Dublin Castle & Garden - Review

Why am I posting so many things about Ireland? Maybe it's because I'm working for a Dublin based company and traveling there perhaps a tad too much...

A colleague asked it I wanted to visit the Dublin Castle and Garden. She had me at "garden."  That said, without having done any research - it was not what I expected. I thought old ruins of a building with some acreage of grounds - similar to Powerscourt.  I learned that the Dublin Castle is really a government building in the middle of Dublin proper!

We first arrived before anything opened - and it was perfect to walk around the exterior, linger in the garden and really absorb the atmosphere. Later in the day there were hundreds of tourists which made it a tad difficult to place oneself back in time to get a feel for the history.

Dublin Castle - Fall 2016

 

Dublin Castle Tour - Fall 2016

 

Kilmainham Gaol - Dublin Historic Prison (Review)

Hundred Year Old Prison Door - Dublin

On a recent trip to Dublin I had a meeting directly across the street from what seemed to be a very large tourist attraction. I learned it was Kilmainham Gaol prison and that I just had to take time to go! Super glad that I did - as a fan of history and wanting to get off the beaten path a bit. This was an excellent stop. 

I didn't realize much of the history of Ireland until I took this tour. The prison was built in 1787 and many key figures in Irish history were incarcerated and executed here. There could be some really fun costume/haunted house events here. Lots of details on various websites and books. 

Everyone has to go through on a tour - which is a good thing. Our guide was knowledgeable and fun. She put into context the conditions in the country versus the prison - sharing that some were trying to get put into prison as the conditions her, which were harsh (overcrowding, dirty, little food) were better than on the streets. The prison was for both women and men - noted somewhere that 40% of inmates could have been women. This was attributed to lack of employment opportunities or marriage after males emigrated. (women arrested for vagrancy or prostitution or other...)

Perhaps owing to my love of antiques like old woods - I was fascinated with the doors and metal work as you can see in the photos below.

Other Dublin / Ireland events and tours on my blog can be reviewed here.

Old Trinity Library - Book of Kels; Dublin (Review)

A colleague had attended Trinity University in Dublin and insisted that, as an antique and book lover, that I take a visit to the Trinity Library and Book of Kels exhibit. When I learned that this site, the Long Room, was the inspiration for The Jedi Archives in the Jedi Temple on Coruscant in Star Wars II: Attack of the Clones (where they discovered that the planet had been erased) - yes I had to go!

Long Hall, Trinity Library, Dublin, Ireland - Sept 2015

These photos are from a visit in September 2015.

Book of Kels - Bible, Trinity Library, Dublin

The Book of Kels is an illustrated bible created by Celtic monks 1200 years ago. The exhibit has a great deal of history in the exhibit. Entry into the exhibit is times - but even then it was very crowded. A new portion of the book is shown each day. You can also see it in these digital archives. Today when people barely read a book or even write a letter - it is an interesting exercise to imaging how it could have taken so many people so many years to create this masterpiece. Some say it is one of Ireland's national treasures - which is easy to understand. No photos allowed - so I grabbed an image from the digital archive for your enjoyment. 


Other Dublin Day-trips and tours are reviewed in these blog updates.

Review - Glendalough, Wicklow Ireland

Tower - Glendalough, Ireland, 2016

On prior trips to Ireland I had gone on day-trips north of Dublin to Howth and explored the Botanic Garden.  

On this trip I had a half day free for another adventure, exploring more of Ireland. 

I had the good fortune to be invited down to the Wicklow area.  This is one of Ireland's National Parks and an easy day-trip from Dublin.

Although a raining overcast day (what else would it be?) this was a very enjoyable diversion! I think the light rain kept the majority our sightseers away - the trip did get very crowded towards the end of our stay. 

Our focus was hiking with a close second for good food and a bit of shopping - so it was recommended to try Glendalough and Sally Gap and then head to the coast.

