All good things come to an end...

Well it has to happen eventually. But first, a quick recap!

This week I finished finals. They weren't bad, a bit of a hassle since each one of them was the first real legitimate work I had done in the classes all semester, but barring that each one was not very difficult. We did flip a bit about our International Financial Management, but that all turned out just fine, no worries. 

In any case, this weekend I traveled to Belgium. I went by myself which scared the hell out of me, but nonetheless I braved the storm and had a fantastic time exploring a very fine country indeed. On Friday night I stayed with my professor's mother, and the entire evening consisted of her telling me awesome stories about World War II and her time in Belgium. Good food too and a very homely atmosphere made that night very enjoyable.

Saturday I spent the day in Brussels. A very fine city indeed, the churches and buildings were fantastic. Later at night I grabbed a train to Antwerp where I was spending the next night. There I met two Canadians and we basically chatted and laughed all night, which made for a very good time. The hostel was great as well!

Sunday was spent in Antwerp. I saw mass at the Cathedral, which was fabulous, a very nice experience. The rest of the day was actually rather boring in Antwerp, there wasn't much to do. I settled in a bit early and watched a movie, just to relax some.

Monday (today) I went to Breendonk Concentration camp. Talk about heavy material. It was an educational yet emotionally tolling trip that left me both informed and saddened. It was quite a sight, being one of the few camps left that is actually intact. I enjoyed it though and hope I can pass that message along to other people. 

In all, I am coming back home tomorrow at 1:30. I have said much about my time already, so I can now only say that I have enjoyed my time here, but like the first yearning for Dublin I acquired, I must move to other things now. I have taken much and hopefully given back some as well. I'll talk to you later Ireland, it's been swell.

And thus ends my blog. Thank you all for reading, I hope you enjoyed my eccentric narration, until next time, cheers!

Been a while.... time time time!

Wow it has been a while since I've posted on this blog. My most sincere apologies, I have been very busy and I don't feel like I have much to report on. I guess that is the effect living here has; eventually it becomes everyday sort of happenings, no big deal, but this time it's really not a big deal. In any case, I can catch you up quickly.

In November I had Ashley visit me for a week. We visited Cork as well as Howth and Dun Laoghaire. It was a fantastic time going out to pubs around town and generally having a very enjoyable week. I got to play tour guide again which was no problem on my part as she made everything fun and unstressful. Needless to say by week's end I was out of money and hadn't done any work, but who cares? Fun times.

After that my friend Hilary from Italy came to visit. That was a bit tougher because immediately after Ash left, Hilary came, and I was quite tired from showing people around the city. But I played my part and even though I was ill one night, we still had a great time. 

The week following was work week. Basically I did everything I was putting off the semester in a week and a half and turned it in. Boo ya. 

Thanksgiving was held at the Merrion Hotel, the highest rated hotel in Dublin. It's owned in part by Mr. Naughton who also gave us the money to buy the O'Connell house. He's loaded to say the least. I got to talk to him and his wife for a bit. They just got back to Dublin from London after visiting with the Prince of Wales. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? This guy was awesome to the core. 

After the mass and reception with 80 Euro bottles of Champaign (the cheapest one on the menu), we headed upstairs for an incredible five star meal. There was bread, caesar salad, pumpkin and sage soup, Turkey with sweet potatoes, stuffing, cranberries, and mashed potatoes with gravy. Apple pie with ice cream rounded off dessert followed by coffee or tea. There was also wine refills the entire night of some of the best merlot I've ever had. And while it definitely didn't have the familial aspect I missed, it was a great meal and a fantastic time.

After-dinner entertainment followed with all of us as the entertainment. There was singing, harp playing, oratorical declamation, and even a Monty Python skit done in part by yours truely (and no, it was not a wine-induced decision). We all went out to a pub for a while and had an absolute blast with Thanksgiving. 

Since then it's been realitively calm. A class at the O'Connell house here, a free day to do nothing there. December is not crunch time yet, but with the first final out of the way tonight, things are coming to a close. I am planning a trip to Belgium on the 19th through the 23rd, and after that I am home. In all honesty I am ready to come home. I miss being there with the snow, my home, as well as family and friends that make Christmas so great. Ireland is an absolute blast and I'm going to be sad leaving, but I will also be really happy to see Illinois again. Soon enough, two weeks from tomorrow!

I hope everyone is having a great time preparing for Christmas and finals. Have a great December, you'll be hearing me on this sooner, I promise. If not, I'll see you at home! Bye!

The essence of Ireland

Well it was bound to happen sooner or later.

Finally, an indepth analysis of my feelings for my time spent here in Ireland thus far.

It is funny; I spend so much time and energy working my way to Ireland, yet when I am here so often I find myself talking about America. Irish students want to know what it was like, US students want something they can relate to, and it is not possible to talk to a Notre Dame student without jumping into a joke about one's Midwestern accent (not that one exists...)

In any case, for these first two and a half months, Ireland hasn't really "sunk in". I have seen so many things and felt a part of the communities I am involved in. Between trips across the island to learning about the mystic culture in the classroom to walking down Merrion Square to even being a part of normal Irish students' activities, I have experienced more than my fair share of tourist propaganda. Yet always such actions were pecks at a bigger whole, they were scratches on a surface that seemed impenetrable.

Until, for some odd reason, right now.

Mind you it is past midnight on the second week of November. The recent election and compoundingly difficult financial situation of the US has pushed my home country into the spotlight of my recent memory. Yet all I can think about is how incredibly breathtaking this island really is. There is something else here when one has stayed longer than a week; to someone who hasn't witnessed it, such awe is impossible to describe. 

I guess the important thing I am writing on is that I am making such a strong connection here that I don't really want to leave. Of course I will and I am sure my first Wendy's double cheeseburger will taste fantastic, but a part of me wants to keep Ireland forever. Ghosts occupy this land. The wind speaks and the grass listens; water whispers and rocks pay heed. It is a moment of complete and total harmony, except that moment is every moment of my time here. Of what little I know of love, with all my heart I love this land. 

It pains me that such a realization took me so long and that my time here is dwindling quickly. Maybe it is a metaphor for the larger context of life, that so often we understand but at the cost of time. I feel that no matter how hard I try, I will be leaving here in December with something more to be desired, something left to be done. 

As dismal as it sounds, such a thought is actually rather comforting. I feel like I will understand Irish people in America on a much different plane. I feel that the mystical urge so many Irish Americans have to visit the isle will be framed all the better in my mind. Most importantly, I feel I will see my heritage as an American in a brand new light, one of appreciation and trust in a system just as mystical and just as stunning as Ireland's.

I have bridged the Atlantic and now keep one foot in America and one foot in Ireland. Soon I will hop back, but I know I can take my time here with me. I may not have Irish roots in my blood, but I can call Ireland a home now, and no matter where I go or who I choose to be, in my veins Ireland's blood now runs.

Busy busy busy

These past two weeks have been very jam packed with a lot of big events.

First off was our trip to Glendalough. It was a great time away if even for only a day down into the Wicklow Mountains near St. Kevin's monastery. We had a lot of fun hiking around the lakes, playing Spud, waking up at 6 to climb a mountain and watch the sunrise, walking along the forest paths, and crossing river rapids in true spiderman fashion. There was even a gigantic game of Mafia several times, many of them ending in my demise early in the game. It was a fantastic bonding experience.

After that Tori arrived and was around for the week. Tuesday the 21st was my birthday, excessive celebration followed. I need only say that it was a very memorable day and I had an absolutely fantastic time. Yay for being 21, finally! Not that it mattered here, but I am sure eventually it will come in handy.

The rest of the week was all over the place. Saturday morning in Dublin was experienced first hand by my family as their flight touched down amidst a torrent of rain and wind. Regardless we traveled to Christ Church as well as other parts of Dublin that day, pausing for a nap as my parents adjusted to jet lag. 

The rest of their visit involved taking tours and seeing Ireland. Places traveled to included Glendalough, Killkenny, Limmerick, the Cliffs of Moher, the burren, and Howth. We all had a fabulous time going all over and eating delicious food in the process. Nothing like eating on the parents' tab, right? Even a few pints here and there though my parents are heathens and do not drink Guinness. I guess there are some things that can be forgiven, especially if said parties arrive with an entire suitcase of food. Hamburger Helper for the rest of the semester? Yes please.

In any case the parents are off to London now. I am currently working hard on a few things so when Ashley arrives I will be able to hang out with her and not do homework. Of course I have other things planned including the quarter final round of debate tonight, a Halloween party tomorrow, a mountain climb up Croagh Patrick (the mountain St. Pat climbed barefoot, now a pilgrimage turned into an indulgence), and a trip to the horse racetrack on Sunday. Ashley comes on Friday, so I have that much time to get work done. 

Putting my foot to the pedal has been notoriously difficult as there has been very little work to do while I've been here. I will still be pressing on, however, and am determined to have work done before Friday. Until then, hope everyone back at home is having a fantastic week. It's past the halfway point now, I have to enjoy it while it lasts! Cheers.

A bit of a slowdown...

I imagine every trip to somewhere away from home eventually runs into a bit of a stall, and this trip of course is no different. 

The past week has been marked by classes, making dinner, and the occasional chit chat with someone. Unfortunately that is about it, and it makes for a rather awkward feeling as I sit and wonder what just happened. 

I think it is just an illusion brought on by my different schedule here. I had a small quiz on Monday for History of Ireland, that is literally the one thing I have due this entire month. While November may be a different story, schoolwork has normally been the crutch on which I judge my level of accomplishment. With that missing I have used a surrogate in the form of travel, culture, and experience. When THAT somewhat dried up, you will find me as I am now.

It is not necessarily a bad thing to take a quick breather. In reality I have done a heck of a lot in the past two months. Nonetheless, I am ready to dive back in and will hopefully have some interesting stories to relate again soon. 

