So, it's been nearly a month since I've written... sorry about that... but there hasn't been too much excitement to write about.
On the 10th of April, Val, one of my best friends from Saint Mary's, came to visit! (She chose a bad weekend to book tickets because I was gone for most of the weekend, but at least I got to see her on Thursday night). So, on Thursday after class, I went to picke her up at the train station. It was SO crazy to have her here! We walked back to my apartment, grabbed some pizzas at Dunnes on the way back for dinner, and made them in my apartment whilst talking to Lisa and Elyse (my other BFF's from Saint Mary's) on Skype. Then we got ready, and I did Val's hair... which made us a little late for the Roost. But we still got in and danced the night away. After the Roost we went to Maximus to get garlic cheese chips (of course), and then took them back to my apartment to eat them. When we finally got into our PJs and into bed, we ended up staying up until 4am talking. It was a much needed sleepover, and I'm SO glad Val got to come visit! I didn't realize how much I missed her and how much I needed to talk to her. She sadly left in the morning to go to Dublin, while I stayed back to pack and get a few things done before we left for our last big Saint Mary's trip.
So, the next day we left for our big 4-day Aran Island trip. It was a very long bus ride over to Doolin, and when we finally got there, all we had time for was tacos and showers before bed. The next morning we rose early from our hostel bunks at Paddy's Doolin Hostel and boarded the bus for a short ride to the Cliffs of Moher. I woke up with a sore throat and felt a cold coming on, so Katy gave me some Sudafed to calm my symptoms. I'd been to the Cliffs with my family, but it was still breathtaking none-the less. Debbie and I were feeling rebellious, so we hopped the stone wall and walked down to the edge of one of cliffs for a better view (because Rick Steves told us to). It was BEAUTIFUL!
Next Eugene dropped us off at the Doolin Ferry dock, and we all lugged all of our stuff onto the VERY tippy "Happy Hooker." The island of Inishmore (Inis Mor in Irish) was about an hour and a half boat ride from Doolin, and I wasn't expecting to get motion sick... so I didn't take any dramamine before we left. That was a BAD idea. I've NEVER felt sick on a boat before, but on this particular day, the sea was quite uneasy... which made my stomach quite uneasy. I made my way to the back of the boat to sit outside and get some fresh air. Debbie gave me some Dramamine, Elizabeth gave me some gum, and they both told me to focus on the horizon. I'm not sure what it was that helped, but eventually I was feeling fine... well enough to actually talk to people at least.
So, we finally got to the island, got off the crazy boat, and made our way over to Kilronan Hostel to check in. We dropped our things off in our room and had sandwiches and Pringles in the kitchen before leaving for our bus ride around the island and up to Dún Aengus ring fort. The view from the ring fort was beautiful, and we got to see more cliffs! Our tour guide told us all about the ring fort and its history. It was built during the Bronze Age and dates from 1,000 B.C. or before. It is located on Inishmore at the edge of an approximately 100 metre high cliff. The fort consists of a series of four concentric walls of dry stone construction. Although clearly defensible, the particular location of Dún Aengus suggests that its primary purpose was religious and ceremonial rather than military. The view was amazing, and we got to see some cows on the walk down to the gift shops. Lots of girls bought knit hats at the little gift shops, as the Aran Islands are famous for their wool sweaters and other knit items. The land of the Aran Islands and the rolling hills of the rest of an area known as "The Burren" are composed of limestone pavements with crisscrossing cracks known as "grikes", leaving isolated rocks called "clints". The fields on our walk back down to the gift shops were covered in these rocks. Formed by glaciers, the stones made for some very interesting landscape-- it was pretty much the coolest!
However... on our walk back down the hill, I started to... not feel so well. I started feeling really really weak, and I felt like I was dragging my feet. I made it down the hill and onto the bus, but while everyone else was intently listening to the tour guide and getting on and off the bus to see the sights, I stayed on the bus and could hardly keep from shaking and crying. It was the strangest sensation... I just felt really weak and achey and like I just wanted to cry. I survived the bus ride and made it back to the hostel where I collapsed into my bunk and started to sob. It seriously was the weirdest thing... I was shaking and crying uncontrollably... it wasn't because of any emotions running through my head... it was literally just my body going CRAZY! Roberta, our coordinator, came to check up on me after I'd had my cry and a bit of a nap. We never did figure out just what it was that made my body go into some kind of crazy shock... whether I was dehydrated, or it was a reaction with the Sudafed and Dramimine I'd taken that day, or if it was just the beginning of the illness that would progress during the rest of the weekend... but Roberta put me on a strict regiment of different combinations of advil, tylenol and aspirin to keep my aches at bay and to try and keep my temperature down... cuz i was DEF burning up!
Well, that night was pretty rough. I tried to drink as much water as I could, and I made it through the cold sweats and hot flashes to the morning. My throat continued to get sorer and sorer, and all I wanted to do was lay in bed all day and sleep. So, while the rest of the girls went off to rent bikes and explore the incredibly beautiful island of Inis Mor, I was stuck in a hostel room by myself with a fever all day! There was no TV, no computer, and no mom to take care of me. Roberta did her best, but I just wanted to be on the couch at home with my ginger ale, saltines, and Price is Right. We were able to get me some ginger ale and saltines, but we couldn't find a thermometer on the whole damn island so we could make sure my temperature wasn't dangerously high. Roberta called the ONE doctor on the island just to see if we could scamper over and find out what my temperature was, but she had to fly out that day to deliver twins! So, there I was, stuck on a remote island off the western coast of Ireland with no thermometer and no doctor... I could have gotten sick ANY other place or ANY other time, and it would have been fine... but I was stuck on Inis Mor. Well, I made it through that night... but I had to wake myself up every two hours to take a different pill and try to drink a bottle of water. My throat was SO sore that even drinking water was really painful. Our diagnoses oscillated between mono, tonsilitis, strep, and the flu... but we just weren't sure what was wrong with me.
Well, the next morning, I was finally able to make my way over to the doctor's surgery. She attempted several times to take my temperature with her mercury thermometer (probably the only one left in the western world, as she said) before she finally got it. My temperature was normal at that point because of the tylenol that had kept it down, but I still wasn't feeling well. She took a look at the back of my throat and said "oh, you poor thing. You've got cottage cheese on your tonsils." Nice, right?
Well, at least we had figured out that I had strep throat. Oddly enough, it seems I've gotten strep in the spring every three years since 8th grade. Dr. Broderick told me that was just a coincidence... but it's kinda weird. She gave me 10 days worth of Penicillin and sent me on my way.
I did survive and even enjoyed the boat ride back to the mainland (it was MUCH calmer on the way back, and really nice out). We stopped for lunch on the long bus ride back and also stopped at a ruined monastery called Clonmacnoise. It's situated on the River Shannon and was very beautiful. The gorgeous day made it even prettier. I slept on and off on the bus ride back and drifted between dreams and Bridget Jones (that was playing on the bus). We made it back that night, and it was good to be in my own bed.
Now, I've had strep throat twice before, but I've NEVER had it this bad. I'm sure it was because it took me so long to finally see a doctor, but it took me a good 5 more days in my bed before I was better. Being in my room by myself for so long was MISERABLE. I watched the whole season of House on my computer, and got addicted to Law and Order. My throat was so sore that it was still hard to swallow the gallons of water that everyone insisted I drink, and I didn't eat for days even after I got my appetite back because my throat couldn't take it... It was awful, and all I wanted was to be at home where my family could take care of me.
But, I finally got out of bed and made it to class on Friday. We had planned on going somewhere that weekend, but the weather wasn't great, and nobody was up for another weekend of traveling, so we just stayed in and hung around Maynooth.
