Trip to Ireland

My trip to Ireland was beautiful. We went to Ireland mainly for my cousins wedding. The
wedding was at Waterford castle. Waterford is a beautiful riverside town that's famous for their
crystals. We took a ferry across the narrow River Suir to reach a small island in the middle. The
wedding island was filled with significant amounts greenery and had beautiful views. Waterford
Castle is a popular wedding spot where 50 weddings occur each year. The castle has limited
rooms so most of the Guests stay in small lodges about half a mile away. The wedding itself
was normal. The events were well organized and each event used different parts of the island.
My favorite part was the last day of the wedding.

The last day of the wedding had many great events and was really memorable. The day
started with a Formal Indian wedding at the base of the castle. I thought that this part of the
wedding was the least exciting part. During the Indian Wedding were the traditional ceremonies.
Next was the clay pigeon shooting. The gun fired BB bullets at skeets which were called clay
pigeons. The gun had lots of recoil and dug into your shoulder. I found this quite fun and took
many attempts, but by the end, my arm was in pain. Next was the western wedding. The
wedding was hilarious due to the jokes and the stories. The dinner was ...boring. The dinner
started at around 7 and was a 5 course meal. The first course came after half an hour and every
following course was an hour after the previous. The dinner ended at 12 with a firework display
outside and they ran out of the vegetarian option so I had to eat pasta which came after
everyone else had eaten.

After, the wedding the next stop was the Rock of Cashel. The Rock of Cashel used to be
the castle of the kings of Munster for hundreds of years before the Normans conquered Ireland.
During the early middle ages, the kingdom of Munster was sometimes threatened and assaulted
by the Normans and their impressive ships. In the 12th century, the King of Munster, decided to
donate his fortress to the Church. The Rock of Cashel has architecture that is unique to Ireland
and has a great vantage point in battle as it is on top of a huge hill. The Rock of Cashel has a
stunning view which was beautiful. I saw a different version of the many types of towns in
Ireland. Muckross Abbey is an active burial site and ruins of the old Abbey. I had heard that
Ireland has excessive amounts of greenery, but even the amount of greenery that I had
witnessed was mind-blowing.

Our next stop took us back north where we would see the Cliffs of Moher. On the way
we made 2 major stops. We first went to Crag cave. Crag cave is filled with stalagmites and
stalactites. It was discovered quite recently and is over one million years old. It is one of the
longest cave systems in Ireland. We explored the cave on a slippery and narrow path. We saw
clusters of stalactites and other spectacular limestone formations. The cave was discovered
when a scientist saw a huge hole of the cave and dived to find the cave. From there a path was
opened and fences we put. The river that made Crag Cave is still flowing. The old path was
closed due to the river diverting. I asked too many questions and loved going inside the cave
due to my interest in Geology. We then followed our path and continued to King john's castle.
 King Johns Castle is a 13th century Castle in the middle of Limerick City. The Castle
overlooks the River Shannon offering wonderful views of Limerick City. The Pre-Norman
castles features are for defensive and settlement purposes. There is an early defense system,
a wall of limestone boulders, and a deep ditch. This made King Johns Castle a fortified castle.
The castle was built on an existing fortification from an older ruined castle. King Johns castle is
well preserved and showed the living conditions inside the castle. I enjoyed this part because I
got see what we had leaned over the course of the year at school. Vanya And I had gotten
obsessed over a treasure hunt and were having a lot of fun finding the brass engraving, that we
lost track of time and found out that we had wasted about an hour due to the scavenger hunt.

One of Irelands most famous sights, the Cliffs of Moher are entirely vertical and the
cliff's edge is abrupt. The views are incredible. The wind at the top is quite strong and can be
scary when you are close to the edge. The feeling of being here is similar to the Horseshoe
bend. I dont really understand why the cliffs are such a popular tourist destination. I felt it was
overrated. But nonetheless the experience was amazing.

Dublin is usually the place that comes to mind when Ireland is mentioned. Dublin is a
great city with many tourist attractions. The first place we went is to the Guinness Storehouse
with our cousins. Making Guinness is a lengthy process. First, the malted barley, which forms
the foundation of the beer, is crushed by mills and then mixed with water. The water is then
heated to extract the brewing sugars. The grain is the separated from the liquid. More barley is
then roasted to a specific temperature and goes through the same process. Guinness adds
twice the amount of hops than regular beers and uses the oil of the hops. Then nitrogen is
added to get the precise amount of bubbles and create the thick white foam at the top. I thought
was interesting how Guinness is made and some of the facts that i learned like the yeast in
every Guinness is from the same family and there is a reserve in case of an emergency was
very interesting.

Built in honor of Irelands patron saint, St Patricks Cathedral is one of the most
important historic landmarks in Dublin. Dating back to 1200s to the site of an ancient well where
St Patrick used to baptize new converts into catholicism . St. Patrick's Cathedral has played a
major role in many wars, and was used as a huge gathering place. It is built in the Neo-Gothic
style and, in my opinion, is one of the more spectacular cathedrals. It is also the burial place of
Jonathan Swift, the writer of Gulliver's Travels. To me this was just another Cathedral, I was
more interested me the history than the art, this bias is due to going to the Vatican and seeing
the Sistine Chapel. No cathedral that I have been to is more beautiful than the Sistine Chapel
and I think that wont change.

