Here it is- the last entry of my Spring Break blog!  I'd like to apologize again for how long its taken me to write this (I'm now a month late) and also apologize for the length of this post.  Ireland was one of my favorite spots, however, and I don't want to leave out a single detail!

Our final destination on Spring Break was the one we were most excited for- Ireland!  We were staying in Dublin, but we decided we wanted to do one day in the city and a few days in the countryside.  We stayed in a hostel called Barnacles Temple Bar House, which is in the Temple Bar area (a big pub street, Temple Bar being one of the oldest pubs in the city).  The hostel itself was very nice; there was a big kitchen (with free breakfast!), a common room with a TV and movies, and our room had its own bathroom (a nice change!).  After getting settled, we got a quick lunch and coffee at a nearby restaurant, then headed into the center for our third New Europe tour!


Though I'm a history minor and have been studying European History for many years, I only had a very limited knowledge about the history of Dublin.  When studying European History, focus tends to remain on the larger events and countries; I knew a little about the Easter Rebellion and the IRA, but nothing too specific, so I was very much looking forward to this tour and learning about this country's history.  We started out at the city hall, moved on to Dublin Castle, went to the Dubh Linn Gardens, the forty steps, Christ Church Cathedral, the site of an old Viking house, the O'Connell bridge, Trinity College, Parliament, and St. Stephen's Green.  Again, it was another wonderful tour.


After the tour, we decided to skip the "traditional" meal with the group and we headed to the Guinness Storehouse!  We amazingly managed to make it there just before it closed, and had almost the whole place to ourselves.  The storehouse itself includes a self-guided walking tour that brings you through all the steps involved in the production of Guinness, from the basic ingredients to the storage of the final product.  At the end of your visit, you get a free Guinness either at the Galaxy Bar, or you can learn to pour your own glass (and get a certificate to go with it!  They take their Guinness pouring very seriously).  Unfortunately, we were too late to learn how to pour a glass, so we headed up to the Galaxy Bar, which had floor to ceiling windows, allowing you to view all of Dublin.  Upon starting college, I had made the executive decision to wait and have a Guinness until I could actually go to Ireland and experience the real thing- it was worth the wait.  I'm not typically a beer fan, but this brew is so smooth and thick and delicious, and I absolutely loved it.  I can see why the Irish love their beer!

After we left, we headed over to a restaurant that was recommended by our hostel (the same restaurant the tour went to after its conclusion).  All I wanted was "lovely big, golden chips, with a nice piece of fried fish" (ten points if you get that reference!) and it was so delicious.  Fish and chips made in the UK are VERY different than the fish and chips in the US- this one had a thicker batter, was less crispy, and had a sweeter taste to it; I absolutely loved it.  After dinner, we headed back to the hostel for an early night in preparation for another early morning.



Our second day in Ireland, we decided to go on a bus tour around Wicklow Mountains National Park (where P.S. I Love You was filmed!) and Glendalough (part of the National Park and home to two beautiful lakes and an old monastery).  On our way up into the mountains, we spotted wild deer and donkeys!  The tour was already off on a good foot.  Our first official stop was at an old cemetery for the soldiers who fought in World War II, which is located on a hill next to a beautiful stream.  Our tour guide made us coffee and we then learned to play hurling.  While we were taking pictures, I noticed that two boys on our tour were making a video; being the film major that I am, I decided to introduce myself and ask them what they were doing.  It turns out they were making a "completely accurate informational video tour" for their friends- aka, they were making up a bunch of random things and putting it on tape.  It was one of the funniest things I have ever seen.  We started talking to the boys and to another girl our age on the bus and found out they were all staying in Ireland for Spring Break as well!  The boys go to UVM (one of them is from Syracuse!) and the girl goes to school in Florida, but is studying at one of the other programs in Florence!  We all got along really well and ended up spending the rest of our tour with them.


Our next stop was this beautiful lake that is nestled between several mountains.  Our tour guide, Dennis (the greatest, funniest, most wonderful tour guide I have ever had the pleasure of having in my life), lead us over rocks and through marshes to get to the lake and warned us that if we didn't want to get dirty and wet and didn't have much balance, that we should stay by the bus.  I never mind getting dirty and wet, but I have 0 balance- I obviously decided to go anyway.  I am so happy I did because it was great.  The wind was howling (there were even waves on the lake) and it was cold, and I was getting muddy and wet from the mist, but it was one of the best parts of the entire tour.  We were constantly battling with the wind to maintain our balance, and we had the best time doing it.


After leaving the lake, we continued driving through the park and finally came upon the P.S. I Love You bridge (the spot where Gerry and Holly first meet!).  Unfortunately, the road to get there was closed for construction, so we couldn't go down to the actual spot, but we could see it from a distance.  Dennis (our tour guide), then played the entire soundtrack for us on our way to our next destination, the top of a waterfall into a valley, where we would walk down the road to get to our lunch spot.  The valley was gorgeous- it was green, there were sheep, forests lined one edge, and the waterfall lead to a stream that cut through the middle.  At the bottom of the valley, we stopped at a restaurant for lunch, where I ordered Guinness Beef Stew.  Words cannot even describe how wonderful this stew was.  It was thick, warming, full of meat and potatoes, and was absolutely delicious.


