Exit: Sligo, Enter: Galway

Day Eleven:                                                                                                            May 27, 2015

Sign in Michael Quirke's window

          We're a the Lisadell House right now. There are two long benches in front of Constance Markievicz's paintings and I thought that would be a good place to start my journal for today. We have a tour in about a half hour, so I'm just kind of biding my time. (Unfortunately, that's all I wrote for Day Eleven...but I'll add a bit more on here because I remember what we did after that). After the tour, a few of us got hot chocolate for the bus ride home (it was so cold and wet! We needed some warmth). Then, [Friend B], [Friend C], [Friend M], and I went out for lunch. We just went to one of the cafeteria style cafes, but it was very good. And the guy who got our food for us looked like Chef Gordon Ramsay, so we spent a lot of time trying to inconspicuously get a picture of him. I don't even remember if we were successful or not! After lunch, we went to a candy shop. They had chocolate frogs!! Of course I got one. I can't just pass up a chocolate frog. Finally, we got to go to Michael Quirke's wood shop. That's what I'd been looking forward to all day. He has such a wealth of information when it comes to Irish mythology. I think we were in his shop for almost three hours.
And he even took the time to carve small things for us! 

Day Twelve:                                                                                                           May 28, 2015

The view out of my apartment in Galway

          I am having a hard time keeping up with journaling. We left Sligo for Galway this morning. I was really sad to leave Sligo, but now that I'm in Galway, I'm pretty excited. Our apartment is very nice, quite homey actually. And it's right on the beach! I mean, it's too cold to really hang out there or swim or anything, but it's really nice to look out my window and see the ocean. I wish I could on the water. It's so beautiful. After we got settled in our apartments, we went grocery shopping. This time around went a lot better than when we went shopping in Dublin. Here, at least we had an idea of what kind of food we wanted to buy. We finally got [Friend H] to buy a Kinder Egg and now she's just as hooked as we are! And we found a whole gluten free aisle for [Friend B] and were able to get noodles, bread, and pizza that she could eat. We made the pizza for dinner and then went to our neighbors apartment...[Friend C] and [Friend M]! (And Other Person J). There were eight of us all packed in their tiny living room, all with our laptops out, working on assignments, drinking wine (water, in my case), and watching Britain's Got Talent. Not going to lie, Britain didn't seem all that talented. They were in their semifinals and there was only one that I remotely liked. Anyway, after we got back to our own apartment, I tried to figure out how to use our fireplace, gave up, and went to bed.

Day 7: Nostalgia

Day 7: Nostalgia

          Before I begin, I'd just like to explain that I lent out my copy of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (or rather, my sister did without informing me first. Yes, I'm slightly bitter.) Anyway, onto the challenge. There is no other book that can instill the amount of nostalgia in me than the Harry Potter series. I grew up with Harry, Ron, Hermione, and the rest of the gang. I remember heading out in the middle of the night to wait in long lines for the books. And then I waited rather impatiently for all of the movies to come out. Regrettably, I never saw a midnight showing. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were there during almost every stage of my life...until it ended. I remember very clearly going to see  Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides with my friends and seeing the posters for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part Two. I was so excited, looking at the intense faces of the characters that very much felt real to me. Then I read the posters. "It all ends here," they said. Poster after poster after poster...it all ends here. That's when it hit me that the excitement was almost over. That's also about when the nostalgia started to hit me whenever I'd see anything Harry Potter related. I've probably read each book at least twenty times, watched the movies over and over again, and listened to the soundtracks endlessly. But it won't end there, not for me. After all, "Hogwarts will always be there to welcome you home."

"Things we lose have a way of coming back to us in the end, if not always in the way we expect." -Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling

Enter: Sligo!

