Last week was Easter – Sunday April 2, 2007 – in Gaillimh, Ireland. It was so nice, and by nice I mean lovely, wonderful and comfortable. For the first time I felt pangs of homesickness since I’ve been in Ireland because of all the small but extraordinary things my mom always does on Easter. She outdoes herself every holiday, but particularly on Easter because of the effort she puts into thinking of the perfect present. I mean she still pretends to be Santa for my 35 year old sister – that’s how amazing she is, but on Easter it’s just a basket, and it’s perfect. Around 8am she sneaks into my room and puts a basket on the floor next to my bed; I know it’s her because I wake up and look at her and we always exchange a smile when she’s caught in the act.
“Happy Easter babydolly,” is all she says, and I fall back asleep with my Easter morning complete. That’s all I need – that could be it – that could be all that happens on Easter and it would be complete. That moment where we look at each other, catch eyes and share a knowing smile. I love her. I love her because she’s the most considerate person I have ever and will ever know. I try to emulate her consideration and ability to make everyone feel unbelievably special, but I always come up short.
This Easter though I’m across the Atlantic Ocean. When baseball season opened I missed home because of what baseball is – America, green grass being cut, T-shirts, hot dogs, and an escape from the mundane. But I love Easter – my mom makes about 5 baskets just to put around the house, she buys everyone bunny stuffed animals, candy they especially like, costume jewelry and a simple everyday-type shirt.
So this year I played Mom. I made my friend Katie an Easter basket – sort of. I bought her a pink purse I could only hope she’d like or use, and since Ireland doesn’t have the fake grass I stuffed it with this Tri-color feather boa I had for St. Paddy’s. Then I placed a chocolate bunny on top, and placed a dark-chocolate Kit-Kat, Cadbury mini-eggs, Lindt eggs, and a Butler’s chocolate egg in the bag around the bunny. It was the best I could do. I made a similar one for my friend Chris – sans the purse. I did for the sense of normalcy it would bring for all of us. I needed to do this for them as much as for myself so we wouldn’t miss home too much. The look on their faces made it all worthwhile – I know them both well and I can’t say I’ve seen such a happy look on either of their faces.
Chris, Katie and I went to 10am Mass which was nice, but lacked music so it was anti-climatic. We all anticipated the annual “Jesus Christ is risen today...” but were denied. After Mass we headed back to our apartment and I made chocolate chip pancakes and had Chris cut up a fresh pineapple. My roommate Sarah supplied some Irish bacon, then we all sat together at the spots where I puts place cards down ( I made them) for each person. It was actually really nice.
Afterwards the three of us headed down to the Salthill beach and just goofed around for a bit. We played soccer with a potato the whole walk down and then dropped it into the ocean – an Easter feast for the fish.
Once we returned home I began dinner. I cooked a ham, mashed potatoes, a veggie mix, and warmed up mac n’cheese. Chris is a vegetarian and Katie is the pickiest eater on the planet, but I found a way to please everyone. It was just nice – and nice is a really good thing. Chris and I finished 3 bottles of wine and a Kopperburg – maybe that’s what made everything so pleasant! Or that fact that I finally found jelly beans to put out with my centerpiece (jellybeans, an Easter card from my rents, and my Easter palm/pine branch).
Then after sitting and watching TV for a bit I put the cookies I had baked the day before in the oven and reheated them for about 2 minutes and put them out for the three of us to enjoy. My roommate had left for her own feast hours before, so no worries – she wasn’t excluded.
A few minutes later my family called from Whitestone, NY. They were all almost there – minus my brother, sister-in-law and nephew. I spoke to almost everyone which really made my night, but it was a 45-minute call!! But I needed it. Easter is usually low-key, but it was quite the party from the sounds of it. Of course the year I leave! I guess it’s just because we’ve all finally grown up. My cousin James is the youngest at around 10 and his brother is 15…but the rest of us are 20 and older. My sisters are married to great men and my other cousins are men themselves now. It’s now food, music, laughter and drink, instead of tears and yelling like when we were kids. Listening to their joy didn’t so much make me sad as it did just happy that they were happy. There was no fighting at this point in the day and it was so comforting to hear their joy.
