Well... I knew this time would eventually come. I never knew how hard it can be to say goodbye. I found it the most difficult to say goodbye due to the fact that I have so many memories with these people. We were strangers four months ago and now we will be friends forever, regardless of distance. However, I am ready to return home and see my family&friends. The anticipation is killing me and I just want to be on my flight home at this point. Since I am one of the last people to depart Maynooth, it is incredibly quiet here on campus and around the town. All of the students are preparing to return home, whether that be to the states or somewhere in Ireland. This semester truly flew by and I have absolutely no regrets with my trip abroad. Instead of being emotional, I decided to head into Dublin today and do some final exploring. Even though I feel like I've seen every part of Dublin at this point, I decided to visit a jail in Ireland called Kilmainham Gaol. I was able to tour the jail and get an in-depth story about the people who were imprisoned there. It was super interesting and one of my favorite attractions in Dublin. I returned to the city center for some last minute shopping and of course, a pint of Heineken before taking the train back to Maynooth. Knowing that this may be my last time in Dublin, it was sad leaving the city that means to much to me. I made sure to take a second look at my surroundings and take in all of the sights, glancing at the River Liffey one last time. I will miss the culture, the people, the pubs, and all of the sights around this city. I can honestly say that Dublin is by far my favorite city visited and feel at home here. However, I truly felt that Maynooth was my home during my stay. The town is so incredibly small but has such an amazing sense of community. All of the store employees are friendly and want to engage with you. The restaurants serve great food and the pubs are even better. I will never forget our crazy nights out at "The Roost", "Bradys", or "Mischief". The town may be one street but it's a street of amazing culture and community. At this point, I have actually managed to pack all of my stuff into my two suitcases. I did not want to feel rushed tomorrow (the day before my flight). I may take one last trip into Dublin before I depart. While I look back at my journey, it has been 103 days of traveling throughout 8 different European countries; countless meals and dinners; lots of pints; and a whole lot of fun. I must say, I am blessed for this experience and all that I have been able to accomplish. Without the help of my parents and family, I would not be able to have had this once in a lifetime experience. Huge shoutout to my mom, dad, sister, and brother for being the best support system out there. Even though I haven't seen you guys in four months, you have always been there for me. I have been blessed to have such amazing friends back in Franklin and at UMass. They have constantly kept me in the loop and were always keeping me updated with everything happening back in the states. I cannot wait to see all of you guys back in the states. My entire extended family has been great and super supportive of my trip (MA was through the roof when she found out I would be living in Ireland for four months). I have also been able to find my heritage and roots here in Ireland. I cannot thank my family for meeting me for the first time and taking me in like a true family. One of the major highlights of my trip was being able to meet my family (cousins, second cousins, cousins once removed, and my great-aunt). Looking back on this experience, I could not ask for a better semester in the most amazing country. Ireland, you will always have a place in my heart. I may not be back for a while... but I will be back. "To travel is to take a journey into yourself". Thank you for taking this journey with me. See you all soon... very soon. Brie xoxo (This post will include my favorite pictures from my semester)
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Well... the end is approaching. It is crazy to think this experience is almost over and I will be heading home on my Aer Lingus flight back to Boston in five days. Before I depart, six girls and I travelled to Lisbon Portugal this past weekend. To my dismay, we had to take a 6am Ryanair flight to Lisbon. Let me tell you... I will not miss getting up at 3am to catch a 6am flight. However, getting up early to travel to Portugal was totally fine and I was super excited to go. After arriving, we traveled by train to our airbnb. The location was great and it was huge, fitting all six of us comfortably. We dropped our belongings off and headed off the day, stopping to get some food before doing some sightseeing. We happened to find a walking tour in English and joined the group, getting the history of Portugal and getting to see the major sites in Lisbon. I must say... Lisbon was easily my favorite country (besides Ireland) that I visited. The culture in Libson is rich and it looks like an area out of history. All of the buildings are brightly colored and has a rich cultural feeling around every block. The views are insane and can be seen for miles, especially with the ocean so close. We stopped by the waterfront and continued walking toward La Fama; a rich cultural neighborhood that represents old town Lisbon. At La Fama, there were little stalls that were open with food and restaurants. Around every corner, we were offered shots of a signature liquor called "Ginja". When taking the shot, it is poured in a chocolate shot glass and it was so yummy... safe to say we had a couple of shots throughout the day. In this area, we would see old residents of Lisbon on their balconies, singing native songs to the pedestrians passing by. We continued walking around Lisbon until it got dark then headed out to dinner altogether. The next morning (we only had 2 days in Lisbon), we took a cab to Sintra, which is a town nearby to Lisbon. We visited the National Palace de Pena in Sintra where it looked like a tropical fortress in the middle of the rainforest. The building was colored bright yellow and had so much history to explore on the inside. It was super foggy and we were extremely high up in the mountains, making it hard to see at times. But, it was one of the coolest places I have visited in terms of castles and palaces. We took a "tuk tuk" down to the city center in Sintra, something that was definitely an