Just Touched Down in London Town

London Eye with Big Ben and Parliament

I am exhausted. Not only was last week midterms, but I also went to Galway during the middle of the week and then spent the weekend in London. My body is mad at me and making me get rest so I haven't been feeling too well lately. I did have a really great weekend in London though!

I wasn't really looking forward to the trip when the plane took off out of Shannon on Friday night. Firstly, I don't exactly fit in with the program group I came with, API, and it was an API trip. Secondly, I was exhausted and wanted to just rest this weekend. And lastly, I had been to London before and didn't really feel like I missed anything the first time.

Saturday morning began with a tour bus ride to the Tower of London, where many prisoners have been held like Sir Walter Raleigh and also where the crown jewels are. It was really cool to see the crown jewels but we weren't allowed to take pictures! It was mostly crowns (go figure) but there were also swords, plates, bowls, and other random things. They almost looked fake with all the diamonds on them! 

Tower of London

Inside the Tower of London

Guard outside the Crowned Jewels.. he didn't like us very much haha

On the Tower of London with the Tower Bridge in the background

Tower Bridge

After the Tower of London, we went up into the towers of the Tower Bridge. I was hoping we could go on a walkway outside at the top, but there was just a windowed viewing area. There was also a guy randomly up there with old British games. One of them had a row of small archways, with different numbers above them (5, 10, 15, and 25). You had to stand behind a line and were given three balls. The object was to try to get the highest number of points. If you got over 50 points, you got the grand prize! And I won the grand prize! I was all excited about it and the guy came back out with a Tower of Bridge pencil! Saved myself fifty pence in the gift shop haha. It was fun though.

Picadilly Circus

After the Tower Bridge, we went to the Hard Rock Cafe London. I had only been to the one in Orlando, so it was cool to go there. There was a bunch of Beatles decor everywhere. Kasey and I wanted to try to find Gryffindor scarves, and there is a six story toy store near Picadilly Circus that was rumored to have a huge Harry Potter section, which was a good ways away from where we were. Of course it started pouring on our way there! So we finally made it in there and looked like drowned rats. We got to the Harry Potter section, and they were all out of scarves. Plus they were going to be about 45 pounds, which is ridiculous! The dollar is absolutely awful compared to the pound, so every time I would buy something I would think 'oh it's only 10 pounds' but it was more like 16 dollars. So we left empty handed..

Harry Potter!

Wands

Sorting Hat

We made it to Shaftesbury Avenue, where Les Miserables is playing at the Queens Theatre and were led to our seats. Our tickets said stalls, but they were 75 pounds, so we figured they were decent. Oh my god. We were sitting in the fourth row (seat 23 ;) ) of the theatre! They were AMAZING seats. And the second the show opened, I pretty much started crying; either because the show was so powerful and amazing that I couldn't help but be a little emotional freak or because it was said ( I mean, it is called the miserables..). It was definitely one of the best shows I've ever seen. I would've paid 100 GBP for those seats! 

Queen's Theater

The show got out fairly late, so we just went back to the hotel and went to bed. Our hotel was right next to the London Eye, so it was pretty easy to find. Plus, I found London really easy to navigate. The next morning, we were on a mission to find Abbey Road. A few of our friends went the day before, and had said it took them 5 hours, so I was kinda bummed how far it was, but it would be worth it. We got a map and some directions, and it only took us about 30 min from our hotel. So I'm not really sure which way our friends went, but clearly it was the long way haha. So of course we had someone take our picture crossing Abbey Road. It was only me and Kasey, so we were two people short, but that's ok. It was still cool to be there!

After Abbey Road, our next mission was to find Platform 9 3/4, which, for you non-Harry Potter fans, is the Platform in King's Cross Station that goes to Hogwarts. It was actually more difficult to find than we expected. First, we didn't know that King's Cross was as real tube station. We kept asking people about platform 9 3/4 and they had no idea what we were talking about. Finally we found a tour company that had Harry Potter London tours, and they pointed us in the right direction.

After accomplishing our two goals for the day, we headed back to the hotel. The bus was leaving at 4:30, so our group was supposed to be there by 4:20. 4:45 rolled around, and we were still missing 3 group members out of our 8. The bus had to leave without them because we needed to get through security and all that at the airport. We had gotten through security, and were boarding the plane when we saw the missing 3 members! Luckily, another group leader was at the hotel til 6 and was able to give them their passports and boarding passes. 

