Here is a quick map I edited to show where I have been and where I am going. I included places I traveled to when I went to Europe a few years ago. Just though it would be fun to see.
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Map
Here is a quick map I edited to show where I have been and where I am going. I included places I traveled to when I went to Europe a few years ago. Just though it would be fun to see.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Traveler's Log
I wrote this post a long time ago and never published it onto the blog. So here it is.
It's been a while since my last post and there is a lot to report. I won't blame you if you drop off a quarter of the way through. I'm only going to quiz my parents on the content of the final paragraphs.
Well, for starters, I went to Mitchelstown Caves and the Rock of Cashel a few weeks ago. The cave was amazing. It's hard to describe a cave in words that will make it sound interesting, but take my word for it. The most interesting parts of the cave were the ones we couldn't see. The guide told us about a cavern above our heads that housed a lake with a crystallized surface, that looked like it belonged in a fairy land. Then there was another cavern below us that could be accessed by a little hole. If you were to fall down that hole you would fall 500 feet or some other long distance,I can't remember the exact figure, you wouldn't hurt yourself too badly because you would land in a bed of soft clay. The age of everything is also, I don't know, mind boggling. the littlest formation would have taken thousands of years to form. Anyway, my first visit to a cave was lovely.
Next was the Rock of Cashel. It is indeed a giant rock. On top of the rock is something that looks like a castle. However, at the very start of the tour I was informed that it was not a castle, although the kings of Munster did live there. It puzzles me still. It was originally housed the official church choir. Being in the choir in the middle ages came with a lot of perks. The ruins are beautiful as is the view from them. A cemetery surrounds them and only two people who are still living are allowed to be buried there. There is also a cross that if you hug it and your arms touch on the other side it means you will never have to go to the dentist or that you are exceptionally tall. Alas, my arms are too short and my wisdom teeth continue to bother me.
The following weekend, my pal Mary Kate and I made an impromptu trip to Scotland. We bought the tickets Tuesday and left Wednesday night. The trip was a bit complicated but we made it eventually. We took a four hour bus ride to Dublin then the plane to Glasgow and the train into the city center and finally a walk to the hostel. The city looked dodgy on the walk to the hostel and I wondered what we had gotten ourselves into. We elected to stay in that night and hang out in the hostel pub. Funnily enough the first person we met was from Ireland. The second from Australia. The first night set the tone for the rest of the trip. We never talked to a Scottish person outside of shops and restaurants. Glasgow was not so scary in the daylight. We took a walk and saw some interesting monuments and squares. We visited the most incredible cemetery I have ever seen. It is called the Necropolis. The cemetery is located on an impossibly green hill and its just incredible. Some of the oldest gravestones have fallen over and taken down some other ones with it and they just get left there are plants grow up over them.
That evening we took a train to Edinburgh. The walk to our hostel was long but view confirmed that this trip was an excellent idea. The heart of the city center is located on the edge of an inactive volcano and Edinburgh castle was lit up nicely. The hostel was not so nice. I thought it would be great because it was cheap and it used to be a church, which is cool. Those two things turned out the only good qualities of Belford Hostel. The negative qualities severely outweighed the positive. For starters there were no locks on the room doors and the walls didn't go up to the ceiling so you could hear everything going on in the other rooms. The mattresses, if they can even be called that, creaked very loudly every time you moved. It was very cold in the drafty church and the toilets were on the top floor and the sinks and showers were in the basement. Lastly, it was a forty minute walk from anything. I could go on, but I'll spare you. The hostel was the only bad thing about Edinburgh. Edinburgh is an incredible city. There is so much to see and Scottish history is so rich. I took a walking tour and went on another pub crawl. I met Americans, English and French travelers. Not to mention an absurd amount of Irish including some people from Cork. I was skeptical when we met the people from Cork. It seemed too happy of a coincidence. But one on the guys had a point, there is no mistaking the Cork accent. And after the named every establishment in Cork I decided to take their word for it. We saw so much and the best I can do is list it and tell you how great, amazing and beautiful it was, but to me those kind of things can get boring and never seem genuine. You know. Even if someone is standing next to you and says that's amazing. It doesn't seem right. You have to experience it yourself. I rant. I will tell you about Haggis though. It tastes like sausage. Nothing seems quite as odd after black pudding which I can stomach alright.
On the last day we took a day tour to the highlands and Loch Ness. No I didn't see the monster. We saw snow covered mountains and forests and the castle from Monty Python and the Holy Grail! Exciting. Again it was gorgeous and we learned about Scottish history. A true tale of the underdog much like Irish history. I also got to feed a highland cow named Hamish. So adorable. To sum it up Edinburgh is one of the most beautiful cities I've ever seen. Believe it or not. Then we made the long journey home. Bus. Plane. Bus.