Last week Emma, Elizabeth and I went to see my friend Jackie in the musical "The Little Shop of Horrors." It was definitely a very INTERESTING show... and very weird. But it was fun to see lots of friends on the stage. My Irish friend Mark played the crazy dentist and was HILARIOUS! We went to Supermac's after for some junk food (now that I was finally able to swallow whole food, all I wanted was a greasy burger and chips!) Tuesday we all went to our weekly pub quiz at the Roost and got our BEST SCORE EVER! (which is only 15/20... but at least we don't cheat like the people who always win... what do we want a bunch of Coors for anyway? None of us like beer.) Wednesday Elizabeth and Micheal went on a DATE to the cinema! (pretty exciting), and Katy and Debbie and I watched Casino Royale at Debbie's after some discussion and some apologies that day and early that week, ironing out a few hard feelings we all had had. Thursday night Elizabeth, Debbie, Katy, Laura and I went to the Roost and sat downstairs to chat and listen to the band for awhile. Some crazy 45 year old man in a business suit was cutting a rug by the bar, doing high kicks and jumping in the air. It was pretty hilarious, and we caught it on film. After Debbie, Katy, and Laura left, Elizabeth and I made our way upstairs, stopped to talk to my friend Richard on the way, and ended up in the back by the dance floor. My friend Johnny spotted us and pulled us out to dance. It was SO hot and sweaty in there that night, but we had a blast dancing! We left a little bit before closing time and ran into Richard again on the corner outside the Roost. He was with Paul Donnelly from Drama Soc, and another girl who was in the First Timer's Festival but who I don't know the name of. We chatted with them for a bit, and when they left for a house party, they invited us along, so we decided to go for a bit. It was the cast party for Little Shop, so we knew Jackie would be there, along with a few other Drama Soc. members that I knew. So, we walked 8 miles to the house, kissed some birthday boy on the cheek, witnessed Jackie's end-of-the-show celebrating, and talked to Richard for a long time. He did his best American accent for us and entertained us until we decided it was time to leave. He walked back to the apartments with us, and we ran into his friend Brian Dooley on the way back (who was pretty much hilarious). After deciding we didn't need to go save our friend Katy (who had fallen asleep at Micheal's apartment), we went our separate ways and went to bed.
The next day was Colin's birthday... which doesn't have much significance to this story telling, but is important none-the less. Jackie and I watched RENT in my apartment and she let me borrow her computer (since my power adapter decided it was going to break-- fabulous!) And on Saturday Jackie and I went into Dublin for the day. We went to Subway first which was my first subway in 7 months and Jackie's first in 7 years and was AMAZING! They even had ranch dressing! Jackie's been a vegetarian for 7 years, but has been eating meat little by little for the last few months in preparation for her long-longed-for Subway meatball sub. Her stomach was, understandably, a bit angry with her, but her tastebuds were delighted. We walked it off and made our way to Penney's to do some browsing. I ended up buying a dress for the fourth of july which is SUPER cute (well, I'll obbs wear it on other days BESIDES the fourth of july, but it is very appropriate for independence day because of it's navy blue star-spangled print). It's very springy and brightened my day immediately. I actually almost bought it in two different prints, but managed to control myself.
We then strolled over to Carroll's where I picked up a few items that I'd been meaning to purchase before I leave this country, and even found a sweatshirt that I'd been searching for since I saw it in Killarney with Jim. I was very excited. We walked down Grafton Street and stopped for some juice and candy to take with us to the St. Stephen's Green. It was a beautiful day, and our feet were tired, so we sat around on the grass with our backs against a tree in the park for an hour or so. The tulips were incredibly pretty, and our spot was perfect for people watching. I took some pictures, and a bald italian man even came up and took a picture of us. It was a little weird, but we were excited at the thought that he probably thought we were Irish.
We then walked around St. Stephen's Green Shopping Center for quite some time, and I performed another act of self-control at TK Maxx by not buying anything. We finally met my friend Teresa at the Ha'Penny Bridge and made our way to the Vat House Pub in Temple Bar for dinner. Teresa is a friend of mine from leadership camp. We were delegates together and met at level 3; Teresa's studying in France this semester, and we'd been trying to find a weekend to meet up for months. It was SO great to see her and meet her friend Lindsey! After a fabulous meal of fish and chips, some live music, and a walk along a quiet part of the river, we were as caught up as we could be before Jackie and I had to catch the train and Teresa and Lindsey had to catch a bus to the airport. I love meeting up with people in Europe-- it makes me feel so fancy!
Sunday Jackie and I went grocery shopping, had a pizza lunch, and chillaxed at my place until it was time for our pre-planned pancake dinner. Jackie's friend Anung came over, and we had some lovely pancakes and apple juice before I had to kick them out and go to Elizabeth's to make travel plans for our study week coming up. After some frustrating planning, Elizabeth and I booked our flights for Sweden and Spain! We're going to Sweden first to see Stokholm and visite her distant relatives there. Then we're flying to Valencia, training it to Seville, and visiting my friend Val (who came to visit me here). I'm SUPER excited to travel again and to see Val!
That night we went to Debbie's to watch Anchorman and Snatch-- both of which I loved. Micheal, Elizabeth and I were up late watching the second movie and talking about the mumps outbreak on campus. One of the Saint Mary's girls got the mumps, as well as 18 other people on campus! Elizabeth got me scared that I needed to be vaccinated, so I called my mom, and she called the doctor, and while Elizabeth's doctor said she SHOULD get the vaccination here, my doctor said I SHOULDN't. So, I guess I'll just be taking my chances with that one... Strep and Mumps in the same month would NOT be good.
Monday night we went to Debbie's for dinner and Emma, Katy, Debbie, Micheal and I played this play station game calle "Buzz," I believe. It was a music trivia game, and I won both times! (Which, was actually a little unfair since I was in 3rd place for most of the game). It was really fun, and good practice for pub quiz!
And finally, last night after Micheal's pancake dinner (he likes to back and cook for us), we went to Jackie's birthday dessert bash at her apartment and played spoons amongst the giant crowd of Irish/German/American friends of Jackie's. Then Debbie, Elizabeth, Katy, and I met up with Laura, Matt and Micheal, and we all went to pub quiz yet again at the Roost. The questions sucked, and we only got 13 right. Plus, Chris Daughtry was there, and he was totally flirting it up with this ugly girl. (Okay, so it wasn't the REAL Chris Daughtry... there's this math tutor at NUIM that looks EXACTLY like him, and I totally have a giant crush on him/I just really want to get a picture with him). But it was still a fun night.
And today I've only gone to class and spent some time in the office so far... Now I'm spending a little bit more time in the office to update by blog, since my computer cord is still broken and my new one won't be here until Friday at the earliest. But it's another beautiful day, and I'm thinking of taking a walk down to Carton House, so I'm going to get out of this stuffy office and get some fresh air.
To those of you who have made it to the end of this entry, congradulations! I've very impressed... I hope your eyes aren't sore. Now you get out and get some fresh air too! You'll need it after all this time in front of the computer!
:)
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Cocktails and Unrequited Love
Don't worry, people... I've figured it out. Well, sort of. I have an IDEA of what I'm going to do now. Since I can't fit a business degree in 4 semesters, I've decided to keep my English Writing major and minor in business. I'm not sure yet what I want to do with that, but hopefully it will keep lots of doors open... we signed up for classes this week, but I can always change things around when I get back to Saint Mary's in the fall.
Did I mention I'm going to be an RA next year? I can't remember if I did. But all this thinking about classes and rooming is actually getting me really excited to go back to Saint Mary's. I miss it, and I'm excited to get back to my challenging classes that push me to do my best. And I miss football-- American football, that is!
So this week was spent just catching up on everything and relaxing after 3 weeks of traveling. I was literally WALKING for 3 weeks straight, and my feet and ankles were SO sore. When I got back from the airport after dropping my sister and cousin off, I took a 5 hour nap! As much as I love traveling, it's always good to come back and get back into a schedule. And I missed my bed and my teddy bear! So this week was pretty chill... on Wednesday we went to 8D Dodder (Debbie and Micheal's room) for dinner, and Micheal made us chocolate muffins! We also had some craziness this week because Micheal confessed his undying (and, sadly, unrequited) love for Elizabeth. But they finally talked about it, and we're all back to being friends.
On Thursday we were all invited by Gwen (one of Debbie and Micheal's other roommates) to go to the Glenroyal for cocktails. So we all got dressed up and I ate two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches WAY too fast and felt sick the rest of the night. But I got a "woo woo" at the bar which was SO delicious and didn't taste ANYTHING like alcohol (which is how it should be). It was peach and cranberry! SOOO scrumptious! After that we went to the Roost. It was so good to see everyone back from break. And at the end of the night, when everyone was singing really loud to a song on the dance floor, I was just sitting there watching. I felt like it was the end of a movie and there should be credits rolling across our faces. There are just moments when you feel like you're in a movie... moments that make you realize how fast this ride is going, and how you don't want to get off. I don't want to get off...
Did I mention I'm going to be an RA next year? I can't remember if I did. But all this thinking about classes and rooming is actually getting me really excited to go back to Saint Mary's. I miss it, and I'm excited to get back to my challenging classes that push me to do my best. And I miss football-- American football, that is!
