I've been back in the states for around 3 weeks now. I'm back in the swing of things, experiencing how summer would have been if I wasn't in Ireland for 3 months (minus all of my friends haha). It's consisted of going to the beach, some boating, and helping my mama in the classroom (and a LOT of T.V. watching and Harry Potter reading). While I do miss my friends from home and seeing them, I would not have given up my trip to Ireland for almost anything. It was absolutely an experience I will never forget. I think I would say that this was probably one of the best, if not THE best, summer of my life. I have made amazing friends from all over the globe and have expanded my research experience exponentially.
It makes me sad that I will no longer be able to tell everyone about my wonderful adventures, but I plan on coming back to this blog to relive every single second of my time on the Emerald Isle.
To everyone that was a part of my time there, THANK YOU! It would not have been nearly as enjoyable without all of you with me. I've realized that it's not really the places you go, but the people you are with that make experiences that much more memorable.
I can't wait to go back to Ireland, it has become a small part of who I am and I will always feel somewhat at home when I go back to visit. What more could I really ask for...
Brianna over and out!!!
Friday, September 17, 2010
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Our last stop in Italia!! and Gelato mmmmm
James and I arrived in Italy at around 7:30 pm local time. I was probably the most nervous about Italy. I spoke NO Italian and James said he only spoke a little bit. And the town we were going to (Alghero on the island of Sardinia) didn't seem like it was a place where people would speak English. And it wasn't a well traveled popular destination for young travelers from North America like ourselves. First of all, smallest airport ever. And the bus to the city center only cost 75 cents!!! And there was no clear bus schedule. So we waited with other people that seemed just as equally confused as we were. And it was so HOT outside. I immediately took off my sweater and rolled up my jeans. The sky was so blue! Good bye bad weather!!!
Finally a bus came that said it was going to the city center and not the beach. I don't know where that was on the map, but I figured we would be able to walk the city wasn't that big. After a little walking but not too much trouble, we found our B&B! Because the city wasn't large and not a lot of young travelers went here, there were not hostels. So we stayed with a woman named Anna, super sweet but didn't speak a lot of English. She was able to communicate the essentials to us about towels and breakfast.
After settling in, James and I decided to head out and explore a bit. It was now that I learned that James spoke Italian well. He could speak a little bit, and understand even more. He asked Anna where we should go get gelato and she responded and James seemed to understand. I understood none of it and he explained to me that there was a festival going on and we should head there. So all of my previous fears were now calmed.
We headed out. It was a bit of a walk but not bad. It was so cute with shops lining the street. I was surprised at how much was open at 10 pm at night. ALL of the shops were open. People were still eating. Young kids were running around. And it continued for most of the night. Even at midnight, when James and I began to get tired people were still out and about.
After passing several gelato shops it was time for me to taste what I had heard from so many people was like heaven on a cone. I ordered peach and watermelon. The watermelon was good, but the peach was AMAZING. I LOVED it. I could eat it everyday.
James and I headed back to the hostel fairly early for us (around midnight) and decided to wake up at 8 a.m. the next morning for breakfast. Breakfast in Italy consisted of bread and jam and some coffee cakes, so nothing really substantial. A couple from Sweden was also staying at the hostel and they ate breakfast with us as well.
We then took off for the beach! Bought one of those straw mats and a towel and just laid out. African people walked around trying to sell sun glasses or clothes... and you could tell who wasn't from Italy. James and I had to be some of the whitest people there. But that was all about to change. Put on some sunscreen and bummed on the beach. We also went swimming a little bit to a rock a bit away from the beach. It was great fun. Once again though, no waves and plenty of nudity...
We had Italian food for lunch and then went back for more sun. James was a LOBSTER by the end. I was a little red, but nothing like James. The next day we decided we probably needed an umbrella.
Note: All other places I visited had all different kinds of foods from different places around the world. Italy though was almost all Italian!! The Italians really love their food, and so do I!!
After showering at the B&B and talking to Anna, we headed out for a nice Italian dinner and some wine from Alghero and then to the carnival (and of course, more gelato!! We stopped at least twice a day). It was a wonderful night and James' and my last dinner together, given the next night we would be on a plane and would probably have to eat at the airport.
I think it was then that it really hit me that I was leaving Europe and going home! James and I had become really good friends, and I knew that I would miss him when I came home. How could you not after spending almost every waking second with someone for the last week!!
The next day Anna gave us an umbrella and we headed for the beach. We frolicked in the water and even buried each other in the sand (everyone was staring at us for sure). This time we made sure to put on sunscreen (James said if people didn't think we were a couple before they did after we put sunscreen on each others back hahaha).
It was a great last day. We then headed for the airport still sandy and in my wet bikini. We got there VERY early especially since it was so small. I was able to change before we got on the plane but I'm sure we stunk for the plane ride.
We didn't get to London until 11 pm and by the time we got to Liverpool St. Station we were able to grab the LAST subway to our hostel. All we had time to do was shower, and check the internet for the first time in a week.
The next morning we woke up early enough for me to repack my suitcases and then grab and English breakfast of sausage, toast, fried tomatoes, and eggs. I couldn't eat... I don't know why. Maybe because I knew I was leaving an experience that I valued so much or leaving a great friend that I appreciated so much.
I wanted to get to the airport early because I heard Heathrow was a nightmare. James had to leave at about the same time I did, so he helped me with all of my luggage to the subway. I remember looking at the time as it counted down for my train. With one minute left I gave James a big hug, thanked him for everything, and got on the subway. I was definitely sad but I knew I would see him again, sooner or later.
Everything in Heathrow went smoothly, and I made my flight with no problems. I arrived home after about 24 hours of traveling (and of course not sleep. I can't sleep on planes!!). I was waiting at baggage claim and my mom and dad, and best friend Nicole sneaked up behind me with a sign and balloons. What a great welcome home. It was great to see them!!
After I finish posting pictures, I'll give one more blogpost as an overview of my experience....
Finally a bus came that said it was going to the city center and not the beach. I don't know where that was on the map, but I figured we would be able to walk the city wasn't that big. After a little walking but not too much trouble, we found our B&B! Because the city wasn't large and not a lot of young travelers went here, there were not hostels. So we stayed with a woman named Anna, super sweet but didn't speak a lot of English. She was able to communicate the essentials to us about towels and breakfast.
After settling in, James and I decided to head out and explore a bit. It was now that I learned that James spoke Italian well. He could speak a little bit, and understand even more. He asked Anna where we should go get gelato and she responded and James seemed to understand. I understood none of it and he explained to me that there was a festival going on and we should head there. So all of my previous fears were now calmed.
We headed out. It was a bit of a walk but not bad. It was so cute with shops lining the street. I was surprised at how much was open at 10 pm at night. ALL of the shops were open. People were still eating. Young kids were running around. And it continued for most of the night. Even at midnight, when James and I began to get tired people were still out and about.
After passing several gelato shops it was time for me to taste what I had heard from so many people was like heaven on a cone. I ordered peach and watermelon. The watermelon was good, but the peach was AMAZING. I LOVED it. I could eat it everyday.
James and I headed back to the hostel fairly early for us (around midnight) and decided to wake up at 8 a.m. the next morning for breakfast. Breakfast in Italy consisted of bread and jam and some coffee cakes, so nothing really substantial. A couple from Sweden was also staying at the hostel and they ate breakfast with us as well.
We then took off for the beach! Bought one of those straw mats and a towel and just laid out. African people walked around trying to sell sun glasses or clothes... and you could tell who wasn't from Italy. James and I had to be some of the whitest people there. But that was all about to change. Put on some sunscreen and bummed on the beach. We also went swimming a little bit to a rock a bit away from the beach. It was great fun. Once again though, no waves and plenty of nudity...
We had Italian food for lunch and then went back for more sun. James was a LOBSTER by the end. I was a little red, but nothing like James. The next day we decided we probably needed an umbrella.
Note: All other places I visited had all different kinds of foods from different places around the world. Italy though was almost all Italian!! The Italians really love their food, and so do I!!
After showering at the B&B and talking to Anna, we headed out for a nice Italian dinner and some wine from Alghero and then to the carnival (and of course, more gelato!! We stopped at least twice a day). It was a wonderful night and James' and my last dinner together, given the next night we would be on a plane and would probably have to eat at the airport.
I think it was then that it really hit me that I was leaving Europe and going home! James and I had become really good friends, and I knew that I would miss him when I came home. How could you not after spending almost every waking second with someone for the last week!!
The next day Anna gave us an umbrella and we headed for the beach. We frolicked in the water and even buried each other in the sand (everyone was staring at us for sure). This time we made sure to put on sunscreen (James said if people didn't think we were a couple before they did after we put sunscreen on each others back hahaha).
It was a great last day. We then headed for the airport still sandy and in my wet bikini. We got there VERY early especially since it was so small. I was able to change before we got on the plane but I'm sure we stunk for the plane ride.
We didn't get to London until 11 pm and by the time we got to Liverpool St. Station we were able to grab the LAST subway to our hostel. All we had time to do was shower, and check the internet for the first time in a week.
The next morning we woke up early enough for me to repack my suitcases and then grab and English breakfast of sausage, toast, fried tomatoes, and eggs. I couldn't eat... I don't know why. Maybe because I knew I was leaving an experience that I valued so much or leaving a great friend that I appreciated so much.