We are making a pilgrimage to Glendalough this weekend. It is in the Wicklow Mountains south of the city and is an integral part of Andrew Hoyt's campaign to take over the Campus Ministry world. Retreats like this always offer a great time, plus I've been named official photographer, so that should be an interesting dynamic as well. Tori also comes in to visit on Saturday for the week, my birthday is on Tuesday, and then after that my parents will be in as well. October is going to fly by, so hopefully I can stay on top of things and keep up! Hope all is well in the states, more info and pictures will be on their way soon.

Updates through the roof

I am very proud of myself today.

Not only have I caught up on everything with this blog, I also added some fun new features:

-All my picture albums can now be accessed directly by clicking on the appropriate slide show to the right ----->

-London blog update is complete and can be read below this post

-For those of you that care, RSS feed is now available on this blog. RSS is like a bookmark, but it is more "living" and can notify you when updates to the blog are posted. If you know what I'm talking about, have free reign on that. If not, don't worry, just check here randomly and you will still be fine.

Hope everyone is having a great week! A few London boys are visiting this weekend, and I have been busy doing Table Tennis, debate, and even a little bit of work. I'll hopefully post an update early next week to bring everyone up to date on the day to day life of my time here in Dublin. All is well and I hope you are all too. Leave me a comment if you are enjoying my posts. Until then, cheers.

The marvelous city of London

As I said before, travel in Europe is one of the main reasons I wanted to study abroad in the first place. So it was no skin off my back (save the Euro to get there) when I decided to take a trip to London this weekend. I have friends from ND studying there and the history of the city is beyond measure. Why not?

Thursday October 2nd

The night was slightly cold and rainy as our plane touched down in Gatwick International Airport. A train ride into the city brought us to Farringdon Road where the ND London kids live. Jenna and I couldn’t reach Matt Walz, so we eventually found someone to let us in and then asked people who they knew before they brought us to Shea who brought us to Michelle who brought us to Matt. Inside his flat, there was a party! 

Not just any party mind you, but a ton of the London kids (read: not that many… 20 kids in one room is still only an 8th of the program total) and even a professor! I think his name was Boyle and he was fantastic. We talked with him and some of the other London kids for a while before finally settling down, watching a movie and the VP debates before retiring to bed. We had a long two days ahead of us, but it was definitely a cool way to start off the night. 

Friday October 3rd

Jenna and I woke up around 9:30 and fetched breakfast. We took a little bit of time in getting ready and waited for Tim to join us before we headed out. Matt and a few of the other London guys were going to see Spamalot at 5:15, an offer I of course could not pass up. Matt said he would get us tickets and that we could meet up later to go to the play. Meanwhile Chris came along and we took our tour of scenic London. My goal was simply to see all the awesome things that blow up in V for Vendetta.

 Our first stop was a market. Many of them appear throughout London, but this one was of particular note because William Wallace was hanged, drawn, and quartered in it. Walking beyond it led us down Bailey street, which gave me a twinge. Sure enough I walked around and found the Old Bailey which is officially known as the Central Criminal Court in England. There are buildings all around the narrow streets in the area, so taking a good picture proved to be impossible. nonetheless, the lady of Justice stood at the top of the dome, making for a very impressive sight. 

Down further was St. Paul’s Cathedral. While not a Catholic church (almost all the large churches that still stand in London and England are Anglican following Henry VIII’s insane schism) it still made for an impressive part of the London skyline. There is a very famous photograph here:

This is during the Battle of Britain and the London bombings of WWII. St. Paul’s remained unscathed during the fighting and is now a strong symbol of English pride and perseverance. 

London is built on the Thames River, thereby requiring approximately one billion different bridges. Straight down from St. Paul’s is the Millennium Bridge, a modern style footbridge built in 2000. This was the bridge shaped like an air foil that swayed and rocked so badly it had to be removed 3 days after opening and restructured. Way to go English engineers. 

Right across from the bridge was the Tate Modern Art Museum and the redesigned Globe Theater. We took a few pictures of those while Jenna decided to do the tour of the Globe and see a play. Tim Chris and I continued our journey West toward Parliament, Trafalgar Square, and Buckingham Palace. The walk along the Thames was quite enjoyable and very scenic. London is certainly a city quite conducive to excellent photography, so I took a few pictures along the way. 

We eventually made our way across one of the bridges which gave us a spectacular view of the Eye as well as Parliament. Across the bridge led us directly into Trafalgar Square which was pretty neat. Chris left to hook up with Brittney and Katie while Tim and I headed to the Notre Dame London Center. Again to highlight the awesomeness of Notre Dame, observe the London Center. Located directly off Trafalgar Square, its real estate location is most likely one of the highest in London. Flying high among the embassy flags that surround the square is a navy banner with the classic ND logo. It is simply phenomenal to have a presence everywhere I travel.

Tim talked with Nick for a while I talked with Michelle and Michelle on the square and took some photos. They ended up taking me to Buckingham palace, St. James park, Parliament, and Westminster Abbey. All of these places were just so interesting to see, it was royal on every step of the way. 

It was getting close to 5, so I headed back to Trafalgar Square to meet up with Matt and Jenna so we could head to Spamalot. Jenna was running late and since plays close their doors precisely when the show starts it was paramount to be on time. We ran a good distance down the London streets for about 10 minutes to make it there by 5:13. Our seats were in the fourth row (SCORE) and I was on the end seat.

Pay close attention now. These details are vital.

So the show began in true Monty Python fashion: with a song from Finland. The rest of the play closely followed Monty Python and the Holy Grail but with a few liberties added and a ton of random antics. It was by far the greatest thing I had seen in my life. Here I was sitting in a theater in London watching Spamalot. I was on Cloud 9 already. 

Here’s where things get even more interesting. For those of you that aren’t aware, part of the play involves destroying the Killer Rabbit with the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch (I truly cannot do more than explain it like that… watch the bloody movie). Once they do, they find a clue to the grail.

You are still reading very closely, right?

The clue to the grail was a set of very large block letters that read “DONE.” The knights begin trying to decipher what DONE means. Perhaps it means they are done and can walk off stage? Galahad thinks it’s Italian, “don-ay”. Lancelot poses the idea that it is a chess board clue, D-one (D1) being the Queen’s square, thereby making a gay joke. Finally they decided it must mean D-1. 

Remember that I was on the end of the fourth row? A… B… C… D 

Patsy runs down and gets underneath my seat and pulls out THE GRAIL!!!!!! Under my seat!!!!

Cloud 9, meet Cloud 14.

I was even happier than I was before. So were the knights, they were ecstatic, the crowd was happy, everyone was happy. Then the play entered an entirely new level.

King Arthur on stage asks “who found the grail?” The spotlight turns on me. Eyes on stage turn to me. The crowd rotates and settles on… me.

Patsy runs down, grabs my arm and hoists me onto stage. 

Read that again. I was now on stage with the cast of Spamalot in a London theater. 

Enter Cloud 17. 

King Arthur asked me my name. In a very shaken up voice (I was so dumbfounded I didn’t even know what was happening) I managed to tell him that as well as where I was from. Tthe crowd cheered when I said America, noting the  love the Brits have for us. King Arthur COMMEMORATED ME, and Patsy brought out a certificate and trophy, naming me the Best Peasant and handing me the Arthur Award. I’m dumbfounded.

Then they gather around, point to the right and take this Polaroid, of which I took a picture to show you: 

So here’s everything I got on that night, Nutella not included:

And then… the cast members began singing a song all about me! I couldn’t even tell you what they were saying, I was far too zoned out to remember much in the bright lights and the loud stage. All I know is that I was most likely in the happiest place of my life. It was an experience to remember forever.

Oh, one other minor point… since we had to run and I was wearing boots, my feet hurt during the play so I took them off in intermission. I didn’t have time to lace them up when Patsy came and got me, so I went up on stage in London during Spamalot… shoeless. I’m probably the only person to ever do so, and I know they noticed as King Arthur said once I sat down, “Ahh, all the way from the colony of America… over here we wear shoes.” It was absolutely epic.

I don’t remember the rest of the play. Again I was far too zoned out to remember much after the singing. After the play several people came up and talked to me and the entire ND crew was jittery with joy. Needless to say I walked out of that theater assured that would be the best 20 pounds of sterling I have or will ever spend in my entire life. 

We walked down to a supermarket and grabbed some stuff for dinner. Jenna who was possibly as excited as I was at this point decided we were going to make my chicken a la awesome for the London gang. Only 12 people, 8 more than I’ve ever cooked for. No worries.

It all actually turned out ok. Granted I had three skillets going and Craig made the potatoes for me. We drank wine, ate and listened to music. Everyone loved the food and I even enjoyed it! Eventually we decided a little London fun was in order, so we walked down Farrington Road to a small bar called Murphy’s. They had Karaoke and was a lot of fun. Eventually we got back and crashed. I was assured by far that it was the best day of my entire life. 

Saturday October 4th

If I were a guy who had to follow another guy in a talent show, I would not want to be Saturday having to go on stage after Friday. Nonetheless, I still had one more day in London and was determined to have just as much fun as the day prior. Matt and Tim left early to play Ultimate Frisbee, so Jenna and I were on our own to do a little more walking around. 

We took a similar path as the day before down Farringdon, this time cutting across to St. Paul’s to peak inside. The Millennium Bridge was our next stop again. Jenna took me along the ruins of the Rose Theater as well as the Globe, citing a lot of information from her tour. Our goal on the South side of the Thames was a fresh food market Tim suggested. Along the way we found the replica ship of Sir Francis Drake which was docked alongside London Bridge. 

