The sun is out and the sky is clear and it’s another beautiful day in Tully Cross. It’s sad to realize that these days are numbered, and that by this time next week I’ll be looking at my neighborhood outside my window instead of a mountain, and that I will probably never see as many stars at night in Grand Rapids as I can see here. It is definitely a bittersweet feeling and this week will be sure to bring a roller coaster of emotions that we will all undoubtedly experience from being excited to see friends and family back home to sadness over leaving our “Ireland Family.”
As I said in my last post, the weeks have gotten rather hectic around here lately, a significant change of pace for all of us who are used to a laid back type of education out here. How we’ll make it back in the Academic Building next year, I have no idea. Yet amidst the studying and papers that have been looming over our heads, we’ve made sure to take in our surroundings and fully embrace Tully Cross while we’re still here. In honor of Dr. Dawson’s family departing, we played one last game of Quidditch down on the pitch and the cottages united to make “Brinner” (Breakfast for Dinner) for her family as their last dinner in Tully Cross before sending them off the next day. It’s been different without having Liam, Emily and Allison around. They definitely added to our Tully Cross experience with Liam always knocking on our door dying to play some soccer and Allison joining us on every hike, sometimes having more of a sense of adventure than any of us. During one of their last days here, Dr. Dawson appointed me Liam’s “Uncle” because I became in charge of him on the bus. This seemed to stick with Liam as he began referring to me as “Uncle Rob!” Somehow that has resulted in me being Dr. Dawson’s brother…I’m not sure if she wants to be that close to the Abid family. She’s already got Chris to deal with. Nevertheless, the French children are surely missed here, and as they departed, the reality set in for the rest of us that our time in Ireland is winding down.
Maybe it’s not so much the realization that our time here is coming to an end, as it is that our time with each other is coming to an end. If there’s one thing that we have as a group, it’s definitely a sense of family. There have been countless nights here, especially in the past few days, where we all end up together outside or in the pub enjoying each other’s company. In the past few days, we’ve been doing a lot of grilling because the weather has been so nice out. The first night we had the grills operational was a gorgeous spring evening last week. We broke out burgers, hotdogs, and vegetables and had a great night out by the picnic tables blasting some music and enjoying everyone’s company. Some of us walked down the road a little bit and watched the sun set behind Tully Mountain and shortly thereafter, the moon began to rise over the Diamond. It was an absolutely clear and beautiful night topped off by great people and of course, great food grilled by yours truly.
We also banded together this past weekend and prepared an Easter feast. Beth, Bailey, Dr. Dawson and I went into Clifden to buy the supplies we needed while finding the best Mocha in all of Connemara at Welsh’s Bakery. Needless to say, I was an extremely happy camper. My friend from High School who is studying in Poland, Pete, came to Ireland to spend Easter with us. After much e-mailing and messaging back and forth, I got him on the bus from Galway to Letterfrack and he arrived on Saturday evening as Dr. Dawson and I eagerly awaited his arrival outside the grocery store. Dr. Dawson was extremely happy to have him as she feels it is our “obligation to all international students to welcome them with open arms, especially during holidays away from home.” Pete integrated with the group extremely well and joined us for the annual hike up Tully Mountain on Easter morning which I led. Unfortunately, it required a 5:00 a.m. wake up and also unfortunately, we got rained on the entire time. We fought our way through the extremely wet weather and the dense fog, and finally made it to the top of the mountain. It was cold, windy, and rainy, but the memory of that hike and of every single person on the trip making it to the top was worth it. Upon our descent, it began to clear up, the rain stopped, and by the time we had made it to the cottages, the sun was peaking through the clouds and we had a beautiful rest of the day. Apparently there’s an Irish saying that goes “If it’s raining before 7, it will be done for the day by 11.” This was certainly the case as we had gorgeous weather and were able to eat our Easter Feast outside between cottages 5 and 6. Pete helped me man the grill which cooked the salmon. If you’re reading this Dad, I think I’ve inherited your grilling ability, but I still need to work on the grill marks.
