Taste Testing with Old Friends.

November 20th my friends from George Mason landed in Dublin. They had bought their tickets over the summer when I found out I was coming abroad, and came to see me over Thanksgiving break. It was such a relief to see friendly faces over the holidays, and made me miss home a little less with them here. We met up Saturday afternoon to go to the Jameson Distillery. It's not the actual distillery, which is located just outside of Cork, but a re-creation of the real thing, showing the step by step process of how the smooth tasting whiskey is brewed and distilled.



They took us all through a guided tour, starting with a boring video about Jameson and where it originated. After the video, the tour guide asked for eight volunteers, four men and four women. She handed out these green batons to the lucky people who raised their hands, one of whom happened to be my friend Jin. She was lucky enough to, after the tour, taste three different kinds of whiskey and decide which tasted the best and smoothest. The three whiskeys were Jack Daniels, Johnny Walker and Jameson.





The pictures above show the machine that lets the barley ferment into an alcohol and then the vats that are used to store the non-distilled whiskey in until it is ready to be transported into barrels where it sits for up to eighteen years maturing and getting that golden brown coloring. The tour ended with Jin sitting at a taste testing table, slinging back three shots of whiskey and in the end determining that Jameson was in fact, the best one. I had a little sip after she was done testing and agreed. It's smooth and a lot easier to drink than Jack Daniels and Johnny Walker. The end of the tour also gave us a complimentary drink. You could mix Jameson with any of the two mixers; cranberry juice, gingerale or have it straight with ice. I chose gingerale, but tasted the cranberry juice mixture and liked that one the best. Overall, it was fun to do more tourist attractions in Dublin. I believe I have drank in most of the pubs in this city, but have still found my knowledge of the city's history and tourist attractions sadly untouched. I have two and a half weeks left, so we'll see how much I can cram in.

Blessed with the Luck of the Irish.

After a few failed attempts at trying to do tourist activities in Dublin, Sarah, Caitlin and myself decided to take an actual trip to another part of Ireland to part take in a touring ritual that one must do when in Ireland: The Blarney Stone. We bought our train tickets for a Sunday day trip and by 10am we were off on the three hour train from Dublin to Cork. At 1pm, we arrived to a gloomy, overcast, mild temperatured Cork. It was what I had hoped for; and bundled up in my pea coat and scarf I felt warm, not hot or cold, it was perfect. We took a 15 minute walk into the center of Cork city to get some lunch before we headed off to the Blarney Castle. (pictured: Parliament Bridge, Father Matthew statue, street in Cork).





A quick sandwich and a few 'posey' monument pictures later, we were at the bus station buying a round trip ticket to Blarney. The bus took about 20 minutes into the seemingly secluded, quaint town of Blarney. We spent about 10 minutes on a narrow, windy road with green hills and cows at every turn of a curve in the road. When we arrived at Blarney we were signaled to get off. The town itself is small, and adorable. There were fleets of people walking towards an information booth so we followed with the hopes they too, were going to the castle. The admission was 8euro, and clearly stated on the sign it comes with entry to the castle, the rock close gardens and the famous kiss. We walked in and roamed around the paths for a little taking pictures before we found our way across the small mote and on the castle grounds. The castle itself is stoic and beautiful. It sits back behind a large green lawn with trees and a small mote creating a barrier around the fortress. Around the perimeter of the castle, is the watch man's tower (self explanatory) and the gates to the dungeon which we stopped to pose for pictures in. Walking up to the entrance there are benches with the words 'Blarney Castle' written on the back, which puts them in the perfect spot to take a typical tourist picture, which is exactly what we did. (pictured: the castle, in the dungeon, the bench)






We walked in and hiked up the stairs of the castle, which would make anyone prone to claustrophobia extremely nervous. The spiral staircase was a one way climb to the top. The staircase is about four feet wide and only about 6 feet tall, so I was feeling the pressure to get up as fast as I can without freaking out. We stopped to breathe along with looking at the remnants of the kitchen, living room, and bedrooms of the castle before we got to the top. The view from the top of the castle is fantastic, you can seemingly see for miles and are above the treeline as well. The grass is amazingly green and the colors of the horticulture just seem to pop with contrast. While taking in the views, we waited in line to kiss the legendary stone. What you have to do to kiss the stone, is lay down, bend over the edge of castle while some random man you don't even know holds onto your torso so you don't fall to your death. He then tells you to scoot back way too far for comfort until your head is aligned with the stone. A quick kiss and you are hoisted up within a second. Sure, dangling almost to my death was riveting but knowing that I had kissed a stone that is supposed to bring me luck, I knew I wasn't going to fall to my demise, well because that would be unlucky. (pictured: view from the top, me on top of the castle, kissing the stone)





