The Guinness Storehouse

Due to the lack of sleep either of us had for the previous day, Rachel and I decided it would be nice to sleep in. By the time we woke up it was mid afternoon, but we still had some time to get to the Guinness Storehouse before it closed. As we hopped aboard Dublin Bus for yet another adventure. After battling yet another bout of cold weather and wind, we made it inside the world famous home of Guinness. 

The Storehouse had an impressive seven story layout that went from the origins of Guinness, to how it is brewed, all the way up to an amazing 360 degree view of Dublin. We both received tickets for a complimentary pint of Guinness and decided not to learn how to craft the perfect pint, but rather go up to Infinity Bar to enjoy the view as we sipped our brew. Rachel apparently was trying to inebriate me as she decided I should consume both our beverages after also having had a half pint from earlier. I saw right through her intentions but rose up to the challenge and was able to guzzle every last drop of the black stuff so we could make it out before closing time. There were a number of restaurants on the floor beneath us, but unfortunately they closed around the time we were arriving at our bus stop so we settled for the always delicious for a man on a budget McDonald's for our post game festivities.

Belfast and the Arrival of Lady Rachel

So the day has finally arrived where I shall awake from my winter hibernation and travel about this isle they refer to as the emerald. I've been socking away in preparation for the arrival of Lady Rachel and my travel companion has finally arrived.

Our first excursion had us catching a 5:40 am bus to Dublin so we could make our tour that was leaving at 7 for Belfast and the Giant's Causeway. Our tour guide was this Irish treasure of an elderly woman who was filled with all sorts of jovial energy. She started our tour taking us through the ghost town that remained of the rapid expansion and decline of the Irish economy in Dublin telling us how she hates the banks because they are only made to rob and steal! She was wrought with little gems like these throughout our journey and was one of the best tour guides I've ever had the pleasure of experiencing.

The first stop we made was in Belfast at the home of the infamous Titanic. The Irish however will tell you that it was fine when it left their hands! It was rather impressive to see the huge cranes that were still standing (affectionately named Sampson and Goliath) which were the key construction tools for the great cruise ship. Even the building that the museum is designed to look like the Titanic. Pretty splendid looking architecture!

Once we left the Titanic museum we headed in to downtown Belfast. The city is in its 16th year of peace after the "Troubles in the North" where many loyal to the British Crown waged war against those who wanted a united Ireland. We could still see the abandoned military checkpoints in place where people were searched street by street. Walls were put up to divide the city by points of view. Although the brunt of the Troubles are done today, there are still protests on a semi regular basis. Unfortunately many people also left during the war to escape the violence and have yet to return. Here are some pictures from one of the walls that was eerily reminiscent of the Berlin wall.

Our tour guide lived in Belfast and was able to give us several first hand accounts of the horrors experienced during the Troubles. She remembers watching the news one day as the reporter sadly informed that a group of men, women, and children had been rounded up and shot by people impersonating police officers. These were people who had done nothing wrong and were simply going about their business but happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. It amazed me how a conflict like this could be so new to me. I knew there were issues between the North and the Republic, but I never had any idea as to the magnitude of the problems. We continued motoring along until we were in downtown Belfast. Fortunately the city is in great condition and had numerous shops for us to stop in for lunch.

The next stop on our journey was Carrick-A-Rede rope bridge. This bridge is located on some spectacular looking cliffs, but also is what seems to be the world headquarters for wind. The bridge was closed due to these crazy winds but we were still able to walk about and see the cliffs. I can only imagine trying to cross that thing when there was only one handrail back in the day! The freezing wind bit through everything and at times made it difficult to make a normal face for pictures. However the view from atop these cliffs was amazing and you could even see Scotland off in the distance! 

