Last Few Weeks of April…

April 12,

Today was my last day at Letterfrack School. When I went to pick up Sarah, Dr. Dawson spotted us in her car and offered to give us a lift. It was so nice of her and it was also nice to not make that hike this morning! We had enough to stop by the Country Store and grab a pastry before making our way into school. Today was very low-key on my end, but I did get to walk around quite a bit and help out with questions. At the end of the day, my class gave me a lovely gift to say thank-you, and I almost started crying! As frustrated as I was with the school sometimes, I really did love those kids.

April 14,

Today we were originally supposed to go on a trip to Inishbofin, but with the weather looking a little sketchy, Dawson thought it was best for us to stay at home. I slept in pretty late again, but around noon I was corralled into playing Frisbee with Ken, Jake, Rob, and Hannah. I went to toss around the disc on the pitch with them for about an hour or so. When Brittany and Allison came down to play ultimate, I opted out so I could get started on baking my scones for later that night. All of us were having a huge potluck “Brinner” (Breakfast for Dinner) as a going away present for the kids that night. I had the scones all cut out when I decided to go with the boys over to Sammon’s for a tuna melt lunch. When we got back, I got my scones baked and then began working on drawing some cards for the kids. I wanted to take them around to all the cottages so everybody could write a little note to each of them. The cards ended up taking me until about 5 o’clock, but they turned out great! I took them around to all the cottages and then it was time to eat! We had so much food for Brinner. Cottage 7 made a HUGE batch of scrambled eggs, our cottage supplied toast, scones, yogurt and granola, Cottage 5 supplied breakfast beans, Cottage 4 make Cinnamon Rolls and Pancakes, Dr. Duncan brought juice and milk, and Cottage 9 brought baked apples and hash browns. It was all so good! After we ate, we all went down to the pitch for a big game of Quidditch. Unfortunately, the Gaelic team was down there scrimmaging so we were forced to play a game of soccer behind one of the goals. Soccer slowly turned into a muddy game of Calvin Ball thanks to Mr. Ken Foley : ) For those of you who don’t know, Calvin Ball is a game where you basically just make up the rules as you go! (it is from the comic books Calvin and Hobbes) It was a great time and lots of mud was thrown by all : ) Once the Gaelic teams were done, we played two fantastic games of Quidditch before the sun went down. It was a great way for us to all spend some time together before Allison, Emily, and Liam had to leave the next day…

April 17,

Today we woke up to the beautiful sunshine before heading to mass for Palm Sunday. Maria kept us afterward to practice for Easter Mass because we have had to cancel choir the last few weeks because she lost her voice! Luckily we were able to finish up before it was time to get ready for the Margaret Sammon Cancer Walk at 1. Margaret Sammon was the wife of Patrick, who owns the pub across the street. She died back in 2004 of Brain Cancer, and so each year they have a walk to raise money for cancer research. We walked nine miles today to help out this great cause and to support the people we have grown to love in this community. The weather could not have been more ideal for this amazing event! Because today was so incredibly beautiful, we made use of the grills Kenny and Rob had put together the week before and we all grilled out this evening! It was so much fun just to have some burgers and enjoy the weather together as a group : ) The weather is supposed to be nice all week so hopefully we can grill out again tomorrow. After dinner, a bunch of us went over to Dr. Dawson’s to play a few rounds of Bananagrams before heading over to the pub. It truly was a wonderful day!

April 18,

Today I did go with the hiking class around noon for a quick walk down the Lettergesh road and looped around back up to Tully Cross. We were blessed with yet another gorgeous day. It is hard to believe that there is actually snow on the ground back home because I feel like I am in the middle of summer right now! After the hike, I spent the day working on journals for culture class and my history paper out in the sunshine. Rob and I decided that we definitely needed to grill out again tonight and just take advantage of the nice weather while it is here. So around 7, I went down to the pitch with Ken, Jake, Mike, Vaughn, and Maggie who coerced me into a game of soccer, which actually turned out to be a lot of fun. Hannah also ended up coming down to join us. It is just amazing how late it stays light out. I remember when we first arrived, it was already dark by 430 in the afternoon. Now we are outside in the sun till around 9! After about an hour, Maggie and I headed back up to the cottages because I needed to start making hamburger patties! Rob and I fired up the grill and made cheeseburgers and chips (French fries) for dinner (we were joined by Ken, Jake, Mike, and Hannah). Just sitting outside on the picnic tables with the sun setting behind us reminded me so much of summer. I love just being outside with these wonderful people, listening to some great tunes while grilling out. I don’t believe I could be any happier than I am right now. Tonight, a bunch of us went to the pub to listen to Aidan sing and play, and I was once again fortunate to join him on a few songs. Tonight I sang “Wagon Wheel”, “Fire and Rain”, “I Will”, “Bad, Bad Leroy Brown”, and “Leaving on a Jet Plane”. It was nice just to relax with a pint and some good conversation after a day of studying.

April 21,

Today I got up early to go shopping with Dr. Dawson, Bailey, and Rob for Easter Dinner. We were going to the Aldi and SuperValu in Clifden for the best selection. I met the others at Dawson’s cottage and we hopped in the car to get our shopping done! We ended up having a great time, it was a great mix of people because we knew what had to be done, we were organized, and yet we were still cracking jokes the entire time. Dawson even stopped us by Walsh’s Bakery and bought each of us a latte, which was so kind of her! After unloading the absurd amount of groceries, Rob, Bailey, Jake, Brittany, Hannah, Maggie, Sarah T., and myself all grilled out for lunch because we had bought a boatload of hot dogs! It was such a perfect day that we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to grill! At 4, we listened to final culture class presentations for a few hours before it was time to prepare for the disco! Us girls got home, did a group effort at the dishes and then ate some pasta outside together. We brought some couch cushions out on the pavement and just ate and laughed together before we cleaned up the family room and freshened up for disco. We ended up having such a wonderful time as a group tonight! I love the friendships that I have made here. These people have become family : )

April 24,

Happy Easter Everyone! Today the whole group was up by 430 AM to begin our hike up Tully Mountain to see the sunrise. When we stepped outside there was a slight mist, but it wasn’t quite raining. It was bitterly cold from the wind, but we had high hopes that the skies would clear by the time we made it to the top. The people of Tully Cross must think we are insane, because we are always hiking at the oddest times-especially on Easter morning! We hiked down to the DerryInver Road and began our climb up the mountain from the backside because the incline isn’t quite as steep as the side facing Tully Cross. Keep in mind that there is no path whatsoever up this mountain like there is on the Diamond. So it was definitely just all of us hoping we wouldn’t accidently step in the bog! By this time, the wind and rain is coming with much more ferocity. We all kept trudging up the mountain without being able to see the top or the landmarks around the base because of the dense fog we were in. We were basically climbing up the mountain blind. At this point, we all realized that seeing the sunrise was no longer a possibility, but it just became a fight to get to the top! Tully Mountain is tricky because there are about 5-6 “Fake-out Peaks”. It seems as though you have made it to the top, but once you have scaled up the peak, you can see there is yet another one to go. This happened so many times that we were not letting people say, “Only One More!” because it was much too disheartening! Some how, we were able to stay straight on our path and the whole group (including both professors) made it to the top of the mountain! Dr. Dawson thought it was one of the first times that the entire group made it up together! While walking down the mountain the group split up into those who were moving a little faster than others and those who wanted to take their time. I went ahead with the first group, and someone must have forgotten to close the gate behind them because all of the sheep at the base of the mountain got out! Megan ended up having to grab a little baby lamb that was about to escape! On the way home, I walked mostly with Dr. Dawson and Bailey and we worked on some of the awards for our ceremony later that week, and of course as we were walking home the sun burst through and it became a gorgeous day! So it was a little disappointing we didn’t see the sunrise, but at least we still had sunshine for our Easter feast later!