I wanted to get to the airport early because I heard Heathrow was a nightmare. James had to leave at about the same time I did, so he helped me with all of my luggage to the subway. I remember looking at the time as it counted down for my train. With one minute left I gave James a big hug, thanked him for everything, and got on the subway. I was definitely sad but I knew I would see him again, sooner or later.
Everything in Heathrow went smoothly, and I made my flight with no problems. I arrived home after about 24 hours of traveling (and of course not sleep. I can't sleep on planes!!). I was waiting at baggage claim and my mom and dad, and best friend Nicole sneaked up behind me with a sign and balloons. What a great welcome home. It was great to see them!!
After I finish posting pictures, I'll give one more blogpost as an overview of my experience....
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
OAFA continues- Amsterdam!
We arrived in Amsterdam later than anticipated. By the time we got off of the plane and made it to the Central train station it was almost 11 pm (also a one hour time change). And then we had to find the hostel. For me, Amsterdam was the most confusing city by far. Everything looked the same. All of the houses, the canals, the roads... no landmarks for blocks. Which resulted in me handing over the reigns to James (thank goodness he was with me, I don't think I would've ever found the hostel on my own!!).
Initial thoughts: coffee shops just oozing with the smell of nothing other than weed. You would walk past people smoking and instead of smelling cigarette smoke, you smelt the iconic smell of hash. And bikes and canals. If I could describe Amsterdam in three words those would be them: weed, canals, and bikes!!
One of many coffee shops we passed:
So finally we found the hostel (you had to enter a bar to get to the actual hostel) and set our stuff down. By this time it was 12:30 am, but given that this trip involved James and I we decided to head out and get a look at the city at night. We turned left out of our hostel, left onto a small street, and then an immediate left, and guess where we were? None other than the Red Light District!! (I was surprised at how small it was!!! Not as long of a street as I expected) So odd... girls just sitting in the windows, some texting, some posing for customers. I even watched a guy exit one of the rooms that had the curtain closed. I have never seen anything like it. I decided I wasn't fond of it, especially since it seemed I was the only girl on the entire street. James, however, kept on wanting to go back. Of course. Anyways, it turned out to be a wonderful night. We took in Amsterdam, sat on the steps of a canal and just hung out. We didn't make it back until 4:30 am.
We woke up at 8 am to hit the Anne Frank house. I had heard it was better to be early because the line gets REALLY long. Woke up got dressed and looked outside. It was POURING. I have no pictures of that morning because it was too wet to take my camera out. James and I are BAMFs, so we headed out.
James not looking to happy, more like miserable:
That was... MISERABLE. Soaking wet, trying to find the Anne Frank house. We pulled out our map and it got unreadable. So then we had no map, I realized my rain jacket wasn't completely waterproof, and James' camera seemed to have some water damage. Finally we found the house. Super wet. The line was almost nill, I think because of the weather and because we did get there early enough.
It was very nice and touching. It had Anne's diary and the swinging book case was still there. There was no furniture because Otto (Anne's dad) had requested that it be unfurnished. However, pictures that Anne had hung on the wall were still hanging. I was actually surprised had how big it was. I had always pictures a Harry Potter like living situation (under the staircase). I don't know if this was because it wasn't furnished or if I just didn't realize how many people had lived there. Regardless of this, it was still amazing that they lived there for two years, unable to open a window, tip toeing around so they wouldn't be found. A great experience, I would recommend it to anyone visiting Amsterdam.
Canals and bikes were everywhere in Amsterdam. I loved that part of the city:
After we made it through the house, it was still pouring outside so we sat in the cafe of the house and had a hot drink. The line by this point was huge and I think we determined we were glad we had woken up and trudged through the pouring rain. It gave us more time in Amsterdam. Even though by this point my underwear was soaking wet. Before we went anywhere else, we had to change. So we headed to the hostel, relaxed for a few warm minutes and put on some warm clothes. Then we headed off again and had some Dutch pancakes for lunch. Dutch pancakes are more like pizzas in term of the size and crepes in term of texture. I got a banana and chocolate one and James got a vegetable one. Both were very good.
Next was Heineken! It was kind of like the Guinness Brewery. I liked Heineken a little bit better. It was more interactive, and had different things that you could do. We got to taste wort, the non alcoholic stuff before it becomes beer and made our own music video which I sent to my lovely mother. And of course, the prize at the end!! Two half pints of Heineken. It tasted excellent... we were lucky to find seats and to sit across from a nice British couple. We had good conversation until our Heineken was finished and we headed off to Vondel Park, in close proximity from the Van Gogh and Reinjks Museum (I'm sorry if those are spelled wrong!!)
Here we relaxed for a while. It was nice to be able to catch up on some sleep and soak up some sun that had been missing earlier from the day. We ate some food we had bought and enjoyed just relaxing!!
We then headed back for some dinner and then to the hostel. We had planned to go out that night on a pub crawl but I was exhausted and crashed fairly early.
Food was also interesting in Amsterdam. There were fast food places everywhere (hmm I wonder why?) There was even one place that had a vending machine for hot junk food (called Febo).
The next morning we woke up and headed to the Van Gogh museum. By the time we got there, we had very little time to actually go inside and see the paintings, mostly due to the fact that the airport we were flying out of was an hour and a half away from Amsterdam. After a morning stroll, we headed back to the hostel for our bags and then to the train station to catch a train to Eindhoven, where our plane was taking off from.
Off to Italy!!!!
Initial thoughts: coffee shops just oozing with the smell of nothing other than weed. You would walk past people smoking and instead of smelling cigarette smoke, you smelt the iconic smell of hash. And bikes and canals. If I could describe Amsterdam in three words those would be them: weed, canals, and bikes!!
One of many coffee shops we passed:
So finally we found the hostel (you had to enter a bar to get to the actual hostel) and set our stuff down. By this time it was 12:30 am, but given that this trip involved James and I we decided to head out and get a look at the city at night. We turned left out of our hostel, left onto a small street, and then an immediate left, and guess where we were? None other than the Red Light District!! (I was surprised at how small it was!!! Not as long of a street as I expected) So odd... girls just sitting in the windows, some texting, some posing for customers. I even watched a guy exit one of the rooms that had the curtain closed. I have never seen anything like it. I decided I wasn't fond of it, especially since it seemed I was the only girl on the entire street. James, however, kept on wanting to go back. Of course. Anyways, it turned out to be a wonderful night. We took in Amsterdam, sat on the steps of a canal and just hung out. We didn't make it back until 4:30 am.
We woke up at 8 am to hit the Anne Frank house. I had heard it was better to be early because the line gets REALLY long. Woke up got dressed and looked outside. It was POURING. I have no pictures of that morning because it was too wet to take my camera out. James and I are BAMFs, so we headed out.
James not looking to happy, more like miserable:
That was... MISERABLE. Soaking wet, trying to find the Anne Frank house. We pulled out our map and it got unreadable. So then we had no map, I realized my rain jacket wasn't completely waterproof, and James' camera seemed to have some water damage. Finally we found the house. Super wet. The line was almost nill, I think because of the weather and because we did get there early enough.
It was very nice and touching. It had Anne's diary and the swinging book case was still there. There was no furniture because Otto (Anne's dad) had requested that it be unfurnished. However, pictures that Anne had hung on the wall were still hanging. I was actually surprised had how big it was. I had always pictures a Harry Potter like living situation (under the staircase). I don't know if this was because it wasn't furnished or if I just didn't realize how many people had lived there. Regardless of this, it was still amazing that they lived there for two years, unable to open a window, tip toeing around so they wouldn't be found. A great experience, I would recommend it to anyone visiting Amsterdam.
Canals and bikes were everywhere in Amsterdam. I loved that part of the city:
After we made it through the house, it was still pouring outside so we sat in the cafe of the house and had a hot drink. The line by this point was huge and I think we determined we were glad we had woken up and trudged through the pouring rain. It gave us more time in Amsterdam. Even though by this point my underwear was soaking wet. Before we went anywhere else, we had to change. So we headed to the hostel, relaxed for a few warm minutes and put on some warm clothes. Then we headed off again and had some Dutch pancakes for lunch. Dutch pancakes are more like pizzas in term of the size and crepes in term of texture. I got a banana and chocolate one and James got a vegetable one. Both were very good.
Next was Heineken! It was kind of like the Guinness Brewery. I liked Heineken a little bit better. It was more interactive, and had different things that you could do. We got to taste wort, the non alcoholic stuff before it becomes beer and made our own music video which I sent to my lovely mother. And of course, the prize at the end!! Two half pints of Heineken. It tasted excellent... we were lucky to find seats and to sit across from a nice British couple. We had good conversation until our Heineken was finished and we headed off to Vondel Park, in close proximity from the Van Gogh and Reinjks Museum (I'm sorry if those are spelled wrong!!)
Here we relaxed for a while. It was nice to be able to catch up on some sleep and soak up some sun that had been missing earlier from the day. We ate some food we had bought and enjoyed just relaxing!!
We then headed back for some dinner and then to the hostel. We had planned to go out that night on a pub crawl but I was exhausted and crashed fairly early.
Food was also interesting in Amsterdam. There were fast food places everywhere (hmm I wonder why?) There was even one place that had a vending machine for hot junk food (called Febo).
The next morning we woke up and headed to the Van Gogh museum. By the time we got there, we had very little time to actually go inside and see the paintings, mostly due to the fact that the airport we were flying out of was an hour and a half away from Amsterdam. After a morning stroll, we headed back to the hostel for our bags and then to the train station to catch a train to Eindhoven, where our plane was taking off from.
Off to Italy!!!!
