Sunsets, Sangria, and Spaghetti

Hello, hello!

This past week was the long-awaited fall break trip to Spain and Italy! I have been dreaming of going to Italy for a long, long time and I can finally say it is as spectacular as I dreamed it would be. After ten days of traveling, I am beyond exhausted and I can barely function, but I must fill everyone in while it's still fresh in my mind!

Two fridays ago now, we left the Dublin airport for Barcelona, Spain to meet up with my roommate Chiara. Barcelona was a toasty 60 degrees when we got there at about ten o'clock at night, which was tropical compared to Ireland. That night, we headed out to a small bar called Seranno, where the place was packed with college kids pouring their own drinks. The nightlife in Barcelona is like nothing I've ever experienced before, and I only got a small taste of it! The next day, we headed out to Park Guell, the gorgeous mosaic park set in the hills of the city. The park was designed as a community for the upper class so the structures and mosaics are extremely intricate. After a lengthy photoshoot, we headed to the harbor and walked around the gothic part of the city. There was never a dull moment as the streets are lined with huge palm trees and the most unique architecture I've ever seen. After much exploring we headed out for another night on the town. Saturday night was a great night full of friends, food (yummy tapas), and a lot of sangria! On Sunday morning, we got in some last minute sightseeing and checked out La Sagrada Familia, the spectacular church based off of the designs Gaudi created before his death. The cathedral is enormous and each side represents a different aspect of religion whether it be the Genesis or the stations of the cross. Unfortunately,  we were very sad to leave the beautiful city of Barcelona so we stopped for some Dunkin Coffee on the way out of the city to ease the pain...

Park Guell

Park Guell, the mosaic benches

The Spanish Arc de Triomph

Sunday evening we landed in Milan and spent the night in the greatest hostel called Ostello Bello, where they provided a full buffet of Italian food! The next morning we took a train to Venice, where we actually trained through the water to get to the city! Although the city was dark and gray that day, it was still one of the coolest cities I've ever seen. As soon as you step out of the train station, you are directly facing a canal and you have to take a water taxi to navigate the city. We spent some time exploring the narrow streets and quaint bridges before going on a gondola ride through the city! As much as we begged and pleaded with our Gondalier to sing to us, he would not, so instead he informed us on the sights of Venice. Later in the evening, we were lucky enough to see a spectacular sunset over the water and I was able to take some of my favorite pictures of the trip! Also that day, I had my first taste of Italian gnocchi, prosciutto pizza, and gelato! It was a perfect way to start our journey through Italy.

Venice Canals

Sunset

Tuesday morning, we hopped on our next train to Florence where our friends Katherine and Meaghann are studying! Also, thanks to my friend Brette (a huge Italy enthusiast) we were armed with the greatest suggestion list of all suggestion lists. The city was just as romantic, inviting, and heartwarming as she described it to be. The buildings are mostly a warm red or orange color and as the sun sets, the city looks as if it is on fire. It was truly stunning to see.

Tuesday we spent most of the day shopping and exploring, but on Wednesday we headed out to the Chianti region for a wine tasting in a refurbished Medici castle. The castle, the weather, and the wine made for a perfect afternoon in Tuscany. We got a tour of the castle and were able to taste a selection of wines and snacks with homemade olive oil! We had such a great time eating and drinking together in the beautiful countryside. That afternoon, before the tasting, we headed to Coquinarius in the city for lunch (one of Brette's many recommendations) where I had the most delicious pear and gorgonzola ravioli ever. In case I hadn't eaten enough that day, we went to Brette's recommendation, Neri's Gelateria, for dessert! I alternated between gelato and a cannoli each night.

Thursday, we sent the day exploring the gardens at a local palace, got brick oven pizza at Gusto's (another of Brette's recommendations), and climbed the 463 steps to the top of the Duomo in the city centre for an incredible bird's eye view of the city. We stayed up there chatting until sunset and got to see the sun set the city ablaze as it descended over the horizon. After a perfect evening, we were extremely reluctant to leave Florence the next day. I now understand why people say you fall in love in Italy, because I fell in love with the country itself.