We got home around 8 am, so I went home to shower before mass. Mass was great today. We had so many musicians show up and everyone did a beautiful job! Dr. Dawson and I got together to work on the apple crisp and rhubarb crumble in the morning before I got started with the ham and the lamb. The lamb had been marinating for about 10 hours in my white wine, garlic, and rosemary mixture so I was pretty excited to see how it would turn out. I ended up spending the whole day preparing for the feast with Dawson. We prepared the Salmon for grilling, arranged the platters, and I tended to my meats. It was so much fun preparing for everything. We ended up having the boys set up our tables outside so we could enjoy the weather and spread out a bit. We ate dinner in the late afternoon. Our feast was quite extensive! We had lamb, ham, salmon, cheesy potatoes, garlic bread, soda bread, salad, corn, cinnamon rolls, and apple crisp/rhubarb crisp with ice cream for dessert. Dr. Dawson also bought some bottles of wine to share along with coffee for after the meal. It was so nice to all be together!

April 25,

Today we ended up all gathering at the picnic tables for lunch to eat up leftovers from our Easter feast the day before. At 1230, I had my interview with Dr. Dawson about my contemporary author novel, The Ante-Room by Kate O’Brien, which actually went very well! It was so relaxing just to sit there and chat out on the picnic tables for this part of the final. Being able to talk about my novel instead of just writing a paper was a great way to showcase what I really knew. After my interview, Rob, Bailey, Jake, and I laid out on the blankets and attempted to study for our history final. After a while though, we ended up playing a few rounds of Bananagrams before the study sessions at 4 in the study cottage. After the study session, it was time for a little dinner, then studying, and then the pub! I got a good start before it was time to go over to Coyne’s for my last Monday with Aidan. Tonight I got to sing Wagon Wheel, Leaving on a Jet Plane, and Bad, Bad Leroy Brown. I started tearing up during Leavin’ on a Jet Plane because I knew that this was the last Monday night I would get to sing with Aidan. I am so appreciative of the fact he was willing to let me come up every week to share a few songs with him. As a going away gift, Aidan gave me 2 of his own CDs to remember him by. I will never forget all of those Monday nights at Coyne’s!

April 27,

After our last final exam, I made my cottage a dinner of Leek and Potato Soup and then it was off to the awards/graduation ceremony a group of us had been planning and working on for the last few days. Some of the awards included: Jacqueline-Human Compass Award, Gretchen-perennial Birthday Girl Award, Megan-Most likely to tackle, handcuff, and arrest someone from the group in 10 years, Sarah E-“I discovered my inner baker” award, Ken-Pauly Bleaker Award, Rob-Most Likely to succeed Dr. Dawson as Dean of Students, Mike-Rice Kruchies Connoisseur, Jake-More Intelligent than his Reputation Allows him to Be, Brittany-Tully Cross Style Statement, Hannah-Irish Story Teller, Sarah-Troll Tree-Hugger, Christy-Local Liason Award, Beth-Salmon of Knowledge Chef Award, Rian-Most Likely to Return to Tully Cross to Inherit the Passion Wagon, Vaughn-Most likely to have Ate his Weight in Chocolate, Bailey-Most Impervious to Corruption, Sarah T.-Princess Diva, Bridget-Whiskey Mountain Sweet Heart, Maggie-Viking with the Most AQ Spirit, Heather-Mistress of Quidditch and Sass, Dr. Duncan-Dancing Queen, Dr. Dawson-Madame Hooch Award Then Rob showed us all the video he had made throughout the last 4 months and there was not a dry eye in the house! We also had a quick graduation ceremony for all of the graduating seniors. Then it was out back to the grill for s’mores to celebrate before we all went to the pub!

April 28,

Today was the day of the Thanks-from-the-Yanks Party, which I had been planning for weeks. Dr. Dawson and I had a little meeting in the morning and we decided that there just wasn’t enough time to make all of the brown bread for the Salmon dish we had planned so she just ran to the store and picked up a few loaves to save us some time. Hannah was busy working on the potato salad when I got home which was awesome. The sooner we were able to get dishes done, the easier the rest of the day would be. I then mixed the dough for the flatbread. I had to times my recipes by 6 in order to have enough for 50 people! Then it was on to mixing up a huge batch of rice pilaf! Sarah Tompkins came over and helped me with a lot of the prep work for the rice and then was a champ and manned the flatbread station while Bridget and I worked on the Guinness Chocolate Cake. During that time, I got Sarah Robinson started on the Sweet Potatoes and Carrots. There were so many different projects going on, but luckily with everyone helping out I managed not too lose my mind. Brittany and Hannah were also nice enough to go help the boys cut up the fruit so I didn’t have to worry about that. Around 6, I finally handed in all of my Education Journals, and then it was time to start transferring the food over to Coyne’s. Rob and Rian had been hard at work grilling all of the burgers and hot dogs as well. Jerry was nice enough to let us set up the grill in the beer garden behind the pub, which made things much easier! Let’s just say that all of the food looked amazing! We had the burgers and hot dogs, hummus and flatbread, potato salad, rice pilaf, pasta salad, fruit (kiwi, pineapple, apples, oranges) home-made mac ‘n cheese, roasted vegetables, smoked salmon on brown bread, cinnamon rolls, and the star of the show—Guinness Chocolate Cake! Unfortunately, not that many people were able to make it because of the May Bank Holiday, Easter, and the Connemara West Board Meeting, so we had A LOT of extra food. However, everything tasted great! We also had some people from our group put on a little performance for everyone in memory of our “Variety Hour” on the busride home from South. Brittany and I both performed a few songs, we had some people read poetry, ect. It was a fun evening overall, but I did retire fairly early just from being exhausted the long day.

April 29,

When I got back from some errands with Dawson this morning, I made the hike to Glassilaun Beach with Dawson, Rob, Bailey, Sarah, Bridget, Hannah, Brittany, and Sarah. People were leaving whenever they were ready. We laid out in the beautiful sunshine for the rest of the day. I fell asleep for a bit, got a little sunburned, had a picnic lunch, and listened to music with everyone. It felt like summertime! Pat Lydon was nice enough to come and pick us up around 530 and drove us back to Tully Cross. We ate leftovers for dinner tonight from the Thanks Party. We have so much extra food that I am predicting it is all we will be eating for a while! Also, tonight was the night of our last disco at Sammon’s. It ended up being a great night and we all had a lot of fun. The discos have been a great for all of us American students over the last 4 months, and I am so thankful to DJ Collin for putting all of them on for us!