Last weekend the entire Arcadia group went to Belfast in Northern Ireland. On the way there we watched a movie that took place during "the troubles." As you probably know "the troubles" as they call them, were times when there was continuing violence between residents of Northern Ireland who wanted Northern Ireland to be part of England and those who wanted it to be part of the Republic of Ireland. Usually, there were some religious issues that went with it, but there was more to it than Protestant versus Catholics, or so I've been told. Anyway we watched a film about the violence so all of us were feeling a little uneasy when we got off the bus. There has not been many incidents since the peace treaty so there was really no reason to be nervous. It was interesting talking to the Irish people we met there, they all mentioned the troubles, but just matter-of-factly as a marker of time than anything else. The Protestants and Catholics still live in different neighborhoods and they don't really mix until college and not everyone goes to college. The two rival groups painted murals during the troubles and we saw them and heard a lecture on them and I don't know. I've never been in a place that felt like that. In spite of its history its a nice place to visit. It's different but there is still great architecture and wonderful people to be met.
Giant's Causeway is a short drive away from the city. It is a unique rock formation on the coast. My description doesn't do it justice. Trust me its breathtaking. I will tell you the story of the how the giant's causeway was formed. If you don't like folktales just skip it, but I love this story.
Once upon a time there was a giant who lived in Ireland a giant who lived in Scotland. All day long they would shot obscenities at each other. One day the Scottish giant was particularly offended and he decided to come over and give the Irish giant what was coming to him. Back then the two islands were connected by a stone bridge. As the Scottish giant crossed the bridge the Irish giant got a good look at him and saw that the Scotsman was much to large and would surely best him in a fight. So our Irishman jumped into his baby's cradle. When the Scottish giant arrived, our Irish giant's wife said her husband was not at home and to come in and have a cup of tea and see the baby while he waited. The Scottish giant came in and saw the baby and thought "if that is how large the baby is the father must be too big for me to fight. I'll be killed." So the Scotsman ran back across the bridge and broke it into bits so the Irish giant could not come looking for him. Thus the causeway was born. The End.
This past weekend my buddy Samantha came for a visit and I showed her Cork. I loved it. I want to show Cork to everyone. I'm always glad to come back to Cork after I go somewhere else. I can only imagine how glad I'll be to get back to California.
Oh and happy early St. Patrick's Day. I don't really know what to expect, but it'll be grand. No school that day anyway. St. Paddy's day is a true holiday here.
Thanks for listening to me ramble on. Talk to you soon.
It's been a while since my last post and there is a lot to report. I won't blame you if you drop off a quarter of the way through. I'm only going to quiz my parents on the content of the final paragraphs.
Well, for starters, I went to Mitchelstown Caves and the Rock of Cashel a few weeks ago. The cave was amazing. It's hard to describe a cave in words that will make it sound interesting, but take my word for it. The most interesting parts of the cave were the ones we couldn't see. The guide told us about a cavern above our heads that housed a lake with a crystallized surface, that looked like it belonged in a fairy land. Then there was another cavern below us that could be accessed by a little hole. If you were to fall down that hole you would fall 500 feet or some other long distance,I can't remember the exact figure, you wouldn't hurt yourself too badly because you would land in a bed of soft clay. The age of everything is also, I don't know, mind boggling. the littlest formation would have taken thousands of years to form. Anyway, my first visit to a cave was lovely.
Next was the Rock of Cashel. It is indeed a giant rock. On top of the rock is something that looks like a castle. However, at the very start of the tour I was informed that it was not a castle, although the kings of Munster did live there. It puzzles me still. It was originally housed the official church choir. Being in the choir in the middle ages came with a lot of perks. The ruins are beautiful as is the view from them. A cemetery surrounds them and only two people who are still living are allowed to be buried there. There is also a cross that if you hug it and your arms touch on the other side it means you will never have to go to the dentist or that you are exceptionally tall. Alas, my arms are too short and my wisdom teeth continue to bother me.
The following weekend, my pal Mary Kate and I made an impromptu trip to Scotland. We bought the tickets Tuesday and left Wednesday night. The trip was a bit complicated but we made it eventually. We took a four hour bus ride to Dublin then the plane to Glasgow and the train into the city center and finally a walk to the hostel. The city looked dodgy on the walk to the hostel and I wondered what we had gotten ourselves into. We elected to stay in that night and hang out in the hostel pub. Funnily enough the first person we met was from Ireland. The second from Australia. The first night set the tone for the rest of the trip. We never talked to a Scottish person outside of shops and restaurants. Glasgow was not so scary in the daylight. We took a walk and saw some interesting monuments and squares. We visited the most incredible cemetery I have ever seen. It is called the Necropolis. The cemetery is located on an impossibly green hill and its just incredible. Some of the oldest gravestones have fallen over and taken down some other ones with it and they just get left there are plants grow up over them.
