Hi all!
So I know you are all waiting anxiously by your computers to read my blog and hear all about my weekend in Ireland. Well here it is!!!
First off, I’m going to start with an Irish story:
There once was an Irish man named Seamus O’Finnagan. He had left Ireland at the age of 17 to come to New York and he hadn’t been back in 60 years. Yet he still loved his homeland and in his backyard he grew Irish flowers and potatoes to remind him of home. One day while sitting in his backyard, he saw one of the leaves move oddly. He pushed the leaf aside and under it was a leprechaun. Seamus said, “Hey, you’re a leprechaun.” The leprechaun replied “Yes, I am.” So Seamus asked if that old legend his mom use to tell him was true, that if you see a leprechaun they owe you 1 wish. The leprechaun replied that it was true. Seamus said “Well I see you so you owe me a wish.” The leprechaun said “Fine. What’s your wish?” Seamus said “Well I haven’t seen Ireland in over 60 years. I miss home.” The leprechaun said “What do you want me to do about it. Get on a plane or take a boat.” Seamus replied “Planes were unnatural, they don’t make sense. And I took a boat to get here. I’ve never been so sick in my life. I’m never getting on one again.” So the leprechaun asked him what his wish was then. Seamus said “I want you to build a bridge connecting New York to Ireland.” The leprechaun said “Are you crazy??? That’s impossible. I’d have to hire engineers, get technicians, and get approval from both countries.” “Well that’s what I want,” Seamus said. The leprechaun thought it over and said “Ok we’re going to do something unusual here. We’re going to scrape your first wish and you can make another.” So Seamus thought about it and said “Look around me. I’m all alone. I’ve had American girlfriends and Irish girlfriends, but none have stuck.” The leprechaun said “So what’s your wish?” Seamus replied “I want to know how women think. I want to know what their thinking and I want to understand them.” The leprechaun took off his hat and scratched his head. He then put it back on and replied, “So do you want 4 lanes or 8 lanes on this bridge to Ireland?”
This was our first free weekend trip, which means it wasn’t through JMU. Eight of us went to Dublin. They were: Jamie, Christine, Whitney, Nora, Hannah, Mike, Trevor, and of course, yours truly!
So our weekend started off very bad. We had to wait for Christine to get home from class at 5:30. We thought we were going to be late because none of us knew how long it took to get to Gatwick on the Gatwick Express train. We were guessing at least an hour so we thought we were running behind. Before we could even catch the Gatwick train, we had to get to Victoria Station on the underground. Well en route to Victoria on the underground, some idiot pulled an alarm so the train had to stay in the station until it was cleared. We were all freaking out and it was RUSH HOUR, so the trains were packed and hot!!!! Finally we were cleared to go and the train got to Victoria. We managed to catch the Gatwick Express, which actually only took 30 minutes to get to Gatwick. So in the end we got there in plenty of time.
The flight was a short jump and by 11 we were in Ireland. We took a taxi into Dublin and arrived safely at our hostel. We were able to check in and head up to our room. Now this being my first hostel experience, I didn’t know what to expect. Well our room had 16 beds (8 bunk beds) and was an all female room. Well a half dressed girl was occupying one of our beds, so we had to go switch that bed. After we got everything straightened out, it was definitely bed time since it was after midnight.
The next morning brought daylight and rain. I was able to clearly see our room. It was like being at camp or freshmen year at college with 15 roommates instead of 1. I got use to it. After showering and breakfast at the hostel, we set out to truly begin our weekend. We decided to first head over to Dublin Castle, since we were all a big fan of castles after Edinburgh’s Castle. Unfortunately Dublin Castle was a bit small and a bit of a let down. It looked like they had built modern buildings onto the 1 small old part of the castle.
So I know you are all waiting anxiously by your computers to read my blog and hear all about my weekend in Ireland. Well here it is!!!