experience. The doors were wide open and it is basically a little scooter with seating at the back. We continued to shop and walk around Sintra, returning back to Lisbon for a birthday dinner for one of my friends, who is celebrating her 21st birthday. We went out for a little afterwards at a roof-top bar that was actually located on top of a parking garage. It was a blast and was great celebrating with my friend. Sadly, we had to leave the next morning for our flight back to Dublin. This was probably one of the flights that I was dreading the most; not because it was in the morning but because I truly did not want to leave such a beautiful place. All of my friends agreed that we need to come back to Lisbon and spend at least a week in Portugal/Spain. It was one of my favorite trips of the semester, finishing off a wonderful semester of travel. I cannot believe that my time here in Ireland is almost up. It seems like yesterday I was packing my life into two suitcases, flying on a plane alone for the first time, and coming to a new country where I would live for four months. It is difficult for me to describe how much has changed in just four short months. Coming to Maynooth for the first time, I flew here alone where I did not know a single person who was studying abroad. I can remember crying to my mom because I was anxious about coming here alone and leaving my friends behind. I was afraid that I would forget something or not have enough shoes with me. It was one of the scariest feelings, coming into a foreign country with no expectations. It was hard to leave my friends at UMass for a semester, feeling like I would be missing out on so much and thinking I would be forgotten about. I had no idea that this experience would change my life in so many ways. I understand that this can sound cliche but these past months have been the best experience of my life. I have made friends from all over the United States, ranging from Seattle Washington to Dayton Ohio. It feels like I have started college over, coming into Maynooth as a scared student who was ready for to explore. All of the study abroad students were in the same situation and were all looking to make friends with one another; just like orientation three years ago. I have traveled all around Europe, getting to explore multiple countries and enjoy the culture. Again, I have travelled with girls I had met four months ago, not knowing a single one before coming here. I can honestly say that these people have impacted my life in more ways then one. I am incredibly grateful for the people I have met and plan to stay in contact with them. They may not understand but I am thankful that I happened to run into four girls from the University of Dayton Ohio on the first day we did a sponsored walking tour in Dublin. I was hesitant to take the tour as I did not know anyone at this point. I also had five great roommates that become some of my closest friends. Little did I know, these people would become my best friends for four months where we would travel around Europe together. From popping bottles of champagne in front of the Eiffel tower to exploring all of the many pubs Ireland has to offer, we have truly had the experience of a lifetime together. I would not wanted to have spent my twenty-first birthday with anyone else, making me feel so special and loved on this day. The memories I have made with the amazing people I've come into contact with will be something I can always talk about. From meeting locals at the Irish pubs to trying all different types of strange foods, these are the things that I will never forget. It has been hard saying goodbye to everyone. For most of us, it does not seem real that this experience is really ending. I've started to pack my stuff, not realizing I won't be coming back to my little dorm in Maynooth again. I've tried not to say goodbye to anyone yet, just saying that I will see them soon. However, I think back about all of the crazy memories I have throughout the past four months and offer absolutely no regrets on anything. I will forever miss the Irish pubs, meeting Irish locals all the time, and seeing so many sheep. Even though this post may seem nostalgic, I want everyone to know that I am incredibly excited to return to Boston. I miss everyone in my family, all of my friends from home, and all of my friends from UMass. I cannot wait to DRIVE again and actually drive on the other side of the road. I cannot wait to stuff my face with Chipotle and Buffalo Wild Wings. I cannot wait to be able to LEGALLY order a drink at dinner with my family. I cannot wait to see my family and show them all of the amazing things I have done. I cannot wait to explain to everyone how I met my blood-related family for the first time and could not have asked for better people to surround myself with. This experience has changed my life in so many ways and I could not be more grateful for the opportunity to travel abroad in Ireland. I will surely be coming back eventually, whether that be in the next 2-3 years or not. Ireland will forever have a place in my heart. I still have five more days left in Ireland! That means, five more days of exploring and five more days of Irish pints. I plan to spend some more time with my friends and head into Dublin for some shopping. I am heading into Dublin tomorrow for brunch with one my friends for bottomless mimosas and good food... yummy. Oh... and I also need to pack all of the stuff I've accumulated over the past four months (that will be TONS of fun). It has been such a great week here in Maynooth as we have been celebrating Christmas and the ending of finals... WOO! Well... it is time for some much needed sleep now. Hope you enjoy reading my blog and I will post again before I leave. So incredibly thankful. I know it has been forever since I've written in my blog. I have been so busy with the end of semester papers, exams, and studying. I feel like I have no time left here and the days are counting down until I am home. I have a bittersweet feeling about leaving Ireland as it has been such an amazing experience but I do miss my friends and family at home. It feels like forever since I have seen everyone and cannot wait to be home to catch up on everything! Catie came to visit me for 10 days here in Ireland. It was great getting to see a familiar face and show her all of Ireland, where I have been living for the past 3 months. First, I showed her around Maynooth (it did not take too much