Dublin and the Guinness Factory Take 2.

Wednesday morning we left early for Dublin. We woke up and figured out a way to fit all of our suitcases and us in the car...boy was that difficult. We had to put four of us in the back seat for a three hour ride, which was not very comfortable. When we got to Dublin we checked in at our hotel in the Temple Bar area. Once settled in we starting walking to the Guinness Factory. On our way to the factory we also stopped for lunch. The food was great. We were told that the walk to the factory would only take about fifteen minutes but this was such a lie. It took us way longer to walk to the factory and it is safe to say that we were thrilled to finally arrive. The factory was great yet again. This time though my parents and I decided to do the pour your own pint. We waited in line and were taught how to pour the perfect Guinness pint. It was awesome.

Steps to pouring a perfect pint.

1. Make sure the pint glass is clean and room temperature.

2. Hold the glass under the handle of the keg and tilt the glass to a forty-five degree angle.

3. Pull the handle of the keg backwards and pour the beer until it reaches the middle of the harp.

4. Let the Guinness settle in the glass.

5. Pull the handle of the keg forwards until the pint is full.

6. Place the Guinness pint in front of the person with the Guinness symbol showing.

Mom pouring her perfect Guinness pint.

After we learned how to pour the perfect pint we then drank our perfects pints. From there we continued our tour to the Gravity Bar where Dylan got a pint and Oma and Pop Pop got their drinks. Of course after the tour it was time to shop in the gift shop.

The Guinness Factory Door.

Oma was tired from the walk there (as were the rest of us) so she decided that she wanted to take a horse and buggy ride to the Temple Bar district.. It was so cool, especially since I had never been on one before. My parents walked back and Dylan, Oma, Pop Pop, and I took the ride back. We wanted to get a drink at The Temple Bar but it was packed so we decided to go back to the hotel and get a drink at their bar. After the drinks we rested a little and then headed to a restaurant for dinner. We decided that after dinner we would go back to the hotel and sleep since we had a long day the next day. Unfortunately, in Ireland St. Patrick's Day is so huge that they celebrate all week and since our hotel was in such a popular place it was VERY LOUD. The music at the bar attached to the hotel did not close until around 3:00a.m. so we did not fall asleep until around then. It was kind of amazing actually because as soon as 3:00a.m. came around the music stopped and the noise completely stopped. My mom was not a fan of the hotel but I did not think it was that bad. Then again I can sleep through almost anything.

Dylan and I on the horse and buggy.

Oma and Pop Pop on the horse and buggy.

The Temple Bar.

Exploring the Pubs around Galway.

Tuesday my family and I decided to explore Galway for the day. Since it was so cold out the first day we barely got to see much of the town so we decided that since it was much warmer today it was the perfect day. We started by walking to my campus so that we I could print some stuff and so that my parents could see my school. It is not nearly as nice as BC but it is not a bad campus. I showed them one building that is gorgeous because it has a green area in the middle. We then walked up and down Shop Street for awhile and did a lot of shopping. Dylan and I got Aran Sweaters and so did my mom. Eventually we got a tired and stopped at The Front Door for beers. It was weird to see it during the day instead of really late at midnight. It was really dead in there and it was even hard to get the bartender to get our beers. After that we got lunch at The King's Head. My mom got oysters (after we all had already eaten) and she said it was the best oysters she ever had. After lunch we walked around some more. Once we were done shopping I went back to my apartment and packed for the weekend and my family went to Garvey's for some pints. I eventually met up with them at Garvey's and we sat and had some more beer. We then went back to the B&B to rest up before dinner. The owner of the B&B told us to go to some restaurant on Shop Street. It was really small but delicious. Dylan and I slept at the B&B again that night because we had to leave early the next morning for Dublin.

Cliffs of Moher Take 2.

On Monday my family and I decided to go on a Cliffs of Moher tour. I had already seen the cliffs but I thought that they were definitely worth seeing again and that my family should get the chance to experience how beautiful they are. This time I used Galway Tour Company so that the tour would not be the same. We woke up at the B&B and ate breakfast. It was beyond delicious. I had potato waffles and hashbrowns. After breakfast we walked to where the tour bus was going to pick us up. The tour left around 9:30a.m. and did not get back until 6:00p.m. It was a long day to say the least. I was a little nervous about the tour because I did not know how my family was going to like being on a bus for so long. Sure, there are stops along the way but I have never done a day long tour with them so it was a new experience. Luckily, they ended up loving it and even Pop Pop enjoyed the whole thing.

