My last post ended discussing how I wasn't sure what I was going to do on the 4-day weekend we had from June 17-20th. I ended up staying in Ireland. A big group went to Barcelona (been there), another went to London (JUST spent this past weekend there), and another went to Munich (be there in 5 days!)... so I took some time to explore the Emerald Island! There were only a few other people who stayed too, but they mainly stayed in Dublin. The first day of the weekend (Friday the 17th) I went out to Howth with one of the other guys on the trip, Baron. Baron and I both hadn't been to Howth yet, and many others already went. When we left it was rainy, and after the 20min train ride there, it was rainier. We were pretty bummed about the weather, but knew how sporadic Ireland's weather is, so we attempted to wait it out. The wind was brutal, and the rain was cold so after waiting 20min for a bus to take us to the hill, we gave up and decided to pass time with a warm lunch! We walked up and down the harbor looking for some yummy seafood, and ended up eating at a WONDERFUL place called The Oar House. It was the ONE meal I truly splurged on, but it was very well worth it. I started off with an Irish Bailey's coffee (heavenly) and some seafood chowder. Baron got the cajun calamari (also very yummy!), and for my main course... rare grilled Tuna steak with a green olive pesto on top, a small salad, and 'chips' n' vinegar (chips are ACTUALLY not chips like the Americans like to think... they're more like steak fries that you get back home!, but amazing with vinegar!!). It was a wonderful lunch, and while we passed a bit of time the rain hadn't let out, but the wind did, so we managed to catch a bus (after running after it!) to the beginning of the hill hike. By the time we made our way up the rain let out to a mist, and we decided to take our chances and start hiking anyways... GOOD idea, because the sun eventually came out and the weather was more than I could've asked for! It was beautiful, and we hiked around almost the entire island of Howth, along the cliffs.. we took detours down to the bays and saw seals in the waves, I walked along the Irish sea, and got SOAKED/muddy/and ruined my tennis shoes, but all the well worth it! I took some breathtaking pictures, and saw every different aspect the coasts of the Island had to offer. It was a day VERY well spent. Experiencing the scenery here has made me step back from reality and truly take everything I have for what it's worth. I'm so blessed to have this opportunity, and while I may be paying it off for quite some time, I'm glad that I can say this is what I did and that I have incredible family and friends who are supporting me.
After returning from such a wonderful day in Howth, I decided I would spend the rest of my weekend in Galway... by myself. Not sure if the "by myself" part went as lovely and relaxing as I had expected it, but I survived. I found a 3-day trip that took me to the Cliffs of Moher, Aran Islands, and Connemara for 80euro (including transportation to-from Dublin, as well as transportation around to the sites). I was able to find hostels for the 2 nights, which was only 27 euro. The 1st day was the Cliffs, and I got incredibly lucky with the weather! It was sunny, and the wind was apparently "calm"... blowing and pushing me around didn't seem too calm, but the locals insisted it was. The views were amazing, and although I was a little too scared to get close to the edge, I got some pretty awesome pictures. That night I stayed in a dorm at NUI Galway (a University there). It was pretty nice.. had a few mishaps with the dorms they put me in (yes, I had to move to another one), but I survived. I attempted to venture into town by myself, but it had been a long day and I was in an iffy mood, so I ended up going back to the dorm and getting some sleep after a bit of time in the city.
The next day the tour took us to the Aran Islands. I didn't have the greatest time here unfortunately... I don't think I really knew what to do! It was the one day of the trip that the tour wasn't guided, you had to self-guide yourself. So I rented a bike (like everyone else does) and attempted to venture around... needless to say I didn't make it very far around the island so I didn't get to see any of the big sites. Biking long hilly distances is something I haven't done in years, and after hiking all around Howth a few days before my body was taking a beating... I also didn't realize how hard on my back biking would be. But even though I didn't get to see much, I got a good workout! That night I stayed in a different hostel, which was much better! More people were around so it wasn't so lonely, plus it was in Galway city center, so it was closer to everything. I attempted to venture around town for a bit, and headed towards a pub called "Hole in the Wall". Along my way there I met a few guys, and invited them out to join. One joined me, but it was after only a pint with him that I discovered he was just another rude boy in the world.. so I ventured back to my hostel and got some rest for the next day.
The last day was spent on a bus going all around Connemara and the Killmore Abbey. I FINALLY got to see the countryside of Ireland! It was beautiful. I saw a few small old castle remains, some monasteries, Connemara ponies (loved them!), sheep, cows, sheep dogs, and Killmore Abbey was beautiful too. I truly enjoyed the landscaping and the countryside!
The week following in Dublin was busy with school and work. Work is getting better, I was very happy to finally talk some Marketing talk about Pandora's products with one of the main executives, John Fitzpatrick. He's an older guy, and has been in the family business for years I'm assuming. His perspective and insights to marketing Pandora jewelry was very interesting, and I'm looking forward to looking into jobs with Pandora for the future. He also showed me two new products they are introducing soon, and said he would hook me up with anything if I was interested :)
Wednesday (22nd) we celebrated Dani's 21st birthday. Her birthday wasn't actually until Saturday, but since everyone was going to be gone traveling and her mom was coming to Dublin to take her around Ireland, so we celebrated early! I made her a shot book, but it was the worst quality shot book I'd ever made since there are NO Hobby Lobby's here!!! But it was the thought that counts, and she loved it! Most of the entire group of us studying went out that night to celebrate, and we surely celebrated hard. We had a free day from class on Thursday so we were able to celebrate hard and sleep in a bit.
That Thursday (23rd), myself, Baron, and my roommate Meghan went to the Guinness factory finally! I LOVED it. I didn't like that it was self-guided, but it just made me have to read more! I loved all of the history of the beer, the company, the advertising, and everything that goes into brewing a Guinness.. it was very interesting and I wish my daddy could have been there for it too! I got to enjoy my Guinness at the Gravity bar, where you can look out to all of Dublin. It was incredible! On the way back to the dorms we decided to opt out of walking 25min, and took a horse carriage instead! It was my first ever ride in one, and I LOVED it!!!! Our horse's name was Molly, she was an Irish horse, but I can't remember the breed. That evening I got to meet Dani's mom, Cindy aka Momma D. She took myself and 3 other friends on the trip to dinner with her and Dani. We attempted to eat at Davy Burnes, but it was too busy, so we went to Sheehans, where I had lunch once at the beginning of our trip. This time I got salmon with mashed potatoes and green beans... it was amazing to say the least!
I'm going to end this post now, and start a new one for Week 4 and London!!! Hopefully this was a good recap of week 3... I know I at least hit all of the important adventures!
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