Lydia's European Blog

Exploring Antwerp, Bruges and Ghent

The night before I went to Antwerp, I went to dinner and drinks with my new roommates. They are from Florida so it was nice to have people to talk to who were in a similar situation as me. As I have mentioned before, we live in the tourist area so we go through the market to get home. To our surprise, we found the market totally empty and lit up in the colors of the rainbow. It was so beautiful and I had a wonderful night.

The next day I was able to sleep in and then head off to Antwerp for the afternoon. It wasn’t a long bus ride but I fall asleep so easy on busses that I was sad to have drifted off while he was talking. I heard most of the information and woke up ready for the walking tour portion of the trip. My group was a little disappointing because they were all in their sixties and half didn’t speak English. I felt bad for the guide because he had to say everything twice so that all the Spanish speakers and English speakers knew what was going on. The city is pretty interesting and I was able to see city hall, Cathedral of Our Lady and the train station that looked like a cathedral. It was a good day which ended with us going to the observation deck of the museum which is ten floors high. It was incredible and a good end to the trip. On the bus ride home the guide was talking and explaining the docks. Unfortunately, I fell asleep again but I did hear some of it. When I returned home, I got dinner and got ready for tomorrow’s day trip to Bruges and Ghent. This trip is all day so I wanted to make sure I got enough sleep this time so I would be ready to take on the day! I was shocked to find that my roommates who had checked out we’re back. They couldn’t find a way to Germany that night so they had to go the next day. They ended up falling asleep quickly as they had a bus to catch at 5:15a.m. so we didn’t get a chance to do much.

View from the ninth floor was still just as incredible.

I got up bright and early for the trip but luckily the trip was by the same company so I was able to sleep a bit longer as my walk to the meeting point was only around the corner from the hostel. This time there were a lot more people. I fell asleep on the bus again but this time when I woke up I was disappointed to find out we had to pay more to do the boat cruise. It was annoying because the walking tour and the boat tour were the only things planned for Bruges so it didn’t make sense why the cost wasn’t included. When we arrived in Bruges it was gorgeous. The weather was ok but the city was beautiful. It looked like a mini Amsterdam. We started walking around and seeing the city. The best part was the canal ride because it was really fun and we saw a lot of the city. The walking tour was a little frustrating because she was translating in French and Spanish too so we did quite a bit of standing and waiting.

Houses that look similar to Amsterdam houses.

After finishing with some free time and lunch in Bruges we went to Ghent. We didn’t do a ton of walking but basically the whole bus fell asleep on our way there. The groups was again mostly people in their sixties but I was surprised how rude and mean some of them were. Ghent wasn’t as much fun because it was pouring and she started talking sometimes before we were all in listening distance and she would switch between languages. This tour wasn’t as good but I still had a pretty good day.

Older gentleman took the photo so you can’t see much of the cathedral but still nice photo.

I was happy to get back to Brussels and just relax and get some dinner. Belgium has been great so far. I am looking forward to my last day and then going to Prague.

On to Brussels

I had a 6:00a.m. flight to Brussels so I had to go to the airport extremely early in the morning. Unfortunately there was only one cheap way to get to the airport and there really wasn’t any information posted online. So when Elizabeth and I want to go find the stop at 2:30a.m. in the morning and we struggled to say the least. We ended up finding the stop alright but Elizabeth hurt her ankle. Luckily I still had some change and I was able to give her money to take the train when she had to return four hours later for her flight. after that it was smooth sailing as I made it to my flight and arrived to my Brussels hostel. The lady at the front desk even let me check in early! Once I unpacked a little, I went out to explore the area. I went to the Grand Place Grote Markt area and the supermarket. I live in a tourist area so it’s nice but the amount of chocolate stores is surprising. I didn’t really have anything planned for the day because I was planning on doing work on a computer but they don’t have any at the hostel so I had quite a bit of free time.

