Hello everyone!
I'm very sorry for the delays in the postings...last week we had our first British Studies Exam, so we were all studying pretty hard for it. Those exams are usually the same format; three questions that you have to answer in essay form. Boo!! My hand hurt a lot after the two hours alotted but I'm happy with what I had to say, and I will be waiting to hear my grade hopefully this coming week! My fingers are crossed that I did well! But now I have two presentations to focus on that are coming up next week that I really need to put my time into...if I get lots done early in the week, I may travel again next weekend! We will see how it pans out.
The weather here has turned pretty rainy and bleak. Last week we had a big storm come through while a lot of the students were out side playing capture the flag. Kenzie and I were just hangin' out inside, and decided to go play in the rain! Which we did...for almost an hour! We were totally soaked within five minutes, but had lots of fun running around, skipping, and just enjoying nature. Talking about rain....I just got back from a wet weekend in IRELAND!! Yay!!!!! I will give you the overview of my travels!
We started from Harlaxton Wednesday night, at 8 pm. Here, we hopped on a coach that drove through the night, through Wales and finally to the port of Holyhead, which is where our ferry was leaving. Luckily, our coach had TV, so we got to watch a movie, which ended up being Hook! I forgot how much I love the story of Peter Pan! Also what was kinda cool about the coach ride, was that at night, out my window, the big dipper constalation was right outside directly to the right of me! That was really cool! By the time we got to Holyhead, it was 1 am. We had a three hour ferry ride into Dublin where we had breakfast at the Hotel we were going to be staying at on Saturday night. We then hopped back onto the coach and rode another three to four hours to the other side of Irelnad, to a place called Doolin. At first, we were really confused as to what to do here because there was a hostel, three pubs and a couple shops in town. However, we discovered the beautiful rocky coastline just down the road, the pub food, and the local characters and festivals that made my stay there totally worth it!
 |
Some of the over 600 gravesites that
are a part of the landscape of
Clonmacnoise! |
I should mention that between Dublin and Doolin, we stopped at a monastic ruin called Clonmacnoise. It was an ancient pilgrammage site founded by St. Kilan(? I think that's his name...) I got some beautiful photos there because right when we got there, all the clouds burnt off and it was blue skies!! It's here that I realized that I really enjoy taking photos of cemetaries. I think there are really interesting. Anyways, it was a great way to start my Ireland experience. Also, we went to the Cliffs of Moher, which is a beautiful place to go see! The cliffs are humongous, and you can walk right up to the edge on parts of the trail! It was creepy, but astonishing all at the same time!!!
 |
| The beautiful Cliffs of Mohor. It's quite a fall...let me tell ya! |
But, back to Doolin! The first night, we ate at Gus O'Conners pub which was delicious, and walked the mile to the other side of town to eat some dessert at Fitzpatricks. Their Tiramisu was AWESOME!!!! Then had an early bedtime! The next day, we woke up early to see if we could get a ferry to the Eiran Islands which are supposidly spectacularly wonderful, but couldn't becasue the water was too choppy and dangerous. So, instead we were able to ride some horses!! We called up the man, named Willie, and said that he'd come pick us (being a group of nine or so) up from the hostel. In the mean time, we walked down to the shore and took some photos! Willie ended up showing up with only one car, in which six of us (two in the front seat FOUR in the back!) crammed into. From the hostel to his farm, he sang us beautiful irish songs and told us he was a matchmaker and such. It was probably the highlight of my entire weekend!! He also told us stories about his mathcmaking and neighbors. One apparently had 25 kids, but only one by her husband! :P On the way back, we asked about the matchmaking festival that was in Lisdoonvarna, the next town over, and he said that seeing as he was the last matchmaker around, he may stop in that night.
 |
Meet Popcorn, Popeye, and Juliet! These are the horses at Willie's
farm. I rode Popcorn, and the people there were impressed that I kew
how to ride! :P I think it's something that Popcorn looks so much like
Beauty! But she was a great horse!! |
Well, Willie turns out to be a lot more cooler than we thought because this matchmaking festival (which we popped in to see that night) was essentially made around HIM! There was a huge poster of him on the Matchmaker's Bar we went to and a sign saying, meet the famous Willie Daly! We couldn't believe it!! We also found out that he wrote a book! Yeah, this old man with Einstein hair, a missing tooth, and unbelievable stories wrote a book!! Which, is now in my possesion. :P I haven't gotten into it yet, but I'm sure it'll be a hoot to read! We didn't end up seeing him that night, but it was fun to see lots of older people flirt, have fun, and dance!
The coast in Doolin was awesome too. It was sort of like a much smaller version of the Moher. We were able to climb around on the rocks, right to the edge and see the tide come in off the Atlantic Ocean. Actually, where we were when the tide came in was on the edge of a little cove of the rocks. There was one especially rough wave that came and splashed so hard up against the rocks that my whole right side got soaked!! But again, I didn't mind at all and it was totally worth it because it was so much fun!!!
 |
The Doolin Coast! One can't get too much
farther west than that! |
The people, places, and things in Doolin are all so wonderful, that I know that at some point of my life, I'm going back. It felt too good to be there not to.
So, with a sad heart, I left Doolin and we headed to Dublin. Talk about from one extreme to the other! Doolin, with its quiet easy life, then Dublin and its almost constant scream of ambulance sirens! I'm serious, we probably saw eight or nine with in just a couple hours! In Dublin, we saw St. Patricks Cathedral and was able to hear the choir there practice! It sounded amazing! We also went to see the Book of Kells, which is the four gospels of the bible written over a THOUSAND years ago!!! It's all calligraphy, in latin, and gorgeously decorated! It was incredible!! The book was at the Trinity College in Dublin, so I got two birds with one stone! It's a great campus! Acutally, one of our British Studies professors used to work there, so that is kind of cool!
Then, last night, Andrea, Kenzie and I went to eat at a Spanish Tappas bar, which was yummy and walked in the rain down by the river. I kind of hate to admit it, but I almost like Dublin more at night than by day! I don't know why....but I do! In the Temple Bar area, which is the big restaurant/pub section of town, Andrea and I found a pub to have a Guinness in! For a beer, it's really not too bad! It was a great place with live music, and while we had our pint, talked about life, love, and the pursuits of happiness! We finished the night by getting some DELICIOUS ice cream from a corner store. I had dark chocolate and cookies! :P
 |
Had my first Guinness in an Irish pub...
fitting? I think so. |
And with that, sums up most of my journey to the Emerald Island. And, although I didn't totally want to leave, it was time. The saying holds true that you don't REALLY know someone until you travel with them; and I think I have found out a little too much of too many people. :P Nerves were getting frayed from exhaustion and being stuck on a coach for too long, so the now familliar sights and sounds of Harlaxton are a nice welcome home.
So, if I may have come across a bit less than energetic....know you know why! :P
Cheers!