As we battled the wind back to the bus, we nearly toppled over before finally diving behind the bus for protection. Then it was off to Giant's Causeway. There is a bunch of Irish folklore about the causeway and giants such as Finn McCool, but basically what it is is a series of perfectly geometrically shaped rocks that stretch out into the sea. These were the result of volcanic activity hundreds of years ago that made these impressive structures. Upon arriving, we were told that because we didn't get to see the rope bridge, there would be a surprise in store for us. Nobody quite knew what it was, but Rachel and I, being the scholars we are, decided to read our tickets and saw were were given "member" tickets instead of general admission. This meant we could take the shuttle bus down to the causeway and skip the half mile walk through the cold weather. The rest of our group didn't seem to figure this out and ended up either paying for the shuttle or walking down themselves. Amateurs.

After a delightfully full day, it was time to head back to Dublin. When we arrived back in town we decided to go get dinner at a pub. When we walked in it couldn't have been a more stereotypical Irish pub. People were doing jigs and singing jovial tunes of all sorts as they drank their Guinness. Since there was no room on the first floor, we went up the back stairs to the second floor. A floor that was completely dark except for the Italians watching a futbol match in the corner. We grabbed a table and ordered our food as we began to people watch. We soon came to notice that a number of people wearing black were beginning to setup for what we were told was a private function. They told us we were more than welcome to stay if we chose to tho. Little did we know at that time, but we had been backhandedly invited to a goth party. I decided we should probably roll out before the festivities began so I downed both our Irish ciders and made quick work of my fries as we headed back to Maynooth to rest up for our next adventure.

Ranting and Raving

Its been a while since I last posted partly because I'm lazy, but also in part because normally the prospect of having trips compound themselves scares me into writing and we are done with our Irish trips for the time being. So a couple weekends ago we went to Kilkenny Castle for a tour. The place had been almost completely restored to what it once was and even had a lot of original parts still standing that had been built around. However as I'm enjoying hearing about the various uses of each room and the architecture and whatnot, I can't help but hear others from my group mutter about how bored they are. (Prepare yourselves because the title of this post is not at all meant to be deceptive.) I desperately wanted to turn around and go "Ok you spoiled smick chick, let's take a few giant steps back in your designer boots and realize just what is actually coming out of your mouth right now:

First off, nobody made you get out of bed this morning and come on this trip that has been so nicely included in your tuition. You don't have to pay a dime extra because you're lucky enough to be in a program that takes you on trips around the country when other study abroad students would have to pay out of their own pocket if they could even find half the places we've been to on their own.

Second, shut up. The tour guy shouldn't have to tell you and your friends to pipe down once let alone twice.

Third, I hope Amsterdam eats you when you do decide to go because apparently weed and booze are the only things that can hold your attention for more than 5 mins." These are the same people who have mommy and daddy's credit card with them and just bounce around Europe without a care in the world. I don't care if people do whatever they want, but there's no reason to be rude to the tour guides and coordinators who are trying to share some of the country's history.

Anyways the grounds of the castle were absolutely beautiful and the place is now a public park. We also got what could possibly be the best lunch we've had so far on this trip including the time we ate at a place operated by Ritz Carlton.

 

After the castle, we went to visit these caves that claim to be the 2nd darkest place in Ireland. The tour guide was once again incredible and is a stronger man than I for putting up with what has inspired me to post some universal tour etiquette. Etiquette that if not followed should result in your immediate stoning by the rest of the group (or just kicking the guilty party out... but what's the fun in that?)

1. This goes back to the whole Kilkenny Castle situation. In the words of my young neighbor Rhea Planey "Shut. Up." People will understand if you're late getting to a tour. That isn't the problem. The problem occurs when you can't quietly join the rest of the group and have to be told repeatedly as you're descending into a cave where your voice reverberates like a bouncy ball on steroids to be quiet and you fail to follow the directive. So rule number 1 is simply "Shut up."

2. Get control of your kids. Maybe my parents were just weirdos but if I ever ran around and caused mayhem out in public like some of these kids did there would be hell to pay. I knew this growing up as did all my other siblings so it rarely if ever happened. If your child is running around and bounces off me into a rock and starts crying, don't think I'm going to feel on ounce of sympathy for them even with the death glare their parents may be shooting at me for not helping them up.

