Donegal

As I've mentioned, my mom and her friend Susie came to visit me for a few weeks to help me pack up everything and to travel around and see a bit of Ireland. They got here on the 20th of May and we spent the first few, surprisingly hot, days of their trip in Galway. Since the weather was so nice, we spent most of our time outside, wandering around the farmer's market, strolling the promenade alongside the bay, and just exploring the streets of Galway.

After that, we started the first bit of our Ireland exploits in the Northwest area around Donegal. The area in the North is very rocky and filled with steep mountains. It isn't as green as some of the other parts of Ireland but it is still very impressive. While in Donegal we visited the city's castle, drove around and saw some nice landscapes, and stopped at a few iconic landmarks. The best part of this outing, however, had to be our accommodation. We stayed in the most beautiful castle just a few miles outside of Donegal. It is called Markree Castle and it is almost 400 years old and has been completely restored and turned into a hotel. The building itself is gorgeous and the inside is ornately decorated with everything being kept as close to the original design as possible. The grounds of the castle were also really amazing and so much fun to explore.

Markree Castle and Grounds:















After our short visit to Donegal and Markree we came back to Galway, moved out of my apartment, and set off to see the rest of Ireland. More to come later!

My Life (at least a week of it anyway) in France

I got back from France a while ago but have been having a little too much fun with my mom and Susie to update the blog! So here goes everything about France and I'll post more about our Ireland adventures in a bit.

I spent about a week in France altogether and split my time between Paris, Provence, and the Riviera. This was another solo trip for me. Most of my friends had already returned back to America for graduation, summer vacation, etc. But like I said in my last post, this trip was based around a free flight given to me by my bank and I didn't really want to turn it down just because I didn't have any traveling companions. I've always admired other people who are brave enough to go on vacation alone but I've always been a little too scared to do it myself. Once I found the courage (and believe me, I was second-guessing my decision up until I got on the plane), I discovered that traveling alone takes a little time to get used to. I found that I didn't have as much fun doing the things that I normally do when traveling with others. It was definitely a different experience, but by the end of it I found that I was still having a good time.

I started my trip off with two days in Paris. I began as usual, walking around trying to see as much as I could in the short amount of time that I had but I soon found that sightseeing isn't as great when you don't have other people to talk to about the things you are seeing. I kept at it though because I didn't want to miss anything in Paris. I started at Notre Dame, which was beautiful and one of my favorite spots. After that I hit the Louvre, which I thought was really overrated. (I wish I had gone to the Musee d'Orsay instead which I've heard is a lot better). I wasn't sure what to do that evening and I didn't really want to keep walking around alone since it was starting to get dark. Luckily, I found a movie theater playing old Hitchcock movies in English with French subtitles which was a REALLY nice reprieve from the crash-course in French I was receiving.

On my second day in Paris, I started at the Jardin des Plantes which is this really beautiful garden outside the Natural History Museum in the Latin Quarter. It wasn't the greatest day weather-wise but the grounds were incredible. After that, I hit up all of the usual must-sees in Paris: the Eiffel Tower, Montmartre, Arc de Triomphe, etc. At the end of my two days, I decided that Paris is a probably a really great city when visiting with others but a little anti-climactic when exploring alone.

Notre Dame:


Jardin des Plantes:


The next stop of my trip was a short stay in Aix-en-Provence. I only spent one day and one night here but it is a small enough town so I didn't need a whole lot of time. There aren't a lot of main attractions to see in Aix but it was really nice just to walk around and get a feel for the town's atmosphere. It is a really cute place with lots of fountains, cafes, and a really great outdoor market. But as nice as the town was, I have to say the best part of my visit was the train ride in and out of town. The countryside of Provence has got to be one of the most beautiful places in the world. The hills and fields are covered with amazing trees, wildflowers, and grape vines. I didn't get a chance to see the famous lavender fields but I can only imagine how gorgeous they must be. Provence is definitely a place you would want to rent a car and drive around to fully take in the scenery.

