It's not often in America that someone asks you "How do you like your tea?" So it became the first clue that I was 'not in Kansas anymore' when everywhere we traveled in Northern Ireland included hospitable greetings and a cup of tea (along with all the delicate tea cakes that go with it). It also became a question I had to ask myself, considering I'm not a big fan of tea (nor coffee for that matter). I've had tea before, but not enough to know how I like it, so every time it was offered, I took it graciously and tried it several different ways, trying to acquire a taste for it and figure out how indeed I did like it. I loved my trip to Northern Ireland and intended to blog while there, but was too busy having fun exploring the culture and discovering the spectacular countryside, so now I set about on the task to tell my friends and family all that I saw, felt, tasted, smelled and discovered while on the little European island.
Sunday, Week 1: Something about spending 8-9 hours flying makes a day dissolve into meaningless nothing. I didn't sleep much, but could also find little brain capacity to manage anything else as we broke through the night sky, losing a total of six hours into the timezone abyss before arriving in Dublin, Republic of Ireland.
Monday: Due to fatigue and a near-sleepless night, I put forth little excitement at our 8am arrival, despite the fact that this was my first time to cross the Atlantic Ocean into Europe. I was able, however, to catch my first glimpse of a double-decker bus, for which was managed a feeble "ooh". We loaded up in large vans and crossed the border into Northern Ireland, where we stopped in Belfast for lunch. We climbed back into the vans after a short break and drove 1-1/2 hours to the lovely Mullartown House. Located just outside the village of Annalong, the building is about 300 years old and was refurbished about 20-30 years ago to house large numbers of guests. We claimed our rooms, threw our suitcases down, attended a short introductory meeting, and then, nearly all 60 of us made the quarter-mile hike to the ocean. I took close to a million pictures of the ocean, choir members, the house and general silliness before unpacking my bags and going to sleep.
Tuesday: Considering the larger majority of the choir was still suffering from some degree of jet-lag, we took this day easy, leaving sometime in the early afternoon for Tollymore Forest Park, just outside Newcastle. This gorgeous nature park was somewhat different than American forests in that there were man-made structures, like a paved walking path, stone bridges, a 200-year-old hermitage and mowed lawns. One part was filled with cascading bushes that gracefully strewed the path with colorful petals. Off to one side was a creek and a decorative stone bridge, and on the other was an elegant stairway leading up to a large green, lush lawn. It looked like a set straight out of The Bachelor. Long story short, I filled up a significant portion of my camera's SD card in the three hours we spent there. In the evening, I discovered that there was a nightly tea served around 9:30pm, accompanied by many delicious tea cakes. I avoided the tea, since I wasn't much interested in it, but filled up on many (unnecessary) sweets. I gathered with other choir members to eat, drink and play Dutch Blitz.
Wednesday: We finally had a chance to go to an Irish town and mingle with the people-as much as you can mingle when you look like a large group of American tourists trying to blend in. As we went shopping in Newcastle, about 20 of us managed to form a rather conspicuous line outside one of the two ATMs in town, and after mistakenly calling every 20 pound-priced object a 20 dollar object, nearly all 50 of us gathered in the one tiny ice cream shop to try the Nutella-flavored ice cream. The exchange rate really threw me off, because everything seemed so much cheaper than it really was; I felt like there were so many good deals! In the evening, we had another chance to be with the Irish people by way of our first evening concert. It was at the Annalong Presbyterian Church to a small crowd of rather elderly people. Aside from the facts that one girl fainted, many were hot, and the acoustics weren't the best, the concert went quite well, particularly considering we had practiced our songs only once in the last two and a half weeks.
Thursday: This day brought with it the most interesting events and the funniest stories. That's probably because it involved about 400 eight- to eleven-year-olds. That's usually all it takes. We sang at Strandtown Primary School in Belfast. About half the school was gone, but the other half quietly (yet excitedly) gathered into the gym to hear us sing. They sat and stared curiously at this group of American college students that had come to their school. My friend said she saw a couple of them playing the old game of "Which One Do You Want To Be?" When we started singing, one girl in the middle of the second row let her jaw drop, such that I'm sure it took more work to keep it open than our singing probably warranted. After the concert, we were served tea and got to meet with some of the model students. The most amusing event was before we loaded up in the vans. We were standing outside, waiting for everyone to arrive, when a group of children went out for recess. Apparently they were so fascinated with meeting Americans that they wanted our autographs, but having only pens and no paper, we resorted to signing their arms and instructing them never to take another bath.