So we all made it home safe and sound! And we had Monday off because it was a Bank Holiday, so it was nice to have a day to recoup before classes today. I actually had a really good time, despite my initial apprehension. I'm glad we went :)

This weekend I'm going to hike Croagh Patrick in County Mayo. "According to Christian tradition, St. Patrick went up the sacred mountain at festival time in 441 AD. After fasting at the summit for 40 days, he banished all the snakes and demons from Ireland. The site quickly became an important place of Christian pilgrimage. A stone oratory dating to between 430 and 890 AD was recently discovered on the summit." I'm not really into the whole Christian pilgrimage thing, but it is supposed to be a really beautiful hike. I have only gone hiking once since I got here, and it wasn't even in Ireland; It was the Cinque Terre in Italy. So I'm really excited! 

Then, of course, it's Halloween weekend, so there is a Halloween Ball in the Stables Club on campus. I'm sure there will be plenty of costume parties on campus as well! It should be great craic!

Cheers!

La Bella Vita

When we think about memories, we don't necessarily remember everything that was happening in that moment. What stands out is how we felt.

Great memories are snapshots of time when we felt great.

When you feel full of love; of life; of beauty.

When you can feel the preciousness of humanity.

When you can feel the infiniteness of possibility.

These feelings encapsulate my week in Italy. Along with the feeling of a stomach full of gelato and spaghetti ;)

Just a disclaimer: it is absolutely impossible to articulate how incredible Italy was. There really are no words. But here's my attempt at conveying la bella vita:

Part I: London

"When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life!"

London Eye

View of London and Westminster from London Eye

Parliament

Matt and me in Trafalgar Square in London

We started our journey in London. We had a 24-hr layover, so we decided to take advantage and see the city. We bought tickets to a hop-on hop-off tour bus, because these seem to be the best ways to see big cities. It was incredible. The thing that stood out to me the most was the grandeur of everything. Everything just had a very royal feeling to it.  The architecture was stunning. I was particularly impressed by Parliament (which is why I posted about 800 pictures of it on facebook...) And one of my most favoritest parts of the day was the London Eye. You could see everything from there! I didn't realize how big London was until we were up above it. We had a very sophisticated meal of pizza hut before heading back to the airport. We ended up sleeping on the floor of the airport because our flight was too early to get a hostel for the night. That was an experience! Not only was it a comfy slab of concrete, I'm pretty sure they had the a/c or something. Needless to say, none of us really slept. Our alarm clock went off (meaning some airport worker with a British accent making us move) around 3:30 and we waited for our flight.


The flight into Bologna was amazing. We flew over the alps as the sun was rising and of course my camera was dead! The views were really breathtaking though. I tried showing everyone else in my group but most of them were drooling and snoring, so I decided not to wake them.

Part II: Bologna
"Bologna is celebrated for producing popes, painters, and sausage."

Even just random streets had amazing architecture!

Piazza Maggiore

Matthcu et Moi a Bologna!

When we arrived in Bologna, it was apparent that none of us spoke Italian. Even trying to buy  a bus ticket was a debacle. Eventually, we made it to Bed and Breakfast a Bologna and headed out to see our first Italian city! If you've ever heard of Bolognese Sauce or Pasta a la Bolognese, then you can probably guess what Bologna is known for: its delicious food! Especially tortellini, which I just had to try! Definitely one of the best things I've ever tasted. After our first authentic Italian meal, we decided to see some of the city. Bologna was really beautiful. It was everything I pictured Italy being like. Big archways and extravagant architecture with large, open squares and statues everywhere. One church in particular was just astonishing. Unfortunately, my camera wasn't charged so I didn't take any pictures, but they wouldn't have done it justice anyway. It was enormous! After exploring the all the large monuments and churches, we decided to stop for gelato. I was in love.
We actually ended up getting lost at some point and circling the entire circumference of the city before asking for directions to our hostel. Luckily we made it back, and just in time for some Pizza Margherita! Ok, we did do other things that just eat, but this was the best pizza I had ever had! Since we hadn't really slept in two days, Bologna was an early night. The next morning, we headed off for Florence! 

Part III: Florence
"You may have the universe if I may have Italy!"

A street artist's chalk drawing. Bellisima!

The ceiling of the Duomo! Bella!

Me and Christina on top of the Duomo. The view was amazing!

I miss Italian Cappuccinos!