Saturday, September 4, 2010
So begins the JB Lifestlye on OAFA- London
6:30 a.m. flight to London. No sleep. Baggage issues (ohhh Ryanair). Arrive and time to start being a tourist.
After dropping off my huge bags from Dublin, I left with just a backpack on my back and took a train to Liverpool St. Station in central London. First thing I noticed about London: the public transportation system is excellent. Everything is clearly labeled about how to get different places. James and I walked less in London (though there was still LOADS of walking) merely because it was so easy to figure out how to use the Tube. Although I have to say the first day we were there (on a weekend) different lines were closed so we had to be a bit more creative about getting places. The line directly to our hostel was closed so we walked a little more when we first arrived. After dropping our bags off, we headed off to start the tourism
First was Leicester Square to buy tickets for a West End show (Avenue Q!!), then Trafalgar square, followed by Big Ben, the Parliament, Westminster Abby, the London Eye, and Buckingham Palace. Due to lack of time, we didn’t go into any of the buildings. We admired the outside, which for me was enough to appreciate them. London was not as “shocking” as I expected it to be, mostly because I think I’ve seen all of this multiple times in t.v. shows and movies. The buildings were gorgeous, and it was incredible thinking how long they had actually been there. But I don’t think I was blown away by any of them. If I had to pick my favorite, I would probably say I enjoyed the outside of Westminster Abby the most. It also didn’t help that I was literally dragging. Like falling asleep when we sat down anywhere. But we didn’t sit down much, if you can tell by the amount of things we did. We were walking most of the time, taking pictures and then kept on walking. The only places we really sat down was Trafalgar square to eat a sandwich and a nap in the park near Buckingham Palace.
After Buckingham, we headed back to the hostel to get ready for the play that night. I wasn’t sure if I should dress up or not, so I ended up just wearing the black dress you see in 90% of my other going out pictures. For dinner before the show, we went for Indian food. I was told that that was probably one of my best options in London. And it turned out to be very good. We then headed to Leicester where the show was going to take place. After a quick ice cream, we headed in to watch Avenue Q!!
Avenue Q was hilarious, and very enjoyable. I would recommend it to anyone who wanted to see a show in London.
Next was the hostel who was having a going away party for a member of the staff. It was 5 pounds for unlimited drink. Who could complain about that?? James and I decided that while traveling with just the two of us we had to meet some other people. We managed to meet people from Australia, Poland, and Finland all at the hostel!!! It was originally planned to go out, but we were both having such a grand time that we ended up just staying at the hostel.
Late night, woke up early to make it to the Natural History Museum. Why the Natural History Museum, you may ask? James said if there was one thing he wanted to see in London, that was it. Not Big Ben, not Buckingham, the Natural History Museum. So we went. It was free, and turned out to be incredible! They had the dinosaurs with the full skeleton (surprising I had never seen one before) and cool exhibits. I was very glad he dragged me there.
Following that, first we went to see St. Paul’s Cathedral which had a huge dome and was very impressive. We went to see all of the bridges (Millennium, London, and Tower Bridge) and then headed into Tower of London to see the Crown Jewels (sooo much money in that one area of London… ahhh). If there was one spot I wished we had more time, that was it. The Crown Jewels were very nice, but that was honestly the only thing we had time for.
Final thoughts about London: somewhere you have to visit eventually in Europe, and with more than 2 days. We were so rushed to see so many iconic buildings and structures, hardly had any time to relax and enjoy them. But still a great time…
Next stop: Amsterdam!!!!
Saturday, August 28, 2010
The FINALE
So it's all over!!! I'm home now, sitting at my kitchen table typing away about the AMAZING and WONDERFUL time I had in Ireland. I've done quite a bit of work on this blog, and in order to show it the respect it deserves I figure I'll finish it up at home now that I have loads of time.
The last week was a little different than the previous weeks. First, people were worried about posters and presentations and reports, and also with packing. Not only that but we had to clean the apartment so that we would get our deposit back. We did however find some time for some fun!!
On Tuesday we headed out with David for something called a table quiz (James and I first bought our souvenirs at where else but Carrolls. We pooled all of our finds together hoping to get the promised advertised CD, only to find out later that the advertised wasn't the right one... boooo) A table quiz is usually a fundraiser activity. This one was for David's friends on a roller derby team. You sit in a pub with 5 to a team and they have 10 rounds of questions. The team that gets the most right wins. This is with of course a few pints. Our team was me, David, James, and 2 of David's friends... Olivier was there but he pretended that he didn't speak English. Anyways, we were 2nd after the first round. However, after that we failed miserably and ended second to last. But all in all it was a great night.
On Wednesday was our practice presentations. I had practiced the night before and with Elaine that morning so all went fairly well. I was given some things to change that took very little time. I also had turned in my poster the day before. Things were slowly coming to an end in the lab, and all I really had left to do on Thursday was my paper. Symposium on Friday!!!
That Wednesday night we played some beer pong and hung out for the last normal day. People worked on papers and presentations, and just generally hung out. It was great normal last night... I knew that I would miss those nights.
On Thursday we cleaned up the house a bit. Didn't take too long, but we were still cleaning when Olivier came to cook dinner. It was quite funny with him cooking while we were all running around cleaning the house. That night I packed... I had to make sure my bags didn't weigh too much. I also practiced my presentation.
Friday... last day in Ireland and symposium!!!
Today was the day that the internship had been leading up to and I had been dreading. It was the day I would be giving my presentation on my research and also saying goodbye to all of the wonderful people I had met.
I had to be at the BDI by 9 so it was quite an early morning. We then proceeded to give our presentations. The room wasn't packed at all, but my mentor and my PI (principal investigator) were there to watch. I was slightly nervous, given that I had never said a word about science in front of my PI before this day. I was fourth on. The presentation went just as I had wanted it to. When I went back to my seat I'm pretty sure my mentor had tears in her eyes. To know that she was happy with what I had done was wonderful. I knew that I was happy with what I had done, but to get her approval as well, someone I had learned to respect over the past few months was all I could ask for. My PI also approved and thanked me for all of my hard work. I also had to give a cultural presentation of my time in Ireland. It was the students' perspective, so it was my job to encapsulate all of the students' time into my presentation. I almost felt more pressure for this presentation than the first one, just because the non academic part of the program meant so much to me. I appreciated that just as much as I did the research part. Everyone thought it was funny and said it was a job well done.
Then started the goodbyes. After a glass of wine with Emma and Aoife and a huge thanks and goodbye to them, I headed to say goodbye to Elaine's friends that had grown to be my friends and a final goodbye to Robert. Then to the pub with Elaine and the rest of the UREKAs to start the drinking for the night.
Stephen left first... I knew at that point it would not be an easy night.
After a few pints, I had to say goodbye to Elaine. I was SO thankful for everything she had done for me. My experience would not have been half as meaningful if she hadn't been my mentor. I will miss her, and hope that all goes smoothly for her in the future.
Then we headed home for some more drinks at our place. This was mostly kings cup, which most of the people had never played before and I think I managed to teach well!! They enjoyed it, especially the drive part.
We then headed out for a great night. First dinner at the market bar. We went from pub to pub to pub, trying to relive the wonderful time we had spent in Ireland. We started at the smallest pub in Dublin and then went to the bar with no name and ended up at the Quays. People slowly left as they had to catch buses... I tried not to be sad, but it was hard. I knew that I would miss these people and all of the fun times I had had.
Finally only David and the internationals were left. James and I had our last pin of Bulmers. It was close to 3 am and James and my flight left at 6:30 am. Time to head home, make last minute pack ups and say goodbye to my family that had formed.
I was exhausted. I tried not to cry, but it was really hard especially with Laetitia. I would miss her a ton. Our taxi came, we all walked out together, one last hug from everyone (I know it won't be forever... I will see these people some time in my life again. But it was definitely a goodbye for now) and then James and I were off. Time for our OAFA through Europe...
The last week was a little different than the previous weeks. First, people were worried about posters and presentations and reports, and also with packing. Not only that but we had to clean the apartment so that we would get our deposit back. We did however find some time for some fun!!
On Tuesday we headed out with David for something called a table quiz (James and I first bought our souvenirs at where else but Carrolls. We pooled all of our finds together hoping to get the promised advertised CD, only to find out later that the advertised wasn't the right one... boooo) A table quiz is usually a fundraiser activity. This one was for David's friends on a roller derby team. You sit in a pub with 5 to a team and they have 10 rounds of questions. The team that gets the most right wins. This is with of course a few pints. Our team was me, David, James, and 2 of David's friends... Olivier was there but he pretended that he didn't speak English. Anyways, we were 2nd after the first round. However, after that we failed miserably and ended second to last. But all in all it was a great night.
On Wednesday was our practice presentations. I had practiced the night before and with Elaine that morning so all went fairly well. I was given some things to change that took very little time. I also had turned in my poster the day before. Things were slowly coming to an end in the lab, and all I really had left to do on Thursday was my paper. Symposium on Friday!!!
That Wednesday night we played some beer pong and hung out for the last normal day. People worked on papers and presentations, and just generally hung out. It was great normal last night... I knew that I would miss those nights.
On Thursday we cleaned up the house a bit. Didn't take too long, but we were still cleaning when Olivier came to cook dinner. It was quite funny with him cooking while we were all running around cleaning the house. That night I packed... I had to make sure my bags didn't weigh too much. I also practiced my presentation.
Friday... last day in Ireland and symposium!!!