time as it is a town made up of one main street). We went to dinner at a local place where I got the "steak on the stone" which is where they flash-cook the steak and bring it to you on a hot stone, where you continue to cook it yourself. It was delicious and we were stuffed! The next day, we went into Dublin and explored some of the well-known areas such as Temple Bar and Dame Street. We went to a place called 777 which was great margaritas for a cheap deal. After this, we went to the Temple Bar area and went into a pub with live Irish music. It was a blast and it was fun showing her Dublin, which is such an amazing city. In the morning, we left for Galway to visit family we have never met before. We stayed with Sean Mchugh, who is my dad's first cousin so my cousin once removed. After the 3.5 hour train ride, he met us in Galway and showed us all around the west coast of Ireland. We visited my Grandmother's house, where she grew up and spent all of her life in Ireland. We traveled to Connemara and Clifton, doing some shopping and seeing the beautiful sights of western Ireland. We also stopped at Kylemore Abbey, a castle and well known spot in Connemara. Sean showed us so much and was so welcoming to me and my sister. We stayed with him and his wife, Mary along with Brid who is my Grandmother's sister and their two dogs. It was great meeting family for the first time and they welcomed us with open arms. At night, Catie and I went into Galway City and explored the streets and pubs. We did some shopping and grabbed dinner at a local pub to finish off the day. After this, we met up with some more family for drinks at a nice hotel bar. Finally, after a long day, it was time for some well-needed rest before our journey back to Maynooth tomorrow. We headed back to Maynooth and stopped a few more time before Sean dropped us off at the train station. It was truly a blessing to meet family and be so very welcome. It was great to be able to visit and connect with family, something I will never forget. The next day, I celebrated my birthday with Catie and some friends! It was officially my 21st birthday and we needed to celebrate. We went to a local bar in Maynooth to celebrate with everyone. It was a blast and a night I will never forget. It was great that Catie was there to celebrate with me. In the morning, we headed back into Dublin for some brunch and much needed shopping time. At night, we took a tour of Croke Park where they play futbol here in Dublin. It was a skyline tour so we had panoramic views of Dublin at Sunset. It was very cold and I could not feel my feet or hands. However, the views were spectacular and it was great to see Dublin from higher up. We returned to Maynooth to pack for our trip to Amsterdam. AHHHH! Amsterdam, yes. I was super excited but not pumped for our 6am flight. It meant we had to wake up at 3:30am and be at the airport by 5am. This was not fun but meant we would have more time to explore Amsterdam. When we arrived, we walked around and checked into our five star hotel. This hotel was crazy stunning as we had a happy hour every night with complementary snacks and appetizers. It was so much better then all of the hostels I had been staying at when traveling through Europe. We took a canal cruise tour and got to see all of the major attractions in Amsterdam. At this point, we were exhausted and decided to head back to the hotel and nap before the night. We had a reservation for a sushi restaurant and let me tell you... it was unlimited sushi and we stuffed our faces. We could hardly walk after eating all of this food and could not believed we had consumed over 30 plates of food. We continued walking around Amsterdam and did a tour of the red light district at night. It was definitely different and puts a different perspective to legal prostitution. I thought the tour was interesting and gave you a different opinion on the women in the "red light windows". I'm glad we were able to do the tour and see a completely new culture. In the morning, we headed to the Amsterdam Ice Bar where you are put in a freezing cold bar that's filled with ice. It was absolutely freezing but so much fun. They gave you three drinks with your admission and all of the drinks were really well made. We only lasted 20 minutes inside the ice bar but it was an awesome experience. I'm not sure if I would ever do it again but it was a "cool" experience. After the ice bar, we went to grab some lunch at a Mexican food restaraunt. It reminded me of chipotle, something I have been missing dearly. Catie ate a waffle on the street and it was amazing, filled and stopped with Nutella and whipped cream. We went back to the hotel and changed for the night, eating some dinner and getting drinks before waking up for our flight tomorrow afternoon. Before leaving Amsterdam, we went to a building that gives you views of the entire city. In this attraction, you are able to literally swing on the side of the building, hundreds of feet above the ground. Catie and I did this while it was raining and basically hailing, while being around 40 degrees. The views were beautiful and it was such a cool ride. We were strapped in and could only see the ground and us moving off the building. After this, we walked to the train station and took the train back to the airport. Amsterdam was a city that was filled with culture (and lots of BIKES). It was very different then any city I have visited and enjoyed being able to see it with my sister. It was great having her visit and allowing me to show her my new home. It was hard having to say goodbye but it would only be one short month before we saw each other again. After she left, it was time to buckle down and finish my school work. I had missed almost a week of classes and needed to make up the work I have missed. While balancing all of this, I needed to make time to continuing to see Dublin and the attractions. My friend Rosie and I did a viking splash tour which is basically like a duck tour in Boston. You drive around in a truck that also turns into a float and goes into the River Liffey. The tour guide was hilarious and was making us crack up. The only downside was the fact that it was freezing and probably one of the coldest days in Dublin this far. The wind was high and the bus did not have any windows, so it was open for everyone. After this, we went to a bottomless brunch at a trendy restaurant. Yes, bottomless mimosas and the food was great. I was exhausted and