The Ponte Vecchio Bridge

The Medici Castle

Chianti countryside

Wine Tasting

The view from the top of the Duomo

Once we got to Rome on Friday, we set out directly for the Colosseum and the Forum, two of the most impressive archaeological structures still around today. The ruins were so cool! Many, many pictures later, we headed to the Pantheon and the Trevi Fountain. At the fountain, we all made a wish and threw coins into the water!

The next day, we headed across the city for a tour of the Vatican museum. The museum is an exhibit full of paintings, sculptures, and tapestries. The building itself is so incredible that my eyes couldn't keep up with all the artwork. At the end of the tour, we were led into the Sistine chapel. The chapel was a long rectangular room, painted from floor to ceiling. It was different from what I expected but the paintings were exquisite. Next, we were led into Saint Peter's Basilica which was absolutely enormous! The alter was probably as big as my church at home. This vast building, in all its grandeur, was amazing to explore. Later in the day we stopped at the Spanish steps at sunset to see the grande white church that overlooks the city. There was an enormous crowd of people on the steps just taking in the beauty of the city. After another perfect day in Italy, we ate some more wonderful food and I went to sleep that night with a full belly and a happy heart.

The Colosseum

The view at the Forum

The Pantheon

Maggie and I at the Spanish steps

The Trevi Fountain

After a long ten days I am so very happy to be back in Dublin, but I'm so grateful to have had such an amazing week with my friends. I came back full of gelato and full of love for Italy and Spain. I can't wait to go back someday and keep exploring!

This week it's back to the grindstone before we head to Northern Ireland for the weekend. Miss and love you all during this holiday season. I have so much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. Cheers to a wonderful family, the best of friends, and the greatest semester I could ever ask for.

Much love. Eat some turkey and watch some football for me :)

London & the Patriots Game

Hello!

So this past weekend I had one of the greatest experiences of my abroad trip so far! I jet setted over the pond to London not only to explore the great city but to see the PATRIOTS GAME AT WEMBLEY STADIUM! It was amazing.

Friday morning, Colleen and I headed for the airport at a glorious 4 am. Despite the fact that I am not at all a morning person, I made it to the airport, boarded my Ryanair flight, and made it to London successfully. We finally got to our hostel to meet up with Devo and Amanda and head out exploring! We strolled along the Thames to the Parliament pictures, and of course, took a bunch of photos. Next, we found our way to Westminster Abbey. For those of you that know me well, I am OBSESSED with the Royal family (especially Will and Kate). Therefore, I bought a ticket and went inside alone. Unforunately, I wasn't allowed to take any pictures inside the abbey but there was an awesome guided tour. The inside of this church is absolutely spectacular to begin with, so that, combined with the fact I got to walk down the same aisle as Kate Middleton, made this one of the coolest experiences I've ever had. I walked through the church picturing it just how it was when I watched the wedding at 4 am Freshman year. I loved every second.

After I left Westminster, Coco, Dev, and I headed to St. James' Park and Buckingham Palace. The palace was so cool, and the street and statue in front of it gives it a grand entrance. Eventually, we headed down the road to were there were some guards. We joked around with them, of course, and eventually had one of the guards unable to control his laughter. Now I know Devon, Coco, and I are very humorous people but the guards are definitely not supposed to lose their composure so it was definitely a proud moment for us. Eventually, we left the guards alone and went on our merry way. Later on that night, we headed to the London Eye, the enormous ferris wheel that overlooks the city from above the Thames river. At night the London Eye was all lit up blue and the rest of the city looked spectacular all lit up gold. It was amazing to see the city from this point of view!

Parliament

Amanda and I outside Westminster Abbey

Dev, Coco, and I

Buckingham Palace!

The London Eye at night!

