Back in the US

Hey everyone! I just wanted to post and let you all know that I am back in the states (actually have been for a few days, just now getting around to doing this--sorry!). 

Thanks to all of you for reading my blog! It was so great to have your comments throughout the trip. I had such a blast, and I'm glad I was able to share it with you all. I'll be sure to do another one of these the next time I travel.

My last few days in Paris were fantastic. My parents and I had a really great time. 

Oh, and I'm working on uploading my photos to photobucket (finally). I'll post a link sometime in the next few days!

Thanks again for reading!

Cheers!

Just a little bit

So, my study abroad trip ends tomorrow. It's hard to believe. Of course, I'm not leaving Paris until Sunday, but I will now be site seeing with my mom and dad, who arrived safely today.

They say "Bonjour!"

The past few days have been filled with HOMEWORK! Yep. This was summer school, after all. We did have assignments to complete. I did manage to get to the Louvre on Sunday to see the Venus de Milo, the Victory of Samothrace and of course, the Mona Lisa. Yesterday we went up the Eiffel Tower (fantastic views!), and took a Seine cruise.

I just wanted to let you all know that part of my little adventure was coming to a close. Sad, isn't it? Certainly doesn't feel like a whole month has passed by, but I guess that's life for you. I'll be sure to recap my last days in Paris the next time I have internet!

Until then, mes amis! Bon soir!

C'est formidable!

My first full Paris was très amusement, mais, mais encore, épuisant. Oh la la.

I spent my day museum hopping. I went to the Musee d'Orsay first, which is a refurbished train station, now housing some of the most impressive impressionist and post impressionist paintings in the world. Monet, Manet, Degas, Renoir, Toulouse, Van Gogh and many more, they were all there. Il était fantastique!

The coolest thing, to me, though, was that art teachers took their students on tour there, and for about 45 minutes I just listened to this woman talk about Manet, his technique, and a particular painting. I find the French language absolutely gorgeous to listen to, and and it was very relaxing to sit on a bench in one of the most beautiful museums in the world, listening to a teacher wax poetic about Manet in French.

And yes, I did understand most of what she was saying, thank you. She was speaking moderately slow for une femme française.

After the Musee d'Orsay, I went to le Centre Georges Pompidou to sample some modern art. Yep, from one end of the artistic spectrum to the other today. While I always appreciate and admire classical art and their artists, modern art is so edgy and creative, I just love it. The pieces in this museum were extremely interesting. It almost seemed like they were alive and breathing beings of their own. The place was intensely cool. I could have lived there.

And it had some amazing views of the city. La tour Eiffel and Montmartre and Sacré Coeur (which I cannot wait to go to) were clearly visible. Et très magnifique...J'adore Paris.

All the art, though, worked up quite the appetite in me, so I indulged in a crepe, which was fantastic. I should really have had one sooner. I spent some time just walking along the Seine, enjoying life and the city.

Tomorrow it's looking like le Louvre in the morning, and then maybe Notre Dame and some more site seeing in the afternoon? We shall see. I am enjoying not planning out my days. I just kind of open my map in the morning and go where ever I feel like it.

D'accord, je me lave dans l'évier, maintenant! Au revoir, bon soir, mes amis!

Bienvenue a Paris!

Just a quick post to let you all know that I have safely arrived in Paris, the city of lights and love.

J'adore Paris, mais je suis tres fatiguee apres un jour difficile! Sorry, just trying to keep my French up to snuff. I love it here, as I knew I would. Paris is exactly how I imagined it would be.

I feel as though this city was made for me. I cannot wait to see what it has in store...

Bon soir, mes amis, a bien tot!

Defying gravity

I can hardly believe my week in London draws to a close tomorrow!

Where did we leave off? I believe we were having high tea. How very British of us! On Monday afternoon we had high tea at The Orangery at Kensington Palace. Uh huh. Wanna know what my table talked about? LSU Baseball. Can we get anymore American? Maybe not.

After that we went down to Piccadilly Circus, just to see it, before heading down to the Apollo Victoria theatre for Wicked, which was absolutely amazing. I've never seen it before, but I do own the soundtrack, which I frequently blare from my car speakers when driving, and sing along to quite obnoxiously, so I knew all the words to all the songs by heart. I've also read the book, which is quite different, but still some of the basics remain the same.

But I loved every last minute of it. It was a fantastic show.

