The Un-Luck of the Irish

On July 24, 2017 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn IrelandLeave a comment

The one trip that we knew we had to make during our six months in Europe was to Ireland. Both of our families have strong Irish ancestry, so we definitely wanted to visit the land of our heritage. We also flew our mother over from the United States to join us for our trip since she had never been to Ireland. Instead of renting a car, we hired a local tour guide from a company called ToursByLocals and chose the tour that would take us to Kilkenny and the Southeastern coast. We augmented the tour to add the city of Waterford so that we could visit the crystal factory and purchase something special to bring home with us.

Our tour started out perfectly as our driver took us through the countryside where we saw quaint little farms with fields filled with sheep. We even had sheep crossing the road in front of us, it was exactly what we had imagined a trip into the Irish countryside to be. Our first stop was to one of the many historic churches of Ireland, however we weren’t able to enter the church as they were having services at the time. We have seen plenty of churches in Europe, so that was not a big deal for us, but it was a little disappointing. Hoping to make it up to us, our guide took us to a historic monastery where we could walk the grounds. Upon our arrival, the gates were closed and the ticket office was closed and there was no one at the site. Luck was not on our side, but the day was early and we were optimistic that our luck would change.

We then went to Kilkenny Castle, which was absolutely spectacular and was again exactly what we expected to see in Ireland. From there, we traveled to Waterford where we hoped to purchase something special to remember our time in Ireland. Upon our arrival, we found the Waterford Crystal Factory closed. Not only was the factory closed and no tours available, but even the store was closed. Our guide pulled up their website and there was nothing indicating that it should be closed and our guide had never seen the store closed. We visited a viking museum and while we were there, we asked if they knew why the factory was closed and they were just as surprised as us to hear that it was closed.

We were obviously frustrated that we weren’t able to visit the factory or even purchase something in the store, but there wasn’t anything that anyone could do. So we put a smile on our faces and continued on to have lunch at a seaside town. Our tour guide felt extremely bad as now he had taken us to three places that we weren’t able to actually see, but we didn’t blame him. Our last stop was to another historic church that had a tower that you could climb for a couple of Euros that had wonderful views of the countryside. By now you can guess what we found when we arrived. It too was closed for no apparent reason and there was a sign that it would be open to the public an hour later, but that would have gotten us back to Dublin far too late, so we chose not to wait.

Despite all of these things, we truly enjoyed our tour as well as our time in Ireland. We couldn’t help but joke with each other that for once, we didn’t have the luck of the Irish. These things happen sometimes and we certainly could have gotten angry with our guide, but it wouldn’t have changed anything. There was no doubt that he felt bad, but other than perhaps the first church that we visited, there was no way for him to have known that these other places would be closed as their websites all indicated that they were open.

Forgotten Rooms

On June 22, 2017 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Photo Challenge4 Comments

Whenever you take a tour of a historic place, the rooms are usually decorated with period pieces to represent what it would have been like for the people that lived there. This can be a good way to truly see how opulent certain lifestyles were, but there are times when it just feels like a family abandoned the room. This is especially true when it is a child’s room or bedroom with children’s toys. For this week’s Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge, Teddy Bears, Dolls, and Toys, we have chosen a few pictures from the Kilkenny Castle as well as the fortress churches of Romania.

The Charles Bridge in Prague

On March 31, 2017April 3, 2017 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Czech Republic4 Comments

There are several reasons to visit Prague in the Czech Republic and one of those is the Charles Bridge, which leads from the old town area over the Vltava River to the Prague Castle. Prague is extremely popular with tourists and the bridge is no exception, so be prepared for heavy crowds and lots of tour groups when you visit, even during the off-season. Equally impressive as the bridge itself are the guard towers that protect the bridge and serves as a stunning entrance. The views of the castle from the bridge are quite amazing, but the main attractions of the bridge are the statues that line both sides.

Construction of the bridge began in the 1300’s and it has been damaged and restored many times throughout its history. During the 17th and 18th centuries, the 30 statues and statuaries were added on top of the bridge pillars along both sides of the bridge, greatly enhancing its beauty. Today, as visitors take photographs of the amazing artwork, they are appreciating reproductions as the originals started to be removed in the 1960’s in fear for damage and vandalism. Despite the fact that they are replicas, they still remain quite an impressive sight.

Looking across the Bridge towards the Castle

There is one statue on the bridge, the statue of St. John Nepomuk, that is of particular interest to tourists. It is on your right as you head from the old town towards the castle and can be identified by his gold halo and the crucifix in his arms. Below the statue are two plaques, one to the right and one to the left of the statue. Legend has it that if you rub the plaque to the right you will one day return to Prague, while another legend has it that if you rub the plague to the left, with the dog, you will have good luck. Needless to say, they are just legends, but there are throngs of people lining up to rub the plaques, making them shiny from their efforts.

View of Charles Bridge from another Bridge in Prague

Today it is a pedestrian only bridge and you will find many street artists and vendors playing music as well as selling arts and crafts. We couldn’t help but purchase a watercolor from an artist along the bridge that we felt truly replicated the feel of being on that historic site. Despite the immense crowds, it was definitely one of those places that when you visit, it stays with you forever. We will always cherish the views of Prague and the castle from the Charles Bridge.