.

Irish support!

Sir Orange was the individual who won the Battle of the Boyne.

Huge craines named Samson and Goliath.

Belfast hockey rink! They even have their own hockey team!

Area in which the Titanic was built.

The new Titanic museum. Imagine, instead of this building, think of the Titanic. This is where she would have been anchored.

Movie production studio

Last war ship of WWII

Titanic museum

Again, area in which the Titanic was built.

A statue of a boy and a girl hugging. This is to symbolize peace in Belfast.

Belfast Parliament

Leaving Parliament

Interesting road

Area in which C.S. Lewis was born and hung out.

Houses

Hard to see, but there is an English support miral. These tend to be more violent then the pro Irish ones.

The tour guide said that in Belfast on every corner is either a church or a pub.

Church

Apparently this is where air conditioning was invented!

Belfast

Another statue for peace.

Church

Royal college

The Europa Hotel. It was heavily bombed during The Troubles.

Opera House

Belfast

Main shopping street. At the end is City Hall.

Mall

City Hall

Belfast

People in City Hall Park watching a round of golf.

City Hall Park

Belfast

Countryside

I would consider myself to be a good daughter.

So, when my mother told me not to go to Belfast, of course I didn't dream of going. Just like I didn't go to Serbia :)

But work said that I HAD to go to Belfast, so I went. I was really excited, I am not going to lie. It was my first time outside of Dublin!

To say that the morning was stressful would be an understatement. No one told me what time to arrive at the center, so I tried to get there at 8:50 am because we had to leave at 9 am. But I ended up getting there at 9 am. I was so worried that they would leave without me! But in reality, it didn't matter because we didn't end up leaving until 9:45 am.

Not only was I frazzled from being late, I also didn't even know I was going to Belfast until I got to work. During the week there had been some tension in Belfast so the trip was going to be put on hold. If we didn't go to Belfast, we were going to Galway. My boss said that she would let us know beforehand, but obviously, I didn't get the memo. It wasn't until I walked over to the other activity leaders and they gave me a schedule saying that we were going to Belfast, that I knew where we were going for sure. I told them that I didn't know where we were going and they were all shocked. Of course I am the only one that didn't know what the heck was going on.

To make matters worse, we found out that we would all be in separate buses with our own groups! WHAT!? I had NO idea what to do! We had to pick up the tour guides; have a bus tour of the city; get dropped off and give the students free time.

This was all very overwhelming. I looked for a map of Belfast because with a map I could lead the group, but of course I had no map.

Ewa was also freaking out. The two people not from this country, Ewa and myself, were so stressed about going to Belfast. Geradline was very cool and collected. She said that there was no need to stress and in the end everything would work out. I wish I was as calm and collected as her. But lets face it, I am not a calm person.

As the activity leaders, we had to pick out our buses and then put our names in the window so the groups knew what bus to take. I took the last bus.

We then had to find our group leaders and introduce ourselves. I found mine. It was a woman who only had 26 students and they were all from Italy.

We couldn't leave right away because we had to find Paul because he needed to give us some last minutes details. Maybe more information about what to do? Nope. He just gave us the money to pay the guides and told us that he would text us with directions and other information.

Oh, Paul. I do miss talking to him in the office. He gave me some new music and I miss trying to convience him that Bear Grylls is the best. After most of the groups were in the buses, I was able to talk to Paul. I told him that it felt like I hadn't talk to him in forever. He agreed and said that on Friday and Saturday he was surprised not to see me and wondered where I was. I told him that I had those two days off.

We then talked about how much he drank the night before and how tired he was.

I told him that the money he gave me was very interesting. Since Belfast is part of the United Kingdom, they use the British Pound. Paul then made a comment about the Queen's fat face. I love English and Irish tension :)

Our group was the last to load into the bus because I didn't want to get other groups confused and have people mingle together.

I told the teacher it was time to gather the group. She then went into a mini speech and apparently told everyone that I was American. That didn't need to be said. She told me that she wanted her students to listen to my accent. I don't have an accent ;)

As the students were loading into the bus, the bus driver said he didn't speak Italian and asked if I did. I replied that I didn't. It would make too much sense for a leader of a group to speak the same language as the group. Far too easy.

Finally, the group got on the bus and we were off to Belfast! The driver told me that he had a microphone that I could use if I wanted to talk to the students. Should I say something? I didn't have much time to think about it because the teacher gave a speech in Italian to the students. Whatever she said I bet was fine.

