Thursday night we had an econ "quiz". I say that because they call it a quiz, but it's worth 30% of our grade and it's really a midterm. First of all, it was in Blackrock Exam Centre - Blackrock is a town far away from campus. That was a little annoying and odd. I took a bus there really early because the bus line that runs there is unreliable, so I was worried about getting there and back. I got there really early and went to the library for some last-minute studying with a Canadian girl that I met on the bus. We went back to the exam hall at 6:15, it was wall-to-wall people, and they wouldn't open the door to the test room. It was insane. They opened the doors at about 6:29 for a 6:30 test. The test itself was a lot harder than I anticipated. The class is a joke, and I know all of the material that we've learned so far. The test questions came completely out of nowhere. I hear the grading system is ridiculous here, so I hope that helps.
The really stupid part was my plan getting back. I went to the bus stop and saw that the next bus wasn't for another 30 minutes, and they are supposed to be late all the time on top of that. I figured, why not just walk back? The ND kids who live at Blackrock walk back and forth every day when they come to campus. Extremely bad plan! It was dark, and I wasn't sure where I was going exactly. I was walking around residential areas for about 30 minutes. Then I finally got onto the main road and walked for 10 minutes, and I still had far to go. I looked at a bus stop and it made me confused as to where I was - the 10 stop was definitely not supposed to be listed on there, so I gave up and got a taxi back. That was the best idea I had that night. It cost 7 euro to get back from where I was, which was kind of bad, but it saved me walking for another 30-45 minutes. My lesson of the day was don't try to walk anywhere at night and be extremely thankful you don't live in Blackrock.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Bray Trip and Crazy Schedule
So much for my last post about resting today because I'm sick... today I took a day trip to Bray with Claire, Simone, Erin, and Erin. Bray is a cute little sea town in County Wicklow. We can take the Dublin bus there "free" on our bus passes. We just walked around for the day, did some shopping, and had lunch. I added a few of my pictures, but I'll add the ones Erin took once she puts them up. The highlight of the day was a store that I found there called Nolan's. My goal is to get my picture in front of everything in Ireland that says "Nolan".
I just added a bunch of things to my calendar, and I noticed that I am busy every weekend from now until I come home at the end of May. The only weekend I don't have travel planned is the weekend I get back from Spring Break. Next weekend I'm doing a day trip to Kilkenny, the week after is our West of Ireland trip (to Aran Island), then my London-Dublin-Rome Spring break, then a long weekend in Paris, then traveling with Kevin and Anthony around Ireland (hopefully Cork and Trim), then our Glendalough retreat, then exams, then 10 Year Anniversary Festivities in Dublin, then traveling home probably May 26. I'm getting tired just looking at my calendar, but it's going to be amazing!!
I just added a bunch of things to my calendar, and I noticed that I am busy every weekend from now until I come home at the end of May. The only weekend I don't have travel planned is the weekend I get back from Spring Break. Next weekend I'm doing a day trip to Kilkenny, the week after is our West of Ireland trip (to Aran Island), then my London-Dublin-Rome Spring break, then a long weekend in Paris, then traveling with Kevin and Anthony around Ireland (hopefully Cork and Trim), then our Glendalough retreat, then exams, then 10 Year Anniversary Festivities in Dublin, then traveling home probably May 26. I'm getting tired just looking at my calendar, but it's going to be amazing!!
Friday, February 22, 2008
May the wind be always at your back
I finally understand the old Irish blessing "May the wind be always at your back..." When it's windy here, it's really windy. I thought nothing could be worse than the South Quad wind tunnel, but I was wrong. The force of the wind is staggering; it can literally blow so hard you can't walk straight. When the wind is at your back, it actually makes your journey shorter. There aren't many windy days here, but they are ridiculous.
On another note, today must have been kilt day in Dublin. I saw about 10 men walking around the city wearing kilts.
I haven't updated much this week because it's been a normal week with classes during the day and pubbing at night. I went to the Porterhouse last Sunday. They brew their own strawberry beer, which is a lot better than it sounds. Yesterday and today I was a bit sick, so I'm trying to rest up this weekend. I think being busy since I got here is finally catching up with me.
