Paris: infinity; Real Housewives of Rathmines: 0

Bonjour!
You may be wondering what is going on with the title of this post? Well let me tell you: Paris won. Anything that could have gone wrong on the week in Paris did, but I think the silver lining of it all was that we all still had a really amazing experience.

It all started early on Monday morning. Up before the sun we had to trek from our home sweet home in Rathmines to the United States embassy which is about a 40 minute walk. I took a cab. Everyone was ungodly groggy as we made our way by chartered bus to Dublin International Airport. We got checked in and made it to the gate with about five minutes to spare before boarding. Then we see it. We'll be flying in a small plane. Now, I typically love flying but the whole turbulence thing freaks me out, so I was not too excited to see the contraption we going to be soaring in. In the end, it wasn't too bad of a flight and I slept for most of it. Even the landing was pretty smooth. Silver lining. Once we arrived at Charles de Gaulle we had to wait around for a little until our bus showed up. It was probably the nicest bus I've ever seen! Mercedes, leather interior, it even had tables in the back! We finally were experiencing our first looks at Paris. I immediately noticed major differences from Dublin. It was really dirty with lots of graffiti all around. The traffic was much heavier and they drive on the road like we do in America, which was kind of confusing because I finally got used to looking the opposite way when crossing the street!

The hotel we stayed in was really nice! I got lucky with my roommates and got to spend the week with Anne and Kelly ( SISTAHS!). The large window swung all the way open and looked out over the Rue de Berne, a quaint little Parisian street. It was raining our first day so we suited up and went down to the lobby to meet with Michael, our program director, for a speedy tour of the city. What actually ended up happening was Michael speeding ahead, chastising us for being too slow, and then dropping us in the Place de Concorde with no real idea of how to do anything! The language barrier was what threw me off the most at first. The stereotype is true and Parisians hate english for the most part, especially American english. I felt really awkward trying to communicate considering that my french goes about as far as bonjour, merci, and au revoir! A few of us ended up wandering down the river until the fatigue and hunger got the best of us. I had a very delicious crepe with Nutella and we headed back to the hotel via metro! That metro is absolutely insane. There are multiple lines with hundreds of transfers; it's pretty daunting the first time you try to decipher the map. In actuality it's very easy though and by the second day we were masters.

We got back to the hotel and power napped while we waited for Kelly's friend Catherine. Catherine is studying in Paris and had come to visit Dublin a few weeks back, so she was gonna take us out for a little bit. We found a nice spot in the Latin Quarter and had a phenomenal burger and lots of mojitos! Then we wandered down to this bar called ZeBar and the waiter was very nice considering it was a slow Monday night. They even put sparklers in our drinks! After the stress and confusion of the day it was nice to sit and unwind with some friends.

Day two began in Paris with a lovely breakfast provided by the hotel. We headed downstairs to the basement of the hotel and, in true Parisian fashion, indulged in unlimited croissants and various other snacks. We decided to get out of the main city for the day and found a train that could take us out to Versailles! This had some mishaps though. A bunch of us had purchased a pack of Metro tickets and as far as we could tell, those would work for the Versailles train. Well....we were wrong haha We got to the Versailles stop and tried using our tickets to get through the turnstile to no avail. Kelly and I had snuck through the gates by following someone else and squeezing through before it closed, but the others we were with weren't so lucky. Fortunately the transport officer had pity on us foolish Americans and let them through, while giving us directions on how to properly purchase tickets for the ride home. After that debacle, we took the short walk from the train station to the Palace itself. The queues were uncharacteristically long but it was worth every second of waiting! Versailles was absolutely unreal, the opulence of it all! Everything covered in gold, and detailed paintings, it was easy to get absorbed in one room for a long time examining every artwork! This led to another little problem because our group got separated. One of the many benefits of Dublin is that even when we aren't in a wifi zone, everyone in our group can easily communicate using our Irish cell phones. The problem with getting separated in Paris was that those Irish phones didn't work there, for the most part. After some stressful searching the group I was with decided that it would just be best to meet them back at the hotel in Paris. In a moment of pure joy, we ran into them on the train; what a reunion! Once back at the hotel it was 100% time for a nap. Once we woke up, a large group of the interns headed down to the Italian restaurant on our street (I swear we ate at every Italian place in Paris). Dinner was delicious and the wine was flowing! We headed back to the hotel to continue drinking and let's just say none of us made it out that night. Classic.

