Farewell and Thank You

To end our last day in Ireland as a group, we shared one experience that impacted us the most. For me it was getting off the plane, stepping onto ground I've never stood on before, smelling clean air and seeing people and places I had  yet to explore.  Looking into the cleanest blue water, the litter free and lush grass, and the eyes of people who share my amazement of the beautiful sights of the Cliffs of More, I realized something today... I realized up until today, I hadn't let this experience sink in completely. I hadn't accounted for all the people who went out of their way to make this trip special.

The trip cost $3,000, but included knowledgeable and singing tour guides, enticing discussion with very interesting people, gorgeous sights, delicious food, loving Irish locals, and priceless memories.
I had an absolutely incredible experience here in Ireland and I feel as though I owe many people thanks for making it all possible. Had I attempted to do this on my own, it wouldn't have turned out anywhere near as amazing.

I'm grateful for my teachers for offering the trip in the first place. Without their help I may have never made it here. I'm very lucky to have so many people who love me and understand why I am here, who offered support, no matter what form, and can't wait to have their own experiences vicariously through my stories, pictures, and gifts upon my return.

Today I fell asleep in the sun. I woke up to find that I was in fact out of money and I couldn't get in touch with anyone who wasn't one of the 24 others who came on this trip (my phone died), but I had an amazing experience, gorgeous scenery, and the warm sun that made those things matter less and less.

Thank you to everyone who made this an unforgettable experience for me.

Everyone in Ireland is My Friend

Today was wonderful...we had another free day, the weather was beautifully sunny and the people of Ireland's attitudes matched perfectly.

We shopped for last minute gifts- last minute... oh, that's right, we leave soon....:( - and were greeted by many friendly locals who wanted to know all about us, what we were doing here, and about America. This is just one of the million examples of how nice people here are. I found perfect gifts for everyone and am very excited to bring them home!

After lunch, we joined the editor of The Kerryman, Ireland's best regional newspaper, for discussion. I was in charge of covering it... at first our speaker seemed very nervous and unsure of what to say, but it only took a little while before he was talking comfortably and offering an extensive conversation over coffee.

After dinner at Salvadors, a cute little restaurant with delicious food, we went out for ice cream, which was my favorite part of the day. When I sat down at the table, a menu quickly dropped from the ceiling and scared me. I thought the building was falling apart and shrieked in freight. Looking up, I realized the workers, two sweet girls, were just playing a trick on me. I ordered honeycomb caramel ice cream in a teddy bear cone (super cute) and enjoyed sharing experiences with the other customers.

Now I'm back at the hotel, sitting with college students, from a university other than ours, in the "snooker room" or... "a  cool place to hang out and get plastered" (I'm not making it up, look for yourself! ) and people keep walking in and talking to us. One man offered me to have a drink with him, but since we have to leave early and I'm not really into going to the bar with strange men, I passed. I'm going to shower, talk to my boyfriend, and go to bed.... we're meeting at 7am....oh so early. Goodnight.

How does a sheep sound?

"Everyone on this trip will have 'their moment' at one place or another." -Jan Getz (teacher) Jan is right...everyone enjoys different things. Today was certainly not my moment. This morning we went to a sheepdog herding demonstration. While it was interesting and unlike anything I'd ever seen before, it was also freezing cold and raining, and I really hate to be cold.  I knowthat sounds so whiny but, really it's because once I get cold I have a hard time warming up. I wore a tank top, a t-shirt, a long-sleeved shirt, and a fleece hoodie  and I was still cold. I was very happy to get back on the bus. We drove around for a while touring The Ring of Kerry and stopping and getting out to take pictures...or at least the rest of the group did. I stayed on the bus and tried to warm up.

Finally we stopped for lunch and then a nearby pub. It was weird to have a drink with classmates and teachers as this is an educational trip, but it reminded me that this trip should be fun too. One thing stood out to me the most:: a tiny sign that said "Mcgillucuddy's." Mom, I hope you see this. I think you'll appreciate it as much as I did... Mcgillucuddy is a baseball player that my pap likes and therefore calls several members of the family by this name.