Today was the day that the internship had been leading up to and I had been dreading. It was the day I would be giving my presentation on my research and also saying goodbye to all of the wonderful people I had met.
I had to be at the BDI by 9 so it was quite an early morning. We then proceeded to give our presentations. The room wasn't packed at all, but my mentor and my PI (principal investigator) were there to watch. I was slightly nervous, given that I had never said a word about science in front of my PI before this day. I was fourth on. The presentation went just as I had wanted it to. When I went back to my seat I'm pretty sure my mentor had tears in her eyes. To know that she was happy with what I had done was wonderful. I knew that I was happy with what I had done, but to get her approval as well, someone I had learned to respect over the past few months was all I could ask for. My PI also approved and thanked me for all of my hard work. I also had to give a cultural presentation of my time in Ireland. It was the students' perspective, so it was my job to encapsulate all of the students' time into my presentation. I almost felt more pressure for this presentation than the first one, just because the non academic part of the program meant so much to me. I appreciated that just as much as I did the research part. Everyone thought it was funny and said it was a job well done.
Then started the goodbyes. After a glass of wine with Emma and Aoife and a huge thanks and goodbye to them, I headed to say goodbye to Elaine's friends that had grown to be my friends and a final goodbye to Robert. Then to the pub with Elaine and the rest of the UREKAs to start the drinking for the night.
Stephen left first... I knew at that point it would not be an easy night.
After a few pints, I had to say goodbye to Elaine. I was SO thankful for everything she had done for me. My experience would not have been half as meaningful if she hadn't been my mentor. I will miss her, and hope that all goes smoothly for her in the future.
Then we headed home for some more drinks at our place. This was mostly kings cup, which most of the people had never played before and I think I managed to teach well!! They enjoyed it, especially the drive part.
We then headed out for a great night. First dinner at the market bar. We went from pub to pub to pub, trying to relive the wonderful time we had spent in Ireland. We started at the smallest pub in Dublin and then went to the bar with no name and ended up at the Quays. People slowly left as they had to catch buses... I tried not to be sad, but it was hard. I knew that I would miss these people and all of the fun times I had had.
Finally only David and the internationals were left. James and I had our last pin of Bulmers. It was close to 3 am and James and my flight left at 6:30 am. Time to head home, make last minute pack ups and say goodbye to my family that had formed.
I was exhausted. I tried not to cry, but it was really hard especially with Laetitia. I would miss her a ton. Our taxi came, we all walked out together, one last hug from everyone (I know it won't be forever... I will see these people some time in my life again. But it was definitely a goodbye for now) and then James and I were off. Time for our OAFA through Europe...
Monday, August 16, 2010
Oh golly gee. Week 9.
So it is now my last week, but I'm still on week 9 in my blog. I'll try to be caught up before I leave for my trip around Europe. There is sooo much to do in the next few days that I'm having a hard time believing that I will actually get it all done...
Anyways, week 9. Lab work is over!!! Now I'm concentrating on my poster, presentation, and paper. 2 weeks to do it all... can it be done? I hope so, for my sake. I don't want to be typing up when I come home.
On Monday, I made some taco salad once again. It was supposed to be a soccer night and we wanted something quick and easy so I cooked up the delicious taco salad with no pinto beans or black beans. Because reports are coming up due, people have less time to do things. So it was just James and I that headed out to play some soccer in our apartment complex. Before we knew it, Spaniards (a bunch of Spanish people live in our complex) were flocking out to play some futbol. So we organized a six on six game in a tiny area and off we went! I think they were fairly impressed with my skills, and I managed to score 2 goals. Ole!!! I was ready to end the soccer playing early, but the game was tied so it went on well until after dark. By the time we got in, it was 10:30. Olivier made some fruity dessert with wine. And then after everyone headed to bed, I decided to make a chocolate chip cookie with a crunch bar instead of the chocolate chips. James and I ate half and saved the rest for everyone else.
On Tuesday James cooked an excellent sauce that his grandmother usually makes. It was very, very good, I wish I could take some home with me!! We then all hung out as usual... anyone up for some flying through the air while kicking???
Just kidding, we don't normally do this. The boys were a bit rowdy...
On Wednesday, we made sloppy joes! Luke cooked up the meat and I cooked up corn on the cob and peas. Following our very American meal (I had to explain to people that you put the meat on the buns) we played some beer pong and flip cup. David joined us (David loves us and we love him back). He has a great laser shot, even though we lost the first game :( Flip cup was enjoyable, but we only played two games until people were complaining they were full of beer. Come on people!!!! Don't know if they would make it in Santa Barbara.
On Thursday, David invited us to a gig he knew about. He called it the indy Irish music scene, so we checked it out. It was six euros in, and we watched two bands play some of their songs. While I didn't know any of the songs, it was good craic with everyone and I enjoyed myself. We then went for some food, but it was nothing noteworthy. A kebab place that just isn't that great. But all in all a very fun night!!
On Friday, after dinner we decided to stay in. Everyone was pretty exhausted from the week before so we had a bottle of wine and watched Shrek!! I of course fell asleep at the end. Can never stay up for movies past midnight, and yet I still try every time.
On Saturday, James, Laetitia, and I headed to the city center to do some shopping and to see some sights that James had yet to see. This included a lot of stuff I had done on my first weekend in Dublin such as Dublin Castle, St. Patrick's Cathedral, and Christ Church.
It was a very nice day outside though so I didn't mind just walking around. We went for some fish and chips (I got chicken nuggets) at a famous place called Leo Burdock's. It boasted that a whole list of celebrities had eaten there. James said his fish and chips were just ok. So picky... we then met up with David and did some shopping on Grafton street. I bought a dress for the night (finally!!! about 8 weeks too late, but hey now I have another one for my last week).
We then headed home and made some hamburgers and started predrinking for the night. Bulmers of course. I straightened my hair and put on the dress and... I wore heels! For the first time since I've been here.
Uggh they hurt so bad! But I sucked it up for beauty... only happens about 3 times a year, every once in a while I can give up my wonderful, comfortable flip flops. We made it out by 10:30 pm and headed to a night club for Stephen's birthday. The club was a lot of fun, even though NONE OF THE IRISH UREKAs CAME EXCEPT DAVID. Kudos to you David. And Laetitia and Jussi didn't come because they thought it was too expensive to get in. Aw well, it was a good night. I was practically falling asleep while eating some Burger King (munchies). Though by the end my feet hurt so bad, I took off my shoes and walked barefoot. I woke up the next morning and my feet were black. Literally black. So nasty. Took me 10 minutes to scrub the dirt off!!
The next day, James and I headed to a hurling match. Hurling is a sport they only play in Ireland. It's kinda like lacrosse mixed with field hockey. The main point is to get the ball through football like poles or a soccer net. The soccer net (or goal) is worth three points, while through the poles is only 1 point. The game was being played in Croke park, the main stadium for athletic sporting events. The first game on was of the minor leagues, Dublin vs. Clar. The second was of the real thing, the semi final!! Around 50,000 people showed up for the game, all wearing the jersey of the team they were supporting. I was surprised by how many people wore the actual jersey. At home, you wear the colors but not always a jersey.
Anyways, the match was Tipperary vs. Waterford. James and I decided to root for Tipperary being that is where Bulmers is made. How could we not, we LOVE that stuff. The game was so fast and fairly violent, I definitely cringed a few times at different body parts being wacked. The atmosphere of the crowd was wonderful and the sun was shining (I have some AWFUL tan lines... yay!!) It was a great day, I would definitely go to watch a game like that again. I'm just surprised that NO ONE else plays it in the entire world. It was good fun, why would people not?? Tipperary won (yay!) and we headed back to our place for a relaxing night before the storm hit (ie this week. A lot going on!!)
A video of the match:
Only one more post before I leave for my trip. I'll post it on Thursday, after the rest of this week... it's late off to bed!! I'll be home in less than 2 weeks. Weird to think about really.
Audios!
Anyways, week 9. Lab work is over!!! Now I'm concentrating on my poster, presentation, and paper. 2 weeks to do it all... can it be done? I hope so, for my sake. I don't want to be typing up when I come home.
On Monday, I made some taco salad once again. It was supposed to be a soccer night and we wanted something quick and easy so I cooked up the delicious taco salad with no pinto beans or black beans. Because reports are coming up due, people have less time to do things. So it was just James and I that headed out to play some soccer in our apartment complex. Before we knew it, Spaniards (a bunch of Spanish people live in our complex) were flocking out to play some futbol. So we organized a six on six game in a tiny area and off we went! I think they were fairly impressed with my skills, and I managed to score 2 goals. Ole!!! I was ready to end the soccer playing early, but the game was tied so it went on well until after dark. By the time we got in, it was 10:30. Olivier made some fruity dessert with wine. And then after everyone headed to bed, I decided to make a chocolate chip cookie with a crunch bar instead of the chocolate chips. James and I ate half and saved the rest for everyone else.
On Tuesday James cooked an excellent sauce that his grandmother usually makes. It was very, very good, I wish I could take some home with me!! We then all hung out as usual... anyone up for some flying through the air while kicking???
Just kidding, we don't normally do this. The boys were a bit rowdy...On Wednesday, we made sloppy joes! Luke cooked up the meat and I cooked up corn on the cob and peas. Following our very American meal (I had to explain to people that you put the meat on the buns) we played some beer pong and flip cup. David joined us (David loves us and we love him back). He has a great laser shot, even though we lost the first game :( Flip cup was enjoyable, but we only played two games until people were complaining they were full of beer. Come on people!!!! Don't know if they would make it in Santa Barbara.