That evening we took a train to Edinburgh. The walk to our hostel was long but view confirmed that this trip was an excellent idea. The heart of the city center is located on the edge of an inactive volcano and Edinburgh castle was lit up nicely. The hostel was not so nice. I thought it would be great because it was cheap and it used to be a church, which is cool. Those two things turned out the only good qualities of Belford Hostel. The negative qualities severely outweighed the positive. For starters there were no locks on the room doors and the walls didn't go up to the ceiling so you could hear everything going on in the other rooms. The mattresses, if they can even be called that, creaked very loudly every time you moved. It was very cold in the drafty church and the toilets were on the top floor and the sinks and showers were in the basement. Lastly, it was a forty minute walk from anything. I could go on, but I'll spare you. The hostel was the only bad thing about Edinburgh. Edinburgh is an incredible city. There is so much to see and Scottish history is so rich. I took a walking tour and went on another pub crawl. I met Americans, English and French travelers. Not to mention an absurd amount of Irish including some people from Cork. I was skeptical when we met the people from Cork. It seemed too happy of a coincidence. But one on the guys had a point, there is no mistaking the Cork accent. And after the named every establishment in Cork I decided to take their word for it. We saw so much and the best I can do is list it and tell you how great, amazing and beautiful it was, but to me those kind of things can get boring and never seem genuine. You know. Even if someone is standing next to you and says that's amazing. It doesn't seem right. You have to experience it yourself. I rant. I will tell you about Haggis though. It tastes like sausage. Nothing seems quite as odd after black pudding which I can stomach alright.
On the last day we took a day tour to the highlands and Loch Ness. No I didn't see the monster. We saw snow covered mountains and forests and the castle from Monty Python and the Holy Grail! Exciting. Again it was gorgeous and we learned about Scottish history. A true tale of the underdog much like Irish history. I also got to feed a highland cow named Hamish. So adorable. To sum it up Edinburgh is one of the most beautiful cities I've ever seen. Believe it or not. Then we made the long journey home. Bus. Plane. Bus.
Last weekend the entire Arcadia group went to Belfast in Northern Ireland. On the way there we watched a movie that took place during "the troubles." As you probably know "the troubles" as they call them, were times when there was continuing violence between residents of Northern Ireland who wanted Northern Ireland to be part of England and those who wanted it to be part of the Republic of Ireland. Usually, there were some religious issues that went with it, but there was more to it than Protestant versus Catholics, or so I've been told. Anyway we watched a film about the violence so all of us were feeling a little uneasy when we got off the bus. There has not been many incidents since the peace treaty so there was really no reason to be nervous. It was interesting talking to the Irish people we met there, they all mentioned the troubles, but just matter-of-factly as a marker of time than anything else. The Protestants and Catholics still live in different neighborhoods and they don't really mix until college and not everyone goes to college. The two rival groups painted murals during the troubles and we saw them and heard a lecture on them and I don't know. I've never been in a place that felt like that. In spite of its history its a nice place to visit. It's different but there is still great architecture and wonderful people to be met.
Giant's Causeway is a short drive away from the city. It is a unique rock formation on the coast. My description doesn't do it justice. Trust me its breathtaking. I will tell you the story of the how the giant's causeway was formed. If you don't like folktales just skip it, but I love this story.
Once upon a time there was a giant who lived in Ireland a giant who lived in Scotland. All day long they would shot obscenities at each other. One day the Scottish giant was particularly offended and he decided to come over and give the Irish giant what was coming to him. Back then the two islands were connected by a stone bridge. As the Scottish giant crossed the bridge the Irish giant got a good look at him and saw that the Scotsman was much to large and would surely best him in a fight. So our Irishman jumped into his baby's cradle. When the Scottish giant arrived, our Irish giant's wife said her husband was not at home and to come in and have a cup of tea and see the baby while he waited. The Scottish giant came in and saw the baby and thought "if that is how large the baby is the father must be too big for me to fight. I'll be killed." So the Scotsman ran back across the bridge and broke it into bits so the Irish giant could not come looking for him. Thus the causeway was born. The End.
This past weekend my buddy Samantha came for a visit and I showed her Cork. I loved it. I want to show Cork to everyone. I'm always glad to come back to Cork after I go somewhere else. I can only imagine how glad I'll be to get back to California.
Oh and happy early St. Patrick's Day. I don't really know what to expect, but it'll be grand. No school that day anyway. St. Paddy's day is a true holiday here.
Thanks for listening to me ramble on. Talk to you soon.
Friday, February 12, 2010
It's grand like.
So...Let's see what has changed since the last time I wrote. This will be a long post, forgive the typos and spelling errors its late over here and hopefully I'll get to fixing them soon.
Rugby Update: Munster won the rugby game and now the Ireland teams is playing in the Six Nations Rugby tournament. Ireland won against Italy last weekend. They play France tomorrow. There is a score to settle since France beat Ireland in the playoffs for the World Cup in soccer and when France scored the final point the player used his hand and the referee didn't call it. So France won by cheating. It's not a good explanation. Anyway it was a huge deal and Ireland wants to beat France. Enough said. Next weekend I'm going to watch a Munster game in person. I've heard there are no fans like Munster fans so I can't wait.