After lunch, we headed to our final destination within the park before we would start our journey back to Dublin- Glendalough.  Glendalough is an old monastery and a cemetery that is located in a valley, next to two giant and beautiful lakes.  Dennis explained the importance of the different buildings, including a giant cross- St. Patrick's cross.  Superstition has it that if you can reach your arms all the way around the stone cross and make your fingers touch, you get granted a wish.  With the help of Dennis, I was able to manage just fine!  After Dennis explained the final buildings, he gave us free time to explore the cemetery and the surrounding park.


After our free time was up, we started our journey back to Dublin.  We attempted to reach the P.S. I Love You Bridge by trying to go down the other side of the road, but it was closed from that end as well.  We did get to see the Guinness Family Estate, however.  This land included a lake, which, come to find out, was actually part of the dowry for one of the marriages (note to self:  when I get married, make sure it comes with a lake in Ireland!).  The name of this lake is Lough Tay, though the locals call this it Guinness Lake because (other than the fact that it belongs to the Guinness family), apparently, it looks like a pint glass of Guinness (although, I couldn't really see it).  Other sites along our drive back included Bono and Enya's houses and a stop along Dublin Harbor, where we saw dolphins!  It was beautiful.  Our last and final site on our way back to the city center was Oscar Wilde's house.  I loved each and every minute of this tour.  We saw an incredibly beautiful part of an incredibly beautiful country, met some great people, ate some delicious food, and had an awesome tour guide.  It was DEFINITELY well worth the money and is the first thing on my list of suggestions for people traveling to Ireland!


Before parting from our group, we talked to the other kids we met and decided to try and head out on the same pub crawl.  Unfortunately, the pub crawls we went on didn't end up being the same, but we still had a great time.  It started off with a free pint of Guinness (what else?) and each pub we went to included free Bailey's on arrival.  One of the drinks our leaders recommended was whiskey and red lemonade- Ireland is the only place you can buy it because the dye the lemonade uses (red dye number 40) is toxic and illegal in most countries, which is VERY unfortunate because it was the most delicious drink I have ever had.  We met some great people on the crawl, Sam requested "Galway Girl" to be played and dedicated to me at one, and ended up going to the bar where P.S. I Love You was filmed!  Even though we couldn't get to the bridge that day, the realization that we were in the bar DEFINITELY made up for it.  This was, by far, one of my favorite nights out since being abroad.  I absolutely loved the atmosphere in the pubs, which was very different from that in the bars in Florence and in America.  Pubs are very important to the Irish and thus are cultural centers, there is always live music, and it is very laid-back.

The next morning, we had a VERY early start and caught a bus heading to Galway.  From there, we were going on a bus tour that would bring us around the area and down to the Cliffs of Moher.  Our first stop was Dunguire Castle, then we headed past the "dancing dog" and stopped at some stone frogs.  Legend says that these frogs were once princes, and can only be turned human again when a true princess kisses them.  As my mom knows, I AM a true princess, so I was going to give it a shot...but then I ended up backing out because I've decided I'm just not ready for my prince yet!  I'll just have to go back to wake him up in a few years!  At least I know where he's been hiding now...


We had a pit stop at a restaurant that was right on the water...or what would have been the water if the tide was up.  I've never seen such a dramatic tide difference in my life!  The harbor was completely dry and you could see all the MOUNTAINS of seaweed.  It was pretty cool!  Our tour then brought us to the "home of fairies".  Supposedly, they live in a giant stump in the center.  Thousands of years ago, it was an old Celtic home...the Celts used to build their homes in holes in the ground for protection from other groups.  It was a very beautiful place!  Not to mention the possibility of Tinkerbell living there!


Our next stop was a place called Poulnabrone Portal Tomb, which is the tomb of families between 3000 and 5000 years old.  IT WAS SO COOL!  There are lots of tombs like this one (they have a very particular shape) dotted all around the country side, but this one is the oldest and most famous.  On our way to the cliffs we also passed the Caves of Kilcornan, and stopped a church that houses sarcophagi and famous stone crosses.  Finally, after a break for lunch, we reached our final destination- the Cliffs of Moher!


The Cliffs of Moher are the Irish version of the White Cliffs of Dover.  They are very dramatic cliffs on the western coast of the island.  Unfortunately, it was very foggy and windy and rainy by the time we got there, so the view wasn't as spectacular as we had seen in pictures, but the fog added a different element to the scene which made it mysterious and still just as beautiful.


Our way back brought us along the coast, past more (but less dramatic) cliffs, ruins of houses and churches, and the harbor we passed on our way there- this time at full tide!  Instead of completely dry, it seemed like the water was going to spill over the dock!


We got home late, got a cheap microwave dinner, and went to bed as soon as possible in preparation for our flight back to Florence the next day.  Though I love the feeling of going back to Florence and knowing exactly where I am, where to go, and what to do, I was very sad to leave Ireland.  It is such a beautiful (and green!) country and the people are the nicest people I've encountered in this world.  I fell in love with this place.  When I was looking at colleges, everyone told me that something will just click, and the place you're meant to be will feel like home; I experienced that same feeling in Ireland.  I have every intention of not just visiting, but moving there for some portion of my life after I finish school.

A presto!  Abbracci e baci!  xoxo

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