Aix:


My third and final stay in France was the Riviera. After weeks of being cold and Vitamin-D deprived in Ireland, I could not wait to get out to the sunny beaches and enjoy that sparkling blue water. I stayed in Nice for three days and it definitely did not disappoint me. I found that the city seemed to be divided into two areas. One of which is really dingy and dated and another which is just as bright and shiny as you would expect the Riviera to be. I had a really good time wandering around the sparkly part of Nice, checking out the fascinating outdoor antique market, walking up and down the Promenade des Anglais, hanging out on the beach, and swimming in the Mediterranean (my favorite). One of my days in the Riviera I went down to Cannes to check out the film festival but I didn't think it was nearly as nice as Nice (no pun intended).

Beaches at Nice:


On Tuesday, after thankfully only a slight delay, I headed back to Galway to get ready for my Mom and Susie's visit. Looking back on my time in France, I would say that it probably wasn't the easiest of trips I have taken this year. I struggled with the French language (and some of the French people) and I found it was a bit strange to spend so much time alone in a foreign place. However, I made some nice, Australian friends in the hostels (some of whom are spending four months traveling Europe alone, which I can't even begin to imagine doing!) and I found out that though traveling alone is much different than traveling with friends, it definitely still has it's own advantages and enjoyable moments.

Look Before You Leap

Hi Everybody!

Sorry its been so long since my last post. I've been caught up in the stressful whirlwind that is finals week. On the bright side, I finished my last exam yesterday and now I am free for the summer!

My time in Galway is sadly coming to a close soon. I've had such an amazing year that I thought I would try and capture it all for you in a short series of posts about my favorite things in Galway. I'll start that up in about a week though, because first, I'm taking an end of finals celebratory vacation to France!

Just as I got back from Italy, I got a call from my bank saying they were giving me a free flight to France! How amazing is that? For someone who never wins anything, I think I picked a pretty good time to change that unlucky streak.

So here's the plan for the next few weeks. I'm leaving for France tonight. I'll be getting back just as my mom comes over for a visit (presuming the Volcano is ok with all of this.) Then my mom, her friend Susie, and I will spend a few days in Galway, pack up my things and take off for a week and a half trip around Ireland!

I'll definitely make sure to document everything and post it as we travel around. I'm hoping the pictures turn out well. The countryside is supposed to be spectacular this time of year.

Just to give you a little preview for my favorite things in Galway series, I thought I would write about one of my favorite things that happened just the other day. A few weeks ago, my friend Meredith and I made a list of everything we wanted to do in Galway before we left. At the top of the list was jumping off of this big platform called Blackrock out at the beach. I don't actually know why we picked it but it ended up on the list and therefore it had to be done. We settled on Sunday for our jumping day and it could not have been a better day for it. We slowly made our way out to the beach, walking through Salthill and admiring the beautiful day and everyone's gardens along the way.







Eventually, we made it out to the beach and walked along the promenade towards Blackrock. It was such a great day. There were tons of people out walking, playing on the beach, even going in the water! The ocean looked amazing! It was so clear and blue. I had no idea Ireland could look like that!







When we finally got to the platform and climbed up it was just as intimidating as we had expected it to be if not more so! It was about a 50 foot jump from the top of the platform into the water and you know that water is not exactly warm. After a bit of fretting (me more than mere I think) we finally just took a deep breath and jumped!







It was definitely scary and the water was sooooooo cold but it was really worth it!

Alright, I'm off to finish packing. I'll be back in a week and I'll tell you all about my French adventures then. I'm sure I will have quite a few stories, many of which will probably be about my complete and utter inability to speak French.

Au revoir!

Spring Fever

I am happy to announce that spring seems to have finally arrived in Ireland!



