Arrival in Ireland and First Full Day: Cork and Blarney Castle

We an 8:30 pm flight so we got to Ireland around 11 because it is about a 2-hour flight with a one-hour time change (they are one hour later than Madrid). We had a little difficulty getting to our hotel. There was this shuttle bus that was suppose to run every 20 minutes and take you to anywhere in Central Dublin. It was only 6 Euros so it seemed like a good idea. However, you had to wait for the bus outside, it was nearly midnight, and we were in Dublin in December so it was pretty cold. The bus also still hadn’t showed up after more than 30 minutes so we decided to get a taxi. A lot of people were mad about it too because apparently the shuttle that had left right before that one only had 2 people on it, so they should have just waited for more people to get on it.

Anyways, we made it to our hotel easily with the Taxi driver and he was really nice and a native Irishman so he told just some cool places to go and whatnot. Its always good to try and get a local perspective on things if you can.

When we got to our hotel we basically just wanted to pass out because they next day we were getting up early to get on a bus to go to Cork, Ireland which is where the Blarney Castle is. The Blarney Castle was build in 1446 A.D. and houses the Blarney Stone, which, as legend holds, gives eloquence and wisdom to anyone who kisses it. Winston Churchill is said to have kissed it among many other famous world leaders, literary master, artist, ect.  

We woke up at like 5 am to get to the train station by us to get on what we thought was a 6:30 am bus. Since the hotel didn’t have Internet we couldn’t double check. We got to the bus station and of course no one was there so we had to buy tickets from the kiosk. We didn’t know what we were doing and we ended up buying tickets for a bus that was going to leave at 8 am.

The whole idea of us going to Cork came from my friend Alex, who is also studying abroad at SLU and was in Dublin that weekend as well. She told me how she wanted to go to Cork to see the Blarney Castle but the two people she was on her trip with didn’t want to go. She asked me if I wanted to go so she wouldn’t have to go alone and I said yes because it seemed like a cool site to go see.

So the idea was to get on the same bus as Alex, which was actually the 8 am bus we bought tickets for which was non-express and made a few stops before going to Cork. However, since we were at the station at 6:30 am there was an express bus straight to Cork and my Dad, before we could make a decision, just talked to the drive and got us on that bus instead of waiting for Alex.

It ended up being fine, and there were only four people total on the bus (the three of us and another random person). My mom and I slept basically the whole way there so it seemed like a quick trip.

When we got to Cork it wasn’t even 10 am and Alex wasn’t supposed to be there until 12ish so we decided to go get breakfast. All of us were really hungry because we basically ran to the station (the hotel forgot our wake-up call) and then just hopped on the bus.

We found this awesome bagel place with really great coffee. My mom and I each got a café latte (that’s sometimes the alternative to coffee with milk because its expresso with milk aka the same thing) and a breakfast bagel with scrambled eggs, bacon, red onions, and tomatoes. 

First Irish Breakfast; Asiago Cheese bagel sandwich with egg, red onion, tomato and bacon

After that we wandered around Cork a bit and then I called Alex to see where she was. Her bus was running a little late and we had already killed a good amount of time wandering so we told her we would just meet her there.

St. Peter and Paul Church in Cork, found while exploring 

We had to get on another bus to get there. The weird thing about the bus was it didn’t announce stops as we hit them. It was quite strange.  We figured out where the Castle stop was though just by asking the bus driver and we found it easily once we got off.

The Castle grounds were breathtakingly beautiful right from the start. It was exactly what you think of when you think of Ireland: super green grass, rolling rivers, mossy rocks, blue skies and just the right amount of sunshine. 

Parents on the bridge leading into Blarney Castle

So pretty

Me in a nook at Blarney Castle

The main attraction of the Blarney Castle is the Blarney Stone. As I said before, according to legend, whoever kisses the stone gains eloquence and wisdom. So, of course, I had to kiss. However, kissing the stone isn’t as easy as it sounds. To kiss it you have to lay on your back, grab onto two metal bars, and lean your head back and kiss it while dangling from the second floor of the castle. There are metal safety bars and a man holding onto you but it was still kind of scary. My mom was too afraid to do it but Dad did it. It was definitely thrilling but I was glad when I came up alive.