I woke up Tuesday and went to my free tour right away. I was excited to get out and really meet the city. The tour guide was the best I’ve seen for the free tours and I learned quite a bit. I don’t know anything about Belgium so everything was new and I didn’t find myself getting bored and zoning out. During the tour, I was able to see many things that I saw yesterday but this time I actually got to learn about what I was seeing. I live in the big tourist area but there isn’t much that explains the significance of the places. Brussels isn’t too big and although the tour was almost three hours it didn’t feel like too much walking. Today was interesting though because it seemed like there were multiple school groups doing scavenger hunt/ relays because tons of kids had clip board and were running around trying to find places. It was quite entertaining especially because some of the groups we saw multiple times.

After the tour, I went to find a Belgium waffle and did a beer tasting. I’m not a fan of beer but it was pretty good and the waffle was divine. I’m already a huge fan of waffles but these are on a whole new waffle level of awesomeness. I heard that Brussels isn’t all that much fun but so far I have been having a good time and weather ideal. Once I had my waffle fill, I went to book my airport transfer and print my tickets before I forgot. Since my flight is out of the smaller I had to pay a bit more to get there but it worked out fine. I had to go to the other hostel that I first checked in at but everything emailed correctly from my phone and I have my ticket and transfers. I was a little worried because I did everything on my phone but I worried for nothing as usual.

After working out all the printing, I met some of my new roommates who are from Florida getting ready for their study abroad. They just arrived from Florida so they fell asleep right away and I made my way to see the law courts. When I got there I was surprised to find such a beautiful view of the city. After I just wandered around the city and stopped in the Notre Dame au Sablon Church, the Parliament building and a few chocolate stores. The church was gorgeous and the weather was perfect. Although there aren’t too many big tourist attractions, the city is easy and fun to walk around.

I had a great two first days in Brussels and I am looking forward to the next two days were I will be traveling to Antwerp, Bruges and Ghent.

Saying goodbye

On Friday we had to start preliminary packing so that we could get ready for our move to the other building on Saturday. After that we wandered and explored the Villa Borghese area again and ended near the Colosseum. It was hot but a gorgeous day and I love being able to just walk around without a plan and not in a rush. We ended up sort of being forced buy flowers from one of the street sellers but it was still a great day. We also walked through many different areas that we never saw before although we did get a little confused with directions sometimes. It was a wonderful day with my sister and I am so happy she was able to join me in this adventure. Once back home, we took a break before getting dinner and then doing some odds and ends on our electronics.

Rare occasion with not many people at the Spanish Steps.

I'm so happy :) — I haven’t been this happy in a while

Saturday was the big move so we had to get up a little earlier than normal to check out of our room and move all our things into another room that was 15 minutes away. It was a bit annoying because we had to wait until 1pm but it was worth the wait. First they paid for a taxi ride to our new location and then when we got there the new building was actually an apartment that we shared with four other people. It was a gorgeous apartment with a huge sitting area an a full kitchen area. They also had it partially stocked with food because we still have a free breakfast.

Once we got into the apartment we started packing to leave. I had to fit all my things into smaller bags and then help pack the rest into the suitcase Elizabeth was bringing home. It was a mess and extremely stressful. The process ended with Elizabeth needing to carry on both the backpacks and me sending my computer home. Unfortunately for me this means I won’t be able to apply to many jobs or keep updating my blog regularly. Once that was all sorted we went to the Arch of Janus and Tiber Island. It was in the evening but still quite warm. The island was beautiful and I was so happy that we were able to go out and explore for some of the day. After that we struggled to find food in our new area but the restaurant we found had great pizza. It was a slightly stressful day but also wonderful.

