Hi friends! I know I have been MIA for a bit, what a crazy past week it has been! I seriously feel like the past few weeks I have completely gotten in the groove of being over here and I just want to say that I love it! I feel like time is flying so quickly and I cant believe I will be home in less than two months. I am just trying to soak in everything and take advantage of all the opportunities before me . I am using a piece of advice someone once told me before- “JUST GO” whenever anyone asks you to go somewhere, attend an event, do whatever (within legal and moral bounds of course) and I’ll tell you it works! I just went bowling-ok its different its called Jus de Quai over here- in Differdange using this motto, and it was so fun, I am so glad I went. But anyway, let me recap my last weekend trip, which was absolutely fabulous.

My weekend began on Thursday because I decided to be a rebel and skip Friday classes. After a lot of debates and scheduling out different possible routes, I decided to leave on Thursday evening for my very early Friday morning flight to the land of the green. I had plans to go to the cooking class that was being offered in Lux City, so I did that for the 2 hours before I had to catch my bus. It was a wonderful experience, let me tell you! A former teacher at Miami in Luxembourg and her husband, both who are retired and the nicest people you will ever meet, opened there home to a group of 8 of us and taught us the secrets of French cooking. We had a glass of wine and appetizers when we first arrived, and over quiche, brie, roasted duck, and veggies, we learned a little about French dining traditions and one another. I also volunteered to learn how to properly open a champagne bottle- so watch out, now I have the skills! Then we moved to the kitchen, where we prepared our first course- a smoked salmon salad. We used a cookie cutter circle type thing to stack seasoned fresh tomatoes, raw and smoked salmon, and rice mixture together, and placed the tower on a bed of greens. I was a little hesitant about the raw salmon, but when we got to enjoy the fruits of our labor, I was pleasantly surprised! Yum, I will have to make this salad for you all when I get home. Next, we began to prepare the main course- potatoes au gratin and veal with mushrooms, but since I had to leave, I actually got served first. Our instructor’s husband, Felix, an adorable Italian guy, was super kind to me and helped me prepare my veal on my own and then served me my own plate. He also gave me a cup of chocolate mousse with all of the fixings that the girls would be preparing later on for my bus ride, and it was so good! The night was such a treat, and even though I had to leave early, they were so accommodating it didn’t feel like I missed out! One of the coolest parts was hearing about our teacher’s life in Luxembourg. Her first experience with Americans was when she was 5 years old and the American soldiers liberated Lux City (it was 1945) from the Nazi invasion. She still remembers the sweet American named Jamie who rented a room from her parents and gave her an orange as a gift, a sweet treat she will never forget.

Extremely full and content from the cooking class, I then had to switch into independent travel girl mode and head back to the central train station. I made it and caught my bus to the airport without a problem. It had only a few other passengers, so after eating my chocolate mousse, I easily laid out and got a few zzzs. I didn’t sleep great (I was so full of wine and food!) but it was ok. When I arrived at Frankfurt Hahn airport, a shuttle was supposed to take me to my hotel, but I couldn’t find it and the number I was supposed to call just kept ringing (thanks a lot to Kyle who got online for me and tried to help) so I ended up getting a cab which was just a few Euro. I checked in the hotel and slept for a few hours, before rising quite early to head back to the airport and catch my flight. Finally, by 9 am, I was in Dublin! I know this sounds extremely intense, but it actually was totally fine! I was proud for navigating the plans on my own, and really had only a few minor problems. I am getting a lot better at not sweating the small stuff, and I really just went with the flow and it all worked out!

At the Dublin airport I had to wait an hour or so for my friend Clare, who is studying in Lyon, to arrive. I grabbed a scone (I love scones, so good) and coffee at a restaurant (actually it was more of a bar I guess) and enjoyed getting a quick glimpse at what awaited me in Dublin- everywhere I looked very friendly people were downing Guinesses, and it was 9am! They know how to have drink, that is for sure! After awhile, Clare arrived and it was so exciting to see her walk through the arrival gate! We hugged and squealed like the sorority girls we are, and headed to catch a bus to the city center. On the ride, we chatted our heads off and caught up on oru lives for the past few months and exchanged notes about our different programs. It is so interesting to hear about Clare’s experience abroad, and I really want to write about that at some point but it will have to wait a little bit I think. When we got off of the bus, we made our way to O’Connell Bridge, where our hotel was. We had been walking for about 5 minutes however, when Clare suddenly covered her face with her hands and said “AH, MY BAG!” She had left her duffle bag underneath the bus in the luggage compartment! She still had her purse with all her valuables, but all her clothes were gone! This was the one major downer of the trip, even though Clare called the company right then and many times after, her bag was never found! It was sad and I felt really bad, it was my fault as well, we were both so caught up in talking and just so excited to see each other that we completely forgot. Luckily, Clare is one of the most down to earth and laid back people ever, and she really did not let the lost bag ruin our trip. She was obviously a little bummed, but she really took it in stride and just focused on enjoying the weekend! Yay Clare for being awesome.