We began our descent down the stairs that seemed to never end, and on the way back out we stopped at the Rock Close gardens. There were gorgeous waterfalls, wishing ponds and beautiful trees all inside the gardens. It was a great way to wind down the adrenaline rush of being dangled. The day ended with dinner at a bistro, and a calm train ride home back to my crappy apartment on campus. Every time I have gone somewhere since being here, I am reminded how lucky I am, and am completely humbled by my experiences. I don't think I'll ever have an opportunity like this again, and it's truly amazing to me that I can go so many places and see so many things that will be with me forever. (pictured: waterfalls, wishing pond)

When you fall off the horse, get back on.

Maybe you don't know, but when I was in third grade, I got into a horrible bike-collision-with-oak-tree accident. In short, I broke my face, an arm, and seriously mangled my brothers brand new bike. WHOOPS. Now, I had every intention of never riding a bike ever again. But that was about to change seeing as the entire Saturday spanning from 11-3pm would be me, on a bike, riding through the crowded streets of Paris. I was not excited. But 26 euro and no helmet later, I found myself on a bike in boots, a dress, and in a large pack of people, which is exactly where a previous bike crasher needs to be. We were off, seeing sights such as Napoleon's tomb, the Military school of Paris, the Peace monument, the Eiffel Tower, The Lourve, Tuilerie Gardens and Alexander III's bridge. It was actually a lot easier than I thought. I guess the saying it true, it's like riding a bike, and now it clearly shows that it was the trees fault for getting in my way and not my fault when I originally crashed. I did know how to ride a bike, and without crashing, I made it through four hours and 10 kilometers of biking. I even managed to snap a few photos while in motion, which I was proud of. We stopped for lunch at the Tuilerie Gardens right outside the Lourve. It was sunny and 60 degrees and the gardens were gorgeous. There were tons of statues and sculptures littering (not in a bad way) each flower enclosed square. The architecture and detail of the Lourve was amazing to see as well. All around, a worthwhile purchase. (pictured: Napoleon's tomb, military hospital, view from Alexander III's bridge, Tuilerie Gardens and the Lourve)






After finishing up our tour, we decided to embrace the Parisian lifestyle and picnic on the lawn outside the Eiffel Tower. We didn't go up because the line caused a time constraint, so we figured a couple bottles of wine, two baguettes, cheese and grapes would be a better way to spend our time and money. We sat, picnicked and took cheesy touristy photos of baguette wars and were off to the Montparnass, the tallest and only skyscraper in Paris. For 5.50 euro, we took the elevator to the top and at 7pm on the dot the Eiffel tower lights up and sparkles. It was a complete 360degree view of the city and was absolutely fabulous. I knew then and there why this place was dubbed the city of lights. There was hardly a space that I could see that wasn't covered by lights. We took the opportunity to take tons of pictures before heading back to the hotel. (pictured: Eiffel tower, dinner, Paris at night)





We headed back to our hotel room, but made a stop outside the definition of Paris nightlife in my book, the Moulin Rouge. I half expected to see Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGreggor singing cheap covers of popular songs off the roof but quickly came back to reality when I saw it in it's modern day mask. With lights and a revamped windmill, the Rouge was not exactly how I pictured it. I was still engulfed by the beauty and historical plays and shows that took place but couldn't help but think about how it had originally looked when it was first built. My friends went across the street to Starbucks to get a quick coffee jolt, and I stood there mesmerized by the lights gleaming off the legendary club. We went back to our hotel and got ready for an entirely uneventful Halloween, came back at 3am and called it a night. Hailing a cab was still impossible, but by 4am I was passed out in my bed. 8am came way too early, having set my alarm so we could get up and do touristy things for the last day before our flight at 9pm Sunday night. We took advantage of our free breakfast (croissant, coffee, baguette with butter and jelly, and orange juice) and were off on the metro to the Lourve and Notre Dame for our last day. The Lourve was free because it was the first Sunday of the month, so naturally it was packed. We saw the Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo and a few other notables before calling it a day and heading out of claustrophobia central into some much needed fresh air. We went to Notre Dame and I was blown away by the Gothic architecture and utter detail in every corner and inch of that cathedral. The inside was the most beautiful cathedral I've ever seen, with stained glass windows, high pointed arches, and a giant alter that would make any one proud to pray in. We headed back to the airport and after a long day, we were back in Dublin. Home sweet home. Paris, you were fun, but Dublin is where I rest my head and call home, and I definitely missed it. (pictured: Moulin Rouge, The Lourve, Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, Notre Dame). I'll put a link to all my pictures so you can see them.