Arch of Janus

We woke up bright and early to attend a mass at the Vatican. We were planning on walking but we got delayed when two of our roommates woke up at the same time as us. Luckily the metro stop close to our apartment drops off near the Vatican so we still made it when we wanted to arrive. The 9:00am mass was finishing when we got there but we did get really good seats. It was weird though because people were almost running to get seats and if someone left early people would almost run again to fill in the gaps. When the mass concluded we went outside to see the blessing from the Pope. I’m not Catholic so I never thought I would ever see a living Pope so I was quite happy to hear him speak. I was sad he didn’t say anything in English but people around us were crying. Seeing the Pope is a big deal and I was honored to be there.

Pope Francis about to start the blessing

After the blessing we went to Mausoleum di Augusto, Hadrian’s Temple and Piazza Baberini. Unfortunately, two of the places were things we had already seen so Hadrian’s Temple was the only new thing of the day. It was fairly hot so I didn’t mind going to the places relatively quickly and heading home. We rested our feet for a little while and then got gelato. I tried some of the lemon gelato Elizabeth got and it was actually really wonderful. I need to stop eating junk food but why does it have to taste so good!? Once home I finished my blog, applied to some last jobs, and then packed my things so that I was ready to leave tomorrow.

I am so happy to have been able to spend two amazing weeks in Rome with my other half and I am looking forward to my adventures next in Belgium. It will be hard to say goodbye to Elizabeth and Rome but it won’t be forever.

Seeing more of Rome

Elizabeth and I got up ate breakfast and then went exploring. We went to see Circus Maximus, which is the site of the first chariot races, the Pyramid of Caius Cestius and Baths of Caracalla. Unfortunately we went right at mid-day and we did about two and a half hours of walking so we didn’t got into the Baths and instead went home for a break. It was a great morning but we quickly found that unless we head out really early in the morning we should wait until the afternoon if we are going to do a large amount of walking. We ended up staying in then as I had a job interview through FaceTime so we didn’t have enough time to go back to the Baths. It was alright though because we got a snack, I did my interview and then we went to free pasta night at the hostel. It was a tiring afternoon so having a relaxed evening was just what we needed. We also got new roommates which was pretty cool because they are from Australia. It was a little bit of a bummer though when we came back from dinner a little before 9pm and they were already in bed.

Wednesday was a little more exciting as we had a free walking tour. It was really interesting although some of the information he didn’t quite remember the dates so that was a little strange. The whole situation was a little awkward because the confirmation email had the wrong name of the tour guide and then the guide was confused because he thought we only wanted a tour with that guide. The area we covered in the tour was all places we hadn’t been before so that was great and the weather was overcast so we weren’t too hot when we finished. After we got home and ate dinner on the terrace and then I applied for more jobs. I heard back from a few more jobs but they all couldn’t accommodate my current situation or needed someone to start right away.

In the morning we had a relaxed day as I did more on my computer and Elizabeth watched movie on her phone. I worked on more odds and ends before we went to the store and then met up with my friend Bridget. She was waiting for her mom’s friend to come in so we hung around the hostel and I did job applications and looked up places to visit before we headed out to meet her. We ended up waiting about 20 minutes because her mom lost her passport but it was at the front desk of the hostel. Everything worked out and we ended up wandering and getting some great food. Elizabeth and I got salad and fruit and it was much needed. I forgot how much I missed vegetables and fruit as we have been in an almost two week carb overload. It was great to catch up and I think we both appreciated talking to someone other than each other. We even went to a cat sanctuary which in near a ruins site. It is similar to a humane society but only for cats.

It was a long day but we ended with getting some hot chocolate and watching a video. It’s getting close to the end of our adventure though and I am getting a little sad.

So much is happening

Saturday was more of a relaxed day as we looked up places to travel and things to do and then went on a free walking tour. I was a warm day so when we arrived to the meeting point it was insane because so many people were out and about. The tour group ended up begin large too so the first two stops we struggled to hear the guide. It was still really interesting and we learned more about the city and the monuments that weren’t part of the Colosseum or the Vatican including the Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps. It was funny when we learned about Trevi Fountain because the reason it took so long to build because the changes in the Popes meant the architects changed and the process was stalled. As the tour continued, we did get to see a new area called the Piazza di Spagna and the memorial for the first King. It was an interesting area because there was architecture from all the different periods in Rome from the age of the Roman Forum to the modern day work. It was crazy to see all the different kinds of architecture in one place. After that we learned about the Roman Forum and Coloseum again which was just repeat of the other tours we did. It was still a wonderful tour and after we got takeaway to eat on the terrace in our room.

