Irresistibly Irish

My most recent trip to Dublin, Ireland can only be summed up in one word: epic.   Let me explain...

Thursday after work I met my roommate at Liverpool Street Station, and we took a bus to Stansted Airport.  Doesn't sound epic yet, right?  Oh, but wait; here are some crucial details you should know.  The bus left at 4:30.  The bus company website listed the bus ride as 50 min long.  Our plane left at 7.   All good, right? NO.  Traffic was horrific, and we pulled into Stansted at 6:05.  Our gate closed at 6:30, AND we were flying Ryan Air, a European airline known for its dirt cheap prices and subsequently awful service.  They definitely wouldn't be doing us any favors if we missed the flight, so we had no choice but to book it!

We ran through airport, our backpacks (my roommate's was seriously the size of her!) bouncing all over the place.  At the check in and security gates, we gave a "Our gate closes in 20 min" spiel to anyone who would listen.  For the most part, people were amazingly sweet; we must have skipped at least 12 people in the Security line alone.  However, we did encounter an issue when security stopped my bag.  Apparently, Vaseline is a liquid--like what??--and my 103 mL container of the petroleum jelly was enough to convince them I was trying to hijack the plane.  So we got held up another 10 minutes! Once released (although I did have a sad parting with my Vaseline) we sprinted to our gate, which of course happened to be on the other side of the airport.  No fear here!  We sprinted as fast as our little selves could carry us, running up escalators and around suitcases like it was nobody's business.  We got to the gate with minutes to spare, and although we were soaked in our own sweat, we ended up on the flight.  

Upon arrival in Dublin, we headed to Trinity College, where a friend from Notre Dame is studying.  She was kind enough to offer us not only a place to stay but also some great local advice, starting with cuisine!  We headed to O'Neill's Pub (does it get any more Irish?), and I indulged myself in some mouthwatering Irish Beef and Guinness Stew.  

An Irish blessing: May the road rise to meet you; may your stew be hearty and scrumptious.

Later that night, we met up with a TON of Notre Dame kids and explored the Dublin night life.  It was especially fun for my roommate and me because one of our best friends from back on campus is studying in Dublin, so we got to see her again!  The kids in the Dublin program were all very cool and welcoming, but it made me miss my other friends back in London. I was once again reminded of how lucky I am to be studying in my program with my fellow classmates.  

Okay, soppy moment over and back to the epic.  Friday morning we first tackled the Book of Kells, a Gospel manuscript written in 800 AD by Celtic monks.  The book was in amazing condition, especially considering the number of times it has been stolen and recovered all throughout Ireland.  Unfortunately, pictures of the book were prohibited, but I was able to sneak a picture of the amazing library it was housed in!  

They call this library "The Long Room"...I call it freaking cool.

After that little injection of culture, we trekked to a very stereotypical Dublin tourist attraction: The Guinness Refinery.  Now, for someone who really couldn't give two shakes of a lamb's tail how beer is made, I found the museum quite interesting!  After we learned how to appreciate the perfect pint, we actually got to craft one ourselves.  I'm quite proud to say that I did NOT commit the cardinal sin of Guinness-pouring: spilling! To celebrate, we headed to Guinness' Gravity Bar, a bar seven stories high that offers gorgeous panoramic views of the city.

SO EXCITED to try my hand at pouring an authentic Guinness.

Oh yeah... nailed it!

As a reward, we got to enjoy this rocking view of Dublin.

Saturday was certainly the most epic of them all.  We left the center of Dublin around 6:50am and began a long (more specifically, 4.5 hours worth of long!) trek westwards to the Cliffs of Moher.  I was even proud of how productive I was; I used the long drive to crank out nearly 1500 words of my History essay and even catch up on some extra zzzs!  When we finally arrived at our destination, we were floored.  These cliffs, ranging from 394 feet to 702 feet tall, were simply magnificent.  Standing on the edge of these wonders was one of the most humbling moments of my study abroad experience thus far.  

Time for a solo shot? Cue the monstrous winds.

The Cliffs.  These pictures don't do them half the justice they deserve.

Just some friends and me hanging out 500 feet in the air.

EPIC.

When we arrived back in Dublin 12 hours later, we were quite exhausted.  We went to bed early so we could start our Sunday with mass.  Afterwards, we killed time by strolling through Dublin's streets and magnificent parks (the most beautiful: St. Stephen's green.  Wow!).  

St. Stephen's Green...so gorgeous it made February 17 feel like a beautiful spring day.

Now we had learned our lesson from our departure trip, so we allotted a ton of extra time to get to the airport.  We were even the first people at our gate!! HOWEVER, since we were the first ones on and off the plane (our airline did not assign seats), we started to realize the possibility of getting on an earlier bus back to London.  (We both had the same 2500 word essay due the next morning at 9 am, so we needed that extra hour!)  