After the feast, most of us entered a food coma. Pete and I caught up on life, school, and anything else that came to mind before heading down to the pitch to play some Ultimate Frisbee with Jake. That night the pubs were packed. Pete and I headed to Sammons where he enjoyed some Guinness and was in Heaven. He got chatty with Dr. Dawson and they talked for a good hour or so before Pete and I were the only ones left from our group in the pub. Sadly, we missed last call at the bar so we took the walk across the street and settled in for the evening since we had to get him on the bus to Dublin in the morning. Dr. Dawson drove us down to Letterfrack and I gave Pete some Dublin tips and saw him off.
We are two finals and a few hiking journals away from completing the semester. Tonight is our History final, which everyone is diligently studying for, and tomorrow we face our Literature final. After our Literature final we are holding “Student Awards” in Tully Cross, and the evening will be capped off by a video montage that I’ve been preparing this semester of our experience in Ireland. Look for it on Facebook on Thursday after its debut. Thursday we are hosting the “Thanks from the Yanks” party, when we repay the locals for all of their generosity this past semester and cook them dinner and hold a party at the pub. Bailey, Beth and I will head into Clifden again with Dr. Dawson tonight to get the supplies. I’m helping Dr. Dawson make hummus and I’ll be manning the grill, again. Aside from that, this week will be spent making the most of what little time we have left here.
My last update from Ireland will come at some point this weekend in between all of the activities we have planned for ourselves and for the community. Until then…
Peace. Love. Ireland.
Rob
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
These Are The Days
There’s than three weeks left for me on the Emerald Isle now, which is slightly depressing to think about. School is definitely starting to pick up for us with projects, papers, and finals looming around the corner. It’ll be busy for the next week, that’s for sure.
This past week has kept us pretty busy too. Thursday we hiked down to Kylemore Abbey for probably the fourth time this semester. It was such a gorgeous day, I think it was the warmest and sunniest day that we’ve been here. We toured Kylemore and then saw the gardens, and those of us that wanted an adventure hiked up to the Jesus Statue that is located behind the castle (only this time we were successful). It was the perfect day. After we got to the statue, we found a stream running down the mountain and we all took our shoes off and stood in the stream and admired the views. I loved it.
Friday we departed for our trip to the South at 7:00 a.m. It was a rude awakening, but I woke up to an awesome sunrise over the mountains. It was beautiful.
One of the best ways to wake up.
On our way to the south we stopped at Cahir Castle. We’ve seen so many castles that I’ve lost count, but this tour was one of the better tours we had. After the castle, we walked about 20 minutes to the Swiss Cottage. It’s totally secluded from the rest of the city and completely revolves around nature. No two things about the cottage are the same; all of the windows, entry ways, etc are made differently. Again, another highlight of the trip for me. Shortly thereafter we made it to the Bed and Breakfast and then explored Kilarney, the city we were staying in for some food and proceeded to pass out from the long day’s journey.
The outside of the Swiss Cottage. I want to live there.
Saturday we toured the Dingle Peninsula, which was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. We stopped for multiple photo opportunities and got to walk down to the ocean a few times. The weather held out for us too which made it a good day. We then stopped at the Muckross House, a Victorian Mansion where Queen Elizabeth stayed in the 1850’s. The Mansion also encompassed some gardens and a lake that we were able to check out for a little while. After the Muckross House, Dr. Dawson surprised us with a stop at Torc Waterfall, which I again loved. We ran to the top of the waterfall as we were pressed for time, but it was worth it. Afterward, the guys plus Beth went out to dinner together and then Jake, Ken, Rian, Beth and I met up with Maggie and Heather for a pint at a pub. It was our Dublin Pub Crawl group reunited, only much more tame. Overall, Saturday was one of my favorite days that we’ve spent over here. The sites were remarkable and I loved every second of it.
Brit, myself, and Hannah during our tour of the Dingle Peninsula.