Christine and Robbie - I hope you have amazing 21st birthdays this weekend!! Wish I could be there!
On another note, today must have been kilt day in Dublin. I saw about 10 men walking around the city wearing kilts.
I haven't updated much this week because it's been a normal week with classes during the day and pubbing at night. I went to the Porterhouse last Sunday. They brew their own strawberry beer, which is a lot better than it sounds. Yesterday and today I was a bit sick, so I'm trying to rest up this weekend. I think being busy since I got here is finally catching up with me.
Christine and Robbie - I hope you have amazing 21st birthdays this weekend!! Wish I could be there!
Monday, February 18, 2008
Northen Ireland
We began our trip North at 9am on Friday morning. We got on our bus, which was the nicest bus I’ve ever been on. There were leather seats, televisions that showed the view from the front of the bus, and our bus driver Tommy was great. We drove for about two hours through beautiful Irish countryside. It felt like we were in a movie or one of those Ireland calendars.
We pulled off the road at the Cooley peninsula to see the border between Ireland and Northern Ireland. Kevin suggested we get off the bus to “stretch our legs” then he proceeded to climb straight up a mountain. It was a worse hike than Arthur’s Seat in Scotland, and we were told we were not hiking that day so all of the girls were wearing cute flats. The view from the top was breathtaking, but the hike up and down was awful. Kevin mentioned that we were standing in a place where the IRA sat watching below and detonated bombs, which was creepy.
After that we drove for a little while longer, and then stopped at the Carrickdale Hotel for tea and scones. It was delicious and made us all feel more Irish.
Next we drove to Stormont, the big Parliament building in Northern Ireland. The first thing we did there was have lunch, which was amazing. They said we could get whatever we want and keep going back, and our bill was ridiculous.
Next we had a presentation on the political history and current constitutional arrangements in Northern Ireland, followed by a Q&A with Democratic Unionist Party member Mervyn Storey. That was an interesting experience to say the least. He is a unionist, so he is for Northern Ireland being a part of the United Kingdom. When we asked him about it, he said that he considers himself to be British, not Irish. That was really strange to hear.
After Stormont we drove to Portrush for dinner at the Ramore Wine Bar. It was a really swanky place and the food was delicious. Then we drove to Sheep Island View Hostel in Ballintoy where we spent the night. Across from the hostel was literally a field full of sheep and an island. We walked down to the harbor that night and had a little moment on the beach where we sang the Alma Mater and Victory March as well as Happy Birthday to Courtney. Then we went to a Nationalist pub in the town.
The next morning we went to Giant’s Causeway, which was amazing. It’s an area of about 40,000 interlocking hexagonal columns. It was declared a World Heritage Site and the fourth greatest natural wonder in the United Kingdom. The tops of the columns form stepping stones that lead from the cliff foot and disappear under the sea. When we were there Kevin gave a really moving speech about our heritages and connection to history that almost made us cry. After that we tried to spell “Ireland” out of rocks with a monogram ND for the 10th anniversary book that they’re making.
After that we drove to Belfast, where we were given a tour by a man named Peter who grew up there during the troubles. He took us to Falls Road, Shankill Road, and concentrated on the murals on the sides of the houses in the different neighborhoods. He told us stories about his grandfather and uncle being killed, and how he was beaten several times. The whole experience was very moving. I couldn’t believe that there are still “peace walls” dividing the Catholic and Protestant neighborhoods to this day. One quote on a Protestant mural really stuck out to me, it said “Catholicism is more than a religion it is a political power. Therefore I’m led to believe there will be no peace in Ireland until the Catholic Church is crushed.” When kids in Protestant neighborhoods grow up reading this, it’s understandable why things are still not right.
I really loved the trip. It seems that we aren’t learning a lot in our UCD classes, but all of the experiences and hands on learning we have been doing is absolutely amazing.
