Ireland 2023 - Day One

Treacy's Bar & Restaurant

In typical Alumni Travel Program fashion, we were off to a running start to a very long and productive day. Just landing at Dublin Airport, we met our C.I.E. Tours bus driver/tour guide, Sean McGovern. After boarding the motor coach, we took a scenic 90-minute ride from Dublin to Portlaoise, where we stopped for a traditional Irish breakfast at Treacy's Bar & Restaurant.

The Rock of Cashel

After breakfast, we travel into County Tipperary for a visit to the Rock of Cashel where we toured the majestic church ruins that are clustered high on a limestone outcrop overlooking the surrounding countryside.

Granny's Kitchen

The skies opened up a bit just as we were disembarking the coach to tour the grounds but that didn't damper the spirits of our travelers, some of whom capped off the visit with a nice warm beverage from Granny's Kitchen just down a quaint little street from the ruins.

The port of Kinsale

After wrapping up our visit, we continued our drive into Kinsale. The rain started to come down during our drive and we had a little excitement when the wipers on the van stopped working. Fortunately, it was just a blown fuse and Sean was able to fix it and get us back on our way quickly.

As we reached the seaport town of Kinsale, we welcomed our local guide, David, onto the bus for a driving tour and complete history of thetown.

A favorite of artists due to its steep narrow streets, quirky shopfronts and many fine Georgian houses, Kinsale boasted a robust trade and fishing economy for decades. In recent years, Kinsale has come to be known as the "Gourmet Capital of Ireland" thanks in part to its many wonderful restaurants and pubs.

The Kingsley Hotel

After leaving Kinsale, we continued our journey to Cork to check into The Kingsley Hotel where we enjoyed a fantastic Welcome Dinner in the at Fairbanks Restaurant.

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Barcelona - Dos

Day two in Barcelona has been fantastic! Jose gave us lots of information on the artist Gaudi - not born here but arrived in 1852 to attend the university. His artistic style and influence can be seen across the city. We stopped at Park Guell which was an amazing outdoor area Gaudi designed near the home he lived in. Inspired by nature, fairy tales and classical legends the park is beautiful. With its kissing benches, 'candy house', salamander and plaza with the longest bench in the world it is a work of art in itself. Some of us made the walk up to the top where the three crosses are - and found even more breathtaking views of the city. From there we headed back downtown for a short walk to La Sagrada Familia cathedral. Design by Gaudi and still not yet finished, it is very unique and ornate. Just walking around the outside, Jose had enough informatiion to share about its intricacies that it took some time. The line for entrance was nearly wrapped around the ch

Cordoba

First our morning started with an alarm - or a lack of one; as Mary Jane and Pat's room never received a wakeup call. So everyone else was on the bus ready to go when they finally got a knock on the door. What troopers they were, though! In 15 minutes they were on the bus with everyone and not long after they were able to laugh at the 'chaos' of it all. Our local guide Isabel was just delightful - and clearly has a love for her city. She tells us that filmmaker Pedro Almodovar is from here as we begin our walk. First we go through the old Jewish center. Nearly all of the city's buildings are white-washed (originally by the women we hear). We stop at an old Jewish synagogue and learn some history of the area. Then we stop at the statue of a famous rabbi ( can you name him ?) which legend is that by rubbing his foot and then touching your own head you will get taller and wiser. most of us did that - some hoping for extra height, others for a bit of wisdom!

2011: Day 4 - Vienna

Another great day! We had a 6am wake up call - but it paid off! Our tour director, Robert, secured the first reservations of the day at Shronbrunn Palace - which meant we were the only guests in the Palace for the most part. We went room to room with our own local guide, Gabi, for a nearly private tour! A one-of-a-kind experience for sure. The Palace and Gardens were beautiful. 1,441 rooms and acres and acres of grounds. We learned about Mary Theresa (and all of her 16 children). This was the summer palace for the Hapsburg dynasty. We then switched gears and went to see modern art at KunstHausWien - what a creative artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser was. And a man who epitomized eco-friendly living and work. A very different experience after our tour of the Palace. Next was a driving tour of some of the city's monuments, etc. with a stop for lunch along the way. We ended with a walking tour to additional historic spots and a tour of the downtown palace - the winter residence of the

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