The third day in Paris arrived before we knew it! There was still so much on our to-do list, so we decided to make the day productive. Our first stop was Notre Dame. The cathedral was amazing inside and out. The stained glass windows were my favorite part as they were all so unique and ornate. There were so many little chapels within Notre Dame and I stopped at the one dedicated to Saint Anne to say a prayer for Nanny. The whole experience was very powerful for everyone I think. Once we got out of there we decided to head down towards the Arc de Triumph. Along the way we passed the infamous Lock Bridge. There are so many locks on the bridge that it is actually starting to collapse, so the city is in the process of taking most of the panels down. This has cause locks to start popping up on Bridges all along the river. Also on the way to the Arc was the Champs de Elysee, a street after my own family's name! I took some time to take pictures and try to take it all in. On both sides of this road are multiple luxury stores such as Louis Vuitton. My friends stopped at this famous macaroon place, while James and I swung into the Irish pub next door for a quick pint while they were shopping. It was great craic! Finally we reached the end of the Champs de Elysee and were greated by the Arc de Triumph, and impressive site no doubt. We took our photo op and moved on quickly to continue down our extensive list of sites to see. The next stop on our trip was the Eiffel Tower of course! We were meeting up with Catherine again to have dinner under the tower. After mulling around for a little we grabbed some pizzas (typical) and a few bottles of wine and laid in the grass watching the Eiffel Tower light show

After our grand dinner under the Tower, we headed down to the river, as we had planned to take a river tour of the city. The whole gang got on board and had a glass of champagne while cruising through the water. It was a nice relaxing end to our day and an absolute treat to get to see Paris at night.

On the morning of day 4 we realized our time in France was almost up! We had breakfast once again at the hotel and hopped on the metro to take us to the section of the city that holds the Catacombs, Then the waiting game began. We waited over two hours to enter that Catacombs, but we were committed. We passed the time by playing Guess the Emoji on the iPhone, as well as some other games; When we finally got into the Catacombs we went down a narrow winding staircase that took us far under the streets of Paris. The bones of 6 million Parisians are down there and it is a very sombering place. Upon the entrance of the crypt was engraved a saying in french that roughly translates to, "Stop. This is the empire of the dead," and that it was. Seeing all those bones that once were people made me acutely aware of my own mortality, something that often gets forgotten on this wild adventure. We went through all the caverns and halls in almost silence. When we eventually made our way out the other side, we were all hungry and stopped where else but McDonald's. I've made it my mission to get McDonald's in every country I go through. Mind you the McDonald's here is much better than in the states. From there we headed to the Louvre, the home of the Mona Lisa! As students we got in for free and headed right to the main attraction, Mona herself. We snapped a couple selfies and decided to head back to the hotel to rest up for our last night out in Paris. Over the course of the trip we got very good at not paying for the metro by either going under the turnstile or going in groups through the gate. Sorry Paris, I don't like you anyway! After a power nap and banging dinner, we made our way back to the Latin Quarter. Here we bought drinks by the liter and had a great time. On the way home we stopped at this club that ended up being full of Brazilian strippers who didn't speak English or French. It was an experience that I don't wish to experience again and we didn't stay very long. Our time in Paris was almost over and all of us could not wait to get back to Dublin. The struggle of our last evening was our taxi driver having no idea where he was going. Surprisingly, we were able to direct him well enough to get us close, and then we walked the rest of the way.

