Finals Begin. Dum dum dum daaaaa

Who wants to take a final when it looks like THIS out?


not me!

Unfortunately, finals start today. I've already handed in papers for two classes and have 3 exams to sit plus 1 more paper (with no word length OR due date, so that's last). I have to leave in an hour to catch the bus because lecture finals are in the community center or the Racetrack. In order to get there, you have to pay 3 euro to take the bus to your mandatory final. These Irish are connivers...not even Fairfield stoops that low! I've been studying for a few days and am surprised at how well I know the end of the 100 Years War (although don't ask me about the beginning or the middle of it) and am definitely ready for history. Philosophy and Northern Ireland politics are next week - one week at a time!

This weekend I'm going to visit my friend from home, Kyle, in Derry. That should be lots of fun especially because I haven't gone to the north of Ireland or Northern Ireland at all yet. That is my last trip outside of Galway until I take the bus to Shannon Airport on the 15th. Yikes! Two weeks from Thursday!

Yesterday we had our Fairfield "farewell meal" and went to Bunratty Castle and Folk Park for a medieval banquet. Although no Medieval Times, this was definitely fun. We ended up at the table right next to the king! Who got really into his voluntary surprise role by the end of the night..I think maybe he had too much of the free flowing wine and mead? We had to eat with our hands and drink our soup; unlike Medieval Times we got the benefit of a "dagger" (steak knife that was made in Brazil). I really just felt so barbaric stabbing my food and eating it off the end of the knife. It was a little too Errol Flynn-Robin Hood for me. The castle is very cool and the entertainment was medieval ballads, Irish songs and ended with 'Danny boy,' of course. One of the madrigals they sang I sang in high school! There was a bagpiper outside at the end in full bagpiper attire - I didn't know bagpipers had attire but they do including big fluffy hats - which was interesting, and once my friend did some step dancing to it, you kind of forgot it sounded like fighting cats. In general, a grand evening.

"Stop the drama, vote Obama"

It is SO FRUSTRATING to be in Europe and not at home in the middle of all of this political primary craziness. What is the deal with the Democrats...at this rate Senator McCain could just skip into the White House because Hillary and Barack are already telling the country why not to vote for each other..and one of them will be the nominee..so really McCain's campaign staff just magically lucked out. Ahhhh. And the Irish just can't stop talking about it.

The St. Nicholas Market

These are displays from one of my favorite things about Galway - the Saturday St. Nicholas Market. The market is all day Saturday behind St. Nicholas Church in a sweet alleyway. According to local hearsay, Christopher Columbus stopped by for a prayer on his way to "Asia" in 1492 (when he sailed the ocean blue).
The market has crepes, chili, hand knit sweaters socks gloves and hats, jewelry made of wood silver glass and pottery, doughnuts, muffins, fresh fish, flowers, organic vegetables, handmade ironwork, fruit, pies, homemade apple juice, vegetarian specials, south african sausages, cheese, fruit compotes and honey----I can go on and on. I live for the Saturday market.
Yesterday was a great day because I got there around 10, pretty early, and could buy all of my vegetables early. I usually bring a backpack and fill it up with vegetables for the week - it's cheaper and tastes better than the veggies at Aldi or Dunnes. Then I make sure to get some food! Since I was there in the morning I decided to go with an apple-pecan homemade muffin and bought a white hot chocolate at Butler's Chocolate Shoppe (mixing it up! usually a mocha coffee from Cafe Express). Sigh. I bought a present and got something for free so that way I would remember Peter and Bertie and remember, "make sure you come say hello now, when you're at the market like."
One of my favorite things is the doughnut man. He has a green and white striped tent w/ his daughter and they fry doughnuts and then toss them in sugar for you. Cocoa powder or cinnamon is optional. It tastes like funnel cake a little bit, and they are delicious. The doughnut man wears a straw hat with a flat top and a band around the edge and is always singing, no matter what. If you go to the market by the end of the day, there's a 1 in 2 chance he's already drunk! In the afternoon you could probably sit and watch the levels in his pint of Guinness all afternoon as he slowly works his way to happy drunk straw hat doughnut man.
Today was a lazy day. Last night we had a Passover sedar in my apartment because my roommate Lea and our friend Jake from downstairs are Jewish and they decided they wanted to host a sedar. There were 15 of us and we made huge quantities of food and had maybe 10 bottles of wine. It was so lovely, we cleaned and cooked all afternoon, Lea and Jake said a couple of prayers and we passed around herbs and charoset and horseradish and salt water--the boys from downstairs even put on collared shirts and ties! Or a sweater instead of a tie. It was all very adorable. Lea made matzoh ball soup, we were all very proud of her. We went out for some drinks afterwards, it was a great celebration!
In general though, I am getting homesick. I miss everyone terribly, especially because Mom left. I had been seeing my friend Liz almost every 2 or 3 weeks since I came over and I miss the girls from FU TERRIBLY as well. I had to call Sarah today. Sorry Mom I will give you $$ for that phone call. Anyway, I miss everyone at home. I will see the Carrolls at Jess's graduation and the Strahles at Jenn's wedding and I am so excited. Watch out, I am a professional drinker of Guinness now.
love. me.