The outside of the Duomo

We woke up early to catch the 700 train to Florence. Matthew and I went into the bathroom to brush our teeth, and when we returned the six other people in our group had left. We figured they were probably waiting downstairs, but nobody was there. We had been ditched. So Matt and I walked to the train station to find Christina waiting there, telling us that everyone else had left. We ran to catch the train, and made it, realizing that it might be the wrong train, since all the names were in Italian. So we got off, not wanting to get more lost, and went to go find tickets. We found the ticket machine, but didn't know the Italian name for Florence. There was Fiorenzoula and Firenze... but neither really sounded convincing. We went with Firenze and crossed our fingers. When the train pulled into "Firenze" Station, we were positive it was the wrong one. No way was this Florence. We got off the train and went to find informazioni when we saw our group at the station! We had made it!


Firenze was definitely one of my favorite cities we visited. Like everywhere, the architecture was unbelievable. Everything had so much detail and was so beautiful. There were cobblestone streets, huge archways, big open squares, endless markets, tons of street artists and performers, the smell of cappuccino and gelato filling the streets. I was in heaven.


My favorite thing in all of Firenze was the Duomo. The duomo is an enormous Cathedral with a belltower, baptistry, choir area, and, of course, the dome. The Cathedral was amazing. It's one of Italy's largest churches and has the largest brick dome ever constructed.  The interior of the dome has a fresco painting of The Last Judgement. "The 24 Elders of Apoc. 4 was finished by Vasari before his death in 1574. Federico Zuccari and a number of collaborators, such as Domenico Cresti, finished the other portions: (from top to bottom) Choirs of Angels; Christ, Mary and Saints; Virtues, Gifts of the Holy Spirit and Beatitudes; and at the bottom of the cuppola: Capital Sins and Hell. These frescoes are considered Zuccari's greatest work."   The exterior is equally impressive, with painted marble panels. There are 44 stained glass windows, designed by Donatello, Lorenzo Ghiberti, Paolo Uccello and Andrea del Castagno.


After gazing at the interior de el duomo, we bought tickets to climb to the top, where there is an outdoor viewing area, which is about 300 feet high! The view was absolutely breathtaking.  It was a beautiful, clear sunny day and I felt on top of the world. There were orange rooftops that stretched for miles, with the rolling Tuscan hills in the background. I don't think I could forget the image if I tried.

Part IV: Pisa
"A man who has not been in Italy, is always conscious of an inferiority, 
from his not having seen what it is expected a man should see."

The Arno River that runs through Pisa

Torre di Pisa!

haha..

Cathedral of Pisa and The Leaning Tower of Pisa

The Arno River at night

I was sad to leave Florence, but I could not wait to see Pisa! We dropped of our bags at the hostel and found the Walking Street, which was covered with shops and markets. We also went inside an impressive church, but after the Duomo it was hard to appreciate the other churches. We made it to the Leaning Tower of Pisa and found out you could climb it.. for 15 euro. It didn't seem worth it to us, so we decided to just walk around and explore Pisa a little. After leaving the Tower, there wasn't really any other tourist attractions, so we just enjoyed being in Italy. We went out for an authentic Italian dinner of spaghetti, of course. Next stop, La Spezia!

Part V: Cinque Terre
"The view was like a vision described in novels; 
a tiny town that hovered on jagged cliffs over sparkling blue water"

Manarola, the second town in the Cinque Terre

"Holy Shit, we're high!"

Vernazza, the fourth town in the Cinque Terre

The sun setting behind Monterosso

Monterosso, the last town (cinque!) of the Cinque Terre

When we had planned the hike to the Cinque Terre, I really had no idea of what to expect. I knew it wasn't a mountain, so I just assumed it was a bunch of trails or something. Wow, was I wrong. "Cinque Terre" literally means Five Lands, but it's more like five towns. We took a train into La Spezia where we dropped off our bags and headed for the Cinque Terre. There was a train into the first town, Riomaggiore, where I actually met some Bostonians!  They assured us that the Cinque Terre is definitely a hidden gem of Italy, and I couldn't wait to get there! We started on the "Via dell' Amore" or the Lover's Path, which was a walking path along the cliffs connecting two of the towns. Part of it was being renovated so we had to take a train to the second town, Manarola. Another breath-taking sea-cliff town, no big deal. Then we started for the third town, which looked like it was at the highest point of the hills. We had a map, but decided to just follow other hikers to the next town. Until we realized there were no other hikers, and we were lost. We came to a fork in the road, and decided to take the higher one. Yeahhh, bad idea.
This trail led us on the main road to somebody's driveway, at which point it told us to walk through the olive groves, which was about 4 ft wide, and we inched our way down to the trails in the woods. These trails were just slopes of rocky terrain that I must of slipped down at least 5 times. I was pretty much going down on my ass. After two hours of that ridiculous trail, we finally saw the third town! Except it wasn't the third town, it was the fouth, Vernazza. I have never been happier to see land! Apparently we had veered off the main path and had taken the difficult one. I would've never guessed!