April 30,

This morning Sarah and I woke up early to clean up the house before both of our families arrived. We worked our butts off while everyone as still sleeping, but everything was mostly done! I ended up frying some potatoes and cooking up all our sausages in an attempt to get rid of some of our food. I invited to cottage 7 boys to join us in eating up the sausages. It was kind of funny having all of us in our little kitchen in our pajamas just eating sausages! Afterwards, Jake and I just messed around with the soccer ball for a while outside in our pajamas…It was so fun and was a great distraction from my unpacked suitcase that I knew was waiting for me upstairs. I didn’t expect Mom, Dad, and Dave until later in the afternoon, but they showed up to my cottage around 1230. It was really good to see them, but also hard because it made the fact that I really do have to go home that much more real… I took them over to the Mussel Festival at Coyne’s and we watched a cooking demonstration from a team from the Renvyle House Hotel. It was really fun for me and I think my family had a good time. We then went to Sammon’s for lunch and I was able to have a big plate of fresh Kilarey Mussels. It was just so strange being there with my real family instead of just my Tully Cross family… After we ate, we ended up taking a walk around the Tully Beach loop to try to wake them up after 24 hours of traveling. Then I decided to bring them back to the Festival to watch the amateur competition. I wish I would have entered that competition…I think I could have done well! When mom, dad, and Dave went to check in at the B&B, I went to play some bananagrams before I had to leave with them to go to dinner at 630. We went to eat at the Bard’s Den, but it was obvious that everyone was pretty tired. So after dinner, they ended up just going back to sleep while I went out to Coyne’s for the night with everybody else to listen to Aidan play. Before hand, I hung out with Jake, Hannah, Britt, and Rob and we listened to sad songs for a bit : ( Britt and I planned out a few songs to sing that night, but when Aidan called us up, she was no where to be found. So I did a few by myself, and ended up crying at the end of “Leavin’ on a Jet Plane” (thanks to Maggie Coyne). It was hard knowing that was the last time I will ever sing with him…

May 1,

It was a mad rush trying to get all of us girls through the shower this morning, but somehow we made it! However, when we showed up for choir, we discovered that Maria wasn’t going to be there and half of the choir didn’t show up either! I think it was because of the May Bank Holiday… So choir was not quite up to par for mass today, but it was still nice because Maggie was making us laugh the whole time and Fr. Jerry acknowledged us girls at the end. Britt, Hannah, and I were definitely tearing up… Then a bunch of us went to Sammon’s for our last Sunday brunch. Of course I ordered my favorite: The Full Irish Breakfast with tea! I loved that a good majority of us were all able to sit and eat together one last time. After we ate and shared a lot of laughs, I went home to start packing. At two, Dr. Dawson came to get me so that we could watch the cooking demonstrations at the festival across the road. It was really neat, but my mind just wasn’t there this afternoon with the prospect of everyone leaving the next morning. After it was over, I had to go back and finish packing because Ann Jack and Dr. Dunan were coming around to check our cottages. If the cottage passed their “inspection” we would each get 10 euro to spend at the pub that night. We joined everyone else at Coyne’s that night, and somehow we got let into the tent that had held the fancy dinner earlier. So we got to join in on the disco for the older folks! We had SO much fun!! I danced with everyone including Dr. Dawson and Brian Coyne! Once the disco was over and we said our good-byes to people like Maggie. Our group went back to the study cottage, and it was such a surreal moment… I never really thought this day would come… We snacked on leftovers and tried to make small talk just to pass the time. When the bus finally arrived, we all had a big group hug and then everyone formed a little hug line to say good-bye to Dawson and me before getting on the bus. Brian and Patrick also came over to say their good-byes. I didn’t start crying until the bus actually pulled away. Dr. Dawson walked me home and told me to come by and see her in the morning. Walking into my empty cottage was so incredibly sad…I knew I wasn’t going to be able to sleep so I took a long hot shower at 4 in the morning. I set my alarm for 730 so I could get up and take one more walk to Tully Beach in the morning before Mom, Dad, and Dave came to take me away…

May 2,

I woke up at 730 this morning to take one more walk to Tully Beach. The weather was just stunning. Walking down the now so familiar paths flooded my mind with memories from the last 4 months. This experience has completely changed my life in so many ways. The friendships that have been made are so special because the 20 of us have something together that can’t be taken away by anyone. I have learned so much about myself. The environment that was created by our group allowed me to tear down some of my walls and I was able to begin embracing the girl I truly want to be. Never in my life have I felt so safe to just be myself. After chatting with Dawson and saying good-bye, I sat outside and ate some bread while just staring at the mountains out back. Ireland has been one of the most defining experiences of my life; I don’t think I will ever be the same.

March/April Update Part 1

*Hey Everyone! I’m sorry it has been so long since my last update-I have spending less and less time on the computer and more time out enjoying Ireland as much as I can before it is time to go home.  Hopefully this blog will get you back up to speed with what has been going on around here!  I will have pictures posted soon!*

March 31,

So today was Brittany’s 21^st Birthday.  I had made it my goal that I was going to bake her grandma’s red velvet cake with frosting so she would have a taste of home while she was here.  I mean, everyone likes to feel special on their birthday.

The cake itself actually turned out really well.  It couldn’t exactly be “red velvet” because I didn’t have any red food coloring.  But it was still pretty.  And then I began the frosting which eventually became the death of me.  It is supposed to beat with an electric mixer for 5-7 minutes which means I had to beat it by hand for almost 2 hours.  It was so darn tiring!  However, when it was done I was very happy that I persevered and didn’t give up.  It did take up most of my day though.

After that I made a lovely lunch stir-fry with potato slices, green pepper, mushroom, carrot, and celery in some basalmic.  It was so tasty!  I love having some fresh ingredients in my diet again.

We had Literature Class and today’s discussion was solely on James Joyce’s “Dubliners”.  While reading the book, it literally made zero sense, but the discussion really helped me focus.  After class, the rest of the Dawson-French clan came over to the study cottage to help us sing happy birthday to Britt and eat cake and rice krispies.  I think everyone enjoyed themselves.

After cake, Christy and I made a huge pot of spaghetti to eat before the play we were going to see that evening.  The play was done by two voices and was performed in the study cottage for us-so we were pretty cramped! It was called “The Hunger” and was very powerful.  It was great timing because we had just finished our history studies on the Famine.

At 10 we went to Brittany’s Birthday disco, and I literally just danced my heart out!  I especially loved when they played the older songs, because  I could actually pull out real dance moves : )  The best part of the night though was when Professor Duncan got pulled onto the dance floor for ABBA’s “Dancing Queen”!  It was definitely the highlight of the evening for all of us!

April 3,

Before I begin recalling the days events, I just want to say how strange it feels to be writing the word ‘April’ at the beginning of this journal.  The last 3 months have gone by in the blink of an eye.  I was told that this adventure would be over before I know it, but that is finally becoming a reality.

