Glimpse of Harmony

<3

Sun, 29 Apr 2012 02:29:20 -0400

Missing Ireland so so much.

Sun, 05 Feb 2012 14:47:39 -0500

Missing Ireland so so much.

Paris, Day 2!

Fri, 16 Dec 2011 18:39:37 -0500

Sorry it has taken me such a long time to update my blog! I’ll definitely explain why in a later post. But I MUST continue my blog on these wonderful trips! So Paris, day 2! I woke up extra early so that I could get to the Louvre in time, because it gets so crowded so quickly. But before that, I needed a well-rounded breakfast! Our hostel, the St. Christopher’s gave us such an amazing breakfast. FRESH BAGUETTES! I mean come on, freshly baked french bread, what’s better than that? And also, it came with their own version of Nutella which was simply delicious. We also had rice krispies, different types of juices and more! Probably one of the best hostel breakfasts I have ever had for sure!

After that we were off to the Louvre! A metro stop here and there and we finally arrived. I was so excited because I love museums so much. Not many of my friends like art or have that appreciation the way I do, so it’s nice to be going to an attraction like this. AND this place has some of the most famous art around the world. A win-win in my eyes. Just a heads up, if you ever want to travel to Europe, make sure you bring your student ID card because a lot of things are FREE! I got into the Louvre for free because I was a European student. That was a nice surprise. So the Louvre, besides the outstanding outside architecture, you would never guess that the inside is so big! They have different levels for different featured pieces. You could wander around for hours but of course we had other things to see so we had to pick the pieces we wanted to see the most. Of course that includes…the Mona Lisa! I have to say that the Mona Lisa is definitely a beautiful piece of work, but it was kind of a letdown. It’s encased in this glass box and it’s surprisingly small! But it was really great to see the famous artwork. It’s unfortunate that people miss some of the other artwork in that room. Like for example, there is a giant wall-to-floor painting right behind the Mona Lisa, but no one ever notices it because it’s overshadowed! Well I have to say all the pieces I saw in that building were amazing. The statues, the paintings, the sculptures… wonderful. And my personal favorite part of museums that people forget about, the ceilings. The ceilings and the architecture was just fascinating that you can’t help but stare when you see the layout of the museums. I absolutely loved the Louvre and I would definitely go back!

After the museum, I was craving a pastry! And there’s this popular company named “Paul” that I heard was great. Luckily enough, there was a stand right outside the Louvre. I got a “Pain Au Pommes” which is basically an Apple Pastry/Turnover. It was DELICIOUS! One of my favorite memories from this trip…sitting on the grass in the 60 degree sunny weather and eating my apple pastry. I had the life! My next stop was: Notre Dame!

By far, one of the best landmarks I have ever been to was the Notre Dame. First of all the outside is beautiful! I really have no idea how people built such amazing structures like these. The imagination and the innovation is phenomenal! When I walked in, my breath was taken away. The high ceilings, the archways, and the stained glass windows were wonderful. There was a service just ending and the music was playing which just added to the overall effect. The organ along with the choir, it was the perfect moment to walk in on. After it was over I sat in the seats and just took everything in. There’s those moments in life where you are so overwhelmed with what’s going on you just get so emotional. And I did just that. For some reason, I teared up a bit! That’s definitely never happened to me before, but I think it was because of where I was and the amazing-ness of it all…that I began to cry. It was a really amazing moment. One of my all time favorite places that I will never forget.

After Notre Dame we decided to walk downtown a bit and see the sights. One of the places I wanted to stop and see was the Luxembourg Gardens. It’s the cutest park filled with windy paths and rows upon rows of beautiful trees. I would give anything to take a nice run through that park on a daily basis. I didn’t get a chance to walk around too much because it was huge. But when you arrive in the center of the gardens, there’s a GIANT area with seats around a gorgeous fountain. It was wonderful! People were just relaxing in the sun on their day off or on their lunch break. I could just see it now… having a cup of coffee or tea and a sandwich while sitting amongst beautiful flowers and scenery. How nice!

