Due to the fact that British Airways is on strike from December 22nd until January 2nd, I am unfortunatley going to have to cut my study abroad a little short. Now, I will not be able to go on the trip my friends and I booked to Florence and Venice. My parents had to purchase me a brand new flight for this Sunday, December 20th in order to ensure that I would be coming home and not stuck here until the 2nd. The past couple of days here have been pretty crazy: not knowing if I would be able to come home for christmas, changing my flight, trying to get a new ticket to Madrid, having to keep in touch with my parents the whole time, while taking all my finals on top of it! My senora has been awesome though. She said that I was more than welcome to stay in her home until January 2nd if thats what it came to. She was even excited for that fact that I might be here for Christmas. She kept me calm, and kept assuring me that everything would work out..just like a normal mom=) But now, all is settled. I will be leaving Granada at 1:30am on Sunday (more like saturday night). I have to take a 5 hour bus to Madrid because of all my luggage, then my plane will take off from Madrid at 2pm flying to Boston. I then have another flight from Boston to Chicago. Im kind of nervous to travel alone again, especially with the amount of luggage I have, but after traveling alone to Paris, I think I can do anything. i am getting pretty sad about leaving Spain, Charo, and ending this amazing experience. Its absolutley insane how fast 4 months went by.
As much as I do not want to leave Spain, I am very ready to see everyone!! I truely believe that 4 months is the perfect amount of time for studying abroad. The past couple of days is the first time I have really been home sick. Of course it has to do with the uncertainty of whether or not I was coming home for Christmas, but I definitely am ready to get back to a scheduled life and be with my family and friends. Well, I just wanted to inform everyone that I was coming home a few days earlier, and that everything worked out with my ticket! miss you all and I cannot wait to see everyone!!
ps.I will be posting my blogs for paris, amsterdam and london before I leave Spain! Now my last task is to fit everything I have bought into my suitcases...should be an interesting day...
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Sunday, December 13, 2009
PICASA PHOTOS NOT WORKING!
so if you have been viewing my pictures through my blog, and not facebook, you have probably noticed that it doesnt work anymore. I cannot tell you why, and i tried to fix it, but looks like its not gunna happen, SO I am going to be posting links to my albums on facebook. IT SHOULD work by just clicking on the link, so try that first.
If not...you dont need to have a facebook account or anything, just highlight and copy each link seperatly and paste it into a new internet window (you just right click your mouse to get the options of copy or paste). If this doesnt work, or you cannot figure it out, then I will just have to show you my final travel and Granada photos when I am home, but I hope it works!
If not...you dont need to have a facebook account or anything, just highlight and copy each link seperatly and paste it into a new internet window (you just right click your mouse to get the options of copy or paste). If this doesnt work, or you cannot figure it out, then I will just have to show you my final travel and Granada photos when I am home, but I hope it works!
Granada pictures-
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=164700&id=625545311&l=c66eb41953
Paris Pictures-
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=164824&id=625545311&l=79b34a7812
Amsterdam Pictures-
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=167017&id=625545311&l=2c847c9b4a
London Pictures-
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=167063&id=625545311&l=6bce4910d1
Friday, December 11, 2009
movies with Charo!
One night at dinner, Charo, her boyfriend, Rachel and I were all talking about the new movie coming out "New Moon". For those of you who dont know, this is the sequel to the movie "Twilight", that is a craze all around the world. The reason we were talking about it was because "Twilight" was on television that night (in spanish of course), because "New Moon" was coming out the following day. Rachel and I were very excited, and that night we wanted to watch "Crepusculo" (Twilight in Spanish) before seeing the sequel. Edison, my senoras boyfriend, had seen "Twilight", and asked us if we wanted to go with him and Charo the next night to see New Moon (Nueva Luna en espanol)! We were REALLY excited, as well as indifferent.We both loved the first movie so much, and were gunna see it in Spanish now. It wouldnt give it the same effect with different voices, and loosely translated humor. We werent sure if we were going to be able to actually go tho, considering it is just as popular in Spain as it is in the states, and it was possible that it was sold out. The next day when we came home for lunch, Charo told us that Edison bought us tickets online! We were really excited to go out with them. That night, we all ate a nice dinner together, and then got ready for the movie. Charo looked SO cute! The theater wasnt close, so they drove us there. We told all of our friends in our program that we were going as a "family" to see New Moon, and everyone was jealous! Rachel and I are really SO lucky to have the family that we do. None of the other senoras would ever take their students out.