On Thursday, David invited us to a gig he knew about. He called it the indy Irish music scene, so we checked it out. It was six euros in, and we watched two bands play some of their songs. While I didn't know any of the songs, it was good craic with everyone and I enjoyed myself. We then went for some food, but it was nothing noteworthy. A kebab place that just isn't that great. But all in all a very fun night!!
On Friday, after dinner we decided to stay in. Everyone was pretty exhausted from the week before so we had a bottle of wine and watched Shrek!! I of course fell asleep at the end. Can never stay up for movies past midnight, and yet I still try every time.
On Saturday, James, Laetitia, and I headed to the city center to do some shopping and to see some sights that James had yet to see. This included a lot of stuff I had done on my first weekend in Dublin such as Dublin Castle, St. Patrick's Cathedral, and Christ Church.
It was a very nice day outside though so I didn't mind just walking around. We went for some fish and chips (I got chicken nuggets) at a famous place called Leo Burdock's. It boasted that a whole list of celebrities had eaten there. James said his fish and chips were just ok. So picky... we then met up with David and did some shopping on Grafton street. I bought a dress for the night (finally!!! about 8 weeks too late, but hey now I have another one for my last week). 
We then headed home and made some hamburgers and started predrinking for the night. Bulmers of course. I straightened my hair and put on the dress and... I wore heels! For the first time since I've been here.
Uggh they hurt so bad! But I sucked it up for beauty... only happens about 3 times a year, every once in a while I can give up my wonderful, comfortable flip flops. We made it out by 10:30 pm and headed to a night club for Stephen's birthday. The club was a lot of fun, even though NONE OF THE IRISH UREKAs CAME EXCEPT DAVID. Kudos to you David. And Laetitia and Jussi didn't come because they thought it was too expensive to get in. Aw well, it was a good night. I was practically falling asleep while eating some Burger King (munchies). Though by the end my feet hurt so bad, I took off my shoes and walked barefoot. I woke up the next morning and my feet were black. Literally black. So nasty. Took me 10 minutes to scrub the dirt off!!
The next day, James and I headed to a hurling match. Hurling is a sport they only play in Ireland. It's kinda like lacrosse mixed with field hockey. The main point is to get the ball through football like poles or a soccer net. The soccer net (or goal) is worth three points, while through the poles is only 1 point. The game was being played in Croke park, the main stadium for athletic sporting events. The first game on was of the minor leagues, Dublin vs. Clar. The second was of the real thing, the semi final!! Around 50,000 people showed up for the game, all wearing the jersey of the team they were supporting. I was surprised by how many people wore the actual jersey. At home, you wear the colors but not always a jersey.
Anyways, the match was Tipperary vs. Waterford. James and I decided to root for Tipperary being that is where Bulmers is made. How could we not, we LOVE that stuff. The game was so fast and fairly violent, I definitely cringed a few times at different body parts being wacked. The atmosphere of the crowd was wonderful and the sun was shining (I have some AWFUL tan lines... yay!!) It was a great day, I would definitely go to watch a game like that again. I'm just surprised that NO ONE else plays it in the entire world. It was good fun, why would people not?? Tipperary won (yay!) and we headed back to our place for a relaxing night before the storm hit (ie this week. A lot going on!!)A video of the match:
Only one more post before I leave for my trip. I'll post it on Thursday, after the rest of this week... it's late off to bed!! I'll be home in less than 2 weeks. Weird to think about really.
Audios!
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Week 8… Irish stew, wine and cheese, Bray
This week was another basic week. More experiments in the lab, but almost done!!! Soon I’ll just be writing up, day after day. Don’t know if I’d rather have the experiments end or the paper start…
Tuesday night we headed to watch Inception. I had heard it was deadly and wanted to see it for myself. Once again no butter on the popcorn (if I go to the movies again, I’m bringing my own melted butter). The movie was one of the best I’ve seen in a while. It was a long movie, but I didn’t even notice. If you haven’t seen it, please go watch it!! And if you have, let’s watch it again together when I get home!
Wednesday was Irish stew night. I made the mashed potatoes and James made the stew. What made it really Irish was the Guinness we added. It was very very good, I’ll make some when I get back home.
Thursday was wine and cheese night. Thanks to David, we decided to have one!! And what a perfect night… Olivier was bringing his family along. Michelle and David came as well. Everyone brought a bottle of wine and a type of cheese (I opted out on the cheese… didn’t feel it was my job to contribute, because of my lack of taste for cheese). I brought some California wine, some good ol’ pinot grigiot (I had never had any before and my parents used to love it! So I have to try it while I’m here).
We decided to do a type of wine tasting. Try a bit of everyone’s. Olivier’s family brought REAL French wine, and some nice cheeses. My favorite wine was a white dessert wine that Olivier’s sister LOVED… and I agreed with her. It was sooo good, I wish we had some back in the states. I also agreed to try every single piece of cheese, even the stuff that had mold (literally mold) growing on it. I was able to eat a cracker with a kind of cheese on each of it, except for the most pungent cheese. It was AWFUL. I hope to never eat anything like that again in my entire life. 
By the end, we didn’t make it to my bottle of pinot grigiot, so we saved it for another night. After wine and cheese, I’m afraid I’m becoming a bit of a wino… I like it!! I always thought of myself as more of a beer person, but who knows, maybe the tides have turned…
And now for the weeknd...
This weekend in order to save money I decided to stay in Dublin. Friday after work, I dragged James along with me to play some soccer with some friends of my mentors (Zoe… the wannabe American). It was a bunch of men and me in an indoor cage like soccer field. We played for a bit, and I had some good fun. James and I had to leave a bit early, because we had agreed to meet David in the city center for some dinner at a place that supposedly served excellent chicken wings. No shower (well, a sponge bath… I would’ve but we had no time!), headed to the spire. Jussi and Luke joined us and we went to Elephant and Castle (apparently there is one in New York?) for some chicken wings!
James, David, David’s friend Sam, and I all ordered a full order of chicken wings. Supposedly only 20 chicken wings… I counted, there were at least 30 for each of us to eat. I only made it to around 20. The wings were very good… for the first 10. And then the taste was somewhat boring. But there was something about them that you couldn’t stop eating them. No idea. The boys ate ALL of them. David finished first, a fantastic feat given that he is fairly small, kinda like a leprechaun (had to say it, sorry David).
After everyone was stuffed, we headed to do a pub crawl that David lead us on. It started a bit outside of Dublin city center, but by the end we ended up near Stephen’s Green. The idea of a pub crawl is one drink at each pub and then leave. At first people were tired, but as you know after a few drinks, it livened up! A great crowd and a great time. For food, we went to Charlie’s Chinese Food. It was supposed to be the best Chinese food. I wasn’t impressed. Mine was salty, but it satisfied the appetite at the time. I’m looking forward to having some Happy Wok when I get home!!
The next day we slept in, and James cooked breakfast. Mmmm. It was 1:30 in the afternoon by the time we were finished eating. James and I sat around the apartment and worked on our blogs. We were supposed to meet Ann to go to a friend’s birthday party, but she wasn’t going to make it. By that point it was 7 pm, James was still in his pajamas, and I didn’t know where to go for the party. So… we first watched Top Gun. Then Layer Cake (a movie). And then Away We Go (another movie). And 4 glasses of wine (I told you I was becoming a wino!!) and a bowl of popcorn. This was the first day in Ireland that I didn’t leave my apartment. And yet, it was still a lot of fun. Kinda reminded me of a normal day I would have at home if I was there.
The next day I woke up, texted James, and we headed to beach town called Bray. About 40 minutes on the DART (the train). It was a lovely town with a carnival going on near the beach. I was told that Bray had a proper beach, but it was no where close to Spain or California. We walked along for a bit, and then grabbed a bite to eat. I had a batter burger and chips with vinegar and salt (vinegar and salt is normal here… I guess like ketchup at home), James had fish and chips. A batter burger is basically a hamburger fried in the same batter that the fish is fried in. It had no bun, but was of course excellent because it was fried and greasy.
We sat and ate on some grass near the ocean and then headed on a walk. It was a quite nice, up and around the edge of a hill near the sea.
By the time we had walked there and back, we had walked around 10 kilometers. That equals around 6 miles. My legs felt like the creaked as I walked… kind of like the tin man in the Wizard of Oz!! The sun had peaked out, and we attempted to get a small tan (to no avail. But I have to try!!) Even though I was exhausted, I was glad to be out and about after my previous day relaxing indoors.
We then went home, ate a bowl of cereal, and thought about life. Just kidding about the thinking about life, more just on the internet stalking people on facebook...
This week: soccer with the Spaniards, James' cooking, beer pong/flip cup, and a gig in Dublin.
Tuesday night we headed to watch Inception. I had heard it was deadly and wanted to see it for myself. Once again no butter on the popcorn (if I go to the movies again, I’m bringing my own melted butter). The movie was one of the best I’ve seen in a while. It was a long movie, but I didn’t even notice. If you haven’t seen it, please go watch it!! And if you have, let’s watch it again together when I get home!
Wednesday was Irish stew night. I made the mashed potatoes and James made the stew. What made it really Irish was the Guinness we added. It was very very good, I’ll make some when I get back home.
Thursday was wine and cheese night. Thanks to David, we decided to have one!! And what a perfect night… Olivier was bringing his family along. Michelle and David came as well. Everyone brought a bottle of wine and a type of cheese (I opted out on the cheese… didn’t feel it was my job to contribute, because of my lack of taste for cheese). I brought some California wine, some good ol’ pinot grigiot (I had never had any before and my parents used to love it! So I have to try it while I’m here).