So that was my Easter – my makeshift family and I loved it. I missed my real family, but it was nice. It wasn’t with the “closest thing to family” it was with family as makeshift as it is. I wouldn’t have traded it for anything. Yes I’d have loved to be home with my other family, but Galway has finally started to feel like home - I’m in love with this place and I’m in love with Chris and Katie as family.
I do miss home-home family, but I feel like Europe is where I belong, for right now at least.
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Lá Fhéile Pádraig
Lá Fhéile Pádraig!! Well, it's way past St. Paddy's Day, but that was the last major event.
Two of my friends from home came to visit for a week and it was pretty intense! My other roomie had 2 friends also, so it was quite the packed house. It was an interesting mix of people too - we had three people from Wisconsin, 2 from Jersey, 1 from Boston, and 1 from Connecticut. At one point 2 other people stayed so we had 4 from Wisconsin and 2 from CT, trust me - the accent ratio was insane and we had a lot of fun with that.
Kris, Jacks, Kat, and I hit up the Cliffs of Moher which were just unbelievably beautiful. I had been there years ago, but it's something you can never see too many times. The weather was perfect - sunny, cool, and clear. Driving through the Burren alone made the trip worth it. The rolling Irish hills were in perfect form for our friends. I had class during their stay so I couldn't visit Connemara with them on another day, but I'll get there. I had to pass up on a trip to the Aran Islands also, but I'll make it there no doubt.
At the end of the week was St. Patrick's Day - which contrary to some American's belief, it is a big deal in Ireland. A very big deal. Thousands of people descended upon Galway from around the world, but the weather was awful so you didn't really see half of them.
We started off in Monroe's, a great pub, and a marching band played some music to kick off the parade. We hid under an awning during the actual parade because the rain was so bad. The parade was short but cute - lots of kids in uniforms and bagpipers. We then hit up Wards Hotel for some lunch and to watch the big rugby match. Ireland won, but not by enough points to secure the entire six-nations games. Nighttime was when the real festivities began. The rain relaxed a bit and we hit downtown.
We went to the Quays first and met some obnoxious Irish boys. I was almost set on fire by some idiot, and that idiot then literally set his friend on fire. I was asked by multiple boys for a kiss - it's the Irish pick-up line. We met up with some more American friends we had made earlier in the day and then went to Hole in the Wall. We met more crazy Irish people and danced for awhile, where we met some great people. We followed them back to their apartment and went to a real Irish house party. It was amazing.
We drank, we sang, people Irish danced and played the tin whistle, and I met some great people. We all even fell in love for the night with some nice Irish boys with great Irish names. We partied till 4am and had probably the best night in Ireland thus far. I miss my family and friends and NYC, but I am in love with Galway!!!
Two of my friends from home came to visit for a week and it was pretty intense! My other roomie had 2 friends also, so it was quite the packed house. It was an interesting mix of people too - we had three people from Wisconsin, 2 from Jersey, 1 from Boston, and 1 from Connecticut. At one point 2 other people stayed so we had 4 from Wisconsin and 2 from CT, trust me - the accent ratio was insane and we had a lot of fun with that.
Kris, Jacks, Kat, and I hit up the Cliffs of Moher which were just unbelievably beautiful. I had been there years ago, but it's something you can never see too many times. The weather was perfect - sunny, cool, and clear. Driving through the Burren alone made the trip worth it. The rolling Irish hills were in perfect form for our friends. I had class during their stay so I couldn't visit Connemara with them on another day, but I'll get there. I had to pass up on a trip to the Aran Islands also, but I'll make it there no doubt.
