I have now been home for a week. How crazy. I honestly can't believe it's over. I don't want to get all sentimental and corny--I knew it had to come to an end sometime, and honestly I was looking forward to coming home and seeing my friends and starting a new chapter of my life, but it's still sad, and I am starting to miss it!
My last day in Ireland consisted of going downtown to pick up a few things. I stopped at Arabica one last time for a dark mocha. I told Frank, the manager who is a younger Italian man that it was my last day in Ireland. So sad to have to say my goodbyes to him haha. I got back, went to the library for a bit to print some stuff off. On my way back to Plassey I ran in to my housemate Jimmy and said goodbye to him. I also luckily caught Gearoid on his way out. The rest of the day I packed mostly. I went to Liz's final dance recital with Amanda and Katie. It was really cool. Then I got back from that and said goodbye to Sean, Owen, and Val, who were going out for the night. Saying goodbye to Sean was really hard. Although it wasn't really goodbye because I ended up seeing them again later that night. I only got a little over an hour of sleep the night before I left. I hung out with Kathleen, cleaned the bathroom and the refrigerator. Then the guys got back and I talked to them for a bit. I went to bed for like an hour and before I knew it, it was 4 AM and time to get up. Sean and Owen were still awake and I said goodbye to them AGAIN haha.
We got to the Shannon Airport at about 6 AM. I was with Amanda and Lily. Amanda was on a different flight than Lily and I, so we had to say our goodbyes because Amanda's flight was later.
I slept quite a bit on the flight from Shannon to Newark. I started watching the movie Shutter Island starring Leonardo DiCaprio but I was tired and having a hard time following it--so switched to Leap Year...something mindless. I didn't want to watch it at first because I was like, I just left Ireland. I don't need to watch a movie about Ireland already, but gave in, mostly because it was in fact mindless. I ended up falling asleep during it haha.
Our flight from Newark to Minneapolis was slightly delayed and felt like it took forever even though it was way shorter than our one from Ireland, obviously. I was wearing my Northface sweatshirt and my rain boots because I hadn't wanted to pack those since they're heavy. I got a few funny looks because it was about 80 degrees and sunny!
It was so weird being back at first...when I got in the shuttle van to take me to Eau Claire I did a doubletake when the driver got in the driver's seat on the left side of the car. Also, when I saw traffic signs, it was weird to not see places with a Gaelic spelling next to the English one. And Wisconsin is pretty green, but it's just not the same.
It took about 4-5 days to get over the jet lag, but I am finally over it. I keep looking at the time and thinking of what time it is in Ireland, and it seems like such a huge time difference all of the sudden.
I went to my sister's bachelorette party, and that was a good time. I will be moving in to my new apartment in Eau Claire either Saturday or Tuesday. I am hopefully going to be ordering most of my pictures off Snapfish soon and perhaps starting the process of making a scrapbook. The idea seems daunting because I took soooooooo many pictures.
Well, this will probably be my last entry. Sad. I seriously can't believe I've been home a week already and that it's over. I was looking forward to it for so long, and it just absolutely flew by. It kind of feels like waking up from a dream. Haha-corny I know. One minute I'm in Ireland, and the next I'm not. It was definitely an experience of a lifetime and I'll never forget it!
Cheers! Hope to see you again someday soon, Ireland.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Sunday, May 16, 2010
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!
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 writeLet'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.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.
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.
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!
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Tree days. (Yes, tree.)
Well, I think it is about time I wrote some kind of closing entry or reflection. I still have 1 more trip to write about but right now my mind is wired. It is currently 12:47 AM in Ireland. The end of this semester has been interesting in a number of ways and I've realized I have learned quite a few things about myself this semester. I figured I would write this entry now while I am in the writing mood and more importantly have time. Lord knows I am on Facebook a million times a day sadly, but writing a blog takes a good amount of time to write it well and writing it interestingly, for me, most days.
So. Spring semester 2010. By far one of the coolest things I have ever done. For the past few years I have been feeling inadequate when it came to travel because most of our family vacations have been spent at either Wisconsin Dells or our cabin. Not trying to sound ungrateful, I don't exactly feel like I had some deprived childhood or anything, but it just got hard to hear other people talk about all the cool places they'd been while I got to say "Yeah I went to the cabin. Again." I got such a yearning to travel and see new things. I was suddenly able to relate to Belle from Beauty and the Beast and wanted "adventure in the great wide somewhere" (I'm serious; I downloaded the song off Itunes)
So, obviously, I applied and was accepted to study abroad in Ireland. And it has been the experience of a lifetime. I think this program and location suited me really well. The academic part was ok. My classes could have been a little more stimulating I think, but hey I didn't have a lot of homework which made traveling a lot easier!
Here is a list of things I have noticed that are different about me, or things that I have learned and I hope will carry with me when I go home in a few days.
1) I have a lot more patience. After camping out at the airport and barely sleeping the night before we left for Paris, and then waiting for our plane to Paris to actually arrive so we could board and take off, I don't easily get upset when stuff is running late. Although, to be honest today it took FOREVER to get to Limerick City Centre today on the city bus and I was sort of going nuts in my head.
2) I don't stress and worry about things that are beyond my control anymore, not as much anyway. I haven't let bad weather bother me on trips...I've considered it a blessing to just be able to have gone where I've gone. It POURED the first day we were in Rome, and my shoes were soaked, which yes, sucked, but hey. I was in Rome. When my mom and I went to San Diego last year for spring break, I was all stressed a few days before we left because I'd checked the weather forecast and they were predicting rain. Well, turns out the weather people were wrong and it was pretty much sunny skies all week. However, when we went to the beach, it was super foggy by the ocean but sunny on the mainland, and I was mad because I didn't want to remember my first time at the Pacific as being foggy, and well yeah I also wanted to go swimming but the fog made it really cold. My mom kept telling me to lighten up, but I was just like "Why can't it just be sunny??" Well, coming to a country like Ireland has definitely made me learn to take the rain with the sunshine. I will admit though, this whole volcano thing has gotten me a little on edge, especially since they have been saying there could be yet another ash cloud this week that could cancel flights and I am supposed to leave Wednesday and be back for my sister's bridal shower/bachelorette party this weekend. Hopefully everything will work out!