Eventually we made our way into Southwark (one of the districts of London) and came across the area’s Cathedral. Inside was a large Anglican church with several side chapels and beautifully adorned walls, floors, and ceilings. One of the chapels was even named after John Harvard who was baptized there. Stepping outside brought us right into the Southwark food market which was quite intriguing on its own. There was fresh fish, newly picked fruit, sandwich carts, homemade jams, live lobsters, and many many more tables and stands. Had I room I could have done my grocery shopping right there and been happy for quite some time.

Now our goal was to grab a picture of Tower Bridge, the most famous bridge in London. We made our way East, took pictures of that as well as the HMS Belfast which is shored up in the river, and then headed back West toward the Tate Modern to see some art. The Tate held many famous works including several of Picasso’s cubisms and even a Claude Monet Water Lilies. That one especially was a real treat to see, as I have always appreciated the impressionist movement and Monet especially, so to actually view a real painting was a good experience. 

 Our interest did not hold in art, however, and we made our way instead to where our and my particular interest did lie: guns. That is right, we headed South to the Imperial War Museum. The front was covered with tarps and scaffoldings since it was under repair, but inside was amazing! They had rockets, tanks, guns, missiles, jets, and anything else you could imagine! Downstairs was a winding World War I replica trench, and upstairs was a large exhibit toward modern warfare. 

The main exhibit we saw, however, was the Holocaust. It was pretty intense; one had to be at least 14 simply to enter. Some of the videos and pictures as well as official Nazi documentation and artifacts were quite disturbing. It was an educational section to say the least and I spent about two hours pursuing the displays in what amounted to information and emotional overload. Time for something a little lighter… The Beatles perhaps?

We made our way to Abbey Road! Granted this is much harder than it looks if one is traveling from the South part of the city as Abbey Road is in the Northwest corner of London. Nonetheless we decided we should try to walk it. 

Bad idea. We walked an hour and were only a third of the way there. So we nabbed the subway at Green Station which let us off almost near Abbey Road. We had to walk in the rain and dark to get there, but by golly, we arrived! It was a very busy street so recreating the infamous picture was quite a challenge. Nonetheless I did snap several adequate pictures, plus the feeling of simply being there was really fun and invigorating. 

Next we took a train to the most famous station in London, King’s Cross. Yes this is the exact same station in Harry Potter and was surprisingly awesome as well. We walked toward platforms 9 and 10 and conveniently found platform 9 ¾ as part of the wall. A cart was going halfway through, presenting a great picture opportunity. Jenna for whatever reason knew that Warner Bros actually filmed for the movie at platform 5, so we trotted over there and took some pictures too. It was a cultural landslide in the day so far, what an experience!

The rest of the night was rather restrained but still interesting. We ate dinner with Michelle who made burrito fajita taco things, then took a bus down near the Sports Bar and watched some of the trouncing Clausen and the troops put on Stanford. Kyle Rudolf is officially my favorite player of all time and I’m super happy I have a jersey of him because he’s going to be a superstar. 28-21, that’s what happens when your mascot is the Cardinal. 

Our night ended with a walk through London to take some night pictures. Parliament and Big Ben were great to see at night. Trafalgar Square was also great to note for the V for Vendetta nostalgia. I took some pictures of traffic at night and even managed to snag a picture of Big Ben at 11:05 (another V for Vendetta reference…. Just watch the movie already). It was a great trip and we headed back to crash.

In all, London was an amazing city. We had a blast visiting, seeing the sights, and at least for me, becoming part of the culture. I hope to do it again someday, but until then I can remember this trip as the blast it was. 

That does it for my trips around Europe for a while. I am still not sure where I am going next, I will probably be able to plan one more trip before I come back to the states. My initial thought was on my last days before going home to head to Milan for a day, take a train to Poland, visit Krakow and Auschwitz, then fly back to Dublin. What are your thoughts on that? Anything else I should definitely see before I come back in December? Let me know!

Belfast, basketball, bicuspids

Another busy and action packed few weeks here in Dublin! I'll be as brief as possible (though to be sure that isn't always possible):

Tuesday the 23rd was the first day of basketball with the fourth grade class of St. Louis primary school. You think your kids are bad at the sport? These kids haven't even played before. Ever. Period. It doesn't mean the time spent was horrible or anything, just extremely unskilled. Regardless, it was an absolute blast and the kids, while rowdy and bouncing off the walls almost nonstop are simply fantastic. The program will be progressing for 5 weeks, and I plan on going every time. 

The rest of last week was not very eventful. On Wednesday I realized I had a paper due on Friday, so that was slightly stressful, but I was able to finish it on time without any problems. Classes have definitely come second during my stay in Ireland, mostly because there is so much more I can get away with when I'm here as opposed to Notre Dame. It is nice on some levels, I have a ton more free time. On the other hand it feels very weird and I do not feel productive on most days even if I am accomplishing things that need to get done. Nonetheless I think the time spent will be beneficial in the long run, especially if it is in such an environment so readily available for "experience" learning.

Friday the 26th the ND group went to Belfast and Northern Ireland on one of our trips. It was quite a neat place to be in and one that was certainly different from the Irish experience we had thus far been a part of. Northern Ireland uses pounds instead of euros, is as most people know culturally divided along religious lines, and is both a part of Great Britainn and Ireland. We spent the first day visiting with a member of InterTrade Ireland, a group that facilitates commerce between the two sections of the divided isle. That was a neat economic lesson and probably a topic for a paper or two later down the road because it luminated the difficulty in bringing together a country that is not only culturally and nationally divided but one that also has many economic divides. In all cases we learned quite a bit.

Next stop was the Stormont, the political center of Northern Ireland. Inside we were able to eat lunch and then have a Q & A with one of Sein Fein's most powerful members, Francie Molloy. Quick background, Sein Fein is a nationalist political party inside Ireland that supports unification of the island as a whole, even to the point of supporting the violent and dominant Irish Republican Army in the 1970's during The Troubles (their reference to the violence in Belfast and Northern Ireland during the political turmoil). Francie was very accomidating to our questions though was also avoidant, prefering a much more diplomatic stance when asked about the support of the IRA by his party. I of course tried to start a fight as did several other people, but he did keep his cool and answered our questions like a seasoned politician would. That isn't to say I disagree with him or his party's current stances or agree with him, I just enjoy arguing and who better to argue with than an actual politician? It was awesome!

Our dinner and a beach awaited us now. We rode the bus up to the far north coast to a very small village. We strolled around and then sat down to eat a very delicious meal even if we had to wait a very long time. All the food was delicious and very much worth it. We had all figured by now the last stop would be our hostel. Someone should have told Kevin as he walked us down a dark path in the pitch black toward who knows what. Granted it was the perfect opportunity for stealthy individuals such as myself to scare the crap out of some people which I did with rather gleeful malice. This spawned a war that is being fought to this day, and one I am confident we will triumph in. 

After the long walk down, suddenly a port opened up and we sat on some of the large rock croppings, staring out into the dark and mysterious sea. The oceans of Ireland are not beach-filled paradises like in Greece or Italy. The water is dark and foreboding, daring those who stare out in to it to venture beyond the waves, past world's edge into the void. The atmosphere reflected such feelings present in the environment for I'm sure many a year before my arrival. Very deep.

Everyone knows immediately after a deep thought, we have to do something completely stupid. So we bunch of nice Catholic Notre Dame kids traveled to the one Protestant bar for a bit of karaoke to round off the day. It was fantastic! Such hits sung included The Devil Went Down to Georgia, You've Lost that Loving Feeling, Shout (by yours truely), and I'm Too Sexy by the OC staff. Imagine a 45 year old Irish Historian singing that song. Truely beautful. 

Andrew and I also rounded out the night with a smash version of "I Want It That Way" by the Backstreet Boys. Courtney and Cheryl got to sit on stools while we and everyone else sang to them. We even hit the harmonies... very epic. It was quite a good night!

Day two of Northern Ireland greeted us with a bright sun, clear sky, and cool breeze. It was the perfect day to traverse the countryside yet again. The day started off like any other, all of us walking down the street to our bus only to be almost run over by a herd of sheep running down the road. They may seem cute and cuddly, but those things can run, and fast. 

We hopped on the bus only to drive for about fifteen minutes before we hopped off again and took a stroll on a beach. Kevin likes to do these things, and we sang the fight song on the North Sea. Come to think of it, the sheer number of waters I have seen in the past month is astounding. I have looked at and/or touched the Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, Aegean Sea, Irish Sea, and Artic Ocean all within the month of September. Pretty wild if you ask me. 

In any case, after the beach walk and some pictures of rather random things including me jumping off cliffs (because that is what I do), we dispatched to Giant's Causeway. What will probably be named one of the natural wonders of the world in 2009, these rock formations are all hexigonal in shape, stretching out into the ocean in Basalt conglomerations while the waves crash up and over their land based domain. It is the only formation of its type (most likely volcanic rock solidified under perfect temperature and pressure) outside of a small patch across the water on the shores of Scotland. The legend is a giant wanted to build a bridge to travel to Scotland, but stopped without finishing. It truly is a marvelous sight. Problem was every single rock is either 1. huge or 2. connected to another rock that is huge. Taking something home with me was going to be a problem. That did not stop my quest, and finally after twenty minutes of looking, I took with me a tiny piece of Giant's Causeway. It will forever remind me of my time spent in Ireland and the incredible wonder of nature I have thus far witnessed.

Jenna and I proceeded to then become lost. The group went on ahead, we decided to walk the high cliff path. It wasn't a big deal, we met up with them later and it gave us some time to just relax without Kevin pushing us to see yet another bunch of rocks. Once you've seen one pile, you've seen them all, right? Yeah right, like I could ever grow tired of seeing this country. It's fantastical.