We got to the theater, and it looked really nice from the outside. The inside was HUGE! There was a bowling alley, restaurants, a bridge, games everywhere..it was like a Dave and Busters + a movie theater. We walked over to the bowling alley just to watch because Charo has never been bowling! Next week we are taking her bowling! Waiting in line with our tickets, all the Spanish girls had Twilight shirts and "I love Edward" shirts! Its so funny how it was just like the teenagers in the US. Before the movie, Edision and Charo bought us candy, popcorn and drinks! We tried to pay, but Charo kept saying "el proximo vez, el proximo vez" which means next time, next time. Going into the movie, Rachel and I were blown away by how big it was. It was the biggest theater I have ever been in. We were also weirded out when a lady asked us for our tickets and ascorted us to our seats! Every seat had a number. I asked Edision if this happens even when the movie isnt full or popular, and he said yes. You have to sit in number 1 even if you are the only person in the theater! The movie started, and we could pretty much understand it all. Obviously there are phrases in English that can only be loosley translated into Spanish, especially when it is a movie with teenagers talking, so it didnt always give the same effect sarcasm and humor wise. I really enjoyed trying to keep up with the movie, and learning more comprehension skills (which have improved SO much since being here!). If I had a question I asked Edision, especially because he saw the first one, so he knew what was going on. Also, Rachel read all the books, so she knew "behind the scenes" things that I didnt know. We had SUCH a good time. Minus the fact that Charo fell asleep towards the end of the movie..haha..it was a very nice time.
We are so lucky to have the host family that we do. No one else's host family has taken them out for ice cream, to the movies, made them thanksgiving dinner, or will go bowling with them=) I am so grateful to have them in my life, and I am really going to miss Charo SO much!
We got to the theater, and it looked really nice from the outside. The inside was HUGE! There was a bowling alley, restaurants, a bridge, games everywhere..it was like a Dave and Busters + a movie theater. We walked over to the bowling alley just to watch because Charo has never been bowling! Next week we are taking her bowling! Waiting in line with our tickets, all the Spanish girls had Twilight shirts and "I love Edward" shirts! Its so funny how it was just like the teenagers in the US. Before the movie, Edision and Charo bought us candy, popcorn and drinks! We tried to pay, but Charo kept saying "el proximo vez, el proximo vez" which means next time, next time. Going into the movie, Rachel and I were blown away by how big it was. It was the biggest theater I have ever been in. We were also weirded out when a lady asked us for our tickets and ascorted us to our seats! Every seat had a number. I asked Edision if this happens even when the movie isnt full or popular, and he said yes. You have to sit in number 1 even if you are the only person in the theater! The movie started, and we could pretty much understand it all. Obviously there are phrases in English that can only be loosley translated into Spanish, especially when it is a movie with teenagers talking, so it didnt always give the same effect sarcasm and humor wise. I really enjoyed trying to keep up with the movie, and learning more comprehension skills (which have improved SO much since being here!). If I had a question I asked Edision, especially because he saw the first one, so he knew what was going on. Also, Rachel read all the books, so she knew "behind the scenes" things that I didnt know. We had SUCH a good time. Minus the fact that Charo fell asleep towards the end of the movie..haha..it was a very nice time.
We are so lucky to have the host family that we do. No one else's host family has taken them out for ice cream, to the movies, made them thanksgiving dinner, or will go bowling with them=) I am so grateful to have them in my life, and I am really going to miss Charo SO much!
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Dubln, Ireland!
On Wednesday, November 11th at 9:00pm, Nicki, Rachel and I left Granada for London! After about an hour and a half flight, we were there. Unfortunately for us, our flight from London to Dublin didn’t take off until the following morning, so we slept in the London airport that night. The reason that we do this is because we only had 5 hours in between each flight, so saved us having to pay for a hostel for just a few hours! It’s not the ideal way to travel, but SO many people do it, especially all the students! Sadly, I never fell asleep. Instead, I just watched over our luggage and made to-do lists for school and one for things that I want to do before leaving Spain! It was FINALLY 7am, and time to get to Ireland! Right before boarding our plane we got breakfast. We saw a one person ordering beer at 7am with their breakfast and all laughed. As we continued to look around, EVERY SINGLE person in the London airport was drinking a beer, except for us!! It was very strange, but awesome. We then got on our plane, and after about a 2 and a half hour flight, we were in Dublin, Ireland! As soon as we got off the airplane we were all freezing. It was cold, rainy, and gloomy in Dublin, and even on no sleep, we were still all SO excited to be there and to start our trip!