We pulled off the road at the Cooley peninsula to see the border between Ireland and Northern Ireland. Kevin suggested we get off the bus to “stretch our legs” then he proceeded to climb straight up a mountain. It was a worse hike than Arthur’s Seat in Scotland, and we were told we were not hiking that day so all of the girls were wearing cute flats. The view from the top was breathtaking, but the hike up and down was awful. Kevin mentioned that we were standing in a place where the IRA sat watching below and detonated bombs, which was creepy.
After that we drove for a little while longer, and then stopped at the Carrickdale Hotel for tea and scones. It was delicious and made us all feel more Irish.
Next we drove to Stormont, the big Parliament building in Northern Ireland. The first thing we did there was have lunch, which was amazing. They said we could get whatever we want and keep going back, and our bill was ridiculous.
Next we had a presentation on the political history and current constitutional arrangements in Northern Ireland, followed by a Q&A with Democratic Unionist Party member Mervyn Storey. That was an interesting experience to say the least. He is a unionist, so he is for Northern Ireland being a part of the United Kingdom. When we asked him about it, he said that he considers himself to be British, not Irish. That was really strange to hear.
After Stormont we drove to Portrush for dinner at the Ramore Wine Bar. It was a really swanky place and the food was delicious. Then we drove to Sheep Island View Hostel in Ballintoy where we spent the night. Across from the hostel was literally a field full of sheep and an island. We walked down to the harbor that night and had a little moment on the beach where we sang the Alma Mater and Victory March as well as Happy Birthday to Courtney. Then we went to a Nationalist pub in the town.
The next morning we went to Giant’s Causeway, which was amazing. It’s an area of about 40,000 interlocking hexagonal columns. It was declared a World Heritage Site and the fourth greatest natural wonder in the United Kingdom. The tops of the columns form stepping stones that lead from the cliff foot and disappear under the sea. When we were there Kevin gave a really moving speech about our heritages and connection to history that almost made us cry. After that we tried to spell “Ireland” out of rocks with a monogram ND for the 10th anniversary book that they’re making.
After that we drove to Belfast, where we were given a tour by a man named Peter who grew up there during the troubles. He took us to Falls Road, Shankill Road, and concentrated on the murals on the sides of the houses in the different neighborhoods. He told us stories about his grandfather and uncle being killed, and how he was beaten several times. The whole experience was very moving. I couldn’t believe that there are still “peace walls” dividing the Catholic and Protestant neighborhoods to this day. One quote on a Protestant mural really stuck out to me, it said “Catholicism is more than a religion it is a political power. Therefore I’m led to believe there will be no peace in Ireland until the Catholic Church is crushed.” When kids in Protestant neighborhoods grow up reading this, it’s understandable why things are still not right.
I really loved the trip. It seems that we aren’t learning a lot in our UCD classes, but all of the experiences and hands on learning we have been doing is absolutely amazing.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Marisa and Ying's Visit
Marisa and Ying got here last Monday and visited for the week. We had lots of fun. The highlights were our trip to Enniskerry, dinner at Fitzsimmons, the tour of the Guinness Storehouse.
On Monday we ate lunch in UCD, then I took them to the city centre to show them around. We did a little shopping and I showed them the Grafton Street/O'Connell Street areas. We got some famous Butler's hot chocolate which was delicious as always. Then we went back to the O'Connell House because I was supposed to have Kevin's class, but it got cancelled which was the best timing ever. We came back here and watched a movie because they were really tired.
We went to Enniskerry on Tuesday since I had no class until 6pm, and the bus ride was supposed to be an hour. I wanted to take them somewhere that isn't just the city because when you're in Dublin you don't really get the full Irish experience. The Powercourt Estate is in Enniskerry - a mansion that has beautiful gardens and is right on the Wicklow Mountains. The Powerscourt estate is where they filmed The Count of Monte Cristo, the mansion that he buys when he becomes the count, and where he has his party. That was pretty cool because I love that movie. The Wicklow Mountains is also where a part of P.S. I Love You takes place. Unfortuately the traffic made the bus ride longer than advertised, so we couldn't stay long and I barely made it back in time for class. It was a beautiful trip though. After class we did a pub crawl on Baggot Street because it was Erin's birthday.
