Travel Wrap-Up and Summary

July 14, 2014July 7, 2014 / katiestringerclary / Leave a comment

I was a geography minor back in the day, and I love a good map! Plus, I really wanted to log all of the Km/Miles we logged on this trip. We were definitely tired, and we are avid fans of walking, so this may not be for everyone. Walking was a perfect solution for us to get exercise, see as much as possible, and get a feel for the cities we were in. My impeccable sense of direction helped, too. Next time I’m taking my FitBit to really log the miles!

Dublin Day 1 – December 26, 2013

Airlink Bus 747 from Dublin Airport to O’Connell Street. An Adult single ticket is only €6, and it is a quick trip to City Center. Worth it!

Trying to stay awake, find coffee, and food:

After a rest, we headed out into Dublin again to do a little exploring:

Dublin Day 1 Totals: 7.2 Miles

Dublin Day 2 – December 27, 2013

*Note – we went to The Beer Club, JW Sweetman’s, not Messrs Maguire, but Google Maps wouldn’t let me choose that as a destination.

Dublin Day 2 Totals: 8 miles

Northern Ireland and Belfast – December 28, 2013

Walked to Old Church to meet bus, and back after a stop for fish and chips! Also spent a lot of time walking trails at the bridge and causeway Total Miles: Approximately 5 miles

Dublin -> Wales -> London – December 29, 2013

We walked to the ferry port, then took the ferry to Holyhead in Wales, then the train into Euston Station London, then to Waterloo:

We got slightly lost coming out of Waterloo, so I estimate our miles for this day at: 3 Miles

I got our tickets and information about this type of travel from The Man in Seat 61 – his website is FANTASTIC for travel in Europe. He posts videos, pictures, maps, time tables, and everything else a true OCD traveler such as myself can enjoy.

London Full Day 1 – December 30, 2013

We saw basically everything. Approximately 7.5 miles

London Day 2 – December 31, 2013

Again, we saw pretty much everything. Including fantastic fireworks and historic stuff and art. I added 1.5 miles to this day for our time spent walking around the tower and Tate and time spent wading through people after the fireworks. Approximately 7 miles

Last Day in London – January 1, 2014

Last Day in London: Approximately 5 miles

January 2, 2014 – another day of ferries, trains, and this time a cab from the ferry to the flat. We only had one small mishap with the cab; our cabbie misheard us and we almost ended up in the opposite end of Dublin from where we were supposed to be. The only time accents were an issue! We walked maybe 1 mile this day, with train switches and a jaunt up the street to get a frozen pizza for dinner #exhausted

Last Day in Dublin – January 3, 2013

This was the day all those miles were felt in my poor short little legs. We worked through another 5.5 miles, and ended with a quiet evening at the flat so we could catch an early flight back to the states in the morning.

Back to the States – January 4, 2014

We woke up with ideas of walking to the Airlink, but this day was the only morning that there was a downpour of rain. We opted for a cab instead, for which our legs thanked us. To the airport, through customs, over the ocean and Canada, to Atlanta, and back to Knoxville – all in a day’s travel. And I got my froyo fix in the ATL airport, which is always my #1 priority at an airport.

TOTAL TRAVEL SUMMARY

Total Estimated Miles Walked: At Least 44.2 Miles

Sites Seen: All of the major ones. Guinness, Christchurch, Kilmainham, Buckingham Palace, The London Eye, The Tower of London, British Museum, Tate Modern, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, and so much MORE.

Costs:
Flights: Knoxville to Dublin, roundtrip $1895.00 total- $947.50/person
Lodging Dublin: $336.00 – 5 nights – $67.20/night – $168/person
Lodging London: $549.00 – 4 nights – $137.25/night – $274.50/person
Rail/Sail Tickets from Dublin->London->Dublin: $254.59 for 2 tickets – $127.30/person
All other costs – Meals, Souvenirs, Admissions, Et al: $1,379.46 – $689.73/person

Total: $4,144.05 – $2,207.02 / person = $220.00 per day per person for everything – not too bad!

But really: PRICELESS

The Tower of London: Preservation Conundrums

June 25, 2014 / katiestringerclary / 4 Comments

Better late than never on the blog! I’ve had a crazy past month with work, traveling to Utah, and so much more. Back to London:

After a fantastic day traipsing all over London, drooling over David Tennant, and visiting the British Museum, we were out for another day of history and art!

One place in London that I absolutely had to see was the Tower of London – it has so much history! I have to admit, as I walked through, I just touched all of the walls and doors and exposed material possible. People have done that for a thousand years; don’t you judge me. I remember walking down one spiral staircase and just running my hand down the wall the whole way down – I felt up all of the history.

The wibbly wobbly Harry Potter bridge, with St. Paul’s ahead!