Our final morning in Paris consisted of breakfast and packing our stuff up. The bus ride to the airport seemed to stretch on forever as the anticipation of going home built up. I think my favorite part about travelling is the feeling of home every time I get back to Dublin. I never thought I would be able to feel truly at home anywhere but Philadelphia until I came here. Not to scare anyone at home, but I could certainly see myself living here for an extended period of time, quite happily. I love America as most of you know, but this whole experience has opened up my mind to a whole new world of possibilities for my life. Upon arrival back in Dublin we headed straight to our local pub for some pints. They were needed and well deserved after the hot mess express that was Paris. I even had a new beer that is about as close to chocolate milk as a beer can be. It's a new favorite: Left Hand Brewing Company Nitro Milk Stout if you're interested in checking it out.

I guess all in all Paris was just grand, but there's nothing that compares to being home; home in Dublin.


From Dublin, with love.

Come to Ireland for the Craic

So we've officially passed the halfway point in this whirlwind adventure! Unbelievable! Luckily for me, this occasion was marked with a visit from my lovely grandparents. After a quick crash course on Irish slang, we grabbed dinner and a pint when I was done work. The first two days of their visit we did the Dublin Hop-on Hop-Off tour! It was a great way for us to see a lot of things very quickly. I tried to throw in my own tidbits of knowledge of things along the way. The first day we took a trip out to the Phoenix Park on the hunt to find Cuminsky's Bar for a friend of my pop-pop's. After walking up what I'm sure was the biggest hill in Ireland, we gave in and called a cab to help us find it. It was a journey but we made it! We also checked out the Jameson Distillery which was awesome! The second day, we saw Christ Church and St. Patrick's Cathedral. I personally liked Christ Church better but St. Patrick's had some wicked cool stained glass! We ended the day at the Guinness Factory for a few pints and some delicious stew! We also got a bit of shopping done and haven't taken my Guinness hoodie off since. It's so comfy! We called it a day early because on Saturday my grandparents were taking me and my friend Kelly on a day trip to County Cork! We woke up early and headed out. The first stop was a town called Cobh, pronounced Cove. This was the last port of call for the Titanic! It was very windy but we took a tour through the Titanic museum there, each of us playing the part of a real passenger on the boat. We got tickets and everything. At the end of the tour you could see if the person who originally held your ticket survived or was lost in the tragedy. Kelly and I died but hey at least the grandparents survived! After that we departed for Blarney to see the castle and kiss the stone! Not worried about the germs we scaled the steep winding staircases until we reached the top. Hopefully I got the gift of the gab and not Ebola.....hahaha After that we headed to Cork City which is pretty much a wannabe Dublin. We didn't like it very much but luckily we only spent about an hour there before we hopped back on the bus to take us to Dublin. Exhausted from a long day, Kelly and I returned home to watch the movie Titanic after being inspired at the museum. We were even able to point out some key errors about the film, such as Leo having an assigned bunk room! They were first come first serve, so you had to hunt down an empty one yourself. The next morning I took the grandparents on the DART out to Dun Laoghaire to see the sailing and go to the market we like. We strolled around for a little getting crepes and cider with apple brandy before heading back to Dublin and saying our goodbyes. It was so great to see my family and have a little taste of home! I'm excited to see them again at Christmas. I can only hope they had as good of a time as I did showing them around.


From Dublin, With Love.

Belfast Blast

A few weeks ago (Oct 10-12th) I had the opportunity to get out of Dublin for a little and head up to Northern Ireland and Belfast! 

