Saying Goodbye

Welp, I'm all packed and ready to go!  My suitcase feels like it's under 50 pounds but we'll see!

So far today has been a lot of reflecting. Reflecting on the trip, my internship and my family and friends.

This trip was the best trip of my life.  I made fourteen new friends (awww) and saw sites that I thought I would never see.  From this trip I've come to appreciate free public toilets, the McDonald's dollar menu, showers without buttons that you have to press every ten seconds for water, bubblers, mold free bathrooms, spacious bedrooms, my car, working internet as well as many other things.  I've also come to appreciate the times I had here as well as the memories that I will cherish forever.  I've fallen in love with Ireland and I can't wait to come back.  This country's beauty simply leaves you speechless.  All you can do is look and appreciate the picturesque landscape (except it is incredibly hard to capture in a simple picture).

Although there are many memories and funny stories that I will be sharing with most of you, the one thing that I appreciate most out of this trip is my parents.  From the time I was five years old and wanted to play the piano, they have made all of my dreams come true.  Every opportunity I was and have been given, my parents made possible.  They have molded me into the person I am today and I can't appreciate enough everything that they have done for me.  Their love and support have gotten me through the hard times and made me appreciate the good times.  I know that I am truly blessed to have my parents and I couldn't ask for a better set.  I love you mom and dad.

So now that I have tears streaming down my face, it is time to say goodbye to Ireland and head back home.

Glendalough and Dublin

Friday we took a train to Dublin and then a bus to Glendalough which is in the Wicklow Mountains.  After we got settled into the hostel we went roaming around and the view was absolutely amazing.  A few of us went on a hike and climbed up to the top of a very big hill which was amazingly gorgeous.  There were two lakes, one at the bottom of this big ravine with mountains all around.  So surreal, you really can't put it into words.  On our hike down we climbed around in this water fall that was again super pretty.  The water was really cold but it was still really cool.  Saturday we all started out at the bigger lake at the bottom of the ravine, but by 1 p.m.we were all back at the hostel working on our fabulous presentations.  I was dying working on my presentation, but nobody wanted to go outside because they were all focusing on their projects. It was pretty frustrating and I was going crazy.  It was way way waaayyyyy too nice to be inside.  But I did get a little sunburn action, which I'm loving hahah.  Sunday was rainy but we still went to Powerscourt which was this big garden estate thing that we walked around. Then we made it to Dublin and got settled, had the first set of presentations and then most of us stayed in to finish ours. while the others went out.

Today we went to the jail, Kilheman Gaol or something like that. Then went to Trinity College and saw the book of Kells.  Tonight we're making tacos after our presentations.  Tomorrow we're going to Google for the first half of the day and then we have the last of the presentations, which is also when I present.

Dublin is really cool and I wish we were staying here longer!

Cork

Ahh, what to say about Cork.  Not much other than it's sketchy, and really dirty.  We keep hearing how Cork is one of the top cities to travel to in the world, and we're all confused as to why hahah.  We're definitely missing Galway!  Today we moved to a different hostel that has bigger rooms and no mold covering the bathrooms.  But I guess I should recap with what we've done so far this week.

Monday we went to the University of Cork College where we listened to three professors lecture (interesting, but boring).  But we were able to go to Eve's Chocolates which was pretty fun.  It's basically like a James J. Chocolate Factory, only a lot more colorful haha.  And her chocolates were pretty good.  Didn't do much after we left the university, basically just stayed in and called it a night.

Tuesday was a lot more fun, minus going to the Cork Chamber of Commerce in the morning.  In the afternoon however we went to Blarney Castle where a bunch of us kissed the Blarney stone.  It was really fun even though it lasted two seconds.  Best kiss of my life though!  NOT hahah.  But now I can say I did it!  The grounds were really pretty though so after we kissed the blarney stone we wandered around.  There was a poison garden that had two plants that are mentioned in the Harry Potter books, I forget which ones but you'll eventually see them on Facebook :p Then we went to these "wishing stairs" and I guess you're supposed to walk up and then back down them with your eyes closed only thinking about your wish.  I only went up with my eyes closed, and I didn't even think about my wish because I was too busy concentrating on walking up stone stairs with my eyes closed haha.  Then we just walked around some more before we decided to leave.  That night we went out to a pub but I wasn't really feeling the atmosphere so I went back early with a few people.

