Bunratty and More Closing Remarks

Yesterday Amanda, Liz, and I went up to Bunratty, which is only about 15 minutes away from Limerick. We had been on the castle grounds before because our Into the West trip stopped there for just a quick photo op, but none of us had been in the castle before and it was supposed to be one the cooler, more elaborate ones of Ireland. They also had a folk village with little old fashioned Irish cottages from back in the day. There were also a lot of farm animals such as chickens, ponies, goats, sheep and pigs. They also had these dogs called Irish wolfhounds that back in the day would, well, hunt wolves. They are the tallest dogs in the world. They were lying down while we were there so we didn't get the full effect, but it was cool. I really enjoyed myself there. We went back to Limerick and met up with Katie and had dinner at the Locke Bar, a nice place we had eaten at before.

Here are a few pictures from Bunratty:

Old farmhouse

Irish wolfhound

For this entry, I thought I'd write about things I will miss about Ireland/Limerick and things I will not miss. Let's see how many I can come up with. Some I know already, but maybe something else will pop up as I write

Let's get the negative out of the way and go over what I will NOT miss:
1) The SUPER slow library computers. They need to not have so much software and updates on those things so it doesn't take 10 minutes before you can open a file or the Internet without it freaking out on you.
2) The plumbing. If someone has just used the bathroom right before you, it will take a decent chunk of time before you can flush it again, which is annoying.
3) How the stores close really early, like around 5 and 6 PM
4) having to use switches to turn on the stove and water heat. I can pretty much do it automatically now, and it's not that big of a deal, but at the beginning of the semester I had some issues remembering haha.
5) Sharing a small refrigerator with 7 other people.
6) How the "C" word is tossed around in daily conversation.
7) Super expensive laundry. People in dorms in the USA should not complain about dorm laundry being expensive. It is like 6 or 7 euro here, so I did my washing in the sink.
8) Seeing the poor Plassey cat gimp around with its broken paw. It's so depressing.
9) Having to worry about a giant ash cloud affecting my travel plans.

Well, I guess that's about it. Overall, I really don't have that many complaints about Ireland. I will try to keep the list of things I WILL miss short, because obviously I am going to miss so much! Most of these things will be little things, and things that are unique to Ireland alone.

1) Seeing sheep all the time. Pictured is sheep from the Wicklow Mountains
2) Going to The Stables and dancing and having an awesome time. Pictured is me at Famous Couples Night as "Britney Spears" with the guy who was K-Fed.

3) Going to the Total Body Workout class with the Irish Richard Simmons, and Des the most fit 60-year-old man in the world.

4) Hearing the words "Cheers" and "Thanks a million," "it's grand" and "craic" on a pretty much daily basis
5) Not having to tip at restaurants
6) Arabica Coffee Company
7) The Living Bridge, especially at night
8) Seeing rolling green hills on the way to the grocery store
9) BULMERS.

10) Of course the amazing people I met. Not just my friends from Wisconsin but from all over the country and world. I became good friends with a girl from Canada, a boy from Romania, a girl from Germany, a boy from Sweden, and just met soooo many different people! Pictured is me with Mircea from Romania. Transylvania to be exact!

11) the accent. well for the most part. some people I still have a hard time understanding.

12) Paddy, the sweet little old man who does maintenance for Plassey Village. (That's not Paddy in the picture, but I felt it was appropriate haha)
13) The cute country hostels we stayed at (picture: O'Brien's Cashel Lodge, Cashel)
14) Living in a country with such a long, rich history as compared to the baby of a country I hail from.
15) Green, green, green everywhere.

16) Going to pubs to hear Irish music.

17) Authentic Irish cooked food like Bangers and Mash. Sure, I can make it at home (it's just mashed potatoes and sausage) but it just won't be the same. Pictured is Bangers and Mash I had in Galway that was absolutely divine.
18) the seriously low amount of homework I had!
19) All of the amusing signs warning of danger. Pictured is a sign at the beach in Dingle.
20) Traveling in general.
21) The stone walls (pictured: Aran Islands)
22) The colorful houses and buildings. Pictured: Bunratty. This is right above haha
23) So, I am writing this in the day after I wrote this entry. I can't believe I forgot this one: THE CHOCOLATE STAND. I pretty much went there every Tuesday at the campus Farmer's Market. The Super Dark Chocolate Fudge was sooooooooo good and the man who worked there was so nice!

Well, that's about all I can come with at the moment. Seems like a pretty good list. I packed quite a bit of my clothes today, mainly my winter ones, and I packed all my souvenirs and got the glass ones mixed in with my clothes for added cushioning. Tomorrow night is going to be my last big night out in Ireland! Let's hope it's a fun one! Cheers!