Irish I Was Still in Ireland

Ireland, the home of my people.  Well, some of my people, since we only have a little Irish heritage based on what we could find.  Some of my Scottish ancestors moved to Ireland, but I’m not sure if we actually have any Irish blood.  But who cares!

This past weekend, I travelled to Dublin with a friend to escape Italy for the weekend.  We had a mild mishap with our Air BNB, mostly because we arrived later than expected and didn’t have a way to contact her to tell her.  However, once we finally arrived, she was the nicest person you could meet.  She greeted us outside, showed us how to jimmy the key in the lock to get it to open, and then showed us into our room where she had a bowl of popcorn waiting for us! How awesome is that?! 

The following morning, we got up and headed towards the Dublin city center.  After wandering around for a bit, we walked into an amazing Irish gift show called Carrolls.  Everything was green and covered with sheep and shamrocks!  We spent a bit of time walking around and I probably bought more than I should have, but it was definitely worth it.  Afterwards, we headed across the river to a tourist office that we had spotted to see what there was to do in and around Dublin.  We ended up buying tickets for a hop-on hop-off bus tour of the city, which was more than worth the money. We also bought tickets to go see the Giants Causeway the following day. We drove around the city with the driver providing a commentary as we drove past interesting sights.  Our first stop was a nice, quiet little park.  I have no idea what the name of it was, but it was very beautiful. 

We hopped back on the next bus and rode until we got to St. Patrick’s Cathedral.  In case you didn’t know, it is actually a sort of memorial cathedral for people who died in wars throughout the churches history.  I certainly didn’t know it so it was really interesting to walk around and see the various tombs and dedications to colonels, generals, and what not.  They even had this cool little tree that you could write a leaf for someone you had lost and put it on the ground beneath the metal tree.  

We continued our trek through the city, seeing Phoenix Park where the US Embassy house sits across the roundabout from the President’s mansion, which I thought was interesting.  There are actually over 1000 deer within the park that people were even going up to pet.  How cool is that?! By the time we got back into the city center.  Thankfully, that bus tour gave us a coupon for a two-for-one meal at a restaurant in Temple Bar that we definitely took advantage of.  It was a great little restaurant and it had really good food!  The waiter recommended the lamb shank, which came with scalloped potatoes and steamed vegetables and it was amazing! Top it off with a Bulmer’s Cider and I was one full and happy person!  We decided to go to bed early since we had to be up early for our tour the following morning.

At the crack of dawn the following day, we were up and walking towards the city center as the sun was just peaking over the water of the river.  It was a farther walk than we thought, so we had to book it to make it to our bus on time, although it was late anyway.  We were headed out of the city by 730 though, and on our way toward Belfast.  Other than a brief stop for breakfast and to pick up some snacks (we bought sandwiches for lunch), it was a beautiful and quiet ride north to Belfast.  We were given the option of either doing a Black Taxi tour of the city or to go see the Titanic museum.  Since I’ve never actually seen Titanic, I chose the taxi tour and I was very glad I did.

Belfast is very intriguing city.  I learned a lot about the city during our taxi tour, most of which I had never heard about:  I knew that the IRA was still active, but I never really knew anything about them.  In Belfast, they have a rather rich and interesting history.  Back in 1969, the government began building what they called “peace walls” to separate the Catholic and Protestant neighborhoods.   The Catholics were definitely on the losing side of these walls, as they were placed into tiny little ghettoes that packed in over 1000 people per square mile.  At some point during the years that these walls went up, Protestants began bombing and attacking the Catholics of one particular ghetto.  At the time, there were fewer than 30 IRA members in the city and they had no weapons whatsoever, so they could do nothing about the conflict.  It got to the point that the British army was sent to protect ghetto.  Since they could no longer attack this ghetto, they turned their sights on the other.  Less than three days later, they were prepared to attack other ghettoes but the IRA had been busy.  Within those three days, over 1000 IRA members were in Belfast and armed to the teeth to prevent further conflict.  How amazing is that?

