A Very Busy Weekend

The weekend began early saturday morning when a few of us decided to venture off to the seaside town of Ballycotton. It promised to be an adventuresome day as we knew very little about where we were going and more or less just picked it at random. Skepticism began to creep in when about six of us got on the bus and the bus driver said "well the population of Ballycotton just doubled with all of you" but we were undeterred. When we arrived in the bite-sized fishing town we were greeted by a beautiful view of an island with a lighthouse underneath a great looking sunrise and with that, the nervousness subsided. As amazing as the views and natural beauty of this area was, it soon became apparent why this town was not highly recommended by the native Irish people. The town had only one store and three pubs (there is about 1 pub for every 300 people in the country of Ireland). Thankfully we had not come to hang out in the town but rather to climb out to the cliffs and to enjoy some of Ireland's natural beauty.

After a quick meal in a great little pub, we realized that the tide had gone down and created a perfect, albeit rocky and slippery, path out to one of the islands. We carefully navigated our way out to this island covered in some of the greenest grass I have ever laid eyes on. The views were extraordinary and it was really cool to be out on a completely natural island where I can only assume few people go. We spent the rest of the day climbing all over the cliffs and seaside rocks and caves and sufficiently wore ourselves out.  All in all it was a great day and made better by the fact that we had no expectations going into it.

View of the lighthouse island from the island that we climbed out to

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The Paps were the destination of the second hike through the Mountaineering club. "The Paps", we were told, literally means "the breasts" and that the ancient celtic people saw these mountains as the breasts of their goddess of fertility. An interesting theory no doubt. When we got to the base of the mountain it was terribly foggy. We could barely see the mountain at all and the fog only got thicker as we ascended. Just when we thought we would not get to see any of the amazing views that day, we actually climbed out of the clouds and found ourselves looking down on them. It was one of the most incredible views to be standing on top of the mountain looking down on clouds. It looked as if we were on an island and the adjacent peaks were quite literally "peeking" up through the veil of clouds. At that point the view opened up and we were able to see why the mountains had the name that they did.

Here you can see the two further peaks are the paps

The ancient celtic people built nipples on top of the peaks... why not?

The weekend was just incredible with two days packed full of beautiful views, lots of hiking and plenty of fresh air.

Well, today is my birthday so I am sure there will be some festivities tonight! I will hopefully update again soon!

Another Week Gone By

Another great week has come to a close. Classes went really well and I am enjoying the laid back nature of Irish school. I am a bit embarrassed to admit that I only have class three days a week (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday) but it is really nice to have lots of time to read, play guitar and explore the city. I got another taste of how relaxed it is here as my professor for my Irish Politics started off the lecture by saying "I see that some students have schedule conflicts with this class but the lecture notes are online and just come when you are able". This is not something that you would hear an American professor ever say.

Last Sunday was my first hike around the mountains at Mahon Falls.  We started bright and early and boarded the bus at 8:30 at UCC.  The beginning of the hike was quite steep as we ascended the mountain and served as a nice reminder of how out of shape I am and how I need to keep coming on these hikes! Once we made it to the top of the first peak we had a long hike on top of the plateau across boggy grass. I was, up until this point, quite unfamiliar with bogs but was quickly introduced and was very happy with the investment I made in waterproof hiking boots.

The views were absolutely spectacular from the top of the mountain. We overlooked green fields and lakes that resembled exactly what I thought I would be seeing in Ireland. It was quite overcast and so pictures really do not do it justice but I will put a good one up anyways. Fortunately it did not rain on the hike and actually the weather here has been great for the past few days. You really begin to appreciate the sun and a nice day when it rains as much as it does here.

On wednesday I went rock climbing with the mountaineering club. I went by myself which is a great way to meet new people. After we went to a local pub and had free pizza! I am really excited about getting the chance to do more climbing here as well as the hiking. It is strange how I am more involved with things here than I am at home. I am just trying to do and experience as much as possible!

I am quite pleased to say that I just got a new camera today from my parents as a birthday present. A big thank you goes out to them and also to Chris Sheehan for a great camera recommendation. I hope to take a bunch of photos now and am excited to share them with all of you! I am going to a seaside town called Ballycotton in the morning and then my second hike on sunday so there will be no shortage of sights to document and pictures to put up on here! Until then, Cheers!

Rain and Wind in Cobh

I peeled my eyes open this morning to the sound of my Irish phone telling me in its oh so comforting robotic voice "The time is 7:35, Time to get up!" This is a voice I can already tell I will come to dislike quite a bit in the coming months. I looked out the window and was greeted with the now familiar sight of a grey sky heavy with rain.  Today would not be ordinary however. Apparently I was, as of yet, unaware of  what Ireland's weather was really capable of but it would not take long to find out.  I put on my new waterproof boots, pants and raincoat and after a bit of debate with a few fellow travelers, decided we would spend the day in Cobh, another sea side town we were told we had to see. After a long wet walk on sidewalks strewn with the remains of broken umbrellas, we boarded the train and about 20 minutes later we had reached our destination.

The moment we stepped onto the platform we could tell the wind was really howling quite hard and the rain was coming down in sheets. We trudged on however through the streets and after a stop at a small coffee shop, we ventured up to a massive cathedral that sat atop the hill and overlooked the cove.  With no trees or other buildings on top of the hill, we were hit with the full force of the wind.  I was so strong that you could legitimately lean against it. The only comparison I can draw is to the wind that you feel as you exit the Metrodome and are swept out onto the sidewalk.  We finally entered the Cathedral and it was huge! There was incredible gothic architecture with ornate stonework and beautiful stained glass.  I apologize for the sub-par photography but I was running out of battery and couldn't really mess around to get things looking right. (I wish I brought the better camera).