3) The next 2 are a little personal and this one in particular I sort of have a lot to say about. I have definitely learned more about the kind of people I like to be around. I like people who are genuine, and ok, I do think I have a sense of humor and can laugh at myself most days, and even when someone else gives me a little teasing, but there have been a couple people this semester who some days said things to me that resulted with my self esteem and sanity going in the toilet. People who I considered my friends. And ok, I am going to rant a little because hey it's my blog and I just really need to get this out. I know I am short. Sometimes yes it is funny to joke about when the situation is right and a person can actually lay a clever burn on me. But what I hate is people who just say "Yeah, you're short" and just seem like they're trying to imply that makes me inferior and not as much of a person. And people who like to bring it up at EVERY given opportunity. And also, I have had it pointed it out that I am klutzy. I dont know why or how it happens, but sometimes I'll stumble on sidewalk cracks a lot. I feel like I walk like a normal person but it happens a lot. And one person I know has on many occasions has reminded me of this in a way to make it define me, along with being short. I don't want to sound like a whiner, but I honestly feel like some people have just tried using my flaws (and I don't even consider my height a flaw) to define me than being encouraging and supportive. Also, I was not exactly the top student in my dance tutorial. I enjoy going out to the clubs here in Limerick, and at Stables, and dancing for fun, but I do not do well with choreography generally. But one person in particular one day who I have considered my friend, while I was talking about how I couldn't remember the footing for one move said to me, "Well even if you knew the footing you probably couldn't do it anyway" and started laughing. I can be an overly sensitive person, but this really hurt me because it's like gee, thanks for the encouragement and positivity. It really hurt my feelings. This leads to another part of the problem.
I was not exactly assertive in telling people when they hurt my feelings. I don't want to seem like a victim and that I have SUCH a horrible life, but seriously sometimes I feel like the biggest pee-on amongst all my friends. I don't feel like I make fun of them that much and just try to be be sincere and just have fun and laugh at other things than the mistakes and short(literally)comings of other people. I don't want to make it sound like I can't ever let anyone tease me and like I take myself too seriously, but really I don't understand how some people live their lives by daily making fun of other people, even if they are just kidding or even, as I've been told, and this just makes me even angrier "They do it because they're just expressing their love for me." Yeah, I really don't care if that's the way you show your friendship towards me when the fact that I'm not as tall as you has been brought up for the thousandth time.
Woofta. I can't believe how much I'm ranting. It feels good to let it all out though. But yeah, suffice it to say, I have learned that I honestly have more positive feelings towards my friends who just talk to me and hang out with me without constantly mocking my height or cutting me down for things I don't do well. One thing I need to work on though is telling people up front that they need to stop saying these things to me instead of just issuing back a sarcastic remark because I honestly think that after all the times I've said things like "Oh thank you for pointing out I'm short. I've never noticed or ever been informed of this" they think I'm just letting it roll off and I'm playing along. I still think a person with some kind of common courtesy or common sense would see that it gets old.
Ok moving on. I forgot what my 4th point was.
Oh.
4) This is going to sound stupid lol and cheesy, but my self confidence when it comes to talking to boys and even feeling attractive or like a guy would even want to date me has definitely changed. Because, yes, I did meet somebody who made me feel this way and well, nothing's official but we will see what happens.
5) Looking at the time right now, and judging by how things have been the past like 2 weeks, my sleeping habits have definitely changed!
6) Thankfulness for family. It was always there, but it has just definitely increased.
7) You really can't automatically think you know someone until you really get to know them better. Some of these things are common sense, but once you live a little, it really becomes true.
Oh, one thing I was very surprised that did not happen was that I never had a true moment of wanting to go home at the very beginning. I was pretty nervous the last couple of days before I left. I did have a little sense of feeling overwhelmed at first, but I quickly calmed down and started going with the flow and making friends.
Alright...well I guess I can't really think of anything else I have gotten out of this experience at the moment. It's late. At least I am done with finals!! Woohoo! I will probably write more tomorrow about other thoughts about the semester and what not. I hope this blog didn't scare anybody, but I guess I just wanted to share a little more emotion in this than the same old "I did this, and I did that" travel type of blog it's been most of the semester. As much as I complained, I truly have met some great people here and have had so much fun, and I know that the reason people act that way isn't my problem. :)
Cheers!
So. Spring semester 2010. By far one of the coolest things I have ever done. For the past few years I have been feeling inadequate when it came to travel because most of our family vacations have been spent at either Wisconsin Dells or our cabin. Not trying to sound ungrateful, I don't exactly feel like I had some deprived childhood or anything, but it just got hard to hear other people talk about all the cool places they'd been while I got to say "Yeah I went to the cabin. Again." I got such a yearning to travel and see new things. I was suddenly able to relate to Belle from Beauty and the Beast and wanted "adventure in the great wide somewhere" (I'm serious; I downloaded the song off Itunes)
So, obviously, I applied and was accepted to study abroad in Ireland. And it has been the experience of a lifetime. I think this program and location suited me really well. The academic part was ok. My classes could have been a little more stimulating I think, but hey I didn't have a lot of homework which made traveling a lot easier!
Here is a list of things I have noticed that are different about me, or things that I have learned and I hope will carry with me when I go home in a few days.
1) I have a lot more patience. After camping out at the airport and barely sleeping the night before we left for Paris, and then waiting for our plane to Paris to actually arrive so we could board and take off, I don't easily get upset when stuff is running late. Although, to be honest today it took FOREVER to get to Limerick City Centre today on the city bus and I was sort of going nuts in my head.
2) I don't stress and worry about things that are beyond my control anymore, not as much anyway. I haven't let bad weather bother me on trips...I've considered it a blessing to just be able to have gone where I've gone. It POURED the first day we were in Rome, and my shoes were soaked, which yes, sucked, but hey. I was in Rome. When my mom and I went to San Diego last year for spring break, I was all stressed a few days before we left because I'd checked the weather forecast and they were predicting rain. Well, turns out the weather people were wrong and it was pretty much sunny skies all week. However, when we went to the beach, it was super foggy by the ocean but sunny on the mainland, and I was mad because I didn't want to remember my first time at the Pacific as being foggy, and well yeah I also wanted to go swimming but the fog made it really cold. My mom kept telling me to lighten up, but I was just like "Why can't it just be sunny??" Well, coming to a country like Ireland has definitely made me learn to take the rain with the sunshine. I will admit though, this whole volcano thing has gotten me a little on edge, especially since they have been saying there could be yet another ash cloud this week that could cancel flights and I am supposed to leave Wednesday and be back for my sister's bridal shower/bachelorette party this weekend. Hopefully everything will work out!