Today we went to Cobh which is the last place where the Titanic stopped before making it's way to America.  We walked around a little museum and then went up to this super tall and gorgeous catholic church.  After walking around that for a little bit we ate at this really small place called Gills, which was a super cheap fish and chips place (none of us got fish) but what we did get was still really good. After Cobh we went to Midleton where the Jameson Distillery is.  That place was crazy expensive, but it was still cool to see.  Everyone gets a shot of Jameson at the end of the tour, and I highly recommend mixing it with cranberry juice, it was super good!

Tomorrow I'm finally meeting with a company called Faaltech for my big project.  After that we're all going to Kingsale which is on the coast and it's supposed to be super nice.  I'm thinking of finally shaving not just below the knee but my thighs now too so I can wear shorts!  Hahaha, we'll see what Ireland weather we get.  But that's about it for now! 

Happy mom? ;)

Aran Island/Cork

This weekend was pretty fun, and very relaxing.  The bus ride for the ferry wasn't so great.  We first got yelled at by our professor because we were late, and then the bus driver yelled at me as I was trying to get my suitcase on the bus and then again when I asked this random guy if I could sit by him.  The bus was already jam packed and he had a bag on the seat next to him.  Some people are just cranky and rude.  But they're the first ones in Ireland that I've encountered.  It was a relief to finally get off that bus, however I think I would've rather stayed on that bus for another two hours instead of getting on that ferry.  Normally I love ferries.  This one was the worst ever.  It was already kind of a stormy day and so it was raining and windy but that didn't seem to phase the drivers of the ferry.  Oh no, they didn't think they needed to slow down at all.  The best way I can describe it is when you watch Deadliest Catch and they are in the middle of a storm just being tossed around.  It wasn't like that by any means but it felt that way. First we would go up, and then drop.  Then we would sway to the left and then back to the right.  I'm pretty sure everyone got motion sick.

Once we got to the island it was smooth sailing from there.  Our hotel was very nice and cozy, along with the town.  We only had two people to a room so it was a very relaxing and easy going weekend.  Definitely needed.  We were finally able to take showers without having to press any kind of button for hot water, and we didn't have to press a button every ten seconds for water either!  It was quite the luxury hahah.  At our hostel in Galway you had to constantly press this button or else the water would shut off.  A bit annoying, but it was easy to get used to. 

Saturday we were treated to a "full Irish breakfast" which consisted of two sausage links, two huge pieces of ham-ish-bacon (best way I can describe it) one over easy egg, and two little patties of what tasted like a sausage and potato mixture.  It was good but a little over kill on the meat haha.  After everyone got ready we all rented bikes and rode around the island.  We basically went to Dun Aonghasa and back, but on the way there we stopped at a couple places to fool around and take pictures.  Dun Aonghasa was a fort type thing made for "the king" whoever that was.  As you'll see from my pictures, it was just two semicircles on a cliff, and I'm pretty sure the main village or whatever was inside the inner most semicircle.  If you google it you can see a picture of what it looks like from a bird's eye view.  But that was really cool, the cliffs are kind of everywhere but they're pretty no matter how many times you see them.

After we got back a few of us just worked on our journals and watching a rugby game that was on TV.  A little later I sat at the bar in the hotel with the boys and watch the soccer championship game.  Cheered for Barcelona the whole time while everyone else was cheering for Manchester United.  After the game a few of us stayed in the bar and watched some live music.  It was these three little brothers, the youngest maybe 12 and the oldest 15ish.  They won the X-Factor competition or whatever a couple years ago, which they deserved because they were really, really good. 

Today was just another travel day.  Ferry from the island back to the mainland, sat on the top this time which equaled no motion sickness at all! (Yaaayyy!!!) And then from the coast a bus back to Galway, then a bus to Limerick, and then another to Cork.  So fun.....Our hostel is alright.  I guess I'm not very impressed with it, slow internet, super narrow room, the kitchen is a tad disgusting, along with our shower, and our door handle breaks off easily.  I'm just gonna pray that this week goes super fast.  Being here in this hostel is making me ready to come home hahah which is sad.  But it's just one hostel that I have to live in for five nights and then never again!  

Tomorrow we're going to the university and then I guess Eve's chocolates.  Really not sure what the schedule is but we're not getting back here until 5 p.m. So it's going to be a loooonnnngggg day!

Off to the Aran Islands!

