30/5/2010
Tonight is the last night I will spend in Galway, Ireland. Tears do not roll down my face as I write this, but I have a strong feeling they are coming. At least for a while, I will not be able to walk or skate the Salthill prom, yell at the mute swans in the bay, walk down shop street either during the day or at night (both very different), see my favorite bums, dance at the Roisen, Cuba, or GPO, watch the dancing at Monroe's, take off on spur-of-the-moment day trips to random towns, head to Murvue Rec Center for a Wednesday night hockey session, stare at people from my window, or fit in with my very badly burned nose and forehead. These activities, and things unlisted, will be dearly missed and the memories created in these experiences treasured for the rest of my life.
I did get to end my Ireland experience with an amazing inline hockey tourney weekend in Kilkenny, Ireland with my city team the Galway Bay Lightening. I hopped a bus yet again this past Friday and met up with the team who was scattered across Kilkenny in B&B's and hostels.
Yesterday, we arrived at the tourney to find that unlike our dear ol' Murvue gym, this gym did not have fold-able seats (that did not allow for wall bounce passes) and it had a wooden floor. The gym was in a building next to a hurling/rugby field, and had changing rooms for each team. As there were only two other girls in the tournament of seven teams other than those on my team, we were obligated to change and shower with da boys. This was hilarious as our team in a mixture of all ages, sexes, and nationalities. The locker room had one side of showers with curtains which served as changing rooms as needed.
As the Lightening are a new team, we only won one game (that was this morning), but we had a great weekend and were not beaten too badly. This brought back memories of the early Falcon varsity days. Last night, The tournament organizers reserved an area of a pretty cool pub for a mixer after the games. I think that drinking after hours of exercise and before another long day of exercise that drinking to excess is no the best idea, but MANY others did not have my same feelings. The music was great and getting to know people from the other teams was a riot. My favorite character of the evening was the Russian ice hockey player, the scariest looking person you will ever meet, and known throughout the day as the badass guy who can make amazing shots and but cannot stop as he was not used to inline skates yet. He later befriended our goalie and then danced the night away to GAGA and anything that came on with either a nervous partner or himself. HILARIOUS. I also enjoyed seeing my hockey friends outside of hockey and Galway let loose a little bit.
Today was a little rough in the morning with a bad, sloppy loss in the first game. Throughout the day it was great talking to the people we had hung around with at the bar last night. We played (AND BEAT) a group of them later in the day and had a great time rubbing it in. The last part of the day was sad as I had to say goodbye to people I had the best time with this weekend and this past semester. I really had a great time this weekend, but all the goodbyes ruined the afternoon. I am really going to miss all of the amazing people I have had the privilege of getting to know, this includes all of the goodbyes I had to say earlier to all of my Galway girls. Again, the memories I have made with everyone here will be something I will treasure for the rest of my life.
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Bugz and the field of Athenry
26/5/2010
Wow, I guess I haven't posted in a while. Whoops. I've been busy this week saying goodbye to all of my friends here in Galway. Despite a few delays due to the ash cloud, everyone made i home safely. Whoooo hooooo!
Joe said goodbye to his friends over in Paris and arrived here in Galway last week to finish his time before the long journey home. This meant that I had an excuse to do fun things like go to the Cliffs of Moher again and take a trip to Athenry, a town just 20 minutes away with a castle, two churches, the city walls and arches, and the fields for which "The Fields of Athenry" has made famous.
Fields of Athenry- Dropkick
Fields of Athenry-Paddy Reilly
The Cliffs of Moher tour this time was just as great as the first time with Mary back in January. The weather was amazing, as it has been for the last week, and allowed the bus to make it to the Dolmen on top of the Burren and to the caves which we opted out of. The bus passed a ring fort after we left the cave area and the bus driver didn't say anything, so I had to convince myself that I hadn't hallucinated with the signs on the side of the road that did indeed indicate a ring fort.
Yesterday, We hopped a bus over to Athenry. Even though I anticipated a small town after reading about it, Athenry was literally smaller than three city blocks each way, but packed with cool things. The old city wall cuts directly through town and two church ruins and a castle dominate the "skyline." There were barns and etc. that I am confident were older than the united states and what I believe to be a sealed town well scattered through the little town. The scenery was beautiful and open areas around each site were perfect for a nap and killing three hours until the bus came in the afternoon. One of the fields of Athenry held a playground where mom's brought their kids and hooligans skipping school had a game of soccer and stood as still as rabbits when a police van stopped at the head of the playground.