The hostel we stayed at was called Abbigail’s Hostel. It was really nice and centrally located which was good. As soon as we got there, we found out that we couldn’t check in until 2:00pm, so we just locked up our luggage and got started for the day! Our first stop was the Guinness Storehouse. This was something we could do inside while it was raining, so we chose this first. We took a bus there, and while getting on the bus I obviously noticed that in Ireland they drive on the other side of the road. This is just like England, and definitely something that I learned. The reason for this is because up until 1922 Ireland was under the rule of England, so they drive on the left side of the road like them. This bus did not drop us off right in front of the building, so we were kind of lost. Looking like wandering tourists without asking for help, the cutest little old lady came up to us, asked us if where we were trying to go, gave us directions, and stayed and talked with us for a few minutes! She was SO nice. This was our first experience of how unbelievably nice every person we came across in Dublin was. We walked to the Guinness Storehouse, and it was HUGE! As we walked in we had a short introduction on the building, and the making of Guinness beer. Where we were standing was inside the ‘Guinness Book of World Records’ largest pint of beer! The walls had screens with bubbly beer. Also, we saw the 9000 year lease that was signed by Arthur Guinness for the factory that we were in. I never knew that signing a 9000 year lease was possible? Following the introduction we went on the self-guided tour of the building. It included stations of all the ingredients that are used in making Guinness, as well as a video at each station describing the process. We even got to try a sample of the barley! It was very cool. After the tour of the beer, we got to see the lab they test taste at, see their criteria, and have our own sample of the process we just learned about. It is a strong beer, nothing like the cheap college beer I’m used to drinking=) There were 7 floors to the Guinness Storehouse, filled with cool information, a restaurant, games, and mine and Nicki’s favorite room, a room with the barrels that the beer comes in, and videos showing how they used to make them by hand!! It was awesome. On the top floor was the ‘Gravity Bar’. With your ticket into the Storehouse, you got a complimentary pint of Guinness. The bar was cool because it was all windows, with a view of mountains. Rachel and Nicki were scared that they wouldn’t finish their Guinness because it has a very acquired taste. I started to like it after going through the stations. I could really taste the barley as I drank it.
After we finished, we went to get lunch. We got in a cab, (weird when I sat in the front seat, which is our driver’s seat!), and our driver was SO nice. We didn’t know where to eat, and he gave us suggestions, told us what we should and shouldn’t see, told us about Dublin, and was very interested in Chicago. He was such a nice guy. He gave us the rest of our day’s itinerary! We got lunch, and headed off to Trinity College. Trinity College is a gorgeous university with students from all over the world that was started by Queen Elizabeth I. Our cab driver told us that we should go into the University’s old library. We found out that it contained ‘The Book of Kells’. This is a 1000 year old book found in Kells, Ireland that discusses the gospel. It was not something that I HAD to see, but my roommate Rachel is very religious, and I knew it would be something that she would enjoy, so we all paid to see it. The library was awesome. It smelled of ridiculously old books, of which the current students can still check out! It also had Ireland’s oldest harp! The harp is the national symbol of Ireland, and NOT the four-leaf clover like everyone thinks. After walking around the campus, we headed back to the hostel to take a power nap (at that point I still hadn’t slept at all!). We took a quick nap, got ready, and headed out for the night! We decided to go see an Irish dancing show!! It was right across from our hostel, and with dinner, the show was free. We order Guinness beef pie with mashed potatoes and vegetables. The meat was soo good, a very Irish dish! Before the dancers came on, there was an Irish band playing. They were awesome! They used harmonicas and flutes, and even sang a song I recognized from the movie PS. I love you! Next, the Irish dancers came on!! They were really good! I was so happy that we got to see the dancers, and listen to the music, because it gives you a feel for the culture. I really enjoyed myself=) Afterwards, we called it a night so we could get up early for the next day!