freezing but we kept going and did not stop the entire day. We visited the Jameson Distillery and did a whisky tasting. Safe to say, I am not a fan of whiskey but thought the tour was interesting and gave great background on the history of the Jameson family. It was a great day spent with one of my best friends here. HOWEVER... I woke up the next morning with severe pain in my throat. I had no idea what it could be but needed to see a doctor ASAP. I visited a doctor and found out that I had tonsillitis. The doctor offered me antibiotics that should help clear it up but it was horrible. I had a constant fever and could not do anything. My body hurt everywhere and it was terrible. Finally, the antibiotics started to kick in and I was feeling a lot better. Now, I am 100% better and feel great. It just was not expected and really put a damper on how I was feeling. I took a tour to the Cliffs of Moher and Galway this past week. I have FINALLY made it out to the cliffs and it did not disappoint. I actually felt like I was at the end of the earth, with the shear beauty of the cliffs. I could not believe how beautiful and high the cliffs were. I was sure not to stand too close to the edge. The tour also stopped in Galway where I was able to see the Christmas Market with all the stands and great food. I was able to walk around for about an hour and see Galway City (for the third time). It was great "craic". After going to the Cliffs, I met up with some more of my family in Bray. Bray is a seaside town located south of Dublin. I met up with some more of my cousins and my second cousins. We went out to dinner then headed to the pub all together. My dad's first cousins have kids that are my own age and it was great talking to them about college and life. I truly felt that I was at home and it was so easy to be around them. They were super welcoming and made me feel like I was at home. My cousins were cracking jokes and laughing, giving me all of the Irish slang words I should be using. It was one of my favorite nights spent while in Dublin. It was genuinely great to spend time with my family and get to know them. Now, they just need to come visit the Flaherty's in Boston! Well, that updates you what has been happening with me the last few weeks. It has been crazy and I only have 15 days left in Ireland. I am trying to balance school work while seeing the rest of Ireland. I am going to Lisbon Portugal this weekend for my friend's 21st birthday. I am excited to be in Portugal and (hopefully) get some better weather then Ireland. It has been a blast this far but I am excited to go home and see my family. It feels like forever and I cannot wait to sleep in my own bed! I am technically only home for about two weeks before moving back into UMASSD. I am excited to get back to UMASSD and see all of my friends. Well, that is all for now. I will write about my weekend in Lisbon after I get back and I will hopefully be seeing everyone soon! xoxo It feels like forever since I have written in my blog! Lots has happened over the last two weeks here in Ireland. First, we had an entire week of school off which is called a "study week" but mostly means travel as much as you can in this short period of time. My first stop on the week-long trip was to Barcelona Spain. Myself and three friends from the U.S started off on our week-long journey. Barcelona is a beautiful city with rich culture everywhere. When we exited the subway after arriving from Dublin, we walked into a protest in the city center where everyone was wearing Catalina Flags and chanting. At first, yes it was a little bit scary as we are in this new place (four young American girls) but it was extremely peaceful and interesting to watch. We sat down at a cute restaurant in the city center before checking into our airbnb and ordered some well needed food. Of course, I had to order a nice big glass of Sangria and it was delicious. Our airbnb was centrally located and was huge for the four of us to share. After checking in, we changed into some more appropriate clothing for 75 degree weather and purchased tickets for a Hop-On-Hop-Off tour bus. These type of tours are offered in most major tourist cities and are a great way to see the city in a short period of time. We were able to see the history and natural beauty of Barcelona, all day and night. Some of the stops included a huge museum located at the top of Barcelona where we got spectacular views of the city and the Olympic Stadium. We also took a gondola ride up the mountain and got to see the entire city from 100 feet in the air. We explored a market called "Las Ramples" which had hundreds of different vendors and food selections... and of course Sangria. After a long day, we sat down for a nice dinner (tapas) and decided it was time for some well-deserved sleep. The next morning, we continued our Hop-on-Hop-Off tour and stopped at the beach. Let me tell you... the beach in Spain in November is beautiful and warm, everything I was hoping for. We stayed at the beach for a little then continued with our tour. We went to the Park Guell, where the famous Barcelona benches are with a view of the city. We were able to explore the park and continue seeing the natural beauty of this city. After this, we took a vehicular ride up to the tallest point in Barcelona (it even got colder as we climbed this mountain) and was awesome to see the views. For our last stop, we did a tour of the Sagrada Familia, one of the most famous churches in Barcelona. The architecture and history of this church was both beautiful and interesting... I was intrigued to learn about the church and the audio guide tour was super informational. I also got to climb to the top and see the views from the roof! But... then we had to walk down 400 stairs so that wasn't too fun! Dinner was needed after this long day and we finished off with steins filled with Sangria. Since our flight from Barcelona to Paris was at 6am, we did not even get any sleep and decided to party the night away. Needless to say, it was not easy staying awake for the flight. But finally, we arrived in Paris! Due to some issues with our airbnb, we had to switch where we were staying and were unable to get any sleep before leaving for DISNEYLAND...on HALLOWEEN! So at this point, we had not slept for 40 hours but we had to keep pushing because there is no where else I would rather be then Disneyland Paris. I was basically running on expresso shots and coffees but Disneyland