But time nor tide nor waters wide can wean my heart away, For ever true it flies to you, my dear old Galway Bay

It's been a great last week, I can't believe it's really over. I'm almost all packed, just a few more things to squish into my bags. It's tough because I have no idea how much they might weigh or anything..ohh well what can you do.

Earlier this week I met up with Aunt Kathy downtown for lunch. She was travelling to Cork with her sisters, and they stopped in Galway to say hi! It was so great to see her, and I'm so glad she made the stop!

Yesterday was awesome. It was so nice out, and actually really hot. We finally made it to Salthill, and walked the prom. There were a ton of people down by the diving platform, and we sucked it up and went in! The tide was really low, so we couldn't jump off the top, but after a lot of shrieking and Irish people laughing at us we finally went in. It was freezing!!!!! Almost painful to go under. Eventually we got used to it, and swam around for a while. A few guys were jumping off the lowest diving board, so Lindsey and I tried it, it was so much fun, and I got really sunburnt!!

We did a pub crawl last night and went to all the pubs we haven't tried yet. We did have our last late night meal at the Charcoal Grill, I'm really going to miss those taco fries! Our plan for our last day is to head in town for lunch, do a little last minute shopping, and then go to our favorites tonight. The Quays, Taafes's and An Pucan. I'm hoping to hear some good music.

This will probably be my last post since my time here is ending. It's going to be hard to say goodbye to Lindsey and Galway. We will definitely be coming back sometime in the near future!

Thanks for reading my Galway blog, I hope you enjoyed it!

Horse Rides, Bangers & Mash

Killarney was a good time, for our last trip! When we got there, we walked around the town a bit, and did a little gift shopping. Then we headed towards the National Park to take a walk, but ended up getting a horse and carriage ride! The guy gave us a good deal and took us to Ross Castle at the opposite end of the park. It was really pretty and right on one of the Lakes of Killarney. After the ride, we went to check into our hotel and then went back to the National Park to take a walk to the gardens. There were so many different types of pretty flowers and other plants. There was a huge tree that we tried to climb, it was quite the sight. That night we went to a pub called The Danny Man Inn, and it had great Trad Music. They sang all the classics, and we had a great time just sitting and listening to the band.

The next day we did the Ring of Kerry tour. I have to say, I didn't find it as impressive as everyone says it was. It could be because it wasn't a very nice day out, but I found the Connemara and Cliffs of Moher tours to be much better. We stopped at a few places to take pictures, and went to a demonstration on how sheep dog herd the sheep which was pretty cool. After the tour, we went out for some dinner and got "Bangers and Mash." So good! We went back the Danny Man's that night, and there was another great band playing.

Yesterday we went to our last market! It was very sad, I got a bunch of my favorite donuts (they're all gone already) and we said bye to all our favorite people. The donut man was especially sad to see us go, I think we were his best customers!

The End is Near...Please Slow Down, Time!

I'm done! I took my last final yesterday afternoon and handed in my last two papers. It feels so great to have nothing hanging over my head. Now I can enjoy these last eleven days without any stress (not that the word stress is even a part of the Irish vocabulary). I was so happy to finally get those papers done, they were taking me forever! It wasn't that they were hard, its just that they were painfully boring. Who wants to write three thousand words on the defenses of timber castles? Nevermind the poor professor who has to read them all. After our exam we headed straight to the college bar. It was so much fun in there. I wish we had been going all semester, except hitting up the bar after class may have gotten a little pricey (nevermind unhealthy).

I have to get up super early tomorrow to catch a bus to Killarney. It's our last trip of the semester...so sad! We're staying in Killarney city and then doing the Ring of Kerry tour. It's supposed to be really beautiful, I can't wait to see it.

I'm starting to get really sad that my time here is almost up. We're trying to squeeze so much into our last few days, like our going to every single one of our favorite pubs once more, eating at our favorite lunch spots, trying new things we've been meaning to try, and shopping at our favorite shops. I'm going to miss Galway so much, it really has become my home away from home. Don't get me wrong, I'm excited to come home and see my family and friends, but who knows when I'll be able to get back here. And even when I do, it will just be for a short visit. I'm pretty sure I'll never be actually living here again. But who knows...

*The picture at the top is a cute little rowboat parked in Galway Bay.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to County Mayo

So my trip to Westport and Achill Island was very interesting to say the least. We had a lot of very different and interesting experiences. We went to Westport first, and it was a very cute little town. We checked into our hostel and explored the town a bit. We got dinner (Steak & Guinness Pie, yum!) and walked down to Clew Bay. When we came back we went to Matt Molloy's Pub, which is apparently very famous. I guess a member of the Chieftan's owns it. After a few pints we went to the Clock Tower pub, which was really fun and we hung around until close.