At the end of the week was St. Patrick's Day - which contrary to some American's belief, it is a big deal in Ireland. A very big deal. Thousands of people descended upon Galway from around the world, but the weather was awful so you didn't really see half of them.
We started off in Monroe's, a great pub, and a marching band played some music to kick off the parade. We hid under an awning during the actual parade because the rain was so bad. The parade was short but cute - lots of kids in uniforms and bagpipers. We then hit up Wards Hotel for some lunch and to watch the big rugby match. Ireland won, but not by enough points to secure the entire six-nations games. Nighttime was when the real festivities began. The rain relaxed a bit and we hit downtown.
We went to the Quays first and met some obnoxious Irish boys. I was almost set on fire by some idiot, and that idiot then literally set his friend on fire. I was asked by multiple boys for a kiss - it's the Irish pick-up line. We met up with some more American friends we had made earlier in the day and then went to Hole in the Wall. We met more crazy Irish people and danced for awhile, where we met some great people. We followed them back to their apartment and went to a real Irish house party. It was amazing.
We drank, we sang, people Irish danced and played the tin whistle, and I met some great people. We all even fell in love for the night with some nice Irish boys with great Irish names. We partied till 4am and had probably the best night in Ireland thus far. I miss my family and friends and NYC, but I am in love with Galway!!!
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Visitors
Our friends from Fordham are here!! So far it's been a lot of fun, pretty low-key. Last night we hit the pubs - An Pucan, King's Head, and The Quays. Some Dublin friends were there, and a family from my home town!! It was bizarre!!
Today we went to the Cliffs of Moher and drove through the Burren. It was a gorgeous day and just so unbelievably beautiful. I saw the Cliffs years ago, and they are definitely worth seeing again. We walked along the edge, so great. Well that's about it for now!
Today we went to the Cliffs of Moher and drove through the Burren. It was a gorgeous day and just so unbelievably beautiful. I saw the Cliffs years ago, and they are definitely worth seeing again. We walked along the edge, so great. Well that's about it for now!
Paris Holds the Key to Your Heart
Last week we went to Paris. I've wanted to go there for as long as I can remember - I took French for seven years just so I could go there and know the language!! Luckily it turned out to be everything I had hoped for!!
We left Saturday morning from Shannon airport and flew via Ryan Air to Beauvais, France, and then took about an hour long bus to Paris. Pulling into the city you can see the Eiffel Tower so believe me, I got tres excited. The bus pulled into a place called Port Maillot, and then Katie and I were in the middle of Paris with my basic knowledge of the language and no map. But the hotel concierge nearby directed us to a subway stop, we asked around and eventually made it to our budget hotel on the exact opposite side of the city. The hotel was pretty decent and about the same cost as our terrible hostel in London so it worked out well, and the location turned out to be perfect. Katie got in touch with a childhood friend of hers studying in Paris, so we headed over to meet her by Sacre Coeur. The best part about being abroad is you become best friends with everyone else studying, simply because we're all in the same boat and everyone wants places to stay or to be shown around. Katie hadn't talked to this girl in about four years but she was gung-ho to show us around! So we headed that way and tried to find food but Katie is the pickiest eater of all time and French food is tricky, so I just grabbed a four-cheese pizza tart thing at a boulangerie (bakery), and it was surprisingly good. I'm not a cheese person but I ate more cheese this weekend than in my whole life. We wandered around and stumbled into the Red Light district and saw the Moulin Rouge which is pretty cool to see at night because of the lights, and then we walked down the street - it was hilarious, I'll just leave it at that. We met up with Lisa the friend and her friends, and then we met up with more people and got fondue! It was so delicious! We had meat and cheese fondue, and they serve you 2euro wine out of baby bottles! It was such a cute gimmick! We also made some Canadien friends backpacking across Europe that night, so it was successful.