But anyway, after a few moments of stress, we made it to the hotel, which was lovely! Clare’s Dad had heard we were thinking of going to Dublin and were struggling to find a hostel, and he surprised Clare by booking us a room in a super nice hotel in a great location right near the city center!! I am so thankful to him, it was awesome! The hotel was extremely accommodating to us, and the room was like a palace compared to some hostels I have been in! We were able to check in upon our arrival, and put our stuff down and freshened up a bit. We then headed out to explore the city!

We first walked down O’Connell Street to another main road, Grafton Street, which runs right by Trinity College. We took in the lively atmosphere, the streets were bustling already in anticipation of the weekends activities- it was both the beginning of St. Patricks Day celebrations and a huge rugby match- Wales v. Ireland- and Dublin was packed! We window shopped and people watched and continued our chatting session. We made our way to St. Stephen’s Green, an enormous and beautiful park and walked around a little. One of the things I loved about Dublin was just walking through it and exploring. Unlike other cities with tons of tourist sites that you feel compelled to visit, Dublin is more about just taking in the atmosphere and vibe of the city and people. It was really refreshing to visit a place like that, especially with a close friend, and I felt a lot more relaxed on this trip than I have on others! It was great.

After walking for awhile, we realized we were hungry and thirsty. We started walking towards the Guiness Factory- I know I just said Dublin doesn’t have a ton of super touristy attractions and its true but this was one- where we had heard the tour was great. We stopped for lunch detour on the way at a really cute place in a red building called Queen of Tarts that had been recommended by both our guidebooks. We got a leisurely lunch of sandwiches and coffee and split two lovely baked goods for dessert- a cupcake and carrot cake, both treats that reminded us of home! After lunch, we were full but still thirsty and continued our quest for refreshement in the form of beer at The Guiness Factory at St. James Gate! The tour was mostly self guided, but really neat and interactive! Although it was mostly one big advertisement- or perhaps more of a temple that literally worships Guiness- it was fun to see and experience. The building is shaped like an enormous pint of beer, and you slowly make your way to the top of the beverage as you go. Our least favorite part was the section on transportation and keg building, which dragged a bit. Our favorite part was at the Gravity Bar at the very top and end of the tour when you are treated to a pint of the gold itself! I have to say, I thought I hated Guiness, but it is not too bad, really it reminds me of coffee. I can’t drink a lot of it, but the taste can be nice at times. The lady who poured our pints did so using the double pour which is standard in Dublin and supposedly gives you the best possible glass of the stuff. She even made a shamrock in the foam which took a great deal of skill! The Gravity Bar is a glass circular room that offers great views of the city and had a really fun atmosphere. I especially liked how quotes from classic Dublin literature was written on the glass and helped point out the sites in the distance. Nice touch, Guiness, you really know how to reward visitors after a tour!

In a random twist that again shows what a small world we live in, Clare ran into a friend from high school (she is from Houston, TX) at the beginning of our tour!! He is studying abroad in Spain and was visiting Dublin for the weekend as well. We actually met up with him and some friends later that evening for a pub crawl which turned out quite fun. Before that though, we took brief naps at the hotel- both of us had begun to feel the effects of traveling all night- and showered and freshened up. Then we headed to the Temple Bar Area, basically the place where all the pubs are concentrated and there are major ragers in the street- and grabbed dinner at an Irish style restaurant. Both of us had cravings for meat and had juicy burgers and chips which really hit the spot! Then we joined up with the pub crawl Clare’s friend was on and visited 3 more pubs and one nightclub in the Temple Bar region. All were a blast and so full of energy and people! We especially had fun dancing at the club where they played a ton of American music that we jammed too! Twas a lovely night out with a good friend.