We had planned to go to Achill Island the next morning, and spend two nights there. We asked the woman working at the desk what time the buses were at, and we did not like our answer. Because Monday was a bank holiday, the only bus was not until ten that night! We asked her what the best way to get to Achill was, and she simply answered, "You could hitchhike." At first, we laughed, and thought she was kidding, but no our surprise she was dead serious. She explained that it was completely normal in the area, and she's even picked up a few "hitchers" herself. After asking her about a hundred times if she was positive we'd be alright, we set out to "thumb it." (Dad, what's done is done, I'm alive, no need to panic!)

We walked up to the main road, dropped our bags, and of course, I was elected to give the first attempt. I stood on the side of the road with my thumb in the air, waving at cars as they zoomed past. After about a half hour of "sorry" waves, a car pulled over! We were so shocked we didn't know what to do, and after about thirty seconds of staring at it I walked over. I asked him if he was going towards Achill, and he said he could take us as far as Newport, and told us to hop in. He was a cute little old man, probably in about his seventies, so we knew we'd be ok. His name was Tony, and he talked to us for about 15 km. I was relieved when we passed another group of hitchhikers, so I knew we weren't the only ones out there and what we were doing was not completely insane. He dropped us off, and after a few minutes of thumbing, a truck pulled over to pick us up. We threw our bags in the back of his pickup and the three of us squished into the front of a farmers truck! He took us about another 15km, and talked to us the whole way as well. He told us he picks up hitchers whenever he sees them, and has met plenty of interesting people that way. We hadn't hopped out of his truck for thirty seconds when another car pulled over to let us in. This time it was a young woman, and she told us "you all look harmless enough, I've never picked up before!" She was a woman from Dublin visiting her parents in Achill Sound, and brought us as far as there. Soon enough, another girl picked up and brought us the rest of the way to Achill Island.

When we made there, we still couldn't believe what we had done. You hear all these crazy stories about crazy hitchhikers and the kooks that pick them up, but it's completely normal to do in the countryside of Ireland. When we were asking people if we'd be safe, they told us we'd be fine, and would definitely make it. It was such a crazy and different experience!

We got to our hostel, and it had the most amazing view! Achill Island really was beautiful. However, I was very surprised at how dead it was. The town center consisted of a supermarket, pub, and chinese restaurant. That's it. I have never seen so many sheep either. They lined the side of the road, and roamed the town like they owned it. Lindsey and I kept trying to pet the baby lambs, but they kept running away from us. That night we went to the pub, and as we were leaving the bartender asked us what our plans were for the next day. "You girls really should get to Keem Bay, it's worth the visit, If ye don't have a car, I bet Liam here will take ye," she said, pointing to a kid about our age sitting at the bar. He didn't even looked phased, and asked us if we wanted to go. He said he'd pick us up at our hostel, and gave me his number to call him the next day.

Since there was not much else to do and it wasn't exactly a beach day, we decided to take Liam up on his offer. Sure enough, he picked us up and drove us all over the island, telling us the history and taking us to all the coolest places and beaches. He even mentioned his girlfriend, so we knew he was just taking us around and being a nice local guy. I can't imagine anyone at home just offering to take random tourists around and show them the sights. He ended up driving us around for three hours, and wouldn't take anything besides a pint of Guinness.

The next day we caught a bus (no more hitching) back to Westport and then one to Achill. This weekend showed me even more how generous and nice the people in Ireland are compared to at home. They have no problem doing a favor for a perfect stranger, even if it means carting them around for three hours so they can snap pictures. It makes me realize how much I'm going to miss it here when I come home in these two short weeks.

Farewell?

Last night we had our farewell dinner at a restaurant downtown. I know it's a little early to start saying goodbye, but some people are already done with finals and leaving early. I don't get it. I mean, I miss home and everything, but I don't want to leave a day earlier than May 22. Who knows when I'll be able to get back here again, I want to enjoy every minute I have left.

It is kind of hard to enjoy it when I have so much work to do though. I have barely had any homework this entire semester, and now I can three final papers to finish by May 10th as well as a test on the 6th and the 10th. I've been trying to work on my papers, but it's like I forget how to do work! The smallest things keep distracting me, like writing a new blog post for example.

We also booked a spontaneous trip to County Mayo for next week. Sunday we're leaving to go to Westport and then we're spending two nights on Achill Island. When we first got here, we met a man from Dublin at a pub, and he told us that we could not leave Ireland without going to Achill Island. According to him, it is one of the most beautiful places in Ireland. I guess it has really nice beaches, so I'm praying for good weather! We also might go for a hike and go canoeing or something, I'm really excited!

Thats enough procrastinating via blog for now, I guess I'll get back to the essay writing....

Spring Break: The Never Ending Journey

I'm back!!! And thank God. It feels so good to be back in Galway. I'm happy to not be living out of a duffel, not having to share a bed with anyone, and to be able to cook my own dinners. I know I shouldn't complain, Italy was great, I just hated being stranded.