We also went to the Jameson factory. Jameson uses malted and unmalted barley
separately. Jameson distills their whiskey 3 times to make it twice as smooth, they do this in
clay pots and ancient techniques. The other whiskey uses more modern techniques.. They then
age their whiskeys in caskets that were used for bourbon and wine, this gives Jameson a
different taste. 2% of their whiskey is lost to evaporation, they call this the Angels share. After,
this the 2 whiskeys are blended to make the original Jameson. I found I quite interesting
learning that beer and whiskey doesnt have much of a difference other than the aging and
distillation process. I thought that the tour was very well made and enjoyed the experience of
seeing how Jameson is made.

In the 930s, the Vikings built fortifications at the junction of the River Liffey. The site was
called Dubh Linn. When the Normans invaded Dublin in 1170s, they picked Dublin Castle as
their stronghold and main settlement. This was the first proper castle as there were stone walls
and ditches as well as the terrible smell of the moat. Dublin Castle was completed by the
English in 1230. The Record Tower is the last intact medieval tower of Dublin. The tower served
as a high security prison in troublesome times.

Dublin Castle was the dungeon for state prisoners and the seat of Parliament, which met
in the Great Hall before the hall burnt down in the Great Fire and Parliament moved in 1750s.
The Courts of Law also met at Dublin Castle. The Castle housed the Royal Mint, army and
police barracks, armaments factories and weapons stores. As a key symbol of the English reign,
Dublin Castle was a key target during the Easter Rising of 1916, which marked the first step
towards the end of British rule in Ireland. One of the first fatalities of the Rising was a policeman
named O'Brien, who attempted to shut the Castle's Cork Hill Gate on an advancing rebel party.
Captain San Connolly who fired the shot was killed by army snipers located on the roof of
Bedford Tower when he attempted to raise the rebel flag on adjacent City Hall. He has a room
dedicated to him in the Castle. Dublin Castle was an amazing castle. The amount of history in
the castle as well as its pivotal role in the history of Ireland made it very interesting.

Trip to London
The Tower of London is a 900-year-old castle and fortress in central London that is
famous for housing the crown jewels and for holding many famous and infamous prisoners.
Throughout its history, the tower has served many purposes: it housed the royal mint, a record's
office, an armory and barracks for troops. Until the 17th century, it was also used as a royal
residence.

Throughout its history the tower was used to imprison a wide range of prisoners, from
deposed monarchs to more common criminals. Prisoners included Lady Jane Grey, who was
queen for about a week in the 16th century before she was disposed by Mary I. Another notable
prisoner was Guy Fawkes, who in 1605 attempted to blow up the House of Lords and the
monarch by detonating gunpowder in the cellars below. He was imprisoned in the tower and
tortured. Many prisoners are taken on a hill and beheaded publicly. It was like a concert to the
Victorians. Today, the crown jewels are one of the most popular attractions at the Tower of
London. The jewels include the crowns worn by the new queen at coronation and at the opening
of Parliament. There is also the Cullinan diamond. The Cullinan diamond is part of the largest
diamond in the world. The bearded yeoman warders, also called Beefeaters, guard the tower
today. The Warders acted likely a friendly brotherhood, sharing the rewards of their official and
unofficial duties. They make money by renting out parts of the ground and by showing visitors
around. The Tower of London showed me London from a different view, I had always thought
that London was an innovative and ethical place. I didnt expect the gruesome past to be so
prominent in London's history.

Trafalgar square is a great place to relax. The square celebrates the Battle of Trafalgar,
fought in 1805. It has a few statues and a fountain. There are lots of tourist everywhere. We
went to Buckingham palace and got a glimpse of the Queen as she drove to Windsor castle. We
saw a little bit of the changing of the guards. We werent able to go to the Buckingham Palace
because it was closed. We then went to the Churchill War museums. I found it quite relaxing
going to Trafalgar square and taking in London

The War Rooms provided the secret underground headquarters for the British
government throughout the Second World War. People were afraid that London would be a
popular target for aerial bombardment. This led to the construction of the War Rooms. In the
1950s, hundreds of brave men and women would spend thousands of hours here and it soon
became the main base of operations for the British government during the war. There is a huge
telephone that is connected with the U.S.A who became a vital ally after Pearl Harbor. Winston
Churchill was the Prime minister for most of the second world war. He helped families and war
refugees by doing great things for the public. He distributed millions of gas masks for a possible
gas attack to everyone in London. He became a very important figure to London during the
World Wars. I learned a lot about Winston Churchill and found the Museum quite interesting. I
felt like thee Museum was too detailed because the life of Winston Churchill got confusing and
boring very quickly