Today began with Mass at 11 o’clock across the street.  I feel fortunate that I was able to play guitar in addition to singing with the choir.  Today, Maria kept encouraging m to just play along with the musicians on the opening Irish tune.  I was trying to tell her that I did not know it all, but she kept pushing me just to give it a shot so I did.  I would just watch her fingers to try to follow the chords.  It wasn’t my best performance but I definitely kept up with everybody!  Today Brittany and I sang ‘Take and Eat’ as usual,  ‘Today’ for the communion hymn, and then ‘Let it Be’ for the closing song.  After mass, I joined Rob, Annie, James, Hannah, Brittany, Bailey, and her family at Sammon’s for Brunch.  I was thinking about skipping my full Irish Breakfast this week in order to save a few Euro, but I realized that it was more important to just be there spending time with my friends because those are the memories I am going to look back on and smile.  So I ordered my favorite-the Full Irish Breakfast with Tea!

After breakfast, I ended up going to the study cottage for a bit before it was time to have our traditional game of Soccer.  Today will be Liam and Emily’s last Sunday in Tully Cross so I felt that it was very much appropriate to go down to the pitch and play.  Even though I am not any good at soccer, it was still fun (my team definitely lost though!).  After a few hours of playing, most people left.  So those of us who were left (Bailey and her family, Liam, Emily, Vaughn, Jake, and myself) had a quick game up to 3 to give Liam as much playing time as possible.  I actually ended up scoring a goal!

When I finally walked back into my cottage, I was greeting by a roaring fire and a sweltering hot living room.  So I ended up just grabbing my book and a glass of water and went out to sit at the picnic table to cool off.  Not more than two minutes later, Jake comes walking out with his book and invites me to come with him to Sammon’s on a black currant run.    We went to the pub an up to the bar to order where we met Patrick having a Guinness.  We got to chatting with him for quite a while and then Jake was finally able to convince Patrick that we were just going to sit over by the window and read.  We shared a few poems and had a very productive afternoon.  There was one point though that Patrick called me back over to the bar in order to listen to a guy named Tom sing.  Then Patrick convinced me to sing a song as well so I sang “Fire and Rain” by James Taylor.  I love just chatting and spending time with the locals here.  They have literally just become a second family!

April 7,

At noon today, all of us began the walk to Kylemore Abbey.  Even Dr. Duncan came which was a surprise.  Let’s just say that he is not the fastest walker in the world-so Jake and I ended up walking with him the entire 10 km, but we ended up having a great time chatting! We finally got to Kylemore and were just waiting around for our little tour, which wasn’t even much of a tour.  The Abbey itself looks so majestic from a distance, but it is really not that much to see once you are inside and up close.  Any way, after we wandering throughout the few rooms we got to ask the Mother Superior some questions and of course Allison was asking how to get up to the Jesus Statue that a group of people had tried to find before.  She told us that the path had technically been closed for about 10 years, but we could venture up at our own discretion.  Since Mother Superior said we could venture up there if we wanted to- A group of us decided that after touring the Victorian Gardens we were going to make the hike up to say “Hey!” to Jesus on the mountain!  The weather today was literally perfect.  It was 60 degrees and sunny-ideal spring weather.  Bailey, her brother Evan, Rob, Jake, Allison, and myself walked pass all of the danger signs to make this hike happen.  The path in the first section of trail was literally like trekking though a rain forest.  It was so great!  Then the path started to disappear and we just followed our instincts of where it looked like it had once led.  When we finally made it out of the brush and into the open mountain air, we climbed up to the Jesus statue!  The view was unbelievable! We had talked about coming up here ever since the first time we saw the Abbey, and now it had finally happened!  While hanging around the statue we saw a very pretty waterfall down the mountainside a bit.  So of course, we had to scale across the mountain to check it out!  It ended up being this beautiful little waterfall/mountain stream.  We all took of our shoes and felt the refreshing chill of the water between our toes while climbing on the slippery rocks.  Three months ago, I would have never imagined that I would be playing in a waterfall on the side of a mountain in my bare feet.  If I would have seen a “Danger” sign, I would have turned the other way-If I had seen the trail disappear into rocks grass, and gravel-I would have turned around and gone home.  I overcame all of those things today.  Instead of playing it perfectly safe, I took a deep breath and ventured outside of my comfort zone.  Even though it may not have been a big deal to some, today was an enormous step for me and I am incredibly proud of myself.  Today turned out to be one of the happiest moments of my life.  I have never felt so alive! While the six of us were playing in the stream, we were joined by Bridget and Sarah.  We were just hanging out and talking when Jake whispers that somebody else is coming and that it looks like Jan (from the Czech Republic).  We just brushed him off, but then who suddenly appears on the side of the mountain? It is most definitely Jan himself.  I could not believe it-of all people to meet up there, of course it had to be Jan.

After we made it down the mountain, Dr. Dawson and Mr. Agattas were kind enough to give us a ride home so we didn’t have to walk another 10km!  As soon as we got home, the first thing on my agenda was to get in the shower and clean up before Culture Class.  As I am getting ready to dry my hair, I hear a knock at the door.  I run down to answer it, and it is none other than the boys from Cottage 7 standing there with a bowl of Chili, courtesy of Mr. Foley.  They tell me to take a few bites and I immediately start tearing up because it is literally the HOTTEST chili I have ever had in my life.  It was super good, but just incredibly spicy!  So I went and willing burned by esophagus with the boys!

April 8,

Today we left Tully Cross around 7 in the morning and drove 5 hours until we got to the Rock of Cashel around noon.  This is a beautiful site on top of gigantic rock in South Tipperary.  There is a round tower, an old cathedral, and chapels with preserved paintings from the 12^th century.  Another very beautiful site with so much history.  We then got on the bus to head to Cahir Castle which turned out to be one of my favorite castles we have seen thus far.  It is also located in South Tipperary and is actually one of the oldest castles in Ireland!  The defenses incorporated into this castle predate the use of gun powder which made it that much more fascinating!  The Castle is surrounded by the River Suir, which creates a natural moat.  There were all sorts of little features created to kill the enemy such as small doors that forced you to lean over so someone could be on the other side and chop your head off!  We had a great tour guide and we had lots of free time just to play around and explore the castle!

Afterwards, our group took a short hike to see the Swiss Cottage which is located on the same estate as the castle.  Designed by John Nash, this cottage was used by Lord and Lady Cahir for entertaining guests.  It is considered to be an ornamental cottage.  All of the miniscule details that went into this piece of architecture are absolutely amazing.  The cottage blends the earth into each element of the structure, and no two features are exactly alike.  One window in a room may have pointed top while another may have a rounded top-Just little things like that.  I just loved it there!  Rob and I even found a fabulous tree to climb outside, and we later found out that it was a mix between a female and male tree that was over 1,000 years old!