I also joined the rowing team. We have circuit training Tuesdays and Thursdays and water training Saturday and Sunday. It is very difficult. The training is getting easier but the actual rowing is complicated and its hard to get the rhythm. The UCC gym has been closed because of the flooding last year and opens on Monday so I will be able to get some extra practice on the rowing machines on the off days. Every new person you meet here likes to tell you about the flood. "It flooded here at the end of last year diya know." Yes, I know. It is nice to get a different perspective on it though. I digress. Everyone on the team is very nice and there are a few other Americans who joined. Our coach is an older man named Seamus and there are about 20-30 people in the Rowing Club. We practice on the River Lee and some parts are pretty picturesque. Maybe one day I'll muster up the courage to bring a camera to practice and take the razzing that would come my way for being so touristy and American. Last weekend there was supposed to be a night out with the team after their race but the race was canceled due to fog and the teams were told they were going to have a difficult practice the next day so only the Americans and the captain and co captain showed up. It was a bit of an awkward night. There was a band playing that sounded like the Soggy Bottom Boys playing so that was interesting. Practice the day after was difficult because it was all running, but the made it into a kind of game so I got to meet some people. That night there was a more legitimate night out and a few more members of the team showed up. All the rowing get togethers are at an réalt dearg (its in Irish and i have know idea what it means) a small pub up the hill from where I live. The team even gave them a paddle to hang over the bar. I don't know that this is particularly interesting to you but these are the facts of the rowing club and this is how I spend a good amount of time.
This past week was Raise and Give week or RAG week. There are tons of charity events all week and last year they raised thirty thousand dollars. And while there is a lot of raising and giving there is also a lot of drinking, skipping classes and general partying. I went to the UCC X Factor, the X factor is the British version of American Idol. I also saw a Irish rap battle and the contestants were surprisingly good. I was prepared to be embarrassed for the people onstage but listening to rap with an Irish accent is...I don't know pretty great. There were also made to order doughnuts on sale, that blew Krispy Kream and all other doughnuts out of the water. It was a good week. Everyone was out and Cork is a relatively small place so you run into a familiar faces quite a bit. Mary Kate and I went to a Mundy concert yesterday. He sings the song "Galloway Girl" in case you've heard of him. The concert was pretty empty so we didn't stay. I may go back to that same venue to see the Dropkick Murphys in April.
I went to the "most famous" chipper in Cork and maybe in Ireland, Lennox's. It's a small little place and there are only a few stools along the wall to sit. I ordered the fish and chips because I figured I had to. They threw a huge slab of fried fish and a ton of chips onto paper and splashed some vinegar on and threw on some salt and wrapped it all up. I couldn't wait until we got back to start in on the chips. It was so good. It's going to take some willpower not to make weekly trips over there. I found another new favorite food at the fast food restaurant Istanbul, Garlic Cheese Chips. All may favorite foods here involve fried potatoes, I'm pretty sure. I've also become a potato waffle attic. Not to worry the rowing keeps me from ballooning. At least I hope it does.
Classes are all going well. Some of them can be extremely dull at times. The art history class I am taking is great. There are five lecturers and three of them are very engaging. The other two not so much. I'm in for it next week because one of the awful ones is teaching every class. I met some nice girls in the class though so I can commiserate with them.
I heard some traditional Irish music the other night. That was great craic, as they say here. It's fun to watch the guys stomp around with their arms slung around each other and "dance" to the music. One of my favorite things about Ireland is that no one can dance, dance well anyway. It's just a very different atmosphere.
Now I'm going to teach you to speak like an Irish person. You never say 7:30 - seven thirty you say half seven. You say everything is grand or brilliant. Or instead of saying its okay you say you're grand. Someone says "Oh excuse me sorry" and you say "Ah You're grand." You pronounce three, tree. All other "Th" words are pronounced similarly. Think becomes tink etc. You end declarative sentences with like. I went to the pub and it was grand like. Everyone younger becomes Love. "Do you need anythin love." Now, Here is how you text like an Irish person. Use as few letter possible. Eliminate all vowels if you can still preserve the meaning. When you get there give me a ring becomes Whn u git thr me a ring. There is much more to it but this can get you started.
That's all I have for now. I'm going to the Rock of Cashel tomorrow so I will post on that soon and get some pictures up too. Love to all.
Rugby Update: Munster won the rugby game and now the Ireland teams is playing in the Six Nations Rugby tournament. Ireland won against Italy last weekend. They play France tomorrow. There is a score to settle since France beat Ireland in the playoffs for the World Cup in soccer and when France scored the final point the player used his hand and the referee didn't call it. So France won by cheating. It's not a good explanation. Anyway it was a huge deal and Ireland wants to beat France. Enough said. Next weekend I'm going to watch a Munster game in person. I've heard there are no fans like Munster fans so I can't wait.