Our journey North could not proceed any further, so we turned South and headed back to Belfast. We had lunch rather in the city on our own, which was really a great experience. We found a street similar to Grafton with cobblestone lining, performers, shops, and eateries. There was a celebration going on and it was generally just a lot of fun to sit there and be a part of it all. It almost felt like the city was friendly and very... "anti" story-book Belfast. No violence, no religion, no walls. Only celebration. 

That conception was dashed rather quickly. Joining us now was Patrick, a man who had lived in Belfast for his entire life. He was in his mid 40's and was not a tour guide or anything other than a man Kevin knew who had lived in the city torn apart by violence. 

He had a slight emaciated look on him, a man who had seen more than his fair share. We were soon to find out that he had in fact not only seen the violence but had literally lived it. He told us stories of being beat up by the police, having his face bashed in with a chair, watching his friends and family members fight in the IRA and later on killed. He could count fifteen he had known well that were killed at some time or another during the Troubles. All of it without a single tear, but perhaps it was because he had already cried too much for one man to cry ever again.

The level of normalcy he spoke with absolutely amazed me. Here was a man who had lived what I read about in history books, and as we walked through the streets of one of the Catholic neighborhoods he grew up in he told us the stories that sent many shivers down my spine. Stories of boys my age carrying rocket grenades (and using them), men walking down the streets with AK-47s, even independent police instituting a curfew of 8 PM for which a violation was punishable by death on sight. All of which happened where we were walking now.

There are murals on many houses in the Catholic neighborhoods. Murals of young soldiers, called terrorists by the government, here they are heroes. Brandishing their automatic assault rifles and decked in hard camo, these freedom fighters defended the cultural group that had created them, all of which paid the ultimate sacrifice. Words cannot express the atmosphere in the air at the time.

Then perhaps we saw the saddest thing of all. A wall, 30 feet high and stretching down the entire length of the city, stood dividing one cultural people from another. Protestants on one, Catholics on the other. The Berlin Wall fell almost 20 years ago. Here the wall still stands, reminding everyone that divisions in the world still exist to the point that physical barriers must stand to not only stop families from moving across ethnic lines but also molotov cocktails from burning down homes of of people from another religion. 

It was a rather dreary point to end on, but one that certainly struck home in a variety of ways. This country is not simply high cliffs, rolling green pastures, and wonderous city life. The romantic Ireland can only survive for so long before modernity attempts to snuff it out. And in some places like Belfast it unfortunately has. The real world has taken a firey grip on this country, one so strong that even The Quiet Man is snuffed out and forgotten. Overwritten? Not necessarily, simply momentarily silenced. Ireland is still very divided and problems, whether political, cultural, economic, or otherwise... not only still exist, but for many people continue to define life day in and day out. 

Don't take your freedoms in the United States for granted. They are not common across the entire world, and simple things like walking down the sidewalk may not be possible should you travel somewhere. And it isn't always Lebanon, Iraq, or Sudan where this happens. Patrick told us about streets you simply do not walk on at night because no matter which side you choose, the other will scorn you and let you know it. A developed country with booming exports and a certain place in the hearts of many Americans, torn apart by violence older than time. 

Simple message: appreciate it. 

I am off to London for now, we shall see how things go from there. Pictures will be up very soon (I promise!) Cheers!

 

Stories to relate

I was going to write a long dissertation on what I had been doing for the past hour, but to be honest I’m so happy everything worked out that I would rather you asked me in person for more details.

To summarize, last night my computer was overheating. I checked and it appeared my fan was broken. This is majorly terrible because the fan cools the processor and prevents it from melting and thus destroying my entire life residing in my Toshiba baby.

So I decide IT will help! OIT at ND is very helpful, so why not?

Turns out, the world is not like OIT at ND. The world is more of a “we can’t touch your computer because you bought it and we wouldn’t be covered by insurance. Here is a place an hour away that will charge you half of your per diem to fix your stupid fan. Have a great day, jump off a cliff!”

Needless to say, I don’t take that from anyone. I reach back into my bag and pull out the double screwdriver I commandeered from OIT back home. I am a man on a mission and that fan is mine.

Bad idea. While I do get the computer open, halfway through literally ripping my computer in half I realize there are a lot of wires that connect to the two and would fly apart if I kept my journey forth. So I merely touch the fan to see if it can spin, blow on it in the hopes of cleaning the blasted thing, and push the two back together.

It is here I realize I unplugged the screen and cannot fix it from the angle I’m working at as my fingers and even tweezers are too small. Before my computer would just get hot, now it turns on and stays black. I’m in deep because I see literally no way of fixing this problem now. 

The logical man would have quit while he was ahead. The stupid man would have gotten himself to this point and decided someone with knowledge of such things should continue. 

Me, I decide to press on and see just how broken I can get my computer by deciding to figure out how to fix this new problem instead. 

I pull off the front panel that before I didn’t realize even came off. By the graces of God, there was a small hole in which the plug to the screen could be reached. I plugged it back in and said three Hail Marys as the machine fired up. 

I was still terribly sad as I did not fix the fan as per my intentions. I started the computer up anyway so I could find the store IT suggested and maybe take it in to be fixed soon. The computer was already getting hot so I knew I didn’t have long.

Then the fan turned on. 

Yes, the fan turned on. My leading theory is that by touching it, I dislodged it out of the dust enough to let the motor do its handy work. As I speak the fan is pumping out the heat from my processor and delivering me a cool machine on which I can type fantastic blog entries.

I passed cloud 7 a while ago and am currently residing on cloud 43. What an incredibly amazing stroke of luck. I am the luckiest person on Earth.

In actual Irish news, the ND kids are heading to Belfast tomorrow. It should make for a great trip as we will have a Q & A with a Senator as well as tours of castles and the Giant’s Causeway. I’ll have lots of pictures up probably by November or so considering my current pace. Cheers!

Culture night and Howth

This weekend was another exciting chapter in the Dublin saga. It almost becomes ordinary, to see amazing cliffs, ancient scripts, and thrilling pubs. But then again I never lose that wonder of the fact that I am in IRELAND and four thousand miles away from anything I've known for twenty years. That just makes everything a little bit more exciting. 

Friday September 19th found us first at the O'Connell house. We started an hour session called "Dublin Your Knowledge" (pun the work of Andrew, not me) which is a weekly partition where any intellectual topic can be discussed in a more informal manner. This week we talked about probability, the Monty Hall problem (google it), and choosing envelopes of money, all of which were tied to God and the concept of destiny. For you that probably sounds quite monotonous, but this was a group of Notre Dame students, graduates, and professors; of course we were going nuts. The discussion was very heated and took some interesting turns. It was a great way to flush out some topic other than “how you doing? The weather sure is nice today (which, by the way, was actually quite true this entire weekend), how are your classes?” that banter can grow old, so I definitely think it was a step in the right direction. After Dublin your Knowledge, a group of us set out for Culture Night. This is a big deal in Dublin; historical and cultural landmarks are all open for free. Features included museums, libraries, pubs with live music, hotels, banks, and government buildings. 

We went to the Trinity College Long Room, a very wide open bi-level corridor that houses a collection of over 200,000 scholarly books, most of them bound still in leather and well over two hundred years old. Inside is the book of Kells, an illuminated text lavishly decorated and adorned in a variety of designs and illustrations. The old Latin text chronicles the Four Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. It was quite beautiful and at the same time a surreal experience to be witnessing a text aged over a millennium. The book had to take the monks decades to complete; just like the walls covering the West coast, one could feel the hours of toil that had been put into this work. It was great. By now we wanted to find some live music and a pub, so we traveled to our favorite, Fitzgeralds! This is by far the sweetest pub in Dublin. Right on the corner of the O’Connell street bridge, it has live music and a great atmosphere. There we spent the rest of the night listening to traditional Irish ballads by the man and his guitar

Saturday rolled around, bringing with it a day trip to the small port town of Howth. Situated on the northeast side of Dublin, this quaint area sits on a peninsula with the Irish sea stretching beyond the horizon in all directions. We took the train out to the end of the line which ended up only being about a thirty minute ride. We took a trail to the summit which ended up being quite a hike. We traversed trails, golf courses, backyards, and streets before finally discovering the real Tramline trail. The path used to hold public tramline cars, the last open air ones in the world before the project was terminated in the early 50’s. Nonetheless, we had a great view of the port and sea behind it, so I took a few pictures. 

It is here that my camera battery decided to die. I take full blame for this as I did not charge my battery since I left the states, and the consequence was I could not take pictures of Howth for the rest of the day. Luckily everyone else had cameras, so I stole pictures, making things at least bearable. 

We started hiking further up until we reached the summit. It was a neat view of... nothing. Apparently in Ireland, even if you reach the summit you still may have to climb if you want to reach the highest point. Of the 400,000 words in the English language, the one that I deemed least likely to be lost in cultural translation would be summit. No matter, what happened next more than made up for it. While we were taking pictures of our nothing, a small black Labrador retriever decided to bug us. And by bug us, I mean lovingly follow us around as we took some steps. Chris so affectionately named him “Roebuck” (name of our residence), and he became our companion.

As we started walking toward the real summit, Roebuck ran ahead and back, always seeming to stay along but also wanting to forge ahead. We walked to the summit, took a look around, and started down one of the more exotic paths. 

Here is where things get interesting.

Roebuck jumps around and through the brush, leaping ahead as we follow. He turns on a small path we likely would have missed otherwise, and we decided to follow him. He led us to a path on the high cliffs that was nothing short of miraculous. There was a small lighthouse, a beach to see, and beautiful Irish water in every direction. Coupled with the wonderful weather, it was an astounding sight. 

We decided that sitting on a 300 foot cliff in the middle of a bright day overlooking the ocean was a perfect spot for lunch. We sat down and ate, simply marveling at how awesome this was. And how did we arrive? Because we followed a random dog. The sheer concept still amazes me.