The drive up was so beautiful! There is no way pictures could ever truly capture the natural beauty of Ireland's landscape. Being that it was the weekend before our midterms, most of us were a little anxious about studying time, but considering we are studying all things Irish, exploring in Northern Ireland was the perfect destination to combine studying and fun! Upon arrival at the hotel, we had a presentation by an expert on Northern Ireland's ever changing murals. It was interesting to see how the murals transform during different political and social circumstances. The murals could depict any sort of message from violent to peaceful. They are not all focused on Northern Ireland issues either. I saw many about the Palestinian conflict and other global topics. After that we had dinner and thought about what we wanted to do for the evening. The biggest difference between Dublin and Belfast was just the sheer lack of people. It seemed like we were in a ghost town! The night life was pretty drab as well, but we eventually had found a place called The Basement that was playing some really awesome live music! Everyone was slagging me a bit because I decided to have a recovery weekend and stay sober hahah! We only stayed for a little bit though because we knew we had an early day the next morning. Bright and early we all piled into buses to take us up to the northern most point  on the island to see the Giants Causeway. The drive was interesting because of the crazy weather changes. One moment it was bright and sunny, then dense fog, then rain, and back to sun again! So bizarre! It was also weird to see the Union Jack flying everywhere as opposed to the Irish Tricolor. Northern Ireland is a part of the UK so it's under British control, hence the flags. Before we actually got up to the Causeway we had to drive through Bushmills and see where all that tasty whiskey comes from. Once at the Causeway we got a short guided tour telling us about the Celtic mythology surrounding the site, including a bunch of stories about the giant himself, Finn McCool! The scenery was breathtaking (see Facebook) and it was a beautiful crystal clear day! From the top of the cliff you can look off to your right and see Scotland in the distance and to the left, Donegal, the most northern part of the Republic of Ireland. After exploring the Causeway and cliffs for a few hours, we hopped back on the bus to go to a small town called Portrush for lunch. We had the most amazing barbeque pulled pork. Probably one of the best meals I've had in Ireland. We headed back to Belfast after that. Instead of going to our scheduled dinner, a few of the lads and I decided it would be a much better use of our time to go to an ice hockey game! Who would have thought there was a team here?! Off we went to the Belfast Giants game. I refused to cheer for the Giants though, considering it was Black Sunday back at home. LETS GO EAGLES. They were playing the Dundee Stars, a team from Scotland, and boy did they destroy them! The final score was 7-1 and every time they scored this song played : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXl1Bvj_qoQ

It was so fun to learn the words and clap along. I think we fit in pretty well. I even broke my sobriety pledge and had ONE beer because....well come on it's hockey! There was even a fight. It was a great way to spend the evening. 

On our last day in Belfast we were given a bus tour of all the murals we had learned about on Friday. They were so fascinating, the way each was so unique from the last. All of them are illegal by the way, just no one ever says anything about it. I also had the opportunity to sign the Peace Wall that divides the Catholic and Protestant halves of the city. I think one of the most interesting things about Belfast is that even though there is no more outward aggression for the most part, there are still obvious signs of divide. For example, the gates to get between the Catholic and Protestant areas of the city are still closed and locked every night at 9PM. The tour of the city continued by driving through the shipyard where the Titanic was built. Two giant cranes, Samson and Goliath, loom over the Belfast skyline. There is a museum there but we didn't have time to check it out due to our packed schedules. The shipyard used to employ over 40,000 people but now employs only about 400. It is a testament to the downfall of the industrial area. We also saw the building where the original plans for the Titanic were drawn up and Titanic studios, where one of my favorite shows, Game of Thrones, is filmed! Finally we headed home to Dublin and prepared for our midterms. I still haven't gotten the results back but I think I did pretty well. 

From Dublin, With Love.

Canvassing Chaos

Last week, on Thursday I got invited out to join the campaign efforts of my boss, Senator Cait Keane, in a truly hands on way. In the morning we went into the office, but just after lunch we headed out to the Templeogue and Terenure sections of Dublin, also know as Dublin South West. It was the day before the election and it was our last chance to get the word out about voting Fine Gael. To say that things did not go as planned would be a gross understatement. Firstly, the drive should have only taken about ten minutes. Instead, we got a little lost and ended up driving around for several hours until we FINALLY found the group. We walked up and down a few blocks, knocking on doors, and handing out flyers. Most people were still at work so I didn't end up talking to that many people. After about an hour and a half we gave up and in true Irish fashion ended up at the pub. Overall I had fun but by this point in the campaign there was not much more we could do. Our candidate ended up coming in third behind the Sinn Fein candidate in second, and the Anti-Austerity Alliance member winning the seat.