The next day I was in class most of the day, so they explored the city on their own. That night we wanted to go out to a pub for dinner. They wanted to have an Irish culture day, and Ying really wanted some Irish stew. We were supposed to go right after touring the Guinness Storehouse, but we didn't make it there before it closed so we went back the next day. We went to the Brazen Head which is the oldest pub in Ireland, but we didn't like their menu, so we went to Temple Bar to find somewhere else. We ended up going to Fitzsimmons, and Marisa and I both got Beef & Guinness Pie. It was the most delicious thing ever - Guinness may be gross to drink, but it's great to cook beef in. After that we went to The Temple Bar and listened to some live music.
The next day we did tourist things. We went to Christ Church Cathedral, took pictures at Dublin Castle, and went to the Guinness Storehouse including the famous Gravity Bar at the end. It was all really cool, although I officially do not like Guinness at all. I'll stick to Bulmers all the time.
After that we came back here and had a taco night. Ying went shopping for the ingredients while I was in class, and they came out really good. Then we went to see UCD's production of West Side Story because I got free tickets through the Business school. It was really good, but I was hoping they would do it with Irish accents instead of putting on New York and Spanish accents. I love the music from that show.
They left early Friday morning, and I left right after for Northern Ireland. Their visit went by really quickly. I'm looking forward to visiting them in Rome next month!
On Monday we ate lunch in UCD, then I took them to the city centre to show them around. We did a little shopping and I showed them the Grafton Street/O'Connell Street areas. We got some famous Butler's hot chocolate which was delicious as always. Then we went back to the O'Connell House because I was supposed to have Kevin's class, but it got cancelled which was the best timing ever. We came back here and watched a movie because they were really tired.
We went to Enniskerry on Tuesday since I had no class until 6pm, and the bus ride was supposed to be an hour. I wanted to take them somewhere that isn't just the city because when you're in Dublin you don't really get the full Irish experience. The Powercourt Estate is in Enniskerry - a mansion that has beautiful gardens and is right on the Wicklow Mountains. The Powerscourt estate is where they filmed The Count of Monte Cristo, the mansion that he buys when he becomes the count, and where he has his party. That was pretty cool because I love that movie. The Wicklow Mountains is also where a part of P.S. I Love You takes place. Unfortuately the traffic made the bus ride longer than advertised, so we couldn't stay long and I barely made it back in time for class. It was a beautiful trip though. After class we did a pub crawl on Baggot Street because it was Erin's birthday.
The next day I was in class most of the day, so they explored the city on their own. That night we wanted to go out to a pub for dinner. They wanted to have an Irish culture day, and Ying really wanted some Irish stew. We were supposed to go right after touring the Guinness Storehouse, but we didn't make it there before it closed so we went back the next day. We went to the Brazen Head which is the oldest pub in Ireland, but we didn't like their menu, so we went to Temple Bar to find somewhere else. We ended up going to Fitzsimmons, and Marisa and I both got Beef & Guinness Pie. It was the most delicious thing ever - Guinness may be gross to drink, but it's great to cook beef in. After that we went to The Temple Bar and listened to some live music.
The next day we did tourist things. We went to Christ Church Cathedral, took pictures at Dublin Castle, and went to the Guinness Storehouse including the famous Gravity Bar at the end. It was all really cool, although I officially do not like Guinness at all. I'll stick to Bulmers all the time.
After that we came back here and had a taco night. Ying went shopping for the ingredients while I was in class, and they came out really good. Then we went to see UCD's production of West Side Story because I got free tickets through the Business school. It was really good, but I was hoping they would do it with Irish accents instead of putting on New York and Spanish accents. I love the music from that show.
They left early Friday morning, and I left right after for Northern Ireland. Their visit went by really quickly. I'm looking forward to visiting them in Rome next month!