The next day Katie and I got up early and hit the tourism route. We started at Notre-Dame on the Ile de la Cite and went to mass, which I found to be amazing. The music was in Latin and very eerie, which fit such an historic building. We then walked along the Seine and saw the Hotel de Ville and got lunch - I got un croque-monsieur, which is basically a glorified grilled ham and cheese, but I had to pretend order them all through highschool French classes, so I finally wanted a real one. Pretty good. We also checked out the Centre Georges-Pompidou which is the one of the coolest buildings I've ever seen. Next the Louvre, which was great because it's free the first Sunday of every month! We walked around for 2 hours and saw the Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo - which I found cooler than Mona Lisa, and lots of great art. The Egyptian exhibits were the best, and they let you walk down along where the old moat used to be. It got way too crowded so we had to leave, and then hit the Touleries Gardens, Place de la Concorde where all the executions took place during La Revolution, and then walked along the Champs-Elysees to the Arc de Triomphe. That was one heck of a hike. From there we walked to the Eiffel Tower, which is honestly so much bigger than I thought!! We didn't go up but if you go the building behind it - the Trocadero, you get a great view of the city. Why stop there? We then walked down the Eiffel's lawn - the Champs de Mars and checked out the military school - it's beautiful, and then headed towards Les Invalides, where Napolean is buried. It was probably 5 or 6 at this point, so we headed back to the hotel to relax. At night we met up with Lisa again and got dessert - a crepe with nutella and bananas...I don't think anything better exists. Then we went to an Australian pub where it was American night of all things and met up with our new friends.
On Monday we went to Sacre-Coeur which is so so so beautiful and breathtaking. The view is to die for, but the people harrassing you for money were out of control. We went inside and it was so impressive. We walked around Montmatre after that which is very cute and it wasn't too packed but artists ask to draw you every five feet. The art was so great and the buildings are charming. One particular square had a restaurant called Chez Eugene, and right near it was another cafe called La Mere Catherine, which I found to be just perfect. We walked all over that hill and then headed towards the St. Michel area to meet a friend of mine for lunch, but the Metro stop we planned to meet at had multiple exits and entrances so we missed each other! Instead I got a baguette with chicken and cheese and headed towards the Jardin du Luxembourg which was beautiful, then the Pantheon, the Sorbonne, and back to Notre Dame to see St. Chapelle - but you had to pay to get in so we didn't see the stained glass which is its draw. We walked along the Seine again to the Palais Royale, stumbled into St. Gervais church which was so haunting - really mysterious and creepy but beautiful. At night we met up with some Fordham kids and got dinner and then hit an Irish pub called The Galway - ridiculous! But I got a glass of red wine to appease my sister.
Tuesday, our last day was awful weather. The other days were mild and sunny and I walked around in a tee-shirt, but this was cold, rainy and windy and we had to lug our bags everywhere. We went to the Catacombs, which I thought were just unreal. So humbling and frightening but a necessary experience. I'll just say that Katie is claustrophobic, which I thought was just a term she threw around to mean she didn't like crowds, but I learned she really really is. We then walked to the Montparnasse area and met Lisa for lunch and I got a great little tart and une baguette sandwich. Honestly, the French understand good food better than anyplace I've ever been. We then pretty much walked to the Eiffel Tower again and then to Port Maillot, to the Arc de Triomphe and back to Port Maillot to kill time in the pouring rain. Basically it was time to go home, so after security threw out half of Katie's stuff and a bumpy plane ride, we just wanted to go home. But of course it's Ireland and Bus Eirrean would stop running at 8 at night at an international airport, so our return ticket was useless - rip off!!! But we took a different bus back to Galway and finally, finally went to bed.
The French really do walk around with baguettes sticking out of their purses, the croissants are delicious, they are actually nicer than people give them credit for and will ask if you prefer English or French at some restaurants. No one talked politics unlike the Irish, and I just had an amazing time. The Canadiens we met put the American-thing into perspective, one of them said he'd never met an American he didn't like and in fact thought we're great overall, our government just ruins it. Paris has a lot of trees and without being in bloom it gave the city a very brown, dead look, but I imagine in spring and summer it's just gorgeous. I have to go back because we didn't see the city lit up at night, except the Eiffel Tower which sparkles every so often. J'adore Paris, c'etait magnifique!!