We checked into The International Hotel in Kilarney and was surprised to find that although the lobby and hotel itself is gorgeous, the rooms are small and simple...they don't even have wireless Internet, which is a pain since we're required to blog everyday. We went to dinner at The Danny Man and were entertained by a live Irish folk band called The Irish Weavers. The band consisted of five people, but only two made it to the performance tonight. They played well, especially for missing more than half of their musicians, but the performance was long and loud and most of us were exhausted.

I finally got a shower, if you could call it that. The knobs at the bottom and the showerhead at the top are not connected, so it was more like half bath/ half shower. It was different to say the least, but either way I am very happy to be clean, warm, and in comfy clothes. Tomorrow Gabby and I are going to check out the little shops to purchase last minute gifts and have lunch before meeting with an editor...and I'm covering the event.

I'm exhausted and happy I can sleep in tomorrow... goodnight!

Naughties, Nineties, and The Blarney Stone

This morning we visited RedFM, Ireland’s most popular radio station. Their target age group is 15-35, because they have the most disposable income. Trying to maintain a “new” and “edgy” reputation, they play songs from musicians who aren’t on the charts yet, and play them less once they are. I like that concept a lot…it’s much better than the radio stations that play what’s popular over and over simply because it’s popular. Everyone at the studio was very knowledgeable, creative, and passionate about their jobs, which in my opinion is very important. Anyone can hold down a job, but it takes a certain person with a love for his or her field to do their job well and love what he or she is doing. I appreciated the whole staff’s generosity and willingness to help us as they went out of their way to talk to us and answer any questions we had, recommend music, share their playlists, and also take us into their recording studio to show us how the music was made. Their kindness extended to the end of our visit when they provided us with directions to Blarney, our next destination, and gave us pens from the station.


Blarney was quite a sight:: an old historical castle that is many stories high, full of narrow staircases, which made today one of the many times I am thankful to be small. I thank my dad for taking me out to go rock climbing over the years and making me into less of a girly girl (although I still am pretty girly) and showing me the outdoors…because of that, I was brave enough to climb on top of the highest ledges of the castle to get beautiful pictures (even in dressy shoes) , although it frightened my teachers. I may be clumsy when it comes to walking on a flat surface, but on the top of a castle without handrails, and a long way down, I’m pretty graceful…go figure.

Of course as it is an old Irish tradition for good luck, I kissed the Blarney stone. This time my size made things difficult. Laying on the ground and bent over backwards, I grabbed the steel bars behind my head; while two strong men on either side of me held my arms…I still couldn’t quite reach the stone. But with their help I finally did get to kiss it. Gabby took my picture so I didn’t have to pay for it. Although it is a touristy thing to do, I’m glad I had the opportunity…after all, I suppose I am a tourist.

Next we went to the Woodland Mills Shopping Center where I had lunch and spent too much money on gifts that were perfect for family and friends…I hope you all love your gifts as much as I loved buying them for you. And I finally bought something for myself:: a soft, light pink, fleece hoodie that says Ireland in dark pink letters. Just like at home, I bought it in the kid’s section, so it would be cheaper…yep, I love being tiny.

Now I’m back in our beautiful apartments, writing this to you. I am going to shower, get dinner and have a few drinks with friends, take some more pictures, and pack up my suitcases once more for our next destination…we leave for Kilarney at 830 tomorrow morning.

Bye, bye Rachel...Hello Bella Vista!

To Rachel, our travel coordinator, since you’re following our blogs… you made our experience absolutely wonderful here. You will be missed greatly. I appreciate your time and assistance you offered to the group, but most of all I love that you are more than a tour guide, but a part of our group. I hope all is well with your family and wish you could be here to see how beautiful our hotel is literally inside and out.

St. Kevin’s Monastery was our next stop. The landscape interested me more than the religious cemetery, though I will admit it was beautiful, and I was happy to be surrounded with so many things that said my boyfriend’s name, Kevin, on them.

I slept on the three hour bus ride to Covb and awoke to a beautiful sight: lots and lots of green! We were concerned that the further we got from the city, the worse the accommodations would be, but that was a terrible assumption. As we neared Bella Vista hotel, we saw a gorgeous castle and an equally gorgeous island and were disappointed that we were unable to capture the view with our cameras because the bus was going too fast. To our surprise, we stopped right near the castle and pulled in the driveway of the luxurious hotel that Napoleon and many other famous people stayed in. We also learned that the island was the last place the Titanic sailed from.