April 9,

We woke up this morning to be greeted with a delicious full Irish breakfast at the B&B before we were off to tour the Dingle Peninsula for the day.  Owen just drove and stopped the bus whenever there was a “photo opp!” or we had made it to a historically significant site.  We saw so much beautiful scenery that I cannot even begin to put it into words.  One of my favorite stops though was actually at a very rock beach where we all ventured down to an area filled with the most beautifully colored rocks imaginable.  There were purples, greens, blues, and yellows decorating the shoreline, and I just couldn’t get enough of it.  The boys had a great time skipping stones, but it unfortunately started to rain so we hopped back on the bus.  Here are just a few pictures to show how incredibly beautiful the Dingle Peninsula was:

Around 430, we were back in Kilarney to have our tour of the Muckross House where Queen Victoria actually stayed during her visit to Ireland.  It was a gorgeous home, and really showed a more elegant side of Ireland that we often do not have a chance to see.  The grounds and gardens were what were truly impressive in my opinion.  The Muckross House is right on a lake surrounded by acres of beautiful lawns and forests.  After the Muckross House we stopped at the Kilarney National Park to see a stunning waterfall.  We all decided to hike to the top of the waterfall before we had to get back on the bus so some of us could make it to Mass that evening.  It was surprisingly hot and muggy, but the fresh air and sounds of the park made it a great evening.

That evening I joined the boys after mass for dinner, and then Rian, Rob, Kenny, Jake, Maggie, Heather, and I went to a pub called Murphey’s for a pint.  It was our Dublin group reunited again and we had a blast just talking and telling stories!

Extended Weekend Adventures-Dublin and Edinburgh, Scotland

March 25,

Today we woke up to no water so I was so happy to be on the way to Dublin at 830!  It was great because Rian, Ken, Jake, and Rob were going to Dublin as well and we were all on the same bus to Galway.  Once in Galway, the boys had tickets for an earlier non-stop bus so Heather, Maggie, and I just hung out at the bus station until our bus to Dublin came.  Four hours later we finally made it to Dublin and walked to St. Stephen’s Green to meet up with the boys.  We all just sat in the grass and read for the afternoon.  It was so perfect-I could not have imagined a better day!   We all ended up going to dinner at O’Shea’s and then started a pub crawl around Dublin!

Hanging Out in St. Stephen's Green

I love Spring

We went to a pub called “The Celt” first because it has fabulous live music.  We heard a trio of guys who played the concertina, fiddle, and banjo.

Jake, Rian, Rob, Ken, Maggie, and Heather in "The Celt"

I was incredibly impressive and the pub was packed!  We then made our way over to Dawson Street to go to the Dawson Lounge ( in honor of Professor Dawson) which is actually the smallest pub in Dublin!  If you are in any way claustrophobic-this is a place to avoid!  People are wedged into this pub like sardines, but it was still fun to go here.  We didn’t spend much time here just because of the crowd.  We decided that our last stop was going to be at the Brazen Head, which is actually somewhere I went last time I was in the city.  It is the oldest pub in the city!  So we went to the oldest pub, the smallest pub, and in our opinion-the coolest pub!  We were up till almost 3 in the morning when Heather, Maggie, and I had to go to the airport to catch our flight early in the morning.  It was a great last night to be in Dublin!

All of us at "The Brazen Head"

March 26,

Today our plane arrived around 730 and we got to our hostel around 8.  When we checked in the woman at the front desk said we were very welcome to have breakfast before we settled into our room.  After a slice of toast, the three of us just went right to sleep in order to catch up from our all-nighter in Dublin.  We woke up around noon and then did a little researching about what we might like to do for the day!  We decided that it seemed like a good day to climb an ancient volcano from the Carboniferous period called Arthur’s Seat, so that is exactly what we did!  We spent all afternoon hiking and had some beautiful views of the city. It felt so good just to be out in the fresh air and sunshine after our long night of traveling.  Arthur’s Seat is actually speculated to be the location of Camelot as well.

Arthur's Seat

Looking Over Edinburgh

Beth, Heather, and Maggie at the top!

Beautiful

March 27,

Today we woke up at 8 o’clock, had breakfast in the Hostel, and then got on the bus to go to St. Andrew’s!  This was a special day for Maggie because she has been a golfer since age 10.  I was also excited to be there and take pictures for David because I know how much he would have loved to be there!  When we got to the course we found out that they close the Old Course on Sundays so that the public can walk on the course for free.  I could not believe our luck!!  So we walked the whole course in with the sun shining on our faces.  It would have been the perfect day to actually play golf.  We stood in Hell’s Bunker and walked across the bridge on the 18^th hole.  It was a perfect day.

We did a little shopping in the Pro Shop and then the girls and I went walking around the city.  We spent some time in the courtyard of the University of St. Andrew’s where Prince William went to school before we hopped back on the bus to Edinburgh.

When we got back to Edinburgh, the three of us stopped for pasta because we hadn’t a real meal in a while!  It was great and then we went to a pub to have a pint of Scottish Ale because Dr. Dawson’s fiancé told us it was some of the best ale in the world.  It was a fun evening in the city!

March 28,

Today we woke up around 9 in order to catch the free tour that was advertised in our hostel.  We had to walk over to Old Town and met up with the group on the Royal Mile.  There was a group of about 20 of us and our tour guide’s name was Andrew.   The tour lasted about 3 hours and we saw so many neat parts of the city including Edinburgh Castle, St. Giles’ Cathedral, Mercat Cross, Greyfriars Bobby, Princes Street Garden, Witch Burning Sites, and so many more!  One of our favorite parts of the tour was walking through the graveyard where J.K. Rowling (author of Harry Potter) took many of the names for her characters.  I saw the real Tom Riddle’s Gravestone!  It was absolutely crazy!  We also saw the castle that she based Hogwarts on.

on the Royal Mile in Old Town Edinburgh

the 'original' Hogwarts!

Edinburgh Castle

After our tour, the three of us did a little souvenir shopping before going to the coffee shop where J.K. Rowling wrote the first Harry Potter stories on bits of napkin.  It was called “The Elephant House” and the back room looks out on Edinburgh Castle.  We ordered some Hot Chocolate and Elephant-shaped sugar cookies and sat in the same spot where Rowling gazed out on the castle and wrote one of my favorite books.  It was absolutely amazing! Today was definitely a Harry Potter Overdose, but I would not have had it any other way.

The Elephant House

This is the view J.K. Rowling had of Edinburgh Castle while writing

Heather and Maggie!

We stopped at Tesco to grab some bread, cheese, and fruit for our dinner and breakfast the next day.  Then we walked down to the Princes Street Gardens to have a little picnic.  It was a great way to end our last day in Scotland!

Princes Street Gardens

 

 

 

 

Bunratty Banquet and Coole Park

March 21,

Today I woke up at 815 to catch the bus at 9.  The morning was pretty hectic with everybody bustling around trying to make sandwiches and do last minute packing. Our first stop on the bus ride was at a monastery called Clonmacnoise which is along the river Shannon.  We had a tour of this monastic site, but also had a little time to explore for ourselves.  This site had many beautiful Celtic Crosses, 2 towers, and many churches.  The coolest part about this site was actually something called “The Whispering Arch”.

The Whispering Arch

If you whisper into the doorway on one side, the sound carries through the arch to the person listening on the other side.  It was pretty neat!

Clonmacnoise

Our next stop was at another monastic site called Kilmacdough.  While this site was also very beautiful, but it seemed to be an exact replica of Clonmacnoise.  So we definitely got our fair share of Monastic Sites today!