was an absolute blast (and freezing). I was able to live out my inner child and go on all of the well-known Disney attractions. Cinderella's castle was constantly lit up and playing different Disney clips from well-known movies. It was truly a one-of-a-kind experience that I will never forget. After this long night, we took the hour long train ride back to our apartment and PASSED OUT from exhaustion. Because we had not slept for 40 hours, we ended up sleeping in the next day and not waking up until 12pm. It was needed but that meant we got a later start to our day and would have to be quick in our sightseeing. Our first stop was to the Louve Museum where the Mona Lisa and other artwork is held. Because of time restraints, we opted not to go into the museum as we would not have enough time to explore. Next stop was the Notre Dame Cathedral, which did not disappoint. We walked into the church and there was a mass actually going on. We listened in on the mass (even though it was in all french) and thought it was amazing to be able to see the church in action. It was beautiful on the inside and out, with so many small details to see. Our last stop for the night was the Eiffel Tower, with bottles of champagne in hand. We popped our bottles and admired the Tower for the night, realizing how blessed and special this experience truly is. I could not believe I was sitting on the grass of the Eiffel Tower, drinking champagne with friends that I will have for life. We decided to head home after spending some time at the tower, stopping for drinks first (of course). In the morning, we headed to the Palace of Versailles, something that actually looked like it came from a history book. We toured the Palace and the extravagant gardens, something I can only describe as stunning. We took a small boat on a lake inside of the Palace, admiring the views and the green gardens surrounding us. Versailles was something unique and was filled with history everywhere. We found a cute restaurant for our final meal, doing some shopping after and enjoying the culture around us. Our last stop in Paris was for a giant drink and yes I mean a GIANT drink. I shared an XL Margarita with three of my friends in Paris... does it get any better then that? Sadly, my flight was again at 6:00am back to Dublin and I did not sleep at all that night. I was happy to arrive back in Dublin and hear those Irish accents I have become so used too. It was great to be back in Maynooth and have a couple days to "recover" from our week-long trip. It truly was an awesome week with so many memories and new adventures; something I will never forget. I celebrated my 21st birthday with one of my best friends here, Rosie, this past Thursday. We had a bunch of our friends over and celebrated both of our birthday's together (she turns 21 today and I turn 21 next week). It was a blast and one of the best nights I have had thus far. I am thankful to have met such wonderful people while being here and be able to celebrate my birthday with everyone! Today, I took a day trip with my program to NewGrange, which is an ancient (5,000 years old actually) tomb that has been preserved. We were able to enter and observe the architecture. We made a few more stops to various places in County Meath then returning to Dublin once again. BUT... Catie (my sister) comes tomorrow for 10 days! I seriously cannot wait to see a familiar face and show her my new city. She is going to love it and I cannot wait to see her! We are going to spend a few days in Dublin, a few days in Galway with our family, and a few days in Amsterdam to celebrate my 21st birthday. It's going to be so much fun and I am looking forward to this coming week (I mean, I'm here for school... right?) This past weekend, I traveled to London England with my API Program group. We were traveling with about 17 students from three different colleges across Dublin. Surprisingly, the flight and dealing with a large group went perfectly fine at the airport; no one got lost and we all made it safely. I arrived pretty late at night on Friday and could not do much exploring upon arrival as I was exhausted from a long day of travel. Saturday morning, I woke up and had breakfast at the hotel (yes, a nice hotel breakfast for once) and did a walking tour of London. I was able to see some of the major tourist sights of London such as Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben (which was under construction), London Tower Bridge, and the Tower of London. We were able to walk around and see many different statues of famous historical figures. After this, the program all had lunch together at a restaurant located not far from the Tower of London. The food was super good and I got fish and chips for my meal. After this, we did a tour of the Tower of London, which is basically like a tiny village of history located in beautiful castles and buildings. There was so much history and we spent a reasonable amount of time there. I was able to see the crown jewels of London, ranging back to centuries of parliament. After the long day tour, I decided to keep going and not stop for a rest as I knew I would not wake up if I took a nap. My friends from Maynooth were actually in London the same weekend as me which was awesome. I met up with one of my friends and we went on the London Eye together, a giant ferris wheel that gives you panoramic views of the entire city of London. It was a bit scary as you are suspended over the River and 100 feet in the air, but awesome to see all of the major sights of London with a 360 degree view. At this point, I was running on about 4 hours of sleep from the previous night but knew I could not stop now! My friend and I (literally) ran back to our hotel and changed to go see the play "Wicked" which is well known and famous in London. As someone who doesn't typically enjoy plays, it was outstanding and the musical was great. The set and all of the background effects were insane for a musical and all of the singers were crazy talented. Once the show was over, my friends from Maynooth and I grabbed drinks and headed back to the hotel for some (finally) deserved sleep. In the morning, I met up again with my friends from school and headed to Buckingham Palace for the changing of the guard ceremony. The amount of people (and tourists) at this event was unimaginable and I was packed against dozens of strangers. The ceremony was interesting and very official; I could not believe that all of this