We walked along the Thames through the mist, saw the current London Bridge (I lamented the fact that it is totally lame compared to the Elizabethan version), and finally turned the corner to the ticket queues for the Tower. Along our walk we also got to see St. Paul’s in the day light, walk across the wibbly wobbly Harry Potter bridge, the iconic Tower Bridge, lots of giant boats, barges, and bouys, and even the Globe Theater.

From a museum professional perspective, I do have to say their ticket process is ingenious – the cost of the ticket was, say £17.99; the ticket person asks if you would like to round up to and even £20 with the rest as a donation towards preservation. Duh! We did, of course, and I’m trying to implement the same among my staff.

my favorite monarch!

Moving on, we walked through the gates, past the yeomen warders, and into the heart of 1,000 years of English history. You can read about the entire history elsewhere, but historical highlights for me were: William the Conqueror, Richard III (allegedly) murdering the princes, and Anne Boleyn.

It was a bit crowded while we were there, but it didn’t dampen my excitement. Charles loved the armor and weapons displays, I loved the animal displays and Traitors Gate, and we both loved the cooking demonstration, even though the stag’s head sat there and watched itself being butchered. We didn’t bother with the crown jewels since the line was long, and I had promised Charles time to visit the Tate Modern across the river. Another disappointment was the lack of info torture chamber – the yeoman laughed at me when I asked where it was; something about Americans and their love of violence. The interactives, living history, and touch stations really made a difference, though. Charles and I both tried our arms at the long bow – we weren’t too shabby at it!

yummy. It really did smell delicious!

Reading about the Tower, I was a bit surprised to find out that sections were torn off that didn’t look “old” or “new” enough. I don’t know why I was surprised since this is a common practice, but it did still hurt my heart a bit. I deal with the same type of things (on a MUCH smaller scale) at my own site, where the historic house has undergone MANY renovations, changes, and owners in its 200 years. What period do you interpret? Can you tell all the stories? What color do you paint the walls – the color from 1200, 1500, or 1850? Should you tear down a building from 1700 in favor of the view from a 1300 building? I don’t have the answers, and I don’t know if there is a right answer. Preservationists – what are your thoughts?

My general demeanor throughout the Tate

We left the tower to head to the Tate Modern. I originally thought I would write a blog about that, but I enjoyed it so little that I don’t even really want to think about it that much. I saw a Dali, which was ok, and I ate an ok muffin from the cafe. Charles saw a couple things he liked, but over all, it just wasn’t that great. As you know if I read this blog, I have feelings about art museums anyway, so this shouldn’t be a surprise. I have nothing against art, obviously, since I’m engaged to an artist. I like a lot of contemporary art and old art; something about modern art just irks me, though, in general. I like van Gogh? And now I’ve dedicated a whole paragraph to that place. Fin.

From the Tate, we tried to find a place for dinner, which we hadn’t anticipated as a problem, until we realized it was New Years Eve. We went to the Sainsbury’s by the flat, watched the premier of Sherlock on the BBC online, and then headed out to Southbank for the fireworks….

Our day in review

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London: A Walk Through History and Modernity

May 5, 2014May 2, 2014 / katiestringerclary / 4 Comments

We woke up the next morning, December 30, after a pleasant night full of chicken curry and great sleep, ready to take on the streets of London.

We started the day with Cafe Nero (thanks for the suggestion, Kelsey!) hot chocolate and espresso. Cafe Nero quickly became a twice-daily part of our time in London. There was one right across the street from the flat, and the public restrooms in the cafes throughout the city were an added bonus. We also stopped by a little bookstore to buy a pocket map of the city. Luckily, I have an impeccable sense of direction, AND I was a geography minor, so we didn’t even come close be being lost (not that we could have been, since we were just wandering!).

Having the feelings

The day started out perfectly misty and damp, just how London should be. We crossed the mighty (brown) Thames to the Embankment where we saw a beautiful World War II memorial, a great view of the Eye, and Parliament and Big Ben. This is a great intersection of the modern and historical sides of London. The Thames has been the center of life in London from the time of Henry VIII, William the Conqueror, and even earlier. The Millennium Wheel, or London Eye, is a once controversial sign of modern London. The timelessness (ha!) of Big Ben is iconic, and the history made in and around Parliament is also impressive. Needless to say, I was overwhelmed with all the feelings about history.

An accurate depiction of me outside Westminster Abbey. Thanks, Sherlock.

By the time we turned the corner and saw Westminster Abbey, I was having even more feelings. Let’s just take a second here to recount just a few of the things that have happened here.