The first stop on the tour was Dunguaire Castle. The castle was nice, or as nice as a castle can be. I took a class on castle but we learned more about mottes and timber castles so my knowledge on stone castles is limited. We did not go in the castle but walked around the landscape and took some pictures. My dad posted a picture of me and Pop Pop in the driveway of the castle on Facebook and Ken's brother commented and asked if Pop Pop was house hunting. I thought the comment was hilarious and also nice to know that everyone was looking at and enjoying the pictures of my family traveling around Ireland.

Dad and Pop Pop in front of Dunguaire Castle.

Pop Pop and I in front of Dunguaire Castle.

Dad and I on the side of Dunguaire Castle.

Mom and I enjoying the landscape of Dunguaire Castle.

The second stop was at Ballybalban Fairy Fort, which is the home to little men with green hats and orange beards. It was basically a round circle of rocks with grass and trees in the middle along with landscape on the outside of the circle. Our bus driver, Desmond, told us that leprechauns can often be found at this fort (hence the name). Desmond was hilarious. He was a little, old man who loved to talk about Ireland. He was a great tour guide who was very social and funny. When we were at the fort he took two leprechauns and put them outside the fort as though they came to see us as we were walking around the fort.

Dylan and Oma walking around the top of the fort.

We found the leprechauns as we left the fort!

The third stop on the tour was Poulnabrone Dolmen, which is a portal tomb. This tomb had three giant slates of rock with two standing straight up and the third lying across the two. It is said that it used to be used as a burial site.

Dyland and I in front of the portal tomb.

The fourth stop along the way to the Cliffs was Leamaneh Castle. This was another stone castle. We did not spend much time here and I do not remember any significant details about this castle. I think that after awhile a castle is a castle.

Leamaneh Castle.

The fifth stope (and the stop before lunch - YUM) was Kilfenora/High Crosses. This stop had a lot of crosses and that was about it. Again we did not spend much time here except to walk around and take some pictures.

One of the high crosses with Oma and Mom in the background.

A donkey we found at the stop with the high crosses.

After seeing the High Crosses we stopped at Gus O'Connors Pub for lunch. I had bangers and mash and Desmond (who took a liking to me) ordered me french fries or chips as the Irish call them. The bangers and mash were delicious, as were the chips, and the bangers came with a sauce and I not only tried it but also enjoyed it. Desmond told us that the town where we were getting lunch had a really good fudge place so I decided to check it out even though no one wanted to go with me. I got something that was a layer of biscuit followed by a layer of carmel with a topping of chocolate fudge. It was really, really good which is why my mom continued to steal bits and pieces of it.

Oma, Dylan, Dad, Pop Pop, and Mom in front of the pub we ate lunch.

After lunch we finally made it to the Cliffs where we had a two hour stop. We walked to the right again (which is where I walked last time I went) so that we could see the tower. Everyone walked up the stairs (there were lots) and made it to the tower and enjoyed the view. Dylan was not loving it because he is petrified of heights and did not like looking down. Dylan, Oma, and Pop Pop walked back down to the bottom while my parents and I decided to walk to the left and explore the other side. There were two signs on this side. One said, "In memory of those who have lost their lives at the Cliffs of Moher" and the other said, "Please do not go beyond this point." These signs were there because people are only allowed to walk on certain parts of the cliffs and if you walk beyond these points the Cliffs of Moher are no longer responsible for anything that happens to you. We decided to be adventurous and go beyond the point, mainly because the view is just so much better the closer you get to the edge and the farther along the cliffs you go. We got some nice pictures and I really enjoyed seeing another side of the cliffs. My mom yelled a bunch when I got "too close" to the edge (forgot what that was like) and I realized that it was good she was not there the last time I went to the Cliffs of Moher. After taking some pictures and enjoying the scenery we walked back to the bottom and met up with everyone. I bought another postcard since my last ones were lost in the mail (story of my life) and we also watched a movie on the Cliffs of Moher. Pop Pop, Dylan, and I used a coin machine that rolls the pennies and puts a design on them. Dylan got a puffin and Pop Pop realized that he really wanted one. He went up to the desk and asked them to make him one and one of the guys was really nice and took the coin and made him a coin with a puffin on it (actually he got a couple of them).