3. If you have a child under 3, hire a babysitter. Or at least don't bring your baby down into a dark wet cave.  Because what's the one thing babies hate more than getting water dripped on their heads? Darkness. So no, terrible parent, bouncing your child up and down in your arms is not going to get them to stop screaming their head off. Do everybody a favor and remove yourself and your child from the tour.

4. Don't make the tour about you. When our guide asked us if we'd like him to turn off the lights in the cave to truly experience the 2nd darkest place in Ireland, I couldn't believe what followed. In the pitch darkness I see people with their cell phones out trying to take pictures. How stupid can you possibly be? Ya wanna know how to get the exact same shot anywhere in the world? Cover up the lens before you shoot and viola! Darkness! Also if you're afraid of the dark and are loudly laughing about it with your friends for why you're keeping your cell phone on, WHY DID YOU EVEN COME DOWN TO THE CAVE ADVERTISED FOR BEING EXACTLY WHAT YOU ARE AFRAID OF?! The people also seemed to think that darkness had a sound proof quality to it because everyone felt the need to yell when they wanted to communicate something until the lights came back on. Of the 60 seconds the lights were off, there wasn't one where I couldn't see a cell phone or camera ruining the effect

5. Taking a picture of a sign that says "don't take pictures" doesn't make you funny or some super cool rebel; it just makes you an ass. Especially when the guide explains beforehand why they don't want pictures taken during the tour (because they're distracting, who'da thunk it?) and that there will be time at the end. No they won't arrest you for disobeying it, but is it really too much to ask to just be courteous to others around you?

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The next day we sojourned out to Newgrange, home of one of the coolest architectural feats of the ancient world. These tombs were built so well that they have lasted to this day. Not only that, but they predate the pyramids and Stonehenge by 1000 and 500 years! Using stones similar to that of Stonehenge, they dragged these massive rocks across the land and labored for decades to build up these tombs. While the outside looks quite large, the inside is actually very small. But that doesn't make it any less impressive. These buildings of earth and stone had complex roofs that even included a drainage system that kept the inside perfectly dry. The geographical placement of these tombs also aligns perfectly with the sun during the different solstices. The normally artificially lit interior is completely lit by natural light for a small window of time around these solar benchmarks. I'll just show you some pictures because these things were really impressive.

Our last stop we went out to the Hill of Tara which is an ancient sacred site that is home to several holy wells. We had cups this time so we were able to sample some of the water and it was amazing how clean and good tasting it was. There were also several spots on the hill that dated back to some of the ancient Celtic Kings and it was interesting how St. Patrick decided to convert these formerly pagan sites rather than destroy them and build new ones. While the site itself was cool, I'd like to go back on a less rainy occasion so I could more fully enjoy it. Multiple people slipped in the mud and were shivering by the time we got back to the base. Overall though a pretty cool site.

It might be a while before I post again simply because there aren't any trips scheduled anytime soon. The next time you hear from me will probably be in about 2 weeks when the lovely and talented Lady Rachel flies out to grace me with her presence in Ireland for a few days before we both depart for Roma! I'll try to make up for my absence with a nice long post detailing what's sure to be an incredible break covering 5 cities in 7 days. Until then I'm gonna try to teach myself some Italian. Arrivederci!

Just Because the Sun is Out Doesn't Make It Warm!

So as you can guess from the title of this post I had to pay yet another 'stupid tax' while I was out and about on my Irish excursions last weekend. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the concept of a 'stupid tax', it  doesn't necessarily always have to do with money. Example: We had to bring a few things with us to international registration that I was made aware of ahead of time and really had no reason to be unprepared. It wasn't even complicated. "Bring your signed blue sheet with your classes on it and your passport." Seems reasonable and simple enough right? In another country so I should probably have my passport for official things, and it might be nice to let the registration folks know my professors approve of having me in their course. To add to it, the registration building is literally the furthest possible walk from my apartment as I found out. The first time I walked over I signed in and was waiting to talk to the registration people. All of a sudden I decide it might be a good idea to check to make sure I have everything. Sure enough when I look through my folder I find a blue sheet, but it was the wrong one. A completely blank one. This is where the stupid tax comes in. I had to walk all the way back through a monsoon because I was too dense to remember to bring one of the two things I need. I had two jobs and I screwed it up. So 45 minutes later I'm back with my actual signed blue sheet. Apparently though 45 minutes wasn't enough of a punishment for my memory because dipshit me decided that this time I'd leave my passport back in my room. My registration time was originally set for 10 am and I ended up being one of the last to register for the day at 4 pm. I think i probably spent more time wondering why I couldn't do this online than actually thinking about what I needed so I paid the price in stupid tax.