After lunch we did some more random exploring. Chris and I decided to walk out onto random cliffs and over paths in the rock approximately a foot wide with sheer rock falling two hundred feet onto rocks being bombarded by crashing ocean waves.

Oh… if you’re a mom (or more specifically, my mom), don’t read the last sentence. 

We got pictures on the rocks which I’ll be putting up shortly and also sang the fight song (though it didn’t seem to help much. Sunshine apparently didn’t feel like throwing the ball to our receivers Saturday). Words simply cannot describe where we all were at that moment. It was surreal and the English language is so incredibly hampering that I can only suggest that you one day visit so that you would know what I am talking about. If you have ever had an experience like nature, Kairos, or something of the sort that is personal to you and those you experienced with, I can only say it was probably a little bit like that.

Eventually we realized that, while our spot carried a certain energy we did not want to leave behind, all good things come to pass and the only thing we can take back is our memories. So we saddled up and began walking along the high cliffs paths back toward Howth. Where was Roebuck you ask? He had found another dog and climbed down to the beach with him. He had moved on, for he had accomplished what he came to do. Chris and I knighted him “Sir Roebuck” and surged on, happy to have been led to something so incredible by a work of fate.

The paths were great and we had many an important discussion along the way. Our group of Cheryl, Jenna, Chris, Sarah, and myself were either basic acquaintances or total strangers prior to Ireland, so talking with them about life experiences, beliefs, and morals was a fantastic bonding experience. We returned to the city and walked around the port area which still houses many fishing ships and fresh seafood shops. Eventually we made our way to several churches, graveyards, and even a castle. By then our legs were all quite tired, so we hiked back to the DART and made our way for home. 

It was a great day and even though the Irish lost, we each had a fantastic time. 

Pictures should be up shortly, I need to collect from everyone since I don’t have my own… just one more reason for me to go back again. Cheers!

Too busy!

I know I am behind almost a week.

For this I apologize, and I will get back to updating and getting pictures up ASAP.

There is just so much going on, I can't keep up...

From here on out though, I promise to stay on top of things more. Updates coming in the very near future.

Wild weekend at the Symphony, County Claire and the Burren

Finally getting the updates all together! It takes a lot of work to update pictures, write blogs, and keep up to date on what has gone on when so much is always happening! No matter, I have risen to the challenge and intend to keep good on my promise.

This update covers a few days so I will organize it by day it happened. Here goes!




Friday September 12, 2008


originally my plan for this day was going to include a trip to Dublin castle. That was postponed; however, as I wanted to see it when I had family here so I could give them something to do. Instead, we opted to go to the Symphony. We figured if ever there was a place to become cultured, it would be at the Irish National Symphony. And for 9 Euro, why not?! So we dressed up and headed downtown.

I am course a heathen and knew very little about such events prior to entering the concert room. There were three movements with one featuring a soloist on flute. In all they were very impressive and our seats were quite good as well even though we sat behind the orchestra. Watching the conductor and his antics made it all worth it.




Saturday Sept 13th, 2008

This was our first trip as a whole group out to the West of Ireland. This involved a tour bus, forty some odd college students, a handful of post-grads, an awesome bus driver and the nuttiest (and most knowledgeable) professor on the planet, Kevin Whelan. We were off, out of the city and into the countryside of the Emerald Isle.

.... So for the first hour and a half or so, I slept. This of course did not stop Kevin from talking straight through about the random sights we could see. Granted, once one leaves the city of Dublin and heads into the middle of the country, there are very few things to actually see. So if there was nothing to see, Kevin just spoke randomly.

In any case, eventually we stopped at Tyrellspass Castle for tea and scones. That is the awesome part I mentioned before about Dublin; random castles, keeps, and other ancient pieces of history can be found anywhere and are a significant part of the every day life in Ireland. Tea and scones was a great way to wake up a little (we left around 9 Am...wayyyy too early for me) and put me up and ready to see the countryside.

The bus ride may seem boring when you realize that Kevin was talking almost the entire time, but in reality Kevin is nothing like a normal professor.

I actually listened to what he was saying! Incredible I know, but the level of passion this man has for his country is readily apparent in the first five minutes of talking with him. So we heard a great deal about the history of the island from its first barbaric peoples to sustenance farming and even into the modern day Celtic Tiger that has quickly swept the country into an era of modernization from drugs and car parts to cereals and prosthetic limbs. Quote of the day, you ask? By none other than Kevin Whelan:

"Ireland is turning America into a nation of cyborgs."


Doesn't get more direct than that my friends.


Eventually Kevin did stop talking and we were allowed to gaze at the countryside. The further west you move, the more you notice one key factor on the landscape: walls. Ireland is built on a bed of limestone, and in the early days over many generations stones were dug up so that the soil could be tilled and grown on. These stones were placed in walls that run literally everywhere. Over 2 million miles of stone walls dissect the country and they had become as much a part of the landscape as did the shrubs and grass.

I need to mention here the level of green that we saw. That is, EVERYTHING IS GREEN. And not just one shade of green to. Probably closer to forty. If I wanted to invent a shade of green, I'd call it something like Green Moss on Wall in County Claire Ireland. Unfortunately someone already got to it. Point is: green. All over.


The roads became more winding and hilly. We were reaching the mountains that dot the coast. After stopping for a quick lunch (found a thing of bread and a chunk of cheese, my new favorite meal), we headed up to the Cliffs of Moher. It was a crazy drive up insane paths which wouldn't have been too bad had we owned maybe a Prius, but a tour bus makes for a much more interesting drive.

Finally we reached the Legendary Cliffs of Moher. This is the Western most point of Europe with nothing separating the country from America besides 3000 miles of ocean.


What a sight.

You will have to look at the pictures to see what I really mean, but it was simply incredible. I cannot describe the intense awe that was about the entire place from the moment we arrived. It felt like we were standing on the edge of the world, looking out into a vast expanse unreachable and mythic. You could feel the ancient peoples standing with you and gazing out, wondering exactly what lay beyond the horizon. There was certainly a God moment on the cliffs, and with good reason.

Eventually we made our way up to the highest point on the cliffs beyond the "Do not go past" point. But we were good Notre Dame students, all making our way safely and without injury. Once at the top we took a moment of silence on behalf of Kevin to really take in the surroundings. It was simply incredible and I hope to be putting up a panorama of the sight once I figure out what I'm doing (some works take longer than others...) so I hope you can at least feel some sense of awe at the wonder that was before me.

Then we all realized that in about 4 hours the beloved ND football team would be playing Michigan, the worst team in the history of the entire world. So we sang the fight song together to remind everyone who is truly number one. It was spectacular.

By now we were so far behind schedule we were in danger of missing church. Our bus booked it back to Country Claire where we dropped our bags off at the hotel. After that we drove back a bit to St. Patrick's Church in Fanore. It was about ten after, so we had to sneak in without disrupting mass. Let me explain how difficult this was: with our group of fifty people we effectively doubled the size of the congregation present. Nonetheless the priest acknowledged us and bid us welcome as did the parishioners.

The wonderful mass concluded and we went back to the Hyland's Burren Hotel for dinner. The three course meal included smoked salmon, mashed potatoes, and roasted lamb followed by chocolate cake and cheesecake. It was absolutely fantastic and with the updates from the ND game by cell phone informing us we were ahead of Michigan, the night could not have been better.

We eventually wandered off down the side of the pier toward the ocean. Andrew had recommended a pub called Monk's, so we headed down there for a bit, hung out, then came back to the hotel to listen to some music before heading to bed. It was a long day, but we were all quite ready for more.


Sunday Sept 14, 2008


The bright but cloudy Irish morning was laced with a sweet smell of a hot and hearty breakfast waiting for us downstairs. Fried eggs, buttered toast, thick bacon, savory sausage, and Irish coffee awaited us as we walked into the dining room. It was a brilliant way to start the day off on the right foot. We were hitting a few historical sights before heading into the Burren for a bit of exploration.

Before long we found ourselves back on our wonderful tour bus ready to hit a few more sights. We had a tour guide now, Brendan. He was a relatively young guy who had studied the Burren as well as the people who lived there for some time. Somehow Kevin let this guy in to supplement our journey and he proved to be a very interesting base of knowledge. Tired as we were, the bus pressed on into the park.

Our first stop was a very old Abbey now turned cemetery. Called Corcomroe Abbey, this site was erected in early 12th century and has since fallen out of repair. The architecture was intriguing and the graves somehow calming.

This may sound strange considering in the past month I've visited the Coliseum, Parthenon and the Palace of Knossos, but there was something to say about being in a place so old. This was once a Catholic place of worship; people came here to celebrate the same mystery I do in church and in life. There was some connection between myself and the people buried there six centuries ago.

After a while I took a few pictures and we were ready to move on. Our next stop was Lemeneagh Castle, another very old portion of the Burren. Used primarily in the 14th-16th century, it was actually the residence of the O'Brien family in Ireland. Many different tales and stories emerge from this piece of land; I would write pages to explain all of Kevin and Brenden's stories. Point in case, it was yet another piece of history almost as old as the land, revered in our eyes and immortalized in the eyes of the Irish.

It was now time to eat something and head into the Burren. Luckily for us we were going to do both. Enter a place called Father Ted's house. It is a small farmhouse on part of the Burren that was originally the opening scene of an English comedy series called Father Ted (Opening credit clip here, the house appears at 24 seconds http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7owMQGr8Ivo).

Now it is the home of a sustenance farmer who tended cows, horses, and sheep. His name was Patrick and he lived there with his family. What an amazing individual we had met! Here is a man who claimed to be uneducated yet spoke like a true orator with years of experience and training. He told us about the Burren, his land and the true importance of maintaining a countryside's inner beauty. His family also treated us to biscuits, scones, and cookies (all homemade in true Irish fashion) as well as tea and coffee. It was absolutely wonderful food for the second time that day, eating and relaxing in Patrick's house.