The following day was our day trip into the countryside! We were all really excited for it. There were tons of tours to choose from in Dublin, but the one that we chose went to Wicklow and Glendalough. The bus picked us up in the center of Dublin, and started off with a short city tour as we were leaving the city. We got to drive down the street that the studio is on where U2 recorded their first album! We also got to stop off at a port to take pictures. This is when I met Katie (the girl that I am going to Paris with next week!). She was on the tour with her two brothers, and is super nice. Her, Rachel, Nicki and I were all talking about where we have traveled while studying abroad, and she told us, and then she said "..but I really want to go to Paris, my friends went a weekend I couldn’t go." Of course I said, "me too!!", because I have been looking for someone to go to Paris with me since before my parents were in Spain. I didn’t know if it was a for sure thing, but later that day we exchanged info, and our tickets are all booked=) ANYWAYS, the bus continued driving toward Wicklow. Before getting there, we stopped off at a cute cafe for coffee and breakfast. It had gorgeous landscape, and awesome shadow box tables! After about 40 more minutes, we were in the countryside! It wasn’t as sunny as we'd hoped, but at least it wasn’t raining! We made 2 stops. The first one was really pretty, and JUST what you would picture the Ireland countryside to look like: green! We continued on to our second stop. It was incredible!!! This is where most movies that are filmed in Ireland are filmed, such as Braveheart, Saving private Ryan, PS I love you, Lassie, and more! This part of Wicklow is also where the Guinness family's Estate is. It is HUGE, as you would assume. We stayed for a while in awe at where we were, and took tons of pictures. Then, before getting back on the bus, our tour guide had complimentary shots of Jameson's to "warm us up". Of course, we were in Ireland=) Next, we went stopped off at a pub for lunch. We all got meals that were basically thanksgiving dinners, so we kind of counted it for our thanksgiving that were not going to have=( We had turkey, mashed potatoes, vegetables, and a potato patty that were soo good! It was a really nice pub that for some reason had a huge statue of The Terminator at the front door that NO ONE from our tour realized when walking in! After our lunch, the bus took us to Glendalough. The first thing we got to see was the cemetery. It was amazing. Our tour guide actually did a 3 year study on that actual cemetery, so he knew so much information about it. When walking in, there was a rock to the right that if you put just one hand on it you got to make one wish, so we all did that. As we continued, we got to see all the old gravestones, and he said that there are 5 more people left to be buried until the cemetery is completely full with all the people it is supposed to have. We got to go into the church from the year 500, and there was a gravestone of a person from Chicago! Next to the church was the oldest Celtic cross in the world!! It is over 1000 years old. As we kept walking, we got to see a house made entirely in stone, roof and all. Our guide said that no house would ever be made like that today, and it is almost impossible that the house is still standing considering the amount of weight is has on it. It was beautiful! As we continued to walk, we went through bridges, streams, waterfalls, and made our way up to a gorgeous lake! The water was so still, and the reflection was incredible. We continued walking up to the larger lake that had huge mountains behind it=)
After this lake, it was time to head back to the bus, and back to Dublin. Once we got onto the bus, it started to rain, perfect timing for us! When we arrived back into Dublin, we went to our hostel, got changed, and went out to dinner. For this meal we actually got burgers, something we haven’t had one since being in Spain! They were delicious=) Later on, Nicki and I went out to an Irish pub! We of course ordered Guinness. Because we were really tired from the countryside, and had another long day ahead of us, we just had a couple beers each and stayed for about an hour to watch the band play. They were so good!
The following day, we planned to tour Dublin with the 'hop-on, hop-off' buses. On our tour we passed "The doors of Dublin", something we were hearing a lot of about but didn’t know what it was. Our tour guide explained them as what used to be middle-class houses of the people in Dublin. They are Georgian style homes, and each door could not have the same color next to each other. Nowadays, they are used as offices for companies. Our first stop off the bus was Christ Church Cathedral. The outside was absolutely gorgeous! The inside was just as pretty, and we got to read all about the history of the church. We got to tour the crypt in the basement, as well as write our own prayer in a book there=) Next, we were going to go into St. Patrick's Cathedral. To our surprise, it was closed due to a graduation ceremony that day. We were bummed, but we got to see the outside, and walk around the St. Patrick's park. We asked a cute old couple to take our picture, and afterwards, she talked to us for 5 minutes asking us where we were from, questions about Chicago, if we needed help with anything, and suggestions of where to go. We told her how appreciative we were that all the people in Dublin were going out of their way to be nice to us and help us!