Thursday, February 14, 2008
New Pictures
I added pictures from the daytrip Marisa, Ying, and I took to Enniskerry, County Wicklow. The Powerscourt Estate was used for a location in The Count of Monte Cristo!
I also added some pictures from our adventures out, but I will add more to that later today. Stories will come on Sunday when I'm back from Northern Ireland.
Happy Birthday Dad! Happy Valentine's Day!
I also added some pictures from our adventures out, but I will add more to that later today. Stories will come on Sunday when I'm back from Northern Ireland.
Happy Birthday Dad! Happy Valentine's Day!
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Adventures in Scotland
I just got back from Scotland today, it was so beautiful! Edinburgh is the most beautiful city I have seen. The old city is so historic and the Royal Mile is gorgeous. We stayed at Castle Rock Hostel, which I highly recommend. It was right next to Edinburgh Castle, the staff was really friendly, and it just had a really cool vibe. Our room had a Happy Days theme, and my bed was called Joanie.
The first thing we did was a free tour of the city. Our Australian tour guide was awesome. He showed us all around the city and told us historical stories such as Maggie Dickson, amusing stories such as the theft of the Stone of Destiny, and he even threw in a little Harry Potter tour (the cafe known as the birthplace of Harry Potter is in Edinburgh as well as a school resembling Hogwarts that is said to be J.K. Rowling's inspiration). The tour was great and very informative too.
After the tour we went to the Writer's Museum then took a quick break since we left Dublin at 3am. By the way, Ryanair may be cheap, but that was by far the sketchiest landing of my life.
After that we made a pasta dinner in the hostel since it was Friday and we couldn't eat meat. That was really cute to have a family dinner, and it turned out good. We were surprised by how many people actually live in the hostel and were cooking there.
After that we went out pubbing to Maggie Dickson's (£1.95 drinks for students and backpackers!) then next door for some live music. It was a good night.
The next day we started off with Edinburgh Castle. It was an awesome castle and it had a bunch of museums and memorials to see. It also featured and the crown jewels and the stone of destiny. The view from the castle was also amazing. We saw them fire a cannon at 1, which was also cool.
After that we walked down the Royal Mile and went hiking up Arthur's Seat. I hiked! lol. The climb was awful - we accidentally took the harder path. The effort was definitely worth it though because the views at the top were stunning. The climb down was also a little sketchy- I was really afraid I would fall down.
After that we went shopping up the Royal Mile. We went to a cute fudge shop which was great and then I bought two plaid scarves! We went out to eat afterwards at the Castle Arms, then we got fried Mars bars, which Scotland is apparently known for. It was so delicious!
When we got back to the hostel we watched Braveheart in the movie room. I think it's really cool that I can say I watched Braveheart in Scotland. I was sad when our tour guide telling us how historically inaccurate it is though. The big battle at Stirling should be on a bridge, Mel Gibson's too short, William Wallace's family was actually rich, and the face paint never would have happened.
All in all the trip was amazing - I highly recommend visiting Edinburgh if you ever get the opportunity!!
The first thing we did was a free tour of the city. Our Australian tour guide was awesome. He showed us all around the city and told us historical stories such as Maggie Dickson, amusing stories such as the theft of the Stone of Destiny, and he even threw in a little Harry Potter tour (the cafe known as the birthplace of Harry Potter is in Edinburgh as well as a school resembling Hogwarts that is said to be J.K. Rowling's inspiration). The tour was great and very informative too.
After the tour we went to the Writer's Museum then took a quick break since we left Dublin at 3am. By the way, Ryanair may be cheap, but that was by far the sketchiest landing of my life.
After that we made a pasta dinner in the hostel since it was Friday and we couldn't eat meat. That was really cute to have a family dinner, and it turned out good. We were surprised by how many people actually live in the hostel and were cooking there.
After that we went out pubbing to Maggie Dickson's (£1.95 drinks for students and backpackers!) then next door for some live music. It was a good night.
The next day we started off with Edinburgh Castle. It was an awesome castle and it had a bunch of museums and memorials to see. It also featured and the crown jewels and the stone of destiny. The view from the castle was also amazing. We saw them fire a cannon at 1, which was also cool.