Ok, so here's an abridged version of my extra long spring break trip:

BARCELONA: The weather was perfect the whole time we were there. We got there really late the first night, so just hung in and woke up early the next morning to explore the city a little. We walked along the main road, Las Ramblas, and went to this really cool fruit market. There were hundreds of different fruit stands, candy stands, nuts, and dried fruits. We bought a bunch of strawberries for really cheap for the beach. Right next to the fruit market was a.....DUNKIN DONUTS! I got a large iced coffee, for euro, but it was worth every penny. We finally made it to the beach, and it was so nice! We met up with our friend Tony, and got dinner at an outdoor cafe near the ocean. I got paella and chicken, a Spanish rice dish, it was so good. We went out for drinks and got lots and lots of "Special Sangria" and had a great night.

The next morning we woke up early to get to the beach, and spent the day there. We were joking because we were in this amazing city, with so much cool history and architecture, yet our only concern was getting to the beach and lying in the sun. Honestly, it was much more enjoyable than looking at buildings! We had to get up early to catch our flight to Italy the next morning, so we spent the night roaming around looking for churros, and finally found some.

FLORENCE: I was so happy to get to see my roommate, Stacy! We stayed at her apartment, and she took us out for a great time on our first night. We went out to dinner at a restaurant near her apartment, and got some great Italian food and wine. Apparently, at restaurants in Italy, if the waiter likes you, he'll refill your wine liter free of charge. I think ours really liked us, because he kept it flowing! We went to her usual bar after dinner, which was of course, an Irish pub. I ran into a bunch of Roger Williams kids, and it was great to see them all.

Stacy had to go to her classes, so Mary, Lindsey, and I spent most of the days just wandering around Florence. It was such a cool city, and there was so much to see. My favorite was the leather market, where they sell all sorts of leather jackets, purses, wallets, and other stuff. They also had tons of cool jewelry, and it was easy to bargain with the people. I got myself a purse, and a few bracelets. Just about every day we got a gelato (or two). There were so many different flavors, there was no way I could try them all. I think my favorite would have to be fragola (strawberry) and melon. We also had plenty of pizza, and pasta, and the Italian food definitely lived up to it's standards!

VENICE: We left Florence to head to Venice on Friday. At this point, we had heard about the volcano in Iceland but had no idea how much trouble it would cause us. We were supposed to fly out of Venice on Monday, and didn't even consider that the ash would hold off flights until then. The train ride was about three hours long, but as soon as we stepped out of the train station we realized it was well worth it. It was literally the coolest place I have ever seen. Instead of streets, there was just water. The only way to travel through the city was either on foot or by boat, there wasn't even bikes. We took a water taxi to our hostel and were greatest by two of the nicest Italian men I have ever met. They were so funny, and even upgraded us into a private room free of charge. We walked around and went out for dinner that night, and had some more amazing Italian food.

The next morning I unfortunately woke up to a message from Stacy letting me know that our flight had definitely been cancelled. Even though Venice was so beautiful, we could not fully enjoy it because we kept worrying about how we were going to get home to Ireland. We explored Venice more, and tried to decide what we were going to do. We didn't know how long we were going to be stuck for, and whether we should go back to Florence and stay with Stacy for free, or pay to stay in our hostel. After talking to a bunch of people we met who were also stranded, and calling the airport dozens of times, we realized that flights would not be going out until the end of the week. We decided to go back to Florence on Monday.

FLORENCE (again!): Even though we were upset that we were stranded, we still had a great extra week in Italy. Lindsey celebrated her 21t birthday, and we had a special dinner, cake, and went out for the night. We went to the leaning tower of Pisa, and took some cool pictures. At first, we didn't think we were going to be able to get a flight until Monday, but after checking online numerous times, we finally were able to book one for Friday out of Rome, so back on the train we got...

ROME: I'm really glad we ended up getting to go to Rome. Even though we were only there for less than a day, we managed to see a lot. We went on a bus tour, and it took us all over the city. We saw the Coliseum, the Vatican, the Trevi Fountain, and the Spanish Steps. It was cool to get to see the Vatican, but we couldn't go inside because admission was way to expensive and there was a three hour line. The Trevi Fountain was my favorite, it was so pretty! We had some of the best pizza I've ever had for lunch, and managed to see the main sights in a day. I wasn't sad to go though, because we flew home to Ireland that night! We were so happy once our plane took off, and excited to get home. I had a great time in Spain and Italy, but I definitely am an Irish girl for sure!

Stuck...

Spring break was great, but I'm definitely ready for it to end. As of now, I'm stuck in Italy thanks to the Iceland volcano until further notice. We were supposed to fly out of Venice yesterday, but our flight got canceled. The next thing we could find is not until Monday, and who even knows if that will end up going out. To save money, we took a train back to Florence to crash with my roommate Stacy until we can get back to Galway. I know I shouldn't complain about getting to spend extra days in Italy, but all I really want to do is get back to Galway. I just hate the feeling of not knowing when we'll be able to get back and no one having answers. We've heard so many different things, from flights starting up again this week or them not starting for up to four weeks. We feel so stranded and helpless. If I miss Ireland this much now, when I've only been away from it for a two weeks, how am I going to deal when I get back to the states? I guess all we can do is enjoy the pasta and gelato for now....