Friday: Whereas Thursday brought about the most interesting events, Friday brought about the most spectacular sights, overflowing my SD card, despite the fact that we spent close to 10 hours in the vans. I started my day bright and early. Intending to watch the sun rise over the ocean (east coast), I set my alarm for 5:30am. I'm not really a morning person, but I love sunrises, and I figured this would be my one chance to see it in Ireland over the ocean. As I went to take a shower, however, I looked out the window and saw that the sky was already bright and the sun had already broken above the horizon. I hurried out to the ocean, meeting scary cows and dogs along the way, and managed to capture some beautiful pictures before breakfast. As we traveled to the northern coast, I made a point to sit in the front seat so I could experience driving on the left-hand side of the road as fully as possible, without actually driving. On our way to Carrick-A-Rede, we passed the castle Dunluce, the inspiration for C.S. Lewis' Cair Paravel in the Chronicles of Narnia. Unfortunately, we did not have time to stop and I was only able to take a few fuzzy pictures as we sped by. Carrick-A-Rede is an island off cliffs of the northern shore, which is accessible by a terrifying rope bridge and was once used for fishing. I would have expected the tops of the great island-cliff to be jagged and rocky, but they were covered with a lush, green layer of grass, sprinkled with colorful wildflowers. We took pictures there, did some impromptu singing, and hiked back to the vans for the Giant's Causeway. The causeway is a very strange natural rock formation. It is built up in hexagon-shaped towers that are basically the same size (about 1'x1'). They start suddenly and disappear into the sea, where, I was told, they continue on to Scotland, creating a similar formation on that land. The legend is that two giants loved each other, but one lived in Ireland and one in Scotland. So they (or perhaps just one) built the causeway so they could be together.
Saturday: I ended this day with only a couple of bruises so I would consider that a relatively successful day! We were given a free day. Some people went to Newcastle, others to Annalong and still others played games around the house, but I went with a group of six to hike along the beach. And it was definitely a hike, not a leisurely walk, because the shore was covered in large rocks and boulders. We hiked for 4 hours, arriving back at Mullartown House two minutes before supper and I think we maybe got about halfway to Newcastle before we turned back. Shortly after we started out, we spotted four stray sheep: two mothers and two lambs. They were marked, so they belonged to someone, but must have just gotten out of their fence. Upon seeing us, they scampered along the coast, but having no place to go with fences lining the side, we merely followed them, and unintentionally chased them halfway to Newcastle-I hope they found their way back eventually. We got side-tracked several times at the sight of some seals. We saw them in groups of two or three, amounting to about 13 total. In addition, I saw two rainbows over the ocean, stretched out from end-to-end. It was amazing! As for the bruising, I blame the rain that accompanied the rainbows. My camera nearly landed in a puddle, which would have been a tragedy, and I probably would have cried, but fortunately it missed and the pictures were safe.
Sunday, Week 2: We were hit with the full blast of Irish hospitality. In the morning, we sang at a church in Belfast, receiving a large lunch buffet afterward, which included a dessert plus tea (with tea cakes). The whole meal lasted 1-2 hours and was followed by a bus-ride to another church where we would hold an evening concert. Unfortunately, our rehearsal was short, which meant that we had very little time to digest our very large lunch before this church saw fit to serve us a large supper (we couldn't eat right before the concert and the concert would finish around 9:30pm.). Fortunately, they waited to serve tea (with tea cakes) until after we sang.
Monday: St. Patty's Day! Not really, but we spent the majority of the day in Downpatrick, home to the grave of St. Patrick. Nearby the ancient graveyard is Down Cathedral (in the city of Downpatrick, County Down), which was undergoing some renovations. We went further back in time to the St. Patrick Memorial Church at Saul. Saul is a shortened version of the Gaelic word "Sabhall" which means barn, and the church was built in the 1930s for the 1500th anniversary of St. Patrick's second arrival to Ireland on the spot that is believed to be the site of the first church he established in Ireland, which met in a barn. With a little more van-travel and a lot more time-travel, we came to Inch Abbey, which, although looted and in ruins, still holds a certain amount of grandeur.