PICTURES :: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2036777&id=1086540162&l=3afad18bff

Passport to Paris

Three days after our stint to sunny, warm Barcelona, a 2:30 am alarm went off and it was time to jet set off to Paris, France for the weekend. We caught the 3am shuttle to Dublin airport and arrived on time ready for an unknowingly long, drawn out day of traveling ahead. Our plane was on time, and after a rough landing, we were finally in Paris. Well, in an airport one hour outside of Paris. A 26 euro round trip shuttle to the center of Paris was the next step in our journey. An hour later, we arrived. I had no idea where we were, how to speak French, or what direction to turn in. We started wandering around streets attempting to find a decently close metro to take towards our district that housed our hotel. We walked in the wrong direction a couple of times until we got it right and headed to a metro. It was closed. Strike one. The one stop we need was closed so the next option is to try and hail a cab. They drive by, and no one stops to pick us up for 30 minutes, when we have to split up because they can't fit 6 people. We split up, I stay behind. Strike two. After staying behind for about 40 minutes more, we hear the metro rumbling beneath our feet and hop on, we get off and walk 10 minutes in the wrong direction. Strike three. We were supposed to check into our hotel at 11 am, it was currently 1:15 pm. We were a little late, Paris did not give a great first impression. Though, I did however, get a great view of the Arche de Triomphe on the way to the metro.

After checking into our hotel, things started to look up as we each got our own beds and a bathroom connected to our room. I realized then that I would never pay to stay in a hostel again, because for 19 euro a night, it was a better deal than any price I had paid previously for an uncomfortable co-ed room with bunk beds and a community bathroom. We got dressed and went out to eat at a French restaurant. I opted for an... Italian meal. It was good, but definitely French style Italian food. We went back to the hotel, napped and then decided to make something of what was left of our day and walked up to Monmarte to see a church on top of the hill and eat dinner. We took the funicular up to the top to see the stoic church peering over Paris. We walked inside the church, to which we saw a mass in progress. The church was absolutely gorgeous inside, with a complete mosaic covering the ceiling over the alter depicting Jesus and his disciples. I was baffled and amazed at the amount of detail that went into every pillar, pew, and arch in that church, only to be out shone by the Notre Dame later in the weekend. We walked around the town of Monmarte after seeing the church and ate dinner at a crepes place, followed by gelato. (pictured: our room, church on top of Monmarte, painting shop in the town).





After walking around we decided to have a relaxing night. We walked to a restaurant near our hotel and ordered two bottles of wine and just sat around a table talking. There was a live band playing music, which was a perfect supplement to our wine, appetizers and conversation. The seemingly endless day closed down around 11:30 pm, where I found myself showered, cozy, and asleep in my bed resting for Saturday's bike tour throughout Paris.

Sunny with a high of 75.

After not coming home until 5am, it was not on my top priorities to wake up for 9am breakfast. We all slept until 11 am, got up, but our beach gear on and went to breakfast. The weather was absolutely beautiful. It was sunny, 75 degrees, and breezy. The beach is about a 15 minute walk from us, so we headed off, stopping at merchant shops along the way to pick up souvenirs and presents for friends and family. We laid out on the beach until about 3pm, and I was so happy that I finally got some color into my less than pigmented face. Vitamin D was much needed. We sat and talked on the beach, and relaxed. This trip was definitely more of a vacation than a sight seeing extravaganza, which was nice. After a long day at the beach, we showered and then the girls and I ate a free dinner at the hostel, which is first come first serve from 8:30-10pm. We met up with the guys for drinks and tapas (appetizers) at a nice restaurant down a cute street with different places to eat piled on top of each other. We settled for dessert and decided to lay low and just hang out at a bar for the rest of the night.



