Mega Ireland dump

The last two (three?) weeks

I've been busy. The last time we really chatted was when I went to Belfast. My mom informed me that even though my last blog post was great, it didn't tell her what I have been up to, despite the fact that I talk to her at least two (three) times a day and give her a complete recounting of every single thing I do. So this blog post is dedicated to my mom and will recount my past two weeks in great detail.

As you all saw in my last post, I went on a hike. Every Wednesday I have class until 11, so I have been trying to plan small day trips for after class. I have a friend who goes to another college in Dublin, UCD, and we have been making plans together every Wednesday. We've been slowly working our way through her expansive list of coffee shops she wants to visit, but last week we strayed from our typically plans and went to a small beach town in Ireland called Bray. My friend Flo joined us and we hopped on the 155 bus ;) and took a quick one hour journey to Bray. The town was lovely. Beach towns here seem different than the ones in Jersey. I don't think they hold the same touristy and vacation appeal. They aren't abandoned and left silent over the winter. Instead, they still hold life and host people despite the colder season and heavy, dark clouds. Bray was very lively when we arrived. It reminded me of Cape May because of the bigger board walk that went across the whole because and separated it from restaurants and shops.

We weren't sure what hike we were going to do. It was obvious where we needed to go, towards the mountain duh, but we had to figure it out from there. We took the boardwalk past the beach and followed the incline as it took us up the outside edge of the mountain. I've heard of the Cliffs of Moher, but I didn't know that there were cliffs everywhere the ocean was. The Jersey Shore definitely doesn't have cliffs. We started our hike on the cliff walk where we could watch the ocean get smaller and smaller, but we shifted to a steeper incline as we left the cliff walk and started our treck up the mountain.

My favorite thing about hiking mountains is that every time you stop to look at the view, it changes. As you get higher, you're given a new angle and perspective of the area you are looking down on. When hiking Bray, we got a view of the ocean and countryside all at once. Every stop showed us a different Version of Ireland. We had the green fields and incredibly blue ocean all in one view. It was kind of breathtaking. When we made it to the top I needed a moment to take in my view. It was my first time seeing Ireland like that, so many vivid views of green and blue. I allowed myself to be grateful of the trip I am on and proud of myself for going on it.

The hike didn't end there. We continued our journey across the mountain peak, through a farm, and down the other side of the mountain. One of the main reasons that I chose this hike was because on google it was advertised with pictures of cows. When we passed the gate that told us we were entering the farm, there was also a sign warning us about cows. Well, the google search and sign both lied. There were no cows. We smelled them, saw their poop, saw them from an incredible distance, but did not get anywhere near them. To say I was pissed was an understatement. But the beautiful views of the Irish sea made up for it, I guess.

The hike was just long enough and up hill enough to be exhausting. By the time we finished our last uphill of the hike we were ready to sit on the bus and not talk or move for the next hour.

Nothing else happened last week because everyone got Covid and I was too afraid to leave my room. I did a small thrifting trip on Saturday to pretend I was back in Ithaca with my lovers. The stores definitely didn't hit as good as salvo does, but I did find this beaded skirt that I do not know how to style.

Sunday we embarked to another beach town, Howth, and did another hike. This one was a lot more mild and could be considered a cliff walk. It was just as beautiful as Bray but much more windy. Howth gave us different views of Ireland than Bray which was incredibly welcomed. To end off the day, we went to a pub where we could all get fish and chips. I washed it down with a pint (half of pint but pint sounds better) and felt like a true Irishman. I'm really getting back into my roots.

FLASH FORWARD A WEEK LATER

Checking back in after I never posted this. My mom informed me that I am due for a blogpost and that I am taking too long to post, despite her already having a recount of everything I have done. Hi mom!

Anyway, I went to Scotland this past weekend! This was my first out of country weekend trip. We bought plane tickets for 60 euros, a hostel for another 60, then jetted off to Scotland. The plane ride went smoothly. We found our plane easily, it took less than an hour, then we found a taxi and arrived at our hostel.

My second hostel of this semester was better than the first! It was a literal castle, and across the street was another literal castle: the Castle of Edinburgh. The hostel was decked out in medieval decorations like knights and tapestries. We took a little tour and was in constant awe because the place was so lovely. We spent the rest of the night in the groove room listening to music and lounging in the well worn leather couches.

We woke up bright and early Saturday morning for a day full of Scotland. We got breakfast at a cute cafe where I got porridge. Not really sure what the difference between porridge and oatmeal is, so leave me a comment if you do. The rest of the day is a little blurry. Not because I forget, but because my eyes were being drowned with rain the entire day. When I tell you it rained, it rained and winded and rained and winded. It's hard to explore a city you know nothing about when your pants are a half an inch too long and soaking up the lovely city water on the sidewalks.

My friends let me blindly lead them through the city until we hopped on a five euro bus tour to escape the rain. After the tour, we all split ways to decompress and dry off. Well, everyone but Annie and I. Because of my anxiety telling me I need to see every bit of Edinburgh, Annie and I explored more of the city. We went to Calton Hill where the wind was aggressive and the view was breathtaking. We went to one of the best vintage stores I've ever seen where I couldn't buy anything because I could barely fit my tooth brush in my filled to the brim backpack.

We ended our wet adventure in a pub packed full of Scots. I got a Guinness and enjoyed the Irish and Wales rugby game like a true local. Truthfully, Annie and I got a little too drunk for 4 in the afternoon. But it's just so easy to keep ordering drinks.

After ordering a delicious beyond burger that I have been craving, we joined our friends at a bar called Hoot the Redeemer. They had boozy ice cream that was slightly overrated. However, the hot bartender Annie and I couldn't stop flirting with was definitely not overrated. By the time we left the bar at 7 pm, I was desperately in need of a nap.

I tried to go out after my nap, I did go out. But only for an hour until I slipped back to the hostel for a nice night of sleep.

Sunday I visited my cousin's partner in Glasgow. It was definitely different than Edinburgh where it had a more modern city vibe. But it was just as nice. I got a delicious soup and we explored a lovely museum. I even took the train there and back by myself.

At the end of the night, we all met up for a nice dinner where I got a mushroom risotto which is my favorite. We ended the evening flirting with more bartenders with our American charm.

Truthfully, I am proud of us! We travelled to Scotland and back to Dublin without any parents. I am honestly an adult. I'll admit, I did shed a few tears out of panic and overwhelmingness, but I handled it. I had it under control. Go to Scotland! She's underrated!

P.S. I'm going on a trip tomorrow all by myself so stay tune for that blog post!

View from Calton Hill