After the park, we went to a pub that was suggested to us. It was called The Bull and Castle, and we had a really good lunch! Next, we went to the Dublin Castle! It was built when Ireland was still under London's rule. There was a first castle built, but when gun powder exploded in the basement, it destroyed the entire thing. This second castle that we toured was built as its replacement, and used for the English king and queens. The castle had a room with plaques for every president in Ireland. Right now, Ireland has a woman in office, and she is serving her second term. Once she is done with her term, Ireland will have had 21 consecutive years of a woman ruler!! (each term is 7 years and there was a woman president before her) I definitely learned something new! We toured the entire castle, which was really pretty, and then, we got to go outside and see where the gun powder was being stored when it exploded and destroyed the first castle. It was recently dug up in the 1980's. After the Dublin castle tour, we went back on the 'hop-on hop-off' bus, and followed it around the whole city to get a full tour. We got to see a lot of cool and pretty things, including where the president lives! Once the tour was over, we did a little bit of shopping in a department store, and some souvenir shopping. Then, we got dinner, and headed to the airport because our flight back to London was that night. As we were walking around the town, we saw many Irish and French soccer fans dressed up. We had heard the day before that there was a big soccer game that night, but we didn’t realize how big of a deal it was. It was a game between Ireland and France, and it was the start of a world cup qualifying series. The town was decorated, and there were TONS of crazy fans from Ireland and France. Confirming our stereotype of Irish drinkers, all the Irish fans were ridiculously drunk in the streets! We got to the airport, and got on our plane right away to London. Our flight back to Granada wasn’t until early the next morning, so we had to sleep in the London airport again. It was bad memories for me not being able to sleep, but I feel asleep that time!
Coming back to Granada always gives me a good, home-like feeling, but I definitely didn’t want to leave Ireland! The countryside was GORGEOUS, the people were wonderful, and Rachel, Nicki and I had an awesome and relaxing time together! I'm loving every second of traveling while abroad! I can’t begin to explain how lucky I have felt these last 3 months experiencing new parts of the world=) Next stop...PARIS!!
The hostel we stayed at was called Abbigail’s Hostel. It was really nice and centrally located which was good. As soon as we got there, we found out that we couldn’t check in until 2:00pm, so we just locked up our luggage and got started for the day! Our first stop was the Guinness Storehouse. This was something we could do inside while it was raining, so we chose this first. We took a bus there, and while getting on the bus I obviously noticed that in Ireland they drive on the other side of the road. This is just like England, and definitely something that I learned. The reason for this is because up until 1922 Ireland was under the rule of England, so they drive on the left side of the road like them. This bus did not drop us off right in front of the building, so we were kind of lost. Looking like wandering tourists without asking for help, the cutest little old lady came up to us, asked us if where we were trying to go, gave us directions, and stayed and talked with us for a few minutes! She was SO nice. This was our first experience of how unbelievably nice every person we came across in Dublin was. We walked to the Guinness Storehouse, and it was HUGE! As we walked in we had a short introduction on the building, and the making of Guinness beer. Where we were standing was inside the ‘Guinness Book of World Records’ largest pint of beer! The walls had screens with bubbly beer. Also, we saw the 9000 year lease that was signed by Arthur Guinness for the factory that we were in. I never knew that signing a 9000 year lease was possible? Following the introduction we went on the self-guided tour of the building. It included stations of all the ingredients that are used in making Guinness, as well as a video at each station describing the process. We even got to try a sample of the barley! It was very cool. After the tour of the beer, we got to see the lab they test taste at, see their criteria, and have our own sample of the process we just learned about. It is a strong beer, nothing like the cheap college beer I’m used to drinking=) There were 7 floors to the Guinness Storehouse, filled with cool information, a restaurant, games, and mine and Nicki’s favorite room, a room with the barrels that the beer comes in, and videos showing how they used to make them by hand!! It was awesome. On the top floor was the ‘Gravity Bar’. With your ticket into the Storehouse, you got a complimentary pint of Guinness. The bar was cool because it was all windows, with a view of mountains. Rachel and Nicki were scared that they wouldn’t finish their Guinness because it has a very acquired taste. I started to like it after going through the stations. I could really taste the barley as I drank it.