Pop Pop at the top of the Cliffs of Moher.

The Cliffs of Moher.

The Cliffs of Moher (from another angle).

Me at the top of the Cliffs of Moher.

A statue for at the Cliffs of Moher.

After the cliffs we made two more stops. One was at a place by the water that had lots of rocks and was really pretty and the last stop was a place that had rocks that formed a face. Both were nice, short stops.

The stop with all the rocks.

Dad at the stop with all the rocks.

The rocks that formed a face.

When we finally got back to Galway after an amazing day and tour we were dropped off at our B&B. We rested for a little bit as Pop Pop had my dad fill out some March Madness brackets for him. We had dinner at Couch Potatas because I knew that my family had to experience this place. I think that at first they were hesitant about eating there because there was no beer on tap and the menu is basically only baked potatoes. However, I think they ended up really enjoying it. I know it is one of my favorite places to eat.

After dinner we went to The Quays for some drinks. I wanted to go to King's Head first but they had a comedy show performing and we wanted live music. Unfortunately, we were early and even The Quays didn't have live music. We had a couple of beers and then decided to leave. Oma and Pop Pop went back the B&B while Dylan, my parents, and I headed to Taffes. I knew there would be live music here and of course there was not only live music but live Irish music. A bunch of my friends were also at Taffes so my parents got to meet all of them which was really nice. My dad LOVED Taffes, mostly I think he loved it because of the atmosphere which is indescribable. After sitting around, drinking, and talking to my friends my parents decided to go back to the B&B but Dylan and I decided to stay. I wanted to bring him out one more time so we decided that we would sleep at my apartment that night. We stayed at Taffes for a little longer and then the group headed to our usual spot, The Front Door. Once again, it was not a let down and we had a great time. Dylan drank Bulmers after Bulmers after Bulmers and even danced a little bit. He also met some of the guys we hang out with and their brothers. One of the guys (and his brother) are actually guards in Avalon so of course once Dylan and my friend realized that they were both guards there was no getting them to stop talking about lifeguarding. Overall it was a great day and night.

Beads, his brother, and Dylan (all lifeguards).

Kelsey, Sarah, and Dylan.

Dylan and Beads.

Dylan and I at The Front Door.

Family Comes to Visit!!

"My family is big and loud but they're my family. We fight and we laugh and yes, we roast lamb on a spit in the front yard. And wherever I got, whatever I do, they will always be there."

I woke up Saturday morning and got dressed and watched some television as I anxiously awaited the arrival of my family. My parents, brother, and grandparents were coming for the week and I had been waiting for this week since I arrived in Galway. I have always been a homebody. I love being home and being with my family, more than anything in the world. Sometimes when I come back from break at BC and my friends ask me what I did I tell them that I hung out at home. They want juicy details but my favorite part about leaving BC is going home and spending time with my family. This is why deciding to go abroad was so hard because I knew I would miss them immensely. I had never been away from home that long before and I knew it would be hard. College was hard but this was going to be even harder. Luckily for me skype, email and the phone helps with keeping in touch with my family. I had been counting down the days for the last month until my family finally arrived. They took a plane on Friday and got to Shannon Airport early Saturday morning. They then rented a car and drove to Galway. Apparently, they drove around Galway for awhile searching for my apartment but were unable to find it (even though they passed it numerous times). My apartment building does not say Niland House anywhere so it is difficult to recognize. They eventually gave up looking for my apartment and parked the car in a parking garage and went to the shopping center where Dunnes is. My dad then called me and I left Niland House and walked to meet them. Seeing them was amazing and I realized when I saw them how much I truly missed them.