Construction on the present church began in 1245 by Henry III (he’s also buried there)
Before that, William the Conqueror and his successors were coronated on the same site
Survives the Tudor era and all the there and back again of Catholic/Protestant rule
Weddings: Henry I of England to Matilda of Scotland, Queen Elizabeth II to Phillip, and Will and Kate of course!
People buried there: kings and queens (excluding 2 of my favs: Henry VIII and Richard II), Geoffrey Chaucer, Isaac Newton, and Charles Darwin

Charles and the Arch

We didn’t pay the fee to go in, but I did fangirl appropriately outside, and buy a tiny gargoyle and some tea in the giftshop.

Next, we decided to go ahead and see Buckingham Palace and see where the day took us from there. The weather cleared up, and the sun even showed itself! We walked through the park, saw some geese, then turned the corner to the iconic palace. I didn’t have as many feelings here, but I did try to keep an eye out for the queen! We walked along the royal apartments, took a picture with the changing guards, saw Charles’ favorite spot up to this point, Admiralty Arch, and then continued on to Trafalgar Square.

and we’ll never be royals.. that kinda lux just ain’t for us.

In Trafalgar, we stopped at yet another Cafe Nero, saw the lions and Napoleon, and a big blue chicken. Since we were already out and about, we made the quickest of stop at a McDonalds (reminiscent of our first morning in Dublin) for a cheeseburger on the go – no stopping for real food on this day of site-seeing! At this point, we figured why not go on and go all out – we walked up Drury Lane (of muffin Man fame!) to the British museum (where I again had all the feels – but that’s a topic for another blog, coming next week!). – Spoiler alert – I got emotional about the Elgin Marbles.

From the British Museum, we walked on to the Barbican Centre for one of the many highlights of the trip: David Tennant, the 10th Doctor himself, starring in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s performance of Richard II. Seriously – what a day of emotions, and I am not an emotional person (it’s the Britishness I inherited – stiff upper lip!). I mentioned in a recent blog that he is my dream guest blogger – still waiting on that call, Davy! The performance was great, we loved it, then we waited out by the back stage door for him to emerge in all of his hair-extension-ponytailed glory. I was so close, that had I not been so polite, I could have touched him. The ponytail served as a great repellent.

Instead of a tackle or full contact hug, I just did a weak little wave. Safe, but lame.

Walking on air, we went over to the Jugged Hare for the best dinner of all time. Charles had the slow roasted rump of a Hertfordshire Fallow Deer, and I had a meat pie. I don’t think this one was cooked by Mrs. Mooney or Mrs. Lovett, but it was certainly deserving of a song of how great it was. The deer rump was the most delicious piece of meat I have ever tasted.

We started back to the flat around midnight, and passed Saint Paul’s Cathedral along the way. This was one of the (if not THE) most impressive sights we saw on the trip – and we saw an awful lot of stuff. We had seen it in the distance earlier in the day, and it is an iconic part of the London skyline. Seeing it in person, bigger than life, was something else. None of the pictures can do it justice.

St. Paul’s at Night

We continued along the Thames, which was the only time I was slightly uncomfortable in London – along the river, at midnight, under bridges. Maybe we should have taken a different route. Things were a wee bit confusing as the city was preparing to set up for the fireworks on New Years Eve. Regardless, we made it back to the flat and passed out from a day full of excitement.

To sum it up, looking back on the day’s events, this was possibly one of the very best days of my life (surpassed by the day before when I got engaged in northern Ireland and that time I graduated with a PhD).

Next time:

Actually go in Westminster Abbey
Climb to the top of St. Paul’s
Ride the London Eye
Museum of London
Go back to the Jugged Hare

Day 1 in London

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May Day 2014 – Constant Vigilance!

May 1, 2014April 30, 2014 / katiestringerclary / 1 Comment

In the immortal words of Mad-Eye Moody (or Barty Crouch aka the 10th Doctor, David Tennant depending on the book), “Constant Vigilance!” Not only will it protect you from the Dark Arts, it can also save your museum, archive, or historic site in the event of a disaster.

Today is once again MAY DAY. Last year I wrote about preparedness, and in the midst of the problems in Egypt, I wrote about the destruction at the Egyptian Museum.

This year I was asked to lead a workshop for the Tennessee Association of Museums for other museum professionals… I decided to take the Scare Tactics route. Share as many horrible stories as possible, some with good endings, some with horrible, no good, very bad endings – then offer solutions so that professionals are prepared!

BE PREPARED! – Scar

bepreparedhyenas

I dunno… Maybe…

Massive Floods

Tornadoes and flying cows?

The apocalypse?

Or perhaps worst of all, a:

SHARKNADO!?

Ok, maybe not. But there are plenty of horrible things that could happen in your own backyard, such as sinkholes, water main breaks (this one was WAY too close to work for my comfort), vandalism, and countless other things we don’t like to think about.