Drinking Guinness with Mom.

.
Mom came for an incredible week - she must have brought the sunshine because we had one twenty minute hailstorm all week! Every other day was sunny - literally sunny. We had a tough agenda! When I went up to meet her at the hotel, the bellhop said to me, "Be easy on her, she looked pretty tired when I moved her up before." Well, obviously he doesn't know anything.
The first day I took Mom to O'Mailles shop on High Street to look at all of the Aran knitwear. O'Mailles' tailors made the costumes for the movie The Quiet Man and are the best shop in County Galway to buy knitwear, I promise, even better than the Aran Islands. I am now on a first name basis with the owners because I go in so much. I've bought a lot there and have taken friends to spend money too - I think I'm pretty close to getting a commission now...

Mom bought a gorgeous purple sweater that she wore the rest of the week. She fits right in! Of course, our first stop in Galway was to get lunch and a Guinness! We went to the Quays (great pub) for lunch before we started shopping. Early dinner at the Park House Hotel, a great restaurant and where Mom was staying. She was tired, it was an early night! We were able to go to an early music session at Taaffes so she could hear some traditional music.

The next day we took a day tour of Connemara. Even though Mom rented a car (much to my fear? nervousness?) it was better to take a bus tour, because then she could see the scenery of the wild west! We toured all over with a bus driver named Steve, who sang us songs in Irish. A main part of the tour was Kylemore Abbey and its gardens. The Abbey is actually a castle, originally built in the 1600's by a man named Henry for his wife. I hope there are still men in Ireland who want to build castles for their women! That was beautiful. I think Mom's favorite part of the day was when we went outside Maam Cross to the bridge where John Wayne looks out on his cottage in the Quiet Man...it was a five minute walk to the bridge and she quoted the whole way. Let me tell you, I got in a lot of trouble for not seeing the movie in a long time!

We spent the next day in the Aran Islands biking, with perfect weather. On the island we saw my friend Jake (random) and his parents and then realized his uncle was my fifth grade teacher!! How wild can this get? I've been living with him for 4 months and we finally realize it. Again..it's a small world. I won the $5 by default. Anyway, we biked all over, to the fort, 7 churches, cemeteries, seal colony. The next day we went to Cong, where the majority of the Quiet Man was filmed, and Ashford Castle for tea. Unfortuantely we were not allowed in for tea because we weren't staying in the castle----bah, humbug. It was supposed to be served in the drawing room! I stayed over in the hotel Thursday night and the next day we drove 3.5 hours to the Dingle Peninsula. It was some of the most beautiful country I've seen in Ireland -incredibly green, lush, sheep, seashore, sweaters, flowers - it was perfect. That night we stayed in the hotel in Shannon. It was awesome! Mom rented a car...she can tell you about driving on the left side of the road, I've promised to keep it allllll on the DL.