For the last day in Barcelona, we decided to take full advantage of being a tourist. We got breakfast, and hopped on the metro up to an area called Parc Güell. Park Güell is a garden complex with buildings sitting on the hill of el Carmel in the Gràcia district of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. It was designed by the Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí and built in the years 1900 to 1914. The whole park was beautiful, we hiked up to the top and there was an absolutley stunning view of the entire city. We climbed up this rock structure with a cross on top and you could literally see a 360 degree view of the city from the water to the trees on the other side. I was literally sweating, I decided it was a great idea to wear a black shirt and dark jeans when it was about 80 degrees outside. Never the less the breeze kept me at a cool temperature and I made sure to stay in the shade for most of the time. As you walked down the path from the top of the park, there are merchants selling anything and everything you can imagine. From tshirts to scarves and jewelry to sunglasses you could get anything for a reasonable price. I settled on a few presents for some friends and a scarf for myself before heading down to see some of the buildings Gaudi built. The buildings were covered in mosaics, like most of the art work he had done, and were beautiful to look at.


pictured: Park Guell
After the park, we made our way over to La Sagrada Familia, another building built by Gaudi. It is a massive, privately-funded Roman Catholic church that has been under construction in Barcelona since 1882 and is not expected to be complete until at least 2026. It toweres over the trees and all the buildings surrounding it, and though it was covered with construction scaffolding and wires, it was still amazing to see the detail and architecture that went into building this cathedral. We stopped for a rest in the park area next to it where I tried a gofres (chocolate waffle with ice cream). It may have been the best thing I've ever eaten. I savored every bite and was completely satisfied with my 5 euro purchase. To cap off the day, we took the metro back and went to another park near the beach. It had the La Cascada Ciutadella fountain, which was built way back in the 1800's. It was also built by Gaudi, and had amazing statues and a gold plated dome on top. We walked through the park and also got to see the parliament building and it's surrounding gardens.





pictured: La Sagrada Familia, La Cascada Fountain, Barcelona Parliament building.

After a long day, we went out to dinner for traditional Spanish tapas for our last night. We ended up just hanging out at night at the beach, just talking and watching the waves crash down. I was completely relaxed and content with this entire weekend. Seeing such beautiful sights and walking around a country I truly never thought I'd visit has humbled me. I realize how blessed I am to have this opportunity to go to such amazing places each weekend I'm here. I don't take anything for granted, and I don't really think the gravity of being abroad has really set into my head yet. I know I am extremely lucky to have the opportunities I have, and I am truly thankful for them.

Viva La Espana.

I may be second guessing my decision to study here in Ireland. Don't get me wrong, the country is gorgeous in every way, but flying to Spain for a weekend may have made me a little regretful that I didn't pick Barcelona as my first choice for my study abroad. Monday wass a bank holiday here in Ireland, so everything was closed, including school. We decided to get away from the eminent rain that was brewing for the weekend and escape to a land of beaches, hansom men, and warm weather. We arrived in Reus airport, which is about an hour outside of the city. We had to get our passports stamped (my first one in a different country, YES!) and walk out to the bus stop that is supposed to take us to the bus station form which we have to get the metro to the city. The bus is about a half hour late, and there are maybe double the amount of people that can actually fit on the bus when it arrives. We were all nervous, because we had been waiting for over an hour for this bus, one of the guys pushed through the crowd and shelled out 150 euro for 12 tickets and passed them back. Success, we got on the bus and were off to check into our hostels. After a long drawn out metro and bus process, the girls and I arrived at our hostel, called Kabul. It's located on a gorgeous courtyard right in the center of Las Ramblas, a main street where vendors and gypsies hang out and do tricks for money. We checked in, got dressed and went out for our first drink in Barcelona. At 3am, it was time to call it a night, and we went back to the hostel and rested up for a big day on Friday.


Courtyard our hostel was in.

Friday morning we got up at 9am to take advantage of the free breakfast offered at our hostel. They had a nice spread; including muffins, cereal and baguettes with jelly. It was extremely helpful to get free breakfast, cause my bank account would have broken if I had to pay for three meals out a day for five days. I save money wherever I can. We were off and running to DUNKIN DONUTS (My savior for the early mornings in Spain). After a couple iced coffees and lattes, we embarked down Las Ramblas, snapping countless pictures of the gorgeous architecture along the street. I have never seen more beautiful buildings in my life. Every building was so intricate and had amazing rod iron balconies to look out into the streets. After a walk down Las Ramblas, and a quick stop at a flea market, we headed over to the pier to hang by the water and soak in some rays. We were waiting for the guys we flew over with to call, so we could meet up and head over to Montjuic, a mountain that is accessible by cable car and over looks the city at the top. We walked over to the cable cars, and for 9 euro we could go to the top and see the castle as well for free. Climbing the mountain on a cable car we arrived at the top. The views were absolutely breathtaking. The city itself is not tall, and the few skyscrapers they do have completely stick out. The different contrasting color of Barcelona give it a distinct character. The sun was beating down on each individual building giving it it's own life. I could have stayed and stared at it for hours. I wish we could have stayed for the sunset, it would have been awesome to see, but we headed back down the mountain on foot, checking out pathways, fountains and trails on the way. After the long day, a much needed nap occurred back at the hostel. We all slept for about an hour then got showered and ready for dinner for my friend Sarah's 21st birthday.