When we finally arrived at Bunratty that evening, we got a few hours to ourselves at the B&B to just relax, nap, and do homework before the Medieval Banquet that evening.  Our B&B was called the Bunratty Mews and was run by a woman named Dolores O’Toole.  She was so incredibly kooky but so hospitable!  The B&B completely replicated her personality and we all settled in so quickly.   Around 830, our whole group (including our amazing bus driver, Owen) got all dressed up to go over to the castle for our banquet!

Bunratty Castle

We walked across the drawbridge and up a tower where we received a glass of mead while we waited for the evening to begin.  A bunch of us were chatting when one of the ladies dressed up in Medieval gear came up to our group and asked, “Where might I find Jake and Beth?”  So Jake and I, a bit confused, stepped forward.  She then told us that we would be acting as King and Queen for the evening and told us to get ready to be crowned in a few minutes. So after the performers told us some history of Bunrattty Castle and sang a few songs, Jake and I were brought up and crowned King and Queen of Bunratty!

King Jake and Queen Beth of Bunratty!

We had to lead everyone down the tower into the dining room.  Jake and I sat at the head table, and the evening just turned out to be a blast!  We had an amazing 4 course dinner (soup, ribs, chicken with potatoes and vegetables, and a little dessert) plus all the wine we could drink!  Jake and I even got to throw somebody in the dungeon about half way through the dinner!  They performed lots of Madrigal Music for us plus some traditional Irish songs like Danny Boy.  I had such a fabulous time, and Jake and I definitely milked our roles as much as we possibly could : )

March 22,

This morning I woke up pretty early and went into one of the many sitting rooms and read my contemporary author book while everyone else was still asleep.  It felt so good to just to sit and read while I heard Dolores getting breakfast ready in the next room.  Throughout the morning, other people started trickling into the sitting room with their books, but we all ended up just chatting before breakfast.  At 830, we went into the breakfast room and had an unbelievable breakfast!  Anything we could imagine for breakfast was provided.  Eggs, black and white pudding, rashers, sausage links, roasted vegetables, pastries, toast, granola, yogurt, fruit, and so much more!  Dolores kept checking in on us to make sure we had all the tea and toast we could ever want.  She is just fantastic and I would recommend her B&B to anyone traveling to Bunratty.

After packing up our things after breakfast, we said good-bye to Dolores and went back to Bunratty castle for a formal tour.  We ended up getting a bunch of free-time to explore on our own though!  Jake, Kenny, Rian, and I had such a great time exploring every nook and cranny of that castle.

Rian, Beth, Jake, and Ken on top of one of the Bunratty Towers

Around the castle, Shannon Heritage as set up a medieval village with real thatched roof cottages with turf fires burning inside to give people a feel for rural Irish living.  Of course all of us thought it was hilarious because turf fires and thatch cottages are how we have been surviving the last few months!  Anyway, it was such a beautiful day and we still had fun just roaming around in the sun.

Around noon, we all hopped back on the bus and drove to Coole Park.  It was so neat to come to the same place that Yeats wrote so many poems about.  A handful of us walked down to the lake, and believe it or not we saw a pair of swans swimming in the distance.  It was just like we had jumped into a Yeats poem!  Jake then decided to hop onto a rock in the lake and though it was most appropriate to read a poem out loud.  It was so picturesque with the swans in the background; we were all embracing everything we had learned about Irish poetry together.

Jake reading at Coole Park

I cannot describe how peaceful it was to just hang out by the lake on this beautiful day and just soak in the beauty around us.  We were skipping rocks and just having a grand old time.

Mid-Skip

Rob and I even climbed a tree in the park!  It was just a beautiful day to be outside in the sunshine.

Hello Spring!

March 18,

Today I woke up to join the hiking class on the hike to Lettergesh Beach.  When we started our walk, it was pretty overcast, but as we worked our way around the coast it began to clear up.  If you would look over to the ocean, the sky was perfectly blue, but if you looked towards the mountains and Letterfrack it looked like a storm was brewing.  Anyway, it was a beautiful walk down to the beach.  When we arrived, the tide was pretty far out so we climbed onto this big hill/rock that is usually a little island.  I think I could have sat out there all afternoon.  It was so sunny and perfect.

A Beautiful Spring Day in Ireland

Lettergesh Beach

Baby Lambs!

I realized just how incredibly lucky I am that I can spend my day hiking around rural Ireland.  This is an experience that I need to soak up because it will never happen again in my life.  When the tide started coming in, we hoped off our little island and walked across the beach to another huge hill/cliff to just take in the sights some more before we had to start walking back.  While we were leaving the beach though, we saw our first lambs of the spring!  I cannot describe how perfect new little lambs are.  They were bleating and hopping around their little pasture-I could not get enough of them!  If all of the daffodils weren’t enough, these baby lambs were a sure sign that spring has arrived!  On the walk back we had a little blast of rain, but then the sun came back out again so of course we got a beautiful rainbow out of it.  These are just some of the reason why I am completely in love with Ireland.  I cannot even describe how much I have grown to appreciate the beauty in my surroundings.

Irish Rainbow

St. Paddy’s Day in Ireland!

Happy St. Patrick’s Day from Ireland!  We all woke up this morning to get ready for mass because we had to be there early for choir.  We all were a little curious though if we were expected to dress in green or if that was more of an American thing to do on St. Patrick’s Day.  I ended up just wearing a nice sweater to stay on the safe side.  After heading over to church, we saw that everyone dresses up for St. Patrick’s Day just like we do in the States.  Many were dressed in their Sunday Best, but a good majority we wearing their favorite shades of green!  Mass was so great today.  We had so many musicians and almost everyone from choir was there!  The church was also full to the brim-people had to stand in the back because all of the seats were filled.  It was so great to see the whole town come out!  We sang mostly Irish songs at mass, but I did play the guitar for one number that we had done before.  It was great!  After mass, we were chatting with some of the other choir members and we got to meet Colum’s little baby named Rosie.  She was such a little doll.  She reminded me of an egg but was so smiley!  Colum just kept saying “This is my Rosie!”  It was adorable.

After mass, we stopped back at the cottage quickly and then it was time to hop on the bus to Clifden for the St. Paddy’s Day Parade.

Quite a few people showed up for this parade.  It was a very short parade with some of the local National Schools marching and many of the local businesses decking out their trucks.  The funniest part was that the parade went around 3 times because it was so short!  So Sarah and I ended up just going to a pub to have a pint and a scone.  While we were there, the National Hurling Championships were on TV, so we enjoyed that while enjoying our St. Paddy’s Day snack!  It was great!

Off to the Alps!

March 12,

Today Patricia and her father, Hans, took Sarah and I to go up into the Alps.  This was one of those things that I thought I would always just talk about doing but that I would never actually do.  We drove South through the city and then down the Lake Tegernsee. On the Southern end of the lake is a lift to go up to Wallberg peak.  We took the lift up the side of the mountain, which is something I had never done before!

Going up the Mountain!

It was a little scary but still exciting!  We could not have been more blessed with weather today.  The sun was so warm that even when we were 5,000 feet up it felt like springtime!  Being up in those mountains was an incredible experience.  We have mountains in Tully Cross, but they cannot even compare to the beauty and magnitude of the Alps.  When you look off into the distance, the mountains just seem to continue on indefinitely.  My pictures cannot justify their beauty.  We all enjoyed a little lunch on top of the mountain,  had a little snowball fight, and just soaked in our surroundings.  This moment was definitely the highlight of my spring break!