Today, there are murals throughout the city.  They depict support for refugees, remembrances for those killed in political conflicts, and memorials for innocents killed, including for those killed in the conflict mentioned above.  These murals are not allowed to have anything racist, sexist, homophobic, or secularist.  They also are only up for three years before they are repainted, with only two exceptions: an imitation of Picasso’s Guernica painted by a Protestant and a Catholic artist working together and a mural that was painted in remembrance of the Jews killed in WWII. Both of these painting were up for 5 years.  We also learned about Bobby Sands, an IRA leader who was imprisoned and lead hunger strikes to protest their political imprisonment as well as later “blanket” protests.  He was even elected as a Member of Parliament while still in jail, although he died of starvation in prison before he could take his seat.

The last stop of our tour was at Cupar Way, the longest peace wall of the city.  This wall was painted by several artists with the graffiti that had been on the Berlin wall before its demolition.  They hope that eventually the peace walls of the city will receive the same treatment, which is supposedly on its way.  The wall is covered with signatures of people advocating for its demolition, which actually began under Bill Clinton’s presidency.  He facilitated a peace process between the Irish and British governments and the IRA and decided to sign the wall.  It has also been signed by various political leaders and celebrities, including the Dali Lama, Beyonce, and Barack Obama, and now me!

Finally, we made it to the Giants Causeway, which was absolutely gorgeous.  I have come to the realization, however, that Hollywood and the internet ruins everything.  I thought the stones would be bigger.  Don’t get me wrong, it was absolutely gorgeous and I had a blast climbing around the stones and up the nearby hill to get a better view, but still…  All of the rocks are shaped like hexagons, the side effect of an ancient volcanic eruption apparently. Clearly that geology class I took didn’t cover hexagonal volcanic eruptions.  It is such an odd and unique view, all those geometric rocks being crashed against by the waves.  Some are covered with lichen, some with seaweed or moss, and others are just black from the constant abuse by the water.  It was absolutely gorgeous.  The water was a gorgeous turquoise and I really just didn’t want to leave.  It helped that it was a gorgeous sunny day, I’m sure.  Wouldn’t have been nearly as much fun if it had been pouring down rain.  We had about two hours to wander around and eat lunch while looking at the rolling green Irish hills before we headed off again. 

Our final stop of the day was the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge.  Yes, it’s exactly what it sounds like.  It’s a rope bridge that links the mainland to a tiny, rather useless little island, although some fisherman in the 1700s thought it was worth building a bridge to.  There’s even a little boat on the island that has absolutely no access to the water below, so I’m not sure what the point is.  However, it was really fun to cross the rope bridge in the gusting Irish breeze alongside a bunch of shrieking people (no that isn’t sarcasm).  It was really fun and it had a great view of the water and the cliffs of the mainland.  We spent a few minutes enjoying the view before we took the harrowing walk across the bridge again.  Good thing I’m not afraid of heights! After that, it was just a long bus ride back to Dublin with a quick little bus tour of the Belfast city center, which we did not see on our taxi tour. 

Along the drive, the bus driver threw out some random little facts every once and a while.  One of them, which he almost had some of the passengers around us believing, regarded the paint marks on the sheep throughout Ireland.  He claimed that the Scottish would come over during the night and graffiti the sheep out of spite.  The people around us were almost convinced.  By the time we got back to Dublin, we were rather hungry and tried to find a new place to eat.  Unfortunately, most places were too packed even for standing room so we ended up back at the restaurant from the previous night.  We had some absolutely amazing fish and chips before having a quick walk through Temple Bar (I mean when in Ireland do as the Irish do right?) although we were still back at our B&B before 11. 

We just kind of wandered around the last day, including going to see Trinity College. It's an absolutely beautiful campus, right in the heart of the bustling city.  You can't even hear the world outside, which was amazing.  Overall, it was a really great trip.  I’d love to go back one day and see the area where our family lived, but it was too difficult to get to with the little bit of time that we had.  Ireland reminded me a lot of Scotland, although Scotland definitely had better scenery in my opinion!  Sorry for the little bit of a history lesson, I was just really amazed!