It was an exciting Sunday because Elizabeth and I went to the Olympic Stadium to watch our first professional soccer match. We had to take the metro and then walk about a half hour to get there. As we were looking up the colors and making sure we didn’t wear the colors of the other team we realized that the game had changed from 3:00pm to 12:30pm. Since it was only 10:30 we made it in time but it would have been really sad if we had missed the game. When we got to the stadium we had a little mishap in entering in the correct area but we found the right gate and made it to our seats just in time for kick off! The game was awesome but everything and everyone was speaking Italian so we couldn’t join the cheers but there was a large group of people around us so it was still great. A.S. Roma was playing Genova and it was great because the home team (A.S. Roma) won. Because the stadium once hosted the Olympics the surrounding area was full of statues and relics from the Games. It was a day to remember. After the game we at dinner and went to get ice cream near the Spanish Steps.

As the weather was getting better we decided that we should head to the beach. Our metro pass that we purchased to get to the stadium still worked for Monday so we thought we would get out of the city for the day. It took a while to get there but we found the beach and it was wonderful and hot! We were able to get a spot right by a restaurant so we were able to listen to their music. The only bummer was the people were still there walking around trying to sell people junk. The day ended a little earlier than expected because it was a bit too hot and we didn’t have a ton of sunscreen so we didn’t want to push it. It was a relaxing day which was what we wanted. Once home, we got some amazing food and more gelato before calling it a day.

Rome has been amazing and I can’t wait to see what the rest of our second week has to offer!

The Holy City and a giant party

On Thursday we got to sleep in and then we headed towards the Vatican. We are over an hour away so it was a bit of a hike. I was surprised though when on our way we went through the Spanish Steps which was one of the places I wanted to see. It was insane on the steps though because people were sitting everywhere and taking photos and going into the fountain. We kept on and made it to the Holy City only around 15 minutes early for our tour which wasn’t bad. This time we didn’t have to run to our meeting point but we were constantly bothered by people trying to sell us tickets or selfie sticks. After a short wait in line, we went into the Vatican and started our tour with our group. There were only eight in the group so it wasn’t a private tour but still quite tiny. We started our tour by going through the Vatican Museums and looking at statues. It was interesting and we were able to see all the marble that was taken from the Ancient City. After that we were able to enter the Sistine Chapel. It was the chapel that Michelangelo painted by himself and even made him blind from the led paint falling in his eyes. We were a little upset by all the people talking and taken photos when they weren’t supposed to but it was still incredible.

After standing in awe of the beautiful room we went to St. Peter’s Basilica. It was covered in marble and gold. It was just huge and even the letters going across the edge of the ceiling were over six feet tall. I was surprised to find out that the basilica was not made as a place to worship God but rather a place to honor the Popes which seems a little weird but it started to make a little more sense and the bodies of some of the dead Popes are displayed to the public through clear coffins. It was horrifying. Even the floor had areas were you could see into the crypt that held the other dead Popes that choose to be buried there. I loved the building and the incredible mosaics and statues but the bodies were absolutely horrifying especially since people were taking photos of them.

We soon left the Basilica and saw a changing of the guard before leaving the group and hanging out in the plaza for a while. There were beautiful fountains and we were able to enjoy the weather before we walked an hour home. On our walk home we did see a castle and that was pretty cool. Once home we took a break and then went to the free dinner. It was really great because we met a girl who goes to school at UW-Madison who also has a twin. Her sister was with her but it was her older sister. It was still really crazy to meet someone else from Wisconsin. After dinner we headed home for the night and looked up more placed to see before leaving.