Tower Bridge is a suspension bridge in London. Tower Bridge has been an iconic
symbol of London and it passes over River Thames. It is a bascule bridge, which means it is
moveable and gives way to boat traffic when required thanks to the upward swing of the bridge.
With the help of two horizontal walkways, the two bridge towers are attached on the upper side.
At the bottom of both towers lay machinery that operates it. London needed another bridge
during Victorian times. The only bridge that crossed the Thames was the London Bridge. So
many architects were put to work in a competition to build the best bridge. Many people mistake
Tower Bridge for London Bridge, but London bridge is actually another bridge. London Bridge is
the first bridge to cross the River Thames. I found the history of Tower Bridge quite interesting,
the Bridges of the World exhibit surprised me with the variety of bridges and designs very
captivating.

The London Eye is a great way to see London. After getting a sense of what is what in
London, the London Eye lets you see the skyline and take an aerial view of London. It is a huge
ferris wheel and one of the biggest in the world. The line is very long at the London Eye and I
thought that we would never make it to the front. Luckily, we had the fast-track option so it was
easier and only took 30 min in line. Other than seeing the top of London the ride became boring
after the first 20 min.

We took a long road trip the next day to Windsor Castle, Stonehenge, and The Roman
Baths. The drive was scenic and you got see the countryside of Ireland. Windsor Castle is the
Royal residence of the Queen. It has remodeled many times with the changing of the Queens
and Kings. A large fire destroyed much of the castle. After years of restoration, castle was
rebuilt and parts of it were offered to a public as tourist attraction. Today, many people work and
live in Windsor castle, making it both tourist attraction and a functioning royal home and location
for numerous royal gatherings, state banquets and official entertaining events. I got to see lots
of the Royal arts and furniture collection. There is a huge Dollhouse that was made by one of
the queens nieces. It is complete reconstruction of the private sector of Windsor castle. The
Dollhouse has working plumbing and is made from real materials. There are also state rooms
that show the collection of weapons, fine china, and precious metal encrusted furniture. We also
had ice cream made from the royal cows and some really good pizza for lunch.

We then took a long drive to the Stonehenge. Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument

located in England, near Salisbury. One of the most famous sites in the world, Stonehenge is
the remains of a ring of standing stones that is between 4,000 and 5,000 years old. Stonehenge
is in the center of a large number of Bronze Age and Neolithic monuments. There are also
several hundred burial mounds in the area and land surrounding Stonehenge. Those who built
Stonehenge had to have been extremely advanced in geometry. It was aligned with the
midwinter sunset and the midsummer sunset. It was also aligned with the most northerly setting
and most southerly rising of the moon. Two types of stone were used to build Stonehenge. They Commented [1]: I used google for this cause i couldn't
used Sarsen stones that weighed many tons and the Bluestones that are smaller volcanic rocks remember

that are tinged blue. It was assembled and connected with small bumps and indents that fit into
each other. This keeps the rocks from easily falling off. Even with these efforts, some of the
rocks need restoration.
The Romans constructed a complex of bathhouses above Bath's three natural hot
springs, which emerge at a steady 46C (115F). Next to a temple dedicated to the
healing goddess Sulis-Minerva, the baths form ancient Roman spas in the world, and are
encircled by 18th- and 19th-century buildings. The water is heated and this gave the water a
great mineral content. Many romans treated this like a spa, and people would come to be
healed. People would issue curses to the people that would steal their valuables. The baths
were discovered when a construction project was going through the area. People then restored
the Baths and made a structure on top of them. The water in the main pool breeds bacteria
because the temperature drops to 36.5C (97.8F). And with all of algae growth in the water the
color is now a murky green. We ate Nepalese food and got back to hotel by 2 at night. I started
reading a biography on Elon Musk and I got hooked and wanted to keep on reading.

We then went to the Sherlock Holmes museum. The three-story building where the two
detectives lived from 1881 until 1904 is decorated in the same style as described in the different
novels, packed with furniture and decorative objects from the period. The first floor is the most
memorable of all. I saw Sherlocks bedroom, as well as the study where he and Doctor Watson
worked on every crime. On the buildings second floor is Doctor Watson and Mrs Hudsons
rooms, full of the characters personal items. Wax figures representing different characters of
the detectives most important cases are located on the third floor.

We then went to Madame Tussauds. When I entered I saw some famous celebrities and
then saw characters from books and actors in certain roles. I also saw how the statues are
made. There are some interactive exhibits and we went to see those next. It was a cool
experience.
We then went on a London cruise that told us about the history of London such as the
buildings and the landmarks. I thought it was a great way to end off my trip to London.

I have enjoyed my trip to London. I have seen many monuments that I would see in my
favorite movies and TV series. One example of this is London's amazing metro system. London
has a very complex metro system and this is used in Sherlock. I also have a puzzle of London
that I didn't know what half of the things are. Now I know what each of the landmarks are and
what they are used for. Ireland provided a similar experience. I thought Ireland is a great place
to take long road trips, unwind, and have fun.