was happening to change who was guarding the palace. The guards played many different popular songs ranging from Moana to Walk the Moon. It lasted about 40 minutes then we left to grab some lunch before doing some more sightseeing. For lunch, I HAD CHIPOTLE, yes I repeat CHIPOTLE. As my friends and family may know, I am obsessed with it and had been deprived as there are no Chipotle's in Ireland. It was worth the wait and I enjoyed every moment of eating my burrito bowl. After eating, I was able to go inside of the Tower Bridge where they have lots of historical facts about how the bridge was built. They had a section of the floor that was completely clear glass where you could see directly down into the river and on-going traffic. I was a little scared but the views were fantastic. We continued to tour the bridge and took lots of picture by the river. I sadly had to leave my friends as my flight was leaving and I needed to head back to the hotel to meet up with the program group. We had to travel about two hours to get to the airport and catch the flight. I arrived back in Dublin on Sunday night, happy to be home with another week of school ahead of me. London was a huge city and it reminded me a lot of New York City. I cannot say it was my favorite city but it was awesome to explore and see all of the famous sights. There was just a LOT of people everywhere and it could be a bit overwhelming at times. I am glad that I got the opportunity to travel to London and experience all I had seen in movies and tv for years. I have to say, the underground railway system in London is great and is all I used to get around during my stay. Well, I am back to a full week of school this week! This weekend, I am leaving for my week-long trip to Barcelona and Paris with four of my friends. I cannot wait for this and am waiting for the weekend to come! I also booked a flight back to Glasgow so I can spend some more time with my family and explore my mother's hometown. Catie, my sister, comes to Maynooth in about two weeks and I cannot wait to show her all around my town and Dublin. Seeing a familiar face is going to be amazing and we are planning to travel to Galway to spend time with my father's side of the family. And we cannot forget, my 21st Birthday is also coming up in about 3 weeks. Yipee! Lots of exciting things to happen and this trip just keeps getting better... And I'm here for school right? When traveling across Europe, I always look forward to coming "home" to my quaint little dorm room in the smallest of towns. It truly has become my second home as I am always looking forward to returning here. This weekend, I stayed in Ireland and enjoyed Dublin with some friends. Sadly, I have been feeling under the weather for quite some time and haven't really improved. I have been trying to push myself to see and do everything, not really thinking about my health and taking care of myself. But... you're only in Europe once so I have to make the most of it!
On Friday, a bunch of us went into Dublin for a pub crawl among some of the well known pubs in the Dublin area. The crawl was interesting and had a wide range of ages... pretty sure we were the youngest people on the tour. However, we got free drinks and got to see some live Irish music, which brought me back to the days where I used to do Irish step dancing. Everyone in the pub was clapping and cheering to the musicians, making the overall atmosphere a blast. We got home super late on Friday and slept in on Saturday, well deserved after a long night! On Saturday, a couple of my friends and I decided to take the bus into Dublin and do some shopping. The shopping is Dublin is awesome and they have every major retailer. H&M, Forever 21, Primark, Pennies, and Urban Outfitters are just a few of the many popular stores they have. It was actually SUNNY, without any rain and the temps were in the mid 60's (something you don't normally see here in Dublin). We walked around for a while, just enjoying the sunshine and beautiful weather. We stopped for lunch after shopping and headed back to Maynooth on the train. As for today, it has been a pretty lazy Sunday just catching up on laundry and school-work. I have been trying to lay low and focus on getting better as I have exciting trips coming up this week! This week, I am going on a Ghostbus tour through my program. Basically, you board this crazy-looking bus that tells you ghost stories and takes you to haunted attractions around Dublin. I guess it is one of the most popular tours in Dublin and I cannot wait! I am also going to London this coming weekend with my program, which I am super excited about. It will definetley be a jam-packed weekend but awesome to finally get to England! After that, we have our study break which basically means a week off from school so we... travel of course. I am going with four girls to Barcelona for two nights then going to Paris for three nights. I will be in Paris on Halloween where we are going to Disneyland (yes... I am almost 21 and cannot wait to be in Disneyland). Here's to another crazy week of classes and traveling. I am hoping to be better by the weekend so I can enjoy London and all it has to offer. As always, I still cannot believe that I am actually here in Ireland getting to see all these wonderful sights and attractions. I am so blessed for all of this and am looking forward to continuing my journey to other parts of Europe! Hello everyone! It is safe to say that this past weekend has been quite the adventure. We travelled to Glasgow and Edinburgh Scotland for the weekend. The flight from Dublin to Glasgow was only about thirty-five minutes, the quickest flight I have ever taken. When we arrived in Glasgow (late at night), we made our way to our Air B&B where we were planning to stay in a small flat located just outside of Glasgow city. Well... that did plan out exactly as I have said. First, we could not gain access to the building and the code the host had given us would not work for the house. We tried numerous times to contact the host and they would not pick up the phone. Basically, we were stranded on the side of the road with no where to sleep for the night (at this time, it was around 11pm) with no directions or way to gain access to our apartment. We were not located in Glasgow City and there was really nothing open near us. We decided to walk to the nearest gas station and hopefully get some help (or a bathroom). We were frantically calling the Air