Saturday, March 21 to Thursday, March 26 was characterized by coursework, researching, writing, stress, regret for procrastinating, and minimal sleep. For a second I thought I had been thrown into the typical week at Grove City! Thankfully, however, my vacation semester continues. Here’s how the week went:
Saturday, March 21:
The major highlight of Saturday was watching Ireland defeat Wales in the final Six Nations Rugby Match! Kara, Emily, Bernie and I walked to The Bureau in Whiteabbey Village to watch the match on TV. What an intense game! Everyone was on the edge of their seats. Going into the half, Ireland was losing. But, within the first seven minutes of the second half Ireland scored two tries! Everyone was going wild. Wales got back into the game, though, and had they not missed a final kick, they could have won the game. Ireland’s victory earned them the Triple Crown and the Grand Slam Championship title. American football has got nothing on rugby!
Sunday, March 22:
I was the only international student to go to the morning service in Carrick. Kari was in Dublin for the weekend and Bethany was in Castlederg. After service, Leanna brought me back to campus and I worked on coursework for most of the afternoon. Sunday evening my small group went to New Mossley Presbyterian Church where we usually do outreach. The pastor, Ian, had asked us to participate in a service and tonight was the night. I sang The Lord is My Shepherd with Nicky and Jo. Those two girls have lovely voices! It was so good to sing in church again too! I hope I get the chance to do that again before I leave. Stu and Kari both gave wonderful testimonies of God’s faithfulness in their lives during the service and Paul gave a sermon on John 6:1-14. This passage is the story of Christ multiplying the five loaves of bread and the two fish to feed thousands. Paul used this passage as an encouragement to the congregation as they reach out to the surrounding community. Little is much when God is in it! The congregation was so appreciative of our participation and our willingness to help them. Afterward we all went to McDonald’s, which seems to be a new tradition after outreach (I’m not complaining – I love Cadbury cream egg McFlurries!) and then headed back to campus. Thankfully we made it back in one piece…Paul is a crazy driver!
Monday, March 23:
I had class all morning and spent the rest of the day working frantically on my group paper. Let’s just say that editing the compiled paper amounted to pretty much re-writing the entire thing. I’m not sure if they teach writing in high schools here.
Tuesday, March 24:
I spent the entire morning in the library editing the paper and meeting with my group. Then I went to class at 1:15 and handed in the group paper. After class, I immediately started working on my paper for Services Marketing that was to be handed in on Thursday. Tuesday evening we had outreach at New Mossley again. This time we actually did door-to-door outreach. Bethany, Johnny, Jonny and I knocked on doors in the estate and handed out “wee leaflets” about the church’s Easter service. Some people greeted us enthusiastically and seemed genuinely interested in the service. Others shut the door in our faces. I was really nervous about talking to people about this because I was afraid of the rejections and hostility, but God supplied the courage for me and by the end, Johnny and I were taking turns talking.
Wednesday, March 25:
I worked on my paper in the library from 8:30AM to 8:30PM. Then, I left the library and worked on my paper in my room from 8:30PM to 4AM. Why do I procrastinate? Although I’ve vowed to never let that happen again, it undoubtedly will. The day wasn’t all bad though. I had some great company at the library…thanks Kari and Stu!
Thursday, March 26:
After sleeping only three hours, I got up and showered at 7AM and then spent a couple more hours finishing up my paper. Then I went over to the library to finish referencing and print my paper. Of course it was just my luck that the printers weren’t working in the library! Luckily there were several other computer/printer labs, so I got it all taken care of and handed in by 12:30 PM, which left me four hours to pack for my trip to London later that day!!!
Monday, 30 March 2009
Friday, 20 March 2009
Erin Go Braugh (Ireland Forever)...
I’ve never really celebrated St. Patrick’s Day in the States, so my opinion might not be valid, but I think I had the best St. Paddy’s ever! I’m told that the festivities in Dublin are much more extravagant than in Belfast, which is in part due to The Troubles in Northern Ireland’s history; St. Paddy’s is seen as a very public display of Catholicism, so it is celebrated but with an air of caution. The day didn’t pass without its share of drunken and violent riots, which just so happened to take place near Queens University, the neighborhood in which I was out and about…yikes!
Our day started at the Jordanstown Train Station at 10:12 AM. We took the train to Belfast Central and then the bus to the city centre. We wandered around the city centre for about an hour and a half, checking out souvenir shops and purchasing some festive hats and face paint to wear while watching the parade. The parade started at noon from the city hall. We staked out a spot in the middle of the parade route on the corner of Donegal and Castle Places. The parade was much smaller than I had anticipated, but just being in Northern Ireland for this Irish holiday trumped any disappointment. Everywhere I looked I saw green and orange. The theme of the parade was Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, so everything was very colorful and vibrant. Unfortunately, no one threw any candy to the crowd.
When the parade had finished, we walked to Victoria Square to grab lunch at O’Neil’s Sandwich Shop. Then we took the train back to Jordanstown. I had a few hours of down-time before a few friends from CU – Stu, Kathryn, Sharon and Jonny – and several of their Irish friends arrived at our apartment for dinner. Kari, Lauren and Megan were our chefs and made Caesar salad (with green lettuce), chicken alfredo (with white sauce dyed green), and garlic bread. Amanda baked a scrumptious chocolate cake (with green frosting). A very festive dinner indeed!
After dinner, we loaded up in cars and drove to Sharon’s apartment in Belfast. From there we walked for who knows how long, in our high heels, to the first pub of the night – The Parlour. It was packed when we got there, so packed that we couldn’t get upstairs to the dance floor. Instead we each had a couple drinks and then decided to leave and walk even farther to The Empire. We stayed at the Empire until it closed at 1:30 AM. I’m so glad we left The Parlour because The Empire had a fantastic DJ (dressed in a leprechaun costume) who played Irish music all night. We literally danced till we dropped. Never again will I wear high heels for a night out! My feet were screaming in pain. Four of the girls took a taxi back to Sharon’s because their feet hurt so badly. Kari and I walked back with the guys. Kari had blisters from her flats and decided to walk back barefoot, which meant I got to take off my heels and walk back in her flats. It was quite the adventure. I walked in front with Stu and every time we saw a piece of glass on the sidewalk we’d yell back a warning to Kari. We finally made it to Sharon’s at around 2:30. Everyone was exhausted! Kari, her two friends and Jonny had to take a taxi back to Jordanstown that night because they had to catch a bus to the Causeway Wednesday morning. Amanda and I spent the night at Sharon’s and Stu drove us back to uni in the morning.
Reading about my day probably doesn’t make it sound all that exciting. I think it’s one of those days you had to experience in order to truly appreciate. It’s because of days like that, that I know I’m going to have the hardest time leaving in May. I won’t think about that now though. Right now I’m just going to enjoy every minute with my friends here!
Our day started at the Jordanstown Train Station at 10:12 AM. We took the train to Belfast Central and then the bus to the city centre. We wandered around the city centre for about an hour and a half, checking out souvenir shops and purchasing some festive hats and face paint to wear while watching the parade. The parade started at noon from the city hall. We staked out a spot in the middle of the parade route on the corner of Donegal and Castle Places. The parade was much smaller than I had anticipated, but just being in Northern Ireland for this Irish holiday trumped any disappointment. Everywhere I looked I saw green and orange. The theme of the parade was Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, so everything was very colorful and vibrant. Unfortunately, no one threw any candy to the crowd.
When the parade had finished, we walked to Victoria Square to grab lunch at O’Neil’s Sandwich Shop. Then we took the train back to Jordanstown. I had a few hours of down-time before a few friends from CU – Stu, Kathryn, Sharon and Jonny – and several of their Irish friends arrived at our apartment for dinner. Kari, Lauren and Megan were our chefs and made Caesar salad (with green lettuce), chicken alfredo (with white sauce dyed green), and garlic bread. Amanda baked a scrumptious chocolate cake (with green frosting). A very festive dinner indeed!
