Ireland: Day 7
So today we all were going to take a relaxing day and have a traditional Irish meal with an Irish family. I went with Mr. Jack Ferris to his home just north of Downpatrick. Mrs. Ferris had made a fantastic lunch and dinner for us. Jack picked Allie, Bobby and myself up around 11:30 AM and took us out to the ranch.
In order to get to the house Jack took us on the ferry that went from Castleward to Portferry. The ferry operated every ten minutes and saves cars an hour long drive around the peninsula. Because, as mentioned before, the Stranford Lough has such strong tidal currents boats must time their journeys in and out of the Lough to coincide with the tides. Even engine powered boats have difficulties going against the tide. When we returned home, the ferry coming to pick us up was being pushed sideways by the tremendous current.
Around 2:00, we all went out to Mount Stewart which is a beautiful home owned by many political dignatries in Britain for over two centuries. The house is located across the Strangford Lough from Castleward.
The house, now owned by the people of Northern Ireland through the National Trust is the home of beautiful gardens, the Temple of the Winds, the famous George Stubbs painting "Hambletonian", and now the resting place of the 22 chairs used in the Congress of Vienna which recreated European's culture after the fall of Napoleon. Also, the gardens were named European's Inspirational Garden in 2003.
Jack took us on the tour of the house and it was really neat to see the architecture and archaeic nature of all the accessories within the house. Also, the tour guide talked about how members of the trust worked to conserve different parts of the house as best as possible. They are so strict with the house that they don't even allow photography in the house.
Gardens wrap around the entire house, ending with the beautiful Temple of the Winds. In one end of the gardens, Jack told us about the legend of the Red Hand of Ulster. The Red Hand of Ulster is the centerpiece to the Flag of Ulster. The legend says that Heremon, Heber and Ir who were the sons of King Milesius of Spain were sent by their father to inhabit the lands in Ireland in 504 BC. Apparently, one of the boys had cut off his hand and threw it onto the shore to be the first to claim the land in Ireland. The garden reflects this by growing red flowers in the shape of a hand. Unfortunately, when we were there this was under construction but it added a neat twist to the tour.
We ended the night with a fantastic dinner of beef, champ, carrots, peas and raspberry desert with fresh raspberries...and of course a glass a wine and Guiness. We were so appreciative of the Ferris family for inviting us into their home and teaching us all the tips and tricks of English Cricket.
Jack then took us home around 9:30 PM and the group hung out and talked until the wee hours of the morning. It was a very relaxing day for us and we're all looking forward to a big week of work, visiting Stormont in Belfast and a day in Dublin.
In order to get to the house Jack took us on the ferry that went from Castleward to Portferry. The ferry operated every ten minutes and saves cars an hour long drive around the peninsula. Because, as mentioned before, the Stranford Lough has such strong tidal currents boats must time their journeys in and out of the Lough to coincide with the tides. Even engine powered boats have difficulties going against the tide. When we returned home, the ferry coming to pick us up was being pushed sideways by the tremendous current.Around 2:00, we all went out to Mount Stewart which is a beautiful home owned by many political dignatries in Britain for over two centuries. The house is located across the Strangford Lough from Castleward.
The house, now owned by the people of Northern Ireland through the National Trust is the home of beautiful gardens, the Temple of the Winds, the famous George Stubbs painting "Hambletonian", and now the resting place of the 22 chairs used in the Congress of Vienna which recreated European's culture after the fall of Napoleon. Also, the gardens were named European's Inspirational Garden in 2003.
Jack took us on the tour of the house and it was really neat to see the architecture and archaeic nature of all the accessories within the house. Also, the tour guide talked about how members of the trust worked to conserve different parts of the house as best as possible. They are so strict with the house that they don't even allow photography in the house.
Gardens wrap around the entire house, ending with the beautiful Temple of the Winds. In one end of the gardens, Jack told us about the legend of the Red Hand of Ulster. The Red Hand of Ulster is the centerpiece to the Flag of Ulster. The legend says that Heremon, Heber and Ir who were the sons of King Milesius of Spain were sent by their father to inhabit the lands in Ireland in 504 BC. Apparently, one of the boys had cut off his hand and threw it onto the shore to be the first to claim the land in Ireland. The garden reflects this by growing red flowers in the shape of a hand. Unfortunately, when we were there this was under construction but it added a neat twist to the tour. We ended the night with a fantastic dinner of beef, champ, carrots, peas and raspberry desert with fresh raspberries...and of course a glass a wine and Guiness. We were so appreciative of the Ferris family for inviting us into their home and teaching us all the tips and tricks of English Cricket.
Jack then took us home around 9:30 PM and the group hung out and talked until the wee hours of the morning. It was a very relaxing day for us and we're all looking forward to a big week of work, visiting Stormont in Belfast and a day in Dublin.
posted by Kyle T. O'Brien @ 4:25 PM
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