I also joined the rowing team. We have circuit training Tuesdays and Thursdays and water training Saturday and Sunday. It is very difficult. The training is getting easier but the actual rowing is complicated and its hard to get the rhythm. The UCC gym has been closed because of the flooding last year and opens on Monday so I will be able to get some extra practice on the rowing machines on the off days. Every new person you meet here likes to tell you about the flood. "It flooded here at the end of last year diya know." Yes, I know. It is nice to get a different perspective on it though. I digress. Everyone on the team is very nice and there are a few other Americans who joined. Our coach is an older man named Seamus and there are about 20-30 people in the Rowing Club. We practice on the River Lee and some parts are pretty picturesque. Maybe one day I'll muster up the courage to bring a camera to practice and take the razzing that would come my way for being so touristy and American. Last weekend there was supposed to be a night out with the team after their race but the race was canceled due to fog and the teams were told they were going to have a difficult practice the next day so only the Americans and the captain and co captain showed up. It was a bit of an awkward night. There was a band playing that sounded like the Soggy Bottom Boys playing so that was interesting. Practice the day after was difficult because it was all running, but the made it into a kind of game so I got to meet some people. That night there was a more legitimate night out and a few more members of the team showed up. All the rowing get togethers are at an réalt dearg (its in Irish and i have know idea what it means) a small pub up the hill from where I live. The team even gave them a paddle to hang over the bar. I don't know that this is particularly interesting to you but these are the facts of the rowing club and this is how I spend a good amount of time.
This past week was Raise and Give week or RAG week. There are tons of charity events all week and last year they raised thirty thousand dollars. And while there is a lot of raising and giving there is also a lot of drinking, skipping classes and general partying. I went to the UCC X Factor, the X factor is the British version of American Idol. I also saw a Irish rap battle and the contestants were surprisingly good. I was prepared to be embarrassed for the people onstage but listening to rap with an Irish accent is...I don't know pretty great. There were also made to order doughnuts on sale, that blew Krispy Kream and all other doughnuts out of the water. It was a good week. Everyone was out and Cork is a relatively small place so you run into a familiar faces quite a bit. Mary Kate and I went to a Mundy concert yesterday. He sings the song "Galloway Girl" in case you've heard of him. The concert was pretty empty so we didn't stay. I may go back to that same venue to see the Dropkick Murphys in April.
I went to the "most famous" chipper in Cork and maybe in Ireland, Lennox's. It's a small little place and there are only a few stools along the wall to sit. I ordered the fish and chips because I figured I had to. They threw a huge slab of fried fish and a ton of chips onto paper and splashed some vinegar on and threw on some salt and wrapped it all up. I couldn't wait until we got back to start in on the chips. It was so good. It's going to take some willpower not to make weekly trips over there. I found another new favorite food at the fast food restaurant Istanbul, Garlic Cheese Chips. All may favorite foods here involve fried potatoes, I'm pretty sure. I've also become a potato waffle attic. Not to worry the rowing keeps me from ballooning. At least I hope it does.
Classes are all going well. Some of them can be extremely dull at times. The art history class I am taking is great. There are five lecturers and three of them are very engaging. The other two not so much. I'm in for it next week because one of the awful ones is teaching every class. I met some nice girls in the class though so I can commiserate with them.
I heard some traditional Irish music the other night. That was great craic, as they say here. It's fun to watch the guys stomp around with their arms slung around each other and "dance" to the music. One of my favorite things about Ireland is that no one can dance, dance well anyway. It's just a very different atmosphere.
Now I'm going to teach you to speak like an Irish person. You never say 7:30 - seven thirty you say half seven. You say everything is grand or brilliant. Or instead of saying its okay you say you're grand. Someone says "Oh excuse me sorry" and you say "Ah You're grand." You pronounce three, tree. All other "Th" words are pronounced similarly. Think becomes tink etc. You end declarative sentences with like. I went to the pub and it was grand like. Everyone younger becomes Love. "Do you need anythin love." Now, Here is how you text like an Irish person. Use as few letter possible. Eliminate all vowels if you can still preserve the meaning. When you get there give me a ring becomes Whn u git thr me a ring. There is much more to it but this can get you started.
That's all I have for now. I'm going to the Rock of Cashel tomorrow so I will post on that soon and get some pictures up too. Love to all.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Sunday, January 17, 2010
The Lough
I can't believe the last time I wrote was Wednesday. It feels so long ago. Well, I made the lasagna and cookies. The lasagna tasted pretty terrible the first night but after the noodles had soaked up some of the moisture and it was not half bad. The cookies were delicious. (I think, Dad, you would give them a B+ and I made sure to cook them long enough) They were oatmeal dark chocolate. Mmmmmm. The supermarket here makes me miss Von's. Tesco isn't bad it just isn't the same and they don't bake as much at home so there are less ingredients. I didn't do anything besides cook on Wednesday. I read Jane Eyre a little and went to bed early.
On Thursday, I went to class as usual. Except I thought class started an hour earlier than it actually did but I guess being early is better than being late. That night I made some more cookies and everyone came over for cookies and tea. Then we went to apartment 11 as usual. We spent the rest of the night at The Bailey, down the road.
Friday was uneventful. I slept and read a lot. Mary Kate had a cold so we stayed in and watched Mighty Ducks 1 & 2.