After dinner, we loaded up in cars and drove to Sharon’s apartment in Belfast. From there we walked for who knows how long, in our high heels, to the first pub of the night – The Parlour. It was packed when we got there, so packed that we couldn’t get upstairs to the dance floor. Instead we each had a couple drinks and then decided to leave and walk even farther to The Empire. We stayed at the Empire until it closed at 1:30 AM. I’m so glad we left The Parlour because The Empire had a fantastic DJ (dressed in a leprechaun costume) who played Irish music all night. We literally danced till we dropped. Never again will I wear high heels for a night out! My feet were screaming in pain. Four of the girls took a taxi back to Sharon’s because their feet hurt so badly. Kari and I walked back with the guys. Kari had blisters from her flats and decided to walk back barefoot, which meant I got to take off my heels and walk back in her flats. It was quite the adventure. I walked in front with Stu and every time we saw a piece of glass on the sidewalk we’d yell back a warning to Kari. We finally made it to Sharon’s at around 2:30. Everyone was exhausted! Kari, her two friends and Jonny had to take a taxi back to Jordanstown that night because they had to catch a bus to the Causeway Wednesday morning. Amanda and I spent the night at Sharon’s and Stu drove us back to uni in the morning.
Reading about my day probably doesn’t make it sound all that exciting. I think it’s one of those days you had to experience in order to truly appreciate. It’s because of days like that, that I know I’m going to have the hardest time leaving in May. I won’t think about that now though. Right now I’m just going to enjoy every minute with my friends here!
My heart will linger here...
Life has been pretty normal here since my last post. I haven’t travelled at all, other than the short train rides into Belfast. I have been fighting a cold for the past couple weeks – two boxes of Kleenex and countless naps later I think I’m finally starting to get better. Just because life has been normal, doesn’t mean I haven’t been having a ton of fun! Here’s a recap of the past ten days:
Tuesday, March 10:
As if classes couldn’t get easier, I didn’t have my Tuesday Managing Behavior class because he gave us a reading week in order to work on our group projects. This group project consists of a written analysis and a five minute presentation. The written analysis can only be a maximum of 4000 words and every group member must participate in the presentation. There are five people in my group – you do the math. I don’t really recall what all I did during the day Tuesday, but I’m pretty sure it had nothing to do with managing behavior.
Tuesday night we had small group outreach at New Mossley Presbyterian Church. This was my first time going since our initial info meeting, so I was really excited to be a part of the prayer walks. After a slight mishap on the drive there (let’s just say Jo, Nicky, Kari and I had no idea how to get there and Paul and Stu didn’t wait for us after we got caught at a red light), we finally made it only to discover that we weren’t going to be doing a prayer walk that night. Instead, we got to participate in the outreach committee’s meeting introducing the theme of their Easter services. The theme is to be forgiveness and it all revolves around a congregation member’s extremely powerful testimony. This woman was abducted and raped when she was seven, she was bullied and abused all throughout secondary school, and she was gang raped when she was fourteen. At age seventeen, she was pregnant with her first child and therefore married the child’s father. This man brutally beat her in the nine years they were married and then left her for another woman, leaving her to raise their two children on their own. A few years later she married another man who turned out to be a murderer, which led to the woman having to be uprooted from her home by the paramilitary police and moved to Mossley. When that second marriage broke up, this woman fell into post-traumatic stress which confined her to a wheelchair. She was in that state for about ten years and nearly almost died from other health complications. But God healed her and brought her into the New Mossley church family and over the past few years she’s been dealing with everything she’s been through and learning to forgive the terrible people in her life and to forgive herself. Hers was one of the most powerful and emotional testimonies I’ve ever heard. I can’t fathom having so much bad stuff happen to one person in one lifetime, and then for her to be able to forgive and to trust again? The most amazing thing is that she’s been able to use what she’s been through and to talk about it with victims of similar tragedies. Only God could have created this master plan. I think we all left with a new perspective on the struggles we’ve gone through.
Wednesday, March 11:
Wednesday night I didn’t go to iCafe like I usually do. Instead, Kari, Bethany and I got dressed up and went to The Box Club with our three friends from church, Leanna, Ruth and Jayne. Thursday is the biggest night at The Box, which is exactly why we decided to go on a Wednesday. None of us are crazy partiers or drinkers, so we all enjoyed the partially empty dance floors and the lack of plastered people spilling drinks on us. It really was a lot of fun going out with these girls! My cold was probably at its worst that night, however, so I was exhausted by about midnight and we decided to call it a night at around 12:45.
Thursday, March 12:
I slept late, did a bit of coursework, took a nap and did a bit more coursework. Thursday evening we had our small group over for dinner so we could plan our participation in an upcoming evening church service at New Mossley. We had spaghetti, Caesar salad and cake – it brought me back to my soccer days and pasta dinners! After dinner we all went to CU together. I was in a daze pretty much the whole time because my cold left me super congested and feeling like I was in a tunnel. As soon as CU was done I came back to my apartment and went to bed.
Friday, March 13:
Friday was more or less the same as Thursday. Other than a group meeting for our Managing Behavior project, I did a whole lot of nothing all day. Amanda, Kari and I were the only girls in our apartments all weekend, so we decided to take advantage of it and spend the night in. We attempted to make chicken penne al fresco for dinner. It turned out a bit soupy but as far as I could tell it still tasted okay, but that’s not saying much considering I haven’t been able to taste any of my food the past ten days because I’m all stuffed up. I made the mistake of drinking a glass of wine after taking some cold medicine only a couple hours before…woops! While we ate we watched a Comic Relief Red Nose Day special on TV and then we put in Big Daddy. Surprisingly, I stayed awake for the whole movie!
Saturday, March 14:
I woke up early enough to catch the 10:12 train into Belfast in order to meet Kari and her friend, Lauren, at St. George’s Market at around 10:30/11. They didn’t actually get there until around 11:30, but I had a great time wandering around. The market is in this hug warehouse. A bunch of vendors have carts set up. There were fresh baked goods, fresh vegetables, fresh fruit, fresh fish and meat all for sale. Everything looked so delicious and the food was all so colorful, I just wanted to take pictures of all of it. I also bought myself an apple crisp muffin and a caramel square. Then I found a seat at one of the table and ate them both, while enjoying the live music and some people-watching. When Kari and Lauren arrived we wandered to a few jewelry vendors and met some lovely saleswomen. I took the 1:12 train back so that I could get some coursework done before we went to The Bureau in Whiteabbey Village to watch the Ireland v. Scotland rugby match. I had a blast watching the game there. It was packed full of Irish fans who erupted into cheers every time the Irish scored. The beginning of the game was a bit scary, with the Scottish taking and holding the lead for a while, but in the end, Ireland came out on top. Victory! I can’t wait to watch the next match (which happens to be tomorrow).
Sunday, March 15:
I did coursework all day until leaving for church at 6:30 in the evening. Pastor Cecil gave a great sermon on revival and awakening in the church. It was the first part of his Easter series. After service we went out for a bite to eat at a restaurant in Carrickfergus. There I had my first taste of soda bread – it was fried and served with an egg, bacon and ham on the top. Unhealthy, but mighty tasty! We had some very interesting conversations at the restaurant that night, including Crazy Horse and lots of other political topics. We also talked a lot about our upcoming trip to London. I am so excited to experience the city with our friends from church! We are going to have so much fun!!!