So this week was spent just catching up on everything and relaxing after 3 weeks of traveling. I was literally WALKING for 3 weeks straight, and my feet and ankles were SO sore. When I got back from the airport after dropping my sister and cousin off, I took a 5 hour nap! As much as I love traveling, it's always good to come back and get back into a schedule. And I missed my bed and my teddy bear! So this week was pretty chill... on Wednesday we went to 8D Dodder (Debbie and Micheal's room) for dinner, and Micheal made us chocolate muffins! We also had some craziness this week because Micheal confessed his undying (and, sadly, unrequited) love for Elizabeth. But they finally talked about it, and we're all back to being friends.
On Thursday we were all invited by Gwen (one of Debbie and Micheal's other roommates) to go to the Glenroyal for cocktails. So we all got dressed up and I ate two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches WAY too fast and felt sick the rest of the night. But I got a "woo woo" at the bar which was SO delicious and didn't taste ANYTHING like alcohol (which is how it should be). It was peach and cranberry! SOOO scrumptious! After that we went to the Roost. It was so good to see everyone back from break. And at the end of the night, when everyone was singing really loud to a song on the dance floor, I was just sitting there watching. I felt like it was the end of a movie and there should be credits rolling across our faces. There are just moments when you feel like you're in a movie... moments that make you realize how fast this ride is going, and how you don't want to get off. I don't want to get off...
Change of Plans
Wednesday morning we woke up early and got tickets for the Big Bus Tour around London. It was a saviour, let me tell you. My feet would NOT have been able to take another day of walking. So we got on and off the bus all day, which was MUCH easier and faster than trying to figure out how to get around London (which is MUCH bigger than Dublin).
We stopped in Picadilly Circus (similar to Times Square in NYC), bought some scarves in China Town, and got tickets for Wicked in Leicester Square! We hopped back on the bus and rode it through Trafalgar Square to the Thames River. We got off and took pictures by Big Ben and the London Eye and had lunch at Manga on the River. We took a boat down the Thames, passing St. Paul's Cathedral, the Globe Theatre, and the Tower Bridge. We got off at the Tower of London and took the bus to Buckingham Palace where we caught the Changing of the Guard (which was kind of lame because there was no music that day and the guards weren't even wearing their traditional red uniforms with the big black furry hats). We then scampered over to Westminster Abbey where we got in free because we stayed for the evensong (which was not as cool as the evensong in St. Patrick's in Dublin). We took the bus back to Soho and ate dinner at Soho Pizzeria (because we loved it so much). I had probably the best pizza I've EVER consumed in my life at Soho Pizzeria. And some kind of wonderful dough balls that tasted like brown-and-serves that we have with meatloaf at home! :)
Our last day in London began with a walk across Hyde Park to Kensington Gardens. Hyde Park stretches across 350 acres, while Kensington Gardens covers 275 acres. We finally made it to the Peter Pan statue, which was the one thing I HAD to see while I was in London. The bronze of Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens is one of the most popular statues in London. He stands in a leafy glade about half way along the west bank of the Long Water. This site has a special importance for Peter Pan and was chosen for the statue by J M Barrie, the author who created him. Barrie published his first story about Peter Pan in 1902 in The Little White Bird. It was inspired by his relationship with the Llewelyn Davies family that began in Kensington Gardens. In the story, Peter Pan flies out of his nursery and lands beside the Long Water - on the spot where the statue stands. Barrie began thinking about a Peter Pan statue in 1906. He took a series of photographs of the six-year-old Michael Llewelyn Davies wearing a special Peter Pan costume. This was Barrie 's ideal vision of Peter Pan that he planned to give to a prospective sculptor. Six years later, in 1912, Barrie paid Sir George Frampton to create the statue and on May 1 st that year it appeared, as if by magic. There was no pre-publicity or formal unveiling. The statue was erected secretly during the night and Barrie simply placed this announcement in The Times: "There is a surprise in store for the children who go to Kensington Gardens to feed the ducks in the Serpentine this morning. Down by the little bay on the south-western side of the tail of the Serpentine they will find a May-day gift by Mr J.M. Barrie, a figure of Peter Pan blowing his pipe on the stump of a tree, with fairies and mice and squirrels all around. It is the work of Sir George Frampton, and the bronze figure of the boy who would never grow up is delightfully conceived."
We then followed the signs to the Princess Diana Fountain. The Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain is a memorial to Diana, Princess of Wales. It was designed to express Diana's spirit and love of children. It is located in the southwest corner of Hyde Park in London. Its cornerstone was laid in September 2003 and it was officially opened on July 6, 2004 by Queen Elizabeth II. The fountain was designed by Kathryn Gustafson, an American landscape artist, and cost £3.6 million.
We also saw the Albert Memorial that was built by Queen Victoria in memory of her husband. The statue is across the street from the Royal Albert Hall, a big theatre opened by Victoria in 1871. Each year it hosts more than 350 performances including classical concerts, rock and pop, ballet and opera, tennis, award ceremonies, school and community events, charity performances and lavish banquets.
After admiring Kensington Gardens, we went to tour Kensington Palace. Kensington Palace is a royal residence set in Kensington Gardens in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London, England. It has been a residence of the British Royal Family since the 17th century. Today Kensington Palace is the official residence of The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester; the Duke and Duchess of Kent; and Prince and Princess Michael of Kent. Until 1997, it was the official residence of the late Diana, Princess of Wales. The palace was beautiful, and the tour had cool phone things that guided you through. We also got to see Princess Diana's dress collection and a collection of giant photographs of her. The display was really cool and really sad all at the same time. Diana was so young and beautiful.
After our tour of the palace we walked over to Notting Hill and had lunch at Champion Pub. The pub was SUPER cute, and the food was good too! Kris left for to take a train to Wimbledon after lunch, and Mary and I went off to explore Notting Hill! We shopped atthe ADORABLE little boutiques and antique and specialty shops. There were so many cute and creative things to look at! Most of it was much to expensive for me, but it was still fun to browse. I did splurge on some really cute mittens from a little shop. One pair is animal puppet mittens and they have a string connecting them so I won't lose them. The other pair have Union Jacks on them. Both pairs are hand-sewn and are SUPER cute. It was my goal of the week to buy mittens (since I'd lost both my mittens and my gloves the previous week), so I didn't feel too bad splurging a bit.
Portabello Road was definitely my favorite! We shopped and walked around taking pictures of the pretty shops and buildings, all the while looking for the travel book shop from the movie. We sadly didn't find it because we had to leave to return to the hotel to get ready to see Wicked that night!
We splurged on a cab to Victoria, since we'd done SO much walking that day. The cab driver was really nice, and he dropped us off at an Italian restaurant called Bella Italia near the theatre where I had the most amazing chicken pesto past I'd ever had.
Wicked was.... well, WICKED!!! I knew it was going to be amazing, and it definitely reached my expectations! I don't really know what else to say about it other than it was incredible. I was in one of the last rows, and it was still awesome!
We took a cab back to the Marble Arch Inn after the show and packed for our 4.30 am departure. And early the next morning we arose to take a cab to the airport and boarded a plane for Dublin.
We took a bus to the city centre and the train back to Maynooth and I walked Kris and Mary to their bed and breakfast so they could check in, drop their stuff off, and shower. I walked my stuff back to my apartment, unpacked, and packed my other suitcases that I was having Kris take home for me. We met up at the Roost for carvery lunch (because EVERYONE has to try it when they come to Ireland). The meal was fantastic! We came back to my room, napped, youtube'd Chris Daughtry videos and facebook stalked until dinner time. We went back to the Roost to check out the dinner menu and sat around chatting for a long time. After that we went to Brady's for a few drinks. We sat around talking for a long time about lots of things including teaching... and AND in those few minutes of chatting with my sister (who's a 4th grade teacher) and my cousin, my life changed. I have wanted to be a teacher since i was in 4th grade. I've never doubted it for a second. kris was talking about how unhappy she is teaching now. she's sick of the politics and the amount of extra work she puts in and doesn't get paid for and the fact that she's still paying back her student loans at 30. She went to lacrosse, and her debt is only a fraction of what mine will be. And in the few minutes that the conversation lasted, something in my brain just snapped-- my mind did a complete 180, and i can't even explain it, but in a matter of moments i had completely lost my passion for teaching. I could no longer imagine myself standing in front of a classroom of 6th graders year after year and telling them to read Maniac McGee or Where the Red Fern Grows. I just couldn't imagine it. If it was just about the money, my mind wouldnt' have been changed. I've known from the beginning that if I were to teach, I would basically be poor forever. So it's not just the debt thing. I can't even explain how it happened, but I just dont think i can be a teacher any more.