Kissing the Blarney Stone, just a little bit scary

We eventually found Alex after going through the whole Castle we explored the grounds with here. The grounds were alot bigger than I expected and they had a poison garden, a stable, a Blarney house (unfortunately not open in the winter months), a lake walk and a little stream/waterfall area. It was all really pretty and a great first full day in Ireland.

Blarney House

Parents Visiting!

This past week (December 3^rd-6^th) my parents came to visit and then we all went to Ireland from December 6^th-10^th  and then they had a flight home on the 11th. Ever since I knew they were coming I always thought about that as being the very end of my time here (I leave on December 22^nd) so when the time finally came for then to visit it was so weird. It came up so quickly.

I skipped my Monday classes to meet them at the airport and I found them really easily. Transportation and airports seem easier to me here in Europe than in the U.S. I don’t know why. We got them to their hotel easily and I figured they would want to rest all day (due to jet-lag and Madrid is 7 hours ahead of Chicago time) but they surprisingly wanted to go out.

We got coffee at this cute local place by the hotel and then I showed them Parque de Oeste (a park by my house), Temple de Debod (the Egyptian Temple that is in Parque de Oeste, don’t ask me why or how it got there) and finally my house. Unfortunately my host parents weren’t home (one of their daughters had surgery so they went to visit her and help take care of her kids) so they didn’t get to meet them.             

After that I took them to the Prado, the major art museum in Madrid. They really liked it but I could tell they were fading fast. My mom was basically falling asleep in the museum. I was also pretty tired because I got up 2 hours before I usually do and I couldn’t really sleep the night before because I was afraid I would wake up late and not get on the metro to pick up my parents at the airport. We decided to all go home and take a nap and then reconvene later for dinner. 

Me and Madre at the Prado

Madre and Padre at the Prado

The next day I let my parents explore Madrid on their own because I had to go to school. They went to the Palace and loved it, they also went to Sol, Plaza Mayor and Mercado de San Miguel.

I met them at their hotel around 6:30 because we were going to El Botin, the oldest restaurant in the world. We had 8 pm reservations (the earliest you can do there, people eat a lot later in Madrid/Europe in general) and we decided to walk which was kind of a mistake. I had never been there before and I had mapquested the directions from the Sol metro stop, not from my parents hotel, which was probably closer to Botin than Sol.  My parents had also been walking around all day so they were tired. It took a little longer than expected to get there but we made it at about 8:05 which ended up being fine and we got right in.

The Padres and I at Botin

Sangria Pitcher 

More Padre Pics

My parents both ordered the Filet Mignon but I got garlic shrimp. We also got bread and butter and sangria. It was a really good meal however the restaurant itself was the best part of the experience. It is just so cute and old and small too. They had a bunch of really old furniture and it was just quaint. I liked it alot. We also met some Irish guys in there that gave us a bunch of suggestions for things to do in Ireland. They were really funny too so that made the dinner nice too.

My meal, Garlic Shrimp

Dessert, Pastel de Botin, a cake with pudding filling and meringue frosting

I went to school as usual again the next day and my parents went to Segovia, the part of Spain that has the Roman aquaducts that are over 2000 years old. I went to Segovia at the beginning of the semester as a SLU day trip and I really liked it. Its a very small, Spain town with cobblestone streets and such so its kind of like going back in time. My parents really liked it to and it gave them something to do for a day so that was good too. 

The last day we were in Madrid before Ireland was a thursday. I didn't have school because it was a Spainish holiday so we decided to explore some more museums. Also, on spanish holidays most museums are free so it was the perfect day to go. My mom and I wanted to see the modern art museum, The Reina Sofia, which house Guernica by Picasso, along with alot more of Picasso's works, Dali, Miro, ect. Its really a great museum, Madrid has sooo many priceless works of art its really unbelievable. 