3) The next 2 are a little personal and this one in particular I sort of have a lot to say about. I have definitely learned more about the kind of people I like to be around. I like people who are genuine, and ok, I do think I have a sense of humor and can laugh at myself most days, and even when someone else gives me a little teasing, but there have been a couple people this semester who some days said things to me that resulted with my self esteem and sanity going in the toilet. People who I considered my friends. And ok, I am going to rant a little because hey it's my blog and I just really need to get this out. I know I am short. Sometimes yes it is funny to joke about when the situation is right and a person can actually lay a clever burn on me. But what I hate is people who just say "Yeah, you're short" and just seem like they're trying to imply that makes me inferior and not as much of a person. And people who like to bring it up at EVERY given opportunity. And also, I have had it pointed it out that I am klutzy. I dont know why or how it happens, but sometimes I'll stumble on sidewalk cracks a lot. I feel like I walk like a normal person but it happens a lot. And one person I know has on many occasions has reminded me of this in a way to make it define me, along with being short. I don't want to sound like a whiner, but I honestly feel like some people have just tried using my flaws (and I don't even consider my height a flaw) to define me than being encouraging and supportive. Also, I was not exactly the top student in my dance tutorial. I enjoy going out to the clubs here in Limerick, and at Stables, and dancing for fun, but I do not do well with choreography generally. But one person in particular one day who I have considered my friend, while I was talking about how I couldn't remember the footing for one move said to me, "Well even if you knew the footing you probably couldn't do it anyway" and started laughing. I can be an overly sensitive person, but this really hurt me because it's like gee, thanks for the encouragement and positivity. It really hurt my feelings. This leads to another part of the problem.
I was not exactly assertive in telling people when they hurt my feelings. I don't want to seem like a victim and that I have SUCH a horrible life, but seriously sometimes I feel like the biggest pee-on amongst all my friends. I don't feel like I make fun of them that much and just try to be be sincere and just have fun and laugh at other things than the mistakes and short(literally)comings of other people. I don't want to make it sound like I can't ever let anyone tease me and like I take myself too seriously, but really I don't understand how some people live their lives by daily making fun of other people, even if they are just kidding or even, as I've been told, and this just makes me even angrier "They do it because they're just expressing their love for me." Yeah, I really don't care if that's the way you show your friendship towards me when the fact that I'm not as tall as you has been brought up for the thousandth time.
Woofta. I can't believe how much I'm ranting. It feels good to let it all out though. But yeah, suffice it to say, I have learned that I honestly have more positive feelings towards my friends who just talk to me and hang out with me without constantly mocking my height or cutting me down for things I don't do well. One thing I need to work on though is telling people up front that they need to stop saying these things to me instead of just issuing back a sarcastic remark because I honestly think that after all the times I've said things like "Oh thank you for pointing out I'm short. I've never noticed or ever been informed of this" they think I'm just letting it roll off and I'm playing along. I still think a person with some kind of common courtesy or common sense would see that it gets old.
Ok moving on. I forgot what my 4th point was.
Oh.
4) This is going to sound stupid lol and cheesy, but my self confidence when it comes to talking to boys and even feeling attractive or like a guy would even want to date me has definitely changed. Because, yes, I did meet somebody who made me feel this way and well, nothing's official but we will see what happens.
5) Looking at the time right now, and judging by how things have been the past like 2 weeks, my sleeping habits have definitely changed!
6) Thankfulness for family. It was always there, but it has just definitely increased.
7) You really can't automatically think you know someone until you really get to know them better. Some of these things are common sense, but once you live a little, it really becomes true.
Oh, one thing I was very surprised that did not happen was that I never had a true moment of wanting to go home at the very beginning. I was pretty nervous the last couple of days before I left. I did have a little sense of feeling overwhelmed at first, but I quickly calmed down and started going with the flow and making friends.
Alright...well I guess I can't really think of anything else I have gotten out of this experience at the moment. It's late. At least I am done with finals!! Woohoo! I will probably write more tomorrow about other thoughts about the semester and what not. I hope this blog didn't scare anybody, but I guess I just wanted to share a little more emotion in this than the same old "I did this, and I did that" travel type of blog it's been most of the semester. As much as I complained, I truly have met some great people here and have had so much fun, and I know that the reason people act that way isn't my problem. :)
Cheers!
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Killarney's Lakes So Blue
Ah, finals week. Well, actually this is the 2nd week that finals have been taking place. My Folklore one went rather well, and my next one is Tuesday for my sociology module called Inequality and Exclusion. I am considering it my most difficult one because the lecturer is a rather intellectual guy (you may not guess that when you first look at him because he has a very laid back wardrobe) but I studied quite a bit today, and I'm starting to feel better and better about it.
Anyway, it was probably last Wednesday that Liz Facebooked me and asked if I'd been to Killarney yet. It was perfect--I'd been hoping to make it to Killarney before I left because I'd always heard it was supposed to be one of the most beautiful parts of Ireland. Ellen and Julie went there the day I decided I should probably go to all of my classes...and it was part of my mom's tour, but she didn't make it there till the night before they left. :( We decided to just make a day trip out of it for this past Saturday.
Turns out that Kathleen and the other girls were planning on going that day also! It ended up just being her, Lily and Katie W. Colleen and Kaitlyn weren't feeling great that day. We headed out at about 10:30 that morning. It was only about a 2 hour bus ride--felt so much shorter than the trip to Dublin that we'd been making multiple times over the past couple of months to get to the airport. After eating lunch outside the bus station/shopping center, we headed out to Killarney National Park. Kathleen, Katie, and Lily rented bikes, but Liz and I hadn't brought much money with us and we are both the same in that we are trying to scrimp on as much as possible these last couple weeks. We left the other three girls at the rent-a-bike shop and headed out to the park. We thought we were making good time and were feeling pretty good until we saw the other girls zoom by us on their bicycles. After a little while we were like "I wonder where they're at now, while we were still wandering down the main road to the entrance of the park. We found it soon enough though. We spotted a tire swing and a little area that you could walk right out to the lake. The tire swing looked a little dilapidated and sketchy, but I put a little weight on it and it seemed to be ok. The lake was absolutely beautiful.