Day Eight:                                                                                                                         May 24, 2015

Parke's Castle

         Today was a traveling day. We were mostly on the bus, except at the end when we got to go to Parke's Castle. It was really cool and very informative, but unfortunately I left my notebook on the bus. I did get pictures though! So at least that counts for something. I've been having a really hard time with one of the girls on the trip. She keeps pronouncing my name wrong and I know she's doing it on purpose because I've corrected her at least five times now. She also keeps making fun of me for my faith. She was downright rude when she found out I went to mass yesterday and she makes fun of me for praying before meals. It's very lonely being the only Catholic. It really makes me miss home. Anyway, the hotel room is really nice. It's just me and [Friend B] in this one. [Other Friend H] will join us again once we're in Galway. I think that's all I have for now. (I might get to climb a mountain on Wednesday!)

          I forgot something that I wanted to write about. We stopped at a gas station on our drive to Sligo. I was talking to a guy in the check out lane and it was really cool! He's from Ireland, but he's been all over the United States (more places than I've been to!) Really cool guy, but he talked so close to my face. I was leaning pretty far back just to maintain my bubble. These people don't believe in personal space! But it's okay, I like them.

Day Nine:                                                                                                                          May 25, 2015

View looking toward Isle of Inisfree

          Today was really cool. We visited multiple Yeats locations, including the Glencar Waterfall, Doonee Rock, and the Isle of Inisfree. It is absolutely beautiful here! So far, I am liking Sligo much better than Dublin. Don't get me wrong, Dublin was great. I'm just not suited to city life. At dinner, I sat by [Friend B], [Friend M], and [Friend C]. We were so hyper and we laughed so much I was almost crying. And then later we hung out in [Friend M] and [Friend C's] room. It was really nice to

bond with more people. ([Friend B] felt the same. I mean, we love each other, but we also want to expand to other people too). Soon, I get to climb the mountain to Queen Mabh's tomb! The rude girl wasn't as rude today, but she seems to be gravitating towards me. I'm trying to have patience...

Day Ten:                                                                                                                          May 26, 2015

          Today was amazing! (...but then I did things and didn't have time to write, so I'm a day behind, again).

Mary at the Tobernalt Holy Well

          We started with a walk to a gallery that had a lot of Jack Butler Yeats paintings. Then we went to a church that was even smaller than St. Michan's church, but that's where W.B. Yeats was buried, so of course we had to stop there. After that, we went to Rosse's Point, where I presented my poem, 'The Meditation of the Old Fisherman'. It was very beautiful there, even if it was a bit chilly. There were these bushes of yellow flowers everywhere. I want to take one home. 

         

Halfway up Knocknarea

Oh! I almost forgot about the Holy Well! I actually think we went there on Day Nine, but I'll write about it here anyway. There was a stream that led out of the area and an altar at the top. To the left of the altar was a crucifix and on the right was Mother Mary. It was so peaceful there, but it was kind of ruined by rude people. Anyway, back to yesterday. We ate at Drumcliffe and then we got to climb Knocknarea! It was exhausting, but also super exhilarating. It was so much fun boding with [Friend M] and [Friend C]. We want to see if we can be roommates in Galway. Anyway, on the other side of that mountain were some pretty treacherous stairs. [Friend B] and I went off the path quite a bit, mostly because it looked fun. And it was. When we got back we all went to the bar in the hotel lobby. [Friend C], [Friend B], and I split a strawberry kiwi hard cider. To be honest, it tasted like Capri Sun. I wasn't really a fan, but it was fun hanging with my friends, plus [Friend A] and [Friend N], who pretty much joined our group after that. It was a good day.




"The herring are not in the tides as they were of old;
My sorrow! for many a creak gave the creel in the cart
That carried the take to Sligo town to be sold,
When I was a boy with never a crack in my heart."
                                         -'The Meditation of the Old Fisherman' by W.B. Yeats

A Smaller Dose of Ireland

Day Six:                                                                                                                           May 22, 2015

Children of Lir

          This morning we took the train to Joyce Tower. It was in a town (Sandy Cove?) on the coast of the sea. I liked it a lot better there than in Dublin. I loved looking out at the water from the top of the tower. Right now we're at Murray's. I ordered the Tower Burger...I just needed a burger!