We decided to do a type of wine tasting. Try a bit of everyone’s. Olivier’s family brought REAL French wine, and some nice cheeses. My favorite wine was a white dessert wine that Olivier’s sister LOVED… and I agreed with her. It was sooo good, I wish we had some back in the states. I also agreed to try every single piece of cheese, even the stuff that had mold (literally mold) growing on it. I was able to eat a cracker with a kind of cheese on each of it, except for the most pungent cheese. It was AWFUL. I hope to never eat anything like that again in my entire life. 
By the end, we didn’t make it to my bottle of pinot grigiot, so we saved it for another night. After wine and cheese, I’m afraid I’m becoming a bit of a wino… I like it!! I always thought of myself as more of a beer person, but who knows, maybe the tides have turned…
And now for the weeknd...
This weekend in order to save money I decided to stay in Dublin. Friday after work, I dragged James along with me to play some soccer with some friends of my mentors (Zoe… the wannabe American). It was a bunch of men and me in an indoor cage like soccer field. We played for a bit, and I had some good fun. James and I had to leave a bit early, because we had agreed to meet David in the city center for some dinner at a place that supposedly served excellent chicken wings. No shower (well, a sponge bath… I would’ve but we had no time!), headed to the spire. Jussi and Luke joined us and we went to Elephant and Castle (apparently there is one in New York?) for some chicken wings!
James, David, David’s friend Sam, and I all ordered a full order of chicken wings. Supposedly only 20 chicken wings… I counted, there were at least 30 for each of us to eat. I only made it to around 20. The wings were very good… for the first 10. And then the taste was somewhat boring. But there was something about them that you couldn’t stop eating them. No idea. The boys ate ALL of them. David finished first, a fantastic feat given that he is fairly small, kinda like a leprechaun (had to say it, sorry David). After everyone was stuffed, we headed to do a pub crawl that David lead us on. It started a bit outside of Dublin city center, but by the end we ended up near Stephen’s Green. The idea of a pub crawl is one drink at each pub and then leave. At first people were tired, but as you know after a few drinks, it livened up! A great crowd and a great time. For food, we went to Charlie’s Chinese Food. It was supposed to be the best Chinese food. I wasn’t impressed. Mine was salty, but it satisfied the appetite at the time. I’m looking forward to having some Happy Wok when I get home!!
The next day we slept in, and James cooked breakfast. Mmmm. It was 1:30 in the afternoon by the time we were finished eating. James and I sat around the apartment and worked on our blogs. We were supposed to meet Ann to go to a friend’s birthday party, but she wasn’t going to make it. By that point it was 7 pm, James was still in his pajamas, and I didn’t know where to go for the party. So… we first watched Top Gun. Then Layer Cake (a movie). And then Away We Go (another movie). And 4 glasses of wine (I told you I was becoming a wino!!) and a bowl of popcorn. This was the first day in Ireland that I didn’t leave my apartment. And yet, it was still a lot of fun. Kinda reminded me of a normal day I would have at home if I was there.
The next day I woke up, texted James, and we headed to beach town called Bray. About 40 minutes on the DART (the train). It was a lovely town with a carnival going on near the beach. I was told that Bray had a proper beach, but it was no where close to Spain or California. We walked along for a bit, and then grabbed a bite to eat. I had a batter burger and chips with vinegar and salt (vinegar and salt is normal here… I guess like ketchup at home), James had fish and chips. A batter burger is basically a hamburger fried in the same batter that the fish is fried in. It had no bun, but was of course excellent because it was fried and greasy.
We sat and ate on some grass near the ocean and then headed on a walk. It was a quite nice, up and around the edge of a hill near the sea.
By the time we had walked there and back, we had walked around 10 kilometers. That equals around 6 miles. My legs felt like the creaked as I walked… kind of like the tin man in the Wizard of Oz!! The sun had peaked out, and we attempted to get a small tan (to no avail. But I have to try!!) Even though I was exhausted, I was glad to be out and about after my previous day relaxing indoors.
We then went home, ate a bowl of cereal, and thought about life. Just kidding about the thinking about life, more just on the internet stalking people on facebook...
This week: soccer with the Spaniards, James' cooking, beer pong/flip cup, and a gig in Dublin.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Goodbye sun, hello rain... oh and traveling craziness!
Spain day 3. Up by 9, out the door by 10. First we went to the market (Jussi couldn't stop thinking about it) and then headed to see the church we couldn't see the first day because I wasn't dressed properly. The church was wonderful but nothing like La Familia.
Next was the top of Barcelona. A huge hill that we of course chose to walk up. For some reason it was very humid, I think because it had just rained. But by the time we made it to the top of of the hill everyone was drenched in sweat. And we wouldn't have time to shower before the plane ride. Poor people that had to sit next to us. The top of the hill was very nice. Once again nothing special, but very nice. I think it was just fun to hang with everyone.
After an hour at the top it was time to head back to make our plane. We rushed to the hostel, grabbed our bags, and took off for the bus. Once again we had to take a bus to get to the airport. This time, it wasn't so... shall I say smooth? We had to wait in a long line to buy our tickets (good thing we were there early). Then our bus was late. We looked around us while waiting and it seemed that there were WAY more people that would actually fit on the bus. Hmmm.
We waited and finally the bus pulled up. It was literally WAR to get on the bus. A shoving, pushing WAR. One lady took it upon herself to push me through and follow behind me. I felt like I was in a stampede. But luckily I made it on. With NONE of the boys. I waited and finally Jussi somehow managed to make it on and grab a seat next to me. James made it on when there were hardly no seats but managed to snag one. Still no Olivier. He finally made it on, but there was no where to sit so he sat with me and Jussi. Like squished up the window. He ducked so the bus driver would leave (we were already soo late) and he finally left. That meant 3 people to the seat the one and a half hour bus ride. Most uncomfortable thing of my entire life. Not to mention I'm pretty sure I STUNK from hiking up that hill. Finally made it off the bus and had an easy transition to the gate of the airport.
James and I sat together on the plane with a larger man who had a lip piercing next to us. Before the plane took off we could see lightning... I knew it was going to be a bit rough on the way up, but I'm not too nervous flying. Kinda just consider it a roller coaster. Anyways, we take off and feel some turbulence. The guy next to James is clenching the front of the seat, looking very nervous. James points it out to me and we start laughing a bit. Who would think such a big guy is so nervous flying? The turbulence continues for a little while longer, at one point even with a short drop. The guy next to James starts shaking... physically shaking. Then his hands go into a weird position. Someone asks him if he is ok, and he says he can't move. They call the flight attendant who rings the head flight attendant who grabs the oxygen and a mask and puts it on him. He is breathing very quickly. They then call over the intercom for a doctor or paramedic to help out. A man comes over from the back of the plane and let's him know he just needs to relax. After a good 10 minutes the man starts to look a little bit better. Somewhere in between this the flight attendant was talking about landing... LANDING. I felt bad for the man, but I just wanted to get home. He ended up being ok, and was up and walking. It happened once more where he had to get the oxygen. I was nervous for the guy, and didn't sleep the whole way home. Aw well, I'm glad he made it through the plane ride without having to land.
What an eventful weekend... we stepped off the plane and automatically noticed the weather difference. Grrr... reminded me how much I missed wearing shorts everyday and actually sweating.
Back to work on Tuesday, ready for another week. (Oh I had Monday off because it was a bank holiday in Ireland.... basically NO WORK yay!!)
Next was the top of Barcelona. A huge hill that we of course chose to walk up. For some reason it was very humid, I think because it had just rained. But by the time we made it to the top of of the hill everyone was drenched in sweat. And we wouldn't have time to shower before the plane ride. Poor people that had to sit next to us. The top of the hill was very nice. Once again nothing special, but very nice. I think it was just fun to hang with everyone.
After an hour at the top it was time to head back to make our plane. We rushed to the hostel, grabbed our bags, and took off for the bus. Once again we had to take a bus to get to the airport. This time, it wasn't so... shall I say smooth? We had to wait in a long line to buy our tickets (good thing we were there early). Then our bus was late. We looked around us while waiting and it seemed that there were WAY more people that would actually fit on the bus. Hmmm.
We waited and finally the bus pulled up. It was literally WAR to get on the bus. A shoving, pushing WAR. One lady took it upon herself to push me through and follow behind me. I felt like I was in a stampede. But luckily I made it on. With NONE of the boys. I waited and finally Jussi somehow managed to make it on and grab a seat next to me. James made it on when there were hardly no seats but managed to snag one. Still no Olivier. He finally made it on, but there was no where to sit so he sat with me and Jussi. Like squished up the window. He ducked so the bus driver would leave (we were already soo late) and he finally left. That meant 3 people to the seat the one and a half hour bus ride. Most uncomfortable thing of my entire life. Not to mention I'm pretty sure I STUNK from hiking up that hill. Finally made it off the bus and had an easy transition to the gate of the airport.