After that we walked down the Royal Mile and went hiking up Arthur's Seat. I hiked! lol. The climb was awful - we accidentally took the harder path. The effort was definitely worth it though because the views at the top were stunning. The climb down was also a little sketchy- I was really afraid I would fall down.
After that we went shopping up the Royal Mile. We went to a cute fudge shop which was great and then I bought two plaid scarves! We went out to eat afterwards at the Castle Arms, then we got fried Mars bars, which Scotland is apparently known for. It was so delicious!
When we got back to the hostel we watched Braveheart in the movie room. I think it's really cool that I can say I watched Braveheart in Scotland. I was sad when our tour guide telling us how historically inaccurate it is though. The big battle at Stirling should be on a bridge, Mel Gibson's too short, William Wallace's family was actually rich, and the face paint never would have happened.
All in all the trip was amazing - I highly recommend visiting Edinburgh if you ever get the opportunity!!
Thursday, February 7, 2008
More Plans
This weekend I'm going to Scotland. Our flight is at 6:30am and we're leaving campus at 3:18am, so tomorrow should be fun lol. I'm so excited to see Edinburgh!
Marisa and Ying are visiting next week! They'll be here Monday through Friday morning. I'm hoping to take a day trip somewhere in the country on Tuesday since I have no classes until 6. I was thinking maybe Enniskerry, just to see somewhere that's not a city. Wicklow is close and beautiful, so that's what I was thinking. I hope they're up for it!
That next weekend is our first class trip. We're going to Northern Ireland, which should be fun too.
The past week went by so quickly! I can't believe a week ago I was waiting for Caity to get here. With everything going on the next few weeks time is going to fly.
Oh I also booked my Paris trip today!! I'm doing two days at Disneyland and two days in Paris with Angela and her friend in the beginning of April. :-)
Happy 21st Jen!!
Marisa and Ying are visiting next week! They'll be here Monday through Friday morning. I'm hoping to take a day trip somewhere in the country on Tuesday since I have no classes until 6. I was thinking maybe Enniskerry, just to see somewhere that's not a city. Wicklow is close and beautiful, so that's what I was thinking. I hope they're up for it!
That next weekend is our first class trip. We're going to Northern Ireland, which should be fun too.
The past week went by so quickly! I can't believe a week ago I was waiting for Caity to get here. With everything going on the next few weeks time is going to fly.
Oh I also booked my Paris trip today!! I'm doing two days at Disneyland and two days in Paris with Angela and her friend in the beginning of April. :-)
Happy 21st Jen!!
Differences
Here are some differences between Ireland and America that I noticed today:
- In Ireland, professors either don't show up for class or they show up 15 minutes late.
- When an Irish professor tells you to take a 15 minute break, he means 35 minutes.
- The don't sell liquid laundry detergent here.
- Laundry costs 4.5 euro (~$6.75) for one small load.
- If you hold the door open for someone, they say "cheers!"
- Orange soda tastes like American orange juice.
- In early February it is warm enough to wear a t-shirt and flip flops (I hope the weather stays this beautiful!).
As you can tell, I'm doing laundry right now.
- In Ireland, professors either don't show up for class or they show up 15 minutes late.
- When an Irish professor tells you to take a 15 minute break, he means 35 minutes.
- The don't sell liquid laundry detergent here.
- Laundry costs 4.5 euro (~$6.75) for one small load.
- If you hold the door open for someone, they say "cheers!"
- Orange soda tastes like American orange juice.
- In early February it is warm enough to wear a t-shirt and flip flops (I hope the weather stays this beautiful!).
As you can tell, I'm doing laundry right now.
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Caity's Visit
Caity, my friend from high school who is studying in London this semester, came to visit for the weekend. She got here late Thursday night and stayed until Monday afternoon. On Friday we went to that St. Brigid's day mass in Trinity that I talked about in the last post. It was cool to go to a mass in Irish, and I actually recognized a few of the words. My favorite part was the homily when the priest said something like "Today is St. Brigid's day. She was important," and then he sat down. The masses here are so different from America.