While we can’t prevent these things from happening every time, we can be prepared and practice constant vigilance! I’ve prepared a list of several resources that are helpful for museums. Some favorite are:

A complete list is available here.

What is YOUR worst fear at a museum or historic site? Have any experiences with an disasters? Share in the comments below:

Belfast: More Difficult Histories and Recent History

April 21, 2014April 21, 2014 / katiestringerclary / 5 Comments

Respect | Remember | Resolution

*** Well, I was really hoping to have more than a recap on our trip to Belfast, but at this time that’s all I’m able to offer. We only spent about 2 hours there, but the recent history there surrounding “The Troubles” really impacted me; even in the few months since I’ve been back, I still haven’t quite wrapped my head around it all, and I’m hoping to come up with a bigger blog series on difficult histories, reconciliation, and more. As my good friend Abigail Gautreau found in her dissertation research, Public History has a HUGE role to play in reconciliation with recent historical events. ***

So as we wrapped up our great day traveling to rope bridges and giants’ homes with Wayne from Extreme Ireland tours, we headed back south towards Dublin with a stop in Belfast. Wayne set us up with his friends from a Belfast black Taxi Tour Company to learn more about the politics of Belfast, Northern Ireland, Britain, and the Republic of Ireland. If you want a good, quick synopsis of the Troubles, please check out this Wikipedia link (don’t hate – Dr. Robert Connolly writes of the scholarly values of Wiki here).

Important for ALL historians to remember. Mural in Belfast.

At the very smallest, most basic level – Irish Catholics and British Protestants fought for years with various terrorist groups on both sides wreaking havoc in Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, and even in England and other places; this time is called “The Troubles” and officially lasted from the late 1960s until 1998. Violence has still occurred since then, and during the weeks leading up to our visit to Belfast a car bomb exploded.

The tour started in the City Center by the City Hall. We had 2 guides, who both grew up during the Troubles in Belfast; they didn’t tell us which side they grew up on, so as we went through the tour we tried to guess from their biases which side they were on. We hopped into the cabs and were off to see the city.

How terrifying would it be to see this every day, and know it was aimed at you or your ancestors?

We started in the “English” section, which is dotted with memorial murals commemorating the English heroes of the Troubles and religious conflicts. We talked about the Hunger Strikes, the various violent conflicts, and others calling for peace and reconciliation. There are memorials on both sides, and for just about everything. There are many sources online that document each mural.

Even accounting for my shortness, these walls are HUGE

Next we went to the Peace Wall, which was an incredible sight to see. The wall is up to 40 feet or more in some places – high enough to prevent people from throwing grenades or shells over to the other side. The violence that occurred here (and still does) is astounding to me. This blog, “WTF Wednesdays: Belfast Peace Walls” by the Everywhereist really does a good job of explaining how I felt seeing the walls and on the tour in general. We wrote our own messages on the walls, reflected on their purpose and the fact that they still exist, and moved into the Irish neighborhoods.

There is a lot of talk about whether or not the Peace Walls or the murals should remain, and I hope to tackle that question from the preservation/reconciliation side in the future. In the meantime, read more about it here, here, here, and here. There is also a lot of talk among residents, found here, and here. Another good article about architecture and conflict is available here.

One we passed through a gate in the walls to the Irish side, we visited a memorial on Bombay Street. Here, the neighborhood had constructed a memorial to those killed, just in that one neighborhood, as a direct result of the Troubles. The Clonard Martyrs Memorial Garden lists each name and stands directly in the shadow of the walls. The Conflict Archive on the Internet posted a video tour of the memorial on youtube here.

A “non-lethal” rubber bullet; at least 17 people were killed by these during the Troubles (or after, from the effects)

While we were at the memorial, the guides showed us the “non-lethal” rubber bullets that killed so many people in the Irish neighborhoods. Dominic Marron is considered the most recent death as a result of plastic bullets. He passed away in 2004 from complications related to being shot at the age of 15 in 1981. The memorial and all the names of those killed or injured or otherwise impacted by the Troubles made a huge impression on us.

At the end of the tour, we guessed which sides our tour guides grew up on; based on the tours, we guessed that one was English and the other was Irish – turns out both were raised on the Irish side! They did a fantastic job telling the whole story without letting their own personal biases show, which shows an incredible amount of forgiveness and/or professionalism.

The presentation of such recent and fresh difficult histories brings any problems and questions; I hope to address these more soon. Another public history aspect of the murals is Belfast has to do with preservation of the murals: can they be preserved, and should they be? What feelings do they still stir among residents or visitors?