We met up with the rest of our group in Vernazza and, you guessed it, ate more gelato. Just what we needed after that hike! It was getting dark and the last leg of the hike was supposed to be the longest and the most strenuous, so we decided to get going to avoid being on a mountain top in the dark. The first quarter of the journey was all stairs. No wonder there were defibrillators along the trail. I was drenched in sweat. We finally got to the highest point, and the view was amazing. There were blue waters as far as the eye could see. I've never seen that color blue before! We continued on the last leg of the final trail, which was mostly down steps. Very very steep steps. My knees hated me. But the view was so incredible I didn't care. We finished the trail in about an hour, and arrived just before sunset at the last town.


Waves from the Mediterranean Sea were crashing along the cliff walls, and there were hundreds of tiny houses along the cliff egde painted all sorts of bright colors. We ran down to the beach and put our feet in the water. It was still warmer than the Atlantic in midsummer! The water was crystal clear! Clearer than the drinking water in Limerick...


It was getting dark so we took the train back to La Spezia where we stayed in the most wonderful hostel! Ensuite bathroom, starbucks coffee, towels, hairdryer! It was basically a hotel, and only 30 EUR a night! My head hit the pillow and I was out like a light.


Part VI: La Spezia
"Italy, and the spring, and first love all together should suffice to make the gloomiest person happy!" 

La Spezia

Rolling hills, palm trees, blue skies.. need I say more?

Down by the bay 

An interesting church in La Spezia.. we tried to go in but it was closed

Our last day in Italy. I was dreading this day the whole week. I had fallen so in love with the country and never wanted to leave! After breakfast, we decided to just walk around and see what we came across. We walked through a park and came out to the water, where the Coast Guard was stationed along with dozens of sailboats and a couple yachts. It was beautiful! The sun was up, the sky was blue, the palm trees were waving in the wind; la bella vita.
A lot of places were closed for some reason, but La Spezia was a really beautiful place to just walk around. We found a market where some nuns were giving out Chocolate for Charity. It was probably the most delicious thing I've ever tasted AND it was for a good cause. Win win. Since our flight was out of Pisa, we said farewell to La Spezia and headed towards to airport. I could not believe that this was my life. That I was in Italy! That I had spent almost a week there! The entire trip, I had to keep reminding myself "Yes, you are really in Italy!"


Homeward Bound
"just click your heels three times.."

Pisa from the plane! Ciao!

Setting up camp on the airport floor...

We had some time to kill before heading to the airport, so we pretty much just walked around and, of course, enjoying our last gelato. Our flight to London was fine, until security. I went through the metal detector, wearing a teeshirt and sweatpants, and it went off. A lady came over and started searching me, and when she put the metal detector over my pants-area, it went off again. So I was taken into a tiny booth with a curtain for a "private search", apparently thinking I was hiding weapons in body cavities or something... but after finding nothing, the lady realized that it was there were metal rings on my sweatpants where the draw strings came out. Meanwhile, Christina's bag was being torn apart by security, trail mix flying through the air. We were eventually let into London, and prepared for another night of wonderful slumber on the floor of the Stansted airport.


Then we landed in Ireland, and we were home sweet home.


I had a truly incredible week. I saw things I never thought I would see in this lifetime.
 I learned the do's and don't of backpacking.
(Do pay the extra 5 euro for a private room with ensuite bathrooms! Do not wear sweatpants to the airport OR pack trail mix in easily-breakable bags!)


 Italy was amazing, but there's something comforting about the rolling green hills of the Emerald Isle.


Next weekend: Back to London :)


Ciao!

City of Words

"Our street-songs and ballads had always been short stories: touching, scabrous, satirical, tender; as alive to the stench of the eddying Liffey as to the possibilities of truth and beauty. Our story is not done yet."

I came across this quote in last week's issue of the Irish Times. As if right on cue, we were discussing the works of Yeats and the symbiotic relationship he had with the city of Dublin and the political movements of the early 20th century, and the Irish Times came out with a special edition paper called "City of Words. Dublin and its Writers". I was going on a trip to Dublin the following weekend, so it seemed fit to dig deep into the literary history prior to visiting the city of words.