Big Ben all lit up

On Saturday, we found Sara and went over to Trafalgar Square for the NFL fan rally. There, we got to see Brady, Lloyd, Welker, Belichick, Kraft, and a surprise appearance by Gronkowski. Belickick was dressed in his usual headband and sweatshirt with the cut-off sleeves, and Kraft was looking spiffy with sunglasses on, even though it was overcast and freezing. Way to go guys. The best part of the fan rally was when the crowd started cheering, "Spike the Mic!" and Gronk, on command, spiked the microphone. They were a microphone down after that but the crowd went wild. Eventually, we started to freeze so we left the fan rally and went to check out Tower Bridge on the other side of town before heading home. That night, the five of us went on the Camden pub crawl, which took us to four pubs and one club in the Camden area. It was a good way to get out and experience some of London's nightlife.

My man Gronk

The Fan Rally!

Dev, Coco, and I with the Tower Bridge

Sunday morning, Amanda, Sara, and I ventured over to Buckingham Palace to see the changing of the guards before devoting a few hours to exploring Harrods department store! Harrods was unlike anything I've ever seen. There was a department for everything you could imagine. There was even a Christmas section, a Disney princess section, and a pet section! When I realized I couldn't afford a single thing in there, we left for Wembley Stadium. At Wembley, they had set up a huge tailgate for the fans with Budweiser and food galore. After a few hours of getting pumped up for the game we headed into the stadium for a pre-show by Train and kickoff! Before kickoff, everyone held up the plastic bags on their seats to find that half of the stadium formed an American flag, while the other half formed a British Union Jack. It was really cool to see. The game itself, was awesome. We got a little nervous when the Rams scored first, but it ended up being a blowout, 45-7. It was an amazing experience and it was something I will never forget!

Sara & Amanda outside Harrods

US flag to the left, Union Jack to the right

Overall, I had a wonderful experience in London! The city was romantic and charming with its spectacular architecture and the game was an absolute blast. The only thing that could have made it better would have been an appearance by Prince Harry!

Cheers :)

Kilkenny and Mom & Dad's (Surprise) Visit!

Hi everyone!

Sorry it's been a while since I blogged, I know you've all been devastated. I'll start this blog with my trip to Kilkenny. About two weeks ago now my best friend and roommate from Elon, Chiara, came to the lovely Ireland. That Friday night we took her out on the town and went to the Porterhouse. A really great band was playing so the place was packed, as usual. The next day, we were up bright and early to catch the train to Kilkenny. After checking into the Kilkenny Tourist Hostel, we headed up to Kilkenny Castle. The castle was great, and the impressive castle grounds stretched for miles. Lucky for us (especially Chiara), the weather that day was beautiful. We were able to explore the castle and the grounds in the bright sunshine.

Once we left the castle, we headed down to the Black Abbey, one of the oldest landmarks in Co. Kilkenny. The church was covered with beautiful stained glass windows and was a very peaceful place. From there, we went to St. Canice's Cathedral and round tower. We had seen our fair share of churches so instead, we decided to climb the tower. "Climb" is an understatement for our 90 degree, terrifying, trek up the narrow ladders to the top of the tower. At  the top, there were about six tiny steps that led to a tiny hole in the roof that led to a lookout area at the top of the tower. Going through this small passage, we all suffered a great sense of claustrophobia. Luckily, the view at the top was worth the terror. At the top you could look out and see for miles. Once we safely (and slowly) made it to solid ground again, we walked around the town a bit more before heading to dinner and the Kyteler's Inn for dessert and drinks. The inn has a very fascinating story along with it. Apparently in the 13th century there was a woman, Alice Kyteler, who ran the inn. Alice had four husbands and three mysteriously died. When the townspeople accused Alice of witchcraft and off poisoning her husbands, she was incarcerated by the priest. Alice knew people at the jail and was able to escape and get the priest thrown in prison. The inn was recreated to model the days when Alice ran the inn and kept it full of food, music, and life. We had a great time listening to traditional music and catching up at the pub. Kilkenny was a great short trip!