View out the foggy window at Belfast City Hall all lit up for Christmas

I was only 12 when the Good Friday Peace Agreement was signed, so I can barely remember seeing some of the violence on the news. This tour, the information I learned from Wayne, the tour at Kilmainham, and during my travels around Ireland really struck a chord with me. As I said at the beginning of this post, I really hope to explore this history more. There is DEFINITELY another trip to Belfast in our future to learn more. The question of safety in Belfast always comes up among tourists and concerned friends and family. Our tour guides assured us that it is one of the top destinations for tourist, and the Visit Belfast website (albeit a obviously biased site!) lists all of the awards and lists they have made over the past several years.

I will admit that hearing about the car bombing the same month I visited, the topics of the tour, and the general gloom of the evening when we were there made me somewhat uneasy. That won’t stop me from coming back, however!

If you have any personal stories related to the Troubles, please comment below or contact me – I’d love to learn more about it.

Things to see next time:

More time in Belfast in general
More time in Northern Ireland in general
City Hall
Titanic Museum!
Europa Hotel

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Kilmainham Gaol: Tragic Tales & Purposeful Preservation

March 31, 2014March 31, 2014 / katiestringerclary / 5 Comments

Our entrance into Kilmainham Gaol

On our first full day in Dublin, after a long walk through the city in the rain, we ended up at the forbidding Heritage Ireland site, Kilmainham Gaol. We walked through the gates and into the castle-like structure, and we were thrilled to have made it in time for the next tour. We still had plenty of time to warm up, dry off, and visit the museum before our guided tour began.

The museum was fantastic, and surpassed only by that feeling one gets while walking in the exact space where history happened. There were several interactives, artifacts, videos, and images to tell the story of the Gaol as a prelude to the tour. One of the most impactful displays was that of a log book that dated to the time of the Great Famine; in the book, names were recorded with an offense, as well as the punishment incurred. Men, women, or children who stole even a loaf of bread were subject to imprisonment or even disfigurement in some cases. Rioting or horse theivery brought on even harsher punishments. BEcause of the famine, cells became overcrowded, and often cells designed for 1 person housed 5.

“Beware the risen people…”

The Kilmainham Gaol has a horrific and tragic history. The oldest section opened in 1796, and windows contained no glass and there was no other lighting within the prison. This made for a dark, damp, and cold abode for those imprisoned there, especially since a prisoner was only given one small candle every two weeks. The people who called the prison “home” for any amount of time really tell the story of the Gaol, and Ireland as a whole. Political prisoners, often designated as such by English soldiers, were some of the most notable prisoners, with the first detained in 1796 when the Gaol was just opened.

Cells along the older section of the gaol.

Robert Emmet was another early political prisoner, along with his housekeeper, Anne Devlin. Emmet was executed for treason, but Anne’s story was possibly even sadder than his death. Anne’s story has stayed with me even now, and I would love to learn more about it. Essentially, Anne was jailed for carrying information for Emmet’s uprising in the early 1800s. She was imprisoned in one of these tiny, dark, damp cells and questioned endlessly for the information she had. She did not give any of the other conspirators up, and eventually she was released. However, not only did they imprison Anne, they also put her younger brother and many other family members in jail to try to influence her tongue. Her brother fell victim to disease from the open sewers, and died in the jail. Even after Anne was released, the police followed her, and she was unable to hold a steady job due to their harassment. She died alone and without much of anything because of this. All for the cause of Irish Independence (Éirinn go Brách!).

As we walked through the gaol, already feeling cold and damp from our walk, the walls of prison did nothing to put us at ease or comfort. I think that this really impacted the tour as a whole, since we saw the dark and felt the cold, much like prisoners would at that time. Especially in the older sections of the jail, where many of the political prisoners were held. This again proves that, though you may be able to see so many things online and have a virtual experience, there is something about being IN the historic space, where you can TOUCH the history, and FEEL the atmosphere. This also calls for accessibility for all, to bring this back to my larger research projects.

The beautiful Victorian Wing

Once we got to the Victorian Wing, the brightness and relative warmth, and much larger jail cells felt a bit better in contrast to the cold, dark, cramped cells in the older section. As part of reforms, this section was built to truly transform prisoners to change their ways through the light and through meaningful work. The gaol was closed in 1910, for a period of time…

The site of execution for many of the “rebels” of the uprisings, less than 100 years ago.

The tour ended on a sad note, and with some of the most recent history of the Gaol. Less than 100 years ago, after the 1916 Uprising, the gaol reopened to house the hundreds of men and women accused of participating in and conspiring for the revolt. Our last stop on the tour was the stone breaking yard, where sixteen prisoners were executed following the uprising. All were killed by firing squad, and one, James Connolly, was so injured that he had to be tied to a chair then shot by the firing squad. All 16 were then dumped in a mass grave. The outcry from this led, along with a lot more fighting and struggle, to the eventual creation of the Republic of Ireland.

