I can’t believe that this week is my last week in Dublin. I am so grateful to Dr. Alexander for encouraging me to apply, Professor Wilck and Dean Kepner for the enticing courses, my peers for making this trip memorable, and my parents for supporting me in my adventures and coming to visit me and my family. I spent the free weekend in the Netherlands visiting my extended family. My journey was a challenge, and I had several opportunities to practice problem solving, positive thinking, and patience. On Friday, I woke up at 5:30am for my 6:30am Air Coach bus […]
Friends, fries, and foraging. This week we went on a Celtic Boyne Valley Tour and Howth Cliff Walk. We drove to the Hill of Uisneach where you can see two-thirds of Ireland. This site is important in Irish Mythology because people were thought to have celebratory traditions on the rolling fields, decorated with monuments and earthworks. This location was the sacred center of Ireland because Irish gods were buried under a sacred tree. Next, we saw the Hill of Tara. This County Meath Hill was significant during the times of Ireland’s High Kings. The climb to the top revealed the […]
“What is scarier, the Blarney Stone or Carrick-a-rede?” I asked all my coworkers before my departure to Northern Ireland. I heard about the wobbly rope bridge several months ago in the beginning of this program, but it did not feel like a reality until this weekend. I was nervous to cross from Northern Ireland onto the island, connected by only a creaky amalgamation of wooden plants and rough ropes. The Carrick-a-Rede Bridge is in a pocket of Northern Ireland surrounded by giant cliffs and dazzling turquoise water. The bridge was built for fishermen to catch salmon more easily in the […]
300,000 bubbles, 232º Celsius, 10 days. The Guinness Storehouse Museum in Dublin was an immersive experience guiding visitors through the 232º C roasting process and 10-day fermentation, resulting in a bubbly, dark, creamy beer. The grain and water are locally sourced in Ireland and beer is naturally high in Calcium. In fact, when Guinness first started selling their beverages, people truly believed they were drinking it because it was healthy. I loved the wheat plants, waterfall, and funky animal sculptures. The beer has a nitrogen head to give it creaminess without carbonation. A highlight was getting a guided taste test […]
My highlights of this week were the Irish Museum of Modern Art, the farmer’s market, and Kilmainham Gaol. I also saw three castles, ate shepherd’s pie, and ran 28 miles! Our weekend trip was to County Cork and County Tipperary. The villages that we visited were surrounded by miles and miles of green hills and cows. The towns had local coffee shops, with a delicious lemon cake and cappuccino. We saw the Rock of Cashel, the Blarney Castle, and the Cahir Castle. The Rock of Cashel has a dorm, a church, and a graveyard, all built out of cobblestone. The […]