Anyways now that you all know how competent and organized I am, let's continue on to what you all come here to read (I assume you come here for more than just hearing me complain about myself and others. Unless of course you're into that sort of thing wherein that case, you're welcome). This weekend we were treated to the lovely antics of Professor Seamus. And no, I'm not making that up. About as lively and Irish as the day is long and he still sprints about at age 60 like Chris Freeby straight out of his Lego costume. I've never met anyone more enthusiastic about everything. Normally this would have driven me nuts but Seamus was an absolute gem. We started out by heading over to the Wolfe Tone memorial which was mostly just a glorified grave in a cemetery pictured below. Seamus is on the right. On the left you can see my shadow with one of my friends who were elected by Seamus as "Government Leaders for the Day." I had never been so insulted in my life. But we did have the perk of standing on a cement block so that was nice.

 
 Seamus told us how Wolfe Tone was one of the 3 most important people in Irish history because he played a crucial part in uniting Ireland. I don't know the details off hand, but I do know that this guy was at one point kicked out of his own country, became a general in the french military (he was the only one who knew how to fire a weapon so as Frenchmen they were quite intrigued) and lead an attack on the tyrannical English leadership that was currently controlling Ireland. He was then taken prisoner but committed suicide before they could execute him. Lesson: if you're country exiles you and you want to hit them back, don't make the mistake of thinking the French can help you overpower anybody.

Following the Wolfe Tone memorial we made our way to the Curragh. To this day the Curragh is an active military base and is also home to the Dublin Derby. However its origins are from occupied Irish times when the British controlled it. The Curragh is the only unenclosed plane in Ireland making it a prime location to field an army or race horses. It also had its own natural amphitheater that served as a home for the fights of old. When bare knuckle boxers fought practically to the death against each other. The famous Donnelly vs Cooper match pitted a British champion before and Irish one and after an amazing heavy weight battle, Donnelly emerged victorious with cooper on his shoulders as he walked away. So heavy were the two men together and with so many people who followed in the exact footsteps Donnelly took up til this day, the prints are still in the ground for people to walk through when they visit.

But good ol Seamus was not done yet, we then proceeded on to St. Brigid's well. This was a holy site or something but I just didn't get it. I mean sure there was a cool statue of St. Brigid and they had converted it from a pagan site so it was really old (like 400ad or something). But there's loads of old stuff anywhere you go. Look at England with their Stonehenge. We shouldn't be asking ourselves how they managed to get those huge boulders up, we should be asking what had them so bored that they decided they wanted to stack rocks literally just for the sake of stacking rocks. Anyways I was freezing to death as I paid my stupid tax all day for wearing nothing but a hoodie and jeans. These pictures all look sunny but it was still cold. We went to a cold place that had cold water and stood out in the cold air to look at how cold it all was. Then people started to try and drink the water from the well. Why? What possible reason could you have for wanting to get your hands wet when its windy and cold? The only saving grace in moments like that is if you're dry but these people were even blowing that right out the window. So here's some pictures of some old stuff that people go really out of their way to see for some reason I'll never quite understand.

Onward and upward we went. We saw a cathedral that refused to heat itself which really had me down because I was looking forward to thawing out inside. But then we went to the woods of Donadea where we saw the remains of an old castle that had mostly fallen apart. The house though had been lived in through 1938 so I thought it was very strange how over-run it had become. Apparently though the roof had collapsed soon after the last tenant died so once everything was exposed to the elements it was up for grabs. The house never had electricity, but instead 20 servants to stoke the bazillion fireplaces all day. My guess is she just liked the company seeing as you're in a castle all by yourself. Might as well have someone to talk to and do all the stuff you don't want to!