First off, I’m going to start with an Irish story:
There once was an Irish man named Seamus O’Finnagan. He had left Ireland at the age of 17 to come to New York and he hadn’t been back in 60 years. Yet he still loved his homeland and in his backyard he grew Irish flowers and potatoes to remind him of home. One day while sitting in his backyard, he saw one of the leaves move oddly. He pushed the leaf aside and under it was a leprechaun. Seamus said, “Hey, you’re a leprechaun.” The leprechaun replied “Yes, I am.” So Seamus asked if that old legend his mom use to tell him was true, that if you see a leprechaun they owe you 1 wish. The leprechaun replied that it was true. Seamus said “Well I see you so you owe me a wish.” The leprechaun said “Fine. What’s your wish?” Seamus said “Well I haven’t seen Ireland in over 60 years. I miss home.” The leprechaun said “What do you want me to do about it. Get on a plane or take a boat.” Seamus replied “Planes were unnatural, they don’t make sense. And I took a boat to get here. I’ve never been so sick in my life. I’m never getting on one again.” So the leprechaun asked him what his wish was then. Seamus said “I want you to build a bridge connecting New York to Ireland.” The leprechaun said “Are you crazy??? That’s impossible. I’d have to hire engineers, get technicians, and get approval from both countries.” “Well that’s what I want,” Seamus said. The leprechaun thought it over and said “Ok we’re going to do something unusual here. We’re going to scrape your first wish and you can make another.” So Seamus thought about it and said “Look around me. I’m all alone. I’ve had American girlfriends and Irish girlfriends, but none have stuck.” The leprechaun said “So what’s your wish?” Seamus replied “I want to know how women think. I want to know what their thinking and I want to understand them.” The leprechaun took off his hat and scratched his head. He then put it back on and replied, “So do you want 4 lanes or 8 lanes on this bridge to Ireland?”
This was our first free weekend trip, which means it wasn’t through JMU. Eight of us went to Dublin. They were: Jamie, Christine, Whitney, Nora, Hannah, Mike, Trevor, and of course, yours truly!
So our weekend started off very bad. We had to wait for Christine to get home from class at 5:30. We thought we were going to be late because none of us knew how long it took to get to Gatwick on the Gatwick Express train. We were guessing at least an hour so we thought we were running behind. Before we could even catch the Gatwick train, we had to get to Victoria Station on the underground. Well en route to Victoria on the underground, some idiot pulled an alarm so the train had to stay in the station until it was cleared. We were all freaking out and it was RUSH HOUR, so the trains were packed and hot!!!! Finally we were cleared to go and the train got to Victoria. We managed to catch the Gatwick Express, which actually only took 30 minutes to get to Gatwick. So in the end we got there in plenty of time.
The flight was a short jump and by 11 we were in Ireland. We took a taxi into Dublin and arrived safely at our hostel. We were able to check in and head up to our room. Now this being my first hostel experience, I didn’t know what to expect. Well our room had 16 beds (8 bunk beds) and was an all female room. Well a half dressed girl was occupying one of our beds, so we had to go switch that bed. After we got everything straightened out, it was definitely bed time since it was after midnight.
The next morning brought daylight and rain. I was able to clearly see our room. It was like being at camp or freshmen year at college with 15 roommates instead of 1. I got use to it. After showering and breakfast at the hostel, we set out to truly begin our weekend. We decided to first head over to Dublin Castle, since we were all a big fan of castles after Edinburgh’s Castle. Unfortunately Dublin Castle was a bit small and a bit of a let down. It looked like they had built modern buildings onto the 1 small old part of the castle.
A bit of a disappointment
"Catch me Trevor"
Christine: "Someone whould get on that statue and let them crown you"Kendra: "Ok, I will"
After that, we decided to walk to the Guinness Storehouse Factory. Here we had a self guided tour of the factory. We learned all about Arthur Guinness, saw how they make the beer, and even got to go to the tasting room. The tour ends in the Gravity Bar where you get a free pint of Guinness. Me not being a fan of beer took a picture with my free beer and then proceeded to let Trev drink it. We then visited the gift shop and headed out after almost 3 hours at the factory. We were all hungry so we headed to lunch. After lunch was naptime back at the hostel since we were all tired.
Enough Said
Water: One of Guinness' main ingredients
Tasting Room
We read this book for film class last week!
Me with my beer(Don't I look so young. Too young to hold a beer)
After naptime, it was time to get ready for the evening/night. Seven of us walked over to Trinity College to see the school and neighborhood. This was also the starting destination of our official Dublin Backpackers Pubcrawl that we had signed up for at the hostel. This was an AWESOME experience. There were about 25 people in the group, so we got to meet all kinds of people. We met other American college kids who were studying in Spain, a couple of Irish guys (one was celebrating his 21st birthday), some JAG’s (army lawyers, one of them was celebrating his 29th birthday), and some Australians. It was a great mixture of people and we really bonded with many others on the crawl. We went to 5 bars and 1 nightclub to end the night. It was really eye opening and I loved meeting new people and talking to them about their life and culture. It’s funny, most people wouldn’t associate pubcrawl with education, but I learned a lot about Australia from our new friend Giselle, about Germany from the American JAG’s stationed there, and about all kinds of places from our fellow hostel/pubcrawl/world traveler friend Adam.
Group shot at Trinty
Me being studious on the steps of a Trinity Building
Pubcrawl!
Giselle and Me Saturday brought an early morning for some of us. On Saturday we ended up splitting up into 3 groups since we all wanted to do different things. Jamie, Nora, and Christine went on the Cliffs of Moher tour out in the countryside. This tour was too expensive, so Trev, Mike, and I decided to go on the cheaper countryside tour to Glendalough, Wicklow Gap, and Kilkenny. Hannah and Whitney decided to stay in Dublin and explore the city and shop.
