I cannot believe we are coming up on the halfway point already – this trip has flown by! It feels like just yesterday I was figuring out the leap card and nervously navigating the route to my office. I feel like I’ve definitely hit my stride by this point, and I am more and more settled each week. That said, this week was a bit more relaxed which was much appreciated on my end. Our weekend trip was a quick day out to County Tipperary and County Cork to see the Rock of Cashel, Blarney Castle, and Cahir Castle. The ages of these landmarks are still kind of incomprehensible to me – to think that the castles we saw and ruins we walked amongst were man-made and did not in fact just appear from the ground (though they may look that way) is mind-boggling.
The hundred-step climb to the top of Blarney Castle was terrifying thanks to the narrow, uneven steps and the general darkness of the castle, but the view from the top was pretty incredible. The photo of me kissing the stone didn’t make the cut on account of the unfortunate angle, but it was a cool experience nonetheless. We even got to experience some of what we learned in class the previous week about queuing systems and how places/entities try to distract you as you wait.
On Monday afternoon we got to tour Kilmainham Gaol, a prison built in the 18th century which later held everyone from ordinary criminals to people fighting on the frontlines for Ireland’s independence. Some of the stories we heard were crazy, but it was a really cool way to learn more about Ireland’s history and even see some of the remnants.
I’ve enjoyed continuing to explore Dublin, and in general I just love being in the city. I love walking around with my work friends during lunch hour, meeting up with friends for dinner, and going out as a big group on the weekends. It’s also nice to be able to pop into a grocery store across the street and grab a few things after work as opposed to making a separate trip later in the day. Of note, some friends and I finally got to try one of Dean Kepner’s favorite spots, an Italian restaurant called Cirillo’s. It was insane; I fear I might become a regular there.
What I appreciated most this week was all the downtime we had in which we got to hang out with one another. It’s been so fun to continue to get to know everyone, and I’m looking forward to seeing our friendships evolve even more during the latter half of the trip.