We got lattes at the shopping center and then decided to walk around Galway. We walked around for a little and then got drinks at a pub on Shopp Street. The pub is small but really nice. Most of us got Guinnesses except Oma I think. My mom said she didn't like the way it tasted but then proceeded to fall in love with them over the course of the vacation and Pop Pop said it tasted like milk. Not sure how he thought that but I still love Guinness. After getting drinks we walked around more and then got lunch at McSwiggins. I got the Grinder which was toasted bread with chicken, cheese, and spices on top. It was delicious. After lunch we walked to the parking garage and picked up the car. We then drove to the B&B where my family was staying, stopping to get beer on the way of course. The B&B, The Petra House, was really nice and within walking distance of my apartment. Then again, almost everything is within walking distance in Galway. The B&B is near the Coach Station on a road that only had B&Bs. Literally, the entire street is lined up with B&Bs on both sides of the road. Pretty crazy to think that all of these B&Bs are able to stay in business. We hung out in the B&B for awhile and caught up while drinking some beer. There was no refrigerator so we had to put the beer by the window to keep it cold. We eventually left for dinner and went to the Park House Hotel. The dinner was really good and my mom almost got caught by the waitress stealing a glass. She took her beer glass and put it in her purse but the waitress knew she took it so started searching around the table for the glass but couldn't find it since my mom was hiding it. After dinner, Dylan came back to my apartment and we got ready to go out with my friends. It was here that the night started to go badly for me since I agreed to play Buffalo with Dylan and proceeded to get really drunk. Basically, my little brother broke me.

My mom's first Guinness EVER!

First of the day (and trip).

Our refrigerator/window at the B&B.

Dylan, Dad, and Pop Pop at Park House Hotel.

Oma and I at Park House Hotel.

Dylan, Megan, Carrie and I doing an Irish Car Bomb.

Carrie, Katherine, and I with some random guys at The Quays.

Dylan and I at The Quays.

The next day I was pretty broken. Dylan and I woke up and walked to the B&B where we then got in the car and took a day trip to Connemara. From what I saw it was gorgeous. Some of the mountains had snow on them and Connemara itself is really pretty. Unfortunately, it rained on and off all day but then again we are in Ireland so you can't expect much less. We stopped and got lunch at one point. The guys got bangers and mash and they were really good. We also went to Kylemore Abbey. We did not walk inside but looked at it from afar. After Connemara we went to Salt Hill which is in Galway but not necessarily in the city center. I decided to take a nap in the car while they walked around. My dad came and got me later on and we walked to a pub and had some drinks. I had tea (thank you Dylan for buying it for me) and after drinking for a while we decided it was time for dinner. I was finally feeling better and we went to an Italian restaurant (kind of funny) but it was delicious. The guy at the Park House Hotel recommended it to us the night before and the food was probably the best we had the whole week. That night we went back to the B&B because the next day we were going to the Cliffs of Moher so Dylan and I decided to sleep at the B&B.

A mountain with snow on it in Connemara.

Kylemore Abbey.

Pop Pop, Dylan, and Oma at Kylemore Abbey.

A Week of Introducing Lindsay to Non-Nursing Life.

The day after showing everyone around Galway, Christine and Liz went back to Maynooth. Lindsay and Haley went to the Aran Islands and I decided I didn't want to go with them because I was going to go later on in the semester. We didn't go out that night because Lindsay was going to Maynooth the next day and had to be up early. We also didn't go out Monday but I did go to my classes and went to the gym to workout afterwards.

Tuesday I had a paper due in Children's fiction and a presentation in the same class. The presentation was on Finding Nemo. I had to watch the movie and analyze it and then present on certain aspects of the movie such as any mentors, the fears shown in the movie, and the strengths and weaknesses of the film. I enjoyed the project because I love watching Disney movies and it was fun to look deeper into a film, especially one that you have seen before. I never realize how much you can get out of a movie when you pay really close attention.

Tuesday night Lindsay, Haley and I decided to go out for some drinks. We started our night at The Crane bar because we heard that they were going to have good Irish music and Lindsay really wanted to hear some. We got there too early so there was no music playing yet. We sat down and ordered some beers and just hung out. It was nice to catch up on BC and nursing information and also learn more about Haley and Lindsay's lives at home. They have been best friends forever. The band started practicing near us, even though they played upstairs and we were sitting downstairs. Some guys started talking to us to and it was cool to hang out with some Irish guys. One of them was very weird (he sat next to Lindsay) but he was hilarious. The others were really nice. After a beer we decided to try another place and went to The Quays. They had a live band and they were so good. They played a lot of covers and played my favorite song, "Galway Girl." It was a blast. Lindsay had a great time listening to the music and said she couldn't believe this was our lives. I sometimes can't believe it either.