Anyways, we decided to divide and conquer because Padre wanted to go the naval museum and we had to catch a flight that night so didn't have a ton of time. Id been to the Reina Sofia before but I didn't explore it that extensively, so it was nice to go back. Padre also loved the Naval Museum so I think we made the right choice to split up. He probably would have hated the Reina Sofia minus the Picassos. 

After the museums we got lunch and then I wanted to show them Retiro Park. I also hadn't seen it since the beginning of the semester and was excited to see what it would look like in the fall with all the leaves changed. It was beautfiul as usual. Going back to all these places I haven't been to for a while or since the beginning of the semster made me get really nostalgic about leaving Madrid. I'm really going to miss it. 

Me and Padre at Retiro Park

Amsterdam Day 4: Last day, diamond museum

Sunday marked our last full day in Amsterdam. We as usually didn’t really have any plans except to hit up a few museums. We wanted to go to this diamond museum that was free (a rarity here, they also don’t have any students discounts here )

            We got up later, like 10 and left the hostel. It was Sunday, so our breakfast place wasn’t even open. We decided we would just go to the area where the diamond museum was and find some place to eat over there.

            

Some pretty little square 

  We ended up going to this adorable, cozy little place and we both got bagels. I got a goat cheese, with alfalfa sprouts and walnuts bagel and this beer called Texels Scuumkoppe that the waitress recommended. It was actually the best beer I’ve ever had in my life. I usually don’t like beer because of the kind of gross, wheat-y after-taste, but this didn’t even have that. It was delicious all the way through.

It was a perfect day for Amsterdam for the first time we  were there. The sun was out, it was only a little bit windy and no rain. We were also in kind of a cool area and the buildings were really pretty. We actually walked by the Rembrandt House which I would have liked to go in, but I think it was another museum close to 20 euros so I’ll just save that for later in life when I’m rich and successful.

The diamond museum was great for being free. First of all, I didn’t even know Amsterdam was the city of diamonds but it was a nice surprise. Anyways, this museum offered free tours and they also taught you about clarity, shape and different cuts of diamonds. We also go to try on real diamond rings, necklaces and earrings. I was thoroughly impressed. It would be great to come back later in life when I’m rich and actually pick out a diamond there. I actually found a great ring that I would love to have as my engagement ring, the only problem is it was 31,000 euros.

Just Posing by a canal

Someone buy me this ring

loved the Gassan Factory Diamond Tour!

After the diamond museum we just wander around Amsterdam and shopped a bit. We found this amazing boot store near the Red Light District the other day but it was closed so we went back there and Samantha tried on these amazing cowgirl boots. They were unfortunately like 300 euros even on sale so we had to leave without them. The man working there was really selling them though. He was super adorable.

cute building

fancy bike

That night we went back and had a classy dinner of Burger King and then just watched a bunch of movies with the girls. We watched Hitch, Crossroads (with Britney Spears, id never seen it before but It was actually a real winner) and Coyote Ugly. I overall had a great trip and it was very relaxing. I definitely want to come back to Amsterdam later in life too. Sometimes going on these international trips is just a tease because you see most of the great things but 4 days in a foreign country/city just isn’t long enough.

My conclusion and thoughts from this trips:

-Dutch people are also so nice. And they all pretty much speak English. Which is so nice because there is no way I could speak or understand Dutch.

-Amsterdam is very pretty and home-y. I like the Netherlands.

-I must come back to Amsterdam when I am old and rich so I can:

            -have my fiancé come with me so we can pick out my diamond wedding ring

            -go on a romantic canal boat tour

            -go to the Van Gogh Museum (since it will hopefully be all renovated by that time)

            -go to the Rijk Museum

            -go to Madame Tussand Wax Museum

            -bike around the city (will have to come in a warmer time of year)

            -do one of those cliché Holland windmill tours

            -shop at all the awesome thrift stores

Amsterdam Day 3: Heineken Brewery Tour and Hermitage/Van Gogh Museum

We decided today would be the day we would go on the Heineken Brewery Tour. It was something both Samantha and I really wanted to do. The factory doesn’t open until 11 am so we got to sleep in a little again (so nice) and then we bought tickets from our hostel because they sold tickets that were reduced or line skipping. We got breakfast at a new place, right down the street from our hostel and I got an egg sandwich on wheat bread with tomatoes, cucumbers, cheese, and some salt and pepper. It was delicious. I also got my daily coffee; can’t live without it.