Kevin wanted to see the sheepdog in action, so we walked outside into the field. This dog was a beast for sure. All Patrick had to do was tell the dog to "bring the sheep here" and the dog ran out into the field, rounded up the sheep, and herded them our way. It was a fantastic demonstration and a real treat to see, almost like an animated work of art. That was the theme of Patrick's speaking with us; simplicity can be beautiful as is the land of the Burren. On that note, it was time to hike into the Burren for real and see the true side of Irish nature for ourselves.

Let me take this opportunity to expand a bit on what the Burren actually is. While the name stretches to almost the entire part of the West Coast we had been visiting, the park is much smaller and is a natural preservation much like Yellowstone or even Rock Creek. Unlike these two places, however, the Burren is under intense debate in deciding whether or not to put a visitor’s center in the park. Such a center would undoubtedly bring more people to see the beautiful landscape, but would simultaneously wreck the remote nature of the park that is so dear to the spirit of the land. It was thought provoking to listen to as both sides have great positives and also negatives.

In any case, Brenden had a side but wanted to instead show us the Burren so we could make such judgments on our own. We hiked down the road from Patrick's home and into the shrubbery. We climbed into fields, caught frogs (and took pictures of them), hiked on rocks (and took pictures surrounding us), and plunged deep into the forest undergrowth. It was raining relatively steady by now, which I was enjoying immensely even if Kevin and Brenden thought we didn't. It was so great to experience the true Irish nature of the place, and in my mind the trip would simply not be complete if we hadn't been rained on.

After a while in the undergrowth, the journey to the road began. We had one more stop, however, that was to be the climax of our journey into the Burren. Brenden led us to a Turlough residing directly in front of Mullaghmore Mountain. A Turlough is literally a "disappearing lake." The land is susceptible to a fluctuating water table. In times of rain the water level rises and fills up the lake from the bottom, while in drier times the land is also dry and can be walked on. It was filled at the time of our visit due to the intense amount of rain the country had experienced this summer (normally in September the area would still be dry. Turlough are unique to Ireland and cannot be found anywhere else, only further highlighting the beauty of the landscape. We took some photos, observed a moment, and began our hike back to the bus.

The bus ride might have been uneventful... if we were normal kids. Fortunately (or unfortunately for the musical world) a bus full of ND college kids can only sit still for so long before songs of Disney, Titanic, Queen, and Backstreet Boys fill the air. We found dinner and for the rest of the two hour journey almost any single song that has ever been sung aloud was poured out with fire and heart on that tour bus.

It was awesome. Definitely one more reason why I go to Notre Dame. We had a blast.


All of us were very tired by the time Dublin came into view. It was only 8:30 but the night was quick and before long I was nestled in my bed for a good night's sleep.




In all, the trip out West was mind blowing. If ever you come to Ireland, I urge you to not only see the modern Dublin, for while it surely is incredible, the West is a whole different world riddled with tradition in a symbiotic relationship with the people and land. If anyone wants more information on the Burren, you can visit burrenbeo.ie or talk to me and I can explain some of my pictures which should all now be up.

If you have any questions about the pictures or need copies/bigger views, leave a comment here or email me at ajoines@nd.edu and I'll help you out asap! Cheers!

Pictures...

Pictures from my trip are finally available!

I have loaded them onto Picasa, the new Google version of webshots, photobooth, or whatever. It is a solid program and allows me a whole bunch of fun editing techniques. In any case you can access them by clicking on one of the slideshows or scrolling down to the link on the right side of the page.


I will be adding comments about them as well as adding more pictures soon. I have more on my camera too of Dublin, and those will be put up too.


We are traveling to the Western coast of Ireland this weekend. Two day journey filled with hiking, eating, cliff diving, and other forms of relvery. Should be an excellent time, I will be posting more and more as time goes on too.


PS If you want any of my pictures to make a print, the ones on Picasa may not be the best resolution to download. The great thing about my Canon is that the pictures in real size are as big as a chalkboard. So if you want any of them in big time real deal size, leave a comment or email me.

Week one done!

Whew! What a week it has been so far.

Things are getting more regular and easier every day. I've been taking care of the little details and they have gone a long way in easing my mind. Grocery shopping has been fun and interesting. There are certainly pros and cons to living this independently:

Pros:

-I get to pick my own food
-I don't have to walk very far to get food
-If I need something, I can get it whenever
-We can cook meals together and have a great sense of "family" involvement with each other in our apartment.


Cons:

-I have to pay for it. Paying equals getting the cheap stuff
-I have to actually do the shopping
-Cleaning. Enough said.
-Stuff goes bad and if it does, too bad.


It is an experience. Again, what is cool is that I'm learning all these things... in another country. I have taken several more trips downtown and around, each time learning a bit more than the previous journey. I have been inside three different churches here and have yet to find one I will go to all the time. I think actually I will bounce around, but we shall see.

Most importantly, I'm feeling more and more at ease with being in Ireland. I have a good group surrounding me and am going to enjoy my time here even if it is a maelstrom outside every freaking morning.

Finally, I would like to say that the phrase "absence makes the heart grow fonder" is possibly the most honest truth I have ever heard. I do miss my family, friends, and familiar environment, enough to feel that I should always appreciate them when they are present.

Side note, I'm hoping to get more pictures up as time goes on. I'm still a little shaky as to choosing which ones to put up as I hate all of my own photography. Nonetheless, they will make it up...eventually. Cheers!

Culture and such

The O'Connell staff had their orientation of the Keough-Naughton Centre today. That is the house run by Notre Dame and there to help us along in our studies. Sounds a bit extreme, right? An entire house dedicated as a resource for twenty five kids studying for a few months.

If you thought that, you would be right on target. And you would never believe how much help they are to us. I shudder to think about doing all of this without their aid.

In any case, part of orientation was a mini walking tour. We walked through Merrion Square, which is a beautiful park. At part of it there is a statue of Oscar Wilde sitting on a rock. He sits there because directly across the corner was where he lived.

No big deal. Said with sarcasm of course.

That is exactly what this entire city is like. Every building is a monument, every road a famous marker, every statue a story. One can walk along the road, turn a corner, and stand right in front of a church built before Columbus even set sail. This place is overpouring with cultural landmarks, recent happenings, and powerful memories. The people are immensely proud to tell anyone about the country's rich history. A random older man walked up to us today on O'Connell Street (really main, famous street) on the bridge and simply began telling stories about a statue that was shot, how the post office was once a fortress for a revolution, and how two other rivers actually flow underneath The Liffey river (at that point I didn't know what the heck he was saying, but I digress...).

No big deal.

This sort of thing is exactly the experience I was looking for when I decided to study abroad. Kevin summed it up quite nicely today: "This place isn't worse, it isn't better, it's different."

Different can be good. Today we walked into a pub, ordered a Guinness, and watched a soccer game. It was just neat to see that sort of thing.


I can tell that my time here won't be a tour of a foreign land. I expect it to be more like a Pilgrimage, a time of reflection on my beliefs and views on the world as a whole.

I will hopefully be supplimenting this with pictures soon. No promises as of yet though, There are quite a few tasks on my plate to figure out first. Soon though, I promise.

A little bit of everything

So day 2 was the first full day in Dublin. All of the guys woke up a bit late. We were tired and none of us had any pressing matters to attend to (which is what I am sure will become a common theme...), so the sleep was welcome.

After we all emerged from our quarters (which will from henceforth be the name of our rooms), we took a little walking tour of campus. Some tent was put up and we all got free stuff, most of which was lame but some of which was good, like coupons and deodorant samples. We dropped our stuff off and then decided it would be a good idea to try out the walk to downtown, see how long it takes.

An hour and fifteen minutes later, we were at O'Connell house. For those of you that are not aware, the Keough-Naughton Centre is located in the O'Connell house, and is basically our Notre Dame contact away from home. Kevin runs the center and will also be our professor. There we ran into some other people from Blackrock and chatted for a bit. Eventually we made our way back to campus.

One of the activities was a showing of the movie "Once." Not exactly a good movie if you ask me, but the upside is it shows a ton of the city of Dublin. Anything in that movie, I have seen firsthand, which is pretty cool. Dinner tonight was grilled cheese and tomato soup, which I cooked. Not that grilling sandwiches counts as cooking. The rest of the night was low-key; a showing of A Few Good Men, and housekeeping duties have kept me up until this point. I know it is early in the States, but here in Ireland it is almost 2 in the morning. I'm still getting myself used to the different time zone, so I must leave you to read some of my other pieces. Have a great day!

Worrysome times for the first day in Ireland

This post is the first I am making from my actual spot here in Dublin.

I am living in Roebuck Hall which is one of the dorms on campus here at University College Dublin. Right away one can tell a lot of differences between this and a US school. The dorm is in fact a six person apartment with a shared common room and kitchen. I have my own single bedroom and have a nice view of the football pitch through the window. I spent most of the day taking things out of my bags and placing them to resemble some semblance of order here in my room. Pictures will be following shortly.

I feel a mixture of emotions right now. First off everything feels simply weird. Most of it is the little things, like not knowing the campus to grocery shopping for the first time to eating dinner with my roommates whom I hardly know but still seem to get along with quite well. I keep forgetting that the bathroom is literally ten feet away, and I have only what I was able to pack in my suitcases. I am not as accessible anymore, as my cell phone does not connect to US calls and computer conversations are good but also an inconvenience being that I am six hours ahead of everyone else back home. And when I do come home, I will be arriving in a world that I have not been a part of for a very long time. TV, my cell phone, my family and friends always easily accessible, everything so much more familiar will be awkward once again. There are a million things flying at my head and I feel much like I did as a freshman; like I am not ready.