Well Trev, Mike, and I departed the hostel at 7:40 am (I know, early for college kids). We were picked up from the Dublin Tourism Centre at 8:20 and we were off. Our bus driver/ tour guide was this amazing Irish man. He’s the one who told the leprechaun story and he sang and told many other stories and facts. He also trashed Italy since Ireland was playing Italy that night in a World Cup qualifier. We went up into the mountains and saw Guinness Lake and sheep. I slept half the way since it was early and the bus swayed you to sleep every time you got on it. We then got to Glendalough. Here we explored an old monastery and walked to the 2 lakes. It was so pretty and the boys were so foolish but tons of fun.
Next we got back on the bus and drove through parts of the country where the movie “P.S. I Love You” was shot. We then ended up at Kilkenny. Here we had 2 hours to explore and have fun. All 3 of us were hungry so we went and ate right away. I then did a bit of shopping, and then we hit up the beautiful Kilkenny Castle. We took a tour of the castle. Soon it was time to get back on the bus and hear more funny stories/trash talk from our guide. Our last stop was at possibly the oldest Portal Tomb (4000 years old). Finally we headed back into Dublin.
Well Trev, Mike, and I departed the hostel at 7:40 am (I know, early for college kids). We were picked up from the Dublin Tourism Centre at 8:20 and we were off. Our bus driver/ tour guide was this amazing Irish man. He’s the one who told the leprechaun story and he sang and told many other stories and facts. He also trashed Italy since Ireland was playing Italy that night in a World Cup qualifier. We went up into the mountains and saw Guinness Lake and sheep. I slept half the way since it was early and the bus swayed you to sleep every time you got on it. We then got to Glendalough. Here we explored an old monastery and walked to the 2 lakes. It was so pretty and the boys were so foolish but tons of fun.
Next we got back on the bus and drove through parts of the country where the movie “P.S. I Love You” was shot. We then ended up at Kilkenny. Here we had 2 hours to explore and have fun. All 3 of us were hungry so we went and ate right away. I then did a bit of shopping, and then we hit up the beautiful Kilkenny Castle. We took a tour of the castle. Soon it was time to get back on the bus and hear more funny stories/trash talk from our guide. Our last stop was at possibly the oldest Portal Tomb (4000 years old). Finally we headed back into Dublin.
In Dublin we met up with everyone and exchanged stories about our days. We then went to a sports bar in order to watch the Ireland vs. Italy soccer game. It was an exciting game, made even more exciting since I was in an Irish bar. I cheered and groaned when Ireland scored or messed up respectively. When Ireland went ahead 2-1 with 2 minutes to go, the bar went crazy. I got drinks spilt on me and hugs and high fives. Unfortunately Italy scored a minute later. But people were happy that it was at least a tie game which meant that Ireland qualified. Afterwards we walked around a bit and then a few of us went home to sleep.
Trevor and I at Guinness Lake
Guinness Lake & I
The boys hiking up some random hill off the path we were supposed to take to get to the Lakes. They were like 5 year olds, but oh so amusing. A lady told me to "be strong" on dealing with them.
We finally made it to the Upper Lake
I'm super strong!! Holding up the Portal Tomb
Walmart Family PhotoThe next morning we ate and had to check out. Our flight wasn’t until the evening so we wondered around Dublin again. We went shopping for a bit to find souvenirs and gifts for family and friends. We then spent an hour in the park chilling and playing (see picture below). Afterwards we walked to St. Patrick’s Cathedral. By then, it was time to prepare for our departure so we headed back to the hostel to pick up our luggage and head to the airport. My suitcase barely passed the standards for hand luggage but by wearing both my sweaters, I was able to make it on the plane with it lol :-)!!! We landed early and made it back to Madison House by 10 pm.
Me in my bed at the Hostel
In the park
Grass Angel
Jamie airplaning Mike!
Me in doorway of St. Patrick's Cathedral
St. Patrick's Cathedral Overall, it was a great weekend. Who cares about travel stress and tiredness when you’re traveling Europe? My only disappointment with Ireland was that I didn’t see any true gingers. I only saw about a dozen red-heads and half of those were American. No one was nearly as red as my Kenny (who I love lots, Sorry Katie!), so I was sad. GET MORE RED-HEADS, IRELAND!!!!!
Well, it’s time for me to do some more homework. I promise to write soon. I should have more time since I am actually spending this weekend in my current hometown!
Much love,
KP
Much love,
KP
kenny was very excited about his shout out :)
ReplyDeletemiss you bunches! have fun in spain, so jealous!