So what now? I really have no idea. I think what I need to do is get a degree that will prepare me for an array of jobs so that when I graduate I have some options. I originally considered marketing or graphic design or some combo of the two, but there's no way i can fit them both in with the two years i have left. So then i was leaning more towards just doing business, because i felt like that would give me lots of options. but i've emailed the business advisor at SMC and she said I'm just not going to be able to fit a business degree into 4 semesters. I'd have to take an extra semester at Saint Mary's. Which-- ugh-- I just don't know if financially or mentally I could handle. So now what, people? What do I do? Can you just tell me what to do with my life? That would be grand. brilliant. savage, as they would say here in Ireland. Cuz I'm running out of ideas, and I have no idea if I would even be good at or like business. I'm freaking out... borderline going crazy trying to figure this out. I have to register for classes by next week, so I dont have much time to figure the rest of my life out. I've always been a planner-- I've had my life planned out for... forever. And now I dont' have a plan. Worse than that, i dont even have a direction. And I'm freaking out.
SOOOOO the next morning I dragged my two suitcases to the train station so I could take Mary and Kris to the airport. Unfortunately, one of the suitcases is STUPID and doesn't roll like a normal suitcase... so I had to DRAG it the WHOLE way to the train station. I literally thought my arms were going to fall off. But we finally made it to the airport and I bade my sister and my cousin adieu. I had SO much fun in London! I could definitely live there... and who knows... now that I don't have a plan... maybe I will!
pictures from London:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2143267&l=aefc4&id=5619987
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2143271&l=2edfa&id=5619987
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2143274&l=2dffb&id=5619987
We stopped in Picadilly Circus (similar to Times Square in NYC), bought some scarves in China Town, and got tickets for Wicked in Leicester Square! We hopped back on the bus and rode it through Trafalgar Square to the Thames River. We got off and took pictures by Big Ben and the London Eye and had lunch at Manga on the River. We took a boat down the Thames, passing St. Paul's Cathedral, the Globe Theatre, and the Tower Bridge. We got off at the Tower of London and took the bus to Buckingham Palace where we caught the Changing of the Guard (which was kind of lame because there was no music that day and the guards weren't even wearing their traditional red uniforms with the big black furry hats). We then scampered over to Westminster Abbey where we got in free because we stayed for the evensong (which was not as cool as the evensong in St. Patrick's in Dublin). We took the bus back to Soho and ate dinner at Soho Pizzeria (because we loved it so much). I had probably the best pizza I've EVER consumed in my life at Soho Pizzeria. And some kind of wonderful dough balls that tasted like brown-and-serves that we have with meatloaf at home! :)
Our last day in London began with a walk across Hyde Park to Kensington Gardens. Hyde Park stretches across 350 acres, while Kensington Gardens covers 275 acres. We finally made it to the Peter Pan statue, which was the one thing I HAD to see while I was in London. The bronze of Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens is one of the most popular statues in London. He stands in a leafy glade about half way along the west bank of the Long Water. This site has a special importance for Peter Pan and was chosen for the statue by J M Barrie, the author who created him. Barrie published his first story about Peter Pan in 1902 in The Little White Bird. It was inspired by his relationship with the Llewelyn Davies family that began in Kensington Gardens. In the story, Peter Pan flies out of his nursery and lands beside the Long Water - on the spot where the statue stands. Barrie began thinking about a Peter Pan statue in 1906. He took a series of photographs of the six-year-old Michael Llewelyn Davies wearing a special Peter Pan costume. This was Barrie 's ideal vision of Peter Pan that he planned to give to a prospective sculptor. Six years later, in 1912, Barrie paid Sir George Frampton to create the statue and on May 1 st that year it appeared, as if by magic. There was no pre-publicity or formal unveiling. The statue was erected secretly during the night and Barrie simply placed this announcement in The Times: "There is a surprise in store for the children who go to Kensington Gardens to feed the ducks in the Serpentine this morning. Down by the little bay on the south-western side of the tail of the Serpentine they will find a May-day gift by Mr J.M. Barrie, a figure of Peter Pan blowing his pipe on the stump of a tree, with fairies and mice and squirrels all around. It is the work of Sir George Frampton, and the bronze figure of the boy who would never grow up is delightfully conceived."
We then followed the signs to the Princess Diana Fountain. The Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain is a memorial to Diana, Princess of Wales. It was designed to express Diana's spirit and love of children. It is located in the southwest corner of Hyde Park in London. Its cornerstone was laid in September 2003 and it was officially opened on July 6, 2004 by Queen Elizabeth II. The fountain was designed by Kathryn Gustafson, an American landscape artist, and cost £3.6 million.
We also saw the Albert Memorial that was built by Queen Victoria in memory of her husband. The statue is across the street from the Royal Albert Hall, a big theatre opened by Victoria in 1871. Each year it hosts more than 350 performances including classical concerts, rock and pop, ballet and opera, tennis, award ceremonies, school and community events, charity performances and lavish banquets.
After admiring Kensington Gardens, we went to tour Kensington Palace. Kensington Palace is a royal residence set in Kensington Gardens in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London, England. It has been a residence of the British Royal Family since the 17th century. Today Kensington Palace is the official residence of The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester; the Duke and Duchess of Kent; and Prince and Princess Michael of Kent. Until 1997, it was the official residence of the late Diana, Princess of Wales. The palace was beautiful, and the tour had cool phone things that guided you through. We also got to see Princess Diana's dress collection and a collection of giant photographs of her. The display was really cool and really sad all at the same time. Diana was so young and beautiful.
After our tour of the palace we walked over to Notting Hill and had lunch at Champion Pub. The pub was SUPER cute, and the food was good too! Kris left for to take a train to Wimbledon after lunch, and Mary and I went off to explore Notting Hill! We shopped atthe ADORABLE little boutiques and antique and specialty shops. There were so many cute and creative things to look at! Most of it was much to expensive for me, but it was still fun to browse. I did splurge on some really cute mittens from a little shop. One pair is animal puppet mittens and they have a string connecting them so I won't lose them. The other pair have Union Jacks on them. Both pairs are hand-sewn and are SUPER cute. It was my goal of the week to buy mittens (since I'd lost both my mittens and my gloves the previous week), so I didn't feel too bad splurging a bit.
Portabello Road was definitely my favorite! We shopped and walked around taking pictures of the pretty shops and buildings, all the while looking for the travel book shop from the movie. We sadly didn't find it because we had to leave to return to the hotel to get ready to see Wicked that night!
We splurged on a cab to Victoria, since we'd done SO much walking that day. The cab driver was really nice, and he dropped us off at an Italian restaurant called Bella Italia near the theatre where I had the most amazing chicken pesto past I'd ever had.
Wicked was.... well, WICKED!!! I knew it was going to be amazing, and it definitely reached my expectations! I don't really know what else to say about it other than it was incredible. I was in one of the last rows, and it was still awesome!
We took a cab back to the Marble Arch Inn after the show and packed for our 4.30 am departure. And early the next morning we arose to take a cab to the airport and boarded a plane for Dublin.
We took a bus to the city centre and the train back to Maynooth and I walked Kris and Mary to their bed and breakfast so they could check in, drop their stuff off, and shower. I walked my stuff back to my apartment, unpacked, and packed my other suitcases that I was having Kris take home for me. We met up at the Roost for carvery lunch (because EVERYONE has to try it when they come to Ireland). The meal was fantastic! We came back to my room, napped, youtube'd Chris Daughtry videos and facebook stalked until dinner time. We went back to the Roost to check out the dinner menu and sat around chatting for a long time. After that we went to Brady's for a few drinks. We sat around talking for a long time about lots of things including teaching... and AND in those few minutes of chatting with my sister (who's a 4th grade teacher) and my cousin, my life changed. I have wanted to be a teacher since i was in 4th grade. I've never doubted it for a second. kris was talking about how unhappy she is teaching now. she's sick of the politics and the amount of extra work she puts in and doesn't get paid for and the fact that she's still paying back her student loans at 30. She went to lacrosse, and her debt is only a fraction of what mine will be. And in the few minutes that the conversation lasted, something in my brain just snapped-- my mind did a complete 180, and i can't even explain it, but in a matter of moments i had completely lost my passion for teaching. I could no longer imagine myself standing in front of a classroom of 6th graders year after year and telling them to read Maniac McGee or Where the Red Fern Grows. I just couldn't imagine it. If it was just about the money, my mind wouldnt' have been changed. I've known from the beginning that if I were to teach, I would basically be poor forever. So it's not just the debt thing. I can't even explain how it happened, but I just dont think i can be a teacher any more.