The next morning, we rose and enjoyed a hot breakfast at our hotel before venturing out for the day. The big rugby match that was being held at the large stadium Corke Park was starting in a few hours and literally everyone in the streets was wearing Green (Irish) or Red (Welsh). They were clearly pumped for the game, and even though we didn’t have tickets (they were sold out and super expensive), so were we! We spent the morning walking around- we explored Marrion Square a bit where a carnival was being set up- and shopping, I was surprised by the great quality of stores in Dublin! Clare picked up some items to get her through the weekend, and I know this may be shocking to some, but I did not buy much. I guess I just didn’t find anything I loved and also knew I literally could not fit anything more into my one bag on the plane haha. I did buy an Ireland rugby shirt however so I could fit in with the crowd and support the home team! Clare and I had been told if we wanted to watch the match in a pub we would need to get there a few hours before kickoff, and after debating a few other options like taking a tour, we decided to have a really authentic experience and just go for it. It took a few tries to find a good pub, one we walked in was full of drunk Welshe men and just too intense, but we ended up getting bar stools with a great view of the tv at one. We sat for several hours, sipped beers, and watched the game with a packed bar of fans. It was so fuN! I don’t know much about the rules of rugby, but we picked up some stuff and it was easy enough to follow! It is so rough and makes American football players with all their pads look like sissies. Favorite parts of the afternoon included the older lady next to me who kept whispering to me about the “dishy” quality of Ireland’s players and the barmen, as well as the one time when a player’s shorts got pulled down and we saw a full moon (the lady told me then that was definitely her favorite part of the games haha).

After the match was over, we grabbed a snack at Dublin’s major chocolate shop and walked around and browsed some more. We hit up a souvenir shop where I got a funny gift for my niece, and explored the streets on our side of the bridge.

We were pretty exhausted after our day (the few pints in the afternoon probably didn’t help) but we still managed to have a nice night together! After showers and a little downtime we went out to dinner in a nice area nearby our hotel that we had found on a previous walk. We chose an Italian restaurant that had great food even though our waiter was slightly strange. We had a long, leisurely kind of meal that included an appetizer, wine, and pasta, and it was nice to just unwind and catch up more. We then headed back to Temple Bar to join in the celebrations that were taking place- I forgot to write that Ireland won the match! We went to several bars, in one of my favorites we got Irish Coffees and watched tons of funny drunk people dance, at another we had some serious talks with a few Welshmen. An older Welsh farmer bought us Guinesses- sounds creepy but it wasn’t like that, people in Ireland are just super friendly and love to talk- and we talked all about the UK’s role in the EU. I had just been tested on this info in my politics class and was able to really have an educated conversation which him about the advantages of the Euro and Britain’s governances of its provinces that was quite fascinating! We talked to another Welsh guy who was unfortunately far less friendly- he was some type of extreme nationalist and basically believed everyone in Whales should speak Welsh or leave and Americans had no culture because there is diversity! Kind of a whack job and not exactly pleasant, but we exited the conversation with ease and made our way to the next bar. I guess in a way it is also interesting and eye opening to meet these types of people- they exist! When we got back to the hotel we were exhausted and I fell right asleep!

The next morning, we sort of had an alarm mishap. I had forgotten that Ireland was an hour behind Lux and still set my phone for 8am like we planned. Clare’s blackberry automatically did daylight savings time, so both our alarms went off at the same time and we slowly got out of bed. Only after I had showered, we had gotten ready, and eaten breakfast downstairs did we realize it was 8am and we had woken up at 7 on accident!! Ooops! It was pretty fun how both of our alarms were mixed up. Anyway, we decided to just take advantage of our early rise and walk around a bit. We headed to Marrion Square- we had walked on one side before but wanted to go around the whole thing. It is a really cute area- all the homes have bright colored doors- and it was a nice walk. We saw they were setting up for a market/festival that was starting at noon and I made a mental note to head back later. Clare had to leave at 10:30 or so because her flight was at 12. I, courtesy of Ryan Air’s weird flight times, wasn’t leaving til 7pm so I had time on my own in the afternoon. After the walk in Marrion Square and a stop in the uber nice and pretty Marrion Hotel, we headed back down Grafton street and Clare caught a bus to the airport. It was sad to say goodbye, for a sec I thought I might cry! But it was ok because I get to see Clare again this weekend- I am going to Lyon to visit her!