Finally - what you are probably wondering. HOW much Guinness did Mom have, exactly? I can tell you that she definitely held her own! I can tell you that we did in fact pub crawl and eat fish and chips! I can tell you that YES she did have a Tullamore Dew and we DID go to my favorite 4am coffee place for after dinner food and beverage (wine and cheese for Mom, baileys coffee and a brownie for me). Mom loved Tig Coili the most, as I do -we are related, after all- and loved Salthill, and everything. She told me she didn't think about work once. I think that means a great vacation.
To end the description of Mom's trip, I think this conversation that took place a little before midnight on Thursday will be entertaining:

Katie and Mom are sitting at the bar at Tig Coili, listening to trad and drinking.
MOM: (picking up her tumbler of whiskey) Ooh! How much is left in this?
KATIE: I don't know. Mom just knock it back!
MOM: I need a shotglass, I can't drink this.
KATIE: Mom, just drink it out of the glass why do you need to dirty another?
MOM: Because this is more than a shot! I only wanted a shot!
KATIE: Mom, if you wanted a shot you should have ordered a shot! You ordered a Tullamore Dew.
MOM: Oh. Eee. (Mom knocks it back like a champ)


This video is from the traditional music at Taaffes.

The Rat Race of Guinness

I've decided to embark on a journey. This past week has been fabulous because everyone has come back from spring break and there were 3 birthdays! and Mom is coming tomorrow, I cannot wait for her to be here. Basically, that perfectly sets the scene for me to continue my going out journey of Guinness...at least two weeks straight of going out every night. Tonight, Sunday, will be the only challenge because I have to write a paper--but luckily the Hanley Oaks Hotel and Bar is right next door! Won't that be fun...

I've officially booked my plane ticket home for May 15. Now that I officially have a booking for a plane ticket home on May 15-------it's so close! I can't imagine leaving and yet at the same time I really want an American crumb bun....no. I really can't imagine leaving. If I thought my body could handle it I'd hit the 5pm,6pm,9pm,10pm trad sessions nightly until the Aerlingus Aerbus takes off.

Since it's approaching the end, I have also decided-to hell with it! I will buy the not-sixty-cents-cheese if I want to. In fact, I will buy the good cheese! And I do not have to buy the sale wine or beer for my apartment. In fact, I will buy the 11 euro bottle of shiraz and 750ml of Hoeegarden! Unfortunately I have already noticed the budget crunch. This pattern may not continue for long, but by God I hope so.
My room is vacuumed and dusted for Mom's visit, so I need to go write the paper that's due...until later this week!

GARMISCH-PARTENKIRCHEN!

that is me on the Salzburg bull!! If you ride up the funiculaire in Salzburg to the old fortress Hohensalzburg, you learn the story of the Salzburg bull. When we got to the top, it was early in the morning and we stepped off, seeing the Austrian mountains, and and empty fortress. It was about 9AM. All of a sudden a random man steps around a corner and says, "Museum this way, bull that way." Wh-hhhhat? We thought he was playing a joke on American tourists until we rounded the corner and saw the actual, wooden, freshly painted, Salzburg bull! Basically, when the fortress was under siege 500 years ago, the people ran out of food and the only meat left in the entire place was one bull. So the industrious commander paraded the bull on the battlements to prove there were still animals inside. Then the townsfolk washed the bull and painted him black! And paraded him on the battlements again. The enemy realized the fortress could withstand the siege for much longer, packed up, and went away. Thus, a bull saved the fortress. Let me tell you...that is a hefty bull. It took a little assistance for me to finally get up there, equestrian extraordinare I pretend to be!

Austria was my favorite country to train through. I couldn't stop looking out the window, Julie Andrews was just constantly in my head. It was beyond all words. Snow capped mountains, Super high bridges over gorges, deliciously accented English. Our hostel played the Sound of Music daily at 8PM so we caught the end of it after our first sampling of apfel streudel. What could make less than 24 hours in Austria better?

Maureen and I left Kym and took a train to Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Bavaria, in Germany on Monday. Well. The reason we got such a good deal at our hotel is because winter tourism is over! and summer has not begun! We arrived to find out that we missed snowshoeing by TWO days and nordic walking by ONE day! Then we were one of four rooms in the humongous hotel, a little creepy but not too creepy until we were handed our room key which had a heavy brass voodoo man on it! I really just couldn't figure out what it was...vaguely Native American, maybe? But I would expect that from a hotel in Arizona, not a hotel in the middle of snowy (allegedly?) Germany. So we took it off of our key ring and put it in the wardrobe...then I thought about the Indian in the Cupboard all night.