So what now? I really have no idea. I think what I need to do is get a degree that will prepare me for an array of jobs so that when I graduate I have some options. I originally considered marketing or graphic design or some combo of the two, but there's no way i can fit them both in with the two years i have left. So then i was leaning more towards just doing business, because i felt like that would give me lots of options. but i've emailed the business advisor at SMC and she said I'm just not going to be able to fit a business degree into 4 semesters. I'd have to take an extra semester at Saint Mary's. Which-- ugh-- I just don't know if financially or mentally I could handle. So now what, people? What do I do? Can you just tell me what to do with my life? That would be grand. brilliant. savage, as they would say here in Ireland. Cuz I'm running out of ideas, and I have no idea if I would even be good at or like business. I'm freaking out... borderline going crazy trying to figure this out. I have to register for classes by next week, so I dont have much time to figure the rest of my life out. I've always been a planner-- I've had my life planned out for... forever. And now I dont' have a plan. Worse than that, i dont even have a direction. And I'm freaking out.
SOOOOO the next morning I dragged my two suitcases to the train station so I could take Mary and Kris to the airport. Unfortunately, one of the suitcases is STUPID and doesn't roll like a normal suitcase... so I had to DRAG it the WHOLE way to the train station. I literally thought my arms were going to fall off. But we finally made it to the airport and I bade my sister and my cousin adieu. I had SO much fun in London! I could definitely live there... and who knows... now that I don't have a plan... maybe I will!
pictures from London:
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http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2143271&l=2edfa&id=5619987
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2143274&l=2dffb&id=5619987
Pubs, Grub, and a Cab-Driving Creeper.
Sunday I first attempted to go to an Easter Rising commemoration on O'Connell Street but realized on the way there that it had been the day before and I missed it. So then I went to meet Kris and Mary, and we attempted to go to a Catholic Easter Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral (because Mary's catholic). However, just before the service was about to begin, we realized that St. Patrick's is NOT Catholic at all. By the time we realized it, it was too late to go find a Catholic mass somewhere else, so we just stayed for most of the service and then sneaked out a bit early. I gave Kris and Mary directions to the Guinness Storehouse and they went off to take the tour while I returned to the hotel for some relaxing reading. When Kris and Mary returned, we went to the Green Bistro in the hotel for lunch. (I had profiteroles, a scrumptious Irish dessert that is kind of like creme puffs, because I'd already grabbed lunch on the way home from church). We took a bus to Howth Summit and did the beautiful cliff walk along the Irish Sea down to town (which some of us appreciated more than others, I think). In town we had icecream at Maud's before we took the bus back to Dublin. I wasn't feeling very well, so Kris and Mary went to Mona Lisa for dinner near our hotel while I chilled at the Holiday Inn.
The next day, with help from Mary's friend at the front desk who called her "Ms. Frye" in a foreign accent, the girls ventured off on a bus tour to Glendalough. I went to Maynooth to drop some stuff off and pick up my computer and my passport. I caught up with the Elizabeth and Katy, as they'd just gotten back from the first part of their trip, and then headed back to the Holiday Inn to meet up with K & M once again. We walked around Temple Bar and O'Connell Street and at at Vat Pub in Temple Bar. Our meal was great, and the pub was really cute. Just as we were finishing, the live music was starting, so we moved over to the bar and got a drink so we could sit and enjoy listening to Andrew Bennett sing and play guitar. He was SO good, but we were distracted by the creep cab driver next to us who was trying to chat up Kris all night. (His younger friend was cute, Kris though, but had sick teeth. Mary said her dad could fix that... haha. I said it's hard to find perfect teeth in Ireland, and after living here, my standards have changed.) We eventually escaped the creeper and made it back to our room safely...
Tuesday we checked out of the Holiday Inn with the pancake pillows, took a bus and a plane and the TUBE in London and finally arrived at the Marble Arch Inn. Mary made friends with a gay guy from Canada on the tube who was really nice and was originally from Minnesota. My first impression of London was that it moves SO much faster than Dublin. In our Saint Mary's discussions at meetings with Roberta, girls had mentioned how much slower Ireland moved-- even Dublin. I hadn't really noticed that until I came to London. People on the tube were flying past us and literally RUNNING up and down the escalators. It was all very overwhelming, especially because we had our giant suitcases and didn't have a clue where we were going. But it was much better once we got checked into the hotel and dropped our stuff off. We once again had a foreign hotel man who Mary nicknamed Habib. He was REAL smiley. Mary and Kris were... a little disappointed with the hotel, to say the least. It surely wasn't 5 star, but I'm used to staying in cheap hostels with people I don't know, so I was content with my safe and warm room and clean shower. Anywho, we freshened up and went out to explore around our hotel. We did a bit of shopping around Carnaby Street (which is SO cute and def. one of my favorite streets EVER-- we found some of the most adorable specialty shops selling anything from dessert-shaped bath soaps to outrageously expensive vintage clothes), got some pounds, and ate dinner at the Blue Post Pub on Carnaby Street. (Go figure the first place we eat at in England is a PUB). Kris finally got her fish and chips, and we moved onto Soho Pizzeria for dessert. The Pizzeria was ADORABLE!! There was a cute man playing piano, and the atmosphere was just so pretty and romantic. After some cheesecake, chocolate cake, and a little wine for Mary, we headed back to the Marble Arch to collect our breakfast of Special K and yogurt for the morning and were off to bed...
The next day, with help from Mary's friend at the front desk who called her "Ms. Frye" in a foreign accent, the girls ventured off on a bus tour to Glendalough. I went to Maynooth to drop some stuff off and pick up my computer and my passport. I caught up with the Elizabeth and Katy, as they'd just gotten back from the first part of their trip, and then headed back to the Holiday Inn to meet up with K & M once again. We walked around Temple Bar and O'Connell Street and at at Vat Pub in Temple Bar. Our meal was great, and the pub was really cute. Just as we were finishing, the live music was starting, so we moved over to the bar and got a drink so we could sit and enjoy listening to Andrew Bennett sing and play guitar. He was SO good, but we were distracted by the creep cab driver next to us who was trying to chat up Kris all night. (His younger friend was cute, Kris though, but had sick teeth. Mary said her dad could fix that... haha. I said it's hard to find perfect teeth in Ireland, and after living here, my standards have changed.) We eventually escaped the creeper and made it back to our room safely...
Tuesday we checked out of the Holiday Inn with the pancake pillows, took a bus and a plane and the TUBE in London and finally arrived at the Marble Arch Inn. Mary made friends with a gay guy from Canada on the tube who was really nice and was originally from Minnesota. My first impression of London was that it moves SO much faster than Dublin. In our Saint Mary's discussions at meetings with Roberta, girls had mentioned how much slower Ireland moved-- even Dublin. I hadn't really noticed that until I came to London. People on the tube were flying past us and literally RUNNING up and down the escalators. It was all very overwhelming, especially because we had our giant suitcases and didn't have a clue where we were going. But it was much better once we got checked into the hotel and dropped our stuff off. We once again had a foreign hotel man who Mary nicknamed Habib. He was REAL smiley. Mary and Kris were... a little disappointed with the hotel, to say the least. It surely wasn't 5 star, but I'm used to staying in cheap hostels with people I don't know, so I was content with my safe and warm room and clean shower. Anywho, we freshened up and went out to explore around our hotel. We did a bit of shopping around Carnaby Street (which is SO cute and def. one of my favorite streets EVER-- we found some of the most adorable specialty shops selling anything from dessert-shaped bath soaps to outrageously expensive vintage clothes), got some pounds, and ate dinner at the Blue Post Pub on Carnaby Street. (Go figure the first place we eat at in England is a PUB). Kris finally got her fish and chips, and we moved onto Soho Pizzeria for dessert. The Pizzeria was ADORABLE!! There was a cute man playing piano, and the atmosphere was just so pretty and romantic. After some cheesecake, chocolate cake, and a little wine for Mary, we headed back to the Marble Arch to collect our breakfast of Special K and yogurt for the morning and were off to bed...
