So, it's Friday afternoon which is when I always make some time to take a break from homework. While I'll definitely get some done later tonight, my Friday afternoons are always my favorite times to relax and possibly get a nap in after a busy week! Unfortunately, I have reached the point in my college career where taking Friday off completely from homework is not a good idea. I've never been much of a partier anyways, so I don't really mind.
What better time than Friday afternoon to reminisce about my study abroad trip to Ireland this summer? I was there for just under three weeks with a group from my school and it was absolutely amazing! I could have spent a whole semester there but at least I have those wonderful memories from the time that I did have there and someday I will go back. It's gonna happen.
While there, we spent a week and a half in Dublin, then we went out west for a few days and got to spend some time in Connemara, Galway, The Aran Islands, and Sligo before heading up to Belfast in Northern Ireland and then back to Dublin to fly out! Let me just say, I LOVED Dublin which is pretty impressive for me to say because I am usually not a city person. I go to college in the middle of nowhere and there's a reason for that! Dublin was different though; it's a medieval city founded by the Vikings in the ninth century that grew as time went on. You can still see parts of the original city wall in the middle of Dublin. It's relatively easy to get around... once you figure it out. Basically, once you realize that all streets going from north to south eventually will end up at the River Liffy, you'll be fine. The streets are small, there are some really awesome historical buildings (which this history major loved!) and it just feels so quaint and homey there. By the time we had to leave Dublin and move on to other parts of Ireland, I was genuinely sad because the city had started to feel like home to me.
Before moving on to my other Ireland adventures, I'd like to point out some Dublin Highlights:
I got to see THE BOOK OF KELLS! This is one of the most well known medieval manuscripts dating to the ninth century of the common era and it is housed in Trinity College in Dublin (which by the way, is a beautiful campus). After learning about it in my Medieval History class last year, I was so excited to see it. Unfortunately, the tours are timed at the Book of Kells exhibit since there are so many tourists who want to see it that we did not have very much time to enjoy looking at the book and the stunning Long Room that is also a part of the tour. Below is a link to images of The Long Room in case you'd are a book/history geek like myself or if you're just curious.
http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=long+room+trinity+college&go=Submit&qs=n&form=QBIR&pq=long+room+trinity+colleg&sc=0-0&sp=-1&sk=
I also went on a tour with one of my friends to the Guinness Storehouse. This was on our last day of the trip and it was a fantastic way to end our time in Ireland. I will not be twenty-one until next year so being in Ireland was fun for me since I could legally drink. Though, as I said before, I'm not much of partier, I am looking forward to the social aspect of drinking when I turn twenty-one and being in Ireland was able to give me a taste of that since the drinking age is eighteen there. Guinness is such an Irish tradition and it is really good... especially if poured right. My friend and I both had the opportunity to learn how to pour our own Guinness at the Storehouse and we then got "Official Guinness Pourer" certificates which was awesome! For those of you who don't know, Guinness has to be poured a certain way or else it doesn't taste right. For all you fellow Americans who haven't been to Ireland, unless you've had the luck of having a bartender who knows how to pour it right, you probably aren't enjoying it at its full potential!
What better time than Friday afternoon to reminisce about my study abroad trip to Ireland this summer? I was there for just under three weeks with a group from my school and it was absolutely amazing! I could have spent a whole semester there but at least I have those wonderful memories from the time that I did have there and someday I will go back. It's gonna happen.
While there, we spent a week and a half in Dublin, then we went out west for a few days and got to spend some time in Connemara, Galway, The Aran Islands, and Sligo before heading up to Belfast in Northern Ireland and then back to Dublin to fly out! Let me just say, I LOVED Dublin which is pretty impressive for me to say because I am usually not a city person. I go to college in the middle of nowhere and there's a reason for that! Dublin was different though; it's a medieval city founded by the Vikings in the ninth century that grew as time went on. You can still see parts of the original city wall in the middle of Dublin. It's relatively easy to get around... once you figure it out. Basically, once you realize that all streets going from north to south eventually will end up at the River Liffy, you'll be fine. The streets are small, there are some really awesome historical buildings (which this history major loved!) and it just feels so quaint and homey there. By the time we had to leave Dublin and move on to other parts of Ireland, I was genuinely sad because the city had started to feel like home to me.
Before moving on to my other Ireland adventures, I'd like to point out some Dublin Highlights:
I got to see THE BOOK OF KELLS! This is one of the most well known medieval manuscripts dating to the ninth century of the common era and it is housed in Trinity College in Dublin (which by the way, is a beautiful campus). After learning about it in my Medieval History class last year, I was so excited to see it. Unfortunately, the tours are timed at the Book of Kells exhibit since there are so many tourists who want to see it that we did not have very much time to enjoy looking at the book and the stunning Long Room that is also a part of the tour. Below is a link to images of The Long Room in case you'd are a book/history geek like myself or if you're just curious.
http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=long+room+trinity+college&go=Submit&qs=n&form=QBIR&pq=long+room+trinity+colleg&sc=0-0&sp=-1&sk=
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| Outside The Book of Kells Exhibit at Trinity College |
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| Having fun at the Guinness Storehouse |
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| My Goodness My Guinness! |
My friends and and I also had the opportunity to go to The Old Jameson Distillery and that was fun too! Oh, if you ever find yourself in Dublin YOU MUST GO TO BUTLERS CHOCOLATE! Seriously, their chocolate is amazing and they have the best hot chocolate that I've ever tasted! There are shops all around Dublin as well as in a few other Irish cities too. I made sure to bring some home for my family. All in all, Dublin was a wonderful place to stay. From it's thrilling cultural scene to the beauty of the city itself, I fell in love hardcore and can't wait to go back someday... when I'm not a poor college student.
I should mention that I did also study in Ireland. This was a study abroad trip after all. I went with a Theater class and we studied at the Gaiety School of Acting in Dublin as well as having lectures by our professors on the road. We saw a lot of really fantastic productions throughout Ireland and I was surprised at how much I could learn about Ireland's culture and history through Irish plays.
I have so much else to write about Ireland but I have a lot to do tonight and it is not longer afternoon (I took a break from writing and went to dinner so now I must get back to work!) Part two will hopefully come soon!
Till then!
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| At the Old Jameson Distillery! |
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| In front of 1 Merrien Square, Oscar Wilde's home in Dublin! |
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| Hanging with my good pal Oscar Wilde at The National Wax Museum of Ireland in Dublin! |
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