We left Saturday morning from Shannon airport and flew via Ryan Air to Beauvais, France, and then took about an hour long bus to Paris. Pulling into the city you can see the Eiffel Tower so believe me, I got tres excited. The bus pulled into a place called Port Maillot, and then Katie and I were in the middle of Paris with my basic knowledge of the language and no map. But the hotel concierge nearby directed us to a subway stop, we asked around and eventually made it to our budget hotel on the exact opposite side of the city. The hotel was pretty decent and about the same cost as our terrible hostel in London so it worked out well, and the location turned out to be perfect. Katie got in touch with a childhood friend of hers studying in Paris, so we headed over to meet her by Sacre Coeur. The best part about being abroad is you become best friends with everyone else studying, simply because we're all in the same boat and everyone wants places to stay or to be shown around. Katie hadn't talked to this girl in about four years but she was gung-ho to show us around! So we headed that way and tried to find food but Katie is the pickiest eater of all time and French food is tricky, so I just grabbed a four-cheese pizza tart thing at a boulangerie (bakery), and it was surprisingly good. I'm not a cheese person but I ate more cheese this weekend than in my whole life. We wandered around and stumbled into the Red Light district and saw the Moulin Rouge which is pretty cool to see at night because of the lights, and then we walked down the street - it was hilarious, I'll just leave it at that. We met up with Lisa the friend and her friends, and then we met up with more people and got fondue! It was so delicious! We had meat and cheese fondue, and they serve you 2euro wine out of baby bottles! It was such a cute gimmick! We also made some Canadien friends backpacking across Europe that night, so it was successful.
The next day Katie and I got up early and hit the tourism route. We started at Notre-Dame on the Ile de la Cite and went to mass, which I found to be amazing. The music was in Latin and very eerie, which fit such an historic building. We then walked along the Seine and saw the Hotel de Ville and got lunch - I got un croque-monsieur, which is basically a glorified grilled ham and cheese, but I had to pretend order them all through highschool French classes, so I finally wanted a real one. Pretty good. We also checked out the Centre Georges-Pompidou which is the one of the coolest buildings I've ever seen. Next the Louvre, which was great because it's free the first Sunday of every month! We walked around for 2 hours and saw the Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo - which I found cooler than Mona Lisa, and lots of great art. The Egyptian exhibits were the best, and they let you walk down along where the old moat used to be. It got way too crowded so we had to leave, and then hit the Touleries Gardens, Place de la Concorde where all the executions took place during La Revolution, and then walked along the Champs-Elysees to the Arc de Triomphe. That was one heck of a hike. From there we walked to the Eiffel Tower, which is honestly so much bigger than I thought!! We didn't go up but if you go the building behind it - the Trocadero, you get a great view of the city. Why stop there? We then walked down the Eiffel's lawn - the Champs de Mars and checked out the military school - it's beautiful, and then headed towards Les Invalides, where Napolean is buried. It was probably 5 or 6 at this point, so we headed back to the hotel to relax. At night we met up with Lisa again and got dessert - a crepe with nutella and bananas...I don't think anything better exists. Then we went to an Australian pub where it was American night of all things and met up with our new friends.
