Year 10’s Trip to Ireland 2016
Tuesday, 31st March
Our travel day started at 10.45 at the railway station in Goslar, where Mrs. Kohl-Zimmermann and Mr. Balke waited for us. We took the train to Hanover, where we changed for a train to Bremen after a short break. After around two hours we arrived and took a tram to the airport. A few of us were really excited because it was their first flight. We were really happy when we finally arrived after taking the airport bus and a two-hour flight. Everybody stormed to the lift, excited about what the room would look like. After we had relaxed and looked around the hostel we explored the city and had dinner. We finished our day on the rooftop of our hostel.
Wednesday, 1st June
On Wednesday we went to a small town called Howth by train. In this town there was a nice little harbour. After taking some pictures there, we intended to do a cliffwalk. So we went up the steep hill streets until we got to a viewpoint with such a nice view. Because the weather was very nice, we just laid down there in the grass and enjoyed the pleasant atmosphere. The descent was very difficult because the path was very stony. As we walked downhill right next to the sheer drop the waves slapped against the cliff down below. Back at the harbour we all bought fish and chips and ate them in the sun. Unfortunately we all got a sunburn. Afterwards we went back to Dublin and had free time which most of us used for shopping or sitting in the park. It was such a nice day which we will never ever forget.
Thursday, 2nd June
Our day started early because we had to be at Kilmainham Gaol at 10 o´clock. After a long walk we arrived at the museum, which used to be a prison from the 18th to 20th centuries. We walked around the Gaol with a guide who showed us the cells of the prisoners and the Stonebreakers’ Yards. One of these yards had been used to execute the leaders of the Easter Rising in 1916.
It´s very impressive that there is such a big difference between the older east wing and the newer west wing. Some of us had had a presentation about Kilmainham Gaol before, and to visit it helped us understand better what they talked about.
In the afternoon we went to the city to go shopping again. For all of us Dublin was very expensive because we went shopping every day – we bought so many clothes. In the evening we all sat together and ate pizza. It was a very funny evening and we laughed a lot.
Friday, 3rd June
Friday was the third and last day of our trip to Ireland. After a quiet breakfast we headed towards the city centre. Walking down O’Connell Street the big monument of “The Spire” came into sight. The Spire of Dublin, also known as the “Monument of Light”, is a large, stainless steel, pin-like monument about 120 metres in height. We then visited the General Post Office, which is near The Spire. Having taken a look at the inside of the General Post Office we moved on and headed towards Temple Bar. Walking through the narrow alley we saw smaller bars and pubs in a vintage look. We took a lot of photos, for we had never seen such nice and antique-looking buildings in our lives before. We didn’t visit any pubs – *sigh* – but on our way to the Georgian House No. 29 we saw the statue of the well-known Irish character Molly Malone. There is a very famous song which goes like this:
In Dublin’s fair city,
Where the girls are so pretty,
I first set my eyes on sweet Molly Malone,
As she wheeled her wheel-barrow,
Through streets broad and narrow,
Crying, “Cockles and mussels, alive, alive, oh!”
“Alive, alive, oh,
Alive, alive, oh,”
Crying “Cockles and mussels, alive, alive, oh”.
She was a fishmonger,
But sure ’twas no wonder,
For so were her father and mother before,
And they wheeled their barrows,
Through the streets broad and narrow,
Crying, “Cockles and mussels, alive, alive, oh!”She died of a fever,
And no one could save her,
And that was the end of sweet Molly Malone.
But her ghost wheels her barrow,
Through streets broad and narrow,
Crying, “Cockles and mussels, alive, alive, oh!”
After listening to Mr. Balke singing the song we continued our walk toward the Georgian House.
We eventually made it to the old Georgian House and took a tour. The rich people back in the day had quite a lifestyle: Men would work out their calves to look good in shorts, and women would spend several hours a day getting dressed and all nice and dandy. We weren’t allowed to take any pictures, probably because the souls of the damned would be caught on camera or something. We then had some spare time to spend, so we split up into groups and walked around Dublin. At around 9pm we all met again and wanted to visit the annual Dublin River Festival. We were on our way to the festival when we realized we were too early – a day too early to be exact: The festival opened the next day.
Tuesday, 4th June: Saying goodbye to Dublin
Our last day started with a late breakfast and we were a little bit sad about leaving. We packed our suitcases and our rooms looked as clean as on the first day. In spite of the long journey back ahead of us we were happy we were soon going to see our families again.
A big thank you to Mrs. Kohl-Zimmermann and Mr. Balke for an amazing time in Dublin!