Monday, March 16:
God definitely has a sense of humor. Last week I skipped my Monday morning class. This week I made sure to get up and go, even though my cold was still getting the best of me and I really had no motivation to go. I got there to find the room dark and completely empty. I guess my professor cancelled class when I wasn’t there to hear the announcement. Oh well! I’m not objecting to having the morning off. I went back to my apartment and worked on job application and coursework stuff. That afternoon I had Service Marketing. All the girls went up to the Student Union later that night for the St. Patrick’s Day special, but I decided to stay in and get some work done and then get to bed early because St. Patty’s was going to be a long day!
Tuesday, March 17:
ST. PATRICK’S DAY!!! SEE SEPARATE POST FOR DETAILS.
Wednesday, March 18:
Stu brought us back to campus around 9:15 after spending the night at Sharon’s. I spent the entire day finishing my part of our group project paper, which was unfortunate considering it was actually sunny and warm on Wednesday! At least my desk is right in front of the window, however, and the window faces west. I kept the curtains open and let the sun beat down on me all day. It was so nice! That night all of us went to the special St. Patrick’s iCafe. I ate some delicious Irish stew and hung out for a couple hours and then walked back to campus with Baz and Aine. I went to bed at 11:30 that night because I was so tired from the night before, and I slept until 10 the next morning!
Thursday, March 19:
When I finally got up, I embarked on a mission to get things on my to-do list done! I did two loads of laundry, I finished a couple job applications (thanks for your help Mom!) and I did some coursework. I was so proud of myself. It certainly helps boost your spirits to see the sun shining for the second day in a row! I think spring has definitely arrived in Northern Ireland and I like it!
Last night was absolutely fabulous! I went to CU at 7:45, but left early to go get dressed up and then Kari and her two friends from home, Lauren and Megan, Stu, Sharon and I went to The Box. Like I said before, Thursday is student night at The Box, so drinks are cheap and it was busy. It was pretty crazy at times, and I ended up playing mom to a few of my friends, but I still had lots of fun! Seriously, it was SO MUCH FUN! I can’t wait for another night like that.
Today, Friday, March 20:
Despite the fact that I went to bed at 2:30 this morning, I woke up before my alarm at 8:30. Naturally, I laid there for another hour and then got up to bake some yummy oatmeal muffins (recipe courtesy of Cassie Narbe). Since baking, I’ve just been hanging out in my room, writing this blog and replying to emails. I got a package from Oma and Opa today – yay for peanut butter and peanut clusters and animal crackers! And can you believe it’s sunny for the third day in a row!!! Amazing! Tonight, Amanda, Kara, Emily and I are going to see Duplicity at the Yorkgate Movie House and then I’m going to talk to mom and Jake on skype. I’m looking forward to another uneventful weekend. I have to get serious about coursework because two assignments are due next week and one the week after and we’re going to London this coming weekend!
I’ll leave you with this little poem from the St. Patrick’s Day card Grandma and Grandpa sent me:
There’s no place quite like Ireland, there’s no place quite so green –
Where blue-green sea meets emerald hills, to make a lovely scene,
Where shamrocks poke their sleepy heads through drops of morning dew,
And jade-green leaves dance happily against a sky of blue –
There’s no place quite like Ireland, there’s no place quite so fair,
And many hearts, though far away, will always linger there.
Tuesday, March 10:
As if classes couldn’t get easier, I didn’t have my Tuesday Managing Behavior class because he gave us a reading week in order to work on our group projects. This group project consists of a written analysis and a five minute presentation. The written analysis can only be a maximum of 4000 words and every group member must participate in the presentation. There are five people in my group – you do the math. I don’t really recall what all I did during the day Tuesday, but I’m pretty sure it had nothing to do with managing behavior.
Tuesday night we had small group outreach at New Mossley Presbyterian Church. This was my first time going since our initial info meeting, so I was really excited to be a part of the prayer walks. After a slight mishap on the drive there (let’s just say Jo, Nicky, Kari and I had no idea how to get there and Paul and Stu didn’t wait for us after we got caught at a red light), we finally made it only to discover that we weren’t going to be doing a prayer walk that night. Instead, we got to participate in the outreach committee’s meeting introducing the theme of their Easter services. The theme is to be forgiveness and it all revolves around a congregation member’s extremely powerful testimony. This woman was abducted and raped when she was seven, she was bullied and abused all throughout secondary school, and she was gang raped when she was fourteen. At age seventeen, she was pregnant with her first child and therefore married the child’s father. This man brutally beat her in the nine years they were married and then left her for another woman, leaving her to raise their two children on their own. A few years later she married another man who turned out to be a murderer, which led to the woman having to be uprooted from her home by the paramilitary police and moved to Mossley. When that second marriage broke up, this woman fell into post-traumatic stress which confined her to a wheelchair. She was in that state for about ten years and nearly almost died from other health complications. But God healed her and brought her into the New Mossley church family and over the past few years she’s been dealing with everything she’s been through and learning to forgive the terrible people in her life and to forgive herself. Hers was one of the most powerful and emotional testimonies I’ve ever heard. I can’t fathom having so much bad stuff happen to one person in one lifetime, and then for her to be able to forgive and to trust again? The most amazing thing is that she’s been able to use what she’s been through and to talk about it with victims of similar tragedies. Only God could have created this master plan. I think we all left with a new perspective on the struggles we’ve gone through.
Wednesday, March 11:
Wednesday night I didn’t go to iCafe like I usually do. Instead, Kari, Bethany and I got dressed up and went to The Box Club with our three friends from church, Leanna, Ruth and Jayne. Thursday is the biggest night at The Box, which is exactly why we decided to go on a Wednesday. None of us are crazy partiers or drinkers, so we all enjoyed the partially empty dance floors and the lack of plastered people spilling drinks on us. It really was a lot of fun going out with these girls! My cold was probably at its worst that night, however, so I was exhausted by about midnight and we decided to call it a night at around 12:45.
Thursday, March 12:
I slept late, did a bit of coursework, took a nap and did a bit more coursework. Thursday evening we had our small group over for dinner so we could plan our participation in an upcoming evening church service at New Mossley. We had spaghetti, Caesar salad and cake – it brought me back to my soccer days and pasta dinners! After dinner we all went to CU together. I was in a daze pretty much the whole time because my cold left me super congested and feeling like I was in a tunnel. As soon as CU was done I came back to my apartment and went to bed.
Friday, March 13:
Friday was more or less the same as Thursday. Other than a group meeting for our Managing Behavior project, I did a whole lot of nothing all day. Amanda, Kari and I were the only girls in our apartments all weekend, so we decided to take advantage of it and spend the night in. We attempted to make chicken penne al fresco for dinner. It turned out a bit soupy but as far as I could tell it still tasted okay, but that’s not saying much considering I haven’t been able to taste any of my food the past ten days because I’m all stuffed up. I made the mistake of drinking a glass of wine after taking some cold medicine only a couple hours before…woops! While we ate we watched a Comic Relief Red Nose Day special on TV and then we put in Big Daddy. Surprisingly, I stayed awake for the whole movie!
Saturday, March 14:
I woke up early enough to catch the 10:12 train into Belfast in order to meet Kari and her friend, Lauren, at St. George’s Market at around 10:30/11. They didn’t actually get there until around 11:30, but I had a great time wandering around. The market is in this hug warehouse. A bunch of vendors have carts set up. There were fresh baked goods, fresh vegetables, fresh fruit, fresh fish and meat all for sale. Everything looked so delicious and the food was all so colorful, I just wanted to take pictures of all of it. I also bought myself an apple crisp muffin and a caramel square. Then I found a seat at one of the table and ate them both, while enjoying the live music and some people-watching. When Kari and Lauren arrived we wandered to a few jewelry vendors and met some lovely saleswomen. I took the 1:12 train back so that I could get some coursework done before we went to The Bureau in Whiteabbey Village to watch the Ireland v. Scotland rugby match. I had a blast watching the game there. It was packed full of Irish fans who erupted into cheers every time the Irish scored. The beginning of the game was a bit scary, with the Scottish taking and holding the lead for a while, but in the end, Ireland came out on top. Victory! I can’t wait to watch the next match (which happens to be tomorrow).