Really the only useable outdoor shot from the day because of the weather showing some of the multicolored houses on the hill.

After that we had Lunch at the Supermac's which is basically an Irish McDonalds (classy, I know) and then proceeded to the Cobh museum.  Cobh was the Titanic's last port of call and so they had a really interesting exhibit about the history of the Irish emigration after the famine and the Titanic. This was a cool way to end the day and a great way to dry off a bit before our trip back.

Tomorrow promises to be another full day as I am getting up quite early again to go on a hike on some Irish mountain somewhere.  That is just about all I know but I'll do my best to post something again tomorrow night about the days adventures!

First Week of Class

I have just finished my first week of class! I finally think that I have gotten squared away after a good deal of confusion.  Apparently class registration is a bit more relaxed here than in the states. The first few days we were encouraged to just go try out a bunch of classes and then register later for the ones that appealed to us.  When I asked a counselor when a certain class was meeting, she informed me that the professor for that course was on maternity leave and no one was quite sure when she would be back or when the course would start.  Her best guess was "within the next couple of weeks".

On Wednesday I went to the Mountaineering club meeting and am really excited about being in it.  There are weekly hikes around mountains here in Ireland as well as indoor rock climbing 2 days a week.  I went out and bought hiking boots and waterproof pants for my hiking adventures. I will post some pictures and stuff as soon as I go.

The Legend of Tom Barry and a Day on the Sea Side

The view from my apartment overlooking the River Lee 

Ah so much to say! After a rather rainy and uneventful day yesterday, the evening turned out to be anything but. A few of us went to a pub just down the street for a good bit of crack (crack meaning fun to the Irish... not the drug).  Within minutes of getting there I started up a conversation with an old Irish man by the name of Tom Barry (pictured above with my roommate Matt and myself).  I had heard, from people who had been to Ireland that talking to old guys at the pub is a great way to spend an evening but I was quite unaware just how great it would really be.  We talked for about 2 hours and the man told his whole life's story.  As I sit here attempting to convey how this conversation went I find myself at a bit of a loss.  He had a lot to say and was an extremely interesting individual.  I must be a hit with the old guys as I had quite a few more interesting encounters with other old men including one strange string of events that ended with an old guy hugging me repeatedly and confessing his love for me...

Today we went on a trip out to the cities of Youghal (pronounced like y'all) and Ardmore, both seaside towns. We first toured the cities of each and then went on a seaside cliff walk in Ardmore. The views were incredible and it was a really nice change of pace to be able to get out of the city and see a part of the country that looks like what I had always thought of Ireland looking like.  It really is very green.

I have to say I have been quite happy with my Irish experience so far and am excited for whatever will come next.  If I had to come up with one problem with Ireland so far it would have to do with the complete lack of leprechauns prancing about because if I have learned anything from Lucky Charms commercials it is that they are everywhere in search of pots of gold and rainbows.  I suppose I will be able to deal with that though...

Oh right, that whole "school" thing...

After a few days now of generally milling about the city of Cork, classes began today.  I took a lovely morning walk to the campus and realized that it was the first time that I had been all by myself in these last couple of days. The solitude was really nice. The walk is about 15 minutes to campus which is really not that bad but quite a haul compared to the few minutes it takes to get around at csb/sju.  I am still trying to find the "Link" bus but I am begining to think that they dont even have one! The campus is really amazing with large buildings and great common areas. I will have to put up pictures but I suppose I will first need to take some.  I hope ill be able to do this tomorrow.

Though I thought my sleeping schedule had finally bagan to normalize I was proven wrong in the last couple of nights. I slept until 2pm yesterday and then could't for the life of me fall asleep last night. Hopefully a bit more rest will do me good.

Class today was pretty good, I had my European Framework class and then an ethics course called Questions in moral theory.  The second is a philosophy course which I think I'm really going to enjoy... a real head scratcher.

Ireland has been great so far! I think I am going to go to a more rural area this weekend and am excited to see a bit of the countryside!  More updates to come!

Here I find myself on the Emerald Isle

So here I am!  I find myself in Ireland and after a couple days into the trip I cannot help but think how fast it all went.  I was just sitting around at home in minnesota and now all of a sudden I am living in Ireland for 5 months.  The first day here was full of running around the city of Cork and doing my best to familiarize myself with my new surroundings as well as the anticipation of going to my first Irish pub.  That dream would ultimately have to wait until the next day as jet-lag got the better of me and my two hour nap at 4:00pm (16:00) turned into a 5+ hour nap and I woke up a bit before 10 and found everyone else in my group asleep.

The next day saw the arrival of the last of our group members and finally a visit to the pub!  It was a real hole in the wall called the Franciscian Well but has great character and is right across the street from my apartment. I am ashamed to admit that I have been in Ireland for 3 days and have not yet had a Guiness but the pub makes its own beer and I felt like I had to try some of them.  We heard on the news the other night that the pubs of Ireland are in trouble as a result of the hurting Irish economy, the smoking ban and the grocery stores selling cheep alcohol.  It looks as thought I will need to do my part to help out these hurting pubs and stimulate the Irish economy... this should not be all that difficult a task.


The apartment is pretty cool and has a great view of the river and a lot of the city as well.  I will put pictures on here soon.  It has been great so far and I can't wait for classes to start and to dive right into things!