Lastly we were taken to the Irish memorial for the September 11th attacks. This was also in the woods of Donadea and it amazed me that other nations would have these. For a while it was the largest 9/11 memorial outside of the US and to this day they offer a mass up on an outdoor altar amidst rows of US native trees that were planted for each of the NYPD and NYFD servicemen and women who gave their lives that day.

The next day was short and sweet, just they way I like them. We went out to Trim Castle on Sunday and much to my joy they still had an entire building of it preserved and open to the public! Our tour guide showed us around the various rooms telling us their purpose and even showed us the window that was featured for a pediatric defenestration in Braveheart! Out of everything though, my favorite feature of the building was the toilets. And I'm not just saying that to be an immature 5 year old that you sent abroad. These were really awesome. The constable had his bedroom with en suite on the top floor of the keep. His toilet was a hole in the window well that went straight down. (Same window as Braveheart reference)

Now stop for a second and imagine with me. You've had a long hard day dealing with your incompetent underlings and trying to fend off attackers from your castle so the castle's actual owner doesn't kill you for losing the place while he's gone. You've just come up an infinite and narrow spiral staircase that was designed to trip up attackers as a last line of defense if they were to enter the keep. Your bedroom is at the top and you're exhausted. So before you go to bed you decide you'd like to make a healthy movement so you didn't have to get up in the middle of the night. You go and have a seat with you feet up on the window-sill. You look out and you see beautiful rolling hills and the famous Hill of Tara in the distance. You see the last bit of castle business being done down on the ground floor as your stablemen lock up the animals for the night. You let your mind wander and all your stresses float right out the window that you don't have to worry about anybody looking in because it's on the highest floor of the castle. You feel completely at peace and your unpleasantries drop nearly 100 feet to the base where it will be later recycled into fertilizer. What an absolute pity we let go of that idea. Now we have bidets that only creep people out when they aren't ready to have their butt sprayed. But yeah, Trim was gorgeous. Here's a panoramic shot from on top of the keep.

I'll try to keep the pictures coming to my Google account as I take them, but I generally only upload about once a week and most of my pictures don't have me in them. I'll see about maybe stealing a few from others who actually take pictures of people so you can all be confident that I actually go to these places. Well I'm going to get a nap in so I can watch the #1 Hawks (WHATS GOOOOD!!) take on the #2 Sharks at 3:30 am Dublin time tonight. I'm still on a quest to find a legitimate hockey pub that regularly shows the games somewhere in the area, but I'm losing confidence that this oasis a midst soccer and rugby exists. Until next time, LET'S GO HAWKS! 

I'm alive

I know I had promised to try to update this reguarly but its been a constant barrage of classes, orientations, and meetings that have left me exhausted by the time I get to a computer. I'm paying the price now for waiting so long because I don't even know where to begin. Here goes... Prepare to get your money's worth on this post!

I didn't quite know what to expect upon arriving here, but I think the first thing I noticed was the weather. We were told that the spring semester is the lucky group because the weather will get progressively better as it goes along, but for now it's still an Irish winter that more than makes up for its lack of snow with its abundance of wind and rain. I thought back to all the times you would see urgent looking messages roll across the bottom of the tv saying THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A WIND ADVISORY AND A FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES... I've only been here a week and I already can see how ridiculous those warnings are because if Ireland ran that way then the entire country would be perpetually under such grim warnings. Some of the Irish students who saw me leaving my apartment for class one day when what seemed to be the bi-daily hurricane was causing rousing bouts of mayhem outside even told me that if I had class to just skip it because it wasn't worth it. BUT HEAR THIS CONCERNED PARENTS AND GRANDPARENTS! I was not about to let my education be spoiled by mere 60mph winds, torrential downpours, or sub-freezing temperatures! No sir! I arrived looking like I had swam to class rather than walked but it turned out to be quite worth it. This particular class is titled The Politics of Ethnic Conflict in Europe and the Wider World. The professor is a sarcastically bitter, yet delightful man who made some comment about how he hates it here in the winter time because he can't go anywhere without drowning. (All I could think of was at least its not snowing and making a mess of the roads.) Anyways, I've already determined that he will be my favorite. He told us how he will be bringing in many different professors and speakers from areas that we study to have forums with our class so we can ask people who experience these conflicts first hand any questions we may have. He also is the first professor I've had in years to really command a classroom and engage me with what he had to say. Ironically my favorite class will also provide me with the most work as I'll have a 3000 word paper, an essay of tbd length, a term paper, and a final exam. Many of my other classes either have a final or a paper but rarely both so that scared a lot of people off. It had only seemed like I was there for 5 mins when class was over and I was chucked back out into the once hurricane that had downgraded itself to a mere tropical storm.

