(Howth Light House)
Standing on top of Howth’s many hills, I could see city, greenery, mountains, and beaches all extending into the sea. As I walked down a sandy path that wound about the cliff side, the guide pointed out a lighthouse below us. The positioning of the light house allows it an expansive view of all four cardinal directions. The mot important direction faces the Irish Sea. It was originally used as a Viking look out, and it helped the Vikings control Dublin. Later, it was used during the Napoleonic Wars to look out for the Napoleon’s Armada. The hike was incredibly scenic and beautiful with many different types of trees and plants. Purple flours dotted the hills and the view was incredible. Later, we explored more of Howth’s town. We ate fish and chips which was perfectly battered light and crispy while minimizing the grease underneath the batter. Cole was a victim of a brutal seagull attack that left him fish-and-chip-less and sad. We got the fish and chips form Beshoffs, and I would highly recommend stopping by.
(Modern Art Depiction of Eriu)
The Hill of Tara trip was focused on the land and the more mystical heritage of Ireland. The hills were very scenic, and you could see much of the country side. However, I was extremely tired from going out the night before, and I thought this particular trip was quite boring. It was nice, but we had already seen many castles and seen much of the Irish country side. I would have rather substituted this trip for a different trip like cliff jumping. The picture seen above is a picture of Eriu or the life giver of Ireland. She is Ireland’s deity.
(My Rapid COVID Test)
As I am typing this blog, my heart grows heavier. COVID ran rampant through the office taking out my fellow intern Karolina and secretary Jennie. Today we were supposed to have our company dinner where I would get a free steak. It has all been ruined. We were forced to cancel the dinner to minimize the potential risk of spreading COVID. This morning I went to Boots to buy five COVID testing kits for the office (one of which I used). The thirty minutes went by and luckily, I was COVID free. However, I would not have complained about not going to work this week. Work in the office has been slow for me, and I have become extremely bored doing monotonous tasks. Is this called real life? Probably. Although, I do enjoy my coworkers, and there are days I go to court. It is not always boring, but that has been the trend as of late. On a more optimistic note, I have Friday off because I am going to Amsterdam. I am really looking forward to going on tours and exploring a new city.
(Me at Death’s Door Eating Devil Ramen)
For the food review section I would have reviewed a different food, but this was my only food picture. Horrible angle, horrible lighting, and horrible timing led to the FALSE impression I was in incredible amount of pain. I was not. The Devil Ramen is the spiciest ramen they had on the menu, but I had a feeling it was going to be delicious. I love spicy food and I love ramen. This was a perfect match. The server advised me I get the spicy sauce on the side, and i could add in the amounts that I wanted. I used 3/4ths of it. My mouth and face were on fire. I was in my own sauna, but the ramen was DELICIOUS. I finished the entire bowl. The spicy sauce was hot but it had very nice salty and umami flavors to balance it out. The pork chasu was incredibly delicious. It was very fatty and the crust on the outside gave a strong barbeque flavor to it. The spice really warmed me up, and I would definitely recommend trying it. It was perhaps my favorite food item of the trip. It was spicy, but enjoyable. However, I speculate any more sauce would have made the eating it pure suffering.
Max! What an eventful week. I particularly enjoyed going to the ramen bar with you (photo credits!). Although it looked like you were struggling with the spice, I am very happy to hear that it did not affect your overall enjoyment of the meal. We’re definitely due for a round 2 before we head back home. I am so grateful that we have gotten so close over the past few weeks. I know that I have made a lifelong friend in you. 🙂