Courtesy of http://www.militaria-archive.com

Also interesting at the Gaol, and relevant to my current job, is the story of the Preservation of the Gaol. One of the last prisoners was future President, Eamon de Valera. After the prisoners were released and independence gained, the Gaol fell into disrepair. The Kilmainham Gaol Restoration Committee was established in 1960 to create a museum and monument to Irish nationalism. Kilmainham’s museum had a great exhibit about this grassroots restoration project.

Overall, I would absolutely recommend this tour to anyone who wants to understand the history of the Republic of Ireland and the Irish people. When I recently asked Charles to reflect on our time there he explained that to him, too, it, “felt personal, like a holding spot for people already condemned, overwhelming. You could really feel the atrocities that occurred there; it was just dank and claustrophobic.”

Truth. Another spot where you can truly feel the history.

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A Review of Historic Dublin: Day Two (and Guinness)

March 24, 2014March 18, 2014 / katiestringerclary / 4 Comments

After a great night of rest and fantastic care by our AirBnB hosts (thanks for the homemade Christmas pudding and cream – best food I had on the whole trip!) we were ready to see more of Dublin.

Our Walking Tour – note that 7.3 km is about 14.6 km roundtrip, which is NINE MILES. More on that later…

We woke up early and ventured out to walk the city. We were staying in the Docklands and we were headed to Kilmainham Gaol for our first stop; we saw a lot along the way! We walked by the Customs House, the River Liffey, the Famine Memorial, Trinity College, and City Hall once again, this time with brighter eyes. Dublin is such a gorgeous and historic city, as you can see in the slideshow below. Walking the city, even in cold, misty rain was well worth it to see the sites.

Christ Church Cathedral

One of the most beautiful spots we saw was Christ Church Cathedral. The cathedral was originally founded around 1028, which is incredible to think about – the millennial celebration is only 14 years away! On our next trip, I MUST see the Cat and the Rat in the crypt. It was a nice stop along the walk, which turned out to be a bit further and soggier than we had originally intended. We finally came up to Kilmainham Gaol, after a false stop at a Garda station and a walk past the mental hospital. The Gaol gets it’s own post, so look for that one next.

At the Storehouse

After a moving and informative visit to Kilmainham, we started back towards the City Center and the Guinness Storehouse at St. James Gate. This has been the creation site of delicious malty goodness for over 250 years – and don’t worry about losing the black stuff anytime soon: some say the lease Guinness has on the site won’t run out for another 8,475 years! Arthur Guinness originally leased the site at St. James Gate for £45 per year. However good the story is, the brewery has since exceeded the original acreage, and therefore that original lease was bought out (by Guinness).

A big ole barrel

The Guinness Storehouse tells the story of how beer is brewed, which may not sound like the most interesting exhibit to everyone – they did a great job with it, though! The museum, as it were, starts in a giant giftshop of everything Guinness. From there, visitors enter what is essentially a giant pint glass that serves as the entrance to the educational part of the tour. 6 stories contain exhibits, cafes, and bars; as visitors ascend they learn the entire process of brewing Guinness, complete with flowing waterfalls, fields of hops and barley, and giant barrels and casks. The social story of the drink and advertising is also worked into the the exhibit, complete with plenty of photo ops. The only downside to the exhibit, for me, was that everything was (very well done!) audio and visual effects rather than the actual brewery. I understand the reasons for this, with a ton of visitors, some who might get unruly and fall into a giant vat of mash, but it still seemed somewhat disingenuous.

View from the Gravity Bar

One of the best attractions (other than the honeyed muesli pot from the cafe that really hit the spot when I was starving after a cold walk all across Dublin) was the Gravity Bar on the top floor. The bar offers, aside from perfectly pulled pint of Guinness, a 360 degree view of Dublin; from there you can see the mountains, the River Liffey, the growth of this fantastic city, and on a good day, even out to the busy port. It was great to sit back, look out over this city that felt like a home away from home, and sip on a pint (included in the ticket price).

We soon headed back in the cold, back past Christ Church Cathedral, and to a pub for a bite to eat. Then we called it a night to get ready for a VERY early morning; we had an 5:30am bus to catch to Northern Ireland, our first foray into the United Kingdom!

**Guinness did not sponsor this post, however, if they want to send me free beer or merchandise, I wouldn’t refuse it!**

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Disaster Planning Code Red – What Can We Learn from the Tragedies in Egypt?

August 18, 2013October 25, 2013 / katiestringerclary / 3 Comments

With the atmosphere in Egypt being what it is, most historians and archaeologists knew it was only a matter of time before aspects of the rich Egyptian history and material culture were destroyed. Among all the other heartbreaking stories of the massive loss of human life and looting, the story of the Mallawi Museum in Egypt stands out as one of the greatest cultural tragedies in recent history.

