The Road Less Traveled

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim
Because it was grassy and wanted wear,
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I marked the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference. 

Well, not much to post about today, but the sun is shining and its almost time for another week to start.  When I first got here time seemed to go by so slowly, but now every Sunday I sit here at my computer and wonder where the week went. I find that after only a month I am tired of going to my classes. Now that it has refrained from raining for over a week it's even harder to make myself sit through hours of lecture inside. This weekend was the first weekend I didn't have my normal Saturday adventure to a new place in Ireland, and I have to say it was way too quite around here. I found myself taking a four mile walk just to occupy myself. 

There were many times during the course of the weekend where I thought to myself "I should do homework and get ahead in my classes...." but then it just never happened. Plus this morning there was a campus-wide power outage...which I of course took to be a sign that I should sleep in and do nothing productive. When we finally got power back, after like two hours without it, the internet still wouldn't work so I took that as another sign. Suffice it to say, it has been a very lackadaisical weekend. I talked to the horses along the side of the road, listened to music, drank tea, and baked cookies. 

I hope all of you had a great weekend as well, and I look forward to sharing more of my future adventures with everyone!

Baileys

So, while this is not particularly Irish (although they do eat a lot of oatmeal, which they call porridge of course), I have had this weird desire to make an egg in a piece of toast. However, in my mind it looked a lot prettier than what actually came out here.

Besides my attempt to make eggs in toast, I find that I'm getting really tired of cooking all the time. When I go home its always fun to cook since at school I either use the microwave a lot or use my meal plan to get food in the student union (and by meal plan I essentially mean Starbucks lol). But here I don't have a microwave or a meal plan, and Starbucks is really expensive, so I find myself having to cook something every time I'm hungry. In the U.S. we have this instant gratification mentality that most of us don't even realize we have, and I am definitely realizing how very American I am the longer I live here in Ireland. Its amazing how much we can learn from something as simple as differences in what we eat and how we eat.

Speaking of food, I managed to get free food again last night! For those of you who know me well, and as I've probably mentioned multiple times before, I LOVE food. Any food really...but especially if its free. It turns out that joining the choral society was not only good for musical fulfillment but also has potential for me to get free food every once in a while. Our practice ended with all of us heading to Scholars - a cafe/bar on campus and getting not only free food but a free drink as well. So of course I took advantage of the free alcohol and got my first Baileys, which tastes just as good if not better than it does in the States. Music, free food, and Baileys...definitely a good night.

Other than that its been a pretty quiet week, and surprisingly a really dry week as well. Today marks the fourth day of sun in a row I believe...which may just be a record for Irish winter (not really but it feels like it to those of us who were getting a bit tired of trudging back and forth from classes through the wind and rain).

I'm not sure if I am going on another trip this weekend or not, but either way hopefully I'll have some more pics to share with you all soon.

Another day, Another place

Ok...I did it again. I went a whole week without posting. For those of you who have complained about the lack of posting (cough cough...you know who you are) this is my first time blogging and I'm not used to writing down everything I do during the week. However, this was probably the best week I've had since coming to Ireland in the sense that I finally feel like I have a routine down. Classes are good although relatively uneventful - everyone here is so laid back which is a big difference from my usual hectic school schedule back in Arizona. Homework is almost nonexistent here, and the only thing I really need to do outside of class is reading. 

At the beginning of the week I decided to audition for the choral society, for a few reasons. For one, it was past due that I started making some friends here - and why not make friends who are nerdy and love music...just like me? So after swallowing the bundle of nerves that circled around auditioning, I sang a few bars of Danny Boy (cliche I know), did a range test, and sight read a page of music and got accepted into the society! I am one of only two study abroad students in the society but instead of being intimidated by that fact I'm really excited; I didn't come here to immerse myself in American culture obviously. And second, I love music so much and this is the first time that I've really been able to take up music in college. I'm excited to see what I get out of this opportunity and its really great to look at my desk and see sheet music laying there just like the "old" days.