The Little Things

You know, I really haven’t been homesick during my time in Italy.  I was more homesick moving the thirty minutes to Norman to live on campus my freshman year than I am here in Italy, over five thousand miles away! However, as we’re nearing the end of the semester, it’s the little things in life that I’m missing.  Those things you don’t really think about when you’re at home but become glaringly obvious once you’re in a different country. 

There’s a stomach bug going through our ranks at the moment that made us notice one thing that we definitely take for granted: late night shopping.  Back home, when you get sick late at night and need some medicine and a sprite or Gatorade, you know that there is a 7/11 or Walmart that you can drive to and get exactly what you need.  Here in Italy, you just kinda wander around and hope that you’ll find somewhere that is open so you can get a sprite for your friend who can’t stop throwing up.  Yeah, I know it’s a little gross, but it really is something that you don’t think about missing. 

Another thing, especially for the animal lovers, is being able to go up and pet a stranger’s dog.    In the states, if someone is walking their dog down the street, their practically asking for someone to come up and pet the dog!  There are so many dogs walking around here in Italy that asking to pet them isn’t really a thing.  Dogs are allowed in pretty much every shop and restaurant throughout Italy, which makes it really hard for an animal lover like me.  Especially when you see a really fluffy German shepherd who is just begging you to rub his ears.  It really is a struggle.

One of the things I really miss is just curling up on the couch in the evenings to watch television.  I know, it sounds horrible.  I’m in Italy, why do I want to just sit on the couch and watch television?!  It’s mostly on those days that I’ve been running all week and just want a little time to relax and unwind.  I miss curling up on the couch and watch some television with some company.  We have a tv room at the monastery here, but it’s just not the same.  They tried, but it’s not exactly a lounging room.  The couches are too hard and then there are these really awkward bean bag type things that you sit against more than you sit on. 

Even with all of these little things, there’s one thing that I really miss: hugs.  I know, it’s cheesy, but I really do miss them.  The Italian version of a hug is the cheek kissing thing, which just isn’t the same.  Sometimes you just need that big bear hug from someone.  It’s relaxing, especially after some of these really long days that we’ve had while we’re here. 

Alright, that’s all I have to say.  Only a month and a half until I go back to the states and I have mixed feelings about it.  

A Slightly Disappointing Weekend

Rome, the Eternal City.  Rome, the City of the Seven Hills.  Rome, the City of Love.  Personally, I’m not sure that any of these truly apply to the city anymore.  Maybe the City of Letdowns.

We finally made it to Rome this weekend on a class trip, and I have to say I was a little disappointed.  Everyone really talks Rome up, telling us about how great the city is for its history and amazing culture.  While yes, the city does have an amazing history, I definitely think that the culture has been trampled under the feet of the millions of tourists that pass through every year.  The calm and laidback atmosphere that you can find in almost every Italian town has been replaced with a constant barrage of people trying to sell things or get you to sit down at their restaurant.  You barely get a seconds peace as you walk through the city in search of the history that Rome is famous for. Honestly, I would not want to stay in Rome for more than a night after having been to some of the other cities in the country.

Anyway, we started our day in Rome at Cinecitta, the Italian version of Hollywood.  It’s pretty removed from the city center, but has a very quiet and peaceful feel to it.  We toured the various sets and sound stages, led by a lovely young woman who told us about the history of the site.  After walking around the area, we were allowed to look through the museums that they had, which were filled with costumes and directorial pieces from the movies that were produced on site.  In fact, several American productions were filmed here, including Gangs of New York and Rome. 

One of the Roman Sets

A Roman Triumphal Arch 

clashing with an Egyptian set!