Trying to discover our fun new town, Maureen and I went out to find food to see town deserted. Literally, it was a little eerie. Do Germans not eat out on Mondays? Someone, please explain. We were wandering around after dinner, homesick for Galway and sad (I mean, I had been away 13 days by now) and we found a pub called Glaus Haus. We just wanted a drink with PEOPLE for goodness sake! I looked on the outside menu and noticed they served Baileys on the rocks so we went in and what did we find---------JESUS. or God. Or Santa Claus. One of them was definitely there, because allllll of the tables had a Baileys insert card between the salt and pepper shakers with three Baileys drinks! Even the candle votive was Baileys. So we had two Baileys coffees each and I had apple streudel. The first night in Germany was a little intimidating, to say the least.

The next day, we went hiking in the woods by ourselves after a mostly unsuccessful trip to the tourist office. The famous tram to the highest glacier in Germany was not running because it was so cloudy (really? was this actually happening?) and did not run all day. One of the main Garmisch attractions. So we hiked for the morning to some old ruins, and a lake, and saw pretty mountains and lots of elderly people near the bottom of the mountain who we smiled at because we could not answer their obvious greetings in German (although I think I heard a Gutentag at least once, which was exciting enough, but by the time I realized what was said he had passed us and we could not respond in kind). What a great morning! Endorphins flowing, there was a great free breakfast with a British waiter, greatness, and a delicious lunch. Then we decided to use our free bus pass to visit the Olympic Skistadion in Partenkirchen.

Well, I've never seen the movie Deliverance but once when I was going to a wrestling match at Perth Amboy high school, the wrestling coach made a comment like, "Wow, this looks like Deliverance." Well, if Deliverance ever had an Olympic Skistadion, we saw it in Germany. Lots of construction + middle of nowhere in Partenkirchen + dirty snow + no ski jumpers + NO OLYMPIC RINGS ANYWHERE and signs in all German = a big letdown. Skistadion? Not worth a visit, if anyone's going to Garmisch soon.

Dinner was nice, we went to the town casino and had pizza (I had Hawaiian, I really needed some fruit) and we each had a liter of German brew, mine was called something Ludwig something. I remembered to pronounce the 'w' as a 'v', so that was exciting. We decided to wake up early the next day and just go to Munich...where we were supposed to meet Dad's colleague Peter Johnson and his traveling companion, David Rockefeller! Germany might be looking up!

Well of course it was raining in the morning and we were wearing nice clothes, because we were going to meet good ol' Dave. Hour train to Munich, we found a luggage locker, and then the highlight of Germany so far (besides the streudel, obviously) was the Starbucks in the train station. I am sorry to sound so American! But we had been separated for 4 months! It was like almost being divorced. Anyway...after the way the last couple days were just comically ridiculous, it rained all day in Munich on us and my cell phone had died, so I did not receive the messages from Peter Johnson saying don't come to the hotel at 3, come at 4. We missed Pete and Dave by 15.

Unfortunately, poor Maureen realized in line to check her bags at the airport that she booked her flight home for last week in March instead of the first week in April.

What's the moral of the story? Well, there's two.
Why go to Germany when you can spend three days where the Sound of Music was filmed?
and
Go to Germany when there are things to do.
Oh, and a third.
Germans really do not smile often.

Well, that's the end of my spring break saga. Being in Galway really was like coming home. I feel so lucky that I have a place in Ireland that I can say is "home" and truly be excited to visit my favorite places when I returned to the city. I listened to "Galway Girl" almost the whole way home. I've never felt more like a Galway girl then on that bus home from 'the continent.' I can't even imagine leaving.

Italy Holiday

"Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy..."