We continued along the walking path and came along Muckross Abbey. I really liked Hore Abbey in Cashel, but this one was cool because it had multiple levels, and it seemed like we just kept discovering more and more of it. One of the rooms was really dark and almost a little creepy, but it was really cool. For the most part, the doorways were really small. It didn't really matter for me, being a little person, but Liz who is pretty tall, had to duck to get through them all. Maybe there really are leprechauns in Ireland!
We circled the premises of the Abbey and found a trail that went behind it, and thought we had made some fascinating discovery that not that many people who came to the park saw, but after walking down it for a few minutes realized it wasn't that cool, so we turned around and just kept going along the main path of the park. We saw the Muckross House, which was a fancy looking Victorian looking house. I guess you can tour it, but we didn't know if it cost anything, so we just went back down to the lake, and then kept walking. I was hoping to see the Torc Waterfall, because many people recommended seeing it. We were afraid we wouldn't have enough time to walk to the waterfall and all the way back in to town. We kept going though, and made it there with plenty of time to spare! And oddly enough, when we got to the waterfall, Kathleen, Lily and Katie were there too! It was rather funny because Liz and I for most of the time were walking around and kept listing the reasons why we were glad we were walking and just trying to make it seem like we wished we hadn't just rented the bikes. In the end though, we still made it to the waterfall, so I didn't feel like we missed out on too much. Liz and I were proud of ourselves for saving ourselves some money and still seeing some cool things in the park. We took a few pictures at the waterfall, and then decided to just turn around and take our time getting back in to town so we could catch the last bus back to Limerick at 6 PM. We were both hungry and super thirsty and we went to the first Spar (European convenience store) we saw on the road. I got a lemonade and Liz got a 2 liter bottle of water! We walked for about another 15-20 minutes to the bus station. I had a really good panini at the coffee shop in the bus station. The other girls met up with us after returning their bikes and then we were off to Limerick. I'm really happy I made it to Killarney and got to have at least one more trip. 9 days till I leave. I'm excited to go home but sad to leave. I think the hard thing is knowing I can't just come back and visit whenever I feel like it. Sigh. What a wonderful, thrilling, challenging, enlightening semester this has been! I wouldn't trade it for anything!
And now for the rest of the Killarney/Torc Waterfall pictures!
Muckross House
Torc Waterfall
Anyway, it was probably last Wednesday that Liz Facebooked me and asked if I'd been to Killarney yet. It was perfect--I'd been hoping to make it to Killarney before I left because I'd always heard it was supposed to be one of the most beautiful parts of Ireland. Ellen and Julie went there the day I decided I should probably go to all of my classes...and it was part of my mom's tour, but she didn't make it there till the night before they left. :( We decided to just make a day trip out of it for this past Saturday.
Turns out that Kathleen and the other girls were planning on going that day also! It ended up just being her, Lily and Katie W. Colleen and Kaitlyn weren't feeling great that day. We headed out at about 10:30 that morning. It was only about a 2 hour bus ride--felt so much shorter than the trip to Dublin that we'd been making multiple times over the past couple of months to get to the airport. After eating lunch outside the bus station/shopping center, we headed out to Killarney National Park. Kathleen, Katie, and Lily rented bikes, but Liz and I hadn't brought much money with us and we are both the same in that we are trying to scrimp on as much as possible these last couple weeks. We left the other three girls at the rent-a-bike shop and headed out to the park. We thought we were making good time and were feeling pretty good until we saw the other girls zoom by us on their bicycles. After a little while we were like "I wonder where they're at now, while we were still wandering down the main road to the entrance of the park. We found it soon enough though. We spotted a tire swing and a little area that you could walk right out to the lake. The tire swing looked a little dilapidated and sketchy, but I put a little weight on it and it seemed to be ok. The lake was absolutely beautiful.
We continued along the walking path and came along Muckross Abbey. I really liked Hore Abbey in Cashel, but this one was cool because it had multiple levels, and it seemed like we just kept discovering more and more of it. One of the rooms was really dark and almost a little creepy, but it was really cool. For the most part, the doorways were really small. It didn't really matter for me, being a little person, but Liz who is pretty tall, had to duck to get through them all. Maybe there really are leprechauns in Ireland!
We circled the premises of the Abbey and found a trail that went behind it, and thought we had made some fascinating discovery that not that many people who came to the park saw, but after walking down it for a few minutes realized it wasn't that cool, so we turned around and just kept going along the main path of the park. We saw the Muckross House, which was a fancy looking Victorian looking house. I guess you can tour it, but we didn't know if it cost anything, so we just went back down to the lake, and then kept walking. I was hoping to see the Torc Waterfall, because many people recommended seeing it. We were afraid we wouldn't have enough time to walk to the waterfall and all the way back in to town. We kept going though, and made it there with plenty of time to spare! And oddly enough, when we got to the waterfall, Kathleen, Lily and Katie were there too! It was rather funny because Liz and I for most of the time were walking around and kept listing the reasons why we were glad we were walking and just trying to make it seem like we wished we hadn't just rented the bikes. In the end though, we still made it to the waterfall, so I didn't feel like we missed out on too much. Liz and I were proud of ourselves for saving ourselves some money and still seeing some cool things in the park. We took a few pictures at the waterfall, and then decided to just turn around and take our time getting back in to town so we could catch the last bus back to Limerick at 6 PM. We were both hungry and super thirsty and we went to the first Spar (European convenience store) we saw on the road. I got a lemonade and Liz got a 2 liter bottle of water! We walked for about another 15-20 minutes to the bus station. I had a really good panini at the coffee shop in the bus station. The other girls met up with us after returning their bikes and then we were off to Limerick. I'm really happy I made it to Killarney and got to have at least one more trip. 9 days till I leave. I'm excited to go home but sad to leave. I think the hard thing is knowing I can't just come back and visit whenever I feel like it. Sigh. What a wonderful, thrilling, challenging, enlightening semester this has been! I wouldn't trade it for anything!And now for the rest of the Killarney/Torc Waterfall pictures!
Muckross House
Torc Waterfall
Monday, May 3, 2010
Wild Wicklow
Hello!