Woodlands at Glendalough, Wicklow, Ireland

Glendalough is a pretty valley with bonus of historic sites and well groomed trails and easy access. There are ~9 trails that range from a few minutes to several hours or days. We started with the "green trail" to the ruins of an early christian settlement called Monastic City. We were fortunate to have gotten a very early start arriving as the parks opened. Later in the day the tour buses were pervasive and the trails a tad congested - at least near the visitor centers.

Please see below for some additional photos of the day. Other Dublin Day-trips and tours are reviewed in these blog updates.

Review - Powerscourt Gardens, Dublin Ireland

Powerscourt Tower Garden - 2016

One a recent trip to Europe I had the opportunity for a day trip from Dublin to visit Powerscourt Estate and Gardens. It has been dubbed one of the most beautiful gardens in Ireland and at some points in history - perhaps the world.  The gardens were designed in the 1700's  with rose gardens, reflecting ponds, tree plantations, long vistas and even a pet cemetery. As you can imagine over 300 years - there could be lots of pets :(

Top-line - an enjoyable visit and nice to get out of the city. I would not say it compares in quality for gardens in other parts of the world..

• Pros - a great historic site and good long vistas over the formal garden, very nice cafe
• Cons - a bit of a distance, trails beyond the core garden are not well maintained, on the bus route so can get crowded, pricey.

One the way back into Dublin we took the coast road and spent time at the James Joyce Museum which was quaint and  very interesting. 

Entrance to Powerscourt Estate and Garden 2016

Please read on for some photos of the day. Also see my other reviews of Ireland sites and adventures.

Ireland National Botanic Garden - Dublin (Review)

Entrance - Dublin National Botanic Garden

When on holiday I am compelled to visit local Botanic Gardens. You can see my prior reviews of the Huntington Garden in California, then Denver Botanic Garden, the Garfield Park Conservatory in Chicago, the Bird Haven Conservatory outside Chicago... well you get the points. I love these places.  So I was delighted when I was able to drag my traveling companion to Ireland's National Botanic Garden located just outside Dublin. Easy to reach by bus!

I was attracted to the location based on the history. The first glass houses were built in the 1700's - then expanded as unusual plants from around the world started to make their way to Ireland. Between 1840 - 1860 the major glass display houses were created. This is the same time as conservatories were springing up in Chicago. It was so nice to see the similarities and differences. Oh the Victorian / Edwardian times when strolling in Greenhouses was the best day out, and when great strides were made in understanding the plant kingdom. 

Dublin National Botanic Garden

A very interesting role of this garden was the assessment of exotic trees to the Ireland environment. Strolling the grounds these old trees look simultaneously majestic and out of place. Many of these are planted in groves - so you can see several different species of Oak tree, Larch, Holly and others side by side.


Here's a quick review of garden overall - in addition I have some specific posts for the Rose Garden and an outdoor Dahlia display at the Dublin National Botanic Garden. 

All photos taken in the spring of 2015. Also see my other reviews of Ireland sites and adventures.

Dahlias - Display Planting in Dublin

A few years ago I enjoyed and reviewed on this blog the Dahlia show at the Chicago Botanic Garden. I really enjoyed the diversity which was shown there. Dalia's were always a flower that my mother loved to grow - but my father didn't like the digging up and replanting which is required for these tuberous-rooted tender perennials when growing in cold climate gardens. 

National Botanic Garden - Dublin, Sept 2015

None-the-less, these bright and colorful flowers bloom from midsummer to first frost, long after many other plants are fading away. The range in color and size is so large - flower shows or clustered plantings of Dahlias can really highlight the spectrum from giant 10-inch blooms to smaller pompons. As many varieties grow 4 to 5 feet tall, these plants can take a commanding place, a statement piece, in many gardens. 

On a recent tour of the National Botanic Garden outside Dublin, I was so pleased to see a large section of their Annual Bed dedicated to Dahlias. The outer beds were all daisies, the middle beds were mums and dahlias respectively . It was so nice to be able to not only see the blooms but also understand the slight differences in height, leaves, and structure of the plants.

I've captured shots of my favorite dahlias. I hope you enjoy too! Also see my other reviews of Ireland sites and adventures.