After mass we walked around the city centre. We went in a few shops on Grafton Street and O'Connell Street and were looking to buy some cute boots so we wouldn't look so American. I bought a backpack for my trips, and the backpack salesman was pretty hilarious. After that we went to Number 29 at Merrion Square. That is a Georgian home that is decorated with the original furnishings, and they give house tours every day. I thought it was cool since the house had the same layout as our O'Connell house, so it was interesting to see what it would have looked like in the past.
That night we went out with Kelly, Livia, and Vic. We went to see P.S. I Love You, since parts of that movie are in Ireland. It made me really want to go to the Wicklow Mountains. I loved the part when she mispronounced Dun Laoghaire since I also had no idea when I got here. The movie was so sad, I seriously cried through half of it. It cost 9 euro ($13.50), so that was a little crazy.
After the movie we did a Temple Bar pub crawl. We started off at a pub right next to the Ha'Penny bridge. They had live Irish music there which was really fun. I also found a good beer there which is great since beer is a lot cheaper than real drinks. It's called Bulmer's Vintage Cider, and it's really sweet and good. After that place we went to a bunch of pubs in the Temple Bar area. The actual Temple Bar was packed, and we had trouble just walking through it. Another pub had live music, but they were playing American music like "Sweet Home Alabama". We met a guy from Amsterdam there who we talked to for a bit. After that we went to Mssrs Maguire which is a fun pub since it has dancing. We ended up in our old favorite, Doyle's, which was also extremely crowded.
The next day we went to Dublinia Medieval Viking World, which was on Caity's list of places of interest. It was a fun little museum, and we took a ton of pictures looking like idiots posing with the various props and figures.
After that we took a tour of Dublin Castle, which I really loved. The one part of it is just a mansion, and the connecting part is an actual castle. I didn't realize that government meetings and the inauguration of the President happened there. They also have a throne room with a throne that King George IV and Queen Victoria sat on. After the tour of the mansion part, you go undergound and see a castle wall built by the Vikings. You can't go in the castle part because that's where they film The Tudors. Once I found that out, I realized I need to go back and try to find Jonathan Rhys Meyers.
That night we did another pub crawl with all of the ND people. My favorite part was when two guys from Northern Ireland were hitting on us. Their strategy was impressive - they said they were betting on whether we were from Ireland or America. They actually exchanged 5 euro to make it look more authentic. They were cute, but really chatty. We left them when the group was leaving to go to the next pub.
The next day we were going to go to the National Botanical Gardens, but it was really rainy, cold, and windy (Caity came on the coldest weekend since I've been here), so we just went into the city. We went to the National Gallery and looked at all of the art, then we had lunch.
That night we went to the O'Connell House for the Super Bowl gamewatch. The free pizza was good and it was nice to see an American event with the game and commercials and music. I was really excited that Tom Petty did the halftime show, but I thought he looked a little creepy. I'm usually disappointed by the commercials, but I liked the one with the horse training and the ones with the baby. The game itself was disappointing until the end. I was rooting for the Patriots (even though I'm a new Giants fan) because they've been amazing all year so I thought they deserved it, but by the end of the game I didn't think they deserved it anymore. The end was amazing - very exciting even though it was on at 3am here. Yay Giants!
The plan was to sleep at the O'Connell house that night since the game was over around 3:30am and the buses stop running at 11:30pm. It was really cold in the house though, I think because it is usually closed on weekends. Caity and I woke up at 6:30 and were freezing, so we took a bus back at 6:45am. As we got to the bus stop the bus was dropping someone off, so Caity ran up to the bus and banged on the door. It was hilarious but great since it was cold and we would have had to wait another 20 minutes if we missed it. We got back to my room, put the heat all the way up, and slept past noon.
The next day we just hung around UCD, and Caity left around 4. It was a fun weekend, and I'm really looking forward to visiting her in London in March.