Saturday we went shopping. I bought two pairs of pants and a shirt all for the low low price of 11 Euro. We ended up at the market and we decided to have a group dinner. Justin made a spicy Italian soup. Well, we all helped make it. We also had bread with goat cheese and Hummus. I learned I do not like goat cheese at all. I made more cookies for dessert. Then we went to hear some Irish music, but we ended up heading home pretty soon after we left.
Today we took a walk to the Lough, which is Irish for lake. It was really beautiful. The pictures will be up tonight or tomorrow. We stopped at the bistro on the lake and had chips and tea. Tonight we are going to watch Harry Potter. Nothing too exciting but I'm sure it will still be great craic.
Next week, I'm going to the rowing meeting and hopefully I can join the ranks. There is a big Rugby match this weekend so we'll go watch it at a pub. Our team is the Munster Rugby, named after the province they play in. They are playing for the Heineken Cup Friday night if you're interested. Wear red to show your support. I may travel to Gallway this weekend with a few of the girls. It is a very picturesque place so hopefully we can make it over there. So that's what's on the horizon. Nothing else to report.
Over and out.
On Thursday, I went to class as usual. Except I thought class started an hour earlier than it actually did but I guess being early is better than being late. That night I made some more cookies and everyone came over for cookies and tea. Then we went to apartment 11 as usual. We spent the rest of the night at The Bailey, down the road.
Friday was uneventful. I slept and read a lot. Mary Kate had a cold so we stayed in and watched Mighty Ducks 1 & 2.
Saturday we went shopping. I bought two pairs of pants and a shirt all for the low low price of 11 Euro. We ended up at the market and we decided to have a group dinner. Justin made a spicy Italian soup. Well, we all helped make it. We also had bread with goat cheese and Hummus. I learned I do not like goat cheese at all. I made more cookies for dessert. Then we went to hear some Irish music, but we ended up heading home pretty soon after we left.
Today we took a walk to the Lough, which is Irish for lake. It was really beautiful. The pictures will be up tonight or tomorrow. We stopped at the bistro on the lake and had chips and tea. Tonight we are going to watch Harry Potter. Nothing too exciting but I'm sure it will still be great craic.
Next week, I'm going to the rowing meeting and hopefully I can join the ranks. There is a big Rugby match this weekend so we'll go watch it at a pub. Our team is the Munster Rugby, named after the province they play in. They are playing for the Heineken Cup Friday night if you're interested. Wear red to show your support. I may travel to Gallway this weekend with a few of the girls. It is a very picturesque place so hopefully we can make it over there. So that's what's on the horizon. Nothing else to report.
Over and out.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Jameson Whiskey Factory
I went to the Jameson Whiskey Factory when I was in Dublin and here is a recipe to make your won Bailey Irish Cream with the Jameson. It's from a blog I follow that is new and unusual cupcake recipes. Eventually the homemade Baileys goes into a Mudslide cupcake.
Make Your Own Bailey's Irish Cream
Here are some other blogs I follow. They aren't Ireland related but I figured since I have your attention. Well I assume I do anyway. I thought I would share links to my favorite ones.
Mentalfloss: Where Knowledge Junkies Get their Fix
A blog with random trivia and information on things you never new you always wanted to know about.
Web Urbanist
A blog about architecture and graphic design. It sounds like a niche blog but it has amazing photos and graphics and the entries can be read quickly.
Letters of Note
This website features interesting letters written by all types of people. From Iggy Pop to Kurt Vonnegut to a slave woman to a WWII soldier. They are all amazing.
Make Your Own Bailey's Irish Cream
Here are some other blogs I follow. They aren't Ireland related but I figured since I have your attention. Well I assume I do anyway. I thought I would share links to my favorite ones.
Mentalfloss: Where Knowledge Junkies Get their Fix
A blog with random trivia and information on things you never new you always wanted to know about.
Web Urbanist
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Weather or Not
Where to begin. The weather has been strange for the past few days. It was snowing when I last wrote and the next day everything was covered in ice. Most students thought the school would close for the day because the campus was icy and because most students go home on the weekend and they were stuck there because of the weather. However, school was still on so I went to my classes. On Monday I went to French and European Art and Architecture. I made it to school unscathed, but on the way home I fell over onto my knees. A girl came up to me and asked if I was alright. I said "Yep, It was inevitable. I had to fall eventually." She replied "Its okay I fell back there except I fell on my arse."
That night we went to The Franciscan, a pub/brewery, and heard some music and hung out. When I say we, I mean the other students I went through Arcadia with and two Irish guys who have become the Americans chaperon's and are my friends' roommates. On the way home from the pub we were slipping all over the ice and Tiernan, Irishman one, took an unexpected spill. It was glorious. His roommate Bobby slid confidently down the sidewalk, until he too ate pavement. Good times.
By Tuesday the ice melted, but what melted it was the rain and the rain and the rain. I am sure you have already deduced, but it rained all day. Tuesday I went to French and Aspects of Irish Folklore and Art History again. Just to get it out of the way, I am also taking Women and Literature and Representations of New York in Film and Photography. I walked soggily home after class. Later that night we hung out in one of my friends apartments and went to Gorby's where there was a get together for the international students. Then to bed.