For the Love of Roses - Dublin Botanic Garden, Review

Rhapsody in Blue Rose

In a recent tour of the National Botanic Garden outside Dublin we walked through the Rose Garden. Virtually every botanic garden I have ever visited has a Rose Garden.  Roses are from China - a great export. The first "Rose Garden" occurred in the late 1700's in France. One avid (and wealth) gardener put in place a garden with over 250 rose varieties.  The Huntington Garden in California is the only the World Federation of Rose Societies Award of Garden Excellence recipient  rose garden that I've visited. 

I generally stroll through and think about how much love roses need - and how I've never been so lucky in my garden. Wild roses, no problem, but more typical roses never seem within my grasp. I enjoy the variety and the aroma! 

Little did I know that on this visit in Dublin, I would find my most favorite rose ever - that being the Rosacea Rosa Rhapsody in Blue - shown above. This picture makes it look a tad more pink.  The quest for the blue rose continues...

Dublin Botanic Garden - Rose Garden, Sept 2015

Take a look below for some of the great rose variety I saw.

Which will be your favorite?

Review Bird Haven Victorian Conservatory - Joliet

Bird Haven Conservatory, Joliet, IL Jul 2015

South of Chicago, in Joliet Illinois, there is a nice example of a Victorian Conservatory which was once common as part of large mansions and residential estates of the well to do.  I visited the Bird Haven Conservatory and was surprised by what I found and didn't find. I very much enjoyed the visit and recommend this as a day trip from Chicago particularly in conjunction with Midewin Tallgrass Prairie previously reviewed on this blog.

In particular I couldn't help but compare and contrast to Chicago's Garfield Park Conservatory which was built around the same time - but with a very different philosophy.  Also updates and additions to the facilities has shown some major differences.

• At Bird Haven, typical to the period, plants are placed in pots within the conservatory. At the Garfield Park Conservatory plants were planted in the ground to provide a sense that one is actually in a tropical or other exotic environment. This approach was considered very radical at the time. 
• Both facilities have been updated over time. At Bird Haven a very large brick structure was added adjacent and connected to the site. I thought this really detracted from the historic integrity. The Garfield Park Conservatory was also expanded - to accommodate groups and catering. In this case a similar glass structure and style was used. So it seems more cohesive. 
• Updates on the inside of the conservatory were also a bit different - similar to the comment above. Some of the adds at Bird Haven, to me, detracted from the overall design. 

Please enjoy the additional photos.

Midewin Tallgrass Prairie - Restored lands park

Midewin Tallgrass Prairie - July, 2015

Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie has been on my bucket list for a while. It's about an hour and a half from Chicago. That's close enough to have a nice day trip and just far enough to take some planning. 

Thus, when I had the opportunity to take a trip to Joliet area to participate in a charity bike ride, naturally I took a side trip over to see this prairie restoration. 

Despite the near 100 degree weather and thunderstorms - I loved it! Around every turn were wide open spaces, blooms, bugs and a restorative calm. 

This location is the first national tallgrass prairie. It's massive at 19,000 acres, the largest piece of contiguous open space in northeastern Illinois.  The panorama below does little justice to the feeling you get talking around the park.  On this hot hot day - there were hardly any other people there. I felt like an explorer or pioneer woman!

Midewin Tallgrass Prairie - July 2015

Review Chicago Antique Malls: Part 4 - Lake County (Zurko Productions )

This past weekend I had the opportunity to journey to the Antique Show at the Lake County Fairgrounds in Grayslake, Illinois. This is an event run by Zurko Promotions - details of which are on their website (linked here)   A really fun part of summer for me is going to garage sales, flea markets and these outside antique shows. I was super exited to head to Lake Country after a fun girls day to the Sandwich Antique Market just a month earlier. 

Lake Country Antique Show - Photo From Zurko Promotions

I should have taken heart in the photo provided on the Zurko website - that being a very large indoor room with vendors displaying on tables - i.e. not a great deal of larger items like furniture. 

What you see is what you get! Table with lots of costume jewelry, post cards, maps, buttons, bits and pieces. Lots of glassware too. 