Looking over the Lake from 5000 feet up!

We took the lift back down the moment and then made our way back to Munich.  There was so much traffic going to and from the mountains, and Hans told me that it is like that every single Saturday because of people going on ski holidays.  It reminded up going up to the cabin on the weekends, and how it is almost guaranteed that there will be traffic coming home on Sunday evenings.

When we made it to the downtown area, Hans dropped us girls off to check out the market and explore the shopping downtown.  We had a really fun afternoon!

March 13,

Today was our last day in Munich, but we didn’t have to leave to get to the airport until 5:00 that afternoon.  So, Hans took the three of us girls on a little walking tour of the downtown area.  It was so much fun to learn a little bit more about Bavaria just by chatting with Hans.  We saw important government buildings, the national theatre, some churches, and the Feidherrnhalle where Hitler spoke to the people of Munich back in the 1930s.  It was a great little tour to end our time in Munich.  We went back to Patricia’s, and her mom had made us a late lunch and the 5 of us ate one last meal together.  I am so thankful that I was able to stay with such an amazing family this past week.  The Weggessers were so kind, generous, and helpful, and made my time in Munich unforgettable.  I truly hope that someday I will be able to return to Munich and see them again!

Sarah and I packed up our belongings and then the Weggessers took us to the bus station where we began our long journey back to Tully Cross!

Castles and Dachau

March 9,

Our plan for today was to go see the Neuschwanstein Castle more commonly known as “Cinderella’s Castle” to tourists.  This castle was actually the main reason Heather wanted to come to Munich so I figured it had to be good!  We all woke up and ate a delicious breakfast spread and made sandwiches for the day.  For breakfast in Munich it common to just have a pretzel with butter or nutella or maybe meat salad on bread.  They definitely do not eat eggs, sausage, toast, ect. ect. like we do back in the States.  Anyway, we were running a little late and ended up missing our train.  Patricia actually had to stay behind and work on internship applications today, so she did join us at the castle. But, she did make sure we made it onto a train okay!

We had about a 2 hour train ride to get to the Fussen train station and then it was just a short bus ride to the Castle.  There are actually 2 castles in the area, but in order to see both we would have had a two hour wait which wasn’t in our time table for the afternoon if we wanted to make it back to Munich.  So we ended up just buying the tickets for Neuschwanstein.  You could take a bus up to the castle, but we all wanted to walk so we could soak up the beautiful scenery.  The weather was absolutely immaculate today.  I loved the fact that it was super sunny, but I was still able to make snowballs while walking up the mountain : )

After taking an absurd amount of pictures we caught an English-guided tour to see the inside of the castle.  Apparently only 15% of the interior of the castle was actually finished because King Ludwig actually died in the midst of construction.  So most of the castle has just remained unfinished to this day.  The thing that was so fascinating about this castle was that Ludwig created it to be a fairy-tale castle.  There was even a room on the third floor that was created to look like the interior of a cave just because Ludwig wanted it.  He was classified as being literally insane and this castle is almost a testament to that.  Despite the excessive use of swans in the decorations, the castle was glorious.  The colors used in all of the decorations and mosaics reminded of being in a storybook.  It seemed as if each room was designed with a child in mind.  Unfortunately we were not allowed to take photos inside, but after the tour we did find a balcony that had some amazing views of the surrounding area.

After our tour of the castle, we made our way to an old wooden bridge that spans a gap looking across to the castle.  It is probably the best view to the castle.  It was a little scary walking on the bridge though because some of the boards were a bit loose!  It was definitely one of those times when I didn’t really want to look down because I knew just how far up we were!  The girls and I eventually had to make our way back to the bus though so we could catch the last train back to Munich, but it was so hard to leave that hillside!  We couldn’t have asked for better weather or scenery!

March 10,

Today was Heather’s last day in Munich so we woke up early enough to get in one last tourist destination before she had to leave.  Once again we had lots of food for  breakfast and packed sandwiches and fruit for lunch later in the day.  Patricia took all of us to see the English Gardens which are located right in the city.  Apparently in the summer, the garden is the place to be.  It is absolutely huge!  We actually spent a good amount of time watching all of the ducks and swans play around in the water before strolling around the park.  One thing I love about Munich is how people just bring their dogs everywhere.  I was expecting to see dogs in the park, but dogs are allowed on the Metro, in the mall, in the shops, ect.  It is so fun to have them all over the place!

After we dropped Heather off at the train station, the three of us headed out to Dachau to visit the Concentration Camp that afternoon.  This was something that I had really wanted to experience when coming to Germany.  I had noticed that throughout the week that whenever this excursion was mentioned at Patricia’s house, they all seemed really confused why we wanted to visit.  It just didn’t seem to be something they wanted to talk about…  I asked Patricia how much they study the Holocaust in school and she said it is definitely covered because it is still a part of their history, but when we went to the camp, she definitely was surprised at how much she learned…  I feel that German schools cover the Holocaust at a minimum because it really is a very dark part of their history.  It is very uncomfortable to think that this atrocity happened in their own backyards.

Visiting Dachau was a very uncomfortable experience.  When we first walk up, you see the remnants of the train tracks that carried the people up to the door of the camp.  When you enter the gates, there is a message written in the door that says Arbeit Macht Frei which translates to Work makes Freedom.

Entering the Camp

"Work Makes Freedom"

This is the message each one of the prisoners read as they entered the camp.  Once you walk through the gates, you are hit by just how massive this complex truly is.  Every building looks so cold and gray.  The lines of each structure are so orderly and precise giving the whole place a very militaristic feel.  We first went into one of the barracks to see the bunks and washrooms.  I cannot even begin to describe the uncomfortable feeling that just hovered over the place…

We continued to walk down the main road between the two rows of barracks back to the memorials at the opposite end of the main square before making our way to the crematorium.  The creamatorium is actually in a separate area and to get there we had to walk by the trenches next to the barbed wire fences that made escape virtually impossible.  There were actually two creamtoriums at Dachau the first one was not large enough to accommodate all of the dead so a second, larger one was built.  We were able to walk through the creamatorium which is an experience that I do not quite know how to descibe.  At one end of the building is the gas chamber which was actually never put into use at Dachau (No one actually knows why).  Above the door to the chamber is a sign that says Brausebad which translates to Showers in German.

"Shower"

Gas Chamber

On the other side of this chamber is where the bodies were burned.  The worst part of this room was not the brick ovens themselves, but the fact that there was a little sink at the back of the room for the people committing these horrendous acts to keep their hands clean…I found it incredibly ironic to say the least.  On the other side of this room was just a spare room where they kept the bodies waiting to be burned…Just standing on that floor send shivers down my spine.

After doing all of our own touring, we stopped in the main museum to watch a 30 minute video about the camp.  I was so glad I was able to come here, but it was one of the most uncomfortable places I have ever been in my life.  The air literally just felt dark and heavy while we were walking around the camp.