I also went grocery shopping on a large scale this week. For most of you that's probably not that exciting but when you live a fair distance from any grocery store, have limited funds, and reaaaallllly love to eat, grocery shopping is a fantastic adventure. But more than buying food, it was great to get out and explore the town on my own. I discovered the European version of a dollar store, found out that not only do you have to pay for your own grocery bags but you also have to pay for using carts, and navigated the bus system successfully. 

Just like the last two weekends, Saturday was occupied by a day trip - this time to Southwestern Ireland to the famous city of Killarney. What's great about these trips is that the cost is relatively low, they're well organized, and while I may not get to spend as much time as I'd like in the towns themselves I get to really get a taste of the spirit of Ireland in places that aren't as easily accessible through normal public transportation.

 A lakeside castle in the midst of what is now a massive national park, Ross Castle is a 15th century castle built by O Donaghue Mor. The stone fortress was the last stronghold to hold out against Cromwell, eventually falling in 1652. It was used as a residence all the way up until 1825, and has been ever since a famous tourist spot for people visiting Killarney.

 The castle is not particularly large, especially when compared to other castles across Ireland and the rest of Europe, but its beautiful location along the water provided strategic protection throughout its long and distinguished history.

 The lakes are inhabited by trout and salmon, as well as hundreds of wild birds like ducks, eagles, and swans. While this swan may look beautiful, don't let its pure exterior fool you. This rather large swan growled at people and small dogs alike for the entire time we were on Ross Island. If you've never heard a swan growl...you should be glad lol. I think the little terrier in a sweater almost peed itself after passing too close to this big guy. Guess he temporarily forgot the "just look don't touch" rule.

After exploring Ross Castle and walking the mine trails that go on for a few miles behind it, we took an hour long cruise along the biggest of the three lakes of Killarney - Lough Leane (pronounced 'lock' 'leen'). Translated from Irish, Lough Leane means "lake of learning", a name which most likely was given to the body of water due to the presence of the monastery on one of the islands. The ruins of the monastery lie on Inisfallen Island, one of the 23 islands that reside in the lakes, and dates back to the 11th century.

 In the background through the mist you can see the base of the McGillycuddy's Reeks, the highest mountains in Ireland. Granted, most of the "mountains" in Ireland would be considered hills at home, but who cares. These mountains are visible from many different perspectives throughout Killarney National Park which covers a vast 26,000 acres.

 Unfortunately we didn't have good weather like we did in the last two trips, but did we let a wee bit of rain stop us from having fun? No we did not! Here's me with my new friends Sarah and Laura, two girls from Italy that I met through these international trips. Sarah is the one on the left and Laura is on the right.

 After the lake cruise, which got rather chilly by the end, we went to the base of Torc Mountain, which has absolutely amazing woodlands. Most of Ireland that I've seen to date has been either rolling fields and stone walls or rocky coastline, so to see forest again made me realize how much I love living in Oregon where this kind of landscape is rarely far away.

 Torc Waterfall is only a few miles from Killarney's city center, and was really amazing due to all the rain that had been falling prior to our arrival. At its peak the waterfall is about 20 meters high, and if you climb the steps across from it you can see over the Middle Lake of Killarney.

 Killarney is one of the biggest tourist hot spots in Ireland and is located in the middle of County Kerry, also called "The Kingdom of Kerry." Besides having many great things to see (e.g. Ross Castle, Killarney National Park, St. Mary's Cathedral, etc.), the city is also famous for Queen Victoria's visit in 1861 which gained a lot of international exposure. Second only to Dublin, Killarney has the biggest tourism industry in all of Ireland and is extremely beautiful to boot. There are so many amazing little shops to visit and more musical pubs than you could count using all your fingers and toes. A must-see for sure.

Well....that's all I know for now. I will do my best to post more often and let everyone know what's going on over on this side of the world. Ta ta!

Blarney!