On Monday we went to Sacre-Coeur which is so so so beautiful and breathtaking. The view is to die for, but the people harrassing you for money were out of control. We went inside and it was so impressive. We walked around Montmatre after that which is very cute and it wasn't too packed but artists ask to draw you every five feet. The art was so great and the buildings are charming. One particular square had a restaurant called Chez Eugene, and right near it was another cafe called La Mere Catherine, which I found to be just perfect. We walked all over that hill and then headed towards the St. Michel area to meet a friend of mine for lunch, but the Metro stop we planned to meet at had multiple exits and entrances so we missed each other! Instead I got a baguette with chicken and cheese and headed towards the Jardin du Luxembourg which was beautiful, then the Pantheon, the Sorbonne, and back to Notre Dame to see St. Chapelle - but you had to pay to get in so we didn't see the stained glass which is its draw. We walked along the Seine again to the Palais Royale, stumbled into St. Gervais church which was so haunting - really mysterious and creepy but beautiful. At night we met up with some Fordham kids and got dinner and then hit an Irish pub called The Galway - ridiculous! But I got a glass of red wine to appease my sister.
Tuesday, our last day was awful weather. The other days were mild and sunny and I walked around in a tee-shirt, but this was cold, rainy and windy and we had to lug our bags everywhere. We went to the Catacombs, which I thought were just unreal. So humbling and frightening but a necessary experience. I'll just say that Katie is claustrophobic, which I thought was just a term she threw around to mean she didn't like crowds, but I learned she really really is. We then walked to the Montparnasse area and met Lisa for lunch and I got a great little tart and une baguette sandwich. Honestly, the French understand good food better than anyplace I've ever been. We then pretty much walked to the Eiffel Tower again and then to Port Maillot, to the Arc de Triomphe and back to Port Maillot to kill time in the pouring rain. Basically it was time to go home, so after security threw out half of Katie's stuff and a bumpy plane ride, we just wanted to go home. But of course it's Ireland and Bus Eirrean would stop running at 8 at night at an international airport, so our return ticket was useless - rip off!!! But we took a different bus back to Galway and finally, finally went to bed.
The French really do walk around with baguettes sticking out of their purses, the croissants are delicious, they are actually nicer than people give them credit for and will ask if you prefer English or French at some restaurants. No one talked politics unlike the Irish, and I just had an amazing time. The Canadiens we met put the American-thing into perspective, one of them said he'd never met an American he didn't like and in fact thought we're great overall, our government just ruins it. Paris has a lot of trees and without being in bloom it gave the city a very brown, dead look, but I imagine in spring and summer it's just gorgeous. I have to go back because we didn't see the city lit up at night, except the Eiffel Tower which sparkles every so often. J'adore Paris, c'etait magnifique!!
RAG Week
RAG week happened a few weeks ago - Raise up And Give. It's basically a week of insanity and alcoholism - it was a lot of fun!! The Irish kids get wasted morning, noon and night for a week and then drunkenly give their money to charities. These kids were walking to class drunk, drinking in the concourse, etc. It was nuts!! I unfortunately had two papers to write, so I didn't get to partake in the mayhem too much. Next time!!
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
London
This past weekend was London!! Kat, Sarah and I hit up the capital city and I seriously want to live there, it's just so expensive!! I loved every minute and it's so beautiful, and yes very cosmopolitan like New York, but I think it has so much more original and historic character.
We took a 4 hour bus to Dublin, waited 2 hours then took a 4 hour ferry (which was awful), then took a 7 hour bus to London. That trip was hell. We got to London by 9amish and walked to Buckingham Palace then figured out the Tube and headed to Borough St for our hostel. We then went back to Victoria and bought tickets to ride a double-decker hop on and off bus. It was so worth it because we saw everything. I got a hole in my pants and had to wrap my sweatshirt around my waist so I was freezing under my jacket w/just a little Tee on. Luckily I found a cheap pair of jeans and solved that problem! At night Katie and I found peanut butter KitKats - which the US needs NOW - and then walked around our hostel area. Turns out back in the day it was the slummy area that Shakespeare got his inspiration from - pretty cool if you ask me. Now it's such a hidden gem - great little night life - one bar was made out of the arch of a bridge!
