Wednesday, November 10th, after Art History, Meg, Jacqueline, and I hopped on the bus and caught our flight to Dublin, Ireland. Because Thursday the 11th was Armistice Day there were no classes, and since none of us have Friday class we were able to plan a long weekend in Ireland.
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| Thomas Dillon's |
We arrived in Dublin around 5:30 PM and then promptly boarded the bus to Galway, a small town, on the west coast of Ireland. After a three hour bus ride we arrived in Galway and were left to find our hostel in the dark. While Ireland didn't welcome us with the most inviting weather we had come prepared for the worst and were excited to be there. We checked into our hostel, which for only being 1 euro per person, was actually pretty nice, and then set out in search of some traditional Irish food, in other words potatoes.
Thursday morning we got an early start and went about exploring Galway. We went to Thomas Dillon's, the original markers of the claddagh ring. While there are thousands of productions of claddagh rings all over the world, Thomas Dillon are the only makers allowed to stamp original on each ring by the Assay Office, Dublin. I had been wanting a claddagh ring for a while so I indulged and figured if I was going to get one I might as well get an original!
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| Jacqueline and me in Galway |
While wandered through Galway and found ourselves at the Galway City Cathedral. Freezing, after visiting the cathedral, we went to a cafe for some warm drinks then got back on the bus to return to Dublin.
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| Galway City Cathedral |
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| Meg and me along Middle River |
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| Temple Bar |
Four hours later we were on the opposite coast in Dublin. Lucky for us our hostel was right by the bus stop so we were able to drop off our stuff and start seeing Dublin. We first visited Temple Bar, both a bar and Dublin's cultural quarter. The streets were lined with restaurants, bars, musicians and cobblestones.
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| Jacqueline and me in front of Trinity |
Friday morning we got up early and started our day with a visit to Trinity College. We took a tour of the campus and saw the Book of Kells. The highlight of the tour for me of course was the two large Oregon oaks planted in the main square of the college.
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| Oregon oak |
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Trinity College
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| Meg in front of Christ Church Cathedral |
After Trinity we made our way to St. Patrick's Cathedral and on the way stopped by Christ Church Cathedral. I'm not very religious but the size and construction of the churches were pretty amazing. There exist only two St. Patrick's Cathedrals in the world, one in Dublin and one in New York, at least that's what I was told.
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| St. Patrick's Cathedral |
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| Gravity Bar overlooking Dublin |
To complement our day of colleges, churches, and beer we had a traditional dinner of fish and chips.
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| Henry St, downtown Dublin |
Saturday morning we visited Henry Street, the pedestrian shopping area in downtown Dublin, and of course did some light shopping.
We then went on a bus tour of the North Coast around Dublin where we saw the coast, marina, and stopped at Malahide Castle, dating from the 12th century. The tour stopped at the summit of Howth Head where we saw the sun set over Dublin Bay with Dublin and the Wicklow mountains as a backdrop.
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| Malahide Castle |
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| Dublin's North Coast |
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| Overlooking Dublin Bay |
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| Jacqueline, me, Meg at Howth Head Summit |
Sunday morning, due to our pure exhaustion from such a busy trip and the time change (Dublin is one hour behind Nice), we mistakenly set our alarm clock for 6 AM instead of 8AM and got to the airport four hours before out plane left. But we considered ourselves lucky because we could have easily been four hours late had we really messed up the alarm situation. Groggy, weary, and cold we headed home to Nice. While the wind and constant rain were a shock for us coming from Nice, I felt like I was back in Portland. Every morning it was dark when we woke up and dark again by 5. Despite the weather we all had an amazing time and can't wait to visit again!
As of this Thursday (November 18th) I have exactly one month before I return to Portland. I can't believe how fast time has gone by! Part of me never wants to leave here but at the same time I can't wait to see everyone at home.
The semester is definitely coming to a close though. This weekend I am going to Antibes and Cagnes-Sur-Mer with the group, we're collectively celebrating Thanksgiving next week on the 26th, December 2nd I leave for Paris for the weekend with Jacqueline and Meg, when I come back it's studying for finals, and then I'm home on the 19th!
Naturally, after visiting churches we went to the Guinness Storehouse where they produce over 3 million tons of Guinness a day. There we took a tour and went through seven stories of the factory where they outline the process of what makes Guinness so "good." I would have to say good is highly subjective in this case. At the very end of the tour you receive a free pint of Guiness which we tried to enjoy at the Gravity Bar which overlooks the city of Dublin. 
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