Then I headed allllll the way downtown to see what’s known as the Catacombes. I honestly had no idea what this place was, but Kaitlyn was dying to see it…so I thought hey I’m always up for new things! Why not? Apparently it’s this underground tomb where 6 million people’s remains are buried. Their remains are from disease and other catastrophic events. Sounded a bit much for me, but again always up for new sights. We went down I don’t even know how many steps….seemed like forever. Until we got to the bottom, and let me say… if you’re claustrophobic, do not go here! I couldn’t even believe my eyes. There were literally skulls 1 foot away from my face. Piles of bones and everything! It was arranged as a tribute and temple for the people, more so than what everyone originally thought…just a place to get rid of the remains. It was an interesting story nonetheless. But a little creepy! Day 2 in Paris was jam-packed and full of the most interesting sights I have ever seen. Gosh, I love Paris.

-Katie!

Sweet, Sweet Paris! Day 1

Fri, 25 Nov 2011 14:52:58 -0500

Okay! FINALLY I can write my post about Paris! This was my first trip traveling outside of Ireland to another country. So I was definitely a bit nervous because it’s so strange how independent you become when you’re living and exploring new places. I have learned how to plan a trip pretty much on my own! You know…booking the flight, seeing what buses run where, metro stops, maps, etc! It’s a lot of work but completely worth it and I was very excited to go on my first big adventure since I first came here. And Paris was a place I have always wanted to travel to.

Our flight was pretty early Saturday morning (6:30AM) but the thing is…our flight was from Dublin airport which is a 4 hr bus drive away so I had to leave campus around 1 AM….I didn’t get much sleep haha! And I had to make sure that I had everything with me. I’ve been living out of a single backpack! So you can’t forget anything. That’s where those check lists come in handy. Our flight wasn’t too bad. Ryanair is the cheapest flight available, so a lot of students use it frequently. They are pretty reliable but you get what you pay for, no extras. As soon as we landed (1 hr flight surprisingly!) it was FREEZING! I wasn’t expecting that because I always look up the weather beforehand and it was supposed to be 60 and sunny. They just have a lot of fog in the morning. Kaitlyn and I got a bus to the city and when we arrived, wow for the first time in a long time I felt LOST. Usually I have a good sense of direction, but they just drop you off and you go. I speak NO french…maybe one or two phrases to get me by but nothing substantial. But I had no idea where the metro was, how to work it….where to ask for directions, nothing. It was a feeling I wasn’t used to, but hey that’s a good thing. I have learned from this experience that feeling uncomfortable is good. Otherwise life would be just too boring. I was determined to find this metro and when I finally did the woman at the ticket place spoke no english! Ah! Luckily, I was meeting up a group of girls in Paris and they came a day earlier, so I knew they probably had figured out the system of everything already. From a phone call or two we made our way to the Lourve to meet up the girls! Gosh, the Paris metro…one of the most confusing things ever. But when you get the hang of it, you’re golden.

We got on the right line and made it to the Louvre! On the way I also saw my first gypsy. You have to be extremely careful because pick-pocketing is really common in big cities and they are the prime suspects. But anyway, Paris is absolutely beautiful. The city (even though the natives think differently) is so clean and has so much character. What I thought was the most impressive aspect of Paris is the architecture. There’s no adjective in my mind that could do justice to the beauty of these buildings. And I first experienced that feeling when I stepped into the area by the Louvre. I met up with Ellen, Lauren and Melanie! (We went to Dublin and Blarney Castle/Cork together) We decided that we were hungry and heck…I wanted to Paris food! We stopped by a small cafe and I bought the best lunch. I got a French baguette with grilled chicken, lettuce, tomato and fresh mozzarella. AND A CHOCOLATE CROISSANT. Aka “Pain Au Chocolat”. Let’s just say I was in heaven. For all those that know me, you know I love my pastries. I told myself I’d have one or several at least every day I am in this dream-like city.

We did a bit of shopping, and to be honest every store sells the same stuff, it’s just the good deals you have to look out for. I bought some really cute gifts! And I got myself a beret which I love! Totally wearing that at home. It was such a beautiful day out and our next stop was the Arc de Triumph. I didn’t get a chance to go into the Louvre but that was for Sunday. So the Arc… when you first see this landmark it’s in the middle of a roundabout. When I first saw it, I was like “How the heck do you get there?!” Because traffic is insane and I literally for one moment thought people just had to cross it! But of course there was an underground tunnel to bring you to the middle of the traffic circle. The day beforehand it was Verterans Day and to France the celebration of the end of WWII so there was the eternal flame that was guarded by men in uniform and there was a small memorial. It was really beautiful. The Arc was also stunning. There were words engraved into the landmark and also intricate carvings. It was lovely.