Chiara and I on the grounds of Kilkenny Castle

The Castle!

The View from the Round Tower

The next Thursday, my Mom was to arrive in Dublin. When I went to meet her on Grafton Street, I couldn't find her anywhere. After a few minutes I turned around and saw my Dad running at me! My dad was not supposed to come so of course I was SO SHOCKED! My dad came to surprise me for the weekend and surprised I certainly was. Great job, you guys!!! That night we headed to O'Donoghues for a few pints (my first legal drink with my parents) and then headed to Pasta Fresca for dinner. According to Mom and Dad, they took Mike and I to Pasta Fresca all the time when we were younger. It was delicious!

Me and Dad!

Me and da Momma

Early Friday we got up, found my friend Brette, and set out on our journey to County Cork and a journey it was- a manual car, small roads, and a map was a recipe for disaster. Eventually, we safely made it to the Garnish B&B in Cork City. The Garnish was a quaint place across from University College Cork with the most amazing breakfast! Each day we got up and were so excited to go down and eat something new! Each day we had an enormous amount of food but our favorite was the Bailey's porridge. Anyways, we spent Friday exploring Cork City a bit.

Saturday morning we set forth to Blarney Castle. The Castle was absolutely beautiful and the gardens were spectacular. After hiking the 100 steps to the top, Brette and I both decided to kiss the Blarney Stone for good luck (despite the rumors). I am afraid of heights so I gripped the metal bars for dear life. The action shot of me kissing the stone is hilarious but unfortunately, I can't upload it. Once we descended the 100 stairs again, we headed across the road to the Blarney Woolen Mills where I got my first Irish sweater!

Next, we hopped back into the car and drove to Kinsale where my Aunt Liz and Uncle Matt had their wedding, and now I know why - Kinsale is my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE spot in Ireland thus far. The quaint seaside town was absolutely GORGEOUS. The harbor was filled with ships and was surrounded by rolling green hills. Lucky for us, it was a bright, sunny day in Kinsale so we headed out to Old Head Lighthouse. The golf course was closed, but instead we hung out on the cliffs looking out on the ocean. The views from there were incredible. Reluctantly, we eventually got back in the car to go to dinner at the Fishy Fishy Cafe. The cafe had gotten great reviews, and now we know why: the food was delicious! For dinner I ate spicy crab in basmati rice, and everyone else's meals looked wonderful too. Sadly, after dinner we had to leave Kinsale and head back to Cork City for the night.

Blarney Castle

The View from the top of the Castle

Blarney Woolen Mills

Kinsale Harbor

The Cliffs at Old Head

Brette and I hanging out on the cliffs

On Sunday we woke up and walked around the UCC campus. It was stunning. I felt like I was on Duke's campus. It makes my school look so lame. After exploring a bit, we left Cork City and drove to Cobh (pronounced "Cove"). This town, originally called Queenstown, was the last port of the Titanic. This is quite obvious from one's first step into the town because it is covered with commemorative Titanic banners. In Cobh, we saw the original White Star Line building, the Lusitania memorial, and the Titanic memorial plaque. It is fascinating that this little town has so much history but is rarely heard of. Nonetheless, it was definitely a cool place to see!

UCC

Brette and I at UCC - We loved the ivy

Cobh

The White Star Line building

Back in Dublin, Mom, Dad, and I went out for a last dinner together and ended the night by watching the Patriots game in a local pub. It was nothing compared to this weekend when I watched the Pats game at Wembley Stadium in London but it was great to watch with my parents :) Unfortunately, they left early the next day, but after a truly wonderful weekend. I miss them already and am so grateful they came and that my dad surprised me! Thank you both, I love you!
 

Since I'm behind on my blogging, I'll be blogging about London and the Pats game soon! Thanks for reading!