It has been a great time working on the campaign but now I'll be going back to doing more legislative research and less constituent services.

An interesting weekend to say the very least

Hello all,

Hope everything is still well across the ocean and the Ebola hasn't gotten a hold on you yet! Just thought I'd give an update on this past weekend while I have a free minute a work. I won't tell anyone if you don't. Anyway, Friday night we went out to a bar called The Capitol Lounge which is famous for is €5 cocktails. Needless to say we all had a grand night. Saturday was a lazy day and I never even made it out bed except to walk down to my friends house to have a movie marathon! Sunday though we planned to travel to County Wicklow for a hike. My friends and I took the DART down to Dalkey to meet up with some of our school friends. We had chartered a bus to take us but we soon realize that said bus was never going to show up! We called the driver multiple times and he ignored us! Instead of having the day ruined, we decided to hike on Dalkey Hill and Kilney Hill, slightly smaller mountains. It was a vigorous workout, with incredible views from the top (see Facebook). After the journey up and down the mountain, we were all very hungry and decided to swing through Dun Laoghaire to go to the farmers market in the People's Park for lunch. We did some browsing and then returned to Rathmines for a nap! In the evening I mustered up all of the energy I had left and walked down to the local pub to meet up with some of the bartenders there. We have become great friends and they invited me and some others to go to Oktoberfest Dublin! It was great craic with a live band and lots of German beer. It was the last night of the festival so right before they closed they were giving out the rest of the beer for free! Afterwards we went to Workmans Pub and ended the night on a relaxing note. I was very excited to have the opportunity to go to Dublin's Oktoberfest because I couldn't make it out to the real one in Munich courtesy of some academic obligations! It was a grand time singing and dancing along with my Irish friends. They certainly know how to have a good time here in Ireland. 

This week at work should be interesting in the Parliament as it's the last week before the By-Election that my Senator is in! I'l let yous know how it goes!

Have a nice week everyone.

From Dublin, With Love. 

What a month it has been!

Hi all! (and by now I'm sure all means Mom, Dad, Mom-mom, Pop-pop and maybe a handful of others haha!)

This past Wednesday officially marked one month abroad! I can't believe how fast the time is going! As you might have noticed, I recently added a ticker on the right of this site that is counting down until the day I return to the states. It's a bittersweet site for sure, but it keeps me motivated to live it up as much as possible here while I still have the time! Anyway, things are still going just swimmingly here. I am getting into the flow of intern life. This is evidenced by the coffee shop across the street from Parliament knowing my name and order before I even have to say it in the morning! It's weird to actually know where I am going when I'm walking around city centre considering a month ago all of us were so reliant on google maps. My sense of independence is boosted by the day. Midterms are coming up soon, but for me that just means that Mom-mom and Pop-pop are almost here!! I am so excited to see my family, show them around my new city, and share a few pints. Until then I'll just be catching up on my readings (netflix) and getting a head start on my final papers (netflix,,,,).

In other news, last night we went out for a night at the races, the greyhound races! Now before you go all animal rights on me, greyhound races are very different here. There is a huge protective agency for these dogs and people get paid to come and play with them. They definitely aren't abused. We had a fabulous dinner with a complimentary bottle of wine, made some bets, lost some bets, and had a grand old time. I also smoked my first real cuban cigar! They are legal here because Ireland has no trade embargo on them. There is even a shop here that will mail you cigars, completely legally, to your home address in the states! I'm not a huge fan of cigars and honestly I'm not even sure I would taste the difference, but still a really awesome item to check off the bucket list.

I'm gonna go prepare myself for the weekend now since my friends are making me the resident bartender this weekend, mixing up all their favorite drink. Time to put my whistle skills to work!

From Dublin, With Love.