We rode the bus all over the first day and then walked around Leicester Square and Regent St at night which was great. The next day we tried for cheap West End tickets with no luck, then Katie and I headed to watch the changing of the guard. I dunno I wasn't that impressed - it was really cool and all, but a lot of pomp and circumstance over nothing. Then we hopped on the bus and went all over again, walked around Trafalger Square, Picadilly, Leicester again, the Horse Guard, Parliament and Westminster. We also took a river cruise also from Tower of London to the London Eye along the Thames and saw Shakespeare's new Globe theatre, and an actual pirate ship - which Katie kind of freaked out about. We took the bus over to the Kensington are of town which was beautiful and saw Harrods, Princess Di's memorial park, all the museums and Albert Music Hall. Then by night we ate at Garfunkels - I had cottage pie which was delicious. Then we hit Leicester again - it's very Union Squareish, and at delicious gelatto and waffle desserts - we had to indulge it's vacation! Two Russion/London boys begged us to club with them because they needed girls to get in, but we declined the offer, we're not much of club people and we were dressed like bums! We headed back to the hostel and that great night life was non-existant. Everything closed on a Saturday night so we walked over London Bridge and saw everything at night, sooo pretty. Then we found a local pub called the Old Kings Head and chilled out there. We just really didn't want to go back to our hostel - the people were creeping us out.
On Sunday we headed to Tower of London and tried to get in for free with no luck (again) so we bought tickets, did a tour then explored for about 2 hours. That place was great - soo soo much history. Then we snuck on our tour bus (our tickets had expired) and rode over to Victoria Station. We got lunch and wandered, but we were ready to go home. We then took that dreadful trip back, but I popped some sea sickness motion and just slept the whole ferry and bus ride home. I would reccommend it tho because it's so much cheaper than flying. And back to Galway we were, and I had to quickly finish a paper, shower, and head to class!!!
We took a 4 hour bus to Dublin, waited 2 hours then took a 4 hour ferry (which was awful), then took a 7 hour bus to London. That trip was hell. We got to London by 9amish and walked to Buckingham Palace then figured out the Tube and headed to Borough St for our hostel. We then went back to Victoria and bought tickets to ride a double-decker hop on and off bus. It was so worth it because we saw everything. I got a hole in my pants and had to wrap my sweatshirt around my waist so I was freezing under my jacket w/just a little Tee on. Luckily I found a cheap pair of jeans and solved that problem! At night Katie and I found peanut butter KitKats - which the US needs NOW - and then walked around our hostel area. Turns out back in the day it was the slummy area that Shakespeare got his inspiration from - pretty cool if you ask me. Now it's such a hidden gem - great little night life - one bar was made out of the arch of a bridge!
We rode the bus all over the first day and then walked around Leicester Square and Regent St at night which was great. The next day we tried for cheap West End tickets with no luck, then Katie and I headed to watch the changing of the guard. I dunno I wasn't that impressed - it was really cool and all, but a lot of pomp and circumstance over nothing. Then we hopped on the bus and went all over again, walked around Trafalger Square, Picadilly, Leicester again, the Horse Guard, Parliament and Westminster. We also took a river cruise also from Tower of London to the London Eye along the Thames and saw Shakespeare's new Globe theatre, and an actual pirate ship - which Katie kind of freaked out about. We took the bus over to the Kensington are of town which was beautiful and saw Harrods, Princess Di's memorial park, all the museums and Albert Music Hall. Then by night we ate at Garfunkels - I had cottage pie which was delicious. Then we hit Leicester again - it's very Union Squareish, and at delicious gelatto and waffle desserts - we had to indulge it's vacation! Two Russion/London boys begged us to club with them because they needed girls to get in, but we declined the offer, we're not much of club people and we were dressed like bums! We headed back to the hostel and that great night life was non-existant. Everything closed on a Saturday night so we walked over London Bridge and saw everything at night, sooo pretty. Then we found a local pub called the Old Kings Head and chilled out there. We just really didn't want to go back to our hostel - the people were creeping us out.