On Tuesday we took a day-trip out to Oxford, which was an adventure in an of itself seeing as our first train was canceled. We had to hop on another to Reading, where we stood in the aisles for 20 minutes, and switched onto another train to Oxford. Once in Oxford, we got to see a bunch of really cool stuff, including the great steps where Harry Potter and all the Hogwarts students stand before they're sorted, and the dining hall that the Hogwarts Great Hall was based off of, and some other Harry Potter movie stuff. We had lunch at the Eagle and Child Pub, which is the pub that the Inklings, JRR Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, and W.H. Lewis all met at until they died, which was cool. And I'm pretty sure our group bought them out of Oxford sweatshirts and t-shirts. Hey, the students of Oxford schools may not wear them, but they are a staple of American college students' wardrobes!

Today we went to Parliament, which was an enlightening experience. We toured the different Houses (House of Commons, House of Lords), and even talked to an MP (represented Canterbury, Conservative party). We stuck around after and watch them harass the Prime Minister for a while, since it was a Wednesday, and apparently, that's what they do on Wednesdays. Harass the Prime Minister and each other on important issues. Regardless, it was fun to watch. After that, we went to the Tower of London, and saw some pretty impressive jewellry, and some pretty disgusting torture.

But the best part of the day? Harrod's, of course! Which is what I've been waiting for this whole week! It was like my pilgrimage!

OK, I know I'm sort of trailing off, but my computer is about to die. I just wanted to squeak out a post real quick! The next time I talk to you all, I'll probably be in Paris.

A bien tot, mes amis!

"You say loud American like it's a bad thing!"

^^^I am writing this in class, I am such a bad student. The subject of this blog post is a direct quote from one of my fellow students. This is what I am dealing with, people...

OK, so, once again, I apologize again for the lack of posting. Bad luck with internet seems to follow us lately.

London is lovely, but huge! In all the movies I watch, it always seemed so much smaller, much more compact. I always figured I'd be able to see famous London landmarks from basically anywhere. Noooope. Can't. And it takes foreeeeeeevvvver to get annnnnnywhherrrre here. You have to leave 30-40 early to get somewhere on the Tube. Which I am finally understanding, which is saying a lot, considering my lack of navigational ability.

Anyway, recap time.

I spent my first night in London in St. Mary's A&E, or rather for you non Britain speakers, the Emergency Room. Yup. I've never been to the ER in the states, so I can't really compare, but it took forever, so I assume it wasn't drastically different. I got my foot x-rayed, and after five very long hours, diagnosed, for real, two broken toes, AND apparently, torn tendons/ligaments in my foot. Yeah. Best part? Nothing they can do about it. Go figure.

The next day we went to the British Library, which was very interesting. Lots of old stuff, for instance, the Magna Carta and the Gutenberg Bible. For me, though, by far the most interesting thing was all the Beatles paraphernalia. They had original the original lyrics written to "Help!" and "Yesterday" and "Michelle" and "Hard Days Night" and "I Want to Hold Your Hand." And set lists, too. Naturally, you couldn't take pictures.

The day after that was Friday, after class was over, we went to the Bank of England. If I understood finance at all, I'm sure I would have found it fascinating, but unfortunately, finance was one of those classes that I never really clicked with me. But some of the displays were kind of cool. I did get to hold a gold bar, weighing in at 28 kilo, worth $350,000. Pretty nifty. After that we went to the British Museum, another HUGE place, with some pretty cool things, like the Rosetta Stone, which I DID get to take a picture of!

On Saturday, we went to Stonehenge and Bath. Stonehenge had to be one of the most awesome places I have been on this trip thus far. I really wasn't that excited heading out there, I was just sort of like, "Stonehenge. Wow. Rocks." But once I got there it was more like, "Wow! Stonehenge rocks!" It truly was awe inspiring and amazing. I think I took over 50 pictures of the site alone.

Bath was pretty cool also. It was almost like being transported to Rome in the middle of England. However, the entire time, I was paranoid that I was going to slip and fall into the untreated water...

Yesterday I met up with my friend James, the one I mentioned in a previous post, for a fast paced tour of London. I saw the London Bridge, Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament (finally, tourist London I've been waiting for!) We went on the London Eye, which provided some awesome views of London. If you are ever in London, I highly recommend it. It's kind of pricey, but the queues aren't nearly as bad as everyone makes them out to be. After that we toured the Tate Gallery, housing some pretty impressive modern art. I enjoyed it, even if I didn't understand it. We strolled up and down the South Bank, which actually reminds me a lot of the River Walk in New Orleans, except a lot bigger. There was an open air festival going on that was interesting to look around at. Best part? Really cheap, good food. As James says, if you can find food for less than 7 pounds in London, that's a good deal.