Our first place we went outside of Maynooth was Glendalough Monestary. St. Kevin founded the place way back when the vikings were out pillaging and the Romans were out persecuting. Ireland was left alone by the Romans for the most part but was also very isolated. This caused a very unique Irish architecture to be born with these nearly foundationless bell towers.

 The foundations were actually above ground so the door was about 15 feet above the base. I guess there used to be stairs to get up and around or some scaffolding but they probably took them down so I couldn't climb up there and ruin it. The Glendalough also featured the ruins of a cathedral that had a very interesting way of disposing of the precious blood. Pictured below and underneath all the branches is a hole that ran directly into the ground. Sometimes when people would be hiding chapels in their homes, these holes would be located on the 4th story of a building. Still they would run all the way down to the ground so the blood would go straight to the earth and never have to be "thrown out."

I thought that this part of the tour was all well and good, but then we had ourselves a little nature hike. This might have been fine if it had happened when it was warm or before noon and not at 10am. They said that St. Kevin lived on the top of a mountain in a hole that overlooked the freezing cold lake he would stand in with arms out stretched so the birds could nest in his hands. Nobody seemed to understand the message this bloke was trying to send. All he wanted was to be left alone. Why else would you put yourself on the top of a mountain people would have to walk up and stand out in a freezing lake like a crazy person? Clearly he just wanted people to think he was a weirdo so they wouldn't bother him and it would be a disgrace to his memory for us to climb up to his little hide out. All I want to do is respect the wishes of a saint and people are all like "Stop moaning, we could get such great pictures climbing this water fall!" Yes that was actually a sentence. Climbing a waterfall. Waterfall. Fall. Its not waterclimb, or waterup, its waterfall! I decided I was already climbing a mountain but I got a nice picture of other people trying to do the gramatically impossible.

Eventually we made it back down and returned to our bus to go see the gardens at Powers Court where we would get lunch. I was expecting a mass order of subway since it'd be free but I stood corrected. I was unaware of the fact that Powers Court was part of the grounds owned by the area Ritz Carlton Hotel. I was unaware that our meal included not 1, not 2, but 3 salads, an entree, and a dessert. I was unaware that my meal that cost me the least would be the one that filled me the most. I honestly would have been perfectly content just coming here to spend the day. I'll share with you the decent view we had as we dined in style.

The gardens were absolutely spectacular and sprawled as far as 5 miles from the main building we started at. However as our group was wandering I thought the beauty of the place would be far too easy to comment on, so of course my conversations were more like this...

Me: What's really the purpose of creating art?
Group: To display beauty and strive to illustrate perfection. (i'm paraphrasing but that's essentially what they meant.)
Me: So that statue over there, would you say that its beautiful and closely illustrates perfection?
Group: Oh my God yes! (It was a statue of some ripped guy looking aloof as he pondered life. The smickies were loving it.)
Me: So why is it that when I try to bring that statue to life by imitating it and running around places with my pants off its a crime but when he does it its art?!