Sunday, March 15:
I did coursework all day until leaving for church at 6:30 in the evening. Pastor Cecil gave a great sermon on revival and awakening in the church. It was the first part of his Easter series. After service we went out for a bite to eat at a restaurant in Carrickfergus. There I had my first taste of soda bread – it was fried and served with an egg, bacon and ham on the top. Unhealthy, but mighty tasty! We had some very interesting conversations at the restaurant that night, including Crazy Horse and lots of other political topics. We also talked a lot about our upcoming trip to London. I am so excited to experience the city with our friends from church! We are going to have so much fun!!!
Monday, March 16:
God definitely has a sense of humor. Last week I skipped my Monday morning class. This week I made sure to get up and go, even though my cold was still getting the best of me and I really had no motivation to go. I got there to find the room dark and completely empty. I guess my professor cancelled class when I wasn’t there to hear the announcement. Oh well! I’m not objecting to having the morning off. I went back to my apartment and worked on job application and coursework stuff. That afternoon I had Service Marketing. All the girls went up to the Student Union later that night for the St. Patrick’s Day special, but I decided to stay in and get some work done and then get to bed early because St. Patty’s was going to be a long day!
Tuesday, March 17:
ST. PATRICK’S DAY!!! SEE SEPARATE POST FOR DETAILS.
Wednesday, March 18:
Stu brought us back to campus around 9:15 after spending the night at Sharon’s. I spent the entire day finishing my part of our group project paper, which was unfortunate considering it was actually sunny and warm on Wednesday! At least my desk is right in front of the window, however, and the window faces west. I kept the curtains open and let the sun beat down on me all day. It was so nice! That night all of us went to the special St. Patrick’s iCafe. I ate some delicious Irish stew and hung out for a couple hours and then walked back to campus with Baz and Aine. I went to bed at 11:30 that night because I was so tired from the night before, and I slept until 10 the next morning!
Thursday, March 19:
When I finally got up, I embarked on a mission to get things on my to-do list done! I did two loads of laundry, I finished a couple job applications (thanks for your help Mom!) and I did some coursework. I was so proud of myself. It certainly helps boost your spirits to see the sun shining for the second day in a row! I think spring has definitely arrived in Northern Ireland and I like it!
Last night was absolutely fabulous! I went to CU at 7:45, but left early to go get dressed up and then Kari and her two friends from home, Lauren and Megan, Stu, Sharon and I went to The Box. Like I said before, Thursday is student night at The Box, so drinks are cheap and it was busy. It was pretty crazy at times, and I ended up playing mom to a few of my friends, but I still had lots of fun! Seriously, it was SO MUCH FUN! I can’t wait for another night like that.
Today, Friday, March 20:
Despite the fact that I went to bed at 2:30 this morning, I woke up before my alarm at 8:30. Naturally, I laid there for another hour and then got up to bake some yummy oatmeal muffins (recipe courtesy of Cassie Narbe). Since baking, I’ve just been hanging out in my room, writing this blog and replying to emails. I got a package from Oma and Opa today – yay for peanut butter and peanut clusters and animal crackers! And can you believe it’s sunny for the third day in a row!!! Amazing! Tonight, Amanda, Kara, Emily and I are going to see Duplicity at the Yorkgate Movie House and then I’m going to talk to mom and Jake on skype. I’m looking forward to another uneventful weekend. I have to get serious about coursework because two assignments are due next week and one the week after and we’re going to London this coming weekend!
I’ll leave you with this little poem from the St. Patrick’s Day card Grandma and Grandpa sent me:
There’s no place quite like Ireland, there’s no place quite so green –
Where blue-green sea meets emerald hills, to make a lovely scene,
Where shamrocks poke their sleepy heads through drops of morning dew,
And jade-green leaves dance happily against a sky of blue –
There’s no place quite like Ireland, there’s no place quite so fair,
And many hearts, though far away, will always linger there.
Monday, 9 March 2009
Another week gone...
It's hard to believe I'm already half way done with the semester and I have less than three months left here. When I think of the day I'll be leaving my home away from home I have very mixed feelings. It makes me sad to think I'll have to say goodbye to my great friends here, not knowing when I'll get the chance to see them again. But, I'm also really excited for that day to come, knowing that I'll finally get to see my family again. I can't wait for our joyous reunion in the airport terminal!! I'm picturing a big sign that says, "Welcome Home Kelsey," and lots of hugs, tears, laughs and smiles.
Anyway, enough about the future, I'm guessing you'd rather hear about what I've been up to in the past week. I've had plenty of adventures, so you won't be disappointed!
Last week Wednesday, we didn't have our normal Modern Irish Society class. Instead, there was a conference that had been organized by the sociology department concerning the topic of globalization and its implications for the English language. Our professor decided to make that our class for the week, although he wasn't making attendance mandatory. We, however, found out that there was a free lunch included, so naturally we decided to go. That lunch was delicious! There were sausage rolls, salmon rolls, chicken kabobs, chicken tenders, a variety of sandwiches, an assortment of tortes and eclaires for dessert and orange juice to drink. Thankfully that lunch was so good, because the lectures were quite boring. It probably didn't help that the lunch was the only reason I went, so I had no intention of paying attention. I did find one of the lectures interesting, however; this particular lecture focused on the implications of globalization for the nordic regions and their languages. Basically, if a country doesn't make an effort to keep its language updated, i.e. coming up with Icelandic words for new English words, the language will die out. After the conference, I went back to my apartment and worked on job applications for hours. At around 7:30, our friend Johnny Stewart picked us up and gave us a lift to iCafe. We spent the rest of the night there, eating dinner, hanging out and playing our favorite card game, Scumbag.
Thursday was probably the longest day I will have here. I woke up at around 8:30/9 AM and didn't go to bed until 6:30 the following morning! When I told my GCC roommate, Laura, that, this was her reaction: "WHAT???!!! What were you doing you sly dawg??!!" No worries, it was all good, clean fun. I didn't have class on Thursday, so I spent most of the day crossing off items on my to-do list and working on job applications. Thursday was actually a nice day weather wise, so Kari and I decided to walk along the shore to Whiteabbey Village to eat lunch at Randolph's Cafe. It was so good - both the food and the company. We got caught in a lovely rain/snow mix on our walk back from the village. The weather truly is completely unpredictable here! I was at the apartment for a couple hours and then I went to meet Elsie to go to her house for another dinner. If they weren't jealous already, I think my friends are jealous now, especially since Elsie's invited me to her house on the eve of St. Patty's for Irish stew!