After that, our next stop was the EIFFEL TOWER! Oh, I was anxiously awaiting to go there. We timed it so that we arrived just as the sun was going to set. That way we would get a beautiful view of the entire city! And oh my gosh, the line was long. I think we waited about 45 minutes which wasn’t horrible. But we saw a sign that said the top of the tower was closed. LUCKILY, when we arrived at the front of the ticket booth, they opened it up because the sun was setting! So I got to go to the very top of the Eiffel Tower! Can I just say….this structure is phenomenal. Absolutely breath-taking. From looking at it far away… to being at the very tip, thousands of feet above the ground. It was one of the most memorable moments in my traveling so far. I could just stand there for hours. And it was just getting dark so we could see all those beautiful lights. Also, at dark they turn on the lights and the Eiffel Tower twinkles for 5 minutes every hour on the hour. I was so lucky I got to see that too! It was such a magical moment. You could see pretty much the entire city and it was so romantic! I was just waiting for someone to propose or…. something! Maybe I watch too many romantic movies, haha!

It was worth every single cent. Sigh, I love Paris!

I know the girls wanted to see the Sacre-Coeur “the Sacred Heart” Cathedral, so we walked up quite a bit of steps I might add, and found it successfully! It was again another wonderful piece of work. I didn’t get a picture of the outside unfortunately because it was dark out but if you look it up, you can marvel in its beauty. And last but not least… we went to go see the Moulin Rouge! Yes! Just like in the movies. It was a very interesting street we walked on. I want to compare it to the red light district haha. Lots of strip clubs, sex shops and well, you can imagine. I kinda forgot that the Moulin Rouge is basically a burlesque/strip club because in the movie they make it seem so much more than that. But it was a good sight to see. After a very long day of traveling we were back off to our hostel the St. Christopher’s for the night. FUNNY STORY. So I am going back to the hostel. And there was a bit of mis-communication and all in all, I didn’t have a room. Yep, for the first time I didn’t have a place to stay. It was completely my fault and will NEVER happen again but wow. I was growing more and more by the minute! So my friends were so kind enough to let me sleep with them for one night because there were only 2-3 spots left and for all I know those people could have came. Then they’d have to kick me out. I was really lucky that night. Hey, no one ever said traveling was gonna be gonna go smoothly and easily! You live and you learn. And now I can laugh at it. But besides that minor bump in the road, it was a pretty fantastic day.

Katie :)

Winnie the Pooh chocolate advent calendar!

Tue, 22 Nov 2011 17:18:00 -0500

Winnie the Pooh chocolate advent calendar!

MIA!

Tue, 22 Nov 2011 17:14:55 -0500

Hey there!

I apologize for not keeping up my blog in the past couple of weeks, it’s because I have been traveling so much. (For 3 weekends in a row!) And my posts are usually so ridiculously lengthy so it takes me a while to capture everything in my experience on one posting! I decided that for my recent trips to Paris/London, I will do them in days…(so like day 1, day 2, etc) That way I don’t skip out on the good stuff!

Just to give an update on my life. This is the LAST week of classes. Wow. Can you believe it? I certainly can’t! Not too worried about my exams, I think they should be fine. Also, this week is Christmas week in the pubs. Don’t know why but this week is a BIG week for drinking amongst the Irish culture. I have been seeing people walking around in santa hats, haha! Let’s see what else. OH! This Saturday I am going to my FIRST RUGBY GAME!!!! Ahh I am so excited, it was definitely on my bucket list, and we got pretty good seats too. It’s Munster (our team) VS. Edinburgh! Should be a deadly match. Also, I bought myself an advent calendar because it’s tradition that I always buy one at home, and yes…it’s the one with the chocolates! The best kind. So I found one in my grocery store and it was Winnie the Pooh themed! :) Tomorrow is my mentor’s dinner and I am cooking my group American pancakes! Breakfast for dinner for a change. I hope they enjoy it. (They think all pancakes are crepes.)