The day trip was well worth it! Later this week I will be heading to Kilkenny in the mainland below Dublin for a inline hockey tournament. I will be one of three girls participating with one of the others being another girl on our team... should be interesting. I will move out of the apartment the day after I return and head to Dubs for two days before making the great journey back home!
Wow, I guess I haven't posted in a while. Whoops. I've been busy this week saying goodbye to all of my friends here in Galway. Despite a few delays due to the ash cloud, everyone made i home safely. Whoooo hooooo!
Joe said goodbye to his friends over in Paris and arrived here in Galway last week to finish his time before the long journey home. This meant that I had an excuse to do fun things like go to the Cliffs of Moher again and take a trip to Athenry, a town just 20 minutes away with a castle, two churches, the city walls and arches, and the fields for which "The Fields of Athenry" has made famous.
Fields of Athenry- Dropkick
Fields of Athenry-Paddy Reilly
The Cliffs of Moher tour this time was just as great as the first time with Mary back in January. The weather was amazing, as it has been for the last week, and allowed the bus to make it to the Dolmen on top of the Burren and to the caves which we opted out of. The bus passed a ring fort after we left the cave area and the bus driver didn't say anything, so I had to convince myself that I hadn't hallucinated with the signs on the side of the road that did indeed indicate a ring fort.
Yesterday, We hopped a bus over to Athenry. Even though I anticipated a small town after reading about it, Athenry was literally smaller than three city blocks each way, but packed with cool things. The old city wall cuts directly through town and two church ruins and a castle dominate the "skyline." There were barns and etc. that I am confident were older than the united states and what I believe to be a sealed town well scattered through the little town. The scenery was beautiful and open areas around each site were perfect for a nap and killing three hours until the bus came in the afternoon. One of the fields of Athenry held a playground where mom's brought their kids and hooligans skipping school had a game of soccer and stood as still as rabbits when a police van stopped at the head of the playground.
The day trip was well worth it! Later this week I will be heading to Kilkenny in the mainland below Dublin for a inline hockey tournament. I will be one of three girls participating with one of the others being another girl on our team... should be interesting. I will move out of the apartment the day after I return and head to Dubs for two days before making the great journey back home!
Thursday, May 13, 2010
PAUL RUDD
13/5/2010
I saw Paul Rudd here in Galway on my way to dinner with a couple of friends. Very cool, had a flashback to the Georgetown days with my DC friends and the Tapas Jake Gyllenhaal night!
I saw Paul Rudd here in Galway on my way to dinner with a couple of friends. Very cool, had a flashback to the Georgetown days with my DC friends and the Tapas Jake Gyllenhaal night!
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Adventure!
11/5/2010
Today I went on one of my customary walking adventures out past the Salthill beaches. I hiked up a land mass after traversing some rocky coastline and ate lunch on a cliff and watched ponies frolic. On the descent, I nearly trampled a crab, yes, I said a crab. It wasn't that large and it was dead but it did give me a fright. The encounter with the crab sparked a fruitful crab hunt for a while.
My friends are studying for finals tomorrow and are preparing to go home. That means we will be going out a whole bunch this week to millions of places and trying to pack in all the places we haven't gone to yet. I wonder if my bank account can handle it?
Today I went on one of my customary walking adventures out past the Salthill beaches. I hiked up a land mass after traversing some rocky coastline and ate lunch on a cliff and watched ponies frolic. On the descent, I nearly trampled a crab, yes, I said a crab. It wasn't that large and it was dead but it did give me a fright. The encounter with the crab sparked a fruitful crab hunt for a while.
My friends are studying for finals tomorrow and are preparing to go home. That means we will be going out a whole bunch this week to millions of places and trying to pack in all the places we haven't gone to yet. I wonder if my bank account can handle it?
Monday, May 10, 2010
The Giant's Causeway and Port Rush
10/10/2010
This past Thursday, I pulled a Scotland and got up at 5AM to take my second bus trip to Derry on my way to Port Rush, Ireland. Once I was in Derry, I hopped a train to Port Rush, Ireland where Joe has been living for his HECUA program. What he failed to tell me this whole time was: PORT RUSH IS GORGEOUS and 7 miles away from the Giant's Causeway!
My friends are taking their finals this week, and as I finished two weeks ago and would then have nothing to do while they studied, I made a quick decision to head to Northern Ireland. This new spring weather has changed Ireland's look drastically. Galway is more gorgeous with all of the green and shrubs, but Derry and Port Rush and the Causeway were simply out of this world.