The ride was only 2 hours and it went smoothly most of the time. The only thing that went "wrong" was that the teacher was a bitch. The air conditioner was on for the whole ride and I really didn't notice because I was stressed, so my body heat was raised. The students complained to the teacher of being cold and she asked if the air conditioner could be turned off. I asked T.P., the bus driver, if we could get some heat on. He said that it wasn't his bus and he wasn't sure exactly how to do it. Once we had stopped, he would figure it out, but he couldn't figure it out while he was driving. This made sense.

I explained this to the Italian teacher 5 different times and she was not understanding it. Really? I am speaking plain and simple English. You are the teacher, you should be able to understand this. She just kept complaining. She then went into "if the students are sick tomorrow, that is going to be very bad". I really didn't care. The students were dressed for a summer day in Italy or California. You are in Ireland, did no one tell you that?

Other then that, the bus ride was uneventful. The students were quiet and I greatly appreciated that. I just looked out the window the whole time to see the Irish country side! It was beautiful!

I also did a lot of thinking on the drive about what I was doing in Ireland. Who goes to a foreign country and takes a job in which they have to take other foreign students around a place they are not from? It is totally the blind leading the blind. How do I get myself into these situations? At the museum, I did a lot of stuff that I certainly was not qualified to do and had no experience what so ever. Here is the same thing. I am suppose to know what I am doing and be a leader, but in reality, I know nothing.

I blame my parents. Why didn't they question this? But I guess if I gave it too much thought I would not have come to Ireland. Just like if I actually sat down and thought that I was moving to a country that I didn't speak the language, I probably wouldn't have gone to Hungary. The moral of the story: don't think things through.

On the drive I also talked with T.P. The guy was a class act. We talked about the tension in Belfast. I am really thankful that I have mastered the art of small talk and just don't dive into the major issues. Our conversation mostly focused on the fact that the majority of people are good, but the few bad ones ruin it for the rest. In the words of T.P, "most people just want a week's wages and a nice pint".

After 2 or so hours we were in Belfast. There were no borders between Ireland and Northern Ireland. I told Paul and T.P. that I had brought my passport and both said that I wouldn't need it. I didn't even know we were in Northern Ireland until T.P. said that we were well into U.K. territory.

We drove into town and found the tour guides and they took us to the restrooms.

After our brief break we took a bus tour of the whole city. The pictures tell what we saw. It was fascinating! The only bad thing was that it was raining outside, so we couldn't see everything very clearly. I loved learning about the history of the city!

Next, on the agenda after the tour, was free time. It said that we were suppose to meet in front of city hall. But of course our bus didn't go there. The guide told the bus driver to park on a side street reserved for bus parking. I kept telling the guide that we needed to get to city hall so I could show my group it because it was our meeting point after free time. The guide tried to explain how to get there, but with no map, I was completely lost. After a while the guide just decided to walk us over. Thank you!

She then said something to the effect of she didn't know that we had to go to city hall. Did she not hear a thing I said for the last 10 minutes?

Since we left so late in the morning, Paul said that we could give our groups an extra half hour of free time. I asked my teacher if she wanted this extra time. All she wanted was to go to the mall and get out. I don't think she and her group were enjoying their time. Who cares. I was having fun!

We got to city hall easy enough and the guide told me how to get to the mall and I took my group there and dropped them off. As we were walking to the mall, I turned around to make sure that everyone was with me, and I saw a horrible sight. One of the students had an English flag umbrella. For the love of God! My first thought was every swear word I could think of. Then I prayed that we were in a Protestant area. Then I thought, "eff! We are going to get shot". Did she not listen to the tour; did her teacher not tell her anything and has she been living under a rock her whole life? Of course, it is my group that would cause drama in a city.

I dropped off the rebels and told them to meet at city hall in an hour.

I somewhat felt bad for just leaving them because the teacher said she wanted to stay with me or otherwise she would get lost. Anyone who knows me, knows that I can't keep my emotions to myself, so the teacher knew that I thought this shouldn't happen. She knew that this was my first time in Belfast and that I wasn't from the country. What made her think that I knew what I was doing? Had she not seen how I was acting the whole day? I really wish I knew what I was doing!

When the group left me I had to decide what I wanted to do. I really wanted to walk around, but it was raining and that was going to be no fun. I tried texting Geradline to see where she was to see if we could meet up. Luckily I caught up with her. We then went to McDonalds to hang out with Sarah and get out of the rain.

Geradline and I had to exchange some money to get Pounds to buy something at McDonalds, but it turned out that they took card. Of course they did; they are an American institution. They better take card.

I met up with my group and we were off to go back to the college. I kept dosing off on the bus. I was so tired!

I had fun in Belfast and learned so much from the tour. I am glad that I had to go up by myself. It is just another experience that proves to myself that I can handle these chaotic situations. I really do need to give myself more credit.