So, that's my first few days in London. Three days left, and then we move on to Paris!

Just a rundown on the rest of my time in London, in case you're curious: This afternoon we are going to High Tea, and then tonight, Wicked! I have been listening to the soundtrack nonstop on my iPod so I am prepared! Tomorrow we go to Oxford (I've already decided I am not going to talk much as to not sound to dumb), and then on Wednesday we meet with a member of Parliament. On Thursday we get to meet with important British busines Public Relations people.

Hopefully I'll be able to log on tomorrow night or Wednesday evening to post again. I need to do homework like whoa, so I should be able to, internet gods willing.

Cheers!

....and now I'm knackered.

Well, it's not the Hogwart's Express, but it does have WiFi. That is some sort of crazy magic!

If you couldn't tell, I am on the train from Edinburgh to London. My first ever train ride! I have so much to recap, I know. Hopefully you all read my mom's last comment. Halfway through our stay in Edinburgh, we switched hotels. The second hotel we stayed in did not provide free internet, instead, they charged 6 pounds an hour. That's like, 12 bucks (or 2 pints, hey, you have your conversion measures, I have mine). But anyway, regardless, I was NOT paying for it.

So, I apologize that I was MIA for a few days. But here am I now, and I know that you all are oh so happy that you're favorite traveling comedian has returned to entertain you all. I'm sure your days have been dull without me.

So, where did we leave off?

Oh, does everyone know who the Covenanters were? Or do I need to post it here? I'm going to go back and edit the formatting. I don't know why the text formatted wrong; I swear I typed it out, but when it posted, that posted in black font when it was supposed to post in white. That's why there's a huge gap in the text.

But I digress.

Anyway.

The next day I went on The Scotch Whiskey Experience (Dad, Ben, Nick, are we proud, yes?). It was very interesting. It was really funny; if you went before noon you were offered the morning discount, meaning that they were encouraging drinking before noon. Naturally, my happy little butt was on that tour prior to noon. Anyway, the first thing the tour guide does is offer you a dram of scotch. The guide then takes you through the five steps of tasting scotch whiskey, which are:

1. Colour
1. Is it light or dark?
2. What colors are in the whiskey?
   
2. Body
1. When you swirl your scotch around in your dram (looking all cool, you know it), the scotch leaves lines on the side of the glass. The more lines there are, the fuller body the scotch.
   
3. Nose
1. Really, just stick your nose your glass, open your mouth a wee bit, and inhale. Ahhhhh.
   
4. Taste
1. This is the best part! Raise your glass, lads and lasses, and give the Gaelic toast of good health, "Slainte mhath!" (pronounced slan juh va)
   
5. Finish
1. This is just how long the "kick" of the scotch lasts.
   

So yes. I tried scotch. Annnnd. You will be very proud to know that I took it like a man, no ice or water. And I liked it. My guide was very impressed. I have to say, I sorta was to.

They even let you keep the glass as a souvenir. So now I have my very own scotch glass for all the scotch drinking I'll be doing back in the States. Nifty.

The rest of the tour was very informational. It went through all the history of scotch making, blending, etc, and at the end, they spit you out in a bar/shop.

To the most important men (i.e. Dad, big brothers) in my life, don't worry, I gotcha covered in the scotch department. Who loves you!? That's right. I do.

Anyway. After that. An interesting thing happened that day.

I saw a doctor.

I was pretty much dead set against going to the doctor for my foot, but it must have been fated, because I was re-taping my toes on the bus, when this guy asked me what I did to my foot. Well, it turns out he was a doctor. He asked me if I wanted him to take a look at it. He did the whole doctor thing, and it turns out that I have two broken toes. Apparently all the hiking and walking and climbing on them hasn't really been helping the healing process, either. In fact, it's been hindering it. So, for me, first stop in London, the hospital, for some crutches, which I get to hobble around on for the remainder of my trip and then some. I should be healed up by mid July, as long as I keep them splinted and taped and keep the pressure off that foot as much as possible. So says Scottish doctor, anyway.

So that was on the bus on the way to Rosslyn Chapel, which was apparently really important because it was in the Da Vinci Code, which I never read or saw, so I had no idea. Mom, any recollections for me on this one?