Alrighty, so Wednesday was a free day.  I was supposed to interview that photography guy for our big project for the class but he never texted back, showed up, or called back.  I did get a text back yesterday from him saying he's sorry he missed it.  But I'm just going to interview a bigger company when we're in Cork next week.  I went with my friend Jenifer to her interview with the Druid theater which was really interesting.  Cillian Murphy (who is in Inception and other movies) was in a play there so I thought that was pretty neat haha.  Other than that we all just hung out and eventually went out to the pubs and what not.
Yesterday we went to the Galway Chamber of Commerce which was pretty interesting.  We got to see what they do with all these different businesses (500+) and everything.  After that we had a little free time and then we went off to a little "village" that this couple kind of built on their own.  After they retired they had wanted to recreate kind of what Ireland used to be and they did that by showing us how to make these crosses and I can't remember what they're called but you put them over your doorway haha.  Then we learned out the houses and how to make soda bread and then ate some salty seaweed.  After that we had a music lesson and a guy played an acordian, penny flute and then kinda sang as well.  Then a few of us volunteered to do an Irish dance that we all sucked at but it was all a lot of fun and really interesting to see/learn about.  When we got back from that we went to a restaurant called Couch Potato which was pretty good, just different variations of baked potatoes.  Then we went to see the Hangover 2 which was....meh, alright haha.  After that we proceeded out to the pubs and clubs once more which wasn't too bad. 
Today we're going to the Galway clinic and then we have some time to roam around.  A few of us are going to do a minnow foot spa-thing.  For 10 euros you get to soak your feet for 15 minutes in a little pool of minnows that eat the dead skin off your feet.  I guess it's relaxing and makes your feet feel really soft, so I'm excited for that.  At five we take a ferry to the Aran Islands for the weekend which should be absolutely gorgeous.  I can't wait!

Update!

Alrighty so, Sunday we traveled back to Galway.  Didn't do much other than get some groceries and ate at a bistro.  Monday we went to the NUI Galway University where we listened to two professors give lectures that lasted over an hour and a half each. That was a little rough.  After we went to a cafe and worked on some stuff for our site briefings and interviews. Then we did a little more shopping and I ate an Obama burger! Haha, it was silly, but I had to do it.  And I even ate it while Obama was speaking in Dublin haha.  Last night we all went out to a pub called the King's Head which was pretty fun. There were two guys playing the guitar and singing there and they played all American songs I think because of our group.  It was pretty fun.  Galway is really cool at night too, I guess it's known as the party city so I think we're in the right place ;)
Today we went on a bus tour through Connemara which is absolutely beautiful.  I couldn't get enough of how amazing it was!  First we went to a castle that was built around 1490 which was pretty cool.  Then we went to a little sheep museum where we saw how they made wool yarn or whatever you want to call it.  That's also where I bought my Claddagh ring that I absolutely love :)  From there we went to the Kylemore Abbey which was built in the late 1800s I believe. It was so gorgeous there as well, you'll have to see my pictures!  We then went on to a national park and me plus five others hiked up to one of the taller parts of this mountain and we were able to see the Aran Islands in the distance, which is where we're staying this weekend.  We had to run the whole way down since our bus was going to be leaving soon but it was so much fun. 
I'm sure there's a lot more but I don't have too much time right now so I thought I quick update would have to do :) I'm sure I'll post more tomorrow!

Cliffs of Moher

Yesterday was a very wet and cold day.  Typical Ireland I guess haha.  After breakfast, a few of us walked down to a grocery store that was probably about the size of my bedroom at home.  It had a cooler with some cheese, meat, and some beverages and then just a few shelves with various little products.  Definitely wasn't what I was expecting although I probably should've expected it since this town is so small hahah.  Anywho, by the time we got back we were all drenched but just decided to stay in our wet clothes since we were about to leave for the Cliffs of Moher. 
Even though it was rainy and pretty foggy the cliffs were so cool.  It was super windy so I wasn't too adventurous.  I guess 10-12 people die a year at the cliffs and with it being slippery and windy, I decided I would come back another day when it's nice and sunny ;)  We only stayed for about an hour since the last bus back to our hostel left the cliffs at 1:30, and none of us felt like walking in the rain again.  Four of the girls actually walked the 6 km there in the rain....I'm so glad I didn't hahah. 
After we got back we all basically slept or sat on Facebook.  After dinner a few of us went on a walk since the sun was finally shining and the rain had stopped.  We got past all of the main shops and started to see the amazing view that I have pictures of on Facebook.  We climbed over this metal bar fence and walked to the little wire fence on the edge of the cliff and we were all speechless.  We almost blew over however since the wind was super intense.  It was a lot of fun though and super gorgeous.  After seeing the view I knew I was in Ireland.  It's definitely a must-see while you're here!  Once we walked back we all just hung out again and most of us went to bed early. 
Around 2 a.m. we were woken up by some other residents who were incredibly loud and drunk.  They were Irish so I guess it was to be expected.  I think they still wanted to party since they were knocking on everyone's door, including ours.  I don't think anyone was very happy about that. 
After breakfast a few of us went to the little shops that Doolin has to offer.  They were mainly just tourist shops but it was still cool to see what they had to offer.
Right now we're waiting for the one and only bus back to Galway.  So just another travel day/lounging day for us basically.  I guess Galway has a little farmer's market-type thing on Sunday's so most of us will probably go there once we get there.  :)