On the other hand, I feel excited. I am somewhere new, learning a lifestyle I have never come into contact before. The country is only a small part; living in a city, taking different classes, meeting new people, and expanding my worldly experience all seem like wonderful opportunities many people only can dream of. And to top it all off, I am in another country! For an entire four months, long enough to learn more than what I would on a vacation, time enough to really dive into the culture of a society older than our entire country.


I am working my way through all these feelings and emotions. Overall I still have a positive outlook, and I am sure as time goes on those small things will become more and more familiar until they seem just like home does.

Dinner was good, as I said I will be posting more pictures soon, so stay tuned.

The trip of a lifetime

So this post is a summary of my adventures across Europe. I took a week before my Irish happenings to journey to a few of the places I needed to reach in my life. This post is quite long so read it in pieces and by dates unless you want your eyes to fall out of your sockets. Here goes:






Tuesday August 26th 2008:


The trip got off to a rocky start. Upon leaving the O'Connell house, our group of Greg, Kevin, Jenna, Andrew, Christine, and Courtney all went to the bus. We missed the first bus and consequently had to wait for a later one. This pushed our schedule back a bit to the point where we were checking into our flight at the last minute.

We got through check in and started passing through security. All of us are nervous about catching our plane already, but then to top it off the Dublin security stops my bag. I have to open it up and pull out my huge jar of peanut butter. The guard says I can't take a carry on bag with a "paste" item in it like this, so I run back to the counter to look into checking it.

The desk is closed.

So now I am in a crunch, and decide finally to abandon my food source and run through security. We book it to the flight and barely catch it. We may have lost the PB, but at least we were heading for Rome!

The flight was a nice place to take a nap even though it was quite loud. We arrived in Ciampino airport on the outskirts of the city. A bus took us to the main train station, and from there it was a few blocks to our hostel. We dropped off Courtney, Christine, and Andrew at their hostels, and tracked to ours. The hostel owner was very nice and even staying up for us to await our arrival! It was an excruciatingly long day and all of us crashed straight into our beds.






Wednesday, August 27th:


Since this was our first day of excursions all four in our group were ready to go in the morning. One of the other kids in our room was a German by the name of Alexander Stein. We began talking to him and after a while he told us about the entire city as well as what we wanted to see. We finished the breakfast Pano brought us (croissants, juice, and coffee), took a walk with Alex, and headed out to Rome!

We stopped at many places right away, most of which you can see pictures of in my Rome album. The sights were unreal. Churches were everywhere, people were bustling; it was phenomenal. And of course being Notre Dame students, we made it high priority to see the dorkiest stuff ever created, and we did it fast.

By lunch we had seen the Roman Forum, Coliseum, four or five random Basilicas (not only were they churches, but yes, most were basilicas), and the Italian Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Lunch that day consisted of grilled salami sandwiches from a cart on the street. After that we saw the Pantheon, Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, and several other random places. The pictures tell much better stories than I can, so check those out!

That night we met up with the other group traveling in Rome. We all went to an Italian cafe situated on the street and had dinner. The pasta was the best I have ever tasted. Ravioli, Tortellini, Lasagna, you name it, it was awesome. A few of us also split a bottle of red wine, which was delicious. After that Allison joined our group, and we now had five. We decided to retire for the night to Hostel Beautiful and relax in our room. Tomorrow would be an even bigger day than the first... the Vatican!






Thursday, August 28th:


This day was by far the biggest day on my agenda. I had been looking forward to visiting the Vatican practically since the day I discovered it existed. An entire country dedicated to the faith? How sick is that?

The day was off to an early start with the same breakfast. We hopped on a bus and sped toward the Vatican. We were not even sure where to look or what to look for, but once the bus went over the river we knew it was close. At the next stop we scooted off the bus and walked the same way other people were walking. Out into an open street and under a few columns, I still was not quite sure where we were.

And then I stopped and gazed at St. Peter's Square. I don't know if my life will ever be the same again.

In real terms it was not extreme by any standard. The square (which is actually an oval-shaped section... go figure) was not terribly large, and the steps up to St. Peter's Basilica make it look like another of the large churches dotting Rome.

But then you get to look closer. I began examining all around me. I started seeing what was really in the vicinity.

There were statues of saints dotting all the ridges of the arch crescents. Atop the Basilica was Jesus the high Messiah. Along his sides were the twelve apostles. Guarding the sides of the steps was Peter holding the keys and Paul holding a sword. The dome of St. Peter suddenly arched even further into view, and the Obelisk loomed higher than ever before in the middle of the square.

It was incredible, and we only arrived.

After a few moments of wandering around, looking, mostly simply staring in awe, we decided it would be a good idea to find our Scavi office so we could take the tour of the Necropolis (for those of you that don't know, Father Warner at ND got us tickets to go into the underground catacomb tombs of the Basilica. Tour of a lifetime!)

We walked out back toward the way we came and arrived at two Swiss guards. See the picture of the guards, they were huge and not to be messed with, regardless of their funny outfits.

After giving them our proper documentation, we passed by into the back of the Basilica. There we found the Scavi office and signed in. After a few minutes there were about 15 of us to travel down into the Necropolis.

Talk about awesome! There are unfortunately no pictures in my albums of the tour or the catacombs as there is no photography allowed. Rest assured though, if there is ever something to do in Rome, it would be this tour. We saw tombs thousands of years old, walked streets that used to be in the open air (the neighborhood was essentially buried and the Basilica built on top of it), saw iconic symbols dating beyond the times of Roman mythology. Eventually we arrived at the tomb of St. Peter, observed his bones, and even had the opportunity to say an Our Father in front of his remains. We were directly under the high altar of St. Peter, and it was absolutely phenomenal, I could not believe the energy surrounding me at that very moment.

Once the tour concluded we were let out into the throngs of people walking into the Basilica from below. We passed the tomb of Pope John Paul II, and headed up into the open church.

Again, words cannot express the amazement I had for this open area. This place was enormous, simply huge. There are pictures of the dome and other pieces of the inside, the artwork cannot be described in words. There were even side chapels larger than the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, and alleyways between those bigger than Maternity BVM. This even neglects the main hall to the altar of St. Peter, which is bigger than all the rest. It appears to not even be a single church but more a conglomerate of churches operating together in the same building. Mass was being said in one portion, confessions were in another (in about 20 different languages), and all around were people kneeling before the cross or admiring the work of Michelangelo and other artists.

We all spent a good portion in that church, and for good reason. It is a true testament to our faith and one that all Catholics should see at least once in a lifetime.

Once we felt we had seen the church a few times over, we began walking out onto the square and back into the streets of Rome to find some lunch. We found a small place that gave us a lot of pizza and gelato for relatively cheap, so we sat there and ate our wonderful Italian cuisine. Let me tell you, if any people can make food, the Italians can, all of their food is simply astounding.

We took a relaxed lunch and let the Vatican somewhat soak in. Afterward our group split up; Kevin, Greg, and Alli went to the Sistine Chapel, but since we only had a few hours, Jenna and I decided to walk around the City and ended up at St. Peter's Square where we sat and talked for an hour or so. It was pretty astounding, to simply sit there, watching all the people while realizing that your faith has been impacted in such a pounding way.

We had to catch a flight to Athens around this time, so we had to begin our journey back. We took the bus back to our hostel, collected our bags, and went down to the small store in Termini train station to buy some food and drinks. Before this we bought our tickets and Greg had checked the board to say that our train was actually a bit late and that we should be fine to catch it. Once we emerged back to see the board, Kevin realized Greg had read the wrong time, and our train was scheduled to leave.... in two minutes.

We booked it. I felt like Jason Bourne running through Europe, dodging people left and right. Kind of insane.

Nonetheless, we made it on time and got to the train. Once at the airport we checked in without problems, got on our flight, and headed to Athens.

The Athens airport can best be described as.... dirty. Much like the rest of the country in fact. We grabbed train tickets and rushed out to our hostel, hoping we would still be able to check in at this late hour (it was now pushing 12 since Greece is one more time zone over still from Italy, which is one more over from Ireland..... bloody time zones). We were able to check in, found our room, and collapsed. Long day indeed, but totally worth it.






Friday, August 29th:


We awoke to a beautiful Greek morning and decided right away to head out to the Acropolis, the only thing on our schedule for the day. Let me say that right off the bat the entire country felt more foreign than I could have ever imagined, most of which was brought on by the different alphabet. Signs are all unreadable or even undecipherable. It was rather intimidating, but that was not about to stop us.

We grabbed breakfast at a small cafe, which was a cheese and ham fried... thing. It was different and I have not found an American equivalent except to say it would be like dropping a grilled ham and cheese sandwich into croissant batter and frying it. Was not a bad choice at all.

It was still early so we decided to begin our climb up. We bought tickets at some of the first ruins we came across, which were part of the gate of Athena. Greece was much like Rome; old was mixed with new. One could walk down the street and find an arch that was older than Christianity.

No big deal.

So began the climb to the acropolis. Talk about an insane journey! We began walking the logical way; up. After a while we were dodging through alleyways, pushing through people's backyards, and generally getting lost. Tensions were running a little high and we did not really know where we were. We stumbled across the church of Metamorphosis, which was this older Byzantine sanctuary. That was quite interesting and I enjoyed the different view of religion in another country.

We continued to make our climb up the Acropolis, and an arduous climb it was. It was very hot and we didn't have much water. Sufficient to say, after a brief stint on rocks above the city, we reached the top and saw the Parthenon as well as several other temples. Here we made a nice relaxing recovery under a tree near a water fountain. It was a great view of the city and here I stood in awe at the sheer marvel of such an ancient city continuing to survive in the modern day.