But that was that day.

Monday after class we all went up to Edinburgh Castle. It kind of sucked for me, though, because it involved a lot of climbing. I ended up just sitting on a bench in the courtyard area for the most part, feeding pigeons shortbread cookies, like the bird lady from Mary Poppins. "Feed the birds, tuppence a bag..." I didn't get much sleep the night before due to excruciating pain in my foot, so I called it a day early and went back to the hotel for some intense napping.

Another Tylenol with Codeine night and I was back in action. You know, I'm beginning to think that the only thing this trip is going to get me is an addiction to pain killers. Make my reservations at the Betty Ford Clinic now (OMG before you freak, I'm joking. I repeat I AM ONLY JOKING).

Yesterday I took it very slow, going at my own pace all day long. I went to Our Dynamic Earth. It was really interesting. It touched on a lot of issues that are important to me, like saving the environment and energy conservation, and what we can do to reverse damage on Earth.

My last night in Edinburgh was spent in King Mary's Close, which is an underground city. It's more of a historical tour, not really frightening. It, too, was rather disgusting, though, since most of the stories they told were about the plague, and let's face it, the plague was not exactly hunky dory. The coolest part of the tour was Annie's room. Apparently, a clairvoyant went on this tour at some point and got in touch with the ghost of a little girl named Annie, who was very lonely because she had been deserted by not only her parents, but also her doll. Hearing that, the clairvoyant sent her friend up onto the Royal Mile to buy Annie a new doll. Ever since, people have been bringing Annie dolls, teddy bears and other trinkets. Except for some horribly cruel person who brought her a Westlife CD, but who am I to judge other's music taste? I didn't have a doll or anything to leave her, but they did have a bowl for spare change that they said they brought to Edinburgh's Children Hospital, figuring that Annie would like knowing that other children would not have to suffer. I emptied my change purse into that instead.

I capped off the night in a pub, with a pint. Perfect.

So that was my last couple days in Edinburgh. Wow this post is long. Hopefully you weren't bored. Cheers!

I can't help it. Men in kilts make me laugh.

We'll start off with last night's ghost tour.

Well, I'm pretty sure I'm not being haunted, so that's a good thing. The tour began on the Royal Mile, the Main Street of Edinburgh, if you will. Our guide, Katie, began by telling us some pretty macabre stories about some poor, poor Scottish lads and lasses and their tortuous endings. It was enough to make the squeamish want to lose their haggis.

The she took us to Greyfriar's Kirkyard, a pretty famous Scottish graveyard. We toured the cemetery. It FINALLY got dark at about 11 pm (the days are SUPER long over here, sunrise at 4 am, sunset at 11, 11:30 pm. Yeah.), and things got really spooky. We entered an area of the cemetery called the Covenanter's Prison. Briefly, the Covenanters were Scottish Presbyterians who signed the National Covenant in 1638 to confirm their opposition to the interference by the Stuart kings in the affairs of the Church of Scotland.

In the Covenanter's Prison, there is a building called the Black Mausoleum, which is home to a pleasant little thing called the MacKenzie Poltergeist, who is known to attack people. Yay! Like little Scottish sheep, (baaah) we were herded into this tomb, to stand like bait, while our guide waited quite comfortably outside, telling more stories.

She basically told us if we felt anything really cold, or smelled anything funny, or if something pulled our hair, etc, that this could be the poltergeist. Or that someone could pass out, so be on guard (no one did). You know, stuff like that. Then she said that sometimes people didn't notice they had been attacked till after the tour, so be sure to check your body for scratches, bruises, cuts or bite marks. BITE MARKS. Ha!

Anyway, then she started messing with us. She would turn her flashlight on and off suddenly, blow her candle out, jump and yell, things of the nature. But the BEST spook she got out was when the "jumper outer" came. She was in the middle of telling a story when all of a sudden---

A man dressed in one of those god awful halloween masks and robes came running in the tomb screaming.

Now, I am quite proud to say that I had not yet screamed during this tour (scout's honor, I swear it). I was being very brave, putting out all sorts of good energy for all those poor maligned spirits. I may have jumped a little every now and then, but I had not yet screamed. But when THIS happened, I screamed bloody murder and damn near booked it out of that freaking mausoleum. My blood pressure had to have sky rocketed to really unhealthy levels.