Lindsay, Sarah and I at The Quays.

Lindsay and I at The Quays.

Wednesday night we decided to go to a club called Central Park. I am not a huge club person. I do not know why I have never liked them but there is just something about clubs that I do not thoroughly enjoy. I especially hate it when you have to pay a cover charge to get into a club because then you are paying to get in before you have even gotten any drinks. Luckily, every Wednesday night ladies get into Central Park for free so we did not have to pay. I met everyone there since I live so close and Haley and Lindsay had to take a cab there. Haley brought some of her friends too. We spent the night dancing and having a blast. It was more fun than I thought it was going to be.

Lindsay and I at Central Park.

Lindsay, Haley, Caitrin and I at Central Park.

Thursday I left after class to go to Cork. Lindsay and Haley had already left earlier that morning and I was meeting them there. Once the bus dropped me off I walked to the hostel which was called Bru. It was a hotel and a hostel, what can get better than that? When I got there, Haley came and let me in and then we went to our room. Lindsay was in bed because she was really sick. She said she woke up earlier that morning and felt really sick but was feeling better now. The room had bunkbeds and the bottom bunk was a mattress that had room for two people. Lindsay slept on the top and Haley and I slept underneath. We also had our own bathroom attached the room which is always a plus.

Once I got there we decided to go get some dinner and went to a little restaurant because the menu looked good. We were brought upstairs by the waiter and the restaurant was really nice. It looked really fancy which worried us because we did not want to spend a lot on dinner. It ended up being really cheap and really nice. We were the only ones in the restaurant the whole time. Lindsay got Guinness Stew and I got a panini and I forget what Haley got. Lindsay and I also both got Guinnesses. It was such a good meal. After dinner we decided it made more sense to go back to the hostel and hang out since Lindsay was not feeling that great. We played cards for a while and then went to bed.

Lindsay and Haley at the restaurant in Cork.

Lindsay's Guinness at dinner (basically full).

My Guinness at dinner (not so full).

The next day we got up and took a bus to the Blarney Stone. The only reason we wanted to go to Cork was to kiss the stone. I mean we were in Ireland how could we not go and kiss the Blarney Stone. We all wanted the gift of gab. We walked to the castle and looked around the castle as we made our way up to the stone. We had all of our stuff with us (our backpacks) so navigating around the narrow hallways and stairs was a little difficult. We finally reached the top and took our turns kissing the stone. For those of you who do not know what kissing the stone is like let me set a visual for you. There are two guys sitting by the stone. One takes your pictures (and then charges your 10 Euros for it) and the other holds onto you as you kiss the stone. The stone is down a little from where you sit and you have to lean backwards and far down to be able to kiss the stone so basically the guy is holding onto so you don't fall. Lindsay went first and she had to take off her glasses so that they didn't fall off of her. She was a little nervous but said it was fine. Then Haley went and I followed last. After kissing the stone and receiving the gift of gab the guy started talking to me. He kept asking me multiple questions about school and what I was studying except I could barely understand him. He got a little annoyed when I answered one of his questions wrong because I misunderstood him. Oh well, those accents get ya sometimes.

Lindsay and I walking to the Blarney Castle.

The Blarney Castle bench.

Me inside the Blarney Castle.

A little nervous about the random guy controlling my safety.

Giving him all of my trust and leaning backwards.

Kissing the Blarney Stone and receiving the gift of gab.

HAVE YOU HAD YOUR FIRST KISS?!

After kissing the stone we walked around town a little and then caught a bus back to Cork. Once in Cork we were decided on whether to take an earlier bus back to Galway or not but ended up deciding to get some lunch instead and just take our scheduled bus. Once back in Galway I had to say goodbye to Lindsay because she was leaving the next morning and wasn't going out that night. I headed back to Niland House to clean up the apartment before my family arrived the next day!

P.S. That night as I was hanging around in the apartment I looked outside and saw that it was snowing!! I could not believe it. It was so warm and nice this whole week and now it was snowing. I immediately called E and laughed about how my parents, brother, and grandparents were bringing the snow with them. I was literally shocked that it was snowing, not only because it had been so warm but also because it rarely snows in Ireland.

Snow in Galway.