After weeks of alternating rain and weak sunlight, I was more than a little confused when I got back from Italy and saw people walking around in shorts and tank tops! Especially because when I left Ireland, the sporadic outbreaks of hail/snow had left the street outside my apartment looking something like this:



The temperature has actually only been in the high 50's, which, a year ago probably would have made me shiver, but apparently Ireland has broken my spoiled Southern Californian ways because I now think it feels downright tropical.

It's been a little hard to get out of vacation mode and back into school mode with the weather being so nice. My classes are done for the semester, but it is now time to write final papers and prepare for my exams. Admittedly, I have probably spent a little too much time this week lounging by the river and enjoying the sunshine when I should have been in the library, but it is hard to stay inside on a sunny day in Ireland, especially when they are such rare occurrences.

In the spirit of Spring, I thought I would share some of the beautiful things to be seen around Galway this time of year: (I took these photos a few weeks ago when my friend Kristin came to visit)



A perfect day for a walk by the river.



A small, old castle we found along the way:


About a month or so ago, I saw a lot of daffodil sprouts popping up all over the place and then suddenly, they were everywhere! They all bloomed at the same time and for about a week, there were bright, sunny daffodils everywhere you looked! I don't think I've ever appreciated a daffodil more than after such a cold, rainy winter.





I hope you are all having as pleasant a Spring as I am!

When in Rome...and Bologna, Venice, Florence, & Siena!

Buongiorno!!!

Just returned yesterday from 10 amazing days in Italia! It was such a great trip! We saw so many incredible historical sights, experienced the culture in some of Italy's best cities, had a few really delicious meals, and saw the gorgeous Italian countryside! We had a bigger group for this trip which made it that much more fun. My friend Sara, who is studying in Berlin, came for a few days and then for the entirety of the trip it was me, my roommate Meredith, her two sisters, and one of her sister's friends. Since there were 5 of us for most of the time, we decided to rent apartments in the various cities we visited. The apartments ended up being really nice and so much more comfortable than hostels!!

Meredith and I got into Bologna on Saturday evening and met up with everyone else. We were so excited to get away from the Irish weather and into some Italian sunshine! We had random storms of snow/hail/rain show up intermittently the week before we left so we were definitely ready for a break. We spent two days exploring Bologna. There are a few really beautiful churches there and the city itself is filled with a lot of really ornate covered walkways which are said to keep pedestrians cool in the summer heat and dry in the winter rains. Unfortunately, we were in Bologna on Easter weekend so most things were closed while we were there but it was still nice to just walk around and see everything.

Neptune's Fountain in Bologna:


We chose to stay in Bologna because it was cheaper than some of the more touristy cities but still pretty centrally located so we could make easy day trips. At the end of our stay in Bologna, we took the train to Venice for the day. It was the perfect day to go because it was sunny and warm which was ideal for walking around the city and hanging out by the canals. Venice is definitely more tourist-oriented but it is still so much fun to browse the street vendors, see St. Mark's Square, and walk across all of the cute little canals tucked away from the larger, grand canal. We wanted to take a gondola ride but they were really expensive (80 euro for 40 minutes) so we settled just for taking pictures of them.

Gondola in a small Venice canal:


Our next stop was Florence where we saw the Duomo, a really beautiful Gothic Cathedral covered in pink, green, and white marble. We also visited the Accademia and the Uffizi Gallery. At the Accademia we saw Michelangelo's David which is even more amazing than you would expect. (I've posted pictures of the replicas of a few of the statues we saw because you can't take pictures of the real thing) After the Accademia we hiked up a big hill which gives you an incredible view of the Florence skyline. I thought Florence was really interesting because it is not immediately aesthetically pleasing like Venice (though it does have some really beautiful areas)but over time the atmosphere of the city really starts to grow on you.

The Duomo, it's Dome, and the Baptistery:


On our last day in Florence, we took a day trip to Siena which made for a really nice, relaxing day. Siena doesn't have as many huge attractions to see like some of the bigger cities so we got to take our time and stroll around the city, grab some gelato, and just enjoy the sunshine.