There were also about 30 stands outside this main building. Five of which were selling beads - all the same merchandise and same price points. I enjoyed the exterior vendors more - unique furniture, old boxes, garden items. 

Read on the the 4th of my Antique Mall and Fair reviews...

Review Chicago Antique Mall - Sandwich, IL Antique Fair (Part 3)

Antique Wrought Iron Fencing

I have given a few reviews of antique malls and stores around the Chicago area (link here.) In the summertime there is added adventure to getting to any of a number of larger antique events such as Sunday's at Sandwich Antique Show.  I remember going to an antique market in Sandwich maybe 15 years ago or longer. It was almost too overwhelming and too much to cover in a day.  Today the market is undergoing a bit of revitalization having contracted significantly since my visit years ago. Under new management and a few years into the rejuvenation. I really enjoyed my visit and highly recommend as a day trip.

Review: Cloisters New York

In early spring I had the opportunity to visit New York city and went up to visit The Cloisters Garden and Museum.  My New York friends were very skeptical of taking the long train ride. However, noting that they had lived in NYC for nearly a decade and needed to do something new, they acquiesced with my request :)

History 

The Cloisters, New York Mar 2015

The 66.5-acre Fort Tryon Park was kicked off by the John D. Rockefeller, Jr. in 1917, when he hired Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr., to create the park, which he later donated to New York City in 1935. The museum and adjacent gardens were built in 1934-39 on 4 acres of the park and were created through grants and endowments from Rockefeller. With insight to future development, Rockefeller bought and donated hundreds of acres of the river front property across from the museum, the New Jersey Palisades to the State of New Jersey. The view is awesome.

The building itself looks original to the rocky point and so old. With good reason, the building was designed by Charles Collens using parts of five cloistered abbeys. Talk about repurposing :)  . Further old building from Europe were disassembled and shipped to the site where they were reconstructed and integrated into this beautiful museum.  The photos below give a small sense of the integrated feel and medieval ambiance!

Review - Chihuly at Denver Botanic Garden

Chihuly - Blue Spiky Glass at
Denver Botanic Garden, 2014

Denver Botanic Gardens presented an outdoor exhibit artwork by celebrated American artist, Dale Chihuly.  The Glass from Chihuly's sculptures – ranging in size and form – added bold colors and dramatic beauty to the Gardens' 24-acre urban oasis.  Chihuly first exhibited glass within a garden setting at Chicago's Garfield Park Conservatory - which houses a permanent exhibit of Chihuly glass in it's Aroid House. 

The glass in Denver was on such a large scale. In some cases the glass over took the surroundings it was so overbearing, beautiful, creative, and yet at times not in sync with the surroundings.  Which is not to say that I didn't love the exhibit - I adore the Denver Botanic Gardens, I think I just had very different expectations.  There was a piece of art glass almost around every corner - so much to take in.  

Take a virtual tour, see what you think from the photos below. 

Outrageous Orchids! (Flower Show Review)

I visited the Orchid Show at the Chicago Botanic Garden. This was a wonderful respite from the snowy day. As a friend said - this winter White is the new Black. :D  I very much enjoyed seeing all the bright colors of the orchids.  I recall the first time I ever saw an Orchid was at the Joaquin Antonio Uribe Botanic Garden of Medellin, Colombia.  I was 12 years old and the 34 acre botanical garden in the middle of the city was so impressive! More so was the massive collection of orchids in the unique architectural space called the Orchidiarium. All I can say is that it was simultaneously overwhelming, impressive and memorable.  While the exhibit at the Chicago Botanic Garden pales in comparison - it's much easier to get to than Colombia, and well worth the visit!

Chicago Botanic Garden Orchid Show - 2014

Review of Tour at "The Plant" vertical farm in Chicago

For some time I have been eager to get down to the Back-of-the-Yards neighborhood and tour The Plant - an experiment in vertical farming located inside an old meatpacking facility. How cool is that? Well - for me it turned out to be not so cool, it was an outing that I do not recommend at this time.  I bet in 3-5 years it will be an awesome venue.