To lighten the mood a little after spending the afternoon at Dacahau, Patricia took Sarah and I out for traditional German food at the Hofbrauhaus.  The place was just jam packed this evening.  Patricia told us it is only tourists that eat here, but that the food is completely traditional and that it is worth the visit just for the atmosphere!  There was traditional music being played and people walking around in traditional dress.  It was great!  The three of each got different dishes so that we could share and try everything.  We had white sausage and sauerkraut, and wienerschnitzel with potato dumplings.  We also all split a liter of beer just so we could say that we had a beer at the Hofbrahaus in Munich!  Any way, it was a lot of fun to have some traditional Bavarian food!

Munich

March 7,

This morning Sarah and I left Nice around 830 in the morning.  We got up to have one last breakfast in the hostel and then were joined by another girl who was getting a ride down to the airport.  It turns out that she is from Scotland and has been in Nice for the last 7 months doing an internship with the hostel.  She is apparently studying international business.  I did find it unbelievable interesting that even though she had been here for so long, she only knew basic French.  Any way, we took the long busride down to the airport and then Sarah and I got checked into our flights.  We flew from Nice to Cologne and then Cologne to Munich.  Our flights were very smooth and we arrived on time.  As soon as we walked out of baggage claim we saw Patricia there waiting for us!  It was so nice to see a friendly face waiting with a big hug!

We hopped into Patricia’s Volkswagen and headed back to her house for dinner.  When I walked into Patricia’s house, it felt as if I was walking into a catalog for Ikea!  Everything is so cute and modern : )  Her Mom, Anna, made us pasta with a pork/tomato sauce and a beautiful salad with balsamic dressing. She does not speak English, but can understand quite a bit.  Patricia’s father, Hans, was actually very good at English!  He was so excited to have us there so he could practice! Dinner was so delicious and it felt great to have a home-cooked meal!  After dinner, we got unpacked and then Patricia gave us a quick little tour of the university district.  We were going to walk through the English Gardens, but it was much too dark and there were no lights!  So we ended up going back home and relaxed after our long day of traveling!  It feels so good to be here in Munich.  As strange as it sounds, coming to Munich felt as if I was back at home-this is going to be a great week!

March 8,

Today Heather was scheduled to arrive in the morning so our plan was to go to the airport to pick her up before heading out on a bus tour of the city.  We had a fabulous breakfast complete with real German soft pretzels!

Real German Soft Pretzels at Breakfast!

It was so great.  After some communication mix-ups, we realized that Heather did not actually fly into the city but into Memmingen, which is actually an hour outside of the city!  So Heather actually ended up taking a bus to meet us at the main train station.  In the meantime, the three of us met up with Paticia’s cousin, Anika, who was going to spend the day with us because she wanted to practice her English!  We walked around the Pedestrian Zone which basically has lots of shops until it was time to go get Heather.  We met her at the station and then made our way to the guided bus tour to get a good overview of Munich.  The tour was very good-it explained what many of the buildings we had been walking past actually were.  I even got to see the building where the Munich Pact was signed!

The Munich Pact of 1938 was signed in this building by Chamberlain, Hitler, Mussolini, and Deladair

After spending about an hour on the bus tour, Patricia led us on a little tour herself.  She took us to the place where Oktoberfest is held every year.  The area itself is called Theresienwiese.  At this time of year, it is just a massive open field.  However, about 3-4 months before the festival each year, Patricia said there are 10 gigantic wooden beer tents constructed for the festival.  It is apparently the world’s largest fair and is an incredibly important part of Bavarian culture.  It would be so much fun to come back to Munich some day during this event!

During Oktoberfest, this huge field is transformed into the world's largest festival

After learning a little about Oktoberfest, we made our way to BMW world which is actually quite close to Paticia’s house.  BMW’s headquarters are located right in Munich and a few years ago they created this beautiful structure to show off their cars and technology.  It was really neat to go in and check out all of these beautiful cars that I probably never be able to afford!

Outside of BMW world

Inside with all the cars....

Very close to BMW World was the Olympic Park.  The 1972 Olympic Games were held in Munich (this was the year of Olga Korbut and Mark Spitz just for a refresher!)  We were able to stroll around the park and then go up in the Olympic Tower which gives a great panoramic view of the city.

The Olympic Tower

The girls on top of the tower!

Looking Down on Olympic Stadium

On a clear day you can usually see the Alps, but we were there around dusk so it was a bit hazy…  It was still a beautiful view though!  One of my favorite parts of Olympic Park was going into the Olympic Swim Hall where Mark Spitz won his seven gold medals!

Me in the Olympic Swimming Hall

On the way home we stopped at Paticia’s favorite little doughnut shop and I got a Karmel (Caramel) doughnut, and it was absolutely delicious!

For dinner, Patricia’s mother made us homemade lasagna and a fresh cucumber salad.  It was incredibly good and it also felt great to have another home-cooked meal after eating out so much on this trip!  The girls and I just sat around the dinner table chatting for the rest of the evening which was a nice way to relax after our busy day of touring!

 

Sunrise, Swimming, and Monte Carlo

Last night at Carnival, Sarah and I agreed to join John and Jessica to watch the sunrise the next morning.  So at 5:15 the next morning we woke up to begin our little journey.  Usually the hostel provides free shuttles to the Tram station, but at this hour nothing was running.  We ended up just walking the empty streets to the Tram in pure darkness.  Luckily the Tram was running so we were able to make our way down by the Beach stop.  Our plan was to climb the Cathedral Hill in order to get the best view, but by the time we got there we found that there was a gate blocking the way up!  So we ended up just hanging out on the edge of the Promenade until the sun began to peak over the edge of the horizon.  It was a bit chilly and cloudy that morning, but I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything!  We had a beautiful streak of pink that eventually filled the whole sky with color.  I was so happy that I forced myself out of bed to see such a beautiful sight!

Jessica, John, and Sarah at Sunrise!

 

Once the sun made it’s way out at 7:05, the 4 of us made the hike back up the hill to the hostel for our free breakfast.  It was a lot of fun getting to John and Jessica and I think they would be great people to go hiking with some time!

Sarah, Christy, and I made it to the beach a little bit later that day so that I could fulfill my dream of taking a swim in the Mediterranean.  We could not have asked for a more beautiful day!  It was around 60 degrees and there was not a cloud in the sky!

There were so many sailboats out on the water

I found it so funny that the 3 of us were dressed in short sleeves and flip flops and all of the locals were still in winter coats, gloves, and scarves!  Anyway, after soaking up a little sun it was time to take the plunge!  The water was about the same temperature as the water at Pine Lake when we put in the dock in the spring-so it was a bit chilly!  I was having such a blast though- The water was the color of turquoise and I could not have been happier: )

A little chilly!

Just out for a swim : )

After our time on the beach, we decided to spend the rest of the day in Monaco to see the Monte Carlo Casino!  We had about a 40 minute bus ride to get there, but it was definitely worth the trip!  We had so much fun just looking at all of the fancy cars, the huge yachts, and just watching the people. The Casino was definitely a site to see-I felt as though I was transported into a James Bond Movie!

Me in front of Monte Carlo!

My favorite Porsche right outside of the Casino

A look at some of the Yachts!