Sunday we left at 9 in the morning to start our trip back to Tully Cross. On the way, we passed through the Burren, which is land made up of Limestone from 350 million years ago. The land was created by the water and the ocean, and ironically, the ocean is what will soon destroy the land. Within the Burren we saw the Cliffs of Moher (or Cliffs of Insanity), another highlight for me. It was cloudy and was slightly sprinking while we were there, but the sun eventually came out for us and we got to enjoy the views and the Cliffs. I was really impressed to stand at the Cliffs. We made our way toward Galway and we got to do some Grocery shopping for the cottages and then headed back to Tully Cross. During the two hour trip from Galway to Tully Cross on the bus, we had “Rian’s Variety Hour” which basically is what it sounded like. People read poetry, sang, told jokes and stories. It was the best and most entertaining bus ride I’ve been on. I didn’t show off any of my talents, but perhaps next time. After getting back, we all went to the chipper for dinner and then called it a night.
The Cliffs of Moher. Simply beautiful.
Monday we didn’t have class, but the hiking class went for a hike at noon only to be rained out about halfway through the hike. We turned around early and spent the majority of the afternoon working on homework. Later in the day most of us went down to the pitch and played Quidditch which was organized by Heather. Liam was the snitch, which was interesting to watch. It was a lot of fun and the field was muddy, so we ended up doing some laundry after the game. Rian got the award for dirtiest player. After the game Beth made us Gallahad Stew and we went out to Coynes for the usual live music from Aiden and a few songs from Beth. It was a fairly successful day.
Tuesday I woke up early to conquer the pile of homework that is looming over my head this week before Lit Class that evening. After watching some Scrubs, the night was spent at cottage six playing Bananagrams and simply hanging out.
Today I’ve tried to get some more homework done, but motivation escapes me currently. I’m hoping that I’ll find some soon. We have our History Class this evening and that’s basically it. Tomorrow we were supposed to head out to Innishbofin but the weather doesn’t look too good, so we might skip that. This weekend will be low-key, spent working on a lot of homework I’m sure.
This past week has kept us pretty busy too. Thursday we hiked down to Kylemore Abbey for probably the fourth time this semester. It was such a gorgeous day, I think it was the warmest and sunniest day that we’ve been here. We toured Kylemore and then saw the gardens, and those of us that wanted an adventure hiked up to the Jesus Statue that is located behind the castle (only this time we were successful). It was the perfect day. After we got to the statue, we found a stream running down the mountain and we all took our shoes off and stood in the stream and admired the views. I loved it.
Friday we departed for our trip to the South at 7:00 a.m. It was a rude awakening, but I woke up to an awesome sunrise over the mountains. It was beautiful.
One of the best ways to wake up.
The outside of the Swiss Cottage. I want to live there.Saturday we toured the Dingle Peninsula, which was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. We stopped for multiple photo opportunities and got to walk down to the ocean a few times. The weather held out for us too which made it a good day. We then stopped at the Muckross House, a Victorian Mansion where Queen Elizabeth stayed in the 1850’s. The Mansion also encompassed some gardens and a lake that we were able to check out for a little while. After the Muckross House, Dr. Dawson surprised us with a stop at Torc Waterfall, which I again loved. We ran to the top of the waterfall as we were pressed for time, but it was worth it. Afterward, the guys plus Beth went out to dinner together and then Jake, Ken, Rian, Beth and I met up with Maggie and Heather for a pint at a pub. It was our Dublin Pub Crawl group reunited, only much more tame. Overall, Saturday was one of my favorite days that we’ve spent over here. The sites were remarkable and I loved every second of it.
Brit, myself, and Hannah during our tour of the Dingle Peninsula.Sunday we left at 9 in the morning to start our trip back to Tully Cross. On the way, we passed through the Burren, which is land made up of Limestone from 350 million years ago. The land was created by the water and the ocean, and ironically, the ocean is what will soon destroy the land. Within the Burren we saw the Cliffs of Moher (or Cliffs of Insanity), another highlight for me. It was cloudy and was slightly sprinking while we were there, but the sun eventually came out for us and we got to enjoy the views and the Cliffs. I was really impressed to stand at the Cliffs. We made our way toward Galway and we got to do some Grocery shopping for the cottages and then headed back to Tully Cross. During the two hour trip from Galway to Tully Cross on the bus, we had “Rian’s Variety Hour” which basically is what it sounded like. People read poetry, sang, told jokes and stories. It was the best and most entertaining bus ride I’ve been on. I didn’t show off any of my talents, but perhaps next time. After getting back, we all went to the chipper for dinner and then called it a night.