          Ok, now I'm at Gate Theatre, waiting for Tom Murphy's play, 'The Gigli Concert' to start, so I thought I'd write about the afternoon. After we ate, we went to the Dublin Writer's Museum. It was really hard to enjoy, because we had to do an information scavenger hunt. Some of them weren't even in the museum, so it was really frustrating. After that we got to see the Children of Lir statue (which I thought was beautiful). Other than the Joyce Tower, it was my favorite part. Then we took a Joyce walking tour. Again, by that point I was so tired that I could hardly keep my mind focused on listening to what the guide was saying. When we finally got back to the apartment, we had an hour to eat and put on nice clothes. Well, the play is starting now!

Day Seven:                                                                                                                             May 23, 2015

Me and my journal at St. Stephen's Green

          Sorry I didn't write about the play last night. I'm not sure what I thought of it. It was a modern play, so of course it had drugs, sex, and rock 'n' roll (just kidding, no rock 'n' roll....there was opera though!) It also dealt with a variety of psychological disorders, which was very interesting.

          Today was our free day. [Friend] and I did a lot of walking. We walked everywhere because we weren't really sure of the bus system. We went to the National Gallery, Dublin Castle, and through the Temple Bar area. I loved all the street performers! I could have watched them all day. Oh! I almost forgot! The first thing we did (other than getting duct tape for my suitcase) was get hot chocolate at Butler's Chocolate Cafe. It was the best hot chocolate I've ever had. Ever. And it came with a complimentary truffle! So. Good. We had lunch at Grilled Burger Kitchen. I liked how relaxed it was there. Nothing was rushed and the food was very good. After lunch, we set off in search of St. Stephen's Green. In my opinion, it's the best place in Dublin. It was so green, with a pond and ducks and pigeons and seagulls and swans. We were there for a good three hours. After that we went to 6:30 mass at St. Andrews. It was huge! The church was very empty though. It made me sad how few people were at the mass. We took the Dart back home afterwards. All in all, it was a good day.


“I wanted real adventures to happen to myself. But real adventures, I reflected, do not happen to people who remain at home: they must be sought abroad.” -Dubliners by James Joyce

A Large Dose of Ireland

Day Three:                                                                                                                         May 19, 2015

Poulanass Waterfall

          Oh boy, do I have a lot of things to write about. First, I need to check back on my notes...

Upper Lake

          Okay, so first we got on a bus at 8:30 this morning. It was so cool getting out of the city. The hills were huge and there were sheep everywhere! When we got to Glendalough, we went to the Round Tower. It was fascinating to see the tower...it was huge! Next to it was St. Kevin's Kitchen (it was actually the ruins of a church, not sure why they called it a kitchen...) There were also gravestones everywhere, some dating back before the 1800s. There were some gravestones that were actually just nubs, because they've been weathered that much. Past the cemetery and St. Kevin's kitchen was a path and a bridge, so we got to go exploring! At one point, there were grass hills on either side of the path and it reminded me so much of when Bilbo says 'I'm going on an adventure!' in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. Further along in the path we climbed up one of the hills and found a little cave. Then me and [my friend] ran down the hill, which was really fun but also probably dangerous. Eventually, we hit a fork in the road, one side paved and the other gravel. They both led to the same place, so of course we chose the gravel one. We ended up having to scale the side of the hill, using hands and feet to get to the top. It was exhilarating! The trail eventually met with the other one upriver from the waterfall. I can't even describe how beautiful it was up there. It reminded me a bit of Rivendell, without the structures. We spent some time there and I got to explore the river a bit. However, we were running out of time, and we had to move one. It made me kind of sad, but then we found the waterfall! It wasn't huge by any means, but it was very powerful, cutting through the land pretty effectively. We were going to go back to the information center, but [instructor] and [the other instructor] pointed us towards the lake. It was the most amazing thing I've ever seen (so far). I was so happy there at the edge of the lake. Again, we had to leave and it was sad. But I got to climb a tree, so that was good. On our way back, it started to rain pretty hard, but by the time we got out of the woods, it was sunny. Man, the weather here is crazy. Before we left, I bough a couple of postcards for [sister]. Next we went to the Avoca Weaving Mill (the oldest in Ireland). It was pretty interesting, but by then I was very worn out and hungry. We ate lunch there. I had a stuffed baked potato, carrot salad, chocolate cake, and sparkling lemonade (it tasted like Sierra Mist). While we were there, we got to shop. I got a hand woven scarf for Mom.