Travel Day

So today was a bit boring, mainly on a bus the whole day.  The buses are just normal coach buses, but since the roads are so small and there's trees and bushes along the side of the road, it's easy to get car sick.  I like to look out the windows since it's all so amazing, but I basically get car sick instantly.  So I've resorted to listening to Mumford and Sons, John Mayer, and all the other songs that make me happy :)  We stopped in Galway for about 4 hours, which is where we're going back to on Sunday and staying there until Friday.  It's a really cute city, lots of restaurants and shops.  We ate at a cute little coffee shop/cafe called Renzo, and then did a little shopping.  I bought a purple scarf for 3 euros and absolutely love it.  I'll probably wear it everyday since it made a big difference in keeping me warm hahah.  After another long bus ride we finally made it to Doolin, which has a population of 500.  It's pretty tiny but super cute!  Right behind our hostel we have a bunch of cows which is pretty awesome.  We got here around 8 p.m. and then basically went to a pub called O'Connors which was a lot of fun.  Everyone went out and there was a live band playing legit Irish music.  I took some pictures and videos and it was basically really cool, like everything else here haha.  Tomorrow we're going to the Cliffs of Moher and then whatever we want.  I'm pretty excited!! Hope all is well!

Day Two

So yesterday we were all over the place.  We went to the Battle of the Boyne, St. Peter's church to see Oliver Plunkett, Monasterboice, Mellifont Abbey, Hill of Slane, Trim Castle and then the Hill of Tara.  So, here we go:

Battle of the Boyne
The battle was mainly between William III and James II, James being William's uncle and father-in-law.  The battle was for the crown of England and William's army won, leaving James to retreat to France. 

St. Peter's Church - Oliver Plunkett
The inside of the church was super beautiful, except for this guy's head.  They literally had a shrine with his head in a box.  The story behind it was that he was hanged, then quartered, and then burned.  While his body was burning, some people saved his head and then preserved it and stuck it in this church.  Pretty gross.

Monasterboice
This was a fairly big graveyard, with the remains of two churches and a tall round tower.  There were also three big crosses that I guess are the main attraction.


Mellifont Abbey
This was the first Cisterian monastery that was built around 1160 I believe.  It was basically all the remains of it but it was still really, really interesting to see.

Hill of Slane
We stopped by this place, didn't leave the bus, but it was also a church, graveyard and miniature college I guess, all remains again.

We then ate lunch at a place called Poet's Rest I believe where we had soup and sandwiches.  The soup was incredibly good, the sandwiches were okay.  A lot of coleslaw.


Trim Castle
This place was sooo amazing!  We got to go inside and all over this place, even around the top perimeter.  I forget the history behind it since there was so much history going on yesterday.  But I have some really cool pictures of it.

Hill of Tara
This place was really beautiful as well (everywhere we go is beautiful hahah).  I guess what it's all about is it's these circular mounds, and on the top of one is this tall rock-thing and back in the day, it would roar if the future king of Ireland touched it.  I don't know about you guys, but it would've been cool to hear that thing roar hahaha.  We decided that our tour guide was this little dog that was playing with us the whole time.  He was so cute and made me miss my dog Jack.

After we left the Hill of Tara we went to a grocery store to get food for dinner.  I got spinach and ricotta tortellini with tomato sauce, and 6 apples for 1 euro that I'm splitting with another girl.  I tried to buy some hard pear cider, but since I'm not 21 I wasn't able to buy it as it was their store policy that anyone under 21 can't buy alcohol.  Super lame, but most of us went out to the pub last night which was really, really fun.  The walk from our hostel is about 20 minutes one way, on this tiny country road, but nobody got hurt!  When we got there, there was a live band which was really cool.  I ordered a Carlsburg beer which wasn't so bad.  Some of the girls were dancing with this one hardcore Irishman which was pretty funny to watch. This same Irishman told me I could take a glass that said Carlsburg on it so I did haha.  My one souvenier so far! 

Today we're off to Galway for four hours, and then Doolin for the weekend.  I guess Doolin isn't a very big town so I'm not sure if I'll be able to get on the internet so in case not, I love you all and I'll post as soon as I can!!

First Day in Ireland!!