This past week was Reading Week, which is basically a study week. I spent the week studying for Folklore, which is my first final tomorrow at 9 AM. All of my finals are essay exams, which really sucks. On all of them we have the option of picking like 2 questions out of like 7 or 8 and they say it should be an hour for each question. Yeah, right. I highly doubt I can write for an hour straight!
A lot of international students went traveling around Europe over Reading Week, such as Kathleen and the other Eau Claire girls, but I just took what is most likely one of my last trips around Ireland of the semester. It's so sad to think that, but the money situation is looking bleaker and bleaker with each trip to the ATM.
On Friday morning I boarded a bus to Dublin with Katie Roz, Amanda, Erin, Liz, and Amanda's friend Carolyn from Virginia. As usual, I passed out on the bus pretty quickly. We got to Dublin mid-afternoon and went to Carroll's, an Irish gift store with really good prices. All semester we had been saying "Eh, we don't need all that crap" but with the end of the semester quickly approaching we went and stocked up on all kind of Irish memorabilia. I got a Guinness pint glass (I was too chicken to snatch one from a pub) a shot glass, coffee mug, and a canvas bag. Next, we were off to find out hostel called Barnacles, which was in the Temple Bar area. It was a pretty nice hostel--we had a 6 person room so no other creepers! We also had a full bathroom in our room which was really nice. It was still only 18 Euro for the night which isn't bad at all. Ironically though, I didn't bring any shower stuff for this trip since it was just an overnight and this was the first hostel I'd stayed in with a full bathroom in our room! After getting all checked in and dropping off our stuff, we headed out to dinner. We ate at a cafe around the corner from the hostel. They had a burger and fry special for 4.50 Euro only! I also got a chocolate milkshake that was absolutely heavenly. After dinner we went to a convenience store to get some snacks and stuff and then we went back to the hostel. It poured on Friday and I was glad to have shoes that didn't have holes in them. What I really should have been wearing were the rain boots, or as they are known here, "wellies" but I always forget about them! The one time they got serious use was back in Dingle. Anyway, we headed back to Barnacles and decided to check out a movie from the front desk. We ended up getting The Departed (Irish theme!) Katie, Amanda and Carolyn hadn't seen it. Being the Leo buff I am, had seen it once or twice...or more perhaps :) We went up to the common room and popped it in. A couple of guys walked in later and were like "Hey...they're watching the Departed" and sat down and watched it with us.
SATURDAY
Katie got us all startled when she shot out of bed and freaked out that we had overslept. I was really confused because like 3 of us set our alarms so don't know how that could have been possible but it definitely got my heart pounding! We quickly figured out we still had like another half hour or so to sleep, and then we got ready, ate some breakfast in the hostel kitchen, and then checked out. It was only a short walk to where the tour bus picked us up.
Our tour we had booked was called Wild Wicklow and it was supposed to be one of the better tours of the Wicklow mountains. Our bus driver was really funny. He asked if anyone that morning was hungover and a few people raised their hands, including a girl in a brown Northface shirt. Well, shortly after taking off, she went up and got what definitely looked like a barf bag. We stopped at Dun Laoghaire (Dun Leery) port and looked around for a little while, but after getting back on the bus Liz and I looked over and she was leaning over the bag. Rough morning.
Dun Laoghaire
After getting back on the bus and heading out in to the mountains, the girl who threw up, who I nicknamed Barfy McBarfster and will refer to her as that from now on, move up to the front seat. Pretty soon, though the bus suddenly stopped, and Barfy was gone, and I presume she was throwing up on the side of the road. What a terrible day to be taking a tour of mountains with winding roads!
Well, we finally got to the Wicklow Mountain National Park. It was beautiful. The weather was still cloudy and rainy, but I wasn't too disheartened. It's Ireland after all, and I think we got super lucky this semester with not having too much rain on our trips! To give a background of the park, it is used a lot for making movies like Braveheart, Leap Year, a few other movies he named off I'd never heard of, and of course, P.S. I Love You. The big joke this weekend was that we were hoping to find Gerard Butler. We also saw the estate of a member of the Guinness family, a 70-year-old cousin who is also an eligible bachelor!
Guinness Estate
This past week was Reading Week, which is basically a study week. I spent the week studying for Folklore, which is my first final tomorrow at 9 AM. All of my finals are essay exams, which really sucks. On all of them we have the option of picking like 2 questions out of like 7 or 8 and they say it should be an hour for each question. Yeah, right. I highly doubt I can write for an hour straight!
A lot of international students went traveling around Europe over Reading Week, such as Kathleen and the other Eau Claire girls, but I just took what is most likely one of my last trips around Ireland of the semester. It's so sad to think that, but the money situation is looking bleaker and bleaker with each trip to the ATM.
On Friday morning I boarded a bus to Dublin with Katie Roz, Amanda, Erin, Liz, and Amanda's friend Carolyn from Virginia. As usual, I passed out on the bus pretty quickly. We got to Dublin mid-afternoon and went to Carroll's, an Irish gift store with really good prices. All semester we had been saying "Eh, we don't need all that crap" but with the end of the semester quickly approaching we went and stocked up on all kind of Irish memorabilia. I got a Guinness pint glass (I was too chicken to snatch one from a pub) a shot glass, coffee mug, and a canvas bag. Next, we were off to find out hostel called Barnacles, which was in the Temple Bar area. It was a pretty nice hostel--we had a 6 person room so no other creepers! We also had a full bathroom in our room which was really nice. It was still only 18 Euro for the night which isn't bad at all. Ironically though, I didn't bring any shower stuff for this trip since it was just an overnight and this was the first hostel I'd stayed in with a full bathroom in our room! After getting all checked in and dropping off our stuff, we headed out to dinner. We ate at a cafe around the corner from the hostel. They had a burger and fry special for 4.50 Euro only! I also got a chocolate milkshake that was absolutely heavenly. After dinner we went to a convenience store to get some snacks and stuff and then we went back to the hostel. It poured on Friday and I was glad to have shoes that didn't have holes in them. What I really should have been wearing were the rain boots, or as they are known here, "wellies" but I always forget about them! The one time they got serious use was back in Dingle. Anyway, we headed back to Barnacles and decided to check out a movie from the front desk. We ended up getting The Departed (Irish theme!) Katie, Amanda and Carolyn hadn't seen it. Being the Leo buff I am, had seen it once or twice...or more perhaps :) We went up to the common room and popped it in. A couple of guys walked in later and were like "Hey...they're watching the Departed" and sat down and watched it with us.