Next, we headed back into the city center.  After hopping off the metro, we walked through the streets until we arrived at the Trevi Fountain.  Of everything that I saw this weekend, this was truly the greatest sight.  After walking through dingy, crowded streets for some time, we rounded a corner and there was the fountain in all its glory.  It is absolutely amazing that these works were created without modern technology and that it has stood for centuries.  The beautiful white marble gleamed in the sun and the water positively sparkled. Despite the crowd around the fountain, I could have sat there all day.  Unfortunately, that wasn’t the plan. After a moment to take a couple pictures, we continued on through the streets of Rome to get to the Pantheon.  The pantheon was cool as well, but since the inside has been converted into a Christian Church, it just doesn’t quite have the same majesty of the Trevi.  All the niches are filled with statues of Mary and other saints instead of the Roman Gods and Goddesses. 

Interior of the Pantheon

We had lunch near the pantheon before moving on to the Colosseum, which was a bit of a letdown thanks to Hollywood.  Movies always portray it as a massive, awe-inspiring work of engineering, which it definitely is, but it’s not quite as big as the movies portray.  Don’t get me wrong, it was a really amazing sight and I would love to spend some time there without all the other tourists, but it was a little underwhelming.  We walked by the Roman Forum and took some pictures, since it was already closed by the time we finished the Colosseum.

We were spending the night in Rome so we could head towards the coast for the weekend, so we went to check into our B&B before heading to dinner.  As we walked towards the address, we got a little worried because it wasn’t the greatest part of town.  Thankfully, the actually B&B was in a decent area and the room was very nice.  We headed towards dinner, which was delicious.  It took forever to get a table and then they thought we had already been served so it took even longer to get our food.  We were probably at the restaurant for about 2 hours just to get a couple plates of pasta.  However, there were a couple highlights to our meal.  There was a young man sitting behind me, maybe 15 years old, who kept getting up and tripping on my chair.  I was mildly frustrated with it, but as he was leaving he said the cutest thing: “Excuse me, miss, but your hair is on point!”  Absolutely adorable. After dinner, we went to an Ice Bar. We put on these lovely little poncho-parkas and went in to have a couple drinks.  Honestly, the drinks were rather disgusting, but it was an adventure nonetheless.  We had two awesome bartenders, including one who was Italian by blood by Irish by nature.  As some of our group did shots of vodka, he did an entire cup of Jägermeister like it was a shot.  He talked with a constant stream of profanities and was telling us that no Italians know how to properly speak Italian (to which his Italian colleague 100% agreed). 

Me and my Poncho Girls!

The next morning, we traveled three and a half hours by train to finally make it to Meta, which is where our B&B for the weekend was.  It was an adorable little town with a nice beach and delicious food.  We checked in, grabbed some lunch, and then headed toward Sorrento.  Sorrento was also another letdown unfortunately.  Everyone has been telling me that I have go to Sorrento because it’s so amazing but I really didn’t get it.  It is a very touristy town that has some of the charm of the smaller Italian towns but none of the character.  It didn’t even have a proper beach, which Meta did have.  Sorrento is famous for its Lemoncello and other lemon products, which I did buy.  I got some delicious lemon candies, and then went back the next day to get some more.  Unfortunately, several members of our group were not feeling well.  There seems to be a bug going around!  Anyway, we ate some delicious waffles before heading back to Meta to put the sickos in bed.  After our first location for dinner was closed, we happened upon a wannabe British pub called Covent Garden.  Thankfully, it was absolutely delicious!  I had some amazing barbecue ribs that I pretty much polished off.  Oh my god were they good!

Sorrento Harbor

Cliffs in Meta

Courtyard of our B&B

The following day, Michael left ridiculously early so he could catch the ferry to Capri while Ryan and I slept in.  We got up and checked out before heading down to the beach in Meta, which was gorgeous.  I really wished we had spent the day there instead of in Sorrento! We met Michael in Sorrento, grabbed a quick lunch, and then hopped on the metro so we could catch our train out of Naples.  I ended up in a section with an older Italian couple who were absolutely adorable.  They even offered me one of their sandwiches, which smelled amazing, but I was almost to Arezzo.  Overall, not a fantastic weekend, but at least there were no major incidences!