Thursday night was the best night I've had here so far, probably because it made me feel like I was back at Grove City again where people know how to have fun without alchohol and barely-there dresses. I went to CU at 7:30 with Kari, Amanda and Bethany. Not only do I look forward to hearing a great message at CU every week, but I also really look forward to walking in the room and seeing familiar faces. I remember that first night we went and felt completely lost and out of place. Now we walk in and people smile at us and wave across the room. We have Irish friends! So anyway, we went to CU. Afterward, we climbed in Jo's car and drove to Abbotscross Presbyterian Church in Whiteabbey where we were to experience our first Social. It was so much fun! A Social is basically a dance, but all the songs have choreographed dance moves (think like the Electric Slide or the Maquerena) or the songs are just background noise played during silly games, like the Honeymoon Express or Musical Chairs. I definitely did some form of an Irish jig that night - Laura you should be proud! I also discovered that there are different ways to do the Hokey-Pokey and there are choreographed dance moves for Kung-Fu Fighting and the YMCA (there's more to the song than just spelling out the letters with your arms). We were having so much fun, but then the neighbors called the cops and complained about the noise so our night got cut short...at least, that's what we thought. The DJs decided it would be a good idea to drive to the 24-hour Tescos parking lot and continue the dance there. I went knowing that we'd probably be kicked out within one song, which is exactly what happened. We arrived in the parking lot, stepped out of the car into the cold, windy night, danced to Cotton-Eyed Joe and then proceeded to climb back into the car and speed away before the Tesco's security man could write down Stu's license plate number. Not many people can say they've done that during their time in Northern Ireland! From there, Stu dropped us off at Johnny Stewart's flat where we stayed for the next 3.5 hours talking and playing some more card games. By the time we left Johnny's it was 6:30 AM and the sun was rising marking the start of a brand new day. What a long but very fun day! I hope I get another one like it before I leave.
I slept from 6:30 till 10:30 on Friday and then spent most of the day reading and making postcards. At 4 PM, Kari, Bethany and I caught a train to Belfast to do some shopping. Since it was dinner time by the time we finished shopping, we decided to head to TGI Friday's in Victoria Square before taking the train back to campus. When we got back to campus, we all changed into our sweats and sweatshirts and camped out in Bethany's apartment in front of the television. After such a late night, this was exactly the relaxing day I needed.
Saturday started out rather nice weather-wise, but as I said before, the weather here is completely unpredictable and it didn't quite cooperate with our plans for the day. Our dear friend from CU and small group, Jonny Hutton, arranged for us to see Belfast Castle and to hike up the Cave Hill, which is the hill/mountain I watch the sun set behind on the days the sun decides to shine. When we started our hike, a light mist was falling from the sky and the temperature was fairly warm. By the time we reached the top of the hill, however, the cold wind was pelting drops of rain into our faces. We were all completely soaked! My pants felt like they weighed ten pounds from all the rain. At least I didn't slip and fall on the muddy trail, which is more than I can say for Kari and some of the others. It was actually quite miserable at the top of the hill, but when I look back on it, the whole experience is quite amusing and one I will not soon forget. There are some spectacular views of Belfast and Belfast Lough from the top of that hill! A hot shower and a dry pair of socks have never felt as good as they did after that cold, wet afternoon.
Later Saturday evening, I took a taxi into Belfast along with Kari, Kara, Emily, Baz, Bernie and Riley. I finally got to hear some live traditional Irish music at White's Tavern. Laura - I thought of you pretty much the whole time. I was definitely tempted to get up and do a little jig in front of everyone, but I restrained myself. We also checked out the John Hewitt Pub and Restaurant, but that venue caters to an older crowd and they didn't have music, so I think I prefer White's. At 12:30, after a few drinks, we called it a night.
I spent the day Sunday working on postcards and getting some reading done before going to church with Bethany and Kari Sunday evening. Bethany and I both really struggled to pay attention during the service, so I couldn't really begin to tell you what the sermon was about. That made me really frustrated because I've been feeling kind of spiritually empty the past few weeks and was hoping to be renewed. I guess I'll just need to make more of an effort on my own this week. After the service, our usual group hung out in the coffee bar for a few hours and then we headed to Gavin's house to hang out for another hour or so before returning to uni. It was good craic and I seriously can't wait to go to London with those wonderful people!
And that brings us to today. I felt a cold/sore throat coming on yesterday afternoon and it only got worse throughout the night, resulting in a very poor night of sleep. Because of that, I decided to skip my morning class and sleep in. I did go to my afternoon class today and had a group project meeting after that. Then I ate dinner, went grocery shopping (and bought enough food to last a month...I hope), and then went to the student union with a bunch of international students for a drink. Somewhere in the course of today I lost my voice. If you find it, please give me a call or drop me an email and let me know...
Anyway, enough about the future, I'm guessing you'd rather hear about what I've been up to in the past week. I've had plenty of adventures, so you won't be disappointed!
Last week Wednesday, we didn't have our normal Modern Irish Society class. Instead, there was a conference that had been organized by the sociology department concerning the topic of globalization and its implications for the English language. Our professor decided to make that our class for the week, although he wasn't making attendance mandatory. We, however, found out that there was a free lunch included, so naturally we decided to go. That lunch was delicious! There were sausage rolls, salmon rolls, chicken kabobs, chicken tenders, a variety of sandwiches, an assortment of tortes and eclaires for dessert and orange juice to drink. Thankfully that lunch was so good, because the lectures were quite boring. It probably didn't help that the lunch was the only reason I went, so I had no intention of paying attention. I did find one of the lectures interesting, however; this particular lecture focused on the implications of globalization for the nordic regions and their languages. Basically, if a country doesn't make an effort to keep its language updated, i.e. coming up with Icelandic words for new English words, the language will die out. After the conference, I went back to my apartment and worked on job applications for hours. At around 7:30, our friend Johnny Stewart picked us up and gave us a lift to iCafe. We spent the rest of the night there, eating dinner, hanging out and playing our favorite card game, Scumbag.
Thursday was probably the longest day I will have here. I woke up at around 8:30/9 AM and didn't go to bed until 6:30 the following morning! When I told my GCC roommate, Laura, that, this was her reaction: "WHAT???!!! What were you doing you sly dawg??!!" No worries, it was all good, clean fun. I didn't have class on Thursday, so I spent most of the day crossing off items on my to-do list and working on job applications. Thursday was actually a nice day weather wise, so Kari and I decided to walk along the shore to Whiteabbey Village to eat lunch at Randolph's Cafe. It was so good - both the food and the company. We got caught in a lovely rain/snow mix on our walk back from the village. The weather truly is completely unpredictable here! I was at the apartment for a couple hours and then I went to meet Elsie to go to her house for another dinner. If they weren't jealous already, I think my friends are jealous now, especially since Elsie's invited me to her house on the eve of St. Patty's for Irish stew!
Thursday night was the best night I've had here so far, probably because it made me feel like I was back at Grove City again where people know how to have fun without alchohol and barely-there dresses. I went to CU at 7:30 with Kari, Amanda and Bethany. Not only do I look forward to hearing a great message at CU every week, but I also really look forward to walking in the room and seeing familiar faces. I remember that first night we went and felt completely lost and out of place. Now we walk in and people smile at us and wave across the room. We have Irish friends! So anyway, we went to CU. Afterward, we climbed in Jo's car and drove to Abbotscross Presbyterian Church in Whiteabbey where we were to experience our first Social. It was so much fun! A Social is basically a dance, but all the songs have choreographed dance moves (think like the Electric Slide or the Maquerena) or the songs are just background noise played during silly games, like the Honeymoon Express or Musical Chairs. I definitely did some form of an Irish jig that night - Laura you should be proud! I also discovered that there are different ways to do the Hokey-Pokey and there are choreographed dance moves for Kung-Fu Fighting and the YMCA (there's more to the song than just spelling out the letters with your arms). We were having so much fun, but then the neighbors called the cops and complained about the noise so our night got cut short...at least, that's what we thought. The DJs decided it would be a good idea to drive to the 24-hour Tescos parking lot and continue the dance there. I went knowing that we'd probably be kicked out within one song, which is exactly what happened. We arrived in the parking lot, stepped out of the car into the cold, windy night, danced to Cotton-Eyed Joe and then proceeded to climb back into the car and speed away before the Tesco's security man could write down Stu's license plate number. Not many people can say they've done that during their time in Northern Ireland! From there, Stu dropped us off at Johnny Stewart's flat where we stayed for the next 3.5 hours talking and playing some more card games. By the time we left Johnny's it was 6:30 AM and the sun was rising marking the start of a brand new day. What a long but very fun day! I hope I get another one like it before I leave.