SATURDAY
Katie got us all startled when she shot out of bed and freaked out that we had overslept. I was really confused because like 3 of us set our alarms so don't know how that could have been possible but it definitely got my heart pounding! We quickly figured out we still had like another half hour or so to sleep, and then we got ready, ate some breakfast in the hostel kitchen, and then checked out. It was only a short walk to where the tour bus picked us up.
Our tour we had booked was called Wild Wicklow and it was supposed to be one of the better tours of the Wicklow mountains. Our bus driver was really funny. He asked if anyone that morning was hungover and a few people raised their hands, including a girl in a brown Northface shirt. Well, shortly after taking off, she went up and got what definitely looked like a barf bag. We stopped at Dun Laoghaire (Dun Leery) port and looked around for a little while, but after getting back on the bus Liz and I looked over and she was leaning over the bag. Rough morning.
Dun Laoghaire 
After getting back on the bus and heading out in to the mountains, the girl who threw up, who I nicknamed Barfy McBarfster and will refer to her as that from now on, move up to the front seat. Pretty soon, though the bus suddenly stopped, and Barfy was gone, and I presume she was throwing up on the side of the road. What a terrible day to be taking a tour of mountains with winding roads!Well, we finally got to the Wicklow Mountain National Park. It was beautiful. The weather was still cloudy and rainy, but I wasn't too disheartened. It's Ireland after all, and I think we got super lucky this semester with not having too much rain on our trips! To give a background of the park, it is used a lot for making movies like Braveheart, Leap Year, a few other movies he named off I'd never heard of, and of course, P.S. I Love You. The big joke this weekend was that we were hoping to find Gerard Butler. We also saw the estate of a member of the Guinness family, a 70-year-old cousin who is also an eligible bachelor!
Guinness Estate After driving through the mountains some more, we stopped for lunch at a pub in a small little village, the highest village in Ireland. I had vegetable soup and mashed potatoes and a roll. I like the vegetable soup here--it's puree and I just really like that.
Our next stop after lunch was Glendalough. (Glen-duh-lock) The bus driver walked us over to the really old graveyard. He said there are just a small number of people who have yet to die and will be buried in that graveyard, and once they are all buried, the graveyard is done. St. Kevin's Cross was in the graveyard, which is the oldest Celtic cross in Europe. This is when it really started to rain. Then, we had about an hour and a half to explore the Glendalough area ourselves. There are two lakes: the Upper Lake and the Lower Lake. Before heading out to find the upper Lake, I walked through the graveyard and over to the fence where sheep were grazing. I got a few nice pictures, including a really cute one of a lamb!
Glendalough watch tower
We followed the trail through the trees and found the lake. It was so beautiful. It reminded me of my trip through the Hobnailers group at Eau Claire when we went backpacking in the Porcupine Mountains in Michigan.
When we got back on the bus after our time at Glendalough was done, the bus driver had shots of Jameson Whiskey for us (none for himself) I'm not sure if Barfy had one--probably wouldn't have been a good idea. I'm not a huge fan of whiskey, but drank it anyway. Hey,it was free. We headed back to Dublin. It was another fast bus ride for me seeing as I passed out. Lately when I've been falling asleep on buses, my head just falls to the side and it's really uncomfortable!
We had about an hour or so in Dublin before our bus to Limerick left. A few of the girls stopped and got a light supper, but I actually resisted this time and saved a little money. We were back in Limerick at about 9:30. It was a really nice potentially last trip. I haven't been to Ring of Kerry or Killarney yet, but I don't know to do that for cheap. I don't really want to attempt to drive. Even though I went to a lot of places in Ireland, I still feel like there's so much to see!! I can't believe I leave in 16 days. My first final is tomorrow at 9 AM for Folklore, so I better start studying some more.
Cheers!
Our next stop after lunch was Glendalough. (Glen-duh-lock) The bus driver walked us over to the really old graveyard. He said there are just a small number of people who have yet to die and will be buried in that graveyard, and once they are all buried, the graveyard is done. St. Kevin's Cross was in the graveyard, which is the oldest Celtic cross in Europe. This is when it really started to rain. Then, we had about an hour and a half to explore the Glendalough area ourselves. There are two lakes: the Upper Lake and the Lower Lake. Before heading out to find the upper Lake, I walked through the graveyard and over to the fence where sheep were grazing. I got a few nice pictures, including a really cute one of a lamb!
Glendalough watch tower
We followed the trail through the trees and found the lake. It was so beautiful. It reminded me of my trip through the Hobnailers group at Eau Claire when we went backpacking in the Porcupine Mountains in Michigan.
When we got back on the bus after our time at Glendalough was done, the bus driver had shots of Jameson Whiskey for us (none for himself) I'm not sure if Barfy had one--probably wouldn't have been a good idea. I'm not a huge fan of whiskey, but drank it anyway. Hey,it was free. We headed back to Dublin. It was another fast bus ride for me seeing as I passed out. Lately when I've been falling asleep on buses, my head just falls to the side and it's really uncomfortable!We had about an hour or so in Dublin before our bus to Limerick left. A few of the girls stopped and got a light supper, but I actually resisted this time and saved a little money. We were back in Limerick at about 9:30. It was a really nice potentially last trip. I haven't been to Ring of Kerry or Killarney yet, but I don't know to do that for cheap. I don't really want to attempt to drive. Even though I went to a lot of places in Ireland, I still feel like there's so much to see!! I can't believe I leave in 16 days. My first final is tomorrow at 9 AM for Folklore, so I better start studying some more.
Cheers!
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
When in Rome
As I mentioned at the end of my last entry, the plan for the weekend of April 23-25 was to head south to Rome. We crossed our fingers that the skies opened up again after the epic eruption of Eyjafjallajökull. Then even after things started to sound more optimistic that we'd make it out, we were slightly worried that we'd get to Rome, but not get back, because then it was in the news that one of the other volcanoes could possibly erupt!
Well, Thursday night rolled around and we were still going forward with our plans. As far as we knew our flight was still on schedule. Katie Roz actually backed out at first, but after having a productive evening working on her paper, decided to take a chance and risk getting stranded :) We headed out on the late night bus and were at Dublin Airport at about 4:30 AM. Our flight left bright and early at 6:30 AM.