On a happier note, Nora had her baby! Bridget Anne Finn was born on April 14th! Here's a picture Chelsey sent me. Congrats to Nora and Uncle John! I can't wait to get home and meet her.

Hola!

I forgot to mention that my spring break started, I just arrived in Barcelona last night and am loving it!!! I must say, going from Ireland to a country that speaks a different language was quite challenging. Mary had taken lots of Spanish classes at UMASS, and I still remember a bit from high school, but it is completely different when you are actually immersed in the Spanish speaking population. So far, we´ve ridden a half hour on the wrong way of a bus trying to get to the beach, and took a few wrong turns trying to locate our walking tour. No major issues, just small life lessons.The most memorable moment was when I was attempting to ask a woman how much a bracelet costs and was supposed to say...¨Quanto questa¨ and instead said ¨Quanto queso¨...which means ¨How much cheese!¨ It was really funny, and the lady was fluent in English and laughed along with us.

After seeing a bit of the city this morning, we finally made it to the beach around 4:00, and we met up with our friend Tony, from Galway. Itś nice to have a bigger guy with us, it makes the Spanish guys seem less creepy when going out at night. Weŕe going to try to get to the beach early tomorrow, to try and work on our Spring Break tan. We were laughing on the beach joking that we scared everyone away with our glowing pale Irish bodies!

Powell's Across the Pond!

My week with my mom, dad, Chelsey and Nana was great! I hope they had as good of a time as I did. I felt bad though, because I have been raving about how perfect the weather has been and of course as soon as they get here it rains for three days straight! They were good sports though, and we were still able to do all the things we had planned. They were tired when they first got here so we just walked around Galway a bit. Of course, they LOVED Shop St. and we popped into every gift shop in sight. I took them to Monroe's on their first night to see the Set Dancing, which I think they liked.

Wednesday was my last day of classes (yay!) and I met up with them after for dinner at a delicious Italian resteraunt in Salthill. Afterwards, we found a new pub close to their condo, called O'Connor's Famous Pub. It was so cool inside with all sorts of antique decorations hanging all over the walls, I will definitely be going back there at some point. The next day we woke up early to do a Connemara day trip and saw Kylemore Abbey. Nana really liked it there and we got a lot of good pictures. The last time she was here they held a mass for my grandfather, and I can imagine how nice it must have been, the gothic cathedral is so beautiful. That night we went to An Pucan, and listened to some traditional music. Lindsey's family was also here this week, and at one point we were all up dancing to Galway Girl, it was so fun, and the band was great! When we were leaving, Nana, Mary, and I hopped in a bycicle cab and rode it all the way down Shop St. The driver was going wild and kept pretending like he was going to crash the whole way, we were all dying laughing the whole time, it was so much fun!

On Good Friday all the pubs were closed, so we took it easy. We went to mass at St. Nicholas's, and I'm almost postive it was the longest mass I have ever been to! We went out to dinner for fish 'n chips at McDougnah's and hung in for the night.

Saturday I took them to the market in town, (I ended up splurging for both my paintings!) and then headed off to Doolin! The ride was full of emotions, and there was not a dull moment. Dad did a great job at driving on the windy roads of Ireland, as well as on the left side of the road. The roads are so narrow though, and Mom almost had a heart attack every time a tour bus was headed our way. The only major issue was when there was a car behind us, and one coming at us, and a rock that no one noticed in the middle of the road. Dad drove right over it, and we all screamed. We were a little shooken up, and didn't notice the lost hubcap until we made it safely to Doolin.

Once we arrived, we checked into Mikey's cousin, Susan Daley's B&B. She was so nice, and had such a lovely place. She made us some Bailey's coffee's, and sent us right down to Gus O'Connor's Pub. We had such a great night, listening to the music, eating, drinking, and talking. It was such a fun atmosphere, and at one point a little twelve year old boy went right up to the band and asked if he could play along with them. At first he just played his wooden flute, but after some encouragement, he starting belting out Galway Girl. Everyone in the pub stopped what they were doing to listen to him sing, and join in on the chorus. He was so cute!

On Easter Sunday, we woke up for a delicious breakfast and said goodbye to Susan. She pointed us in the direction of church, and then we headed to the Cliffs of Moher. I think they really enjoyed them. It ended up being a gorgeous day and we had a great view of the cliffs. I was so glad it finally wasn't too cloudy or rainy! Once we got back to Galway, Mom and Nana cooked a nice Easter ham and we hung out for their last night.