The Mallawi Museum after looters took most of the collections

According to the Egypt Heritage Task Force post, around 1050 artifacts from the Mallawi Museum were looted during the nationwide protesting and unrest. During the event, the security guards were shot at and the museum director was injured. More recently, reports have come out that the remaining 49 objects that were too large to be looted have been burned in a fire. In addition to the looting of institutions, many archaeological sites have been left unguarded and illegal digging has taken place to uncover items that may never be recorded by historians.

Continue reading →

Katie’s Khronicles: A News Roundup: 3/30/13 – 4/7/13

April 8, 2013April 4, 2013 / katiestringerclary / Leave a comment

I’m going to start a regular Sunday feature on this blog that will collect some of the news around the inter webs related to current events in: history, museums, public history, historic preservation, and other similar topics. Sometimes there might even be the occasional goat or popular culture reference.

Here is the first attempt at a news round-up, but please let me know if you have any suggestions or heard anything else exciting, scary, weird, or awesome during the week! Also, if you know of any website feeds with similar information, let me know.

“Museums Join U.S. Tribe to Oppose Paris Artifact Sale” from Naharnet.com — Kachina spirit figures are fundamental to the faith and heritage of the more than 18,000 members of the federally recognized Hopi tribe who mainly live in northeastern Arizona. A French auction house says “it will be putting 70 kachina visages — mask-like representations of spirit characters used in Hopi ceremonies — on the block. One of them is valued as high as 50,000 euros (more than $64,000). Robert Bruenig, director of the Museum of Northern Arizona, appealed for the objects’ return to Arizona, in an open letter to the auctioneers posted on the Flagstaff institution’s Facebook page. He said, “For them, katsina friends are living beings. … To be displayed disembodied in your catalog, and on the Internet, is sacrilegious and offensive.”

Image from Landmark Society of Western New York

“April Fools’ Tour at Stone-Tolan” from Landmark Society of Western New York — Now this sounds like fun!! This historic site has special tours for April Fool’s day. Their website says, “For one day only, The Stone-Tolan House Historic Site will once again be forced to suffer the indignities of sushi, lava lamps, and a number of other inappropriate items on display in its venerable rooms. On Saturday April 6th come to Stone-Tolan, and see what you can find that is out of place in the tavern room, kitchen, parlor bedroom, hallway and pantry. Some may be obvious – like the sushi. Others will be a bit more challenging (hint: what is the date on that coin?) There will be prizes!” This sounds like a fun way to get new visitors out to a site for something new.

“University Museum at SF State preserves ancient artifacts” by Nena H. Farrell for the Golden Gate Xpress — Two of my favorite things: ancient stuff and museums. The San Francisco State University Museum has the only mummy in the Bay area, and students were behind this exhibit on campus. The article says, “Tucked away on the fifth floor of the Humanities Building is the University Museum. Students from various classes put together the museum exhibits, oversee volunteers and field trips, catalog objects and take on other tasks that maintain the museum. The whole operation is run completely by students, under the direction of the museum studies faculty. The current exhibit in the museum is called “Fearless Women Voyagers: Women Who Challenged the Middle East, 1870-1940.” The exhibit, put together by the museum curatorship class in the fall, was created with the help of Linda Ellis, curator of the museum.”

A digital illustration shows the ancient Plutonium, celebrated as the portal to the underworld in Greco-Roman mythology. From: FRANCESCO D’ANDRIA, Discovery News

“Pluto’s Gate Uncovered in Turkey” by ROSSELLA LORENZI for Discovery News — A “gate to hell” has been found, and surprising to all MTSU students, it wasn’t in Peck Hall. “Known as Pluto’s Gate — Ploutonion in Greek, Plutonium in Latin — the cave was celebrated as the portal to the underworld in Greco-Roman mythology and tradition. Historic sources located the site in the ancient Phrygian city of Hierapolis, now called Pamukkale, and described the opening as filled with lethal mephitic vapors.” According to the Greek geographer Strabo (64/63 BC — about 24 AD): “This space is full of a vapor so misty and dense that one can scarcely see the ground. Any animal that passes inside meets instant death.” Early tourism was even at work at the site: “According to the archaeologist, there was a sort of touristic organization at the site. Small birds were given to pilgrims to test the deadly effects of the cave, while hallucinated priests sacrificed bulls to Pluto.”

What interesting news did you read in the past week?

Accessibility at the Lower East Side Tenement Museum

August 6, 2012July 28, 2012 / katiestringerclary / 3 Comments

Tenement Museum Visitor Center

The Tenement Museum has been on my radar since taking Museum Studies classes with Dr. Robert Connolly and Dr. Leslie Luebbers at the University of Memphis. It has been a beacon for community involvement and innovative programming, and it continues to be a pioneer for HISTORY museums in reaching out to populations with disabilities. I was elated when Sara Litvin, an educator at the museum, responded to my emails and agreed to meet with me at the museum during my research trip.