James and I sat together on the plane with a larger man who had a lip piercing next to us. Before the plane took off we could see lightning... I knew it was going to be a bit rough on the way up, but I'm not too nervous flying. Kinda just consider it a roller coaster. Anyways, we take off and feel some turbulence. The guy next to James is clenching the front of the seat, looking very nervous. James points it out to me and we start laughing a bit. Who would think such a big guy is so nervous flying? The turbulence continues for a little while longer, at one point even with a short drop. The guy next to James starts shaking... physically shaking. Then his hands go into a weird position. Someone asks him if he is ok, and he says he can't move. They call the flight attendant who rings the head flight attendant who grabs the oxygen and a mask and puts it on him. He is breathing very quickly. They then call over the intercom for a doctor or paramedic to help out. A man comes over from the back of the plane and let's him know he just needs to relax. After a good 10 minutes the man starts to look a little bit better. Somewhere in between this the flight attendant was talking about landing... LANDING. I felt bad for the man, but I just wanted to get home. He ended up being ok, and was up and walking. It happened once more where he had to get the oxygen. I was nervous for the guy, and didn't sleep the whole way home. Aw well, I'm glad he made it through the plane ride without having to land.
What an eventful weekend... we stepped off the plane and automatically noticed the weather difference. Grrr... reminded me how much I missed wearing shorts everyday and actually sweating.
Back to work on Tuesday, ready for another week. (Oh I had Monday off because it was a bank holiday in Ireland.... basically NO WORK yay!!)
a REAL Beach, hello half naked ladies!!
Day three in Barcelona and by this point we were soooo exhausted from the last few days. Everyone wanted to go to the beach, and I wasn’t arguing. So as soon as we got up (this time we woke up for breakfast and then went back to bed) we headed to La Familia, the famous church designed by Gaudi. It is one of the most famous attractions in Barcelona.
Some history: it was designed by Gaudi in the last 20 years of his life. It has been under construction for around 100 years, and when Gaudi died in 1926, construction did not stop. The inside is expected to be finished this year so that services can be held inside the church. The outside is expected to be finished in 2030 (I don’t think that’s going to happen. There are currently 4 spires as you will see from the pictures and the design calls for 18).
When we arrived it was obvious that this church was different from others we had been to. First, there was a huge line to get in. Second, the outside and inside were unlike any church I have ever seen before. It had a modern look to it, with a kind of Disneyland/Candyland feel. I think pictures are the only way to really see what it was like to be inside the church.
The church was absolutely amazing and after wandering around for a bit, Jade and I were ready for the beach. The boys had to go back to the hostel quickly, but because Jade had to leave later that night we headed straight there. We had no sunscreen, towels, or food, but hey we wanted a BEACH. As soon as we got there we took off our clothes and laid them down as our towels. We then took turns swimming in the Mediterranean Sea (saying it makes me so in aw!!). Jade decided to go topless for a bit, given that most of the girls there were topless. I couldn’t do it, and I didn’t want my babies to be burned!! So I opted for the top and worked on getting the rest of me tan. The boys showed up about an hour later (with some towels, yay!!) and we all laid around and went swimming. It was great. The weather was perfect and I could not have asked for a better way to spend an afternoon.
Time for my comparison of California vs. Spain beaches. I’m not a beach snob and do love all beaches, but I did miss the beach from home. First, our beach is way less crowded. Could’ve been that we were at a beach near the city center, but I’m used to Huntington with tons of open space. Second people are topless. Could be good, could be bad. I think just different. Third, NO WAVES! I love the California waves and being able to frolic and swim and get tumbled over and surf and boogie board and all of that. That was definitely missing from my beach experience. As soon as I go home, one of the first things I will do will be to go to the beach.
After the beach it was time for Jade to leave. We headed back to the hostel, packed up her stuff and headed to the bus station. We managed to find our way without getting lost and I said my goodbye. It was so nice seeing her, and I can’t wait to see her when I get home.
I then went back to the hostel (my first time in Barcelona by myself, I somehow managed to find my way without the boys) and took a nice shower and relaxed for a bit. The boys got back from the beach and we headed to dinner for more tapas!! This restaurant was very nice, and had a long selection of tapas. We each ordered 2, and some sangria. The sangria was soooo good. It was sweet and fruity and so refreshing! I ordered chicken and sausage tapas. The boys ordered seafood once again. And I agreed to try everything. I actually enjoyed some of it, especially the razorbacks and the shrimpies.
After some ice cream (Olivier ordered 5 scoops for almost 6 euro. I think he misunderstood us when we said ORDER JUST FOR YOU), the boys wanted to go to the beach and I wasn’t arguing. So we headed off to the beach!!! I loved it once again, and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. At one point these big trucks came and cleaned up the entire beach so we had to wait on some benches. It then started to rain. So we headed back to the hostel. Our earliest night (2 am) but still great. After some noises from the peanut gallery (we heard some people having their own physical pleasure...) Time to sleep and get ready for another day of touring around.
Some history: it was designed by Gaudi in the last 20 years of his life. It has been under construction for around 100 years, and when Gaudi died in 1926, construction did not stop. The inside is expected to be finished this year so that services can be held inside the church. The outside is expected to be finished in 2030 (I don’t think that’s going to happen. There are currently 4 spires as you will see from the pictures and the design calls for 18).
When we arrived it was obvious that this church was different from others we had been to. First, there was a huge line to get in. Second, the outside and inside were unlike any church I have ever seen before. It had a modern look to it, with a kind of Disneyland/Candyland feel. I think pictures are the only way to really see what it was like to be inside the church.
The church was absolutely amazing and after wandering around for a bit, Jade and I were ready for the beach. The boys had to go back to the hostel quickly, but because Jade had to leave later that night we headed straight there. We had no sunscreen, towels, or food, but hey we wanted a BEACH. As soon as we got there we took off our clothes and laid them down as our towels. We then took turns swimming in the Mediterranean Sea (saying it makes me so in aw!!). Jade decided to go topless for a bit, given that most of the girls there were topless. I couldn’t do it, and I didn’t want my babies to be burned!! So I opted for the top and worked on getting the rest of me tan. The boys showed up about an hour later (with some towels, yay!!) and we all laid around and went swimming. It was great. The weather was perfect and I could not have asked for a better way to spend an afternoon.
Time for my comparison of California vs. Spain beaches. I’m not a beach snob and do love all beaches, but I did miss the beach from home. First, our beach is way less crowded. Could’ve been that we were at a beach near the city center, but I’m used to Huntington with tons of open space. Second people are topless. Could be good, could be bad. I think just different. Third, NO WAVES! I love the California waves and being able to frolic and swim and get tumbled over and surf and boogie board and all of that. That was definitely missing from my beach experience. As soon as I go home, one of the first things I will do will be to go to the beach.
After the beach it was time for Jade to leave. We headed back to the hostel, packed up her stuff and headed to the bus station. We managed to find our way without getting lost and I said my goodbye. It was so nice seeing her, and I can’t wait to see her when I get home.
I then went back to the hostel (my first time in Barcelona by myself, I somehow managed to find my way without the boys) and took a nice shower and relaxed for a bit. The boys got back from the beach and we headed to dinner for more tapas!! This restaurant was very nice, and had a long selection of tapas. We each ordered 2, and some sangria. The sangria was soooo good. It was sweet and fruity and so refreshing! I ordered chicken and sausage tapas. The boys ordered seafood once again. And I agreed to try everything. I actually enjoyed some of it, especially the razorbacks and the shrimpies.
After some ice cream (Olivier ordered 5 scoops for almost 6 euro. I think he misunderstood us when we said ORDER JUST FOR YOU), the boys wanted to go to the beach and I wasn’t arguing. So we headed off to the beach!!! I loved it once again, and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. At one point these big trucks came and cleaned up the entire beach so we had to wait on some benches. It then started to rain. So we headed back to the hostel. Our earliest night (2 am) but still great. After some noises from the peanut gallery (we heard some people having their own physical pleasure...) Time to sleep and get ready for another day of touring around.
Friday, August 6, 2010
Gaudi and Day 2
We woke up in time for breakfast (9:30 am. Couldn't they have made it 10? Don't they know that people like us go out when we're in Barcelona?) The breakfast was less than expected. It was these three pieces of hard toast and a weird muffin thingy, with some awful tasting orange juice. I felt like a zombie and probably looked like one too.
Because I had never been to Barcelona and honestly had no idea what the city had to offer, we pretty much let Olivier who had been there 4 times lead us around to all of the spots that we had to see. First stop: a market. This was a huge open air market that sold anything from juices to nuts to meat to fish.
There were some pretty interesting things including skinned rabbit and some huge fish that I had never seen before and didn't look to appetizing. Jussi fell in love at first sight. We could've left him there all day and I think he would've been happy. Jade and I decided to buy some interesting looking fruit (I can't remember what kind it was, but I had never tried if before. This trip I've decided to TRY everything, even if I think I won't like it.) Jade and I went to wait outside (Jade bought almonds on the way... figures) while James and Olivier attempted to find Jussi who was probably having a heart attack from happiness. I was trying to stay awake while sitting on a pole (yes, I was THAT tired) and finally the boys come walking out with huge smiles on their faces. I think they believed they had struck gold.
We headed to a cute little square to eat our finds. They had bought fried some kind of fish in balls, these little tiny fish fried, juice, figs, and who knows what else (I think there was some squid in there).
They happily shared some with me, and enjoyed watching my face as I hesitantly took a bite of what they found to be so appetizing. Surprisingly it wasn't awful. I wouldn't ever buy it, but the taste didn't make me want to puke. The little fish were the most fishy, and Jussi said he enjoyed that taste. I definitely don't and don't think I ever will.
We then headed off to various churches including La Cathedral. They were beautiful, but James said the one that I would really love wouldn't come until Sunday.