Market & FAMILY :)

Nothing too exciting has been going on over this side of the pond. I laid low this weekend, staying in Galway. The Morris brothers were in Dublin visiting Mike Mo, and took a day trip to the Cliffs of Moher, so I went in town to give them a half hour tour of Galway. It was great to see them! Mo and I decided that we need to start planning our trip to Paris, I hope it all works out!

Yesterday I went to my favorite Saturday market with my roommate Miranda, and got the most delicious crepe! It was ham and cheese with sun dried tomato, pesto and dijon mustard.... so good! Instead of buying my usual hummus I decided to buy some brie cheese, and that was a great call! I got crackers at the supermarket and am in heaven! Unfortunately, I have found my new addiction. I also decided that I need to start rationing out my souvenir purchasing so I don't wait until the last minute and have to buy a million things at once, spending all my money on the last few weeks I'm here. One thing I definitely decided to get is a painting from a man at the market. He has a ton of different ones, all of places around Galway. They're only 25 Euro, and come with a colorful wooden frame he made. The only issue is I need to decide between a painting of the Claddagh at night or a picture of a few pubs on Quay St. The one of the Claddagh is definitely prettier, but the one of the pubs is nice because it's places I spend time at in Galway, like Taaffe's and the King's Head. I'll have to think it over and get some second opinions.

The family is coming in two days!!! I'm very excited to see them and show them around! I know they're going to love it! I'm so excited to show them all my favorite places to go, from the Quay's and Taaffe's to my favorite little coffee shop, Cafe Luna. I have a Connemara day trip planned, which should be a lot of fun. We're also going to Doolin Saturday night, and after Easter mass we're going to go see the Cliffs of Moher. I'm pumped!

This week is my last week of classes. I also already handed in one of my finals, and am done with one class. Now I just need to write two more final papers by April 30th and take three exams. I'm trying to get some done before they get here so I'm not cramming before spring break, but I am the procrastination queen, and am doing a great job at maintaining my crown.

Aran Islands, Craig, & St. Paddy's Day!

I've been so busy lately I haven't had time to write!!! Rag week was crazy, there was so much going on. We went out all four nights of the week, and had a great time. Some people went much crazier than we did, but we just took the week off from classes and slept in late after late nights out.

Craig came to visit us during his spring break. He got here last Friday and came on my program;s trip to the Aran Islands. It was a great day and I had so much fun with him. We took the ferry to the biggest island, Inis Mór. Once we got there, everyone rented bikes (again!) and we rode from one side of the island to the other. It wasn't nearly as long of a bike ride as in Dingle, so it was a piece of cake. The island was so small and felt like I had gone fifty years back in time! The few homes that were on the island were so spread out, and the "town" on the other side consited of two gift shops and a small cafe. Once we got to the other side of the island, we climbed up what felt like a mountain to these huge cliffs. Unlike the Cliffs of Moher, we could get right up to the edge. I leaned over the side to look, and it was so high! We got lunch at a little coffee house before we headed back to catch the ferry home.

That night Mary and I took Craig out to the Quay's with a few of our friends, and we spent some time there chatting with all the tourists who were in town for the holiday. Craig left on Sunday to go visit Mike Mo in Dublin but came back last night before he flew out of Shannon today. I was so glad he came to visit and I think he had a great time!

Galway was full of people this week, and for good reason. I'd have to say that Wednesday was one of the best days I've had here so far. We woke up early to make breakfast and start the day off right. We made french toast, home fries, and mimosas, and got decked out in our green to head into town for the St. Paddy's Day Parade. The parade ended up being a huge letdown, and there wasn't really too much to see, so we headed to a pub to keep the celebration going. We met a bunch of people at one of my favorite pubs called the Front Door in the smoking garden, and hung out there for quite some time. Eventually we moved to a few other pubs, and wandered the streets. The pubs were serving pints in plastic glasses, so we could take our Guinness's outside onto Shop St. and Quay St. The streets were packed with people, everyone in great spirits. Everyone was talking and celebrating with each other, and we even danced around to the street performers. We ended the say at Taaffe's, which had a great band playing Trad music. The pub was so crowded, and the only place we could find room was right at the front where the band was playing. Mary, Megan and I plopped right down and sat on the stage while the band was playing, drinking our cans of Carlsberg and talked to anyone who was near us. By about seven thirty it was getting dark, and I was so worn out. We got some taco fries from Charcoal Grill and walked home, and Mary and I took a three hour nap on her couch. It was by far the best St. Patrick's Day I have ever had!

Dingle-The Accidental 40 Mile Bike Ride

This weekend we went to Dingle and it was AMAZING! The weather was perfect, and the town was so cute. We took a four hour bus ride and didn't get there until around eightish. Once we found our hostel we settled in and headed out for the night. The guy who owned our hsotel gave us a little map and told us about a few pubs to try. We went to the most famous Dingle pub Dick Mack's. When we first walked in it seemed really small, but we found some face and got our Guinness's. They tasted so good after the long bus ride and it was one of the best pints I've had so far. We started chatting with a bunch of guys near us and learned they were a group of doctors who come to Ireland every year to get away. They were having so much fun and it seemed like it would be such a cool thing to do when we get older.