          When we got back to the apartment, we had about an hour before we went to the parliament building. We got to witness part of the referendum on same-sex marriage, then we got a tour of the building. By that time, I was really tired and I kept zoning out, so I didn't take any notes while we were there. That's okay though, because I wasn't terribly interested in it to begin with. Afterwards, we got to go to the apartments and relax. I had a piece of peanut butter toast and a couple slices of cheese for dinner. And then I started writing in here! (I'm actually finishing it this morning, May 21st...I'm almost caught up!)

Day Four:                                                                                                                          May 20, 2015

Lia Fáil at Hill of Tara

          Alright, so today we got to go to the Hill of Tara and it was so cool! I didn't realize how hilly the place actually was. There were really deep ditches and really tall hills. At the top of the biggest hill was the Lia Fáil, which was basically this tall rock that, according to Celtic myth, would let out a scream when the one worthy of ruling touched it. I'm pretty sure I heard some sort of shout when I touched it! There was a lady (a local) up on the hills with two of her dogs, Cooper and Bella. Cooper and I were pretty much best friends. Thankfully, [friend] got some pictures of the two of us. Our stop at the Hill of Tara was pretty short, so I didn't get to stay as long as I would have liked, but there wasn't anything I could do about that. We had about an hour bus ride to get to the other mounds. We went to lunch first. I had chicken and broccoli bake, cole slaw, and some kind of caramel cake. Then I went to the gift shop and bought [brother's] pocket watch. I hope he likes it. I know I do! The Knowth and Newgrange mounds were really cool, but by that point, I just kind of wanted to go back to the apartment. I was tired and I wasn't feeling very well. Even when it was time to go back, I decided to go to the Christ Church for Evensong with [friend, friend, and friend]. That kind of gave me the energy I need. We decided to walk back and we got kind of lost, but it was fun! [Friend] made us dinner when we got back and then we ended up talking about different aspects of religion until midnight. I didn't get around to going to bed until about one. So, naturally, I'm very tired today. Hopefully I'll get to bed sooner tonight.

Day Five:                                                                                                                           May 21, 2015

The Long Room at Trinity College

          I made cheesy scrambled eggs again for breakfast and tried to catch up on journaling before we had to leave. We went to the Trinity College first. There was an exhibit about the Book of Kells. There was so much information on how it was made, from the paper, to the binding, to the ink. After I went through the exhibit, I got to actually see the book. It was so detailed! It's under a glass case and they turn the page every two weeks. It was all very exciting of course, but what I was really excited for was the Long Room. Coolest. Library. Ever. The books were all so old and beautiful! I wanted to touch them so bad! Unfortunately, the shelves were all roped off, however they did have glass cases of books on display. I found a copy of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, The Hobbit, and Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. It was beyond exciting. After that we went to an archaeological museum. That was pretty cool, but also kind of boring. I wanted to go outside! Luckily, we only had an hour to spend there. We ate dinner at a cafe in the Yeats Exhibit (which was in Ireland's National Library). I had a roast turkey sandwich, which might have been good, but there were pomegranates on it. I had a fruit tart for dessert. Yum! Unfortunately for me, the Yeats exhibit was even more boring than the archaeology museum. We were in there for almost three hours. Not going to lie, it was kind of awful. The exhibit was dark and there were no windows and it was very crowded. I started to feel really claustrophobic and I felt like I was going to have a panic attack right there. I didn't, thank goodness, but it was close. When we got back to the apartments, we had about a half hour before we went to see a couple of authors talk about their books (both about the Easter Rising time period). Then we got to go to a book store! I wasn't going to get anything. I really wasn't. But then I found the beautiful Irish hardcover version of The Hobbit. Yes, now I have two copies...