Sorry its been so long since my last post, but honestly the most exciting thing that happened during the week was eating mac'n'cheese and hot dogs lol. And yes, I did indeed take a picture of my mac'n'cheese (as evidenced by my Facebook page). I did manage to go into town by myself for the first time as well actually, since I had my appointment with immigration. The terrifying scenarios I had pictured in my mind beforehand - you know, the ones where you sit in a remarkably uncomfortable chair in a dingy little room where they ask you probing questions about your personal life and why you are staying in their country for more than three months - really had no place there and I think it took me all of ten minutes to get my shiny green Ireland ID and my passport signature. And to top it all off, my ID picture actually turned out really good which is probably a one time thing. You all know how you feel when you look at your driver's license, don't try to tell me you think you look fantastic because I'll know you're lying. So now I have a great picture and I officially live here (legally) until the end of May!

The most exciting part of my week was yesterday's trip to Blarney Castle and the city of Cork. For the first half of the day we managed to get good weather again, a fact which really puzzled our tour guides since two sunny and relatively warm weekends in a row during the winter time is pretty rare.

 Today's version of Blarney Castle is the third castle to be built upon this spot, the first being built sometime in the tenth century. In the early  1200s AD a stone castle replaced the older wooden structure but was later demolished. This latest structure was erected in 1446 by Dermot McCarthy who was at the time King of Munster.

  The gardens at Blarney Castle are extensive and amazingly beautiful. Many of the trees are centuries old, and there are several deposits of large rocks organized around what appear to be druid ruins. The gardens were revitalized during the 18th century by the Jefferyes family who purchased the estate. The grounds include over 60 acres of lush green.

 No one really knows the original origin of the Blarney Stone, but for more than 200 years celebrities and tourists from across the world have come to Blarney Castle to kiss it. In previous times people had to be held up by their ankles and lowered down to kiss it, however due to the obvious safety issues involved it is no longer the preferred method. While many people told me not to kiss the stone, which is supposed to give anyone who kisses it the gift of gab (eloquence), I must confess that I simply couldn't resist. I'm pretty sure I was shaking for ten minutes afterwards but I'm glad I did it. At least.....I'm glad NOW....after looking down from the top of the castle and realizing how high up I was kind of freaked me out.

 Seriously....what a view!!! Standing on the edge at the top of the castle, oh what a photographer will do for a good picture lol

 Blarney House, built in the Georgian gothic style during the beginning of the 18th century by the Jefferyes family, was built to improve the castle grounds and keep up with a custom during the reign of Queen Anne - which was to build a house up against the castle keep. Most of the house was accidentally destroyed in 1820 due to fire, and then it was rebuilt in the late 19th century in a Scottish baronial style. In the bottom right corner you can see the keep, which has been kept up by the descendants of the family who are the private owners of the Blarney House.

 For those of you don't know, I like to take really random pictures sometimes. This bird was sitting atop a bush in the castle gardens and let me stand right below him to take a picture. Look how adorable he is!

 This little port town near Cork city was formerly known as Queenstown until the Irish gained their independence from Great Britain in 1922, after which it was renamed Cobh. Built on a steep hill, the pretty seaside town holds a great deal of history. Approximately two and half million Irish emigrants departed from Cobh between 1848 and 1950 - one of which was Annie Moore, the first Irish immigrant to be passed through Ellis Island in New York City.

 Cobh Harbour, besides being a main port in Ireland is famous for being the final port of call for the Titanic. The ship officially began its tragic maiden voyage after leaving this harbour in 1912. Survivors of the Lusitania, the passenger boat sunk by the Germans during the first world war, were also brought here to Cobh.

 St. Colman's Cathedral sits atop the hill in Cobh, overlooking the harbour. Though relatively young compared to other examples of magnificent architecture throughout Ireland, built in 1868,  the neo-gothic architecture is simply magnificent and contains 42 bells. The highest bell is just over 200 feet above the ground and weighs approximately 3.6 tons. The organ inside the cathedral is also a sight to see with over 2,000 pipes.