Today, Wednesday, the weather is more mild. All I have done so far is go to class. Tonight I am going to make a lasagna and some cookies. I can't wait. It'll be my first time cooking in a Celsius oven. In a little while some of us are going to the English Market, so-called because only English people were allowed to shop there when Ireland was under British rule. The English Market is basically a giant indoor farmers market. After that off to Tesco, a supermarket, for the rest of the ingredients. I hope I can carry it all back. More on that as the story progresses.
That's all for now friends and fam.
That night we went to The Franciscan, a pub/brewery, and heard some music and hung out. When I say we, I mean the other students I went through Arcadia with and two Irish guys who have become the Americans chaperon's and are my friends' roommates. On the way home from the pub we were slipping all over the ice and Tiernan, Irishman one, took an unexpected spill. It was glorious. His roommate Bobby slid confidently down the sidewalk, until he too ate pavement. Good times.
By Tuesday the ice melted, but what melted it was the rain and the rain and the rain. I am sure you have already deduced, but it rained all day. Tuesday I went to French and Aspects of Irish Folklore and Art History again. Just to get it out of the way, I am also taking Women and Literature and Representations of New York in Film and Photography. I walked soggily home after class. Later that night we hung out in one of my friends apartments and went to Gorby's where there was a get together for the international students. Then to bed.
Today, Wednesday, the weather is more mild. All I have done so far is go to class. Tonight I am going to make a lasagna and some cookies. I can't wait. It'll be my first time cooking in a Celsius oven. In a little while some of us are going to the English Market, so-called because only English people were allowed to shop there when Ireland was under British rule. The English Market is basically a giant indoor farmers market. After that off to Tesco, a supermarket, for the rest of the ingredients. I hope I can carry it all back. More on that as the story progresses.
That's all for now friends and fam.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
My homestay
Well, I returned from my home stay this afternoon so I thought my first post should be dedicated to that little adventure. Fellow American Emily Mulligan and I were given to Mike and Miriam Foley for the weekend. They live in Charleville, County Cork. They raise cows for dairy and for beef on a small farm there. Miriam picked us up from town on Friday evening. She was very sweet and friendly and when we arrived at her home we were greeted by Mike, who can't be more that 5 feet tall, and their dog Bruno. Miriam has a strong accent and Mike an even stronger one. We sat down to have dinner right when we got there. We had sandwiches with butter, mayo and ham (there actually weren't bad) and soup and of course tea. For dessert we had little individual size pies with raisins and some other ingredients I couldn't make out.
After, we watched TV with Mike and Bruno while Miri chatted on the phone with the neighbors. We watched a show about WWII and Mike explained some elements of the war to us, only half of which we could understand. He also told us that Henry Ford was Irish and so was the man who invented the hydraulic lift and put it on a tractor. In my time here I have learned that any American to do something great was Irish. Obama's mother's family is supposed to Irish as well.
Miriam came in later and we watched The Late Late Show, the longest running "chat show" in the world (It has been running since 1962). It goes on for two hours and the Irish host asks questions that an American host never would and they interview them for a while, so that's nice. After that ended we went to bed and all I can say is I love electric blankets. The main rooms in the house are heated with coal/woodburning stoves but the bedrooms are pretty cold. This makes the house seem really rustic but it looks very modern.
When we woke up the next morning, there had been a frost that had frozen the pipes. So no water. Poor Mike and Miriam could not get there usual farm chores done without the water. Ireland has not seen weather like this since 1947 so there is a huge commotion all over the country because there is not enough salt or grit for the roads and no plows or chains for tires.
Anyway we went out and met the cows and a big bull named Seamus. He was friendly and we pet him and his big rough tongue licked me. The little tiny Bruno ran around the farm and sniffed at the cows in their pens. Everything was white with frost so Emily and I took a walk and it was really beautiful. Even the cobwebs were covered with little crystals of ice. As soon as I get the USB cable for my camera I'll put them up. When we got back from our walk Miriam took us to town and were met two other girls I knew who were staying with Miriam's friend. We walked around a bit and took some pictures. We learned that a Bookmaker neither made nor sold books. It is a place where you make bets. We also went to a bakery when we found it was too cold to walk around and had more tea and a cupcake.
Back at the farm we ate again. Sheperd's pie and jello with ice cream. Then she served us cake. After that we worked on Miriam's computer. She was having all sorts of problems with it so we figured them out for her. The we watched a "money show," a game show to non Irish folk. To get on the show you buy a scratcher and if you get three stars on the scratcher you send it in and you enter a drawing to get on the show. There are several games, but no matter what happens you always win more money. You start the show with 10,000 Euro and when you mess up and don't go to the next round they give you more money for your trouble. Opps you didn't get the big prize but we're gonna throw in 2,000 more Euro.