Sorry this is the longest post ever, I'm writing it in Ethics class right now which is incredibly boring. :-)
After mass we walked around the city centre. We went in a few shops on Grafton Street and O'Connell Street and were looking to buy some cute boots so we wouldn't look so American. I bought a backpack for my trips, and the backpack salesman was pretty hilarious. After that we went to Number 29 at Merrion Square. That is a Georgian home that is decorated with the original furnishings, and they give house tours every day. I thought it was cool since the house had the same layout as our O'Connell house, so it was interesting to see what it would have looked like in the past.
That night we went out with Kelly, Livia, and Vic. We went to see P.S. I Love You, since parts of that movie are in Ireland. It made me really want to go to the Wicklow Mountains. I loved the part when she mispronounced Dun Laoghaire since I also had no idea when I got here. The movie was so sad, I seriously cried through half of it. It cost 9 euro ($13.50), so that was a little crazy.
After the movie we did a Temple Bar pub crawl. We started off at a pub right next to the Ha'Penny bridge. They had live Irish music there which was really fun. I also found a good beer there which is great since beer is a lot cheaper than real drinks. It's called Bulmer's Vintage Cider, and it's really sweet and good. After that place we went to a bunch of pubs in the Temple Bar area. The actual Temple Bar was packed, and we had trouble just walking through it. Another pub had live music, but they were playing American music like "Sweet Home Alabama". We met a guy from Amsterdam there who we talked to for a bit. After that we went to Mssrs Maguire which is a fun pub since it has dancing. We ended up in our old favorite, Doyle's, which was also extremely crowded.
The next day we went to Dublinia Medieval Viking World, which was on Caity's list of places of interest. It was a fun little museum, and we took a ton of pictures looking like idiots posing with the various props and figures.
After that we took a tour of Dublin Castle, which I really loved. The one part of it is just a mansion, and the connecting part is an actual castle. I didn't realize that government meetings and the inauguration of the President happened there. They also have a throne room with a throne that King George IV and Queen Victoria sat on. After the tour of the mansion part, you go undergound and see a castle wall built by the Vikings. You can't go in the castle part because that's where they film The Tudors. Once I found that out, I realized I need to go back and try to find Jonathan Rhys Meyers.
That night we did another pub crawl with all of the ND people. My favorite part was when two guys from Northern Ireland were hitting on us. Their strategy was impressive - they said they were betting on whether we were from Ireland or America. They actually exchanged 5 euro to make it look more authentic. They were cute, but really chatty. We left them when the group was leaving to go to the next pub.
The next day we were going to go to the National Botanical Gardens, but it was really rainy, cold, and windy (Caity came on the coldest weekend since I've been here), so we just went into the city. We went to the National Gallery and looked at all of the art, then we had lunch.
That night we went to the O'Connell House for the Super Bowl gamewatch. The free pizza was good and it was nice to see an American event with the game and commercials and music. I was really excited that Tom Petty did the halftime show, but I thought he looked a little creepy. I'm usually disappointed by the commercials, but I liked the one with the horse training and the ones with the baby. The game itself was disappointing until the end. I was rooting for the Patriots (even though I'm a new Giants fan) because they've been amazing all year so I thought they deserved it, but by the end of the game I didn't think they deserved it anymore. The end was amazing - very exciting even though it was on at 3am here. Yay Giants!
The plan was to sleep at the O'Connell house that night since the game was over around 3:30am and the buses stop running at 11:30pm. It was really cold in the house though, I think because it is usually closed on weekends. Caity and I woke up at 6:30 and were freezing, so we took a bus back at 6:45am. As we got to the bus stop the bus was dropping someone off, so Caity ran up to the bus and banged on the door. It was hilarious but great since it was cold and we would have had to wait another 20 minutes if we missed it. We got back to my room, put the heat all the way up, and slept past noon.
The next day we just hung around UCD, and Caity left around 4. It was a fun weekend, and I'm really looking forward to visiting her in London in March.
Sorry this is the longest post ever, I'm writing it in Ethics class right now which is incredibly boring. :-)
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