When we got to Rome it was raining. This was not good--the tennis shoes I had packed were starting to fall apart and there were huge holes in the bottoms. And seeing as it rained almost all day Friday, my feet were SOAKED at the end.
Anywho, after we got in to the city from the airport, I called my friend Lindsey from UWEC who is studying abroad there this semester. Upon hearing I was going to be in Rome, she offered to show us around and have dinner! We met up at the train station near our hostel and she took us to the Colosseum. She was a fountain of information--how she remembered all that information astounded me. And we came at the perfect time because it was Culture Week and a lot of places were free to get in to--including the Colosseum! Woot woot! Last week was also Rome's 2,763 birthday!!
The Forum
After the Colosseum, we went to check in to our hostel. The place was called the Overseas B&B. The office was super tiny and the guy at the desk went to take us to our room, which was actually located in a building around the corner on the next street over! We were wondering where he was taking us! The elevator was super tiny and wouldn't close because we had too much stuff in it, so we had to take the stairs. We were in room 401, but it felt like way more than just 4 flights of stairs! The room wasn't too bad. We were in a 4 person so didn't have to worry about sharing it with any creepers. After getting our stuff settled in, we went to Lindsey's neighborhood and she took us to her favorite gelato place. It was delicious!!! and only 1.50 for a cone with up to 3 flavors! Good deal!
Our next stops were Trevi's Fountain, the Pantheon, and then the Spanish steps. The steps were beautiful and decorated with hundreds of pink flowers! Trevi's fountain was amazing too.
The Pantheon
The Pantheon
Fontana di Trevi
Purrrdy
Lindsey= Rome Expert!
Next, Lindsey took us to one of her favorite restaurants in Rome, La Fate (The Fairy) For 10 Euro, we got a 3 course meal: a delicious appetizer, some pesto pasta (my favorite) and a nutella tart dessert. Oh, and not to mention wine :) It was a phenomenal day in Rome, despite being rainy and we were so grateful for Lindsey for all the places she showed us! She got us on the bus we needed to get back to our hostel. I showered, got ready for bed and then was out!!
SATURDAY.
We were woken up at 8:30 by our breakfast delivery provided by the hostel (we had requested that time!) It was croissants and OJ and little cake things. We were all really tired, and unanimously agreed it'd be awesome if we slept a little longer. We ended up not getting out of bed till 10:15! we quickly got ready and then headed down to the metro and got in line for the Vatican Museum...which was super long! We probably waited for 40 minutes. I had thought the Vatican museum was going to be all about Catholicism and all of the Popes but little did I know it was Art...and the location of the Sistine Chapel haha. Shows how much I know. Some of the statues were pretty cool, and the other art work, but like the Louvre, it all started to look the same after awhile. We were there for probably 3 hours. The Sistine Chapel, which was more towards the end of our visit, was INTENSE. I figured there would be a possibility of no pictures--which Yes, was the case, but you're not supposed to really talk at all. There were guards that kept Shushing everybody. I saw one lady leaning back to take a picture and a guard came over and chewed her out and asked her if she wanted to get kicked out. It was nuts.
After leaving the Vatican, we grabbed some pasta at a restaurant nearby. For some reason all I wanted to do was eat...it may have been PMS but it may have also been because we were in a country known for its delicious food! When we left I was really excited for it to be time to eat again. We had talked about going to a restaurant Katie's friend Beth that I met in Paris had been to when she was in Rome that had delicious tirimasu. That would have to wait however, because our next stop was St. Peter's Basilica. It was beautiful. I had a bit of a blasphemous moment, however. There was a service going on while we were there and there was a priest who was dressed in white, which I'm sure is the general apparel for the priests in Italy, but I said to Katie, "Is that the Pope?" and she said "No" and I said (in a whisper, mind you) "DAMN!" and then immediately placed my hand over my mouth and mentally prayed for forgiveness.
After checking out the inside of the church, we headed up the stairs to the dome. CRAZIEST SET OF STAIRS EVER. There were multiple different kinds, long ones that were used for horses (why there would be horses inside going up and down the stairs I'll never know) Towards the top they got really narrow and part of the wall slanted over us so we had to go sideways. I was really huffing and puffing towards the end and I thought I was going to keel over. The view was well worth it though. I couldn't help but think while I stood and leaned on the railing, "Little Katie Andrist, from little old Elk Mound, Wisconsin, is looking at almost all of Rome right now." I just honestly can't believe this has happened to me, and that I've gone to all these amazing places. I am very near being broke financially right now, but seriously, it's been worth it because I will never have a chance to go to this many cool places for the prices that I have ever again, and I would have never met all the people I met this semester.
Anyway...I'll save the reminiscing, what-I've-learned-and-how-I've-changed sentimentality for another entry. Here are some pictures from the top of the dome.
After the dome, we headed out to find Katie's tiramisu (how do you even spell that?! My Firefox spell check keeps underlining it) restaurant. On the way, we passed a little market with a bunch of stands. I ended up buying a bracelet with letter beads and it says Italia. It was only 3 Euro and was really cool. It looks like something I could have made myself...haha. We found the restaurant, which was a pizzeria. The cutest old Italian man ever worked there. The pizza was really good, as was the bruschetta we ordered, along with the free bread wedges the guy gave us, the wine and tiramisu! You'd think after having that big of a meal we'd be done eating--but no--we tracked down the gelato place Lindsey took us to the night earlier. It was still delicious the 2nd time. I got a flavor called something like Chocolate Fondue, and it was sooo good and dark but very drippy. I ended up with chocolate all over my face. We caught the bus at the same stop and headed back to the hostel.
Our flight Sunday left at 10:55 AM. It was nice to not have to crash at the airport this time. Katie headed off to Poland. I am a little sad I didn't make it to Poland because I had really wanted to see Auschwitz, but I can't really complain. I still find it hard to believe I can say I've been to Rome. All these places used to seem so far away and unattainable. Oh boy. Here I go again!
This week is Reading Week...our lectures have ended and finals start next week. I have started studying, maybe not as much as I should. All my finals are essay exams...yuck! Luckily I know for the most part exactly what questions will be on them and I can pick which ones I want to do, so that should make studying less of a challenge than trying to cram everything in to my brain.