The show ended and Mike played the accordion for us. He sang Irish songs and some Christmas songs we knew. Then we watched a movie and Miriam, who has a big sweet tooth gave us more sweets and "biscuits". (On a side note Cadbury makes everything here. It is very popular) Bruno has a sweet tooth as well and always eats whatever we're eating. He ate more sandwiches than I did that first night.
We went to sleep after the movie. We woke up the next morning and it was snowing. Still no water and the weather was set to get worse. In fact it is snowing even now. After breakfast we went to mass with Mike. It was the quickest and most efficient mass I'd ever seen. Everyone was in an out in forty minutes. The priest spoke so quickly I could barely understand him. Mike sang in the choir and you could hear his...unique voice and accent over the choir.
Then there was breakfast part two. A traditional Irish breakfast which is basically meat, meat and meat. There was ham, pork sausage and black pudding. Here is a link to the black pudding wikipedia page, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_pudding, so you can learn what it is. It isn't too bad, really. White pudding was worse. I don't even know what that is, but I ate it. There were also waffle potatoes and let's not forget, tea. Jello for dessert.
It was time to go back to Cork then so Miriam dropped us off in town where the bus met us. The roads were bad so it took us a couple of hours for the bus to get us home. Now back to the school routine. If you can think of anything typically Californian that I could send Miri and Mike, let me know because nothing comes to mind. I know this description was exhaustive but the little differences between Ireland and home are really interesting to me.
After, we watched TV with Mike and Bruno while Miri chatted on the phone with the neighbors. We watched a show about WWII and Mike explained some elements of the war to us, only half of which we could understand. He also told us that Henry Ford was Irish and so was the man who invented the hydraulic lift and put it on a tractor. In my time here I have learned that any American to do something great was Irish. Obama's mother's family is supposed to Irish as well.
Miriam came in later and we watched The Late Late Show, the longest running "chat show" in the world (It has been running since 1962). It goes on for two hours and the Irish host asks questions that an American host never would and they interview them for a while, so that's nice. After that ended we went to bed and all I can say is I love electric blankets. The main rooms in the house are heated with coal/woodburning stoves but the bedrooms are pretty cold. This makes the house seem really rustic but it looks very modern.
When we woke up the next morning, there had been a frost that had frozen the pipes. So no water. Poor Mike and Miriam could not get there usual farm chores done without the water. Ireland has not seen weather like this since 1947 so there is a huge commotion all over the country because there is not enough salt or grit for the roads and no plows or chains for tires.
Anyway we went out and met the cows and a big bull named Seamus. He was friendly and we pet him and his big rough tongue licked me. The little tiny Bruno ran around the farm and sniffed at the cows in their pens. Everything was white with frost so Emily and I took a walk and it was really beautiful. Even the cobwebs were covered with little crystals of ice. As soon as I get the USB cable for my camera I'll put them up. When we got back from our walk Miriam took us to town and were met two other girls I knew who were staying with Miriam's friend. We walked around a bit and took some pictures. We learned that a Bookmaker neither made nor sold books. It is a place where you make bets. We also went to a bakery when we found it was too cold to walk around and had more tea and a cupcake.
Back at the farm we ate again. Sheperd's pie and jello with ice cream. Then she served us cake. After that we worked on Miriam's computer. She was having all sorts of problems with it so we figured them out for her. The we watched a "money show," a game show to non Irish folk. To get on the show you buy a scratcher and if you get three stars on the scratcher you send it in and you enter a drawing to get on the show. There are several games, but no matter what happens you always win more money. You start the show with 10,000 Euro and when you mess up and don't go to the next round they give you more money for your trouble. Opps you didn't get the big prize but we're gonna throw in 2,000 more Euro.
The show ended and Mike played the accordion for us. He sang Irish songs and some Christmas songs we knew. Then we watched a movie and Miriam, who has a big sweet tooth gave us more sweets and "biscuits". (On a side note Cadbury makes everything here. It is very popular) Bruno has a sweet tooth as well and always eats whatever we're eating. He ate more sandwiches than I did that first night.
We went to sleep after the movie. We woke up the next morning and it was snowing. Still no water and the weather was set to get worse. In fact it is snowing even now. After breakfast we went to mass with Mike. It was the quickest and most efficient mass I'd ever seen. Everyone was in an out in forty minutes. The priest spoke so quickly I could barely understand him. Mike sang in the choir and you could hear his...unique voice and accent over the choir.
Then there was breakfast part two. A traditional Irish breakfast which is basically meat, meat and meat. There was ham, pork sausage and black pudding. Here is a link to the black pudding wikipedia page, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_pudding, so you can learn what it is. It isn't too bad, really. White pudding was worse. I don't even know what that is, but I ate it. There were also waffle potatoes and let's not forget, tea. Jello for dessert.
It was time to go back to Cork then so Miriam dropped us off in town where the bus met us. The roads were bad so it took us a couple of hours for the bus to get us home. Now back to the school routine. If you can think of anything typically Californian that I could send Miri and Mike, let me know because nothing comes to mind. I know this description was exhaustive but the little differences between Ireland and home are really interesting to me.
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