The Cliffs of Moher. Simply beautiful.Monday we didn’t have class, but the hiking class went for a hike at noon only to be rained out about halfway through the hike. We turned around early and spent the majority of the afternoon working on homework. Later in the day most of us went down to the pitch and played Quidditch which was organized by Heather. Liam was the snitch, which was interesting to watch. It was a lot of fun and the field was muddy, so we ended up doing some laundry after the game. Rian got the award for dirtiest player. After the game Beth made us Gallahad Stew and we went out to Coynes for the usual live music from Aiden and a few songs from Beth. It was a fairly successful day.
Tuesday I woke up early to conquer the pile of homework that is looming over my head this week before Lit Class that evening. After watching some Scrubs, the night was spent at cottage six playing Bananagrams and simply hanging out.
Today I’ve tried to get some more homework done, but motivation escapes me currently. I’m hoping that I’ll find some soon. We have our History Class this evening and that’s basically it. Tomorrow we were supposed to head out to Innishbofin but the weather doesn’t look too good, so we might skip that. This weekend will be low-key, spent working on a lot of homework I’m sure.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
With A Little Help From My Friends
Hey. Long time no update. My apologies. It’s been pretty hectic around here since St. Patty’s Day. I’ll try my best to catch you up to speed.
St. Patty’s Day in Ireland was awesome. We started the festivities early before the parade in Clifden. The parade was for the younger kids mainly; it was cool that they could participate in St. Patty’s Day too since in the States it’s mainly for adults. After the Parade we hung around Clifden for a little bit and shopped for groceries and then arrived back in Tully Cross to meet some guests from AQ that were staying with Dr. Dawson, Matt and Hannah. We then proceeded to start the festivities again down at cottages 8 and 9. The weather was SO GORGEOUS on that day that we spent all afternoon and evening outside. After an hour break for dinner we went back down to the other cottages for a few more hours before finally making it to the pub, where I had a sip of Guinness before falling asleep due to sheer exhaustion. I at least made it to the pub which is a lot more than other people can say though. Honestly, St. Patty’s Day in Ireland = One of the best days ever.
The next day Dr. Dawson had planned a hike for us in the afternoon. Convenient. We shook off the after effects of the day before and took a walk down to Lettergesh beach. I don’t know how many times I’ve said this about various places in Ireland, but Lettergesh beach was honestly one of the most beautiful places I’ve seen. We had another clear day which was awesome and we sat out on the rocks and watched the ocean for a while before heading back.
The weekend was spent working on homework and playing some much needed soccer and Ultimate Frisbee. On Monday we departed for Bunratty. Bunratty is a traditional even for the program. Each year, AQ students go and get served a massive feast and they crown a King and a Queen from our group. This year they crowned Jake and Beth. The feast was awesome and we were all in a food coma from the amount of meat, coupled with Meade and Wine.
Dr. Dawson and I at Bunratty.
We were whisked back to our B&B and crashed for the night. The next morning we went back to Bunratty and got a tour of the castle and the surrounding village. On our way back to Tully Cross we stopped at Coole Park, where Yeats got the inspiration for some of his poems and where he wrote some of his poems. Again, one of my favorite places in Ireland. Beth and I successfully climbed a tree in the park. Score. The rest of the day was spent relaxing in our cottages and getting things together for the rest of the week.
Climbing the tree was not an easy feat.
We had class the next two days, but it was the best weather we’d had so far in Ireland. I wore shorts and a tee-shirt for two days in a row and Dr. Dawson had class outside that week. It was awesome. We finally found the grills that last year left for us too, so we are hoping to have a barbecue sometime soon while the weather is nice. Friday was the start of our extended weekend, which I spent with Rian, Jake, and Ken. We went to Dublin Friday to Sunday just to get out of Tully Cross and be able to do something. Maggie, Heather and Beth were in Dublin for a night as well before they flew out for their trip, so we met up and did a pub crawl across the city with them. I spilled a pint on Heather (not out of drunkenness). My bad! After a milkshake from McDonalds, we got the girls in a taxi to the airport and proceeded to crash.
Halfway through the pub crawl at Dawson's Pub, the smallest pub in Dublin, and probably the most uncomfortable.