Also, I am definitely going to miss Thanksgiving, but some girls are making a dinner on Thursday so it will be like a little taste of home <3. Can’t wait.

Katie!

Photo

Fri, 11 Nov 2011 09:38:42 -0500

I cannot believe it, I’m going to be here tomorrow....

Fri, 11 Nov 2011 09:29:36 -0500

I cannot believe it, I’m going to be here tomorrow. Paris<3

Things I Have Realized:

Thu, 10 Nov 2011 12:16:00 -0500

I like to do these little thought blurbs about Ireland just so people can get a better understanding of the culture here! So here’s some thoughts to ponder over:

1) You do NOT speak Gaelic, you speak “Irish”, misconception!

2) The Irish do not understand that apple cider without alcohol in it actually exists.

3) Christmas celebrations are filled with more drinking festivities than we think. It’s like the St. Patrick’s Day of America.

4) There are Magpies everywhere on campus. Look it up online!

5) Hurling is a national sport here. It’s like the really extreme version of field hockey. Check it out. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmzivRetelE

6) Top Shop is a popular clothing store in Europe, it’s like a high-end version of H&M. It’s pretty amazing. The ONLY Forever 21 in Ireland is in Dublin, fun fact!

7) You’ll see most of the boys wearing sports jerseys or hoodies and track pants. Girls wear the same, or look like as if they are going to a nightclub. So interesting. But they have great style!

More to come!

And...we're going in the water!

Tue, 08 Nov 2011 09:12:42 -0500

Hello all!

So this past weekend I made one of the most spontaneous decisions ever, I decided to go to Dublin for the day! It was absolutely wonderful. See the thing is…our International Office does these Flex-packs filled with coupons and entry into certain things for a set price… 7.50 EURO! I got my hands on one of these packs and thought, hey why not? So on Saturday I woke up at 4AM and was on my way to the beautiful city of Dublin!

It was nice that the bus ride was about 3-4 hours because it gave me the chance to get a bit more sleep. I went on the trip with a few girls-Ellen, Lauren and Melanie! They were the ladies I went with to Cork/the Blarney Stone. We got our taxi to the bus station in Limerick and then got picked up there. After some sleep we arrived in Dublin at about 8:30AM. And let me tell you… it was freezing. I looked up the weather beforehand and knew it was going to be sunny but it was definitely a bit chilly in the morning. Silver lining…no rain! We then walked into this tiny cafe and I bought myself a nice chocolate croissant and a berry tea. Saw splenda for the first time ever in Ireland! It was a sweet treat to start my day off right. We called beforehand for our bus tour “The Viking Splash Tours” because it was included in our package. The lady said we had to be there EXACTLY at 10:15 or else our tickets would be voided. I thought to myself…wow this is the first time the Irish have been super strict about time! (Usually everyone is on “irish time” aka always late, haha.) So we got lost for a tiny bit but then headed to St. Stephen’s Green Park where our bus would pick us up. All of a sudden we see the bus leave and we were booking it! Freaking out a bit, we asked the guy if that was our bus and WHEW it was the 10AM one, not the 10:30AM which we signed up for. Running around like crazy for nothing, haha!

Our tour bus came and it was definitely a bit odd looking. We thought that it looked like a giant boat. But on wheels! And it seemed like a fun time so we were pretty excited! And our guide was pretty enthusiastic as well. We board the bus and what is on our seats? But VIKING HATS. Cute plastic viking hats. God knows how many people actually wore these things, but hey. Why not. There were plenty of families on board, the kids were so cute. Our tour guide disclaims that during our tour we are going to have to “ARGHHHH” at people passing by because…we’re vikings! I thought that was pretty funny/cute. Our tour was really interesting, he gave us a lot of information on the city and showed us places I wouldn’t have thought to look at. For example, Oscar Wilde’s apartment! We saw St. Patrick’s Cathedral, beautiful statues (like O’Connell’s), bridges, the cliche Dublin doors, monuments and more! It was so nice getting driven around the city and his commentary was so funny. This guy was meant to do this kind of thing! And if we passed by a group of people we had to ARGH. We even did it to this couple. He was like…”look! they’re holding hands, let’s argh at them!”