That is one thing the whole of Europe has thus far taught me to appreciate; all peoples here have rich heritages and take great pride in where they come from. No matter where you go, these people are immensely happy with the fact that their culture stretches back to 3000 BC and possibly beyond. After a stint on the hill, we made our way down the acropolis and headed out to get some lunch. We found a cafe and I had another sandwich to stay light. After relaxing a bit and realizing we really had nothing else major to see before we arrived at our Ferry, we took off to Piraeus, the port district of Athens. Here we wandered the streets until we found a small meat shop that also sold wine, cheese, and bread.

We loaded up for dinner which consisted of bread pieces, various meats, feta cheese, and several different wines. Eventually we found the ferry and hopped on board, ready for Crete! After eating dinner on the deck, the boat took off into the Aegean Sea. Again, such an awe-inspiring sight! There were lights from islands all over, the sea swelled up against the large boat, and as the cruise-ship sized boat powered toward Crete, we all took some time to admire the real beauty of such an excellent land.

Eventually the night took the better of us and we began to settle down on the benches for a night's sleep. The next day would be Crete.






Saturday, August 30th:

We were as far away from Dublin as we were going to be, and our day started off blisteringly early. The ferry wandered into Heraklion (largest city on the island) around 6 in the morning. No one had really slept perfectly, and none of us were properly rested. Nonetheless, we pressed on.

Immediately upon stepping off the boat, we felt the need to sit down for a minute, gather our bearings, and decide what the day would bring. We sat in the port office and relaxed. We gathered a little to eat while I ate some of the food I bought in Italy. Kevin purchased Greek coffee, which turned out to be by far the worst purchase on our trip. It tasted like someone took a can of dirt, threw it into a boiler, poured battery acid into the mix, and served it at the cost of 3.50 Euro. Kevin wasn't happy.

We wanted to see the Palace of Knossos as well as go to a beach. So we set off to find the bus station which would take us to the Palace.

Problem is, we didn't know where we were, we didn't know the scale of our map, and we didn't know where we were going or looking for.

After about an hour or so of wandering around the streets in the bright Saturday morning, we finally stumbled upon it (it was about a quarter mile from where we started... go figure). We grabbed tickets and hopped on the bus. Once we arrived we took a look around. The Palace was pretty neat, there were several structures as well as ruins, and crazy animals like swallowtail butterflies and peacocks were all over the place. The Bronze Age stones were a sight and definitely put the place into perspective as one gazed out into the hilly countryside overlooking a vast and vibrant sea. It was clear that this was once a place central to culture, much the same way ball parks, universities, and downtowns are for us now.

After a bit of wandering, we realized our day was going to progress quite slowly and that unlike Rome, we had few things to see and plenty of time. At about 10:00 AM after we had sufficiently scoured the ruins, we decided to grab a table on an elevated covered portion and play cards out in the beautiful weather. It was so relaxing, I enjoyed every minute of the weather, friendships, and atmosphere.

We sat around and played cards for quite some time, and eventually decided to eat lunch. So we essentially packed up and moved to a restaurant across from the palace. Most of the group ordered gyros or other random things, but I decided to get adventurous and order Moussaka, which is a traditional Greek dish that is made with meat, potatoes, and eggplant together in a white sauce and baked in a pastry crust. It was quite tasty and I recommend it to anyone traveling in the Balkans.

Lunch ended around 1 pm or so. Of all the things in Europe, the view of time was by far the most embraced at this point. Our tickets took us back to the station and we sat there for a bit before deciding to take another bus about half an hour from the city to go to a beach. By chance we stepped off the bus at a prime place at a free beach. The sea was magnificent and so clear. Swimming was fun and eventually we made our way back to the beach and took a nice nap.

I was then rudely awakened by a guy trying to speak broken English to me. He asked if we were staying on the beach for a bit and I said yes. He told me it costs 1 Euro each to use the chairs. I wasn't exactly sure if he was telling the truth or not, but either way I was not paying this guy. I told him we would pay when we left. He walked away, apparently taking our answer. Fifteen minutes later, however, he appeared again and asked for money. I asked him if these chairs were part of the hotel that was right near us (we were told the chairs here were free but the ones on the other part of the bend were for hotel guests only). He said yes, and I asked if I could pay at the desk then. Apparently realizing his mistake, he stated the beach was not part of the hotel. At this point I knew for sure it was a hoax, and when he asked me to pay, I gave him an emphatic "no".

Walked away, and that was the end of that. It did throw me for a loop though, as that was the first time someone tried to swindle us on this trip. Not bad for five Americans in Greece.

The bus picked us up and we were back toward the dock. We got onto the boat and headed back to Athens. This time we found a place on the floor inside, which is apparently what all the smart travelers with our ticket do. The reception area was dotted with groups sleeping on the floor, which was quite amusing. If you can picture a Hilton-style front desk with the nice carpet, banisters and everything else that goes with a nice hotel covered with people laying down and sleeping, your estimate would be fairly accurate. So ended our stay in Crete. It was an interesting place and I can now say I've been there. I doubt though that I will be making it back anytime soon. I have bigger fish to fry.... like Berlin!






Sunday, August 31st:


Sleeping inside had definitely afforded a better night for all of us, and even though it was 6:30 AM, we were ready to go. Our flight was an early one too though, and we had to make it literally across the city and then some to reach the airport. We immediately found the train station and found tickets, then hopped on the next train out. Maybe it was the boat, maybe it was being up early, I am still not sure, but for whatever reason this trip was not fun for me. I was feeling terribly nauseous. Attempting to run down a sidewalk at this hour was not exactly a picnic either. Trains were late and it was a mad rush to find our terminal.

Find it we did though, and onto our flight we collapsed. Berlin was next in route.

Again with the bus and train once we arrived, and we began wandering the city. And again, we decided to not have any idea where we were. Luckily we had no schedule by now and were only attempting to find two things: our hostel and a good lunch. Lunch first.

Where else would we enjoy a quality hamburger than in the land of Hamburg? Found it and an internet cafe, so I threw out a couple emails while I had my fill. After a bit longer walk we found our hostel which was again really nice. All of us were so tired, we took a mini-breather at our hostel. Since it was Sunday we decided to head downtown to St. Hedwig's Cathedral for mass. Unfortunately I did not bring my camera on this excursion, but you can take my word that it was a pretty awesome place. Mass was in German so we missed pretty much... everything. But God was watching, and that is enough for me.

Downtown was great, but we were getting hungry by the time mass was let out, and most things were closed since it was a Sunday. So we took the train back toward our hostel and sat down for dinner. I had Pfefferschnitzel which was really good. By this time Jenna and I walked back to play cards while Kevin, Greg, and Alli went out to one of the bars. I was so tired at this point, I fell asleep and ended my first day in Berlin.






Monday, September 1st:


Day two was going to be jam packed with awesome stuff, most of it dealing with the famous parts of Berlin like the Brandenburg Gate, Checkpoint Charlie, and the Topography of Terror. Our first stop would be Checkpoint Charlie. This was a famous hole in the Berlin wall that divided East from West. It was pretty interesting, here I was able to buy a piece of the actual wall which was also neat. It was hard to believe that where we were standing used to be such a divided and symbolic battleground between two countries that are now generally allies. Definitely a good piece of history to observe.

We turned a corner and walked down the street to find the Topography of Terror. This was essentially two pieces of history rolled into one: it served as an outdoor museum to the SS and the Nazi regime, as the foundation of the SS headquarters remained. It is also the site of the last consecutive piece of the Berlin wall which you could see and even touch. This place was definitely another mood changer; as you walked on the ground there were signs that specified the exact purpose of what you were walking on. Sometimes it was for prisoner transport, other times important officials had offices there. In any case the atmosphere was quiet and reflective, as if everyone in the vicinity was pondering exactly what had happened almost seventy years ago.

We stayed there for over an hour and a half, maybe longer. Time wasn't really important by then, what we were looking at was the memory of something that can't be erased. A few of us signed the book and decided to take the same approach many Berliners take: remember the event, but forgive and move on.

After that, a lot of wandering ensued. We traveled down toward the Brandenburg Gate, which used to be one of the main entrances into the city. Lo and Behold, near the gate we found the American Embassy! Taking the same Bourne Identity approach, we decided to try to get in, but the building appeared closed.

That is because it was Labor Day. Duh.

So no embassy. The gate was cool though, and as we walked past we found the Reichstag, which is the main government building in Berlin. The wait to get in was far too long so we pressed on into the central park of the city. There we found a Soviet war memorial as well as winding paths and beautiful greenery. With our stomachs rumbling, we went to the Train Terminal, the exact same one in Bourne Supremacy, which was again really cool.

While we were on the train, it decided to start raining. And when I say rain, I mean pour. It came down in buckets and all of us were about to get thoroughly drenched. We had about a seven block hike from the station to the hostel, and we ran. It didn't matter much as we all got soaked, including my backpack. The hostel room brought warmth and comfort. Clothes were laid out, bags hung up, pockets emptied, and another memory was made.

By now we just wanted food, any food. So we walked to the nearest place we could find, which just happened to be an Italian place. Here I tried the Berliner Pilsner, which was actually quite good, and also had spaghetti. The food was great and the service fantastic. The hostel welcomed us in, so we sat and talked with a few groups of kids from various parts in the UK. They were all really nice, and as we laid down for bed all of us were happy with the trip.













And so ended a great vacation. From here we flew back to Dublin, moved into our dorms, and have started getting acquainted with the city that will house us for the next four months. It is a little strange not going back home after this amazing adventure as that is what I usually do when I go on a trip, but it was still fantastic and I am so happy to have done it.


I will be putting pictures up as soon as I possibly can. There are many to sort through, but rest assured, I am trying very hard. I hope you enjoy this blog as a whole, please leave comments when you need something. From Dublin, cheers!