The next day we had the goal of getting to the Poetry Festival Awards Ceremony that was taking place in Dublin that week. We called and got FREE tickets. Whoot! In the meantime we went to almost every bookstore that Dublin had and I proceeded to spend around 50 Euro on six books. I spent more money on books than I did on alcohol. I felt like a very responsible student. We managed to find our way to the awards ceremony and saw Seamus Heaney win the award for his newest collection of poems, which I also bought. We then got to MEET Seamus Heaney and get our picture taken with him. SCORE! Rian was basically star struck and I think the rest of us can die happy now. The rest of the day was spent in St. Stephen’s Green reading, another one of my favorite places in the country. We went out for a pint and some live music and called it a night.
I woke up on Wednesday to a call from James saying that he and Annie had landed and I would be seeing them shortly. I got up and got the rest of my homework done and took care of a few other items. They arrived outside my cottage at 10:00 a.m. which was much sooner than I thought, so it was a pleasant surprise to see them already. We caught up over some tea and then had some food at Sammons before I had to head to class. That night, we had a welcome dinner for James and Annie at Cottage 9 and then decided to go out to the pub for a few drinks as well.
The next day we had our Literature class and I still had some things to finish up for that, so I was studious while James took Annie down to the Tully beach. That evening we saw a show called “Hunger”. It was a dramatic reading about the Famine in the mid 1800s. The two that put on the show are actually coming to Aquinas to perform it in October in the Moose and then doing a tour in the States. After the show, we got the party started in Cottage 6 for Brittany’s Birthday before heading to the pub for the Disco. I unfortunately missed Dr. Duncan and Dr. Dawson dancing to “Dancing Queen”. Someone has a video of it though, so I’ll have to watch that at some point. Everyone ended up back at our cottage where James and I ended up making grilled cheeses for everyone while the guys tore down our mantle. We finally got everyone out of the cottage and I got myself into bed.
Friday was a rough morning for some people. Bailey and I had planned to have breakfast at Sammons with our guests, so we started off there and then James and Annie took me out to Westport for the afternoon. We wandered around the city, found another bookshop where I almost bought more books, and then had some tea and caught up with each other since we hadn’t had the opportunity to yet. That evening we got dinner at the hotel. A little pricy but definitely good food. Fish and Chips since it was a Friday in Lent. After stuffing ourselves we sat around and just talked some more and they updated me on everything Aquinas. We proceeded to Coynes and had a few drinks. The others trickled into the pub and then eventually left until it was just the three of us with Bailey talking to Erika at the bar. We went back to cottage 9 and hung out for a while before crashing hard.
Saturday was another beautiful day. After grabbing lunch at Sammons we went to the Park in Letterfrack and hiked the lower part of the Diamond with Dr. Dawson and her family. I was tempted to go to the top but no one else seemed game, so some other time this month. Afterwards the three of us took a joy ride out to Lettergesh beach and sat on the rocks again and just admired our surroundings. I read Nature on a rock as I listened to the Ocean. I think Emerson would be proud of me. It’s not the woods, but it’s what I’ve got. We just chilled for the afternoon before introducing the two of them to the Chipper across the street and then heading out for a few drinks at Sammons while they had live music.
The view from the Sky Road in Clifden. Probably one of my favorite places around here. This picture doesn't do it justice, but I have a video that I'll post on Facebook soon.
Monday was their last day in Ireland. I started off the day with the hiking class while they went for a ride in the car. We hiked around the bottom of Diamond again and through the Nature Trail. The rain held out for us which was nice.
The Waterfall at the Bottom of Diamond. So serene.
Afterward James took me out in the car to talk and check out Tully Mountain since I'll be leading a hike up that mountain on Easter Morning. He showed me where he went in for the hike his year, so that was helpful. Then we just took a small joyride before heading back to the cottages for their going away dinner/party. I bought wine for the night that maybe five of us drank...over estimated that a little bit. Then we went out to Coynes for some live music and a few drinks. After the pub, the three of us stayed up until 4 when they had to leave. Bailey met us at the car and we said our goodbyes and reminded each other that we'll see them again in less than a month.