B&B customer help center and trying to get some answers on how we can get into the building or even find somewhere to sleep for the night. As we were waiting outside of the gas station, I ended up talking to two gentlemen who were from Glasgow and clearly saw we were struggling. We ended up talking to them and explaining the situation were in and they offered to drive us to the nearest hotel (yes, we got into a car with complete strangers but had no other options at this point). The two gentlemen were kind enough to drive us to the nearest hotel (which was completely booked) so we said our goodbyes to these men for helping us in the biggest way. Now... we were stranded at a random hotel in a suburb of Glasgow. We were trying to find a hotel to stay for the night as we had been told that we would be reimbursed for all of the hotel costs. I eventually decided to call my mom (who is from Glasgow) and see if she could help us in any way; despite being 3,000 miles away. She was able to get in contact with her family who live in Glasgow and they were actually willing to pick us up at the hotel (at 12:30am) and bring us to the hotel we had booked. I must say, family is a wonderful thing to have and despite not having met this part of the family before, they were the sweetest people I have met. I mean, this is what family is for, right? Eventually, Peggy and Randall were able to bring us to the hotel we had booked and we were FINALLY able to be in a warm building with beds. It was quite the ordeal and would be a huge stress factor for the rest of the trip (we were constantly on the phone with Air B&B trying to figure out compensation and getting situated in terms of living arrangements). We even had to switch hotels after two nights. However, all of us were safe and had a place to sleep is all that matters. It will be a great story to laugh at in about 5 years. After this fiasco, we took a day tour of Glasgow and got to see the city where my mom grew up in. Glasgow is by far my favorite city I have visited thus far. There was so much history and beauty, from shopping to restaurants to museums, it was beautiful. We stopped at Tennent's Brewery, where we got a tour and beer tasting. The beer was good and the tour was interesting where we were able to see all of the machines that produce 3 billion pints of beer a year. I had honestly never heard of Tennent's beer before coming to Europe and would actually drink it again in the future. After the brewery tour, we headed back to Peters Square where we did some shopping (yes, there is a 3 story H&M and Primark) and ended up going back to the hotel to nap. After we woke up, we went to dinner at this fantastic Mexican restaurant where I got a wonderful plate of tacos and of course, margaritas. Personally, this was the best food I have had on my trip this far. The atmosphere of the restaurant was hip and trendy. Only getting to spend one day in Glasgow was not enough time to see the entire city. It was hard to cram everything into one jam-packed day. The next day, we took the train from Glasgow to Edinburgh for a day trip. We went to a juice bar where I tried an acai bowl for the first time. After that, we went to the Edinburgh castle and got to see views of the entire city. You could see the all of Glasgow, for miles in the distance and views of the mountains. I ended up walking around and doing some shopping, even seeing a city-wide protest against job wages. There were people EVERYWHERE and the streets were super crowded. But, the architecture of the buildings is historic and it looks like they were never altered. It looks like a city out of a storybook, that was never updated or changed as the years progressed. All of the churches and cathedrals look like they have been there for thousands of years and were properly preserved for their natural beauty. I have never seen a city that has such amazing architecture and buildings. After spending the day in Edinburg, we ended up going back to Glasgow and getting dinner at a burger joint. There seems to be a LOT of trendy burger places here in Scotland. Who would have known? Sadly, we had to wake up at 4:30am for our flight back to Dublin. I did not want to leave this city and am planning to come back before the end of my study abroad trip. I want to spend more time with my family and get to see more of Scotland. I can honestly say that two days in not enough time in Scotland and I want more time to explore. Hopefully, my mom can come and show me her city ( and where she grew up). I am grateful to have spend the weekend in Scotland and for meeting such wonderful (and helpful) people. It really shows how powerful family is and how willing people are to help you. I am exhausted after this trip and all of the troubles we went through with the accommodations. I am happily back in Maynooth and ready for another week of classes. I will be spending this weekend in DUBLIN! Finally, a weekend to enjoy Ireland and Dublin. We are planning to do a bar crawl on Friday at temple bar, one of the most famous bar areas here in Dublin. We may do some traveling on the weekend and explore some more of Ireland. Who knows what is in store! Well... I can finally say that I have traveled to the United Kingdom! This weekend, I went to Belfast, Northern Ireland to travel and do some sightseeing. We took a bus from Dublin that was a guided tour, even having to wake up at 5am to make the 7am departure time. Our first stop was to Belfast City, where we had the option to explore the Titanic museum or opt for a personal cab tour with a native from Belfast. I went for the personal tour of Belfast (where we got to take a classic U.K cab), which was guided by a sweet man named Martin who gave us his personal backstory about growing up in Belfast and dealing with all of the conflict that has risen over the past 60 years. He was honestly one of the sweetest (and hilarious) people I have met thus far on my trip. He would recall stories about his childhood and even being shot (yes, being shot as a child). He had such a dry sense of humor and loved talking to me and my American friend (and busting our chops!) . We got a personal tour of the city and he stopped at many of the major historical sights to give us some information on why it was so important. After the tour was over, we met up with the other group (after giving Martin a huge hug goodbye) and continued on our day trip. We then traveled to Giant's Causeway, which is one of the most