This week has been filled with delicious food, fun traveling, and lots of learning. I love all of the experiences built right into the Bucknell in Dublin program that allow us to explore all corners of the country in our short eight weeks here while also leaving time for us to adventure on our own. The group activities have introduced me to a lot of really nice people who I can’t wait to get to know more!
We had our Welcome Dinner at the Little Kitchen and we had some really good food. It was a three course meal where I was able to have some prawns from the sea, famous Irish potatoes, and sweet vanilla bean crème brûlée. We sat at tables in groups where it was nice to be able to have large conversations with so many people about our internships and what we enjoyed about the trip so far.
I had some free time, and was able to go on my own to explore the Old Library at Trinity College and see the Book of Kells, a book from 800AD believed to be one of the oldest books of all time. This was such a beautiful experience as I got to learn so much about the history of Dublin and Ireland as a whole as I learned the history of the Book of Kells and Trinity College. There were also lots of really cool artifacts like the original copy of the document that declared the Irish Republic in 1916 and the oldest surviving Irish harp from the Middle Ages.
This past weekend we went as a group to the Wicklow Mountains, Glendalough Valley Monastic Site, and Kilkenny Castle. We had beautiful weather as we walked through the Wicklow Mountains National Park, and seeing all of the greenery and views were breathtaking. Going inside and learning about the history of the Kilkenny Castle was also extremely interesting as we were able to learn about the changes that happened over time as the Irish gained independence from England.
We expanded on what we learned from this trip when we went to the National Museum of Ireland on Monday. There we got to learn some of the history that led up to the creation of the buildings we saw throughout our time in the southeast of Ireland. It allowed a lot to click for me as we walked through the museum learning about Ireland’s complex history with the Vikings and the overall safety of the island.
This coming week is about to be super fun since my family is coming to visit and we have our group long weekend trip to Galway! I cannot wait to show my family around Dublin and introduce them to my favorite places as well as explore Galway together. I know my sister and I cannot wait to be Galway Girls!