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!!

London

Well I just got back from London a few hours ago and I thought I would tell you all the details while it is still fresh in my mind!

I had an absolutely amazing trip! There is tons to do in London. My friends in Ireland had all been to London already so this was a solo trip for me. I was so busy seeing everything though, that I hardly noticed, let alone minded being on my own. It was a really quick trip anyway, I got in on Friday morning and was back before dark on Sunday.

Unfortunately, my trip had a bit of a rough start. My flight was leaving Shannon at 6:30 in the morning and I had to catch the 3:30 AM bus from Galway in order to make it on time. Of course, since I had something important to get to, my alarm did not go off! I woke up at 3:15 in quite a state of panic. I frantically called a cab, grabbed my bag, and ran out the door (in my PJs no less). Luckily, I made the bus and the rest of the trip went perfectly after that but it was definitely a stressful 15 minutes! (I'm pretty sure the guys in airport security thought the girl in pajamas was crazy though)

Once I got to London, I went out exploring and tried to see as much as I could. There is so much to do in London! I feel like I could have planned a trip just for museums or just parks or just historical buildings! However, considering the short time I was there, I do feel like I saw a good deal of London.

On Friday I started at Covent Garden, got a bit lost, but ended up seeing Regent Street and Regent Park despite my misdirection. Then I went and spent most of the afternoon at the British museum. It's an amazing place with lots of interesting exhibits, but I think the Greek, Roman, and Egyptian ones were my favorite. The Rosetta stone is located there but the museum is so big that I couldn't find it.

On Saturday morning I went to the Tower of London and Tower Bridge. Then I walked up along the Thames and visited the Tate Modern Art Museum and Borough Market. There was beautiful weather in London all weekend. The air was definitely cold, but the sun was shining the whole time--it was perfect since I spent so much time outside. In the afternoon, my friend, who is studying in England, came and met up with me. She took me to see Big Ben, Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, and Trafalgar Square. After all that sightseeing, we went to the West End and caught the matinee showing of "Chicago." It was really good and I'm definitely glad that I got to see a show while I was in London.

My hostel was just outside of Hyde park so I walked around the park and Kensington Gardens for a bit each day. Hyde park is really amazing. It is so pretty with all of it's trees and twisting paths. There were always people out walking their dogs, running, or just sitting by the pond. After wandering around there for a while on Sunday morning, I went over to Notting Hill which was just down the street. Portobello Market wasn't open, either because it was Sunday or because it was too early in the morning, but it was still amazing to just walk around the neighborhood and see all of the beautiful houses. After that, the last stop of my trip was St. Paul's Cathedral which was really lovely. I got there just about eleven so I got to hear all of the bells ringing which was nice.

Before I knew it, I was at the airport and on my way back to Galway! The trip definitely went by quickly but I loved every minute of it!