London Baby!

After a great couple of days in Dublin, some of the group traveled straight to London.  When we arrived at our hostel some people in the group were placed in rooms with strangers. We ended up cramming eight girls into a four-person bedroom. Very hectic! But in the morning it was all worth it because we toured Buckingham Palace and saw Kate Middleton's wedding dress. It was once of the most incredible experiences I have had since being abroad. Although we were not allowed to take pictures inside, I will never forget the beauty and detail of every single room in the palace.

We spent the next two days doing all the typical "touristy" things such as seeing Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, going on the London Eye, and on the double decker bus tour.  We also went to Soho and Notting Hill which are two great shopping and dining areas.  

It was a great week of traveling! I am happy to be home in Cork for the next couple of weeks...it feels more and more like home everyday. 

Field Trip to Dublin!

Since my early start Irish Literature class is studying Ulysses, we went to the city that the novel is set in for our field trip. After a four hour bus ride from Cork, we arrived in the large, busy city. I love that Dublin was a much bigger city than Cork but it did not lose the Irish culture. Beautiful cobblestone streets, street musicians, and old pubs filled the city just as in any other smaller Irish city. 

We spent that night going out for dinner and exploring the city.  In the morning we had a seminar on Ulysses and a guided tour of where the chapter "lestrygonians"took place. It was very interesting to see how much of an impact the novel has on the city. In front of each place that is featured in Ulysses lays a plaque in the cement sidewalk. The field trip cleared up much of my questions with the notoriously confusing novel. 

My favorite part of the trip was going to the Guinness Factory. Guinness has such a presence in Ireland.  It was great to see how it is made and what makes it so different from other beers. I also got to learn how to "pour the perfect pint" from the tap. Another great part of the trip was going to Sandy Cove where we went to the James Joyce (author of Ulysses) museum. Although our class was supposed to be learning about Joyce we spent most of our time there admiring the beautiful scenery. 

Galway Girl

Our group of twenty-seven successfully planned a weekend trip to Galway which is a four hour bus ride away from Cork. We stayed in a hostel (my first experience!) and also organized a bus tour to the Cliffs of Moher.

Galway was a much smaller and more quaint city than Cork. I loved the cobblestone streets and the many pubs with live irish music. I really felt the spirit of Ireland.

The Cliffs of Moher are a breathtaking sight. I almost couldn't believe how high up I was or how close I was to the edge until it was all over. Going past the signs that read "DO NOT PASS UNSTABLE CLIFF" was terrifying, but making it to the edge of the cliff was incredible and something I will remember forever.