We went to a restaurant right in the Placa Reil (where we stayed) for Sarah's 21st, there was about a 15 minute wait so we asked to wait in the bar area. There were 4 euro drink specials so we went inside to order one for dinner while we waited. After an announcement to the bartender that it was Sarah's 21st birthday, it followed with five free shots in honor of becoming legal in the United States. We ate an amazing dinner, I had a salad with salmon and mozzarella topped with this fantastic honey mustard dressing. Everyone was full and we went to meet up with the guys to go out for Sarah's birthday.

We met up with the guys and took a metro to this place called Razzmatazz. It was a 15 euro cover to get in but it came with a voucher for a free drink. The club itself held 5000 people, and was completely insane. I am not a dancer, nor do I enjoy dancing so it wasn't really my scene, but the fact that the club held that many people was amazing. There was a Spanish band playing, so it was like a free concert as well. We stayed out until about 5am, when the metro re-opened. The Spanish don't go out until 1am usually, and stay out clubbing until 6 or 7am. I learned this lifestyle the hard way, and was extremely exhausted. I finally got to bed at 5:40 am, only to get about 4 hours of sleep until our next days activities.

Oober Tourist.

I'm now approaching my eighth week in Dublin and I have only taken a tour of the city once. I can obviously find my way around, and I feel a great sense of accomplishment when I can correctly identify to a weekend tourist which way a particular street is; but the historic legacies of this country and city especially is an aspect I have not paid enough attention to since being here. This past weekend, my roommate and I decided to get up early on Saturday morning (early being a relative term, closer to 11am), make breakfast and start the day off with some free tourist attractions in Dublin. I emphasize the word free because the euro is really kicking my butt in the bank department and with upcoming trips I have to stretch my euro to it's maximum elasticity. Lisa and I made a list of some interesting buildings to see, about half a page later we realized this was not all going to happen in one day. We decided to visit the National Museum of Ireland and Kilmainham Jail.


Front of Museum

First was the visit to the National Museum. The building is absolutely beautiful, and when you first walk in there is a mosaic type floor with all the astrological signs embedded in it. Unfortunately pictures were not allowed inside, so I couldn't document any of the exhibits I saw. We walked around the first floor for a while, which housed numerous priceless jewels and gold jewelry from way back in time. After a while we decided to journey upstairs through the viking, Midevil, and king ruled time periods. It was really interesting to see how Ireland had come to be through various wars and conflicts with their neighbors. As much as I don't enjoy museums, I found this one to be unexpectedly entertaining. I actually wanted to read each little plaque to find out where they had found this certain skeleton or old wardrobe collection. Learning about my heritage, not necessarily my own, but the people of Ireland was extremely gratifying, and I enjoyed my time there.

After coffee, we hopped on the bus over to the Kilmainham Jail. They offered a 2 euro tour for students. I had been to Alkatraz when I was younger and found it fascinating, so I was really excited to take a tour of this ancient and historic penitentiary. Our tour guide talked us through the various celebrities who had done time in the jail, as well as giving us time to actually go into cells. I found this terrifying, because of my claustrophobia, I could not imagine living in such small quarters for years at a time. We got to see and stand in the exercise yard, and stand where they actually executed people by hanging and firing squad. It was really interesting to see how the prison was considered to be one of the state of the art facilities of its time. I also learned that people actually attempted to break the law on purpose to get into jail during the height of the potato famine. I always knew about the famine and how it affected Ireland, but for people to want to break the law just to get a meal it made me understand how desperate some people were for food and that starvation was more prominent than I had imagined.






Finally after the tour we walked out and across the street to the Irish Museum of Modern Art. The museum was closing within 5 minutes of are arrival, but the long pathway towards the museum was gorgeous. The leaves were turning to typical fall colors, and it reminded me of back home. I've missed the changing seasons since I've been abroad, and this gave me a little chance to reminisce about the fall weather. We finished our day off with a group dinner to the Real Gourmet Burger. After a three mile walk home from the restaurant, I was exhausted. I took the night off to relax and just hang out at home to prepare for this weekend, BARCELONA.

Adios, amigos.