The next morning after our full Irish breakfast we found a shop to rent bicycles from. We got them for the day and went to the tourist information office to ask for some tips on where to go. She highlighted a route called Slea Head Road and told us it's a gorgeous thirty mile road around the coast and through the countryside. She said when she did it it only took her about five hours. We weren't worried because she didn't look like she was in top notch biker shape.

When we first headed out at around 11:30 it was beautiful, the views were perfect. The road winded along the coast and was right on top of cliffs that dropped down into the ocean. We stopped in a small town to get some sandwiches for a picnic, and stopped a lot for photos. We found a path that led down to the side of a cliff and stopped to eat our lunches, and then hopped back on the bike. We saw so many cute little baby lambs, and a few cows. We also stopped at a few beaches that looked like they would be awesome to visit during the summer. It really was a perfect day for biking and the weather could not have been better.

After a while, we came to a fork in the road, and weren't sure which way to take. We tried to follow the map, but it didn't feel right once we came to a few massive hills that were not easy to bike up. We stopped to ask a little old lady who was walking her dog if we were on the right path, and she could only speak Irish! We decided to keep going, and eventually found ourself in an exact place we had stopped an hour back. We had done a huge circle! I flagged down a guy driving a tractor and he was able to give us some directions on how to get on the right track towards Dingle. He said it was only about seven miles and should only take us a half hour on the bikes. After about a half hour we got nervous again and stopped at a pub to ask for more directions. Everyone in there told us we were on the right track, and it should only be seven miles to town! Either the first guy lied to us to make us feel better, or Irish people are really bad at estimating distances! The sun was beginning to set and the next leg of the ride was so hilly. I was so tired and could barely move up the huge hills, and the sheep were beginning to get pretty old. Once we got to the top of our last mountainous hill, we saw the lights of Dingle in the distance, and it was all downhill from there. We were so happy to finally get back (at 7:00...7 1/2 hours later!), but could barely walk by the time we returned our bike. We headed straight to a pub for some dinner and it hurt to sit in the booths. It felt like my butt was black and blue with bruises from the bike seat and my knees were killing. I felt like a seventy five year old lady I was so achy!

After dinner we went back to the hostel to shower and relax a little, then went out for a few pints. We were so tired we could barely keep our eyes open in the pub, so we turned in early for the night. The next morning we stayed in town and did a little shopping before we had to catch the bus at 3:30. I loved Dingle and it was such a great weekend, despite the whole getting lost in the middle of no where thing.

This week is RAG week at NUIG. It's supposed to be a constant party and I can currently hear people outside partying and it's only 1 PM. Last night I stayed in because we got back late from Dingle, and people were outside until about 3 AM. I want to get involved on the festivities, but I'm not sure if I'll be able to go all week! I'll be sure to let you know how it goes!

Giant's Causeway, Rugby, & Titanic Views

Belfast was lots of fun. We had a very busy weekend, and spent a lot of time on the bus. The ride was about 5 hours, and we had an hour stop at a mall in Dublin for lunch in between. Once we got to Belfast, we checked into out hostel and had free time to explore they city. It was cold and rainy and we didn't really know where we were going so after walking around a bit we decided to find a pub instead where we killed some time before dinner. After dinner we had everyone up to our room because it was so big. There were about twenty five beds in our hostel room and it held most of the girls in our program. after a few drinks we headed our for the night and went to a pub called The Beaten Docket. There was karaoke and afterwards the DJ played all sorts of fun American songs for us to dance to like "Born in the USA" and "Summer of '69." It was a great night out.
The next day we had to wake up early to head to Giant's Causeway, it was about and hour drive out of Belfast City. Once we got there we split up into smaller groups for tours. The Causeway was absolutely gorgeous and had the most spectacular views. Apparently it was formed thousands of years ago from volcanic eruptions under the ocean. Huge pillars made of rock formed and make up the causeway. There are celtic legends about a giant, Fionn mac Cumhaill (Finn McCool) who built the causeway so he could walk to Scotland to fight a giant from over there. There were so many different myths about the rock formations and stories about what they look like. I took tons of pictures and had awesome views after we climbed about 150 steps to get to the top of the mountain. We stopped for lunch in a small town and then headed back to Belfast city so we could catch the Ireland vs. England rugby match. We found a pub and settled in to watch Ireland kick some British butt! I really enjoyed watching rubgy and am thinking about buying a Ireland rugby jersey.

We went to a hotel for dinner and then headed back to the hostel to get ready to go out for the night. Mike Mo was also in Belfast with his group from BC so I went out to meet him at Robinson's pub. We danced to some Trad music and had a few pints before I had to leave to meet up the the Arcadia kids at a nightclub near our hostel. It was the biggest club I have ever been to and there were so many people! Luckily I found everyone quickly and we danced until they turned on the lights and kicked us out.