It was on Saturday that I learned about Gaudi. Sadly, I have never heard from him before. He is a famous architect who died in 1926 but designed many buildings for his home town of Barcelona, Spain before he died. Gaudi architecture is unique. You can automatically tell which of the buildings he created just by how they look and the details he includes. They a lot of times look like Candy Land/Willy Wonka/Disneyland. Some of the many Gaudi architecture pieces we saw:
After a quick much needed coffee and break, we went shopping for a bit. Of course, I didn't find anything I wanted (I kinda feel like if I would rather spend it on traveling; but I could use a cute summer dress!) but Jade came out with a few things.
We then met Olivier's friend, Stefanie who has an internship in Barcelona for the summer. She took us for our first taste of tapas (ie finger food, but only found in Spain. The dishes range from fish to chicken to vegetables. Pretty much anything.) We each picked out around 2 dishes and then agreed to share. I ended up picking potatoes bravas (french fries with some sauce on them) and sausage. Others ordered those small fried frish, codfish, fried squid, and things like that that I would likely never eat at home. But given that this was lunch, I decided to try everything at least once, and hopefully I would like it.
The potatoes were of course excellent. Everything else wasn't bad. I don't like the consistency of some of the fish, but the tastes weren't awful. The little fish were not good... they had that fishy taste, which I am not a fan of. Conclusion: first taste of tapas was a success!
We then headed of to Parc Guell (not sure if that's exactly how you say it or spell it, but hey I don't speak spanish). We took the metro and then walked up a hill that actually had escalators to take you up! Thank goodness, the hill was pretty steep (around 30 degrees). The view of Barcelona from the top of the hill was very nice. You could see all of the main sights including the church called La Familia. After an hour or so of taking in the nice view, we headed to La Parc, another thing that Gaudi had designed. It was essentially a big platform that you could walk around on and also sit around the edges. When we sat down, I dozed off immediately. I was exhausted!! There are several pictures of people looking at the camera and me sleeping with my eyes closed. Lovely.
Behind this big platform were two more houses Gaudi had designed. We didn't go in, given that we didnt' want to pay the money for it, but the outside said everything. Underneath the platform there were even more aspects of his architecture to see. All in all, it was an awesome place, architecture was great, and the view was even better. Anyone that manages to make it to Barcelona, I would suggest going here.
After this, we decided to try and get into the church that we hadn't been able to because I wasn't properly dressed. That meant: jeans. Ugghh. After wearing shorts for the whole day, I had no desire to put on anything that would cover up my legs and make me sweat. But I did for the best of the group. By the time we got to the church, it was closed. Of course. Jeans for nothing and now sweaty legs to take with me to dinner. Ew.
In Spain people don't eat until late. Like 9 at the earliest. It was 8:30, and we were hungry so we decided to break the rules and headed to a resteraunt that supposedly served paella. We were a bit underdressed but went in anywyas. I ordered pear filled pasta with a pesto cream sauce, while most other people ordered sea food. We had a bottle of wine with dinner as well, and it was quite enjoyable.
After that we headed back home to get ready for our night out round 2! Jade and I were ready for a great night; it would be our last night together until school started. We got dressed and headed to a bar that Stefanie suggested. This bar was unlike any other I had ever been to. It was like being in the Rainforest Cafe. There were trees everywhere and little fireplaces spread throughout.
We ordered our first round of Sangria!! Yum :) It tasted very good, and I would gladly drink that any day of the week. After 3 glasses, we headed to the bar we were at yesterday and had MORE tequila shots. And a beer. And a mariachi. Oh goodness. By this point we just wanted the BEACH. So we walked there. It was about a 20 minute walk and once we arrived I ran to the ocean as quickly as possible. I then touched the Mediterranean Sea for the first time!!! It was nice being somewhere that reminded me of California. There were no waves, but the water and the sand made it seem close enough for me. We hung out on the beach and had a great time. After a short nap on the beach, we decided that sleeping on the beach wouldn't be the smartest idea and headed back to the hostel. The walk back seemed twice as long as the walk there and finally we made it to bed at 4 am. Another great night in Spain...
Because I had never been to Barcelona and honestly had no idea what the city had to offer, we pretty much let Olivier who had been there 4 times lead us around to all of the spots that we had to see. First stop: a market. This was a huge open air market that sold anything from juices to nuts to meat to fish.
There were some pretty interesting things including skinned rabbit and some huge fish that I had never seen before and didn't look to appetizing. Jussi fell in love at first sight. We could've left him there all day and I think he would've been happy. Jade and I decided to buy some interesting looking fruit (I can't remember what kind it was, but I had never tried if before. This trip I've decided to TRY everything, even if I think I won't like it.) Jade and I went to wait outside (Jade bought almonds on the way... figures) while James and Olivier attempted to find Jussi who was probably having a heart attack from happiness. I was trying to stay awake while sitting on a pole (yes, I was THAT tired) and finally the boys come walking out with huge smiles on their faces. I think they believed they had struck gold.
We headed to a cute little square to eat our finds. They had bought fried some kind of fish in balls, these little tiny fish fried, juice, figs, and who knows what else (I think there was some squid in there).
They happily shared some with me, and enjoyed watching my face as I hesitantly took a bite of what they found to be so appetizing. Surprisingly it wasn't awful. I wouldn't ever buy it, but the taste didn't make me want to puke. The little fish were the most fishy, and Jussi said he enjoyed that taste. I definitely don't and don't think I ever will.We then headed off to various churches including La Cathedral. They were beautiful, but James said the one that I would really love wouldn't come until Sunday.
It was on Saturday that I learned about Gaudi. Sadly, I have never heard from him before. He is a famous architect who died in 1926 but designed many buildings for his home town of Barcelona, Spain before he died. Gaudi architecture is unique. You can automatically tell which of the buildings he created just by how they look and the details he includes. They a lot of times look like Candy Land/Willy Wonka/Disneyland. Some of the many Gaudi architecture pieces we saw:
After a quick much needed coffee and break, we went shopping for a bit. Of course, I didn't find anything I wanted (I kinda feel like if I would rather spend it on traveling; but I could use a cute summer dress!) but Jade came out with a few things.
We then met Olivier's friend, Stefanie who has an internship in Barcelona for the summer. She took us for our first taste of tapas (ie finger food, but only found in Spain. The dishes range from fish to chicken to vegetables. Pretty much anything.) We each picked out around 2 dishes and then agreed to share. I ended up picking potatoes bravas (french fries with some sauce on them) and sausage. Others ordered those small fried frish, codfish, fried squid, and things like that that I would likely never eat at home. But given that this was lunch, I decided to try everything at least once, and hopefully I would like it.
The potatoes were of course excellent. Everything else wasn't bad. I don't like the consistency of some of the fish, but the tastes weren't awful. The little fish were not good... they had that fishy taste, which I am not a fan of. Conclusion: first taste of tapas was a success!
We then headed of to Parc Guell (not sure if that's exactly how you say it or spell it, but hey I don't speak spanish). We took the metro and then walked up a hill that actually had escalators to take you up! Thank goodness, the hill was pretty steep (around 30 degrees). The view of Barcelona from the top of the hill was very nice. You could see all of the main sights including the church called La Familia. After an hour or so of taking in the nice view, we headed to La Parc, another thing that Gaudi had designed. It was essentially a big platform that you could walk around on and also sit around the edges. When we sat down, I dozed off immediately. I was exhausted!! There are several pictures of people looking at the camera and me sleeping with my eyes closed. Lovely.
Behind this big platform were two more houses Gaudi had designed. We didn't go in, given that we didnt' want to pay the money for it, but the outside said everything. Underneath the platform there were even more aspects of his architecture to see. All in all, it was an awesome place, architecture was great, and the view was even better. Anyone that manages to make it to Barcelona, I would suggest going here.
After this, we decided to try and get into the church that we hadn't been able to because I wasn't properly dressed. That meant: jeans. Ugghh. After wearing shorts for the whole day, I had no desire to put on anything that would cover up my legs and make me sweat. But I did for the best of the group. By the time we got to the church, it was closed. Of course. Jeans for nothing and now sweaty legs to take with me to dinner. Ew.
In Spain people don't eat until late. Like 9 at the earliest. It was 8:30, and we were hungry so we decided to break the rules and headed to a resteraunt that supposedly served paella. We were a bit underdressed but went in anywyas. I ordered pear filled pasta with a pesto cream sauce, while most other people ordered sea food. We had a bottle of wine with dinner as well, and it was quite enjoyable.
After that we headed back home to get ready for our night out round 2! Jade and I were ready for a great night; it would be our last night together until school started. We got dressed and headed to a bar that Stefanie suggested. This bar was unlike any other I had ever been to. It was like being in the Rainforest Cafe. There were trees everywhere and little fireplaces spread throughout.
We ordered our first round of Sangria!! Yum :) It tasted very good, and I would gladly drink that any day of the week. After 3 glasses, we headed to the bar we were at yesterday and had MORE tequila shots. And a beer. And a mariachi. Oh goodness. By this point we just wanted the BEACH. So we walked there. It was about a 20 minute walk and once we arrived I ran to the ocean as quickly as possible. I then touched the Mediterranean Sea for the first time!!! It was nice being somewhere that reminded me of California. There were no waves, but the water and the sand made it seem close enough for me. We hung out on the beach and had a great time. After a short nap on the beach, we decided that sleeping on the beach wouldn't be the smartest idea and headed back to the hostel. The walk back seemed twice as long as the walk there and finally we made it to bed at 4 am. Another great night in Spain...
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