This weekend a big group of us are going to the Wicklow Mountains, where Braveheart and like, omg...PS I LOVE YOU was filmed. We are going to Dublin Friday to do a little souvenir shopping because they actually have shops with decent prices, spending the night in a hostel, and then doing a tour Saturday and then heading back Saturday night.
oh and ps. I ended up throwing my shoes out...they got so wet from the rain and smelled really bad and the bottoms were just completely obliterated!
Ciao!
Well, Thursday night rolled around and we were still going forward with our plans. As far as we knew our flight was still on schedule. Katie Roz actually backed out at first, but after having a productive evening working on her paper, decided to take a chance and risk getting stranded :) We headed out on the late night bus and were at Dublin Airport at about 4:30 AM. Our flight left bright and early at 6:30 AM.
When we got to Rome it was raining. This was not good--the tennis shoes I had packed were starting to fall apart and there were huge holes in the bottoms. And seeing as it rained almost all day Friday, my feet were SOAKED at the end.
Anywho, after we got in to the city from the airport, I called my friend Lindsey from UWEC who is studying abroad there this semester. Upon hearing I was going to be in Rome, she offered to show us around and have dinner! We met up at the train station near our hostel and she took us to the Colosseum. She was a fountain of information--how she remembered all that information astounded me. And we came at the perfect time because it was Culture Week and a lot of places were free to get in to--including the Colosseum! Woot woot! Last week was also Rome's 2,763 birthday!!
The Forum 
After the Colosseum, we went to check in to our hostel. The place was called the Overseas B&B. The office was super tiny and the guy at the desk went to take us to our room, which was actually located in a building around the corner on the next street over! We were wondering where he was taking us! The elevator was super tiny and wouldn't close because we had too much stuff in it, so we had to take the stairs. We were in room 401, but it felt like way more than just 4 flights of stairs! The room wasn't too bad. We were in a 4 person so didn't have to worry about sharing it with any creepers. After getting our stuff settled in, we went to Lindsey's neighborhood and she took us to her favorite gelato place. It was delicious!!! and only 1.50 for a cone with up to 3 flavors! Good deal!
Our next stops were Trevi's Fountain, the Pantheon, and then the Spanish steps. The steps were beautiful and decorated with hundreds of pink flowers! Trevi's fountain was amazing too.
The Pantheon
The Pantheon
Fontana di Trevi
Purrrdy
Lindsey= Rome Expert!Next, Lindsey took us to one of her favorite restaurants in Rome, La Fate (The Fairy) For 10 Euro, we got a 3 course meal: a delicious appetizer, some pesto pasta (my favorite) and a nutella tart dessert. Oh, and not to mention wine :) It was a phenomenal day in Rome, despite being rainy and we were so grateful for Lindsey for all the places she showed us! She got us on the bus we needed to get back to our hostel. I showered, got ready for bed and then was out!!
SATURDAY.
After leaving the Vatican, we grabbed some pasta at a restaurant nearby. For some reason all I wanted to do was eat...it may have been PMS but it may have also been because we were in a country known for its delicious food! When we left I was really excited for it to be time to eat again. We had talked about going to a restaurant Katie's friend Beth that I met in Paris had been to when she was in Rome that had delicious tirimasu. That would have to wait however, because our next stop was St. Peter's Basilica. It was beautiful. I had a bit of a blasphemous moment, however. There was a service going on while we were there and there was a priest who was dressed in white, which I'm sure is the general apparel for the priests in Italy, but I said to Katie, "Is that the Pope?" and she said "No" and I said (in a whisper, mind you) "DAMN!" and then immediately placed my hand over my mouth and mentally prayed for forgiveness.After checking out the inside of the church, we headed up the stairs to the dome. CRAZIEST SET OF STAIRS EVER. There were multiple different kinds, long ones that were used for horses (why there would be horses inside going up and down the stairs I'll never know) Towards the top they got really narrow and part of the wall slanted over us so we had to go sideways. I was really huffing and puffing towards the end and I thought I was going to keel over. The view was well worth it though. I couldn't help but think while I stood and leaned on the railing, "Little Katie Andrist, from little old Elk Mound, Wisconsin, is looking at almost all of Rome right now." I just honestly can't believe this has happened to me, and that I've gone to all these amazing places. I am very near being broke financially right now, but seriously, it's been worth it because I will never have a chance to go to this many cool places for the prices that I have ever again, and I would have never met all the people I met this semester.
Anyway...I'll save the reminiscing, what-I've-learned-and-how-I've-changed sentimentality for another entry. Here are some pictures from the top of the dome.
After the dome, we headed out to find Katie's tiramisu (how do you even spell that?! My Firefox spell check keeps underlining it) restaurant. On the way, we passed a little market with a bunch of stands. I ended up buying a bracelet with letter beads and it says Italia. It was only 3 Euro and was really cool. It looks like something I could have made myself...haha. We found the restaurant, which was a pizzeria. The cutest old Italian man ever worked there. The pizza was really good, as was the bruschetta we ordered, along with the free bread wedges the guy gave us, the wine and tiramisu! You'd think after having that big of a meal we'd be done eating--but no--we tracked down the gelato place Lindsey took us to the night earlier. It was still delicious the 2nd time. I got a flavor called something like Chocolate Fondue, and it was sooo good and dark but very drippy. I ended up with chocolate all over my face. We caught the bus at the same stop and headed back to the hostel. Our flight Sunday left at 10:55 AM. It was nice to not have to crash at the airport this time. Katie headed off to Poland. I am a little sad I didn't make it to Poland because I had really wanted to see Auschwitz, but I can't really complain. I still find it hard to believe I can say I've been to Rome. All these places used to seem so far away and unattainable. Oh boy. Here I go again!
This week is Reading Week...our lectures have ended and finals start next week. I have started studying, maybe not as much as I should. All my finals are essay exams...yuck! Luckily I know for the most part exactly what questions will be on them and I can pick which ones I want to do, so that should make studying less of a challenge than trying to cram everything in to my brain.
This weekend a big group of us are going to the Wicklow Mountains, where Braveheart and like, omg...PS I LOVE YOU was filmed. We are going to Dublin Friday to do a little souvenir shopping because they actually have shops with decent prices, spending the night in a hostel, and then doing a tour Saturday and then heading back Saturday night.
oh and ps. I ended up throwing my shoes out...they got so wet from the rain and smelled really bad and the bottoms were just completely obliterated!
Ciao!
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