Murphy's in Dublin

          After the book store, a group of us decided that we wanted ice cream, so we wandered until we found Murphy's. On our way there, there was a guy singing 'Galway Girl' and playing guitar and
harmonica. It was awesome! Once we got to Murphy's I had sea salt vanilla and chocolate. So good!






"Forget art. Put your trust in ice cream." -The Feast of Love by Charles Baxter

(P.S. This is my 100th post! Hooray!!)

Book Challenge Day 7

Day 7: Awkward Character
There is no other character that I can think of that is so overly described as awkward, but is never actually even abnormally awkward, than Bella Swan from Stephanie Meyer's Twilight Saga. Bella consistently describes herself as plain and awkward and uncoordinated and ordinary...to the point where it gets exhausting. Now, I'd be cool with her describing herself as such if she were only actually as awkward as she says she is. This is proven wrong by the entire population of Forks. Everyone, the Y Chromosomes in particular, are completely enamored by this 'awkward' teenage girl. I am from a town smaller than Forks, so I know the excitement a new student can bring. However, if someone as plain and boring as Bella says she is showed up in my town, the excitement wouldn't last a week. Sorry Bella, you just aren't as awkward as you think you are.


"I decided as long as I'm going to hell, I might as well do it thoroughly."-Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

The Mime Order by Samantha Shannon

          Quick Apologies: Sorry for not having Ireland journals or the book photo challenge posted in the past few days! It's been busy. However, I should hopefully be able to get back to it on a regular basis soon. In the meantime, here's a book review!


*Possible Spoilers*

The Mime Order
by Samantha Shannon

Read: June 4-6, 2015
Published: January 27, 2015
Genre: Supernatural Dystopia
Series: The Bone Season

Paige Mahoney has escaped the brutal penal colony of Sheol I, but her problems have only just begun: many of the fugitives are still missing and she is the most wanted person in London.

As Scion turns its all-seeing eye on Paige, the mime-lords and mime-queens of the city's gangs are invited to a rare meeting of the Unnatural Assembly. Jaxon Hall and his Seven Seals prepare to take center stage, but there are bitter fault lines running through the clairvoyant community and dark secrets around every corner.

Then the Rephaim begin crawling out from the shadows. But where is Warden? Paige must keep moving, from Seven Dials to Grub Street to the secret catacombs of Camden, until the fate of the underworld can be decided. Will Paige know who to trust? The hunt for the dreamwalker is on. (Amazon)

________________________________________________________________________________

Why did you read this book?

I had already read the first book of the series and I was dying to know what would happen next. I waited rather impatiently for this book to come out after finishing the first one. However, even when it did come out (and I had been counting down), I didn't buy it. I wanted to wait until it was cheaper (The Bone Season is available on amazon for $4!) I waited four extra months before I just couldn't do it anymore. I bought it used and saved a couple bucks, but not many. Then I got it...and devoured it.

What didn't you like about the book?
IT ENDED ON A CLIFFHANGER!