After we finished, we went to get lunch. We got in a cab, (weird when I sat in the front seat, which is our driver’s seat!), and our driver was SO nice. We didn’t know where to eat, and he gave us suggestions, told us what we should and shouldn’t see, told us about Dublin, and was very interested in Chicago. He was such a nice guy. He gave us the rest of our day’s itinerary! We got lunch, and headed off to Trinity College. Trinity College is a gorgeous university with students from all over the world that was started by Queen Elizabeth I. Our cab driver told us that we should go into the University’s old library. We found out that it contained ‘The Book of Kells’. This is a 1000 year old book found in Kells, Ireland that discusses the gospel. It was not something that I HAD to see, but my roommate Rachel is very religious, and I knew it would be something that she would enjoy, so we all paid to see it. The library was awesome. It smelled of ridiculously old books, of which the current students can still check out! It also had Ireland’s oldest harp! The harp is the national symbol of Ireland, and NOT the four-leaf clover like everyone thinks. After walking around the campus, we headed back to the hostel to take a power nap (at that point I still hadn’t slept at all!). We took a quick nap, got ready, and headed out for the night! We decided to go see an Irish dancing show!! It was right across from our hostel, and with dinner, the show was free. We order Guinness beef pie with mashed potatoes and vegetables. The meat was soo good, a very Irish dish! Before the dancers came on, there was an Irish band playing. They were awesome! They used harmonicas and flutes, and even sang a song I recognized from the movie PS. I love you! Next, the Irish dancers came on!! They were really good! I was so happy that we got to see the dancers, and listen to the music, because it gives you a feel for the culture. I really enjoyed myself=) Afterwards, we called it a night so we could get up early for the next day!
The following day was our day trip into the countryside! We were all really excited for it. There were tons of tours to choose from in Dublin, but the one that we chose went to Wicklow and Glendalough. The bus picked us up in the center of Dublin, and started off with a short city tour as we were leaving the city. We got to drive down the street that the studio is on where U2 recorded their first album! We also got to stop off at a port to take pictures. This is when I met Katie (the girl that I am going to Paris with next week!). She was on the tour with her two brothers, and is super nice. Her, Rachel, Nicki and I were all talking about where we have traveled while studying abroad, and she told us, and then she said "..but I really want to go to Paris, my friends went a weekend I couldn’t go." Of course I said, "me too!!", because I have been looking for someone to go to Paris with me since before my parents were in Spain. I didn’t know if it was a for sure thing, but later that day we exchanged info, and our tickets are all booked=) ANYWAYS, the bus continued driving toward Wicklow. Before getting there, we stopped off at a cute cafe for coffee and breakfast. It had gorgeous landscape, and awesome shadow box tables! After about 40 more minutes, we were in the countryside! It wasn’t as sunny as we'd hoped, but at least it wasn’t raining! We made 2 stops. The first one was really pretty, and JUST what you would picture the Ireland countryside to look like: green! We continued on to our second stop. It was incredible!!! This is where most movies that are filmed in Ireland are filmed, such as Braveheart, Saving private Ryan, PS I love you, Lassie, and more! This part of Wicklow is also where the Guinness family's Estate is. It is HUGE, as you would assume. We stayed for a while in awe at where we were, and took tons of pictures. Then, before getting back on the bus, our tour guide had complimentary shots of Jameson's to "warm us up". Of course, we were in Ireland=) Next, we went stopped off at a pub for lunch. We all got meals that were basically thanksgiving dinners, so we kind of counted it for our thanksgiving that were not going to have=( We had turkey, mashed potatoes, vegetables, and a potato patty that were soo good! It was a really nice pub that for some reason had a huge statue of The Terminator at the front door that NO ONE from our tour realized when walking in! After our lunch, the bus took us to Glendalough. The first thing we got to see was the cemetery. It was amazing. Our tour guide actually did a 3 year study on that actual cemetery, so he knew so much information about it. When walking in, there was a rock to the right that if you put just one hand on it you got to make one wish, so we all did that. As we continued, we got to see all the old gravestones, and he said that there are 5 more people left to be buried until the cemetery is completely full with all the people it is supposed to have. We got to go into the church from the year 500, and there was a gravestone of a person from Chicago! Next to the church was the oldest Celtic cross in the world!! It is over 1000 years old. As we kept walking, we got to see a house made entirely in stone, roof and all. Our guide said that no house would ever be made like that today, and it is almost impossible that the house is still standing considering the amount of weight is has on it. It was beautiful! As we continued to walk, we went through bridges, streams, waterfalls, and made our way up to a gorgeous lake! The water was so still, and the reflection was incredible. We continued walking up to the larger lake that had huge mountains behind it=)
After this lake, it was time to head back to the bus, and back to Dublin. Once we got onto the bus, it started to rain, perfect timing for us! When we arrived back into Dublin, we went to our hostel, got changed, and went out to dinner. For this meal we actually got burgers, something we haven’t had one since being in Spain! They were delicious=) Later on, Nicki and I went out to an Irish pub! We of course ordered Guinness. Because we were really tired from the countryside, and had another long day ahead of us, we just had a couple beers each and stayed for about an hour to watch the band play. They were so good!