Front of St. Peter's — Front of St. Peter’s

On Friday our only plans were to go to the free concert called Primo Maggio that was about 10 minutes away from our home which was really convenient. The concert was really fun to see even though we had no idea what the songs were about as they were in Italian. We went for about an hour and a half before getting some great food, cannolis and then heading home. I needed to get some work done and do my Perkins Loan Counseling done and fill out a few surveys for school. After that we went back to see the event at night. When we got back it was like a giant party with people dancing and lights flashing. There were also quite a few drunk people so we didn’t stay long but I was happy to see it again. After that we called it a night got ready for our free walking tour the next day.

It has been such a wonderful trip so far and I can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings. Also the rain should be done for the rest of our stay so it’s nothing but blue skies from now on!

ROMA

I left crazy early in the morning to fly to Rome. It was struggle because my bag was overweight and this time the lady wasn’t nice so I had to take out more things out. In the end, I had to carry on all my shoes and I had to throw away my book. It was a sad painful trek through the airport to my flight. My flight wasn’t too bad but I was a little uncomfortable. I made it there easily but once I made it to the train station it all went down hill. As I was walking to the airport, I noticed that my route didn’t always have sidewalks so it was frustrating especially since the roads were all tiny stones so my wheels kept getting stuck. There were some beautiful buildings which made it a little less stressful. Then during my walk I saw a car accident followed by a random downpour. It was a miserable walk to the hostel followed by two flights of steps. Needless to say the rest of the day, I on and off napped and then followed up on three jobs I heard back from. The neighborhood I am in is kind of gross but it seems relatively safe so that’s good.

I woke up the next day really excited because Elizabeth was coming! I was so happy and I walked quickly to the train station. Unfortunately, I went to the two bus stops on the wrong side of the train station so I left her waiting for a while. After frantically running around I went to the other side and found her. I was so happy and relieved. We made it back and unpacked our things and reorganized the room. After that we went to the main desk to go to the pasta dinner and work out our booking. Apparently there was an issue and we will have to switch rooms on the ninth but it was alright because we will have our room.

We woke up bright and early and went on our tour of the Ancient City. We ended up having to run to meet our tour guide because we walked the wrong way for a while. When we did find our tour guide we were surprised and happy to find out that we were the only members of our tour which normally has twelve. We started in the Roman Forum and then moved to the Colosseum. It was a really interesting day and I found out that the marble that used to be in the Roman Forum was taken off all the buildings and put inside the Vatican. I was really happy that we signed up for this tour though because Elizabeth was really excited and engaged for the whole tour and was constantly asking questions. It was perfect too because no one else was in the group so didn’t have to worry about asking too many.

After the tour we were tired from the heat and walking so we went back from for a while. After a quick rest, we went to the Trevi Fountain. On the walk there, we stopped at some stores and the Basilica Papale di Santa Maria Maggiore. Basilica Papale di Santa Maria Maggiore was incredible. The whole place was covered in gold and wall mosaic. When we finally arrived to the Trevi Fountain we were sad to find out that there is restoration so the fountain was empty but we were able to go closer because of a ramp that brought us up close.

It was a jam packed day full of sights, good food and warm weather. I’m looking forward to the days ahead and exploring Rome with my other half. There have been a few ups and downs but all in all this vacation has been going really well and I’m so happy.

Leaving Dublin

I’m not going to lie, I was ready to leave Dublin. On Saturday, it was pouring all day except the evening when everything starting closing down. Despite my want to stay in bed all day, I had an awesome breakfast then I went to the Chester Beatty Library to see the free exhibition. The Exhibition featured Japanese works of art including pottery and tablets as well as religious documents of Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Sikhism, and Jainism. It was a beautiful exhibit and the pottery section was just amazing. After about an hour, I headed out and went to the Museum of Natural History. When I arrived I was surprised to find out that it really was basically a dead zoo (as said by my tour guide for the Cliffs of Moher). There wasn’t any information on the animals other than their names and almost all the animals were stuffed or preserved in some way. I was happy that the museum was free because I really didn’t learn anything other than the names of animals and where they live. It was an interesting experience to say the least.