OK - what I liked about it. The fundamental premise of the organization and the mission it serves. That's what got me there. I wanted to see the hydroponics lab too!

Let me give you an over view of the tour - which ran about an hour, and cost me $20 for my friend and I.

- Introduction (15 minutes) - in the lobby area I was provided an overview of The Plant organization and facility. The tour guide also educated visitors on the closed loop system and linkages between various parts of The Plant that are planned or anticipated future developments. Key here is future - much of The Plant facility is still in a state of disarray or construction. The introduction presented essentially the exact information which is available on the website. Visual aids were pages from printer taped to the wall. :(

- Review of future brewery location (10 minutes) - we walked to a large room, full of rubble, which will eventually house a brewery. Here there were posters on the wall discussing the principles of anaerobic digestion, and we were provided an overview on this science. We also looked out the windows to the vegetable garden below. 

The Plant, Chicago - hydroponic garden - 2013

- Tour through lower level - (12 minutes) he we walked by an area where mushrooms were grown. The door was shut, there was nothing to see.  We then went into the Hydroponic garden to see floating beds of lettuce and other greens and tanks that housed the tilapia.  There was another brief discussion of the principals of the vertical farm (same material reviewed previously).  While there were folks working here and discussion of the science and study occurring - we were not treated to any additional insight to their learnings. The set-up itself seems kludgy - well I'm used to touring manufacturing sites with lots of automation and sleek equipment, maybe this is as good as it gets.

Hydroponic greens - The Plant, Chicago

Fish tanks, Hydroponics garden, The Plant

- Tour of food production areas (20 minutes)  - Here we walked through old meat preparation areas and old smoking units.  We learned the plans of the organization for this space. I was hit by the very strong odor still remaining from the smokers. The most interesting part for me was that one of the individuals on the tour had worked at this facility back in the day when it was meat processing. His stories were excellent - if not a bit gory at the same time.  We saw two areas in current production of baked goods. This was a very lean operation for small scale production.  If you've toured the Eli's Cheesecake Factory here in town, you will understand the low volume nature of this test-kitchen.  

The Plant, Chicago - old smoker room. 2013

The Plant, Chicago, future shared kitchen space. 2013

- View of Anaerobic digester - look out the window to see the machine which we learned of earlier.  This will eventually be used to generate energy from food and plant waste material. Great idea! 

the Eisenmann anaerobic digester, The Plant

That was it. End of the tour. I had hoped to see more items in operation or to learn more about their findings.  I wanted to know more than I learned on the website. I was disappointed. That said - I do support the mission and direction The Plant is going.

If you do head to The Plant for a tour, pop around the corner to Garfield Park Conservatory afterwards for a bit of green, it will round out your day :) 

For some reason, singing the Oscar Mayer wiener song...

Teresa Marie

Harvesting Hydroponic Garden - The Plant

Sinclar's The Jungle at Chicago History Museum

I recently participated in a book review class at The Chicago History Museum on Upton Sinclair's The Jungle.  The book was on my list to read this year and I thought participating in a book group would be fun. In a way taking me back to high school or college days when I probably should have read this classic.  Years ago I tried reading The Jungle and hated it; this time I loved 2/3rds of it! (This blog is not a review of the book, rather a review of the offering by The Chicago History Museum and my experience taking the book club.)

I enjoyed the historical aspects of the book - focus on a period of time in Chicago that I find fascinating. On a recent trip to The Dreihaus Museum (blog review here)- I became very interested in how the majority of the populace in Chicago lived at the time. That's why The Jungle got onto my reading list. The juxtaposition of the lives portrayed in the book versus the Marble Mansion is quite stark.  The facilitator from the Chicago History Museum added good commentary on the historical inaccuracies or questions that exist in the book. That was perhaps my favorite part of the book group.

Arts & Crafts at Clarke House Museum

This year I'm getting to know Chicago better - most recently I attended a class and tour at the Clarke House Museum. It was a treat!

