Within hours of stepping off my plane from Denmark, I was headed to Brighton, UK with friends. They call it the San Francisco of the UK.
travel
Ireland
Travelling to Dublin for St. Patricks day’s been on my bucket list and my semester abroad seemed like the perfect chance to make it happen!
4 of my flatmates (+1 boyfriend) headed to Dublin last Thursday for a week of Irish festivities! We stayed in Tara Towers, a quaint hotel on the outskirts of town with a beautiful ocean view. It was a little out of town but the buses were easy to navigate so it didn’t stop us.
We had an early start on Friday as we headed to the Cliffs of Moher. It was about a three hour bus ride filled with mini-stops to explore a range of Ireland. One of the best parts of the day was stopping for lunch in Doolin for some incredibly delicious and authentic Irish food and beer. The cliffs were just beautiful. Even though some heavy fog had just rolled in, their majestic essence was not lost. Plus my friends and I had wayyy to much fun seeing who would go closest to the edge (sorry mom).
The next few days of the trip were filled with lots of lots of city exploring! The Dublin music scene is huge! Along with the loads of incredible street performers, there were also several jazz festivals going through the weekend. Needless to say our favourite thing was to explore the pubs and listen to different music.
As you can imagine, the Irish LOVE St. Patricks day! In the days leading up to Monday, people were doning green garb from head-to-toe. The streets were packed at all hours of the day. I was shocked by how many people I
ran into! A lot of other study abroad students make the treck for the holiday so it common to run into old mates on the street.
On St. Patrick’s day we had an early start so we could snag a good spot for the parade. The theme was “Let’s Make History”, honoring former High King of Ireland, Brian Boru. Floats were filled with patron’s takes on country folk tales, legends and historical figures. My favourite part of the day was meeting Nancy, a little old lady who was keen on us learning irish river dancing to meet a nice lad. At one point in the night she even rounded up dance partners for us so we could practice!
All in all my trip to the Emerald Isle was the trip of a lifetime!
Day 71
Happy St. Paddy’s Day! Having been celebrating on the Emerald Isle for a few days now, I didn’t think the town could get more festive for the holiday. Boy was I wrong! By morning, the streets of Dublin were flooded with green for the city’s their annual parade (that’s surely not doing it justice). The best part of the day was learning some Irish River dancing moves from Nancy, an adorable little old lady. Never been more proud of my Irish roots!
Bucket List, check!
Day 70
More exploring! The highlight of the day was stumbling upon a mini jazz festival in town. Apparently, the Dublin has a HUGE music scene because there was live music and performers everywhere we went. It was the best way to enjoy the pubs and people.
Day 69
Corned Beef! Having two midwesterners on the trip, finding the perfect Irish CornedBeef was Saturday’s mission. After asking a few locals we ended up at O’Neil’s for an amazzzinggg meal.
Day 68
Ahoy Ireland! My roommates and I are in Dublin for the weekend to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day! On our first day we went to the beautiful Cliffs of Moher. They were absolutely breathtaking and gave us a chance to see Ireland coast-to-coast. More pictures to come in my travel post 🙂
Scotland
I decided to book a last minute trip to Edinburgh, Scotland when I got a mean case of wanderlust. MegaBus had a cheap night bus and EasyJet’s insane prices were too hard to resist! So why not right?
Edinburgh was just wonderful! Normally when I go to a new place I always feel a little resentment from locals, but the Scottish were anything but! Every person I met was animated, helpful and so so proud of their country. Men would walk down the streets in Kilts and bagpipes just cause.
We stayed at Castle Rock Hostel, which looked AMAZING upon arrival. It was located in the center of town, great facilitates and full of lively travelers ready to mingle. However, during our second night, my friend woke up covered in bug bites and found her bed infested with bed bugs! The hostel refunded her one night but was surprisingly nonchalant about the ordeal….
Sandeman’s free walking tour was a great way because we were able to orient ourselves and gain some basic background and history of the city. My favorite part was visiting Greyfriars Kirk where JK Rowling was known to have wandered seeking inspiration for Harry Potter. Apparently the “Tom Riddle” and William “McGonagall” gravestones really stuck with her!
The rest of the day involved some Scottish whiskey tastings, fudge shops ( lots of em) and some good old fashioned exploring! On Day 2 we hiked to Arthur’s Chair for a view and even made it to Portobello beach for some delicious soup at Porto café. Although the beach was FREEZING, you would’ve thought it was a warm summer day with all the excited dogs playing in the water.
Although Edinburgh was a short trip, it was a easy escape from London to experience a new culture. I can’t wait to return and see what the rest of the country has to offer.
Day 45
Day 45: Home sweet home! Although I never got any bug bites, my roommates and I still took the precautions of disinfecting EVERYTHING we brought with us once we got home. 2 hours and multiple burn wounds later (kidding), we were finally rid of the hostel nightmare!
For more pictures from Scotland check out my new travel post!
Day 44
Day 44: Bed bugs! Jill was up all night with bug bites so we decided to stay in Edinburgh and cancel the day trip we had planned up North. We hiked up to Arthur’s Chair for the best view in the city and even soaked our feet in the sand at Portobello beach. Although the water was FREEZING, you would have thought it was a sunny summer day with all the excited dogs playing.
For more pictures from Scotland check out my new travel post!
Day 43
Day 43: After a long night bus ride to Scotland I finally arrived early Saturday morning. I ended up siting next to a girl from one of my classes who was headed to Edinburgh for the weekend and staying just a few blocks from me. How weird is that?! Later, I met up with my roommates who had arrived earlier and we went on a walking tour and enjoyed the company of fellow travelers at our hostel.
Jamming with some fellow hostelers
For more pictures from Scotland check out my new travel post!
Savor Away 