In case you haven’t gotten the idea of how incredible the new hotel is, it has a full restaurant and bar; the suites have two bedrooms each containing three beds, two bathrooms---which I was told has hot water, a wonderful change from our last place, wireless Internet, another much needed improvement,

We had a group dinner at the restaurant in the hotel, which was delicious. Tomorrow we’re going to the radio station, to kiss the Blarney stone for good luck, and have the evening free…. I’m excited to take some more pictures of this beautiful hotel inside and out.

I love you, Skype

First off, I need to share my exciting news with all of you....I thought Skye was just  for video calls and you had to have an Internet connection. I wasn't using it because it's hard enough having four people in one apartment with only one ethernet and I'm the only one with a working phone. I found out that I can pay $4.99 and have unlimited calls to the states for the next month! So I got myself a "skype to go number"  and I can talk to my family, friends & most importantly my boyfriend because him and I have been racking up some ridiculous charges at $1.99 a minute. I'm so glad to be connected again without it being so expensive!!!

I'm updating again today because I didn't write anything yesterday...we got back late and I fell asleep pretty quickly. So this is my way of catching up.

It was nice to sleep in today and then Gabby and I went to the Guinness Factory. Seven floors of beer was pretty impressive and as touristy as the place was, I feel like it’s just something I had to see….like Hersheypark and Chocolate World back home. I bought a t-shirt for myself and gifts for friends & family….not saying what because some of them are reading this, it’s a surprise that they’ll just have to wait and see! On the top floor we were given a complimentary pint of Guinness. I asked for a "jacket" because I saw other people being handed things in the shape of rugby jackets. The bartender proceeded to laugh at me, but I got him back. When he came around to take our glasses I realized how tall he was (6'8!!!) and made him get a picture with me...it was nice to joke around with a free beer and I always enjoy meeting new people.

We were supposed to go to the Laughter Lounge, a comedy show, but I guess the joke was on me....they thought I was 16, I didn't have id because I haven't been carded since I got here, so we couldn't get in. I know the teachers are going to be disappointed to read this, but since it was cheap and nearby, we went to the classiest McDonald's I've ever seen. They had a case full of fancy desserts near the entrance, people who took your trays when you were finished eating, curly fries that were much better then the McDonald's back home, and two floors of seating that were full.

I'm in for the night knowing I can catch up with those back home inexpensively and looking forward to going to our new hotel tomorrow....I want to see the country side with cute little houses and beautiful architecture.

Visiting Belfast!

We met the group at 6:30 A.M. …so early… for our trip to Belfast , part of Northern Ireland, and also a “different country” as it is part of the U.K., via high speed train. The train however, wasn’t exactly what I would call high speed…. It was pretty slow. I fell asleep pretty easily though, which made the ride go much quicker.

Stopping at Titanic's Dock and Pump-House. for lunch, we learned about the Titanic, which was built in Belfast. I also found a magnet that says, “The older the fiddle, the sweeter the tune.” How Irish and perfect for my grandfather who will be turning 60 upon our return!

As much as I like it here in Dublin, I feel like I’ve seen and done almost all that I want to, except for the Guinness tour I will be going on…pretty excited for that. The trip to Belfast was exactly what I needed as a change of pace. I get bored pretty easily and am ready for our next adventure. With Belfast only being a two-hour train ride, I couldn’t believe how different it is! Murals with strong messages painted all over the city made it evident that the conflict between the Catholics and Protestants was and still is a big deal. Our tour guide, Michael pointed out separate schools, taxis, and churches, how amazingly terrible it is to learn that this is still taking place!

He also allowed us to get off the bus and take some pictures…here’s one of Gabby at the Belfast Castle.. it’s so beautiful! The castle was also known as The Cat Castle; having many statues and pictures of cats, it lived up to its name.

Dinner at The Morningstar was delicious. I had chicken tempura, which was like fancy chicken nuggets, fish & chips…pretty sure they gave me the whole fish! …and dessert reminded me of chocolate éclairs… with a full belly, I was exhausted and ready for sleep. We headed back to the train station and everyone fell asleep almost instantly. Arriving back in Dublin, I made a phone call to my boyfriend and went to sleep right after. I’m very happy to have Saturday as a free day…I’ll be sleeping in, finishing an article, touring the Guinness Factory, and going to the Laughter Lounge for a comedy show.