Prepare to be impressed, people.  Our plane touched the ground at 6:38, and we were on that bus back to London by 6:50!  We literally sprinted through the airport, filled out a customs card, subsequently learned that there are no customs procedures when flying from Ireland to the UK, ran to the exit, and searched the line of busses for ours.  WOW.  On the bus, my roommate gave me the greatest compliment one could ever give: she told me that I really should do the Amazing Race. What a sweetheart.  

So that concludes my epic trip to Ireland.  Again, I could not believe how smoothly the weekend went, and how much I enjoyed my time there.  I also splurged on an authentic Irish sweater so I could take some of the Irish love back home with me:)  Can't wait to hug you all in it!

Cheers,

C

Parlez-vous anglais?

The birthday fun continued (Bobber Bash never ends, people!) with my first out-of-England trip...to Paris!  After work Thursday, I rushed home to pack everything in my backpack, which ended up being quite a tight fit.  I printed out all my tickets and hotel receipts and ran to the post office to get me some Euro.  BAM!  This chick was all good to go!

About 12 Notre Dame kids took the same train that night, so when we successfully arrived in Paris we could be helpless together.  We looked around at the signage and it suddenly hit us: they don't speak English here.  Uh oh.  Somehow we managed to take the Metro to our stop (perhaps it's because all the lines are colored, and we can do colors).  When we emerged from the underground, we were immersed in a postcard: Notre Dame stood before us, and the sidewalks dazzled in the rain, reflecting the streetlights.  Wow.

My roommate was arriving in Paris the next day, so I did not have a hotel booked for Thursday night.  So I mooched off of two sweethearts in our program who let me have the foot of the bed for 20 euro.  Winning!  But before going to bed, we had to explore the fine French cuisine…meaning crepes and wine.  Yum:)  It actually ended up being quite fun, although we only stayed out for an hour or so.  My closest friends weren't there, so it was a great chance to branch out and hang out with other ND kids.  Everyone here is so cool; I can't stand it!

French wine, great conversation and a cute café...I could get used to this!

The next morning I woke up early to meet my boyfriend for a casual walk around Paris-- it's whatever.  We spent nearly two hours in the National Army Museum because I was fixated by the medieval armor.  I seriously could stare at those knights for HOURS!  The exhibits were extremely thought-provoking, and for the most part they were also captioned in English, so we could truly appreciate what we were gazing at. The museum also houses Napoleon's tomb, so that was pretty cool to see.  The rest of the day flew by.  We then picked up sandwiches from a street vendor and ate them inside the Museé de le'Orangerie so we could stare at some panoramic Monets.  Later, we reconnected with a number of ND kids to climb 669 steps to the second level of the Eiffel Tower. 

The outside of the National Army Museum, which housed the super cool armor AND Napoleon's Tomb.  Also check the Eiffel tour on the right...artsy juxtaposition. 

Notre Dame kids taking on the Eiffel Tower! 

Hey! In this pic I look almost as tall as the Eiffel!

The most suspenseful part of our trip came when I met my roommate at our hotel that night.  I had seen a wide variety of Paris hostels over the past 24 hours, and the one thing they had in common was that they were all straight up janky.  Yet, we were pleasantly surprised to see our room actually resembled somewhat of a hotel room!  There was a huge hole in the bathroom ceiling (so taking showers meant constantly checking for peeping Toms!), but that was probably the only negative.  Plusses included the private bathroom, warm water, and a safe within the room.  

Now that we were content with our accommodations, the next goal was to MAXIMIZE.  The next day we took an early train to Versailles and explored the palace and gardens.  Near noon we jetted back to Paris and first hit up Notre Dame for an afternoon service and a tour through the treasury.  Afterwards we spedwalk (like SERIOUS speed walking, people) past all the famed Parisian monuments-- the Louvre, the Arc de Triomphe, and even the Eiffel Tower, since my roommate had not seen it the previous day.  Boy, both my photos and my quads were on fire after that expedited tour!

Versailles Gardens.  Some say Marie Antoinette lived the life, but she didn't get to spend a semester touring Europe with some of her best friends, so I care to differ.

With one of my favorite people at one of my favorite places.

Notre Dame(r) takes Notre Dame!

Roommates on the Seine. 

I managed to take this picture and NOT have my passport stolen by gypsies.  I call that a success!

The night ended with a beautiful dinner in a quaint river on the Seine and a quick trip to Shakespeare and Co, one of the most famous bookstores in the world; Ernest Hemingway even used to hang out here!  After picking up a free book (I'll always remember my super random copy of Elizabeth and her German Garden), the boys in our group escorted us back to our hotel, and we had a quick sleep before an early flight the next morning.

Shakespeare & Company: probably the coolest bookstore I will ever see.

