Last blog! Ahh! I can’t believe we’re actually at the end of our trip. It feels like we’ve been going a hundred miles an hour lately, so it’s just now starting to sink in that I’ll be home in less than 72 hours.
For our last weekend abroad, a group of us skipped town and headed to Amsterdam. We boarded a ridiculously early flight on Friday morning, so when we arrived in the Netherlands the name of the game was staying awake. We explored the city a bit, recharged our batteries, and baffled at the heat – a rude awakening compared to Dublin’s high 60s/low 70s. Later Friday afternoon, Cat and I visited the Anne Frank museum. We were really lucky to be able to do so given how far in advance tickets sell out, but thanks to my mom’s planning and purchasing skills, we made it happen. The museum itself was incredible. It was a pretty profound experience getting to walk through the annex and visualize the years they spent in hiding, while also learning more about her story and how it continues to influence the world. Cat and I also marveled at the preservation that’s been done to keep so many parts of the annex original – a pretty remarkable feat considering the amount of time elapsed and the many millions of visitors it’s seen.
On a lighter note, following the museum, we trekked back to the hotel on the most fun, inefficient, entertaining walk of my life. Almost immediately upon our return, we turned around and joined the rest of the group for a sunset canal tour. That tour might have been the highlight of the whole weekend for me. I loved that we were all in one place, enjoying the setting and each other’s company.
We continued to explore the city throughout the rest of the weekend, making sure to stroll through the markets and fit in a pancake tour on Saturday and the Heineken Experience on Sunday. Each event was bookended by a bit of wandering, which made it easy to familiarize ourselves with the city and take advantage of the slower pace Amsterdam offers. To that end, another favorite moment was when a small group of us impulsively sat by the edge of a canal on Sunday night and reflected on the weekend and the summer at large. To me, it was the perfect beginning of the end of our trip.
I was happy to arrive back in Dublin on Monday, but have been consciously trying to slow down and enjoy each moment, from the commutes that always come too early to the late nights dancing to live music at our favorite pubs, and everything in between.
As I wrap this up, I would be remiss not to mention those who made this summer what it was. I didn’t know what I was getting myself into when I applied for this program, much less when I actually arrived in Dublin, but I am walking out with hundreds of fond memories, at least a dozen stupid inside jokes, and friends who have become some of my favorite people. Thank you to Dean Kepner and Professor Wilck for everything you did to make this trip possible, and especially to my parents for encouraging me to apply. I am so grateful for this summer spent in Dublin and can’t wait to visit again soon. Until then… sláinte!
Wow! Amsterdam looks so pretty and sounds like it was so much fun. I can’t wait to visit it next week!