After that she let us leave the tomb because apparently poltergeists feed off of fear. Good idea.

So, if you are ever in Edinburgh and you want a good ghost tour, I give "City of the Dead" 4.5 out of 5 stars. Good stuff, folks.

Today, I experienced a rare treat. I actually got to sleep in (sort of)! Since it was Saturday, and we did not have class, I slept till nine. It was fantastic.

Today was chock filled with site seeing. After we found Robert Burns memorial (I have no idea what he did, but it must have been important because it was in the scavenger hunt). We went to the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the official residence of the Queen when she is in Scotland. It was quite lovely. You couldn't take pictures though. And I got fussed at by the guards for not "staying on the paths." Oops. After that we strolled up and down the Royal Mile for some time just enjoying the city.

Want to know the real highlight of my day, though? At lunch, I got a whole cup of ice from Subway :).

Another day in Edinburgh

After a very long break, we went back to class today. Major buzz kill!

According to our schedule, we were supposed to climb King Arthur's Seat today, which is a volcanic mountain outside the city. For some reason, we didn't. I'm not totally bummed, though, my toe needed the break from the hiking.

Instead, we went shopping.

I never really thought of Scotland as the shopping capital of the world, but I have found some amazing deals on some pretty great stuff. I found a really nice pencil skirt for just 5 pounds! Even with the exchange rate, that's only $10!

Not bad for half of a business suit.

I love a good deal.

We didn't go on a ghost tour last night (a bunch of people went out- I got a good night's sleep- Mom, I took your advice so I can try to shake whatever illness is creeping up on me), but tonight's the night! Apparently, the tour guide suggested we where "tennis shoes and a cross." Oh god. Hopefully all the good karma I've been putting out there this trip will come back around and Casper won't follow me home. I already have a broken toe, I really don't need a maligned Scottish ghost haunting me, also.

That's it for today. A hard day of shopping. Tomorrow we are doing a lot of site seeing and getting our scavenger hunt done (and hopefully interviews for our other class). Blog to you then!

Cheerio, chaps!

I made it to Edinburgh!

First things first, some business to take care of.

To James, my dear new friend, I dedicate this post to you. May we have a long friendship (even if the post itself is a short one).

OK. So, after a verrrrry long bus ride, I am now in Edinburgh, Scotland. We left at around 8:30 am this morning, and only made one quick stop in Loch Ness. I looked my hardest for Nessie, but alas, she was no where to be found.

I'm still a believer, though.

But now we're in Edinburgh, from what I can tell, a very beautiful city. It's the first of the BIG places we're going on this trip. We were actually told that it would be beneficial to use a taxi while we were here. I've never used a taxi before in my life. Apparently there are many sections to this city.

Old and new.

Big and small.

Long and short.

Obviously, I exaggerate, but you get my drift. From the little I have seen thus far, it is quite lovely, though. I think we are going to take a ghost tour, perhaps, tonight. Now that should be quite interesting. Right up my ally! I wonder what the Scottish equivalent for "Here ghostie, ghostie!" is....

Cheers!

Sit down for your daily recap, and then some

Okay, so, here we go. Lots of things to tell!

So, after leaving Glasgow we began a long and arduous journey (in a bus) to the Isle of Skye. It took us all day, from 8 am to about 6 pm, to get there. Of course, we stopped in several scenic photo places along the way.

One of the places was Doune Castle, or better known as the castle where "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" was filmed. They had coconuts that they gave out for visitors to clack together and gallop while running around the castle grounds. As you can image, a group of 24 college kids reeked a lot of havoc with these coconuts...

The second castle we stopped at was the castle that Highlander was filmed at. I think the most intense thought that passed through my mind was, "Whoa...Sean Connery walked through here at one point."

The castles were pretty awesome, now, but you have to imagine how gross they were back in the day when hundreds of stinky smelly soldiers were living in them. That's a whole lotta B.O. going on in there....Man. I am so glad I live in the times of laundry detergent and deodorant. And central air.

Today we took a boat onto Loch Curuisk. The water was nice and smooth (lucky for me!). The boat dropped us off onto this glacial area for a while, and we were able to just roam about for a bit. Even with a broken toe, I ended up climbing up mountains. I don't know if it's the excellent
scenery, the fresh air or what, but I am becoming really outdoorsy. Like I said, even with the toe, I'm still all over the cliffs and hills and mountains and beaches.