In May, I ventured down to the Lower East Side and experienced 97 Orchard Street for myself. The museum tells the stories of the people who lived in the tenement building on Orchard Street in the Lower East Side of Manhattan. The mission of the museum is, “The Tenement Museum preserves and interprets the history of immigration through the personal experiences of the generations of newcomers who settled in and built lives on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, America’s iconic immigrant neighborhood; forges emotional connections between visitors and immigrants past and present; and enhances appreciation for the profound role immigration has played and continues to play in shaping America’s evolving national identity.” (http://www.tenement.org/about.html) This mission is seen throughout the museum and the programs and events offered by the museum.

97 Orchard interior stairs, from http://www.tenement.org/about.html

Visitors may only visit by taking a guided tour of the building. The museum offers many tours including, Hard Times, Sweatshop Workers, Irish Outsiders, and Exploring 97 Orchard Street. They also offer school group tours, and community involvement opportunities.

I attended the Sweatshop Workers tour on my visit to the museum. It was a rainy, overcast day when I visited, which seemed a fitting atmosphere for visiting this historic site. We began by walking up the steps of the tenement at 97 Orchard Street into a dark hall. The tour group then climbed the steps, holding on to the original banister that so many people in the past had held before us. We continued on to the Levine family apartment, which was used not only for living, but also for running the family’s garment industry business.

Photo by Jacob Riis of the garment industry and tenement life

We looked at primary documents related to the neighborhood, garment industry, and reforms, and also looked at the artifacts and furnishing that were typical to tenement family rooms. Next we went to the Rogarshevskys apartment to learn about the Jewish family and their struggles with keeping the Sabbath while their daughters were employed in garment factories that required them to work on their Holy Days.

Standing in the same building where these people from the past lived and worked, looking at the artifacts they used each day, and hearing the sounds outside the tenement evoked feelings that wouldn’t be possible in another location or artificial setting. This brings up the question of, how do people with special accessibility needs experience this site to the same degree as those who are at the physical location?

Accessible options in the visitor center

The accessibility section of the museum website offers touch tours for people with sight impairments and sign language tours for people with hearing impairments. The orientation film is captioned for those with hearing impairments, and braille and large print versions of primary sources are also available upon request. Additionally, in the Visitor Center, there is an “Accessible Learning Center” which includes a talking tablet and a tablet with a raised façade of the main building and floor plans for people with sight impairments to “see.” I really enjoyed the tactile tablet, in spite of being able to see the site and the building. It explains various aspects of the museum that weren’t explained on my tour. This is yet another example of the positives of universal design… the product is designed for those with disabilities, but the entire population can benefit from it. I can also see this as an interactive that (supervised) children could enjoy when not being utilized by the intended population.

The “talking tablet” with raised facade and floor plan

The historic building offers many challenges to people with disabilities, especially those with physical disabilities or difficulties. The front building is accessed by several steep steps to the front door, and once inside, visitors are greeted by the original, old wooden staircase which must be traversed to experience the guided tour. The website does offer other opportunities for those using wheelchairs or other implements, including, a new exhibit opening in 2012 called, “Shop Life”, which will explore the many businesses housed at 97 Orchard Street. This will be the Museum’s first-ever wheelchair-accessible exhibit at 97 Orchard Street. The exhibit is still under construction at this time, but updates are available on their blog, including this one about construction progress. The event called, “Tour the Neighborhood” is wheelchair accessible, and during the winter, the “Foods of the Lower East Side” is held in a wheelchair accessible room. Additionally, the Visitors Center is has universally designed elevators and restrooms on the ground level.

Front of the historic building

There is also a “virtual tour” which benefits not only people with disabilities that can not visit the historic building, but really anyone who wants to experience the site without a visit to New York City. This tour is available on their blog at: http://www.tenement.org/Virtual-Tour/index_virtual.html

More information about accessible features at the Tenement Museum are available online by clicking this link. Really, there is a ton of information on their website and blog, and I could spend hours research and telling you all about it. I’m not going to do that, but you should check it out!!

The website does not address programs for children with special needs (which is central to my research), but in my discussions with Sara at the museum, I did learn a lot about the opportunities they are taking advantage of and fine-tuning to reach that audience. In general, their programs are modifications of the programs that are already in place rather than all-new programs developed for students with special needs. The next blog post I will publish will be a Q&A on museum programs and disability with Sara Litvin from the Tenement Museum.

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A Review of Historic Dublin: Day Two (and Guinness)

Katie’s Khronicles: A News Roundup: 3/30/13 – 4/7/13

Accessibility at the Lower East Side Tenement Museum

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