Yes, the first lines of Bohemian Rhapsody were caught in my head the entire vacation. I couldn't believe where I was or where I was going next..two countries in one day or on the coast or wherever, it was incredible. This picture to the left is of Manarola, a village in Cinque Terre in Italy. There are five villages in the cliffs like that and are 9km apart. The thing to do is hike through all five villages along the water, taking in the sights - the blue blue water, the cliffs, cacti, rose bushes, orange and lemon trees, and just imagine you're somewhere in heaven. At least that is what I did.
When we met up with Maureen in Nice, we realized we couldn't get onto the train to Genoa (we had to trade there to get to La Spezia, then a 7minute train from La Spezia to Riomaggiore, the village we were staying in. Rio-ma-JOUR-ay!) The thing with Eurail passes is they only allow a certain number of people with a pass on every train. So the ticket woman in Nice told me I had to buy an 80 euro ticket if I wanted to get on the train ($120!) When Maureen arrived, we went back to the ticket window, this time a guy, and decided just DO IT so we can get to Italy. Then the French ticketman said, just get on this local train to Ventimiglia over the border, then go to Genoa. What? This is okay? So we got on a local train to Italy and then bought tickets (or in my case, a reservation) on the SAME TRAIN coming from Nice...how was this going to work? We were confused, but if we had read our tickets which said No guaranteed seat we probably could have figured it out......we stood the two hours from Ventimiglia-Genoa. I imagine that is what a cattle car looks like.
We finally got to Riomaggiore around 8pm. Our landlord (we were staying in a holiday apartment) decided to go home, so he left us a big sign that said: MAUREEN. YOUR KEY IS HERE (big black arrow) UNDER THE FLOWERPOT WITH DIRECTIONS. Hmmmm....
Cinque Terre was absolutely beautiful. We only did 4 terre, we skipped going to the last town because the 4th was beautiful and it looked like rain. So we did what everyone does in Italy. Ate pasta and drank lots of wine! The three of us loved it.
After two days we woke up and took the first train to Florence and began the journey! Kym and I had been there already, but it was Maureen's first time. We tried to go as many places as possible. My favorite was the Uffizi Gallery, so I could see the Botticelli. Seeing something like that in person makes everything sort of fall away and out of focus and for one minute you realize that Zephyr was painted 500 years ago and Venus is one of the most famous paintings in the world--
We also went to a wine tasting on Saturday night. The four of us, we were staying with a friend Danielle, went to a place, 4 wines, proscitto and bread for 10 euro. The building was part of the old prisons in Florence, so the basement was all brick and arched, you could see the windows and where people would be walled up into little cells (now it's just all open). The wine was delicious! and I think at a traditional wine tasting you are literally supposed to taste the wine - like have a sip? This old man must have liked us, because between the 5 of us we must have drank 3 bottles of wine. There's no way. He was very generous with his wine! Then he decided to open a new bottle of the same wine but a different year so we could taste the grape difference (I think we may have had too much grape to really care by then). It was definitely cool, though. We went out for dinner after that and had some Florentine adventures! Those are funnier in person.
The other thing about Italy that I totally forgot -and was warned about by a South African woman living in Italy on the train- is Italian men give new meaning to the words pushy, forward, flirting, and intense. Especially if you are walking through the markets!

Here is a scene that happened multiple times:
Katie and Maureen walking through the market to buy food for dinner. They are walking through pashmina, leather, knick-knack stalls. Men are catcalling and trying to get their attention. All of a sudden-
Random man: You dropped something!
Katie and Maureen think: Oh, no, did we? Let's look just in case...
Random man: My heart.

Wow.

Wow.

There are hardly words (except if you're an Italian man, of course).
More later on Germany and Austria my eyes are tired (I actually WROTE a paper today! A real one! Five pages! I was in the library and everything..maybe I should win a prize). The sun is still out and its almost 7, it doesn't get dark here until 9PM. Someone once told me Ireland really is a little piece of heaven that fell into the sea, and every day it's easier to believe that.

Art highlights in Florence:
The Birth of Venus, Botticelli
La Primavera, Botticelli
David, Michelangelo
Brunelleschi's duomo
Four unfinished captives, Michelangelo
Adoration of the Magi, da Vinci

The return home

Who could ever stand in front of the Eiffel Tower and not take a twirl?