Mere and I in Il Campo, the main square in Siena:


Our last city was Rome in which we planned 3 days because we figured there would be a lot to see. Unfortunately, the first day was mostly taken up by the train ride from Florence which took much longer than expected. On our first full day, we saw a lot of the main cultural and historical sights. We walked through the Jewish Ghetto, stopped and took pictures at Bocca della Verita (from Roman Holiday), went through ancient Rome and saw the Colosseum, the Victor Emmanuel Monument, and some ruins along the way. After all that, we went and threw coins in the Trevi Fountain and climbed up the Spanish steps. Our second full day was mostly spent in Vatican city. We went early to St. Peter's Square and waited in line to go into the Basilica which, of course, was amazing inside. After the Basilica, we went over to the Vatican Museum (Thank goodness we made reservations--we got to walk right in while the line for tickets went on for blocks and blocks.) I wasn't super impressed with the museum. They cram so many people in there that it is hard to actually see, let alone enjoy, anything. It was worth it to see the Sistine chapel and the ceilings throughout the museum are actually quite pretty but the crowds there really were ridiculous. After we recovered from the museum, we climbed St. Peter's dome and got an amazing view of Rome. For our last night in Rome, we had a delicious dinner where we all ate way more than we should have and then walked around and took a last glimpse of Rome at night.

All in all, it was a pretty perfect trip. I can't really say that I have a favorite moment or favorite city because I liked it all for different reasons. For now, I have very fond memories of Italy and can't wait to go back!

Till next time!
Ciao!

Here are a few more photos from my trip:

I Guess You Can't Win 'Em All

Today my friend Meredith and I decided to take an impromptu trip to Dublin. We have been following the 6 Nations Rugby Championship for the last few weeks. Today was the last set of games and Ireland played Scotland in Croke Park in Dublin. We didn't actually have tickets because they cost around 200 euro but we thought it would be fun to spend the day in Dublin and then go camp out in a Pub and watch the game.

I was a little concerned leaving this morning because there was a 90 percent chance of rain, but I guess the Rugby Gods were watching out today because it ended up being beautiful and sunny. We got into Dublin around 11 and walked around Trinity College, Grafton Street, saw St. Stephens Green, and checked out some of the eccentrically dressed rugby fans. (You would be surprised how many men in kilts made their way down from Scotland for the game.)

Trinity College:

Trinity Again:


St. Stephens Green:


The River Liffey-One of the dirtiest rivers in Europe:


Temple Bar:


Ireland had been doing pretty well in the championship thus far. They were in 2nd place and had won against 2 of the 3 major countries, making them eligible for the Triple Crown if they won today's game. Unfortunately, they lost in the last five minutes! It was such a close game and so sad since they lost on home turf! You could definitely feel the disappointment in the city as we were leaving.

I guess there's always next year!

St. Patricks Day!!!

The Parade



Flags for the 15 tribes of Galway.



Sitting by the river even though it was freezing! (Yes, we did dress up with the rest of the tourists)



The streets were packed with people.


The day I have been waiting all year for!!! It is a religious holiday here so everyone had work and school off. My roommate had some friends from home visiting so we all headed into town to see what was happening. In the afternoon there was a big parade that ran through town. There were so many people though, that my pictures didn't turn out that great. After that, we just walked around and people-watched. There are tons of tourists in town and they were pretty much the only ones who dressed up. Surprisingly, the Irish don't seem to follow the green rule for St Paddys-- I guess that is an American tradition.

There wasn't really any other events happening in town after the parade, other than the Irish doing what they do best...drinking! The pubs were pretty packed all day (There was also no green beer, I guess that is American too). For the rest of the afternoon, we walked around town, saw some good music in the pubs, and just enjoyed the festive atmosphere! Nothing like being in Ireland on St Paddys day!!