beautiful natural sights I have ever seen. It's a 60 year old volcanic rock that was formed and still stands today... where people can actually climb on the rocks and see views for miles. We were able to explore the causeway and climb up the rocks, even being able to see views of Scotland since it was such a beautiful day. Finally, our last stop was the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge, thats connects two islands over 100 feet of water. We were able to cross the bridge (barely) and even got to see where some of the "Game of Thrones" scenes were filled. The bridge was a LITTLE wobbly but was super awesome to cross. Belfast was a city that was filled with history and struggle. You could see how passionate all of the citizens are about the deep history dealing with issues of religion and fighting for freedom. The people I met were lovely and always were willing to tell us about their own experiences living in Northern Ireland. My trip to Northern Ireland was one that I will always remember for its spectacular history value and amazing natural beauty. I am hoping to return for another visit before I leave and be able to explore more of Belfast itself. Even though we had a 17 hour day, it was worth every moment. Sadly, it is now Sunday and a full week of classes are ahead for me (just kidding, only 3 days). But, I am looking forward to this coming weekend with my friends and seeing Glasgow for the first time. I am also excited because I booked a flight to Paris (and Disneyland Paris), where I will finally get to pop a bottle of champagne in front of the Eiffel tower. I cannot wait! Brie xoxo Hi Guys! My name is Brie and I am currently studying abroad in Maynooth Ireland. I have decided to start a blog about my experiences and adventures while I am here. First off, I have always wanted to travel to Ireland and learn about my heritage. My grandmother grew up here and always offered so much praise about this country. She would tell stories about all of the beautiful sights and culture. Studying abroad is not common at my school as many students do not have the desire to travel. For myself, I knew that I had a strong passion to travel and see the world through my own eyes. I wanted to do something different and gain insight about what the world has to offer. I have been here for about three weeks now and it has been incredible. Maynooth is a small town located about forty minutes outside of Dublin. The town is basically one street with many pubs and shops, including small coffee shops and restaurants. My university almost makes up the entire town of Maynooth as the population doubles when school is in session. All of the residents of Maynooth are so sweet and willing to help when they see a confused American student. There is also a bus stop and train station located about five minutes from my school, where you can travel into Dublin and access many of the major trains that will take you all over the country. Maynooth is a wonderful, small, Irish town that offers so much culture and fun for everyone; I was even able to find a nail salon!
When I first moved into Maynooth, stressed is an understatement. I was moving to a university that was 4,000 miles across the atlantic where I did not know a single person. I would fly by myself for the first time (with my two extremely heavy bags of luggage) and hope that someone would meet me on the other end. However, I knew that this experience would be life changing, whether it be a positive or negative experience. I can say that I have met and made such wonderful friends since being here. All of the students are in the same position and looking to branch out and meet new people. It can be a daunting task at first but was super easy to meet students just like myself! I live in an apartment with 4 other students, two who are American and two who are German. I am able to take classes in my major and learn different aspects of business from the perspective of Irish professors. I can actually say, for once, that I am excited to attend class lectures and learn about my major. The professors here are full of knowledge (and sarcasm) but make the class enjoyable for all. I also do not have any class on Thursdays or Fridays, making it easy to explore the town and the many pubs around here. I spend this past weekend in Galway with 8 girls from the U.S. It was quite the haul but we made it to Galway with around 5 hours of travel time. I can safely say that I have NEVER seen as many sheep and cows before. The train ride was quite enjoyable and I met some locals on the train that were very curious to talk to me about education in the U.S (people in Ireland cannot fathom the idea of paying $25,000 a year for college education). Once we arrived, we ventured to our hostel which was quite interesting. Hostel life is not one for me and I would much prefer to stay in a nice and warm hotel. However, we dealt with the uncomfortable bunk beds for one night and made the best of the situation. We ended up going out and exploring Galway's nightlife and the quaint little town. The next morning, we woke and had a traditional Irish breakfast. I am not sure what those "black pudding" things are but they do not look appetizing. We shopped around Galway for a few hours and visited a farmers market. After that, we grabbed some fish and chips and headed home for our long travel ahead. It was great to see the other side of the country and more of a countryside feel; as opposed to Dublin which is a hustling city. So far, my experience in Maynooth has been great. I could not imagine myself studying in any other place and genuinely enjoy being around all of the Irish culture. I am grateful to experience the small town of Maynooth while having direct access to Dublin and all it has to offer. I have met so many Irish students who love talking to me about American culture and what it's like to be a college student in America (and under Trump's power). I will be traveling to Belfast, Northern Ireland this weekend and seeing some of the major sights there. After that, a group of 8 of us are heading to Glasgow, Scotland for a long weekend. I will FINALLY be able to see where my mom grew up and spent so many years of her life. I am hoping to spend some time with my family and meet some for the (first) time. Well, I am exhausted and it is a rainy cold day here. Time to watch Netflix and take a nap. xoxox Brie |
Brie FlahertyStudent studying abroad in Ireland ArchivesCategories |