After the museums, I was went and cold so I decided to call it an early day and go back to the hostel to apply for some jobs and continue to work on my paper. When I arrived back to my room, I was surprised to find that all my stuff had been moved and my bed had been made. This was weird as I was not leaving until Monday. I went down to the front desk and apparently since I was in the wrong bed the cleaners just cleaned and remade all the beds and moved my things. I was extremely upset because my nice jacket and all my things were just thrown into a bag and the front desk didn’t seem to care. I was just frustrated because first I was woken up in the middle of the night and they didn’t leave a note or anything that I had moved beds plus the staff didn’t even tell me that I would have to switch back. I could have easily moved my things this morning and then moved them to the correct bed once they had cleaned. The front desk guy did not feel bad at all or show any care for the situation making me again feel like this was my fault. Living here has been very stressful and I will be happy to leave on Monday morning. The day wasn’t totally negative as I did end up getting clean sheets, applying for four jobs, writing a five page paper and putting together most of my ePortfolio.

On Sunday, I headed out in the early afternoon to Mountjoy Square Park. It’s just a park but it was really close so I thought I would go and walk around for a little while and enjoy the day. After that I decided to walk to the other side of the city to go to Phoenix Park. This park is actually the biggest in any European capital which is pretty neat. The park was also full of tulips that are finally blooming. It was gorgeous.

It started to rain a little bit so I made a detour into the National Museum of Decorative Arts and History. It was a good time and I saw a lot of great pottery, artwork and artifacts. The building was slightly maze like though and fairly empty as I arrived right as it opened. I actually kind of liked being able to walk around and to look at whatever I wanted without people getting in the way or having to wait around. I quite enjoyed my time there and I was able to get back home before the rain started which was ideal.

Once back, I went into a applying for jobs and finishing my ePortfolio grind. I am proud to say that I applied for two more jobs and I officially submitted my ePortfolio which completes my undergraduate degree!!! I’m so happy I could cry. I leave for Rome tomorrow care free to continue my vacation and to see my sister for the first time in 2015. Life is good.

Traveling to the other side of Ireland again

Today I ended my marathon of day trips with a day trip to the Cliffs of Moher. This is the second largest tourist attraction in Ireland so I had to do my tourist duty and go out to see the cliffs. I started the day off super early again but this time I felt bad because I couldn’t find my phone this morning when it was going off so I’m pretty sure I woke up everyone in the room at 5:30am. Anyways, I made it to the bus on time and started my day. The first stop was in Limerick which was really great. I wanted to make it to that city so I was really happy it was on the itinerary. In Limerick I was able to see King John’s Castle, the river Shannon and the treaty stone. Sadly we only stopped for a short while to take photos. We also made a quick rest stop at rest stop but it ended up being weird as it was called the Barack Obama Plaza.

After those two stops we made it to the Cliffs of Moher! Sadly it just started raining so it was kind of windy and wet but still a great time. I was a little sad because it was hard to take photos and the ground was really slippery so I felt I was looking at my feet more than looking at the view. I still was happy I went although my jeans were soaking and my hair was flying in my face for most of it. One thing that was good was I had an umbrella. My umbrella was still living in my purse from London and the on and off rain which was perfect for today. I also had a chance to stop in the Visitor Center to watch a movie of the Cliffs from a bird’s view and dry off.

Once we left the Cliffs we went straight to lunch. Lunch was a bit annoying as I had to wait forever in line and then I only got soup because everything was so expensive. I got a seafood chowder which although outrageously expensive was really great and the bread was divine. I love dense bread and it was perfect. After lunch we went to the Burren National Park which is home to an area known as the mini cliffs. I saw some neat flowers as well as a giant snail tat had a beautiful shell. The tour guide who was pretty funny and much like a dog in the way he switched topics without warning. He was really nice though and showed us one of the Gaelic games while we were out there.