What did you like about the book?
Oh, so many things. I was a blob of feels when I finished, so I've had to wait this long to even attempt a review for it. At this point, I almost think I need to wait longer. Or perhaps read it again so I can organize all the thoughts in my head. Anyway. Things I liked. The pacing was much better in this one than the first one and it was easier to read now that I'm more familiar with the terms used by and about the characters. It was also kind of unpredictable. I mean, I'm sure I could have predicted some aspects of the story, and I'm sure I did think ahead without being entirely aware of it, but I got so absorbed in the book that something always took me by surprise. And the characters! I love them. I didn't quite care for Nick in this one as much as I did in The Bone Season, but everyone else it either grew in fondness or dislike. Of course, the ones that I disliked are the ones you're supposed to dislike, the ones that you just really enjoy hating them (*cough*Jax*cough*). I loved Paige and Warden and I can't wait to read more about them in the next books.

Bottom-Line:
This is a book for readers, for people who like to get lost in fictional worlds and fall in love with fictional characters. If you don't read on a regular basis, you probably won't like it. There is a lot of world building, which I love, but not everyone does. It's a great book (and you should definitely read The Bone Season first, that's important), but if you're looking for a fluff read, this is not it.



“With the right reasons, at the right moment, even the most beaten and broken of people could rise up and reclaim themselves.” -The Mime Order by Samantha Shannon

Ireland Journal

          I wrote quite a few notes about the places we went, just fun facts and tidbits and such, but I'm going to leave them out of these posts. I feel like they'd only really make sense to me, because I was there and it's in my own kind of shorthand. But anyway, here's day two:

Day Two:                                                                                                                           May 18, 2015

          Well, we've been at St. Michan's Church this morning. The church was small, about the amount of seating that our's has, but it had a beautiful stained glass window above the altar and a pipe organ in the back. Then we took a tour of the crypt below the church, which was made in 1095. That's super interesting, considering that the church has burned down a few times. I didn't like being in the crypt. It was dark and crowded with people, living and dead. I did muster up the courage to touch one of the dead people. It was 'The Crusader'. They call him that because his arms are crossed, even though he died 650 years ago and he's too young to have been in the crusades. So, the crypts were kind of terrifying, but next is St. Patrick's! Hooray!

          Actually, next is food. Right now we're in the Brazen Head, which is the oldest pub in Dublin. I ordered the Traditional Irish Stew with caesar salad and chocolate fudge cake. Yum!

          We're in St. Patrick's now and it is beautiful. It's also the most at home I've felt on the trip, even though it's nothing like the churches we have at home. Just sitting in front of the altar felt like a breath of 'ah, this is familiar'. It was really nice, even though I've only been gone for three days now (the first being a day of traveling). The detail in here is beautiful, and there is so much of it. I wish I would've brought my prisma colored pencils so I could draw a stained glass window or the floor. Hopefully some of my pictures will be able to show that detail.

          Next we went to the Christ Church Cathedral. It was very beautiful, but not quite as beautiful as St. Patrick's. The coolest part about Christ Church was going to the bell tower. We had to go up a really cramped, steep, spiral staircase, and then across the roof. We went across the roof! And then we got to ring the bells. After that we went downstairs to the crypt. This one was much roomier than the last one (no visible dead bodies!) and it had a gift shop in it. So much less creepy. After that, we were going to see the Nigerian dance interpretation of The Wooing of Emer. Unfortunately, they were sold out, so we went to a poetry reading instead. It was kind of cool listening to Irish poems, but, not going to lie, half way through I was wishing it would finish soon. Sometimes it was hard to understand what they were saying. Coming back and making dinner for my roommates was probably my favorite part of the day (other than St. Patrick's). It felt almost like something out of a movie. Here we were on the 4th floor of our building, sitting at a glass table, next to a huge floor-to-wall window, drinking wine (a couple sips for me, but that's all) and talking about poetry and classic literature. I don't know where else I would get that experience. I felt so civilized! And of course, we had a great time figuring out how to use the dishwasher afterwords. Now it's about 12:30 a.m. and I'm trying to remember everything. One of my roommates is in bed and the other is in the living room with me, also journaling. I think it's finally hitting me that I'm in Ireland. I'm in Ireland!