The Clarke house is Chicago's oldest house - currently located in the Prairie Avenue Historic District.  It was build in 1836 - this is just one year before the city of Chicago was incorporated. Standing through the Civil War, the Chicago Fire, and so much more. Check out their website here.

The Clarke Museum offers several classes on period handicrafts - I registered to take a class on Band Boxes. I'd never really given them a thought - however, I had seen Martha Stewart make one! So I signed up to learn more about how people lived in this period which I so enjoy.

Chicago's Historic Prairie District

Mansion on Prairie Avenue Chicago

Review Chicago Antique Malls - Part 2

This time of year many antique Stores have sales - which is just another reason to go exploring. This past weekend I took a tour through Wilmette, IL and Glenview IL hitting several antique malls and sole proprietor shops. Continuing my series sharing impressions on these locations and providing comparisons and resources for like-minded antique hunters. 

This Blog discussed the following retail locations (links to their websites as of Feb 2013):

1) Antiques & Porcelain by GK (1705 Glenview Rd, Glenview IL, 60025 847-724-3059)

2) Glenview Coin & Collectibles, Inc

3) Collectors Corner Antique Mall (901 Ridge Rd, Wilmette, IL, 847-256-1136)

4) Heritage Trail Mall - Wilmette, IL

5) Josie's (545 Ridge Rd, Wilmette, IL 60091, 847-256-7646)

Exhibit A and  B - High priced seed pods & pots

All these shops in Wilmette are within blocks of each other. Antique shopping on Chicago's Northshore is not an exercise of bargain hunting.  I found several examples of shops that were very pleased with their items for sale. I enter into evidence Exhibit A and B - the $32 flower pot with white paint (hello, I could make that for $2) and the $55 dried Catalpa seed pod (well that's what it looks like to me.)  Just points out that beauty is in the eye of the beholder! That said, I had a great time window shopping and found some truly gorgeous items and took their pictures!

Review - Chicago Antique Malls (Part 1)

When not in the garden I'm in the antique mall! I am passionate for antiques - specifically late 1800's early 1900's oak furniture, especially anything with a barley twist :)  I extend my mom's collection of Manhattan Glass (depression) and Croesus (depression made 1897-1919)  Plus I've developed my own collections - mostly antique boxes, and barley twist "stuff."  In the winter - when I am not in the garden, a very enjoyable weekend is browsing through antique malls and flea markets. 

Over the past few weeks I've had the opportunity to visit several antique malls in the Chicago area. Thought I would share some impressions and tips - as well as the "treasures" I found. This Blog discussed the following retail locations (links to their websites):

1) Wolff's Flea Market, Palatine, IL

2) Lincoln Antique Mall, Chicago, IL

3) Volo Antique Mall, Volo, IL

4) Chicago Antique Center, Chicago, IL

$10 for two wood frames

Wolff's Flea Market: I saw an ad for Wolff's Flea Market and headed up there for the first time.  There was a$1  entry fee.  Being wintertime there were only roughly 46-50 vendors.  Roughly half of the vendors had an assortment of old furniture, jewelry, war/weaponry,  artwork and frames, collectibles.  The other half were selling everyday items - clothing, perfumes, cosmetics, kitchen wares.  There is a strong sense of being in a weekend street fare. I liked that. Sometimes I'm in the mood to dig through and search, and the bargain for everything. This was a great site for that. I have a feeling that it will be much more fun in the summertime.

$10 for organizer cart

My finds at the flee market were four fold.  I found two nice wood frames, with glass intact for $10. I didn't even bargain with the vendor, both agreeing it was a great price. I would have paid $10/each. I didn't want the artwork, I was buying frames. Honestly why buy any new frames these days? I will be able to use as is, or repaint the frames and create something wonderful.  Second find was a very colorful organizer rolling cart.  I could use this in my craft/sewing area to help organize items. Another option is to organize my growing piles of gardening and planting information. I liked that this was mobile and had a nice metal top. No issues here.  They were initially asking $25, here a little bargaining paid off. Lastly, it's nice that each vendor is right there. You can talk to them about their offerings, and bargain as you wish.