IRELAND!!!
Ok, sorry- had to be done. This is the only way I can clearly express how much I loved Ireland over the internet- with music, big fonts, and cool colors. It's like 6th grade all over again. The song (shout out to Haley for introducing it to me) has literally been on repeat on my iPod since I got back. It's a fun song, feel free to listen!
I arrived in Dublin late on Thursday, February 28th and left Sunday afternoon, March 3rd. Besides a travel mishap at the beginning of the trip (guess what guys, your passport is kind of important...) the weekend was basically perfect. I was able to reunite with some sorority sisters, I was in my "hometown" of sorts (Irish pride!), and it was so refreshing to hear English again.
Thursday night was pretty uneventful as I was just tired from my travels, but I was able to catch up with my fellow Illinois abroad friends Caitlyn (my gracious host, studying in Dublin) and Haley (who had arrived on Wednesday from Granada). After exchanging a few abroad stories of our own, we quickly got into conversation like we were sitting around in the formal of the Sigma Kappa house: witty banter about Facebook etiquette. It's a real thing guys. It was so nice because it felt like home. That night we watched P.S. I Love You to prepare for our tour on Saturday (more on that later...)
Friday was incredibly fun. Knowing the great time my friends back at U of I would be having that day, I was so lucky to be with my own group of Illinois kids.
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| Haley, Caitlyn, and I |
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| I-L-L! |
Saturday morning our group of girls, now joined by two more sorority sisters, Christine & Melanie, took a bus tour to see the Wicklow Mountains. The tour lasted from about 9am to 5:30pm and we saw so much. We started at the James Joyce tower on the coast. Although is was a bit cold, there were people going out into the water to swim and scuba dive. It was so cool! The view from the tower was incredible and the SigKaps got a picture throwing what we know. Hello Recruitment 2013!
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| Throw what you know <3 |
Our next stop was a cute little shop called "Avoca" with adorable clothes, books, home decor, and delicious food. I got a scone and some coffee in a to-go cup. You have NO IDEA how much I have missed to-go cups. Italy just doesn't do that.
Driving in and through the mountains was just incredible itself, whether or not we actually stopped. We were really lucky that day to have such gorgeous weather. At one stop, we got out a hiked a bit to a look out point to see the Guinness family estate. The view was absolutely breathtaking. Here's a great "Allison moment" as my family likes to say... You know how when you're looking at something so astounding and beautiful, you have trouble believing it's really right in front of you? So you say something similar to, "It's like a picture..." Well I was in disbelief of the amazing sight in front of my eyes and lean over to my friend Haley and said, "It's like a picture..." Funny thing though, we were on the bus and I was referring to the ACTUAL PICTURE I had just taken of the view. "Yes, Allison. It's like a picture because it is a picture." *Facepalm* Sorry I was just in awe of Ireland...
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| But really... how incredible is this? |
One of the highlights for our group of giddy, 20 year old girls, was a movie filming location. Yeah, you guessed it... Braveheart! Haha, no, I'm kidding. Although we did see that. Some of the fight scenes in that movie were filmed in Ireland- not Scotland. Our tour guide said an Irish guy (I forgot his significance) persuaded Mel Gibson to film in the Wicklow Mountains by bribing him with free extras from the army. Cool stuff to know for the media studies major. Anyway, the girls were excited to see the bridge where Hilary Swank and Gerard Butler's characters meet for the first time in P.S. I Love You. Countless jokes about "Where's my Gerry? Where's Gerard Butler?" were made. We're so original.
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For lunch we stopped at a classic Irish pub. I had a delicious beef & Guinness stew, a traditional plate. It was so good. Just seeing the picture makes me want to go back and order it again. Yum. After the hearty meal we traveled to our last stop at Glendalough. This beautiful valley had the most photographed round tower, as our tour guide told us, and a cemetery in the first part, and along a path a beautiful waterfall and gorgeous lake. A highlight from the cemetery was St. Kevin's cross. If you could wrap your arms around it, your wish came true. After a couple tries trying to find the best way to encircle my arms around the stone, I was finally able to touch my fingers together. That's two wishes made on this trip to Europe (first one was the coin at the Trevi Fountain). The lake was incredible as well. It was so still and peaceful, so naturally, I disturbed the tranquility and attempted to skip rocks. On my first try, I was able to make the rock jump twice. I was excited haha. After that, no so much...
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| So delicious. |
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| The round tower |
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| St. Kevin's Cross |
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| Look ma! I skipped the rock! |
The tour ended with the guide giving us a shot of Jameson Whiskey. My friend Christine, who just happened to be turning 21 that day, and I said "Sláinte!", the Irish way to say "Cheers!", and took the shot. The tour guide was so nice. I forgot to mention, I loved him from the very beginning of the trip. When he checked my ticket and saw my name he said, (and imagine this in an Irish brogue) "Ahh that's a great name. That's a movie star name." Ok, I'm sold. I'm moving to Ireland now. Perfect.
When we finally got back to the city, the group decided to wander up and down Grafton Street. This is a famous street in Dublin with a lot of people and a lot of great shops. The favorite shop I saw was...
By the time we got back to Caitlyn's house, Haley and I were resigned to going to an Irish pub, ordering a beer, talking to some locals, and, of course, hearing some great Irish music. Not too much to ask, right? But honestly, we had the perfect night. We met some super nice Irish guys and heard some great music. I mean, Call Me Maybe, isn't quite an Irish folk song, but when you play The Wild Rover right after and I get to impress the Irish with my knowledge of "No, nay, never... no nay never, no more!", I'll deal.
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| The girls out and about |
Sunday, my last day in Ireland. Melanie, Christine, and I woke up early to go to the Guinness Storehouse. We took the tour and even learned how to pour the perfect Guinness. I got a diploma and everything. I was a little nervous to try Guinness, but I actually really enjoyed it. It helped to really appreciate it after learning the whole process that goes into brewing one. I was also determined to finish my pint- which I did. Success. Some highlights from the tour was the view from the Gravity Bar on the 7th floor and seeing Conan O'Brien's picture on the wall of fame.
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Overall, my time in Ireland was so fantastic. The people in the city were so incredibly friendly. I know this is definitely one place I will return. I felt such a swell of pride knowing I have Irish blood running in my veins. When I got back to Rome, I exposed my roomies to some Irish music. I hope they didn't get sick of it. I'll just say we're prepping for St. Patrick's Day next week. Honestly, I'm determined to go back. I guess I'll say to you Ireland, "And until we meet again, May God hold you in the palm of His hand."
POT OF GOLD (Some extras)
- I had three occasions when the response I got after saying I was from Chicago was, "Oh, that's Oprah's city." Is Oprah big with the Irish or something??
-There was a German guy on our tour who had the SAME eyes as John Krasinski (aka Jim from "The Office"). Haley and I had a good time laughing at this.
-There's a restaurant in Dublin called "Eddie Rockets" which is basically the same as "Johnny Rockets" back in the States. I wonder which came first...
-Everyone is literally SO NICE. I had the best conversation with a cab driver to the airport. We talked about religion, politics, economics, traveling, and a lot of other stuff. He said cab drivers talk to you "like they've known you their whole lives." Boy, was that true.
-Shout-out to my Illinois friends who greatly entertained me with their antics on Friday. Gotta love Snapchat.
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