Well, I made it. Through four countries, seven cities, a bajillion and a half trains, a handful of buses and two airplanes. It was an incredible 15 days and I cannot believe that I am so lucky that I could do it all and go visit such incredible places! I have no idea how to express everything to you all...I would be writing blog after blog for days. I am definitely going to post the high lights here, and I suppose you could all read my journal at one point...or just have a loooooong dinner!

The most surprising thing of the trip? I LOVED FRANCE.
If someone told me a month ago that I would love France, I probably would have laughed. I have never had a desire to go visit, except to see Versailles and the Louvre. So I figured, well my friend wants to go to Paris, I guess that's okay. One of my best friends is studying in Aix-en-Provence, I guess that's okay, because she's there. I'll just get through it.
What a ridiculous thought that was. Probably on par with people who think the world is still flat or something.
Paris was gorgeous. I could have stared at the apartments all day. The entire city was white and can I describe architecture as just ...clean? Because it was beautiful. My favorite place we visited was the Paris National Opera House. That was incredible...I thought the Grand Foyer put the Hall of Mirrors in Versailles to shame and I could imagine the phantom and crinoline at every step. I had to imagine because (as I realized) I am sadddly behind on my French literature. I couldn't even drag Kym or Amanda to Victor Hugo's house in good conscience because I have not read his books. Summer reads, stat.
I wish I had more time at the museums, the Louvre is free for under 26s on Friday nights and the Musee d'Orsay is on Thursday, but we didn't get to spend a lot of time there because we had to meet our hostess, Amanda, for some vin on the town. Winged Victory was beyond words, for me. I was getting so annoyed with everyone looking at Mona (the Mona Lisa!) because tourists literally SHOVED their way to the front and then looked at her through their camera lens, maybe tried to get in a picture that had their head in the bottom, and left. And it was packed. It was a little heartbreaking, really.
For Easter, Kym and I travelled to stay with one of my best friends Liz in Aix-en-Provence. I think that was one of my favorite cities--it was all dusty yellow stone streets and medieval allies. Her host parents were Bruno e Veronique, lived in a tiny apartment but many stories high, in town, raised guide dogs and did all sorts of cool stuff. They cooked us dinner on Easter (we brought dessert) and the menu was sea urchin, oysters, lamb, sweet potato, regular potatoes with cheese, salad with beets, mushrooms and apples and bread (pan). It was awesome. They made us try roquefort cheese (GROSS, sorry blue fans) and Bruno is a recovering alcoholic, so no wine at dinner. Instead he drinks a menthe syrup water combo that tastes like listerine (I don't know where this culinary courage came from within me). Then after dinner we played the card game bullshit for almost two hours with them and Bruno's son and his girlfriend, who also came to dinner. It was one of the best days I've ever had---and I'm forgetting the morning! We went to mass at the cathedral, had a two and a half Easter lunch complete with the rose wine of the region and crepe.
In Aix, Liz randomly decided to come to Nice with us for the night. We stayed at Chez Brigitte, which is actually Brigitte's home! Like her legit house, and she rents rooms. Wild. The tub was pink and deep with a handheld shower spray, I kept thinking I was Melanie Griffith in Shining Through, ready for Michael Douglas in a WWII uniform to carry me off at any moment (don't forget he literally carries her off because she steals valuable info from the Germans and gets shot up, thats true love). Nice was beautiful by the sea, with palm trees and tangerine buildings everywhere. Vieux Nice, the area with the alleys and markets was pretty...the rest of the city was kind of just city. Since Liz had nothing with her, we decided wouldn't it be fun to shop for some clothes and then go out and have a bangarang night???
Of course.
It was excellent.

From Nice we met our friend Maureen and traveled to Italy...and today at Dunnes stores there was a sale on Pepperidge Farm Cookies, 2 for 4 euro so I need a computer break to go eat some. More later! I'll upload pictures to snapfish soon. For now...the Eiffel Tower is a tease!

Art highlights in Paris
The Lacemaker: Vermeer
Arrangement in Grey and Black: Whistler
The Mona Lisa: da Vinci
Winged Victory
Starry Night, Arles: Van Gogh
Blue Water Lilies: Monet
Marie Antoinette: Vigée-Le Brun (I think)