I slept from 6:30 till 10:30 on Friday and then spent most of the day reading and making postcards. At 4 PM, Kari, Bethany and I caught a train to Belfast to do some shopping. Since it was dinner time by the time we finished shopping, we decided to head to TGI Friday's in Victoria Square before taking the train back to campus. When we got back to campus, we all changed into our sweats and sweatshirts and camped out in Bethany's apartment in front of the television. After such a late night, this was exactly the relaxing day I needed.
Saturday started out rather nice weather-wise, but as I said before, the weather here is completely unpredictable and it didn't quite cooperate with our plans for the day. Our dear friend from CU and small group, Jonny Hutton, arranged for us to see Belfast Castle and to hike up the Cave Hill, which is the hill/mountain I watch the sun set behind on the days the sun decides to shine. When we started our hike, a light mist was falling from the sky and the temperature was fairly warm. By the time we reached the top of the hill, however, the cold wind was pelting drops of rain into our faces. We were all completely soaked! My pants felt like they weighed ten pounds from all the rain. At least I didn't slip and fall on the muddy trail, which is more than I can say for Kari and some of the others. It was actually quite miserable at the top of the hill, but when I look back on it, the whole experience is quite amusing and one I will not soon forget. There are some spectacular views of Belfast and Belfast Lough from the top of that hill! A hot shower and a dry pair of socks have never felt as good as they did after that cold, wet afternoon.
Later Saturday evening, I took a taxi into Belfast along with Kari, Kara, Emily, Baz, Bernie and Riley. I finally got to hear some live traditional Irish music at White's Tavern. Laura - I thought of you pretty much the whole time. I was definitely tempted to get up and do a little jig in front of everyone, but I restrained myself. We also checked out the John Hewitt Pub and Restaurant, but that venue caters to an older crowd and they didn't have music, so I think I prefer White's. At 12:30, after a few drinks, we called it a night.
I spent the day Sunday working on postcards and getting some reading done before going to church with Bethany and Kari Sunday evening. Bethany and I both really struggled to pay attention during the service, so I couldn't really begin to tell you what the sermon was about. That made me really frustrated because I've been feeling kind of spiritually empty the past few weeks and was hoping to be renewed. I guess I'll just need to make more of an effort on my own this week. After the service, our usual group hung out in the coffee bar for a few hours and then we headed to Gavin's house to hang out for another hour or so before returning to uni. It was good craic and I seriously can't wait to go to London with those wonderful people!
And that brings us to today. I felt a cold/sore throat coming on yesterday afternoon and it only got worse throughout the night, resulting in a very poor night of sleep. Because of that, I decided to skip my morning class and sleep in. I did go to my afternoon class today and had a group project meeting after that. Then I ate dinner, went grocery shopping (and bought enough food to last a month...I hope), and then went to the student union with a bunch of international students for a drink. Somewhere in the course of today I lost my voice. If you find it, please give me a call or drop me an email and let me know...
Tuesday, 3 March 2009
The week so far...
Sunday evening Leanna picked us up for night church service. Since it was the first Sunday of the month, the evening service was a youth service. Our friends Gavin, Andrew (aka Atki) and Charlotte (aka Charlie) all led us in worship and one of the chaplains from Jordanstown, Trevor, had been invited to give the sermon. The message was on Luke 18:9-14 where Jesus tells the parable of two men who prayed. My favorite verse says this: "I tell you that this man (the sinful tax collector), rather than the other (the religious Pharisee), went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted." It was a great message. Afterward, Bethany, Kari and I rode with Leanna and Charlie to the closest Spar to get petrol and a bunch of snacks and then we all headed to Atki's house to eat and hang out. I think I've said it before, but I LOVE my church family here! And I cannot wait to go to London with these people!!
Monday was a full day of class, literally: management of change from 9:15-12:30 and services marketing from 1:15-3:15 and 4:15 to 5:15. Some guy actually introduced himself to me in my services marketing class, but for the life of me I cannot remember his name, not because I wasn't listening when he said it but because I couldn't even understand it! Oh well! Oh, and for you girls who are wondering, he wasn't cute (no offense). After class was finally finished, I had planned to get a bunch of reading done, but instead Kari and I rented Anchorman and watched it. Procrastination!
And finally today. Wow, I can't believe I'm actually completely caught up. Today was rather uneventful. I slept till 8:40, did a quick workout, showered, submitted my application to live in the Colonial Apartments next year (woot woot!), went to my three-hour managing behavior class, and crossed off some of the things on my to-do list. Tonight I had Bible study at 7:30. That actual Bible study part lasted for about an hour and then we sat around talking for another 2.5 hours. Between church, CU and this Bible study, I've made some quality friends here. God has definitely blessed me in that respect.
Alright, it's 1:15 AM and time for bed. I promise to try and keep this more up to date in the coming days and weeks. Thanks for reading!
Monday was a full day of class, literally: management of change from 9:15-12:30 and services marketing from 1:15-3:15 and 4:15 to 5:15. Some guy actually introduced himself to me in my services marketing class, but for the life of me I cannot remember his name, not because I wasn't listening when he said it but because I couldn't even understand it! Oh well! Oh, and for you girls who are wondering, he wasn't cute (no offense). After class was finally finished, I had planned to get a bunch of reading done, but instead Kari and I rented Anchorman and watched it. Procrastination!
And finally today. Wow, I can't believe I'm actually completely caught up. Today was rather uneventful. I slept till 8:40, did a quick workout, showered, submitted my application to live in the Colonial Apartments next year (woot woot!), went to my three-hour managing behavior class, and crossed off some of the things on my to-do list. Tonight I had Bible study at 7:30. That actual Bible study part lasted for about an hour and then we sat around talking for another 2.5 hours. Between church, CU and this Bible study, I've made some quality friends here. God has definitely blessed me in that respect.
Alright, it's 1:15 AM and time for bed. I promise to try and keep this more up to date in the coming days and weeks. Thanks for reading!
Monday, 2 March 2009
"The Essential Irish Journey"...
...this is the title of a map on my wall. The map shows what is called the Causeway Coastal Route, a scenic road that follows all the twists and turns of the northern coast of Northern Ireland. Along this road are the most famous and beautiful sights in the country, including the ruins of the Dunluce Castle, the Giant's Causeway, the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge, and the Mussenden Temple. Bethany and I, feeling the need to get out of the city to see some of Northern Ireland's natural beauty, completed only a portion of this "essential Irish journey" this past weekend.
On Friday afternoon, we walked to the Jordanstown train station to embark on our three hour journey to the small, coastal town of Portstewart. Our journey involved taking two trains, one of which we nearly missed, and a bus ride, which would have resulted in us being very lost had we not asked the passengers seated in front of us if we had already passed our stop, to which they answered yes and told us to immediately get off and back track. When we boarded the bus, we asked the driver to let us know when we reached the Atlantic Circle stop in Portstewart, but I guess he forgot. Luckily, we only missed it by one stop and it was a beautiful night with a warm, fresh breeze blowing in from the ocean, so we walked happily.
We stayed in a really nice hostel our two nights there - Rick's Causeway Coast Independent Hostel. There were literally two houses between our hostel and the ocean. I loved walking out the front door in the morning and hearing the roar of the waves crashing on the rocky shore. And that fresh ocean breeze hitting my face... The perfect setting for a perfect weekend.