Rollercoaster
SOOOOO I had a day to recharge my batteries and pack once again before I trained it into Pearse Station to meet my cousin Mary and my sister Kris at the Holiday Inn on Friday afternoon. We chatted for a long time and caught up while they got ready, and then we went to Temple Bar to eat at Gallagher's Boxy House. I had some lovely potato soup, and the girls both had boxties. We shopped in Temple Bar a bit and strolled on over to Grafton Street to grab some tea and dessert at Bewley's (Mary's favorite place of the whole trip!) We made it an early bedtime, as Kris and Mary were REALLY tired and jet lagged.
Saturday morning we awoke to find that there actually was NOT continental breakfast as we had thought there was. So, we grabbed some chocolate muffins at Centra (which were actually the most amazing muffins I've probably ever had), shopped and walked around Dublin (Grafton Street and Temple Bar again and St. Stephen's Green), and had lunch at Little Ceasar's Pizza (which is different than the Little Ceasar's in America). I had eaten there with Katie and Abby when they came to visit, and it was just as yummy and charming as the last time! We walked over to Dublin Castle and took the tour (what's this? my 5th time? 6th? I've lost track), and then walked all the way over to catch one of the last tours at the Jameson Distillery. (Jameson is actually distilled in Cork now, but Bow Street in Dublin is the site of the original distillery. They've recreated four tourists a distillery the way it used to look when Jameson was first distilled in 1780). This was my first time on the Jameson tour, so I was excited to do something new. The tour was quite interesting, and we had a really cute and funny girl for our tour guide. At the end of the tour we each got a complimentary whiskey; we could choose either straight whiskey, whiskey with ginger ale, with coke, or with cranberry juice. We all tried a different concoction, and they were all good... but Jameson and cranberry is probably one of my new favorite drinks!
That night we had dinner at the Quay in Temple Bar. Kris and Mary tried their first Bulmer's and like it, but said it was too sweet for them to finish a whole pint... Dinner was good, even though Kris had second thoughts about her salmon pasta and wanted to change her order but couldn't so she was mad at me for the rest of the night for telling her not to get fish and chips because she could get it in London. Wow, that was one long run-on sentence. But the hamburger and chips Mary and I shared was delish.
So, it had been a good day. But when we got out of dinner, I noticed that my phone was still on silent from the Jameson tour, and I had 3 missed calls from home. I was worried, so I called home to see what was up. My sister Katie answered, and she told me that her friend Chad from optometry school had been killed in a car accident. (He had visited Ireland with Katie back in January and had "a crush" on me). I couldn't believe it. It seemed like time just stopped... like all the people in Temple Bar froze around me and all I could see was Chad's goofy face and all I could hear was Katie crying. It was awful. I was standing right in front of one of the pubs that we'd gone out to with Chad. He was such an amazing guy and had so much going for him. I wasn't that close to Chad, but we'd spent a week flirting, and we'd kept in touch through aim and facebook... he'd actually just written on my facebook wall HOURS before the accident, and I considered him a friend. It's so sad and shocking when something like that happens. I was really sad about it for the next few days, and I still think about him a lot. But most of all, it broke my heart that I couldn't be there for my sister. Nobody at home really knew Chad, and I knew nobody at home could really understand...
So there I was, just steps away from the pub where I last saw Chad... speechless... with no words to say to make Katie feel better. I hung up with tears in my eyes, and Kris and Mary said we could go back-- but I thought about Chad, and I knew that what he'd really want me to do was go have a drink for him at an Irish pub. So we stopped at Doyle's on Pearse Street and had a drink for Chad.
I'm sad whenever I think about Chad, but I know that he'd want me to go on having a great time here in Ireland-- the place where we met, and the place that will always make me think of him and what a great guy he was. Chad had diabetes, and it was his diabetes that caused his accident. I used to joke around with him about his diabetes-- I never thought of diabetes as a fatal disease. I always thought it was just something a lot of people had to live with. But Chad's accident showed me how harmful diabetes really can be. I've done a bit of research, and I found a really great 5K fundraising walk for diabetes in Philadelphia (in Chad's home state and the city where he went to optometry school). I'm definitely going to take part in that every year that I can in memory of Chad.
Saturday morning we awoke to find that there actually was NOT continental breakfast as we had thought there was. So, we grabbed some chocolate muffins at Centra (which were actually the most amazing muffins I've probably ever had), shopped and walked around Dublin (Grafton Street and Temple Bar again and St. Stephen's Green), and had lunch at Little Ceasar's Pizza (which is different than the Little Ceasar's in America). I had eaten there with Katie and Abby when they came to visit, and it was just as yummy and charming as the last time! We walked over to Dublin Castle and took the tour (what's this? my 5th time? 6th? I've lost track), and then walked all the way over to catch one of the last tours at the Jameson Distillery. (Jameson is actually distilled in Cork now, but Bow Street in Dublin is the site of the original distillery. They've recreated four tourists a distillery the way it used to look when Jameson was first distilled in 1780). This was my first time on the Jameson tour, so I was excited to do something new. The tour was quite interesting, and we had a really cute and funny girl for our tour guide. At the end of the tour we each got a complimentary whiskey; we could choose either straight whiskey, whiskey with ginger ale, with coke, or with cranberry juice. We all tried a different concoction, and they were all good... but Jameson and cranberry is probably one of my new favorite drinks!
That night we had dinner at the Quay in Temple Bar. Kris and Mary tried their first Bulmer's and like it, but said it was too sweet for them to finish a whole pint... Dinner was good, even though Kris had second thoughts about her salmon pasta and wanted to change her order but couldn't so she was mad at me for the rest of the night for telling her not to get fish and chips because she could get it in London. Wow, that was one long run-on sentence. But the hamburger and chips Mary and I shared was delish.
So, it had been a good day. But when we got out of dinner, I noticed that my phone was still on silent from the Jameson tour, and I had 3 missed calls from home. I was worried, so I called home to see what was up. My sister Katie answered, and she told me that her friend Chad from optometry school had been killed in a car accident. (He had visited Ireland with Katie back in January and had "a crush" on me). I couldn't believe it. It seemed like time just stopped... like all the people in Temple Bar froze around me and all I could see was Chad's goofy face and all I could hear was Katie crying. It was awful. I was standing right in front of one of the pubs that we'd gone out to with Chad. He was such an amazing guy and had so much going for him. I wasn't that close to Chad, but we'd spent a week flirting, and we'd kept in touch through aim and facebook... he'd actually just written on my facebook wall HOURS before the accident, and I considered him a friend. It's so sad and shocking when something like that happens. I was really sad about it for the next few days, and I still think about him a lot. But most of all, it broke my heart that I couldn't be there for my sister. Nobody at home really knew Chad, and I knew nobody at home could really understand...
So there I was, just steps away from the pub where I last saw Chad... speechless... with no words to say to make Katie feel better. I hung up with tears in my eyes, and Kris and Mary said we could go back-- but I thought about Chad, and I knew that what he'd really want me to do was go have a drink for him at an Irish pub. So we stopped at Doyle's on Pearse Street and had a drink for Chad.
I'm sad whenever I think about Chad, but I know that he'd want me to go on having a great time here in Ireland-- the place where we met, and the place that will always make me think of him and what a great guy he was. Chad had diabetes, and it was his diabetes that caused his accident. I used to joke around with him about his diabetes-- I never thought of diabetes as a fatal disease. I always thought it was just something a lot of people had to live with. But Chad's accident showed me how harmful diabetes really can be. I've done a bit of research, and I found a really great 5K fundraising walk for diabetes in Philadelphia (in Chad's home state and the city where he went to optometry school). I'm definitely going to take part in that every year that I can in memory of Chad.
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Dublin Fun With Jim!
(Jim's visit continued...)