Well, my parents and Tyler got me to the airport a-okay, had a little teary send off but all is well now.  I met up with two of my classmates, Julia and Mag as we were all on the same flight.  It was a little cramped on the flight and I only got about an hour of sleep or so.  Made it to Dublin and took a few pictures on the plane before we landed, I was pretty amused hahah. After everyone had arrived at the airport we made our way to Drogheda….not sure how far from Drogheda we are but we’re staying at a really, really nice hostel called NewGrange Lodge. 

About two minutes down the road was a historic site where we got to tour the NewGrange and Knowth mounds/burial places.  There was a third one, Dowth, but we didn’t make it to that one.  Basically, these mounds reminded me of Aztalan (reference for the Lake Mills people), except they had these short, very narrow tunnels that led into them.  At the ends of the paths were “basin rocks”, which basically looked like a bowl and there were a few of them at each end, one would hold ashes and another bones.  When they discovered these mounds they found skeletons along the paths, which is how they came to the conclusion of it being a burial place.  At NewGrange we were able to go inside all the way to the end and it was amazing.  In the middle of the opening at the end the rock/boulder ceiling went up in a cone-like fashion, big at the bottom and it got smaller and smaller until one rock could cover the opening.  And although it didn’t look this way, not a drop of water had leaked through that ceiling.  These were estimated to have been built before the pyramids and the stonehedge, I think they said about 5,000 years ago was when they had been built.  Obviously when these three mounds were discovered by the excavators, they just looked like another grassy hill of Ireland.  There’s a lot more history behind but basically it was incredibly amazing, simply because most of the boulders that form these mounds now, are the original boulders from when they were built 5,000 years ago.

Anyway, I’m typing this on a word document since our internet isn’t working at our hostel, but they’re currently working on it.  I’m crossing my fingers because as sad as it is, I need to go on Facebook!  I’m dying to let all of you know that I made it safely and that I’m having a blast so far! A little motion sickness, which is weird for me, and also a little homesickness.  I’m trying not to let it bring me down though!!!  I know these three weeks are going to fly, I just wish all of you could be with me as I love you and miss you all SSSSOOOOOO MMMMUUUCCCHHH!!!  Tomorrow we're doing a bunch of stuff so it should be another busy day!! Hopefully I'll get internet connection again tomorrow so I can keep updating everyone :)  Cross your fingers!!

Itinerary!

So, as most of you know, I'm leaving for Ireland today!  Here's what my schedule is going to look like during my three week stay:

May 18th
Arrive in Dublin at 8:25 a.m.
Bus to Drogheda - then another bus to NewGrange
Staying at NewGrange Lodge Hostel until May 20th

May 19th
Touring:
-Trim Castle
-Hill of Tara
-Battle of the Boyne
-Hills of Slane
-Mellifont Abbey

May 20th
9 a.m. bus back to Drogheda - then another bus to Doolin
Staying at Doolin Hostel until May 22

May 21st
"On your own" day/Cliffs of Moher

May 22nd
Bus to Galway
Staying in Galway at Sleepzone Galway until May 27th

May 23rd
8 a.m. Galway NUI (not sure what that means)

May 24th
10 a.m. bus pick up for various sites:
-Connemara
-Kylemore Abbey

May 25th
Free Day

May 26th
10 a.m. Galway Chamber of Commerce
1:30 p.m. bus pick up for Cnoc Suain

May 27th
10 a.m. Galway Clinic
5 p.m. bus to ferry station - then ferry onto Aran Island
Staying at Aran Island Hotel until May 29th

May 28th
"On your own" day
-Dun Aonghasa

May 29th
8:15 a.m. Ferry to Galway - then bus to Cork
Staying at Sheila's Cork until June 3rd

May 30th
8 a.m. - University College Cork until 5 p.m.

May 31st
10 a.m. Cork Chamber of Commerce until noon

June 1st
9 a.m. Train to:
-Cobh
-Heritage Center
-Jameson Distillery

June 2nd
Free Day

June 3rd
6:15 a.m. train to Dublin
11:30 a.m. Bus to Wicklow Mountains
Staying at Glendalough IYH until June 5th

June 4th
"On your own" day

June 5th
Travel to Dublin
Staying at Kinlay House until June 8th!

June 6th
-Dublin Post Office
-Kilmainham Gaol
-Trinity College
-Book of Kells

June 7th
9 a.m. visit at Google

June 8th
Fly out of Dublin at 12:15 p.m.
Arrive in Chicago at 3:15 p.m.
Fly out of Chicago at 9:46 p.m.
Arrive in Duluth at 11:08 p.m.