The next day was a little rough as I tried to get back into the swing of things. We had our Lit Class in the afternoon, so I spent my day getting ready for that and then Ken's parents who are visiting made our cottage dinner. SO GOOD! The rest of the night was chill and I was in bed early since I'd gotten little sleep the night before.
Today is a chill day again. We have a history quiz that I'll study for but that's it. Tomorrow we are going down to Kylemore Abbey and actually going into the property. Friday we depart for the South for the weekend, and after that we have just three weeks left. I'll be excited to go home, but I'll definitely be sad to leave Ireland.
That’s all. I’ll try to update more often this last month!
Peace. Love. Ireland.
Rob
St. Patty’s Day in Ireland was awesome. We started the festivities early before the parade in Clifden. The parade was for the younger kids mainly; it was cool that they could participate in St. Patty’s Day too since in the States it’s mainly for adults. After the Parade we hung around Clifden for a little bit and shopped for groceries and then arrived back in Tully Cross to meet some guests from AQ that were staying with Dr. Dawson, Matt and Hannah. We then proceeded to start the festivities again down at cottages 8 and 9. The weather was SO GORGEOUS on that day that we spent all afternoon and evening outside. After an hour break for dinner we went back down to the other cottages for a few more hours before finally making it to the pub, where I had a sip of Guinness before falling asleep due to sheer exhaustion. I at least made it to the pub which is a lot more than other people can say though. Honestly, St. Patty’s Day in Ireland = One of the best days ever.
The next day Dr. Dawson had planned a hike for us in the afternoon. Convenient. We shook off the after effects of the day before and took a walk down to Lettergesh beach. I don’t know how many times I’ve said this about various places in Ireland, but Lettergesh beach was honestly one of the most beautiful places I’ve seen. We had another clear day which was awesome and we sat out on the rocks and watched the ocean for a while before heading back.
The weekend was spent working on homework and playing some much needed soccer and Ultimate Frisbee. On Monday we departed for Bunratty. Bunratty is a traditional even for the program. Each year, AQ students go and get served a massive feast and they crown a King and a Queen from our group. This year they crowned Jake and Beth. The feast was awesome and we were all in a food coma from the amount of meat, coupled with Meade and Wine.
Dr. Dawson and I at Bunratty.We were whisked back to our B&B and crashed for the night. The next morning we went back to Bunratty and got a tour of the castle and the surrounding village. On our way back to Tully Cross we stopped at Coole Park, where Yeats got the inspiration for some of his poems and where he wrote some of his poems. Again, one of my favorite places in Ireland. Beth and I successfully climbed a tree in the park. Score. The rest of the day was spent relaxing in our cottages and getting things together for the rest of the week.
Climbing the tree was not an easy feat.We had class the next two days, but it was the best weather we’d had so far in Ireland. I wore shorts and a tee-shirt for two days in a row and Dr. Dawson had class outside that week. It was awesome. We finally found the grills that last year left for us too, so we are hoping to have a barbecue sometime soon while the weather is nice. Friday was the start of our extended weekend, which I spent with Rian, Jake, and Ken. We went to Dublin Friday to Sunday just to get out of Tully Cross and be able to do something. Maggie, Heather and Beth were in Dublin for a night as well before they flew out for their trip, so we met up and did a pub crawl across the city with them. I spilled a pint on Heather (not out of drunkenness). My bad! After a milkshake from McDonalds, we got the girls in a taxi to the airport and proceeded to crash.
Halfway through the pub crawl at Dawson's Pub, the smallest pub in Dublin, and probably the most uncomfortable.The next day we had the goal of getting to the Poetry Festival Awards Ceremony that was taking place in Dublin that week. We called and got FREE tickets. Whoot! In the meantime we went to almost every bookstore that Dublin had and I proceeded to spend around 50 Euro on six books. I spent more money on books than I did on alcohol. I felt like a very responsible student. We managed to find our way to the awards ceremony and saw Seamus Heaney win the award for his newest collection of poems, which I also bought. We then got to MEET Seamus Heaney and get our picture taken with him. SCORE! Rian was basically star struck and I think the rest of us can die happy now. The rest of the day was spent in St. Stephen’s Green reading, another one of my favorite places in the country. We went out for a pint and some live music and called it a night.