Tuesday we slept in and then went into Dublin just to walk around a bit. (We had convinced my friend Micheal to come sight-seeing with us the following day, so we were waiting for him to see the sights). We walked around O'Connell Street, Across teh Ha'Penny Bridge, through Merchant's Arch, around Temple Bar (and my favorite: Crow Street), explored Trinity College, said hello to Molly Malone, took a stroll down Grafton Street, walked around the beautiful St. Stephen's Green, stopped by Christ Church Cathedral (but didn't end up going in because it was like 9 Euro just to go inside), and walked over to St. Patrick's Cathedral. We paid to get into St. Patrick's and then stuck around for the evensong which was BEAUTIFUL! St. Patrick's is pretty well-known for its acousitcs, and I wasn't let down. There was a choir of about 6 people, but it sounded like the Cathedral was full of singers. The cathedral was founded in 1191, is the larger of Dublin's two Church of Ireland cathedrals, and the largest church in Ireland. We stopped at Carrol's so Jim could get some souvenirs where we ran into my SMC friend Jackie and her friends that were visiting from home (one of whom happened to be from Wisconsin). We rode the train back with them, parted to get some groceries for dinner, made spaghetti, and met Micheal to walk over to the Roost for pub quiz. So, Micheal, Jim and I met Jackie and her friends and performed some mad team-work skills. However, we sadly did not win the prize of Corona. Sadly...
And Wednesday we met Micheal and took an early train to Dublin. We took a bus to Kilmainham Gaol and took the tour then walked to the Guinness Storehouse. We stopped at a Pub called The Tram on the way to Guinness and had a FANTASTIC carvery lunch with roast beef. After we went through the Guinness tour, the boys got their free Guinnesses, and I got my free Fanta, we headed over to Dublin castle. However, the tours for the rest of the day were sold out. I was so upset that the boys wouldn't get to see the castle... :(
After we gave up on the castle we walked all over town trying to find some kind of Irish coffee for Jim's mom. He finally decided to settle for some coffee beans from Bewley's and we stopped off at a movie store so Micheal could purchase Once to watch later. We took an early afternoon train back to Maynooth, Jim packed, and we went over to 8D Dodder (Micheal's apartment) for some stir fry. (Micheal cooked for us! He's SO nice!)
After dinner I had to say goodbye to another friend and another great week. Jim left that night to sleep at the airport with one of the SMC girls that was also flying out the next morning... I went back to Micheal's apartment to watch Once after chatting with Colin on Skype (I miss him! Did I mention he's coming back for two weeks at the end of the year!) It was the end of another great week gone by... but I had another long week ahead of me...
Tuesday we slept in and then went into Dublin just to walk around a bit. (We had convinced my friend Micheal to come sight-seeing with us the following day, so we were waiting for him to see the sights). We walked around O'Connell Street, Across teh Ha'Penny Bridge, through Merchant's Arch, around Temple Bar (and my favorite: Crow Street), explored Trinity College, said hello to Molly Malone, took a stroll down Grafton Street, walked around the beautiful St. Stephen's Green, stopped by Christ Church Cathedral (but didn't end up going in because it was like 9 Euro just to go inside), and walked over to St. Patrick's Cathedral. We paid to get into St. Patrick's and then stuck around for the evensong which was BEAUTIFUL! St. Patrick's is pretty well-known for its acousitcs, and I wasn't let down. There was a choir of about 6 people, but it sounded like the Cathedral was full of singers. The cathedral was founded in 1191, is the larger of Dublin's two Church of Ireland cathedrals, and the largest church in Ireland. We stopped at Carrol's so Jim could get some souvenirs where we ran into my SMC friend Jackie and her friends that were visiting from home (one of whom happened to be from Wisconsin). We rode the train back with them, parted to get some groceries for dinner, made spaghetti, and met Micheal to walk over to the Roost for pub quiz. So, Micheal, Jim and I met Jackie and her friends and performed some mad team-work skills. However, we sadly did not win the prize of Corona. Sadly...
And Wednesday we met Micheal and took an early train to Dublin. We took a bus to Kilmainham Gaol and took the tour then walked to the Guinness Storehouse. We stopped at a Pub called The Tram on the way to Guinness and had a FANTASTIC carvery lunch with roast beef. After we went through the Guinness tour, the boys got their free Guinnesses, and I got my free Fanta, we headed over to Dublin castle. However, the tours for the rest of the day were sold out. I was so upset that the boys wouldn't get to see the castle... :(
After we gave up on the castle we walked all over town trying to find some kind of Irish coffee for Jim's mom. He finally decided to settle for some coffee beans from Bewley's and we stopped off at a movie store so Micheal could purchase Once to watch later. We took an early afternoon train back to Maynooth, Jim packed, and we went over to 8D Dodder (Micheal's apartment) for some stir fry. (Micheal cooked for us! He's SO nice!)
After dinner I had to say goodbye to another friend and another great week. Jim left that night to sleep at the airport with one of the SMC girls that was also flying out the next morning... I went back to Micheal's apartment to watch Once after chatting with Colin on Skype (I miss him! Did I mention he's coming back for two weeks at the end of the year!) It was the end of another great week gone by... but I had another long week ahead of me...
My favorite hugger! :)
So, with a half of a day to recharge my batteries (both literally and figuratively), I woke up on Friday morning to meet Jim, once again, at the bus station in Dublin. (And for those of you who don't know, Jim and Rae Ann are two of my best friends from high school). We rode the train back to Maynooth and came back to my apartment where I caught up on facebook and emails and Jim took a 5 hour nap. After he woke up, we went to the Roost for dinner (where I got some FAB chicken fajitas and Jim had his first Guinness, fell in love with the Polish waitress, and was going crazy over his hamburger with pepper sauce). We then came back to my room for a bit and did a bit of trip planning before meeting my Irish friend Emma and returning to the Roost for some evening drinks. Another Irish friend Micheal (that's Irish for Michael and is pronounced "MEE-hall") met us a bit later, and we had a really fun time chilling and chatting for the rest of the night. I even got to meet the new president of NUIM, Henry and got a picture! He's apparently friends with Micheal, and he's pretty much a celeb around these parts, so I clearly had to get a pic. with him. But it was an early in for us because we had to leave early Saturday morning for....
Killarney! We took a train to Dublin and a bus to Killarney, admiring the beautiful scenery on the way. A little old lady with an old-school scarf on her head and very few teeth boarded the bus near Killarney and was thenceforth acting as my tour guide and telling me all the facts about hte Killarney Mountains and Killarney town. She bade us farewell as we got off the bus in Killarney with a warning to be careful and a "many happy returns." She kind of smelled like an elderly facility, but she was CUTE and pretty much made my day.
Anywho, when we got to Killarney we found our hostel but couldn't check in yet, so we re-adjusted our heavy traveller's backpacks and headed over to check out Killarney National Park. Killarney National Park is one of the very few places in Ireland that has been continuously covered by woodland since the end of the most recent glacial period, approximately 10,000 years ago. It was SUPER beautiful, and we wandered around looking at the mountains, streams, and fields of green until we stumbled upon a castle deep in the forest. There happened to be one more tour left for the evening, so we hopped on it! Ross Castle is the ancestral home of the O'Donoghue clan. It was built in the late 1400s by local ruling clan the O'Donoghues, though ownership changed hands during the Desmond Rebellion of the 1580s. The castle was amongst the last to surrender to Oliver Cromwell's Roundheads during the Irish Confederate Wars, and was only taken when artillery was brought by boat via the river lane. It was a really good castle to tour since it was not just in ruin but had been restored to look like it actually did in the 5th century. It was much easier to appreciate without having to imagine everything.
After the castle tour, we walked the LONG way back to town (by which time my back was pretty much killing me), we checked into our hostel and met an Australian guy who we thought worked there but later found out was just sitting in the lobby drinking beer all the time, and then went off down the street to find something to eat. We ended up choosing a really cute little restaurant called Caragh's where Jim got some classy Irish stew with lamb and his second Guinness of the trip and I had my first shepherd's pie. Both were delicious! We stopped at O'Maera's Pub for a drink and then stopped at Dunne's to get some food for the next few days. We made nutella sandwiches back at the ranch, and I journalled and showered while Jim nursed his bloody nose. Jim had bought a Kopparberg Pear Cider at Dunne's because he apparently has this weird pear fetish and wanted to try it, but we weren't allowed to drink past 9pm at the hostel. But, the English guy at the front desk told Jim he could just have one. So, we sat in the lobby for awhile while Jim sipped his cider and I read my book and we chatted with the English guy, the Australian guy, and another Irish guy that was working at the front desk. After that, we returned to our room with two random Polish guys and went to bed. Over all, it was a fab day, and we were exhausted.