The following day, we planned to tour Dublin with the 'hop-on, hop-off' buses. On our tour we passed "The doors of Dublin", something we were hearing a lot of about but didn’t know what it was. Our tour guide explained them as what used to be middle-class houses of the people in Dublin. They are Georgian style homes, and each door could not have the same color next to each other. Nowadays, they are used as offices for companies. Our first stop off the bus was Christ Church Cathedral. The outside was absolutely gorgeous! The inside was just as pretty, and we got to read all about the history of the church. We got to tour the crypt in the basement, as well as write our own prayer in a book there=) Next, we were going to go into St. Patrick's Cathedral. To our surprise, it was closed due to a graduation ceremony that day. We were bummed, but we got to see the outside, and walk around the St. Patrick's park. We asked a cute old couple to take our picture, and afterwards, she talked to us for 5 minutes asking us where we were from, questions about Chicago, if we needed help with anything, and suggestions of where to go. We told her how appreciative we were that all the people in Dublin were going out of their way to be nice to us and help us!
After the park, we went to a pub that was suggested to us. It was called The Bull and Castle, and we had a really good lunch! Next, we went to the Dublin Castle! It was built when Ireland was still under London's rule. There was a first castle built, but when gun powder exploded in the basement, it destroyed the entire thing. This second castle that we toured was built as its replacement, and used for the English king and queens. The castle had a room with plaques for every president in Ireland. Right now, Ireland has a woman in office, and she is serving her second term. Once she is done with her term, Ireland will have had 21 consecutive years of a woman ruler!! (each term is 7 years and there was a woman president before her) I definitely learned something new! We toured the entire castle, which was really pretty, and then, we got to go outside and see where the gun powder was being stored when it exploded and destroyed the first castle. It was recently dug up in the 1980's. After the Dublin castle tour, we went back on the 'hop-on hop-off' bus, and followed it around the whole city to get a full tour. We got to see a lot of cool and pretty things, including where the president lives! Once the tour was over, we did a little bit of shopping in a department store, and some souvenir shopping. Then, we got dinner, and headed to the airport because our flight back to London was that night. As we were walking around the town, we saw many Irish and French soccer fans dressed up. We had heard the day before that there was a big soccer game that night, but we didn’t realize how big of a deal it was. It was a game between Ireland and France, and it was the start of a world cup qualifying series. The town was decorated, and there were TONS of crazy fans from Ireland and France. Confirming our stereotype of Irish drinkers, all the Irish fans were ridiculously drunk in the streets! We got to the airport, and got on our plane right away to London. Our flight back to Granada wasn’t until early the next morning, so we had to sleep in the London airport again. It was bad memories for me not being able to sleep, but I feel asleep that time!
Coming back to Granada always gives me a good, home-like feeling, but I definitely didn’t want to leave Ireland! The countryside was GORGEOUS, the people were wonderful, and Rachel, Nicki and I had an awesome and relaxing time together! I'm loving every second of traveling while abroad! I can’t begin to explain how lucky I have felt these last 3 months experiencing new parts of the world=) Next stop...PARIS!!
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