Nutella Crepes right before giving up chocolate for Lent...Heaven.

Couldn't believe what a success our first trip was!  Of utmost importance, we made it through unharmed, without ever feeling in danger or losing any valuables.  Also important was the fact that we devoured an insane amount of crepes and croissants!  Très magnifique!

Stay tuned for my next blog, detailing my latest adventures in Ireland.

Cheers,
C

Birthday Fun Part TWO

Here is a continuation of Bobber Bash 2013 (isn't that great?  One of my roommates came up with it, and I'll probably call my birthday that for the rest of my life!) 

After class, I returned to the apartment and my roommates made me stir fry…oh my GOODNESS it was so great!  Pretty much anytime I eat anything that's not toast I love it, but regardless, this rocked.  It was so sweet of everyone to pitch in to make me an amazing dinner!  

WILD FLAT (our flat nickname) takes Birthday #2!  What great decorations-- thanks Mom!

After we gorged ourselves on classy food and wine, the eating fun still wasn't over; my mom had arranged a cake to be sent to me!  It was the sweetest surprise:)  We ate it disgustingly fast.

The best cake EVER.

Believe it or not, this cake tasted even better than it looked!  

After we ate a week's worth of calories, we got all dolled up for a fun night out on the town!  A friend who had studied abroad in London last semester recommended that I book a private party at Adventure Bar for a little pregame.  So, always welcome to recommendations, the flat headed to Covent Garden and found the bar. It was AWESOME: cool, hip setting that played rocking tunes like this.  It was also fun to do something just the 12 of us.

9/12 Flat 2-01 residents!

We got all fancy for the occasion:)

My makeshift family, and I couldn't be more blessed to have them here to celebrate with me!

After an hour or so, some of my closest guy friends here joined us and accompanied us to Zoo Bar, an American dance club nearby.  Now please don't think I'm lame because I picked to go to a bar that didn't have mannequins hanging from the ceiling.  In the end, I just wanted to dance, and I LOVED having top-40 tunes playing in the background as I raised the roof.  It was so sweet how my friends just wanted to make sure I had the time of my life.  Once we hit the point of exhaustion, we called it a night and headed home. 

The next morning I woke up nice and early for my job at Parliament, and after a few hours of work I began to pack for my weekend trip to Paris.  Overall, the night was an overwhelming success, and I felt so humbled and loved!

Tales of my trip to come in my next entry :)

Until then, Cheers!

C

Birthday Fun Part ONE

Holy canoli I'm 21!! WAHH so old.

I'm nearly halfway through the day, and it's already been amazing, so I'm predicting more than one blog entry will be required to recount today's festivities.  Here goes part one!

This whole week I have been receiving emails and texts from family members wishing me a happy birthday! It's so sweet (figuratively).  Also, it's (literally) sweet that some of my aunts have been sending cookies my way.  Girls love cookies.  12 girls (the number of residents in 2-01 Conway Hall) love even more cookies.  So thank you so much for the goods, thank you for your words and even thank you for your thoughts and prayers.  Overall I am so humbled to have such an amazing family back at home thinking of me.

My friends here have been amazing too.  When I returned from a busy day at work last night, I was greeted by flowers on my desk, a little preview to a beautiful dinner out with my boyfriend.  It was fancy schmancy; Mom, I even tried mussels! 21 must be bringing out the true adult in me:)  Also, the restaurant didn't even card me.  BAM.

The first flowers I've seen in London, and they're all mine.  What a lucky girl!

When we returned home, I soon went to bed.  Now before you call me lame, let me assure you, the Wild Flat is indeed celebrating tonight!!  I wanted to spend last night in so I could wake up early tomorrow and workout...because the second I get home tonight it'll be PARTY TIME!  So I hit the sack around 10:30, but it was interrupted by my crazy roommates, who came into my room at midnight and sang to me!  Oh my goodness it was so sweet, even though I looked liked a mess.  See below.  

21: Fine, fresh and fabulous.

After that quick burst of excitement I went to bed, and that's when my roommates really went to work.  When I woke up and opened my door, I was showered in a cascade of balloons!  The picture below shows how my roommates used Iceland shopping bags to hold them up haha.  

Champagne, a crown, decorations, and entire balloon waterfall that collapsed on me when I opened my bedroom door! How did I not hear this being done right outside my door, you ask?  Earplugs for 3 pounds at Boots... obviously, a great buy. 

For breakfast, one of my roommates made me scrambled eggs:)  Wow, things taste so much better when you don't make them yourself.  My direct roommate then showered me with presents: champagne and chocolate from her (does she know me, or does she know me?) AND some gifts from my Mama!   Unknown to me at this time, my family had been in contact with my roomie and had sent an entire care package of fun decorations and some birthday treats for me:) So sneaky!!  My gifts included a heartfelt scrapbook (I didn't read it all this morning because I knew I would cry...so that's for later!) and a gorgeous Patricia Locke bracelet.  I adore it.