To be entirely honest with you, Ireland was absolutely nothing compared Scotland. There's so much space. I never realized that things could be so big and open and wide.

Oh, and there are TONS or sheep. They're so cute! I want to pet one, but they always run away...

Well, that's all for today, tomorrow we move on to Edinburgh. Cheers...

Isle of Skye

I don't have very much time, but I just wanted to let everyone know that I'm in at the Isle of Skye, and still alive.

And....it....is....GORGEOUS!

Mom, I'm beginning to wish we had ended up in Scotland, because you would have loved this so much.

All is well, but I do have a funny story to tell you: Remember how I said I got a few bumps and bruises cliff hiking in Ireland? It turns out I broke a toe. You really can't take me anywhere. It's a long story. I wish to do it justice.

Well, It's very late here, I know I have a lot to recap, but it's going to have to wait till a later date. Cheers, mates!

Glasgow, Scotland

I have arrived, safe and sound in Glasgow, Scotland.

There really isn't much to report, as there really isn't very much to do. Today is a catching up day, and a stop over day on the tour. Tomorrow we head off for the Isle of Skye for some major hiking, and hopefully, to find Nessie.

I did have my first experience washing clothes in my hotel sink today. That was fun...

I'm having some trouble adjusting to the exchange rate over here in the UK. 2.2 American dollars to the pound! That's pretty intense! I'm beginning to rethink the whole eating thing in lieu of more exciting things to spend my money on :). Just kidding.

So, that's all for now. I'll post more when there is more!

Last Day in Dublin

Today marked my last day in Dublin for this trip (but hopefully not my last day ever).

I went to church at St. Patrick's Cathedral (I know Mom, you most be so shocked and amazed!), but only because the statue of Jonathan Swift was, which was a clue for one of our scavenger hunt clues. It was quite interesting, regardless, and really quite beautiful. But if I'm being terribly honest, the pews were really uncomfortable (I think they do it on purpose).

After church, I did something that will probably shock you even more.

I went cliff hiking.

Yes, I know. Stop and laugh, it's really OK.

We took the train out of Dublin to a little town called Hough, which is on the coast of Ireland, and it plays host to some pretty rad cliffs, and I hiked them today. Round trip, we hiked about eight miles. I got pretty banged up heading UP the cliff, but it was worth it for the views while you walked along it. It was also worth it for the calories I burned; one girl had a pedometer on her cell phone; we burned over 900 calories! That's more than you can get on the stairmaster! The Irish workout is much better than the American work out, I tell you. Maybe I'll take up cliff hiking in the states as a hobby; despite the injuries, which really, were minor, just a few cuts and bruises, I really enjoyed my outdoor adventure.

That was really it today, for my last day in Ireland. Tomorrow begins a whole new adventure in Scotland. Hopefully it's ready...

Dublin Days 3-4 Recaps :)

First off, I apologize for not posting yesterday. The internet in the hostel was down, and I refuse to pay however many euro to use the wifi in the internet cafes.

Secondly, to Ben, I only waited a full day because that was when the whole group planned to go. Mom and dad told me not to go off on my own. I have drank several pints for you, so do not be ashamed dear brother!

The past two days have been busy and exciting! Yesterday began with class in the church grassy courtyard. We learned about the basic differences between American and British media, and how the British perceive Americans through our Media. We moved on to PR in the courtyard of Dublin Castle, where we talked about relationship building, and the process of a good PR campaign.

After class, several of the group members set out to find our first scavenger hunt clue: The statue of Molly Malone. Molly Malone was a fish mongerer by day, and a prostitute by night. When we got to the statue, a little old Irishman sang us "Cockles and Mussles" and took pictures with us all. It was so much fun!

On of the greatest things I'm finding over here is that I have much more free time than I expected to. It's just so fantastic to stroll the streets and see all the wonderful things this wonderful city has to offer.

After an afternoon of site seeing, we took a bus out of the city to watch a rugby game we were invited to by a team of Welsh rugby players staying in our hostel. It was the first rugby match I have ever been to, and I have to say, it gave American football quite a run for its money. After the game, we stayed at what I can only call the Irish equivalent to a country club and drank and talked with the team. One of the guys described rugby as "A barbaric sport played by gentleman." It was very impressive how much sportsmanship there was involved with both teams. They were absolutely hilarious; one of the players could play the piano and knew all sorts of modern popular music. Everyone sang along and danced. It was way better than going out to a pub, and we met so many fun people!