 I don't really have pictures of Cork as it was pretty dark and rainy by the time we got there, and it really is quite hard to balance a camera and an umbrella. I spent an hour or so wandering some of the shops there and got a nice cup of white hot chocolate. Cork is the second largest city in Ireland, preceded only by Dublin, and has a population of approximately 120,000 people. It is separated into two parts by the River Lee, much like Limerick with the River Shannon and Dublin with the River Liffey. I plan on going back there in about a month so expect more pictures to come.

Cliffs of Moher

It has definitely been a crazy week, in both good and not so good ways. Here is my new list of things that make me miss the good ol US of A:
                     -Almost nowhere takes Visa...which can be quite problematic
                     -Laundry costs 6 euro....for ONE load of laundry. This means that I wash most of my
                      clothes in the kitchen sink and prolong using the washing machine as long as humanly
                      possible.
                   

Besides those minor details, I'm starting to find my way here. I finished my first week of classes without getting lost, and may have gotten lucky enough to not have to buy any textbooks which is grand. The sun has shown its face at least twice this week and I actually got to sit in my room with bare feet (which is a major accomplishment considering how stinking cold its been here and taking into account that we only get 6 hours of heat in our dorm per day). The best two things about this week however are definitely 1) the package I got in the mail with lots of yummy food in it and 2) my trip yesterday to the Cliffs of Moher - one of the top ten places in Ireland to go and visit. So below are several pictures from my trip.

 After leaving the university, we drove through the rugged beauty of County Clare. This picture was taken in Ennis during our first stop off the coach.

 Lemanagh Castle (Leamaneh in Gaelic means 'the horses leap') was first constructed in 1480, and later erected once again by the O'Briens of Thomond in 1648. Maire ni Mahon, the wife of Conor O'Brien was one of the most infamous women in Irish folklore, best known for her flaming red hair which earned her the nickname of Maire Rua (Red Mary). A few years after rehabilitating the castle Conor O'Brien was killed in battle against the Cromwellians.

 The Burren, an area covering approximately 250km squared, is a rugged limestone landscape where there is little soil cover. There are hundreds of natural caves, and the stones covering the land for miles on end originated as glacial deposits from the end of the last Ice Age. Much of the area is protected due to several incidents of people coming in to cart away barrels full of the stone.

 Poulnabrone Dolmen, meaning "hole of sorrow," is a portal tomb that has been undisturbed since the new Stone Age in 3000 BC. The table topped Neolithic tomb was most likely used ceremoniously well into the Celtic period, and would have initially been constructed to honor an important person.

 This picture was taken at Ballyvaughan, a once thriving port importing and exporting goods to north Clare from Connemara. The pier is on the edge of Galway Bay, and looking across you can just make out the city of Galway itself. On the left are the Twelve Bens mountains and on the right are the Maam Turk mountains.

 Stopping at Doolin Pier we got a glimpse of the Atlantic Ocean and one of the three Aran Islands. The islands are historically unique, and though small they are home to early Christian remains and ancient monuments. The people of these islands are also a big part of keeping the Irish language alive.

After visiting the pier, we stopped off in the village of Doolin at the famous O Connors pub, where I had my first pub food.

 The Cliffs of Moher stand over 700 ft, rising majestically out of the Atlantic Ocean. Stretching eight kilometers (approximately five miles) along the western coast, the cliffs were originally the site of a large river delta. They are one of the most visited sites in Ireland due to their incredible beauty and breathtaking views.

 O'Briens Tower was built in 1835 by a descendant of the O'Briens of Thomond, the same family that resided in Lemanagh Castle. The tower is located on the highest point of the cliffs and was intended as a lookout point for visiting tourists.

 Me standing on the edge of a stone platform (which technically is beyond the safety barriers....for obvious reasons! lol)

My room all decorated for Valentines Day, thanks to gma's care package! :)