Sunday morning we had someone come speak to us about the different murals around Beflast. It was so interesting learning about the troubles in Northern Ireland, and the different viewpoints of both the Unionists and the Nationalist. He showed us examples of murals by the IRA and the UFF, they were so interesting. A lot of them were really intimidating with men pointing guns and threatening poems. After lunch we got on the bus to take a tour around Belfast to see the murals. We were able to get out and take pictures and went to both sides of town, the Loyalists and the Nationalists. We also stopped at the dry port where the Titanic was built. We saw exactly where it first took off from and went to a little exhibit. Belfast used to have a very large ship building industry.

After the thour around Beflast we got back on the bus for our long ride home. I slept most of the way and we had a quick stop for dinner. It was so cool to be able to see such a different part of Ireland with such different political views. I did enjoy the trip, but I think I prefer the Southern part of Ireland more. In fact, we are thinking of booking a trip to Dingle this weekend, one of the most popular tourist attractions, I hear it's beautiful!

Off to Belfast!

Not too much new to report. It was a pretty quiet week. Last night we went out to one of the nightclubs in town, and it was actually fun. I've found a few that I've had fun at , and they're starting to grow on me. We hung out with Mary's Irish roommate, Mick, and a few of his "mates." They were really fun, and hopefully we'll go out with them more.

Tomorrow I'm heading up to Belfast with the rest of the Arcadia program. I'm so excited to see Northern Ireland! It's going to be so different from the Ireland I'm used to seeing, and I can't wait to experience something different. We have plans to see Giant's Causeway and the political murals in belfast city. It's going to be a very long drive though, and we're leaving at 9:30 tomorrow and aren't supposed to get there until around 5. That's a long time on a bus!

The time here is flying by- a little too fast! In just a few weeks my friend Craig is coming to visit from his spring break, and it will be St. Patty's day. Then Mom, Dad, Chelsey, and Nana will be getting here, it can't believe it! I can't wait for them to get here, but time needs to slow down!

More good news- we booked a spring break trip! Mary, Lindsey, and I will be flying to Barcelona on April 9th and staying there for three days. It's right on the coast and hopefully we'll get some nice beach weather! Then we are flying into Pisa, and will take a quick train ride to Florence, where we'll stay with Stacy for a few days. I'm so excited to see her, I miss everyone from RWU like crazy. Then we have no definite plans, but will fly out of Venice on the 19th back to Ireland. I've always wanted to see Spain and Italy, and I can't believe we actually are going to have the chance to go!

Things I'm Having Trouble Living Without....but I'll Somehow Manage

So there's a ton of things that I miss from the states that they don't have over here (mostly foods). I figured I'd make a list so I can get right to it when I get home in May.

1. Almedia 326
2. The Border Cafe
3. Bristol Bagel Sandwiches
4. Classic's & Bristolian Pizza
5. CheezItz
6. $5 Pitchers of Coors Light
7. BUFFALO CHICKEN
8. Big Sue's cooking
9. Tostito's Chips (they don't tell tortilla chips anywhere!!!!)
10. My RWU family
11. Hulu
12. The Salad Bar at the Commons
13. My feather bed
14. constant phone updates from Julie
15. having some form of income
16. dollar bills
17. Chex Mix
18. Dunkins Iced Coffee
19. Driving
20. long, hot showers
21. $17 30s of Keystone Light
22. zumba
23. spinning
24. cheap clothes/ jewelry at forever 21
25. crafts from michaels
26. paint by numbers
27. having more than 14 tv channels
28. Netflix
29. Corey
30. The fam

31. Ra ra ra ra rachhhhht


I'm sure I will be thinking of more as the weeks go on and update this post on the reg.

London Trip-"Mind the Gap Mate!"

London was AMAZING!!! It was so much fun and is such a cool city, filled with so much history and things to see. The weekend was jammed packed with so many things, we saw so much in the few days we were there. We got to our hostel late Thursday night, so we just got some food and hung in. We woke up early Friday morning to get on a "Hop on-hop off" double decker tour bus, and spent the day riding it around the city. We stopped off at Picadilly Circus, where we found a great store where i got some new jeans (5 pounds on sale!) and then walked around a little and grabbed some lunch. After lunch we went on a Beatles Walking tour around SoHo. Our tour guide used to be a guitarist in the time when the Beatles were getting big, and took guitar lessons from Eric Clapton. He showed us all sorts of cool spots, like where Jimi Hendrix played his last gig before he died, where the Rolling Stones got together, and the house where The Beatles played on the rooftop. After the tour we hopped back on the bus and stopped at Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, and Parliament. By the end of the day we were so beat, we got back on the bus and rode it back to Hyde Park, where our hostel was near.