Today we went on a bus tour of Wicklow County, which is about an hour and a half out of Dublin. The bus ride there was crazy! The roads are so tiny here, and obviously, the bus is quite large, and what with the twists and turns in the roads....I am quite amazed we made it there and back.

But, The Irish countryside is absolutely spectacular. There is so much green, rolling hills, flowers, lakes and streams, it's nearly impossible to take it all. The pictures I took really cannot do it justice. There were these little paths that looked like they were straight out of The Lord of the Rings. I half expected Frodo, Bilbo and Gandalf to walk up to me at any moment and ask me to join them on some grand adventure! I wanted to just move right in to one of the little cottages on a cliff overlooking a lake. I think I'd be quite content there. It really is quite beautiful...

FYI- it may just be the internet connection at the hostel (and I'm thinking that it probably is) but I have been having MEGA issues with uploading photos to the blog as well as other sites. I am going to keep trying, and as soon as I succeed, every pic I have taken so far is going on photobucket. I'll post the link here, so be sure to be on the look out for it! I miss all of you, and I'm thinking of you all!

Dublin, The Home of GUINNESS

Allow me to apologize for not noting yesterday that Dublin was the home of one very important product, Guinness.

My sincerest apologies, Dublin.

Anyway, last night, I had dinner in an authentic Irish pub called Quay's. I had a pint of Bulmer's Cider, which is very sweet but good, and fish and chips, apparently Ireland's finest. We spent the remainder of our evening at the Temple Bar, located in the Temple Bar District (FYI- Temple Bar District is to Dublin as Bourbon and the French Quarter is to NOLA). Keith, a local, told me that Temple Bar is as close to as an authentic Irish Pub you could get in the Dublin city center. There was Irish music, and I had a pint of Kilkenny Draught, and, it is TRUE what they say, Irish guys DO know American girls when they see them and they WILL hit on them, but hey, at least I got a free drink out of it.

All in all, good night.

Today was our first day of class. Class was held in the courtyard of this huge church across the street from our hostel (which I am getting use to, but still sucks because it had no water for about 12 hours yesterday. Yeah, I know). We basically just discussed what we would be learning about while we were over here, and what we would be doing. In my Media in the British Isles class, we have been given a scavenger hunt to complete. Our instructor has given us some really bad poetry to decipher, these clues will lead us to places, and we need to tell how these places are important to media. In my Public Relations Case Studies Class, we are to interview five Europeans in each country about America and Americans to look for reoccurring themes, and to find possible solutions to America's identity problems.

After class we went and toured the Guinness Factory. Apparently, it's the number one attraction in Ireland. It was quite interesting to see how it was made. The self-guided tour started with the ingredients and ended with a pint of the good stuff in the "Gravity Bar" offering 360 degree views of Dublin. You could see all the way out into the rolling hills of the countryside, which is finally the Ireland I was looking for all along!

Welcome to Dublin!

Welcome to Dublin, Ireland! Home of the...well, I haven't quite been here long enough to figure that one out yet. It's a cool day in Dublin (highs in the 50s!) and quite overcast here.

After getting no sleep, I stumbled off my plane and into this new and interesting city. I spent most of the day wandering around Dublin with a few of my new friends.

We didn't really see much of the main sites today, which I assume will be saved for more lucid days. We did, however, become those sort of American tourists that I know many would hate to associated with (Dad, you would have been so proud). To start, we got lost twice. To be completely fair, it wasn't entirely our fault. We asked directions from a couple locals and they misdirected us. We were then given the correct directions the third time. To top it off, we were almost killed by a runaway bus. Yes, the Irish drivers, apparently, are as bad as the Italians.

Dublin is different than other European cities, but it's hard to put my finger on why. There is just something terribly unique that I cannot quite figure out about it. Perhaps I will in the next few days.

And yes, Mom, there is scaffolding :).

Oh, and in case you were wondering, hostels are really not that great and no one should ever have to be subjected to staying in one. As I type this, I am currently in the top bunk of a bunk bed....me....a bunk bed....at least the bathroom isn't communal, but you can bet I am still wearing flip flops when I shower!

Well, I guess that's all for now. I think I'm going to brave the shower for the first time, grab some dinner and get some shut eye. Tomorrow starts class and the adventure really begins!

Until then,
Katy

Leaving tomorrow!!

I'm leaving for my European adventure tomorrow afternoon. Check back often for updates!

-Katy