Meeting Seamus Heaney. Best. Day. Ever.
Sunday we got back to Tully Cross and settled back in. The rest of the extended weekend was spent working through homework and trying to get as far ahead as I could because James and Annie were coming on Wednesday and I wanted to spend as much time with them as I could.I woke up on Wednesday to a call from James saying that he and Annie had landed and I would be seeing them shortly. I got up and got the rest of my homework done and took care of a few other items. They arrived outside my cottage at 10:00 a.m. which was much sooner than I thought, so it was a pleasant surprise to see them already. We caught up over some tea and then had some food at Sammons before I had to head to class. That night, we had a welcome dinner for James and Annie at Cottage 9 and then decided to go out to the pub for a few drinks as well.
The next day we had our Literature class and I still had some things to finish up for that, so I was studious while James took Annie down to the Tully beach. That evening we saw a show called “Hunger”. It was a dramatic reading about the Famine in the mid 1800s. The two that put on the show are actually coming to Aquinas to perform it in October in the Moose and then doing a tour in the States. After the show, we got the party started in Cottage 6 for Brittany’s Birthday before heading to the pub for the Disco. I unfortunately missed Dr. Duncan and Dr. Dawson dancing to “Dancing Queen”. Someone has a video of it though, so I’ll have to watch that at some point. Everyone ended up back at our cottage where James and I ended up making grilled cheeses for everyone while the guys tore down our mantle. We finally got everyone out of the cottage and I got myself into bed.
Friday was a rough morning for some people. Bailey and I had planned to have breakfast at Sammons with our guests, so we started off there and then James and Annie took me out to Westport for the afternoon. We wandered around the city, found another bookshop where I almost bought more books, and then had some tea and caught up with each other since we hadn’t had the opportunity to yet. That evening we got dinner at the hotel. A little pricy but definitely good food. Fish and Chips since it was a Friday in Lent. After stuffing ourselves we sat around and just talked some more and they updated me on everything Aquinas. We proceeded to Coynes and had a few drinks. The others trickled into the pub and then eventually left until it was just the three of us with Bailey talking to Erika at the bar. We went back to cottage 9 and hung out for a while before crashing hard.
Saturday was another beautiful day. After grabbing lunch at Sammons we went to the Park in Letterfrack and hiked the lower part of the Diamond with Dr. Dawson and her family. I was tempted to go to the top but no one else seemed game, so some other time this month. Afterwards the three of us took a joy ride out to Lettergesh beach and sat on the rocks again and just admired our surroundings. I read Nature on a rock as I listened to the Ocean. I think Emerson would be proud of me. It’s not the woods, but it’s what I’ve got. We just chilled for the afternoon before introducing the two of them to the Chipper across the street and then heading out for a few drinks at Sammons while they had live music.
Our night out at Sammon's with our guests of honor.
Sunday we went to mass and then James and Annie took me into Clifden to grab some groceries. On the way back, the three of us hit the Sky Road in Clifden. It was the most beautiful view ever. The sun was starting to go down and it was really clear. I want to make it back out there. After that the three of us hung out with Vaughn for the rest of the night.
The view from the Sky Road in Clifden. Probably one of my favorite places around here. This picture doesn't do it justice, but I have a video that I'll post on Facebook soon.Monday was their last day in Ireland. I started off the day with the hiking class while they went for a ride in the car. We hiked around the bottom of Diamond again and through the Nature Trail. The rain held out for us which was nice.
The Waterfall at the Bottom of Diamond. So serene.The next day was a little rough as I tried to get back into the swing of things. We had our Lit Class in the afternoon, so I spent my day getting ready for that and then Ken's parents who are visiting made our cottage dinner. SO GOOD! The rest of the night was chill and I was in bed early since I'd gotten little sleep the night before.
Today is a chill day again. We have a history quiz that I'll study for but that's it. Tomorrow we are going down to Kylemore Abbey and actually going into the property. Friday we depart for the South for the weekend, and after that we have just three weeks left. I'll be excited to go home, but I'll definitely be sad to leave Ireland.
That’s all. I’ll try to update more often this last month!
Peace. Love. Ireland.
Rob
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