We took another short ride before stopping again at Corcomroe Abbey. I was lucky because right after taking my pictures and getting back on the bus it started pouring rain. At this point I was getting extremely tired. Although it wasn’t much physical activity, busses make me sleepy so it was a struggle to stay awake. As the trip winded down, we took our last stop in Kinvara to grab a quick snack before heading back to Dublin. We saw the Dunguaire Castle quickly on the bus ride back before heading on the freeway straight back across the country. The only sad thing about the day was the couple sitting behind me. As the day progressed, it was more an more clear that the woman in the couple had an early form of Alzheimer’s disease. It wasn’t too bad though and they still had a fun time.

All in all, it was another successful day in Ireland and I was happy to get out and explore more of the country. I am looking forward to sleeping in my last two days in Dublin and having more relaxed days with no cross country travel.

Day in Connemara and Galway

I woke up in the early hours of the day to find my bus for my day trip to Connemara. Luckily I relooked the pickup location before I left because I was definitely planning on going to the location for my next day trip which would have been bad. I was the last one to arrive and when I got on the baby coach bus I realized that the entire trip was couples. That was a little disappointing as I instantly turned into the eleventh wheel. Being the eleventh wheel did have its perks as I got two seats to myself. Once I got on the bus, we started our road trip across the country and I almost instantly fell asleep until we arrived to our first stop. The first stop was at the Quiet Man bridge which was in a John Wayne movie. I didn’t know the movie as it was released decades before I was born but the older couples were all excited. There was even a photo of John Wayne near the bridge.

We then drove into Connemara National Park shortly after and did another photo stop at Maam Cross. The area looked like something from a postcard and I couldn’t believe how beautiful it was. I also found out that the moss there is processed and used as fuel. The Twelve Bens Mountain Range was amazing to see as well which made it hard to get back on the bus.

Looks like a postcard photo. I didn't edit the photo at all. The view is that incredible. — Looks like a postcard photo. I didn’t edit the photo at all. The view is that incredible.

I was looking forward to the next stop though because we were going to Inagh Valley to see the Kylemore Abbey and Gardens. Unfortunately we only had an hour there so I didn’t go into the gardens, abbey or the castle because it wasn’t worth the rush or the cost honestly. It was still a beautiful place and a gorgeous day to walk around. After that stop we moved on to the highlight of the trip which was a river cruise of the Killary Fjord. The Killary Fjord is the only fjord in Ireland which I didn’t realize and made the trip all that more special. The river cruise was an hour and a half long and at first it was a bit boring. I walked around the edge of the whole boat and then just sat and took in the view but we weren’t even half way in when I found myself getting a bit tired. That ended quickly as the captain said something about dolphins! I’m not even entirely sure what he said but he said to go to the front of the boat and I hustled up to the front. Sure enough after about five minutes three dolphins appeared! I almost cried I was so happy and the little old lady next to me actually cried. It was so beautiful and I couldn’t believe I was there. It was another amazing day. I just can’t believe that all these beautiful places existed and I never knew about any of them.

Dolphin! Photo is from a video so not best quality but still! — Dolphin! Photo is from a video so not the best quality but still!

On the way home we made a quick stop in Galway. I was happy to stop there because a few of the interns from the UWSP internship group went to Galway and absolutely loved it. I only had a little over an hour there which was a bit disappointing but the weather was sunny and there were so many people out and about. The city is definitely a college town because there were so many young people and students doing homework in the square. In the city I wandered around the shopping area, saw the Spanish Arch and the area near the water. it was a gorgeous day and I was sad to leave to head back to Dublin.

St. Nicholas' Collegiate Church — St. Nicholas’ Collegiate Church