Thanksgiving was last week in the US, and a few weeks before the UC Education Abroad Program didn't want us to miss out on something so American so they held their own. They invited three hundred students to come to Dublin, Ireland from all over the UK for a "Thanksgiving with a twist."
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| in Library Square at Trinity College |
Almost immediately after classes on Friday I flew to Dublin with a friend to get the true feel for Ireland. That weekend I was taking full advantage of the lack of potato famine in Ireland. I had some form of potatoes almost every meal I was there and loving every version that was placed in front of me. I fell in love with croquettes, which are the ultimate comfort food consisting of breaded and fried mashed potatoes. I felt a bit like Samwise Gamgee from
The Lord of the Rings with his love and dedication to potatoes the entire trip.
The first day we wandered around Dublin hitting different restaurants, stores, churches, museums, and the Jameson Distillery. We took a tour of the little distillery where they no longer make whiskey, but the drinks they mix make up for that fact. Walking around Dublin felt so much like London besides the Gaelic on every street sign and general accent difference. It is likely because of the heavy English history that we heard all about on our tour the next day, but the buildings and overall atmosphere felt like a smaller London.
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| My exploring buddies |
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| Jameson Distillery |
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| River Liffey |
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| Statue at Trinity College |
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| St. Patrick's Park behind the Cathedral |
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| The hilarious Oscar Wilde statue situated in a park |
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| St. Patrick's Cathedral |
Saturday night all of the students there dressed up and got on busses to the Guinness Storehouse where our Thanksgiving dinner was held. We got to take a tour of the Storehouse with no one except our group in the building and mingle until we were all seated and the festivities started. Sadly I didn't take many pictures of the event, but it included a band, slideshow of photographs from students' time abroad, insightful blog posts, Irish dancing, us dancing, and a good deal of food. Sadly the food was not a buffet, but with the amount of people that were in attendance it made sense. After dessert we were all stuffed any ways, so Thanksgiving was successful.
Unfortunately, I had an essay due that weekend so most of my nights were focused on that rather than getting a fuller experience of Dublin. That did not stop myself and friend Jennifer from going on a bus tour to Glendalough, Hollywood (quite different than the CA one), and Kilkenny. Although it was a very last minute decision, we got tickets, woke up really early, and spent most of the day on a bus driving through the not-too-distant Irish countryside. There were ruins of cathedrals, pretty lakes, coffee shops, a castle, lots of walking and plenty of photos. Next time I go to Ireland I do want to go to the cliffs because that is one thing that I missed.
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| myself under an arch at a monastery in Glendalough |
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| Jennifer in front of a cross that will guarantee you meet the love of your life within a year if you can wrap your arms around it. |
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| Myself in front of a stone pillar built to hide monks and their gold during Viking raids |
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| Part of what is felt of the Cathedral |
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| Glendalough |
The tour was really entertaining and that was mostly due to the bus driver we had. He told us stories of the Irish military literally fighting each other and breaking bones while filming "Brave Heart" drunk. There were superstitious explanations of why all the Kennedys died, the importance of fairies, what leprechauns truly are, and the history of the Gaelic language in Ireland. I learned more on that bus ride than I would have ever thought I needed to know about Ireland despite the factualness of all the stories.
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| One of the two lakes of Glendalough |
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| We stopped here to see the glacier lake to the right, but it was just too pretty |
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| The infamous bus |
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| The Kilkenny Castle courtyard |
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| The fountain at the castle |
Overall it was a fantastic trip and I am really thankful that I had the opportunity to explore another country for the weekend. I have only ever dreamed that I could travel like this, and now it's a reality. While I wish I could have spent time with my family cooking and playing games, studying in the UK is a trade off that I would not trade back.
