June 20, 2013
Getting to the airport was a little stressful...We were running a little late and I didn't want to be that kid who everyone is waiting on. BUT we made it and I wasn't even the last one to get there. Going through security wasn't very exciting but I did get to meet one of my apartment mates, Sara. Also I'm going to be sharing the apartment with such an amazing girl...Cherie! I'm so glad she is here experiencing all of Ireland with me!
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| These were our faces when arriving in Ireland! |
Getting to Ireland wasn't really a breeze but I was able to sleep about two hours on the plane which apparently is a lot more than what most from our group could. As soon as we got off the plane and on the bus, we were busy.
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| This is my room, it's not very big but it's really cozy |
First we went back to The Waterford Institute of Technology to see where we would be living the next five weeks. I am in the Nuir House (named after one of Ireland's famous rivers) and our apartment isn't so bad, in fact it's better than anywhere I've stayed abroad recently!
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| This is my tiny, low water pressure shower |
It took me about an hour to try to figure out how to use my shower and then I asked around. It took a while but I finally was able to take a shower with warm water instead of freezing cold water. There's several things here that I'm slowly learning how to work but soon I'll be a pro. Strangely enough my shower is in something kind of like a nook behind my bathroom door.
After getting an hour to settle and put our stuff down we were off again on our first adventure here in Ireland! First we headed to downtown Waterford and went on a tour of the Medieval Museum. There was so much history behind Ireland even before the country was a country. Waterford was established in 914 AD, so it's been around for a long while. Ireland was settled by Vikings in the 10th century and in fact one of the main parts of downtown Waterford is called the Viking Triangle. Waterford is oldest area of continuous urban settlement in Ireland.
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| http://waterfordtreasures.com/medieval-museum/ |
This is what out tour guide told us is very old version of what a "power point presentation" would look like back many many years ago. This presentation was shown to Henry III, king of England, to help gain his support and to show him that he was well respected by the people of medieval Waterford.
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| http://waterfordtreasures.com/medieval-museum/ |
Here is one of the museum's most important pieces on display. These robes are the only pre-Reformation vestments to survive that come from Waterford's Christ Church cathedral. They appear to be gold and that's because they actually are. They are all embroidered with gold thread and have biblical stories depicting hope. These vestments were only worn by priests at the time and the stories etched in each robe was to positively influence all those who saw them.
Later we toured Waterford's most well known land mark, Reginald's Tower. Reginald's Tower is one of the oldest and stable Tower. It was around when the vikings came in the 10th century and was used for many things. It has with stood war, time, and people as well as some restoration. The vikings used the great advantages the tower had by flanking two rivers and having the ability to easily trade via ocean. They used it mainly though as a fort/look out. Over time it was used as a min (making coins), a fort, a prison, a home, and now finally a museum. The tower is so old that the mortar that holds the brick together is made from animal blood, animal feces, animal hair, mud, and human hair...gross, but that's all they had. It was really cool seeing the Quays (pronounced "keys') from the windows in the wall.You can also see cannons stuck in the 10 foot thick walls outside the tower. Crazy how old the building is and how it's still standing just like the very old City Waterford (not to be mistaken for County Waterford...completely different thing).
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June 22, 2013
Today we started off with a great breakfast provided by WIT and then off we went back downtown Waterford for another day of adventure! We started off going to the famous House of Waterford Crystal. That place was one classy factory. We got to go on a tour in the factory and we actually got to see the people blowing, carving, and finishing the beautiful pieces.
The factory first opened in 1783 but things got a little rocky. Even though the high demand of blown glass was great for business and there were lots of people employed as blowers, cutters, designers, and polishers, the business soon found it self in a rut. But that rut ended in1955 when the business made its first profits. That's crazy that it took so long but there were some wars and some succession that happened along the way that lead up to the reestablishment of the House of Waterford Crystal. But more recently, the factory in Waterford did a huge down sizing because of the decline in demand for the fine pieces so the House relocated to downtown Waterford and left about 15,000 locals jobless. Now the House of Waterford Crystal stands tall on the Quays and produces the biggest amount of crystal than any other Waterford Crystal factories.
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