I was bummed to see Clare go, but I thought the day could be interesting. I never have really traveled- like besides getting somewhere- completely alone so I was trying to think of it as an adventure. I decided to keep myself busy and right after Clare left I went on an 11am tour given by the company that I have done tours with in other cities. I was in a relatively small group with a guy named Richard who was from Dublin and was in school studying law. He was really knowledgable and it was nice to learn some of the history of Ireland, which I was a little hazy on. We started at the Dublin Castle, where the 1916 rebellion took place and which isn’t really much of a castle anymore. Ireland’s history is marked by a pattern of invasion, foreign rule, and rebellion, which is sad but also interesting. We also saw the birthplace of Jonathon Switft- who wrote A Modest Proposal- the satire which suggests to eat babies in order to solve the problem of Irish poverty. Then we walked through the Trinity Bar area, which was still raging even at noon on a Sunday, and saw the place U2 had one of their first successful gigs. They wanted to celebrate after and get a drink at the hotel across the street but were unfortunately denied entrace. They vowed to buy the place when they were rich and famous, and that is exactly what they did! Now they have lots of events there and our guide said you can see Bono walking in and out. He also said most Irish think Bono is the most egotistical man on the planet, but they still love him and U2 concerts sell out in minutes. Kind of like America’s relationship with Oprah or Tom Cruise perhaps?

From there, we walked to Trinity College, which Clare and I had somehow missed, and it was really beautiful! What a cool and historic place to study that would be. I learned a bit about the admissions process from our guide and found out admission is based on a point system and college in Ireland is free (I’m jealous). We ended our tour by St. Stephen’s green and the Irish Parliament, where we heard more about the 1916 rebellion which eventually lead to independence in 1922. We also saw the house where the writer of Dracula, Bram Stoker, lived and wrote. Most people don’t’ know that lots of the ideas about the famous vampire are of Irish origin! A trivia fact for you- Dracula comes from the old Irish words for bad blood.

After the tour, I decided to head to the festival at Marrion Square that was being set up earlier. It was so cute! It was geared towards kids, and I saw a ton of adorable little ones dressed up for St. Patricks day and with their faces painted. I wandered around for awhile and just people watched. I grabbed lunch- a delicious baked potatoe and later a cupcake with green frosting and just took it in. I realized at this point that traveling alone can be quite lonely, especially at a thing like that which was full of families and couples. I decided to do something that would keep me more preoccupied and went in a few shops in the area that Clare and I had missed. I checked out some bookstores and browsed, and then decided to spend my last couple hours at a museum- I looked on the map and saw the Dublin Writer’s Museum was nearby – and made a spur of the minute decision to go in. I am really glad I did! It was really cool and interesting- Dublin has produced a ton of famous writers included Joyce, Yeats, Shaw, and Wilde- and it was nice to learn more about them. The free audio guide gave you an informative synopsis of their lives and works and also read you an excerpt from one of their pieces in an in character voice. The museum was housed in a gorgeous old town house that really complimented the contents well. The time flew by in there, and before I knew it, it was time to go. Being alone had its advantages when I caught the bus to the airport, there was only one space left and I grabbed it since I was solo. Flying home and getting the bus and taxi to my house all worked out with only one glitch. I had a reservation for a 10:15 bus to Lux and our flight was supposed to land at 9:45 but was late. I had 15 minutes to depart the plane, go through passport control, and run (and I mean sprint) to the bus terminal after there was a problem with my passport (we don’t really have visas so the guy was giving me a hard time), and it was close! I made it right at 10:15, and was breathing very heavily! After about 10 minutes of calming down and getting my heart to stop racing, I fell asleep for the 1.5 hour trip. I was home and in bed by midnight!!

Overall it was just a very nice weekend and I am so thankful I could go!

Now to finish the St. Patricks celebration I am headed to the local bar- Dass Boot. Yes it is 8am, but Miami has this tradition of celebrating Green Beer Day back in Ohio, and they are taking the tradition here. They are extremely serious about it (almost as serious as the Irish are about Guiness and sports) and everyone will be getting there early. Call me crazy, but its part of my “just go” policy!

Happy St. Patricks Day to you!

Care

PS- that test I was studying for last week on the way home from Berlin- I got an A+! Woohoo!