Anyway, we finally got to the hostel at about quarter to seven. We checked in to the smallest room for two people I have ever seen, and then we walked on down to the Portstewart Promenade to find some dinner and hopefully some live music. Bethany's Irish roommates had told her about The Anchor pub and restaurant, so when we found it, we went straight in and grabbed a table in the restaurant. Bethany ordered some delicious chicken curry and I had a gigantic roadside chicken sandwich with garlic chips (a.k.a. french fries) on the side. We were completely stuffed by the end of that meal, but with nothing else to do, we decided to go downstairs to the pub for a few drinks. When I walked in, I realized this pub was the perfect setting in which to have my first taste of Guinness. There, surrounded by about twenty-five Irish men and women, and the Galles v. France rugby match playing on the televisions, I took my first sip. It was disgusting! But, since I was sitting at the bar, right in front of the bartender, I felt compelled to suffer through nine more sips of bitterness so that he wouldn't think I was a wimp. Then I proceeded to order a Mango Breezer to wash it down. I much prefer fruity, girly drinks. We ended up hanging out at the pub for a couple hours because there was supposed to be live, although not traditional, music. The music never did come though, so we gave up, walked back to the hostel and climbed into bed early.
Saturday morning we awoke feeling refreshed and ready to explore the coast. We left the hostel at 8:20 to grab a quick breakfast at one of the cafes on the promenade before catching the 8:53 bus to the Coleraine train station. Big oops on my part though! I had mixed up the bus time in my head and it didn't actually stop in Portstewart until 9:53. No matter. Bethany and I sipped coffee and hot chocolate at the cafe and wandered along the shore snapping pictures and taking in the sights and sounds of the big, blue ocean while we waited.
THE REST OF THIS POST I'M WRITING FOR THE SECOND TIME BECAUSE WHEN I TRIED TO POST IT AN ERROR OCCURRED AND HALF OF IT WAS DELETED...GRRR!!! So you're going to get a condensed version, because I'm mad and I don't feel like writing eloquently again.
So the bus arrived at 9:53, we boarded it and rode to the train station at Coleraine, where we then took the train to Castlerock. A lovely woman named Gabrielle picked us up at the train station in her white jeep with hay-covered seats and drove us to the Hill Farm Riding Centre out in the countryside. Bethany and I went horseback riding in Northern Ireland! It was brilliant, so it was…good craic (pardon my Irish)! I have to admit though, I was pretty dang nervous as I hopped on my horse, Bessie. Bethany is an avid equestrian, therefore she has a good number of horror stories involving horses, such as the one where she got bucked off her horse, broke her leg and had to be on crutches for her senior prom and graduation. Yep, that’s all I could think of as I got on my horse. Fortunately, nothing like that even came close to happening. Bessie was a very well-mannered horse, so much so that our guide, Haley, had to hold on to Bessie’s lead rope so she wouldn’t go so slowly.
The scenery was utterly breathtaking. Everything around us – from the rolling, emerald green fields spotted with woolly sheep and horses and cows, to the grey, cloudy skies – said Ireland. This landscape was the picture that had occupied my mind in my months of planning and preparing for this semester. I tried to take it all in, but I found it kind of difficult at times. Let’s just say I really had to focus on keeping my balance on the English saddle so I wouldn’t fall of the horse every time we started trotting. My bum is still sore from the bumpy ride, and by the end my feet were completely numb from the cold wind, but all in all it was a worthwhile experience.
After our hour-long ride, Gabrielle drove us back into town to wait for our train. While we waited, Bethany and I grabbed lunch at Crusoe’s Café. I ordered a chicken, cranberry and brie Panini; she ordered a meat Panini. And don’t you worry, we didn’t forget dessert! I had a scrumptious fruit tart. Obviously, it had fruit on it, so it couldn’t possibly be that unhealthy, right? I think we spent about an hour in the café, enjoying the warmth and the ambience. Then we decided to wander around the very small town in the little time we had before our train arrived. Little did we know that there was an ocean beach just a five-minute walk down the street. That beach is beautiful and so peaceful! Bethany and I readily agreed that we had to get back up here on a warm, sunny day before the semester was over.
Our next stop of the day was the Dunluce Castle in Portrush, or what remains of it. It was a bit confusing trying to get there – train, bus, then taxi – but it was totally worth it. The castle was built literally on the edge of a cliff. In fact, years ago, part of the kitchen fell into the sea during a raging storm. What remains of the castle made for a magical sight. Bethany and I spent about an hour exploring every nook and cranny. I would have loved to live there, despite the structural instability. Every window looked out on a spectacular view of the ocean. Pictures and words simply don’t do it justice. This is one of those places you have to experience firsthand. Next to the castle is a trail that leads to a cave below it. We climbed down to the very bottom of the cave where the ocean waves were crashing through an opening in the wall and just stood there, listening. I felt so relaxed. After a few minutes, we crawled back out of the cave, planted ourselves on the grass, and sat there enjoying God’s incredible creation. While I was sitting there, I was reminded of the story of Elijah in which God speaks to him in the whisper of the wind. This is the Ireland I had dreamed of experiencing.
From the castle, Bethany and I attempted to walk to the Giant’s Causeway via the Causeway Coast Footpath. We never actually made it there, although we found out later that we came pretty close. Perhaps we should bring a map and train/bus schedule with us next time. The walk was far from being a waste of time, however. We got to see plenty of the Irish countryside. At one point, we left the path and journeyed to the point of a cliff to get a better view of the ocean. I’m positive we walked through a sheep field to get there – there were droppings all over the place and a sheep even ran out from behind a fence in front of us. We named him Lionel. That wasn’t the only sheep field we walked through that day. Later on we followed Ulster Way, a 52 km footpath following the coast from Portstewart to Carrickfergus through what was definitely a sheep field – looked like one and, most of all, smelled like one. Throughout the duration of our walk I was downright captivated by the beauty of my surroundings. I kept thinking how creative my God is. That He could design this seaside landscape and the African dessert just amazes me!
We caught a 6:30 bus back to Portstewart and spent the rest of the night at our hostel, eating our dinner of pizza, chicken nuggets, corn, grapes and hob-nobs, watching football and British television, reading and playing cards. Sunday morning we slept in and spent a couple hours in the hostel’s community living room before catching the bus and train back to Jordanstown. Boy, what a relaxing weekend!
On Friday afternoon, we walked to the Jordanstown train station to embark on our three hour journey to the small, coastal town of Portstewart. Our journey involved taking two trains, one of which we nearly missed, and a bus ride, which would have resulted in us being very lost had we not asked the passengers seated in front of us if we had already passed our stop, to which they answered yes and told us to immediately get off and back track. When we boarded the bus, we asked the driver to let us know when we reached the Atlantic Circle stop in Portstewart, but I guess he forgot. Luckily, we only missed it by one stop and it was a beautiful night with a warm, fresh breeze blowing in from the ocean, so we walked happily.
We stayed in a really nice hostel our two nights there - Rick's Causeway Coast Independent Hostel. There were literally two houses between our hostel and the ocean. I loved walking out the front door in the morning and hearing the roar of the waves crashing on the rocky shore. And that fresh ocean breeze hitting my face... The perfect setting for a perfect weekend.
Anyway, we finally got to the hostel at about quarter to seven. We checked in to the smallest room for two people I have ever seen, and then we walked on down to the Portstewart Promenade to find some dinner and hopefully some live music. Bethany's Irish roommates had told her about The Anchor pub and restaurant, so when we found it, we went straight in and grabbed a table in the restaurant. Bethany ordered some delicious chicken curry and I had a gigantic roadside chicken sandwich with garlic chips (a.k.a. french fries) on the side. We were completely stuffed by the end of that meal, but with nothing else to do, we decided to go downstairs to the pub for a few drinks. When I walked in, I realized this pub was the perfect setting in which to have my first taste of Guinness. There, surrounded by about twenty-five Irish men and women, and the Galles v. France rugby match playing on the televisions, I took my first sip. It was disgusting! But, since I was sitting at the bar, right in front of the bartender, I felt compelled to suffer through nine more sips of bitterness so that he wouldn't think I was a wimp. Then I proceeded to order a Mango Breezer to wash it down. I much prefer fruity, girly drinks. We ended up hanging out at the pub for a couple hours because there was supposed to be live, although not traditional, music. The music never did come though, so we gave up, walked back to the hostel and climbed into bed early.