Isn't it beautiful?!  Also note the philosophy paper in the background.  This essay will probably be the death of me, but at least I lived to be 21.

So that's where we're at right now.  Excited to crank out my last class of the day and maybe sneak in some shopping before our flat does dinner and hits the town!  Stay tuned for part 2, and once again, thank you so much for making me feel so loved on my special day.

Birthday Cheers,
C

Love On Top

Let me recommend that as you read this post, you listen to this song in the background:

Mmm there we go.  That's a nice jam.

So last night I was in a fantastic mood!  My roommate and I booked our flights to and from London for spring break.  Our departing flight leaves London and heads to Vienna at 7:36 am on 10 March (European style of writing dates-- date before month!), and unfortunately, we wouldn't be able to take the tube to Heathrow because of the early departure.  Thus, we sought the advice of our rector, Jamie, who ROCKS.  Bible*, I have a rector crush* on this guy.  Well, he recommends a great cab service, and when we broke down the estimate, taking a car would actually be cheaper than finding a bus that early!  So we booked that.  BAM (Bolded for emphasis).  Then booked the flight.  BAM.  Then we investigated flights back to London (flying from Prague, where we will end break) and found an amazing deal.  So we booked that too...BAM.  And since booking trips is normally a very stressful experience, I couldn't believe what luck my roomie and I were having!  I felt on top of the world!

Normally planning trips leaves my roommate and me crying for help in the fetal position, but last night we struck gold.

Afterwards, around 25 ND kids then had a Superbowl party in our lounge downstairs.  I rehearsed for my government presentation today (nailed it...BAM) as I sat in the company of friends, nachos and great football.  Although the Superbowl really makes me miss being home, this was probably the best alternative.  It made me grateful that the 130 kids in this program have really bonded together to be each others' makeshift families.  Without each other, this city would seem lonely and daunting, but together we are young and ready to take on anything:)

So now the Beyonce song has probably ended.  Feel free to replay it.  Oh yeah.

But yes, since yesterday I've been jamming, not only literally but also figuratively.  Today school went very well too, and I even found a secret cheap coffee shop outside the Philippine embassy (lol is my life even real).  After class, I picked up some fresh French baguettes and made dinner with my boyfriend.  And the whole time Beyonce has been stuck in my head, and I have no doubts that her fierceness will get me through my Philosophy essay.

Cheers,
C

Haven't taken new (cultural) pictures in a while, so here's one from Thursday night
 of my roommates and me out on the town!

*Bible: term coined by the Kardashian sisters used in place of "I promise," "Honestly," or "I swear."

*Rector crush: term Notre Dame students use (Confession: I just made it up, but we should use it) to describe their feelings about rectors, heads of student living communities at Notre Dame.  Rector crushes imply nothing more than an appreciation for the rector's friendliness, knowledge and caring personality.  Pretty much Jamie is the man.

My Favorite Moment

Happy February!!

WOOO I am so excited that January is over.  There is something so fun and almost cleansing (nerd alert) about starting a new month.  Namaste.

Okay back to the real stuff.  Now this is about to get deep.  Nearly four weeks in, I've realized my favorite London moments occur when I least expect them.  The organized trips and sightseeing have all been amazing, but it's when you're simply wandering by yourself that you can truly bask in awe of this magnificent city.  For this reason, I've become quite fond of my walks to work on Tuesday and Thursday mornings.  At 8:45 am, London is gorgeous.  From a birds-eye view, it's chaotic-- people hustle and bustle as they dash to work.  However, when you're actually one of those businesspeople running around, it's actually quite peaceful.  Everything around you is spinning, but you feel calm as you rhythmically move around people, almost as if you were in a dance.  Thursday's walk was especially breathtaking, as I finally saw some sunshine!  As I walked towards Westminster Bridge, I was floored by how beautiful the landscape was.  All I could do was stop, stare and pray.  I was overwhelmed with gratitude for the amazing opportunity I have been given.  I was in shock of the beautiful city I now call my home, and the amazing job I was walking to that very instant.  It was all quite surreal.

Just a glimpse of my home, and believe me, this picture fails miserably to portray the real scene justly. Portcullis House (farthest right building) is where I enter work every day.  Many MPs have offices in Portcullis, but Andrew works in Normanshaw North, an older building a quick walk away.

And that's why those 20 minutes every Tuesday and Thursday morning have become my favorite times here in London:)    

Cheers,

C

PS I CAN COOK NOW! Well not really, but I'm certainly getting there.  Last night I seasoned and cooked chicken and peppers to make a delicious semi-fajita/semi-quesadilla thingy.  Maybe there is hope for me after all. 

Just call me Emeril. Oh yeah.