Then we stopped at this boating dock and I’m like okay….I guess the tour is over? NOPE. I was kinda oblivious and didn’t really think of the concept of “Viking Splash Tours”, I just knew it was included and part of the deal. The tour guide then says, “Okay folks, now I’m going to show you how to put on your life jacket!” We were going in the WATER!!! I had no clue that part of our tour was in the Dublin canal. Apparently these buses are called “Duck Boats” because it starts as a bus and TURNS INTO A BOAT!!!! Mind blowing. I was freaking out, so great! One minute we are driving on land, the next…we’re in the canal! It was very cool. He told us some fun information about the buildings around the area. We passed by U2 & Bono’s recording studio and past some beautiful buildings. There were these weird red stick-looking pieces of art, and they were made and brought over by some artist from NY! So when he asked, I of course raised my hand! It was so nice getting that fresh air, and going on the water. Something I haven’t done in a long time. We saw a ferris wheel and a really neat ship too. Overall, it was a really great tour. I would recommend it to anyone.

Our tour bus/boat!

Melanie, Lauren and Ellen!

Our cute viking hats!

Life jackets, here we go!

U2 & Bono’s recording studio!

After our lovely tour we went to go and walk around St. Stephen’s Green Park! In my opinion it was a very small scaled down version of Central Park. There was an adorable pond with geese, seagulls, ducks, pigeons and swans! I saw this family feeding about 30 pigeons and went over to give them some bread. One minute later, the pigeon is ON MY HAND. I literally feel like a bird lady, but it was pretty cool. And totally unexpected. Trust me, I used a lot of hand sanitizer after that haha! We all took a nice stroll and it was lovely. We had sun and a clear blue sky. I saw some beautiful fountains, people walking their dogs, kids playing. It was really relaxing. After we left, we went for a little bit of shopping! I wanted to see this store called “Top Shop” which in my opinion is like an upper scaled version of H&M. It was nice and high fashion! Didn’t buy anything but it was nice to browse. Next, we walked to Grafton Street aka the place to shop. There were plenty of street performers and entertainment to go around! The girls bought some souvenirs and it was nice to relax and look at all the busy people!

St. Stephen’s Green Park

Our next stop…Trinity College and the Book of Kells! I have to say, being a tour guide at SUNY New Paltz had given me so much appreciation when looking at other colleges. We didn’t get a tour, but I did have the chance to walk around the campus and it was absolutely beautiful! The architecture was amazing and there was a lot of history to this campus. Took some beautiful pictures and after wandering a bit, we headed to the Book of Kells exhibit. There was a big section on the history of this book and anything from the material of the pages to the artwork between the lines was discussed. It was fascinating! The Book of Kells is a Gospel book from c. 800! Wow. I really appreciate museums and artifacts, so this was very very interesting. Seeing the book was amazing, I wish I could have taken pictures of it! Then the exhibit led into the Old Library. AH. I wish I had this library in my home. It looked like that scene from Beauty and the Beast where Belle is given that giant library with moving ladders and collections from the ceiling to the floor. It was gorgeous. I sneaked a picture in too. (I know I’m a rebel!)

Our next stop was a place I have ALWAYS wanted to go to…The Guinness Factory! Never thought I would grow to like Guinness because it’s such a dark beer, but I am starting to enjoy the taste. The factory is a bit far from the heart of the city, but it was well worth the walk! We got our student discounts and began the tour. It was pretty amazing. Not only did you see all the various types of ingredients put into a glass of Guinness, but also how it’s done…step by step! From the hops, to the water (which by the way is taken from the WICKLOW MTNS! So cool.) And every floor (there were 7 of them) was dedicated to a different aspect of Guinness. There was the history, advertising, product endorsement and more. It was informative and also really interesting. After the factory, we got our free samples, yum! And a voucher to the Gravity Bar. It’s a 7story bar with a 360 degree view of the city. And we got our free pint, it was lovely. Since the beer changes with time and location, this is the best pint I will ever get in my life. We even made some friends from Sweden, it was great.