Port Rush has beaches on two sides and a cliff on the apex. While Joe was busy doing school things, I walked around town and the furthest I could get down the beaches. The East Strand is closest to the Giant's Causeway and features a view of Dunluce Castle which separates Port Rush with the Causeway. On the way down the beach you can see the Skerry Islands to the left where black rabbits and seals live and a waterfall that must have formed during the thawing process.
We tramped around town and the beach with the other students of Joe's program for a day and then headed out to the Causeway. The weather was great, I have the sunburn to prove it! The view was simply amazing, everything I expected Ireland to be before I headed over for the semester. I can't convey just how beautiful it was so here's a sub par pic.
I had originally planned to head home by way of Belfast, but I decided that my wallet had had enough bludgeoning for the week and navigated the dinky trains back to my bus in Derry. The trip was a success! I am a little sad now as most of my friends head back to their homes at the end of this week. An end to an adventure, but the beginning of a new perspective!
This past Thursday, I pulled a Scotland and got up at 5AM to take my second bus trip to Derry on my way to Port Rush, Ireland. Once I was in Derry, I hopped a train to Port Rush, Ireland where Joe has been living for his HECUA program. What he failed to tell me this whole time was: PORT RUSH IS GORGEOUS and 7 miles away from the Giant's Causeway!
My friends are taking their finals this week, and as I finished two weeks ago and would then have nothing to do while they studied, I made a quick decision to head to Northern Ireland. This new spring weather has changed Ireland's look drastically. Galway is more gorgeous with all of the green and shrubs, but Derry and Port Rush and the Causeway were simply out of this world.
Port Rush has beaches on two sides and a cliff on the apex. While Joe was busy doing school things, I walked around town and the furthest I could get down the beaches. The East Strand is closest to the Giant's Causeway and features a view of Dunluce Castle which separates Port Rush with the Causeway. On the way down the beach you can see the Skerry Islands to the left where black rabbits and seals live and a waterfall that must have formed during the thawing process.
We tramped around town and the beach with the other students of Joe's program for a day and then headed out to the Causeway. The weather was great, I have the sunburn to prove it! The view was simply amazing, everything I expected Ireland to be before I headed over for the semester. I can't convey just how beautiful it was so here's a sub par pic.
I had originally planned to head home by way of Belfast, but I decided that my wallet had had enough bludgeoning for the week and navigated the dinky trains back to my bus in Derry. The trip was a success! I am a little sad now as most of my friends head back to their homes at the end of this week. An end to an adventure, but the beginning of a new perspective!
Saturday, May 1, 2010
BEALTAINE!
1/5/2010
Happy Bealtaine! Today is Bealtaine, a quarter day festival that celebrates the coming of summer! I hope you rubbed your face with the morning dew this morning, bought or picked some flowers, or were the first one to take water from the well for some good luck!
I officially finished all of my finals last week and am free to frolic for a whole month! The weather is fantastic so lately I've been filling my time with walks and rollerblading on the beachfront! I didn't realize how out of shape you can get in just one month! It rained a little when I went skating today, but it did feel nice.
My friend and I took a walk by the Spanish Arch last week and sat to look at the bay and low and behold... a SEAL was swimming! The seal didn't get within 100 feet from us but it was really great to see him swimming around. I saw a seal on the ferry to the Aran Islands back in January which was great too. I just can't wrap my mind around seal sightings. We do not have those in Minnesota that's for sure!
The seal was swimming in the area in front of the boat. I also think that palm trees in Ireland is hilarious! The platform is at the end of the beachfront... I plan to jump off of it next week!
Happy Bealtaine! Today is Bealtaine, a quarter day festival that celebrates the coming of summer! I hope you rubbed your face with the morning dew this morning, bought or picked some flowers, or were the first one to take water from the well for some good luck!
I officially finished all of my finals last week and am free to frolic for a whole month! The weather is fantastic so lately I've been filling my time with walks and rollerblading on the beachfront! I didn't realize how out of shape you can get in just one month! It rained a little when I went skating today, but it did feel nice.
My friend and I took a walk by the Spanish Arch last week and sat to look at the bay and low and behold... a SEAL was swimming! The seal didn't get within 100 feet from us but it was really great to see him swimming around. I saw a seal on the ferry to the Aran Islands back in January which was great too. I just can't wrap my mind around seal sightings. We do not have those in Minnesota that's for sure!
The seal was swimming in the area in front of the boat. I also think that palm trees in Ireland is hilarious! The platform is at the end of the beachfront... I plan to jump off of it next week!
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