We arrived to the city on a cold, rainy October afternoon. After a quick lunch, we went to the Book of Kells. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to photograph any of the books. I figured the flash would damage the documents but they're actually just copyrighted. The books are ornately decorated versions of the four books of the New Testament, written purely in Latin. I believe they date back to 800 A.D and are recognized for they're extravagance

and complexity. They are stored in the Library at Trinity College, in the heart of Dublin. Again, emphasizing the literary history of the city of words.

One of the many quotes written on statues, commemorating Oscar Wilde in Dublin's Merrion Square Park

After the Book of Kells, we went on a Viking Splash Tour, basically Boston's Duck Tours with a twist. They used the same DUKW boats from World War II, but instead of quacking, we did a lot of yelling. The tour guide explained that we were vikings (we even got to wear some sweet viking hats, but couldn't keep them unfortunately...), and that everyone else in the city were Celts, and the Celts and the Vikings were enemies. So every so often throughout the course of the tour, the guide would count to three, and we'd sneak up on poor, innocent pedestrians and yell savagely at them. It was absolutely hilarious! It was definitely the best way to see the city too, despite all the rain.

After the tour, we headed back to the hotel before heading out for the night. We went out to dinner at a restaurant that happened to be celebrating Oktoberfest. Unfortunately, I was on antibiotics from my various illnesses (UTI, kidney infection, and a bout of bronchitis: no bueno) and was not advised to consume alcohol, so I didn't have the chance to try all the beers. My friends seemed to thoroughly enjoy them though :)

After dinner, we decided to look for some pubs/clubs. We wen

t to the famous Temple Bar, which was a mostly older group and was ridiculously crowded, so we ended up at a four-story club called Fitzsimons. The first floor had live music, the second and third floor were dance floors, and the fourth was an outdoor terrace. Plus 3 for €10 Jägerbombs! Again, I didn't participate. Even if I wasn't sick, mixing red bull with any sort of alcohol doesn't really appreal to me. But we had a great time dancing and meeting people. I called it an "early" night around 1 am. I don't understand how people function on four or so hours of sleep. Call me a grandma, but I need at least 7!

The next morning we left for the Guinness Storehouse. It was awesome! Just the way it was set up was really fascinating. It began with the original 9,000 year grant signed by Arthur Guinness to keep the factory running. Then it led us through a tour of all the ingredients, followed by a timeline of the company's history. Then we were led into a taste test, explaining how to fully experience Guinness with all of our senses.

There was a lot of information about the brewing process followed by a tour of all the Guinness paraphernalia: old advertisements, different beer can/bottle designs, the famous Toucan, different sayings and billboards and, of course, the harp. The harp is not only an emblem of Guinness but also of Ireland. Ireland is one of the only countries in the world to represent itself with a musical instrument, but after spending some time in Ireland, it's not hard to figure out why. There is such a deep connection to music here.

The tour continued until we reached the very top, known as the Gravity bar. This was a circular shaped room with all glass windows, giving visitors a 360-degree view of Dublin, as well as a free pint of Guinness. After my first night in Ireland, waking up quite sick and hung over, I think I have a little PTSD from Guinness, because the smell alone is enough to turn my stomach. Thus I did not indulge in the free pint, wanting to keep my continental breakfast down.

The storehouse tour took up most of our day. We walked back to the temple bar area and had free lunch, courtesy of our program, then headed back towards good ol' Limerick. I wish we had had more time in Dublin, because I was truly infatuated with the city. Not only by the impressive architecture or the bustling streets, but simply by the atmosphere. "It is impossible to cross Dublin and not feel in the company of the phantoms from some writer's imagination". You can hear traditional music pouring out the windows of the pubs. You can smell the Guinness emanating from the storehouse. Even the green, slimy water of the river Liffey has its appeal. There is a "terrible beauty" about the city.

So what's next?

Well, I am leaving for Italy this Thursday! I can't believe it! We are starting in Bologna, then travelling to Florence, La Spezia, Pisa, and hiking the Cinque Terre! I cannot even express how excited I am!! Pizza! Gelato! Cannolis! Oh yeah, and some historic monuments and things... haha, no I am really, really excited to see everything. Especially the Cinque Terre. According to Rick Steve's, the Cinque Terre is the 'hidden gem' of Italy.

Sadly, I found out I have 3 midterm papers due the Monday after I return from Italy. I was planning on travelling to Belgium that weekend, but school has to come first this time. I'll just have to come back to Europe and explore later :)

Ciao!