We were getting pretty tired and SUPER hungry. So our last place to visit was O’Neills for our free dinner. I cannot even express how delicious our meal was, and it was technically ‘free’! I had such an amazing time in Dublin. We saw so many sights and met great people. All for like what…. 7 euro? Wow. I am so glad I had the chance to go there because after all….how can you visit and live in Ireland without visiting Dublin?

<3 Katie

"Saw a double rainbow today, how lucky!"

Thu, 03 Nov 2011 12:30:59 -0400

“Saw a double rainbow today, how lucky!”

Photo

Tue, 01 Nov 2011 15:11:23 -0400

Happy Halloween! :)

Mon, 31 Oct 2011 20:24:06 -0400

Happy Halloween! :)

Skips, Dips, But Thankfully No Flips.

Fri, 28 Oct 2011 09:46:08 -0400

So this week has been pretty eventful so far! I have to say I would like to post more about random things that are going on in my life here in Ireland, rather than just large trips I go on. (Which is still nice!) I just think that in the beginning that’s ALL I was doing. Now that things have slightly calmed down I feel the need to report the still important but little things going on! On Monday I decided to go to an Irish dancing class in this beautiful hotel located right next to my village. It was sponsored by the Outdoors Pursuits Club (which I’m in) and they offered traditional music dance lessons to everyone! To be honest, I wasn’t even nervous because hey…how bad could I be? And when am I ever going to have the opportunity to do this again? So we learned approximately 5 dances. The funny thing about Irish dancing (it’s not just step!) is that there is a WHOLE lot of skipping, spinning, frolicking and cute dance moves. The Irish band was also really really good. There was a cute couple that were professional dancers and they performed a small number for us. And another girl did some Irish step dancing too. There were about 40 people there, not bad. It was a really great opportunity to meet new people, I introduced myself to a girl names Tereza from Prague! It’s always so great meeting new people from all around the world. Probably the most memorable and exciting experience are hearing about their culture and their lives! I forget sometimes how small Seaford is and how many young people travel! But to get back on topic…we paired up with another person or with a group and danced the night away. This was such a spontaneous night and I am so glad I had the chance to learn something new.

Tuesday night I went to a local pub on campus called Scholar’s. There’s a band that comes to UL (University of Limerick) quite often, called Hermitage Green. I have to say, they’re wonderful. It’s a bunch of guys that sing original songs but ALSO do covers or remixes of popular songs. They played songs by Adele (my favorite!), Fleet Foxes, Florence and the Machine, Mumford and Sons, RHCP and more. And it’s nice because they add their own twist to it as well. They’re very talented, and not to mention all the boys are very good-looking. Here’s a link to one of their covers, (it’s a great song). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGvwOt6NiZ4

It’s been quite the eventful week! Halloween festivities have hit Ireland and a lot of places are holding Halloween themed parties/events. Usually if you go to the pub there’s a best-dressed costume and they’ll usually give you a free pint. It’s interesting because all of the parties are usually throughout the week. (Since all the Irish students go home on the weekend.) I’m definitely not used to that, but it’s nice seeing the students all out and about. Tonight there’s a celebration at Stable’s which is the “International” night where all the study abroad students hangout. It’s nice that the pub holds special nights for us. There is usually good music and craic! Hope it’s fun!

P.S. If I haven’t mentioned it already, I’m a sailor for halloween. Hat, vest, jacket…the works! Pictures soon :)

:)

Sun, 23 Oct 2011 18:07:28 -0400

Mentor's Dinner!

Sun, 23 Oct 2011 17:55:14 -0400

I just got back from my mentors dinner and I thought I should write about it. I joined the International Society here at UL. They set up these dinners where they pair you with people from all around the world (one from each country) and you take turns hosting dinner around campus. I think this is such a wonderful opportunity for students to meet new people. It should be implemented into SUNY New Paltz! There is such a large population of international students studying abroad that they even have a club for it. I am so glad I joined.

In my group there is a girl named Koko who is of Pakistani descent, but lives in France and cooks food from both cultures! She made dinner for me tonight and she made curry chicken (with coriander, cumin, paprika, potatoes, eggs, etc.) and brownies wth creme on glaze. I am definitely not spelling that the official way, but it was absolutely delicious! I got the chance to meet two of her flatmates, they were very nice too. Po also came! He is from Taiwan. I can’t wait to taste some of his food. He is cooking next time and also lives in the same village as me which is nice. There is also a boy who is from Iran descent but lives in Germany! What a diverse group we have. Can’t wait to eat and learn the recipes of all this delicious food. Yay!

