Although I didn’t think my trip could get any better, Week 2 proved me wrong. On Wednesday our group had a wonderful dinner at The Little Kitchen, and as soon as I stepped foot into the place I knew where it had gotten the name. The dining area was probably a 6 foot by 15 foot area that could fit 30 customers, just large enough to accommodate our rather large group. Small as it was, though, the food was incredible. This was the first time in my life that I was fed a three course meal at a restaurant, and the mashed potatoes and chicken certainly didn’t disappoint!
This week I also starting working as a sports analytics intern at Sports Impact Technologies. As soon as I entered the facilities, I knew that I would be working with a welcoming and dedicated group of people. As the only American in a company full of Irish people, I’ve picked up on a bunch of fascinating customs that are representative of Irish culture. For one, our company leaves the office for 20 minutes every day to get lunch and discuss our lives. This was a pleasant surprise to me because I expected to be eating lunch over work, and those 20 minutes quickly became the favorite part of my day.
Saturday was by far the most fun day of the week. It was an action packed day starting off with a bus ride into the Wicklow Mountains. We were given an hour to explore the Glendalough Monastery, surrounded by a round tower, medieval stone churches and decorated crosses all around it. It was truly a wonderful experience to witness such a sacred land and the surviving monastery despite the savagery of the plundering Vikings. Our next stop was Kilkenny, where we were given time to explore the rustic town and grab some lunch before our tour of the Kilkenny Castle. A couple of friends and I dined at a restaurant with quite possibly the best ambience I’ve ever witnessed. There were trees inside the restaurant that gave it a very cool vibe. Our meals came out less than 3 minutes after ordering and we enjoyed an hour of great conversations. After grabbing a delicious crepe to-go, we explored the gorgeous Kilkenny Castle. Built in the 12th century, generations of noblemen have lived and died in its sacred walls. There were some fantastic views overlooking a scenic fountain on the third floor of the castle. I wouldn’t be surprised if this ends up being my favorite day of the entire trip!
After Professor Wilck presented us with another informative and hilarious ANOP 315 class on Monday, we explored the National Irish Museum of Archaeology. The museum had an eerie but intriguing vibe. We peered at ancient Irish bodies that had died 3,000 years ago and learned about the history of the Irish land. It was really cool to learn about how the Vikings and the Irish got along in the early years of Ireland, and our tour guide even revealed that his last name was of Viking (specifically Norwegian) descent. A cool fact that I learned while on the tour was that the word “Celt” isn’t actually a word that describes the Irish, it actually is a word for a specific type of European people that spanned all throughout the continent. However, after the Roman Empire expelled many of these people from the land and many of the Celts had to leave, only the Irish Celts remained.
Week 2 was as amazing as I could possibly ask for, and I can’t wait to see what week 3 has in store!
Week 2 sounds wonderful! I am so proud of you for trying so many new things on the trip. Can’t wait to hear about your big weekend ahead in Northern Ireland!