Week 2

I know I've fallen quite behind in my blog posting, but every day here in Ireland has been activity packed. Last Monday (6.6) was a Bank Holiday in Dublin. Basically a Bank Holiday happens several times throughout the year and is basically just a random excuse for everyone to take a day off. Campus was closed and many of the busses weren't running because the Flora Women's Mini-Marathon was going on through town. They call it a mini-marathon but it was really only a 10k, although it was a 10k with 40,000+ women participating!




Since the busses weren't running, Elizabeth, Cami, Grant and I decided to just walk from campus to the city centre. Everyone told us it was a short 30 minute walk...but we ended up taking about 50 minutes to get to our destination. We were worn out, but of all days to make the walk from UCD to the city centre, that was the day to do it- the whole walk followed along the mini-marathon route. Water stations, cheering, and live bands made the walk a memorable experience.

After we made it to the city centre we went to the National Gallery of Ireland and luckily after dinner the busses were up and running again. I don't think I could have handled another hour long walk home.




With all the walking and hiking we've been doing on this trip we should also get kineseology credits and not just economics!

Thursday a group of us made the trek to Kilmainham Gaol. Kilmainham is one of the largest, empty and unused jails in Europe. The jail held prisoners through some of Ireland's most significant times in history- from the great famine through Ireland's struggle for independence from Britain.




It was really interesting hearing how during the famine the jail was extremely overcrowded- putting 5 people in a cell meant to hold 1 person, with people sleeping on the floors of the hallways. At that time the jail provided food and shelter- something that was probably unavailable throughout Ireland. Hearing the inside scoop on the leaders of the Irish rebellions was also a really neat history lesson.

Friday morning all of our study abroad group caught a morning train from Dublin to Galway. Galway is a bit more of a college town was originally supposed to be the home base of our study abroad trip before it was moved to Dublin so I was excited to check it out. When we first arrived in Galway however it was pouring rain and miserable. Before we knew it though- the weather cleared up and it remained sunny and practically perfect the rest of the weekend there. We walked along the coastline, viewed the Spanish Arches and the Galway Cathedral before doing a small bit of shopping and a seafood dinner.




The next day we were to return to Dublin, but before that we went on an awesome tour that started through the Burren landscape of limestone hills. We went to an Irish farm and hiked the rolling hills covered with limestone. It was a tricky hike, but once we made it to the top the view was amazing.




At the farm we also spent some time with the lambs and relaxed a bit in the beautiful weather before hopping back on the bus. The bus tours we've been going on in Ireland have all been great- but this bus ride for some reason made me really motion sick. Maybe it was the curves and bumps of the road, but I definitely enjoyed the crisp air outside during our stops. Our next major stop was at the Cliffs of Moher.

I had heard that the Cliffs of Moher were impressive, but that it was extremely windy (horror stories of people being blown off the edges). Luckily for us the weather was more than cooperative and it was a beautiful day. Nowhere in America do they let you get as close to the edge of massive natural cliffs like this. I was pretty nervous at some points, but nobody was hurt and it was exciting walking along the edges of the cliffs. Looking down from the edge was a view I'll never forget.






Back in Dublin on Sunday was a miserable day. It was cold and extremely windy and pouring rain! But a group of us had planned on attending service at St.Patrick's Cathedral in town. Between navigating our way through the city and the rainstorm it took us about an hour to get to the Cathedral but we made it on time. The service was a bit unfamiliar, but it was so special getting to view the service and because it is an Anglican (Church of Ireland) church, we were able to participate in the communion and kneel right up at the altar. Such a beautiful experience.

Outside it was a little less beautiful. Actually a lot less because the rain and wind were still going strong. Cami was nice enough to brave the weather and go with me to buy a new laptop charger because mine unforunately shorted out last week. Afterwards we headed to the Brazen Head- a pretty well-known pub in Dublin that has live music on Sundays. We were cold and wet and nobody else from our study abroad group ended up meeting us, but we had a great time! We ate lunch and ended up with great seats for the band that was playing. The band was a group of older Irish men that played traditional Irish music and the show ended up basically being what you picture a lively Irish pub to be. Guinness was flowing, the locals and regulars and tourists alike were cheering, clapping, and singing along to the Irish folk tunes. Cami and I joined in, made a few new friends, and had a great time!



We only have about 2.5 weeks left in Ireland and I'm glad Cami and I ventured through town that day despite the weather. Ireland is a rainy country- and if we took every rainy day off we'd miss out on a lot! This weekend I am headed to Brussels, Belgium, but I'll be sure to catch y'all up on the week before then!

Love, Pristine