Galway!

Sun, 23 Oct 2011 07:23:35 -0400

I know it’s been a while since I have really updated on this blog! I completely forgot that I needed to update on my trip to Galway! I have always wanted to go here because I heard that it was a big college town and that there’s a lot of young people. My mom’s friend Catherine recommended it, and I went! Galway is not only mentioned in a lot of songs (ie: galway girl) but in movies too! It’s a popular place.

So we took a bus directly to Galway city and checked out our “Galway Hostel”. There was a LOT of people traveling in and out and it was a very busy place! Me and the girls booked a big room but it wasn’t ready yet so we did some sight-seeing. Like any city, there’s a lot of shopping. So we took a look around a what I would call a “mini-mall”. It had places like Penney’s (aka an amazing store like Forever 21) and other cool shops. Then we looked at those small shops that have unique gifts and souvenirs. It was a Friday so not many people were around, (Irish students go home on the weekends) but there were some! We looked up some of the nearby attractions near the city and we decided to go to this Aquarium called “Alantaquaria”, apparently the national aquarium of Ireland and the biggest one! It was very cute. I got a chance to see all different sorts of fish and marine life. I saw my favorite fish, the CLOWNFISH! And I also got a chance to pet sting rays/hold a starfish. It was a very cute exhibit and had a lot of interesting things to see.

My beautiful hat! I need one of these.

Giant starfish.

My favorite :)

On our way out we stopped to get some soft serve vanilla ice cream, my favorite!!! And we wanted to take a nice walk down by the beach. Oh Galway Bay…hands down the best part of the entire trip. It was absolutely breath-taking. The sun was shining and there was a giant stretch of rocks that overlooked the water. I took a lot of pictures and then climbed down the rocks to where the beach was. There were these giant ripples in the sand that were just perfect. Looks like someone put them there! I searched for a really nice shell and a smooth rock to bring back with me. I really am a nature person. I love being outside and seeing what the outdoors have to offer. Sights are the reason why I love travelling so much! When I was laying on the rocks looking at the view, I always remind myself why I wanted to study abroad and how lucky I am to be here. Sometimes lately in the midst of classes and work I may forget, but I always go back to my original state of mind. — This time is precious and it will go by faster than I know.

Just beautiful!

Those really cool sand ripples!

That beach was absolutely fantastic. Whenever I hear of the songs of “Galway Bay” I will think of this place.

Booking It!

Fri, 21 Oct 2011 12:32:43 -0400

Okay so just a quick update. (I will be updating a full post this weekend, when I have more time.)

Since midterms and mid-exams have hit UL, people have been very busy studying and whatnot. It’s crazy because at school back in NY I am always running around going to meetings/doing projects/studying/etc. And here I have so much free time! But since I basically have had nothing due yet…I want to begin early and finish up as much as I can this and next weekend. So then I have more time to hangout with people and relax!

The classes are different in Ireland in the sense that there is 1 exam and 1 test for most of my modules. That means that the grades are split up 50-50 which I am not used to. At home, there’s one assignment that’s 20% or 30% if anything. Here, your grade is based off of maybe two assignments. I hope that works out well for me! So I want to study hard and work diligently on these essays. I am (for once) motivated to do some work this weekend and take some “me” time. So I will be in the library hitting the books tomorrow.

ALSO! Speaking of booking it…I booked trips to PARIS, LONDON, and ITALY!!!!

So incredibly excited. I cannot wait for the adventures ahead. I have some really wonderful things to look forward to.

Post again soon!

Katie

P.S. (pun) You have to listen to this song when you’re...

Sun, 16 Oct 2011 18:15:09 -0400

P.S. (pun) You have to listen to this song when you’re looking at the Galway pictures, from one of my favorite movies: P.S. I Love You!

Went to Galway this weekend, here’s a sneak peak. Entry...

Sun, 16 Oct 2011 18:12:56 -0400

Went to Galway this weekend, here’s a sneak peak. Entry soon!