We took the metro to Central Station and then the tram to the Heineken factory. Buying the tickets ahead of time was so nice because we got right in. The tour was self-guided too so that was also nice. Heineken had their factory all decorated with Christmas stuff so it was a great time to go.  The first part of the tour was just kind of a Heineken family history lesson about the company.

            The next part was the brewery room where you got to taste the beer in the first step of the process. It tasted really sweet and wheat-y, kind of like soggy cereal after its been sitting in milk for a while. After the brewery room there was this interesting simulation thing were “you were the beer” and they put us in this room and made us stand on this platform that moved and we went through the whole process that the beer would go through, and we felt everything (they turned a heater on when the beer was being pasteurized, they sprayed water on us when we were being brewed, ect, ect). It was interesting and creative. I was not expecting that.

            There were also a bunch of random parts of the tour like a DJ booth thing, and all these photos and digital postcards you could send. It was fun.

            At the end of the tour you got two free beers and you could also have a bartender teach you how to pour the perfect beer. There were a bunch of annoying Spanish men in front of us so we ended up not doing the beer pouring. The drinks were so good though; being factory fresh and they served them ice cold. I had a Heineken a week earlier and it was so bad I was asked Samantha if she actually wanted to do the tour but I think it ended up being one of the best things we did when we were in Amsterdam so I was really glad we did it.

          

Heineken Experience

Merry Christmas!

Me and Samantha, posing

more posing

Spanish!

The four ingredients in Heineken

DJ-ing with my Spanish boyfriend, can't even escape Spain in a foreign country

Canal boat ride?

Some cool new heineken cans that change in black lights

Proost! That's cheers in Dutch

In Love with Vincent 

Christmas at the Heineken Factory

  When the Heineken Tour was over I really wanted to go to the Hermitage Museum, which is already supposed to be a good museum, but it was also housing most of the painting from the Van Gogh Museum as it undergoes renovations. It was kind of expensive (about 18 euros) but I think it was worth it. I think I’ve seen a few Van Gogh’s before but this collection was amazing. His use of paint and colors is astounding. He puts so much paint on the canvas in so many layers, it made me really want to touch the paintings just to feel the texture. I felt kind of bad dragging Samantha there because I know she doesn’t really care that much about art and it was a really expensive museum but I think (hope) she liked it too. 

Classy seating area in the Hermitage Museum

After the long day at the Heineken and then going straight to the Hermitage we were both worn out and really hungry since we hadn't eaten anything since breakfast. We both wanted to try a dutch pancake because they are sopposed to be a delicacy there so Samantha asked the lady working at the Hermitage if there was any local place she recommended. She happened to be the perfect person to ask because she used to work at a pancake place and gave us direction there. We kind of took our time walking there, when in a few shops, walked in a vintage store and I got an 8 euro 80's giraffe tunic and Samantha got this amazing sequin jacket and then when we finally made it there it was full. We were really sad but we decided to just find another place because they were everywhere. We ended up going to this place near the Anne Frank Huis called Sara's pancakes. They had an amazing menu, we both labored over our decision of what to get. I ended up with a banana, caramel and whipped cream pancake and Samantha got a banana, chocolate sauce and whipped cream pancake. We were both in heaven.

Coffee with Whipped cream

My pancake, what a beaut

me with my giant pancake, I still ate the whole thing

After the pancake we went back to our hostel to get ready to go out. However, once both of us got back to the hostel we realized that neither of us actually wanted to go out but we also didn't want to let the other person down so we both pretended like we did. When we both realized we were fine staying in I think we were both relieved. We ended up just watching a few movies with the girls at our hostel. It was like a GNI (girl's night in) everynight we were there but I thought it was awesome. All the girls were really nice and almost all of them were study abroad students from the states. One of the best things about studying abroad is just meeting new and interesting people. You have to be a little bit adventureous to spend at least a whole semester (or more) in a foreign country without friends or family so all the girls were really cool.