Friday night I got to meet up with ReRe and Mikey at a pub near our hostel. They took the tube and met me and Mary for a few drinks. It was so good to see them! We chatted for a few hours and I got the full scoop on what's been going on at home, and we had a lot of laughs. It was so fun meeting up with them and it felt so good to be with family! After we left ReRe and Mike, we headed back to the hostel to meet up with the rest of the girls and went out to a Hookah bar. I had never smoked Hookah before, but it was so much fun! It was very relaxing and we were sitting on couches outside with heated lamps all around us. It was a good day to end a long day of touring and walking.

Satuday morning we woke up early to catch the changing of the guards ceremony at Bukingham Palace. Our tour guide took us to see a bunch of statues of kings and queens, and it was so interesting to learn about how crazy some of them where! The changing of the guards ceremony was unbelievable, the band played awesome songs and the guards looked so cool marching in sync with their uniforms and bear fur hats. After the tour we grabbed lunch and decided to make our way to Harrod's. We attempted to figure out the way on the Underground, which was very interesting. We ended up switching way too many times and made it way more complicated for ourselves than it should have been, but eventually made it. As soon as we walked in I was blown away. Everything was so extravagant, and incredibly expensive. I loved the jewlery room, and have never seen such big diamonds in my life. There was an amazing shoe room, with heels costing about 1000 pounds, I found one gown for over 5,000 pounds. I loved every minute of it, and decided that I need to marry rich. Saturday night we went on a pub crawl that was advertised at our hostel, and had a blast. The crawl took us to five bars, and included free admission, four free drinks, and VIP access in the clubs. I actually enojyed the London club scene, it was much better than the ones in Galway!



Sunday morning we headed our with no set plans, and wandered around Hyde Park and the Kensington Gardens for a while before getting on the tube towards Abbey Road. We finally got the hang of the Underground system, and once you figure out how to read the maps it's kind of like the T. I had no idea Abbey Road was going to be such a busy street, and every time we tried to get our Beatles picture we got honked and screamed at. Eventually I decided to say "too bad about 'em!" got in the middle of the road and directed traffic so we could get our shot. The picture came out great, and I think we look just like The Beatles!


The weekend was great, and I had such a fun time traveling, it makes me want to go to more places!!!

When someone you love becomes a memory, the memory becomes a treasure

This week is the first time I've felt homesick since I've been here. A lot is going on at home, and I'm missing my family very much. These next few days are going to be very hard for them, but also filled with the good memories that we have all shared with my Uncle Paul. He was a great god father, and was always so good to my cousins and I. I just finished skyping with my Nanny, and miss her so much. I wish I could be home just to give her a HUGE hug. I'm so glad I got to see her though, and will by thinking about the rest of the Powell family this week.

Rest in Peace Uncle Paul, we all miss you

Craic, Coral & Pointín

This weekend was great. Mike Mo came Friday night with his three roommates, and we had a blast. They got here around 8, and we made them some dinner and headed out for the night. We did a little bit of a pub crawl starting at the King's Head and making our ways to the Quay's and the Front Door, all my favorites. We didn't end up getting home until very late and it was a great night, good craic (craic=fun).

The next morning we slept in for a little, then headed into the market downtown. I got the most delicious crepe, and will definitely be heading back to that stand next Saturday. There was so many delicious looking stands, and a lot of great crafts and jewelry too. We decided that that is going to be a weekly tradition for the weekends we're in Galway. After the market we grabbed a coffee and took a nice long walk down to Claddagh to show the guys some of Galway. We also walked a little bit of the Salthill Prom since it was such a gorgeous day and got some great pictures.

Saturday night we went back into town, but didn't go as hard as the night before, because we had an early morning Sunday. We went to a few pubs, then the guys hit up Supermac's for some burgers and I got a Bailey's Ice Cream. It was delicious.

On Sunday we took a bus tour to Connemara. It was an absolutely gorgeous day and we had a great trip. There was about twenty five of us, so we had an all student tour. We had the same tour guide as last week, and he snuck us some Pointín . Pointín is like moonshine and is illegal in Ireland. Apparently his brother-in-law brews it, and he let us pass around the bottle and whoever wanted to have a taster could. It was certainly the strongest liquor I've ever tasted, and after I sipped it I learned that it was 160 proof, and 80% alcohol by volume. It burnt the whole way down, and I can see why it is illegal. We also stopped at Coral Beach, and had the chance to throw some coral. The tradition is that if you pick up coral off the shore and throw it over your left shoulder into the water you will become very rich. If you throw it over yo

ur right shoulder you will be lucky in love. The trick is you can not throw it over both, and have to decide which one you would rather. I chose my right, and am hoping it starts to work over here soon! Here's a picure of me about to throw my coral.

We made other stops along the tour, at the "Hooker Bar" for a drink, the leprechaun's cottage, Kylemore Abbey (which was gorgeous) and a few other places. The landscape of Connemara is absolutely breathtaking, and I want to go back in the Spring when the grass is greener.