Sunday morning we got up early and went on an AMAZING bus tour around the ring of Kerry. The Ring of Kerry is a tourist trail in County Kerry, south-western Ireland. The route covers the 170 km circular road, starting from Killarney, heading around the Iveragh Peninsula and passing through Kenmare, Sneem, Waterville, Cahersiveen and Killorglin. We stopped in a little village built to re-create Irish life 100 years ago. We drove through MILES of GORGEOUS Irish countryside. I can't even put into words how incredibly beautiful the mountains and the ocean were. Our tourguide/bus driver was incredibly cute as well although he had a funny hair-do. (I mean, seriously, WHY would any man have a comb-over? one of life's great mysteries). We stopped periodically on the bus tour to take pictures, and then stopped for lunch at a cute little restaurant on the sea. It was another really nice day-- Jim didn't get a very accurate representation of the Irish weather while he was here... which was a good thing!
After the bus tour, we came back and took a nap because we were BEAT. (Traveling takes a lot out of you!) We grabbed some pizza for dinner and got icecream for dessert. We were then discussing St. Patrick's Day in Limerick, but realized we didn't have the mobile number for the people we were going to meet (my friend Jaci from high school and her friends that she was visiting), and we didn't want to be stuck in Limerick (aka "stab city" by locals) on St. Paddy's Day with no one to go out with. So, in an attempt to save money, we cancelled our hotel reservations for the following night and decided to depart the next day for Maynooth instead, stopping in Limerick for the parade and a post card. On our last night in Killarney we went to see an Irish film with Colin Farrell called "In Bruges." My friends from SMC were actually in Bruges while we were seeing the movie! Crazy! (Bruges is in Belguim, FYI and is ADORABLE). The movie was actually really good and really funny, which I wasn't expecting. We stopped at Danny Mann's Pub for some traditional Irish music and a Bulmers for Jim which he ate (and drank) right up before retiring for the evening.
And on Monday morning on our way to the bus station we ran into my friend Molly Daluga from Saint Mary's who is studying in Rome this semester!!! Such a crazy-small world we live in! She was with a bunch of SMC girls, and we could only chat for a bit before we had to depart for the bus station. Once we got to Limerick, we explored a bit and followed the people with children to the parade site. There were SO many people it was hard for me to see, but Jim (who's much taller than me) enjoyed the parade! We grabbed some quick paninis at a convenience store and a postcard at the bus station and wrote a Limerick for our high school English teacher (who had taught us about Limericks) and sent it to her on the post card.
Back in Maynooth that evening we grabbed some pizzas at Dunne's for dinner and hung out in Beth's room for a bit before going to the Roost to celebrate Saint Paddy's Day. However, it was Monday, and none of the pubs had late liquor licenses, so they all closed at 11.30 (or so we thought... apparently one of the pubs was open later, but we thought it was closing, so we went home around 11.30). Apparently St. Patrick's Day is NOT a big deal in Ireland. I ran into my roommate from last year, Sarah, on the way to the Roost which was crazy again! She's also studying in Rome and I had no clue she was going to be in town! SOOO Jim and I headed back to my room where we had a fun time chatting all night (he was a bit tipsy to say the least, and had a LOT to say :)
Killarney! We took a train to Dublin and a bus to Killarney, admiring the beautiful scenery on the way. A little old lady with an old-school scarf on her head and very few teeth boarded the bus near Killarney and was thenceforth acting as my tour guide and telling me all the facts about hte Killarney Mountains and Killarney town. She bade us farewell as we got off the bus in Killarney with a warning to be careful and a "many happy returns." She kind of smelled like an elderly facility, but she was CUTE and pretty much made my day.
Anywho, when we got to Killarney we found our hostel but couldn't check in yet, so we re-adjusted our heavy traveller's backpacks and headed over to check out Killarney National Park. Killarney National Park is one of the very few places in Ireland that has been continuously covered by woodland since the end of the most recent glacial period, approximately 10,000 years ago. It was SUPER beautiful, and we wandered around looking at the mountains, streams, and fields of green until we stumbled upon a castle deep in the forest. There happened to be one more tour left for the evening, so we hopped on it! Ross Castle is the ancestral home of the O'Donoghue clan. It was built in the late 1400s by local ruling clan the O'Donoghues, though ownership changed hands during the Desmond Rebellion of the 1580s. The castle was amongst the last to surrender to Oliver Cromwell's Roundheads during the Irish Confederate Wars, and was only taken when artillery was brought by boat via the river lane. It was a really good castle to tour since it was not just in ruin but had been restored to look like it actually did in the 5th century. It was much easier to appreciate without having to imagine everything.
After the castle tour, we walked the LONG way back to town (by which time my back was pretty much killing me), we checked into our hostel and met an Australian guy who we thought worked there but later found out was just sitting in the lobby drinking beer all the time, and then went off down the street to find something to eat. We ended up choosing a really cute little restaurant called Caragh's where Jim got some classy Irish stew with lamb and his second Guinness of the trip and I had my first shepherd's pie. Both were delicious! We stopped at O'Maera's Pub for a drink and then stopped at Dunne's to get some food for the next few days. We made nutella sandwiches back at the ranch, and I journalled and showered while Jim nursed his bloody nose. Jim had bought a Kopparberg Pear Cider at Dunne's because he apparently has this weird pear fetish and wanted to try it, but we weren't allowed to drink past 9pm at the hostel. But, the English guy at the front desk told Jim he could just have one. So, we sat in the lobby for awhile while Jim sipped his cider and I read my book and we chatted with the English guy, the Australian guy, and another Irish guy that was working at the front desk. After that, we returned to our room with two random Polish guys and went to bed. Over all, it was a fab day, and we were exhausted.
Sunday morning we got up early and went on an AMAZING bus tour around the ring of Kerry. The Ring of Kerry is a tourist trail in County Kerry, south-western Ireland. The route covers the 170 km circular road, starting from Killarney, heading around the Iveragh Peninsula and passing through Kenmare, Sneem, Waterville, Cahersiveen and Killorglin. We stopped in a little village built to re-create Irish life 100 years ago. We drove through MILES of GORGEOUS Irish countryside. I can't even put into words how incredibly beautiful the mountains and the ocean were. Our tourguide/bus driver was incredibly cute as well although he had a funny hair-do. (I mean, seriously, WHY would any man have a comb-over? one of life's great mysteries). We stopped periodically on the bus tour to take pictures, and then stopped for lunch at a cute little restaurant on the sea. It was another really nice day-- Jim didn't get a very accurate representation of the Irish weather while he was here... which was a good thing!
After the bus tour, we came back and took a nap because we were BEAT. (Traveling takes a lot out of you!) We grabbed some pizza for dinner and got icecream for dessert. We were then discussing St. Patrick's Day in Limerick, but realized we didn't have the mobile number for the people we were going to meet (my friend Jaci from high school and her friends that she was visiting), and we didn't want to be stuck in Limerick (aka "stab city" by locals) on St. Paddy's Day with no one to go out with. So, in an attempt to save money, we cancelled our hotel reservations for the following night and decided to depart the next day for Maynooth instead, stopping in Limerick for the parade and a post card. On our last night in Killarney we went to see an Irish film with Colin Farrell called "In Bruges." My friends from SMC were actually in Bruges while we were seeing the movie! Crazy! (Bruges is in Belguim, FYI and is ADORABLE). The movie was actually really good and really funny, which I wasn't expecting. We stopped at Danny Mann's Pub for some traditional Irish music and a Bulmers for Jim which he ate (and drank) right up before retiring for the evening.
And on Monday morning on our way to the bus station we ran into my friend Molly Daluga from Saint Mary's who is studying in Rome this semester!!! Such a crazy-small world we live in! She was with a bunch of SMC girls, and we could only chat for a bit before we had to depart for the bus station. Once we got to Limerick, we explored a bit and followed the people with children to the parade site. There were SO many people it was hard for me to see, but Jim (who's much taller than me) enjoyed the parade! We grabbed some quick paninis at a convenience store and a postcard at the bus station and wrote a Limerick for our high school English teacher (who had taught us about Limericks) and sent it to her on the post card.
Back in Maynooth that evening we grabbed some pizzas at Dunne's for dinner and hung out in Beth's room for a bit before going to the Roost to celebrate Saint Paddy's Day. However, it was Monday, and none of the pubs had late liquor licenses, so they all closed at 11.30 (or so we thought... apparently one of the pubs was open later, but we thought it was closing, so we went home around 11.30). Apparently St. Patrick's Day is NOT a big deal in Ireland. I ran into my roommate from last year, Sarah, on the way to the Roost which was crazy again! She's also studying in Rome and I had no clue she was going to be in town! SOOO Jim and I headed back to my room where we had a fun time chatting all night (he was a bit tipsy to say the least, and had a LOT to say :)
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