On Sunday we headed to Tower of London and tried to get in for free with no luck (again) so we bought tickets, did a tour then explored for about 2 hours. That place was great - soo soo much history. Then we snuck on our tour bus (our tickets had expired) and rode over to Victoria Station. We got lunch and wandered, but we were ready to go home. We then took that dreadful trip back, but I popped some sea sickness motion and just slept the whole ferry and bus ride home. I would reccommend it tho because it's so much cheaper than flying. And back to Galway we were, and I had to quickly finish a paper, shower, and head to class!!!
Dublin
I've been very far behind on writing - I've been so busy!
A few weekends ago I went to Dublin w/Kat and Audrey and it was a blast. We visited a few Fordham friends who live in an amazing flat and our friend from London visited and stayed there too. We took the train which provided a lovely view of the countryside and then got there at night and had a home cooked meal, which we needed after a month of cooking for ourselves! Then we hit the pubs - Porterhouse, Stag's Head, and O'Sullivans. Porterhouse was great, the guy was playing great covers.
On Saturday we walked aaall over the city and started with lunch at Lemon which has delicious crepes and the like. We met up with my friend Tim and he gave us a tour of Trinity college. It's a beautiful campus and the Book of Kells is impressive - the exhibit more so than the book, but I like it much more the 2nd time around. I first saw it when I was 14 and I was less impressed. Then we walked and saw all the sights - the General Post Office where the Easter Rising took place, Christ Church, St. Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin Castle, Grafton Street, and the Guinness Factory. I'm sure there was more, we walked everywhere. We took in the views of the Liffey on H'Penny Bridge too. That night - more great food and then off to a party.
This trip has made me realize what a small small world it is. My friend Jason from highschool is in Dublin and in the same program as my Fordham friends and their roomates so we were all invited separately and realized that night we were going to the same party. When we got there it was great to see Jay, and then my friend Pat from Galway was standing there too! He's friends from highschool w/another Fordham Dubliner and he was on a trip and decided to visit Brian and off they went to the party. So bizarre, but lots of laughs too. The next day was just hanging out and a museum - the weather wasn't great and we had a train to catch. We thought it'd be a great idea to walk to the station along the Liffey - longest trek ever. Overall the trip was great, I could visit Dublin every weekend there is so much to do, but Galway is still better.
A few weekends ago I went to Dublin w/Kat and Audrey and it was a blast. We visited a few Fordham friends who live in an amazing flat and our friend from London visited and stayed there too. We took the train which provided a lovely view of the countryside and then got there at night and had a home cooked meal, which we needed after a month of cooking for ourselves! Then we hit the pubs - Porterhouse, Stag's Head, and O'Sullivans. Porterhouse was great, the guy was playing great covers.
On Saturday we walked aaall over the city and started with lunch at Lemon which has delicious crepes and the like. We met up with my friend Tim and he gave us a tour of Trinity college. It's a beautiful campus and the Book of Kells is impressive - the exhibit more so than the book, but I like it much more the 2nd time around. I first saw it when I was 14 and I was less impressed. Then we walked and saw all the sights - the General Post Office where the Easter Rising took place, Christ Church, St. Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin Castle, Grafton Street, and the Guinness Factory. I'm sure there was more, we walked everywhere. We took in the views of the Liffey on H'Penny Bridge too. That night - more great food and then off to a party.
This trip has made me realize what a small small world it is. My friend Jason from highschool is in Dublin and in the same program as my Fordham friends and their roomates so we were all invited separately and realized that night we were going to the same party. When we got there it was great to see Jay, and then my friend Pat from Galway was standing there too! He's friends from highschool w/another Fordham Dubliner and he was on a trip and decided to visit Brian and off they went to the party. So bizarre, but lots of laughs too. The next day was just hanging out and a museum - the weather wasn't great and we had a train to catch. We thought it'd be a great idea to walk to the station along the Liffey - longest trek ever. Overall the trip was great, I could visit Dublin every weekend there is so much to do, but Galway is still better.
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