Maturity at its fineist. But I fail to see how my body doesn't compare to stone-abs over there. After our day at the gardens was over we came back to campus exhausted and most of us slept until we were due to go into Dublin for the first time on Sunday. We had each been assigned a museum. Naturally I thought it'd be a good idea to map out how to get to my specific museum since they're all in different locations (as different buildings tend to do). I seemed to be the only one to understand that logic in my group because I was the only one who actually made it to our site. I jumped on a train from maynooth and then transferred to the inner-city tram that took me directly to the site. Easy-peasy right? Apparently not. Let's have a look at the conversation that ensued.

*RING RING*
Me: Hey I'm at the site where are you guys?
Them: We're at the other one.
Me: Which one?
Them: (no response)
 Me: The jail?
Them: Oh yeah, I think so. Want to just meet us here?
Me: Sure, I don't think that's too far from here.
*Hang up and walk to jail. 10 Mins later*
*RING RING*
Me: Ok I'm at the jail. Where are you?
Them: Uhh we got all turned around and ended up at St. Stephen's Green...
Me: ok? Should I meet you there?
Them: Yeah that'd be great.
*hang up*

Now I had assumed some basic form of underlying intelligence was present and that they were at least close to our site when they got dropped off and couldn't have gone far. WRONG. St. Stephen's Green may possibly have been the furthest location away from our museum they could have gone to. Being unfamiliar with the area I asked for directions until I finally found the place after an hour or so of walking through what went from sun and warmth to wind, monsoon, and bologna in about .3 seconds. To top it off they didn't even want to go to the site when I got there because it would be "too far and too cold to walk all they way there" and they were "tired." Now we have to find another time to spend money on going into Dublin to see this museum because despite me making it there, we have to get a group shot to prove that we actually visited. Maybe I could have Te'o'd a group shot and they would've bought it but I guess I was just not thinking that day.

Dublin on the other hand was very cool. The Guinness distillery was right on the river and I couldn't believe how big the grounds were. I kinda want to take the tour just to see what they use all that space for more than I do the beer! When I finally made it up to the Merrion Square area I was delighted with what I saw. They had whole sections where the road was generally advised to be for pedestrians only and it reminded me a bit of Diagon Alley. And there were pubs. Pubs as far as the eye could see. My favorite one ended up being one that only had about 10 people in it. They were these old Irishmen who's favorite sense of humor was bitter sarcasm. I had a lovely chat with a man about how the Irish national team was "a bunch of knobs runnin around with their heads firmly lodged in their arse." He seemed to be pretty knowledgable on European hockey as well. It was nice to finally be able to relax and have a beer with men who are as bitter and old as I act!

I think we have another trip this weekend so I'll try to hop back on the blogger machine soon after that happens so it won't be quite as long and rambly. Stay tuned!

I Think I Sorta Know What's Going On

Going into this whole experience I thought I had quite the handle on everything study abroad related. That was of course until my parents started asking all kinds of questions I hadn't even thought of yet: "What's the shower situation?" "Will you need dress clothes?" "What's your Irish phone number?" "How much are books?" With all these questions swirling around my head and the prospect of missing people at home, I have to keep reminding myself it will all somehow work itself out as it always tends to for me. It may not be until the last minute and several calamities may have ensued in the process but that's always been part of the adventure. I'm excited to finally get a chance to really travel and experience another country for a significant amount of time. I decided to start this blog so I could provide an insight into my travels past the typical "Oh it was amazing! I don't even know how to explain it." I often wonder why I'm talking to people who have only that as a response as for all I know they could have been trampled by a herd of stampeding rhinos and just thought it to be the grandest of times. Writing things down will also help me to remember my experiences so that when I or other people want to know about my trip years from now, I'll be able to provide several amusing anecdotes of what's sure to be a glorious experience bouncing about Ireland and Italy. So far the general idea is to experience Ireland to the fullest with a couple weeks in Rome nestled nicely in the middle, but there will be plenty of times where I simply make plans to have plans. Not knowing is part of the adventure and I'd be disappointed if I were able to look back on this journey without a few humorous mishaps. My flight leaves in less than 8 hours so stay tuned for more when I arrive at the original home of the Irish.