Tuesday/Wednesday: Filled with recordings, these two days are melded together in my head. We went to St. Mark's cathedral in Belfast to record our 13 or so songs. The church is the one C.S. Lewis attended as a child, with his grandfather working as the Vicar. Recording took a lot of patience, discipline and activities that could be done in the quiet. The choir would practice one song, record it (praying that no loud planes would fly by), and then wait as our director would listen to the recording to see whether it passed the test. It was slow at the beginning, but towards the end, we were able to go through several songs on the first try, without practicing!
Thursday: Considering all the choir members were college students, those who planned the trip saw fit to educate us on the Northern Ireland government. The tour and following presentation were interesting, but I would much rather have spent my time in the gardens that surrounded Stormont than be inside the building itself. That's not to say it wasn't an impressive place. The parliament building was in great condition, despite having been covered in tar during World War II. We were even given the opportunity to sing on the steps in the Great Hall as members of parliament and other governmental staff peeked out their office doors and congregated along the banister. We left there to see an old castle, but unfortunately, the most interesting part, the keep, was locked up and we weren't able to spend much time there.
Friday: As with any classic comedy, the weather seemed to be pitted against us this day. Every time we were driving, the sun was shining. Once we stepped out to see the attractions, however, the storm clouds gathered. Our first stop actually started out well, with a quick picnic on the grassy slopes of Northern Ireland. Then we headed up the hill to Scrabo Tower, where, on clear days, one can see Scotland. Of course this day was not clear. What is more, as the winds brought on the rain, we discovered that the tower (like the castle) was closed that day and we were merely stuck on the top of a hill next to an old building with a hazy view of the countryside. As we drove away, the sun came out again, but when we arrived at another town to see a lighthouse, it started to rain again. We ended the day with a rather uneventful evening concert.
Saturday: I finally realized my dream of riding a double-decker bus. We left for Belfast, but we allowed to go our own ways, starting with a bus ride to Belfast City Hall. I traveled with a small group of friends, shopping in various stores, while ignoring the numerous offers for city bus tours. We found a little cafe for lunch, where I shared a Salmon Croissant with one of my friends. I still can't decide whether or not I liked it. Shortly thereafter, we came upon what I would consider a "very European" street. Made of bricks, the road was only for pedestrians and was skirted with various shops of multiple stories, with fountains, small archways and even a man playing a strange instrument that included a violin and a horn. We found a telephone booth along the way and took a picture, but unlike the road, it was not "the ideal" telephone booth, as far as what Americans expect to see in Europe.
Sunday, Week 3: Like the previous Sunday, we spent this one at one church service in the morning and at another in the evening, with a small break in the afternoon between the two. We spent our break at a mansion in Belfast, relaxing outside. Some played soccer, while others soaked in the sun. It was only fitting that one member of choir set about reading from the Chronicles of Narnia. The evening concert was rather emotional, since it was the last one of the year, and for many seniors, the last college activity.
Monday: The best ideas do not always come at 10pm. Sunday night, we all returned from the concert having to pack our bags for the 5:30am departure from Mullartown House. The thought of having to wake up after less than five hours of sleep (with a shower and packing) was so unattractive that a small group of us figured it would be better to just have fun pulling an all-nighter. After 3 hours of ping-pong, however, we were drained. On the bright side, it helped me manage a couple hours of sleep on the uncomfortable plane. Before we left, several choir members were able to see Air Force One land at the Dublin Airport. I, of course, was stuck in the extensive security that surrounded the event. Over the course of eight hours of flight, we gained back our six hours and landed safe and sound in America.
One of my friends told me that while we were at the primary school, he had, in the course of the conversation, asked a teacher how he liked his tea. The man replied that he liked his tea nice and strong, and that if you want strong tea, you say tae not tea. I personally am still not sure how I like my tea. I liked the regular black tea that was served at nearly every public venue we went to, but whenever I added sugar, it was too sweet for me (which shocked me, considering my favorite drinks are lemonade, kool-aid, apple cider and hot chocolate). I really liked the fruity teas that were available at night, and the cream didn't have much of an effect on whether or not I liked the tea. By the end of the trip, I had not turned myself into an avid tea-drinker, but had at least managed to become comfortable drinking a variety of different teas, allowing myself to at least speak somewhat knowledgably on the subject. I may not know everything there is to know about Northern Ireland, and I might not go back again, but I learned a little about how their government works, I understand a little more about their culture, I became a little more acquainted with the members of my own group and I saw a little bit of the beautiful, green island.
Until we meet again my friend,
May God hold you in the palm of his hand.