Saturday morning we awoke feeling refreshed and ready to explore the coast. We left the hostel at 8:20 to grab a quick breakfast at one of the cafes on the promenade before catching the 8:53 bus to the Coleraine train station. Big oops on my part though! I had mixed up the bus time in my head and it didn't actually stop in Portstewart until 9:53. No matter. Bethany and I sipped coffee and hot chocolate at the cafe and wandered along the shore snapping pictures and taking in the sights and sounds of the big, blue ocean while we waited.
THE REST OF THIS POST I'M WRITING FOR THE SECOND TIME BECAUSE WHEN I TRIED TO POST IT AN ERROR OCCURRED AND HALF OF IT WAS DELETED...GRRR!!! So you're going to get a condensed version, because I'm mad and I don't feel like writing eloquently again.
So the bus arrived at 9:53, we boarded it and rode to the train station at Coleraine, where we then took the train to Castlerock. A lovely woman named Gabrielle picked us up at the train station in her white jeep with hay-covered seats and drove us to the Hill Farm Riding Centre out in the countryside. Bethany and I went horseback riding in Northern Ireland! It was brilliant, so it was…good craic (pardon my Irish)! I have to admit though, I was pretty dang nervous as I hopped on my horse, Bessie. Bethany is an avid equestrian, therefore she has a good number of horror stories involving horses, such as the one where she got bucked off her horse, broke her leg and had to be on crutches for her senior prom and graduation. Yep, that’s all I could think of as I got on my horse. Fortunately, nothing like that even came close to happening. Bessie was a very well-mannered horse, so much so that our guide, Haley, had to hold on to Bessie’s lead rope so she wouldn’t go so slowly.
The scenery was utterly breathtaking. Everything around us – from the rolling, emerald green fields spotted with woolly sheep and horses and cows, to the grey, cloudy skies – said Ireland. This landscape was the picture that had occupied my mind in my months of planning and preparing for this semester. I tried to take it all in, but I found it kind of difficult at times. Let’s just say I really had to focus on keeping my balance on the English saddle so I wouldn’t fall of the horse every time we started trotting. My bum is still sore from the bumpy ride, and by the end my feet were completely numb from the cold wind, but all in all it was a worthwhile experience.
After our hour-long ride, Gabrielle drove us back into town to wait for our train. While we waited, Bethany and I grabbed lunch at Crusoe’s Café. I ordered a chicken, cranberry and brie Panini; she ordered a meat Panini. And don’t you worry, we didn’t forget dessert! I had a scrumptious fruit tart. Obviously, it had fruit on it, so it couldn’t possibly be that unhealthy, right? I think we spent about an hour in the café, enjoying the warmth and the ambience. Then we decided to wander around the very small town in the little time we had before our train arrived. Little did we know that there was an ocean beach just a five-minute walk down the street. That beach is beautiful and so peaceful! Bethany and I readily agreed that we had to get back up here on a warm, sunny day before the semester was over.
Our next stop of the day was the Dunluce Castle in Portrush, or what remains of it. It was a bit confusing trying to get there – train, bus, then taxi – but it was totally worth it. The castle was built literally on the edge of a cliff. In fact, years ago, part of the kitchen fell into the sea during a raging storm. What remains of the castle made for a magical sight. Bethany and I spent about an hour exploring every nook and cranny. I would have loved to live there, despite the structural instability. Every window looked out on a spectacular view of the ocean. Pictures and words simply don’t do it justice. This is one of those places you have to experience firsthand. Next to the castle is a trail that leads to a cave below it. We climbed down to the very bottom of the cave where the ocean waves were crashing through an opening in the wall and just stood there, listening. I felt so relaxed. After a few minutes, we crawled back out of the cave, planted ourselves on the grass, and sat there enjoying God’s incredible creation. While I was sitting there, I was reminded of the story of Elijah in which God speaks to him in the whisper of the wind. This is the Ireland I had dreamed of experiencing.
From the castle, Bethany and I attempted to walk to the Giant’s Causeway via the Causeway Coast Footpath. We never actually made it there, although we found out later that we came pretty close. Perhaps we should bring a map and train/bus schedule with us next time. The walk was far from being a waste of time, however. We got to see plenty of the Irish countryside. At one point, we left the path and journeyed to the point of a cliff to get a better view of the ocean. I’m positive we walked through a sheep field to get there – there were droppings all over the place and a sheep even ran out from behind a fence in front of us. We named him Lionel. That wasn’t the only sheep field we walked through that day. Later on we followed Ulster Way, a 52 km footpath following the coast from Portstewart to Carrickfergus through what was definitely a sheep field – looked like one and, most of all, smelled like one. Throughout the duration of our walk I was downright captivated by the beauty of my surroundings. I kept thinking how creative my God is. That He could design this seaside landscape and the African dessert just amazes me!
We caught a 6:30 bus back to Portstewart and spent the rest of the night at our hostel, eating our dinner of pizza, chicken nuggets, corn, grapes and hob-nobs, watching football and British television, reading and playing cards. Sunday morning we slept in and spent a couple hours in the hostel’s community living room before catching the bus and train back to Jordanstown. Boy, what a relaxing weekend!
Sunday, 1 March 2009
Familiar...
I didn't get "home" (i.e. back to campus) until around 10 PM on Tuesday, so I basically unpacked, uploaded pictures, talked to my parents on skype and went to bed. It had been a very busy, but very fun and exciting six days!
Wednesday I had Modern Irish Society from 11:15-1:15 and then spent most of the afternoon blogging and replying to emails. The best part about Wednesday, and perhaps even of the entire month of February was the surprise package I received from a bunch of my Grove City friends! You all know who you are. Thank you so much! They sent post-it-notes, crayons, lots of little letters, and a 60+ page "cooking abroad book" with hundreds of recipes in it. I can't wait to go to the grocery store and buy ingredients. I spent Wednesday night at Bethany's apartment. She invited me over for dinner. We ended up spending a few hours talking, sharing our favorite things about this whole experience, the things that surprised us the most, our struggles, etc., and we also planned a weekend getaway to the causeway coast.
Thursday I didn't have class, but I did have an assignment due by 12 PM on Friday for my Services Marketing class, so I spent most of the day in the library working on that. Later that evening I went to CU with Bethany, Kari and Amanda. It was so good to see all my Irish friends there after missing CU the week before when I was in Austria. Our speaker talked to us about what it means when Christ says he is the gatekeeper. I was really convicted by the "sermon," and its reminder that Christ is everything I will ever need. After CU, we were invited to go to another CU member, Ducky's house to play games and eat cookies. Bethany, Amanda and I rode with friends from our small group, Nicky and Jo. I almost opted not to go, but I'm so glad I did. There were lots of CU members there: Ducky, Arf, Rachel, Anna, Judith, Kang, Rin Ji, Johnny, Jo, Nicky, Amanda, Bethany and I. I just had to list the names because Ducky and Arf just make me laugh. We ended up hanging out there until 2:30 AM we were having so much fun! I'm so thankful for Christian fellowship!
Friday morning came way too fast. I would have slept in since I didn't have class, but I had to go to the library and get my paper printed off so that I could turn it in before 12 PM. After I took care of that, I had a bunch of details to sort out for my and Bethany's trip up the coast to Portstewart and I had to pack. Even though I was only "home" for three days, it was nice to be back in a familiar place with familiar faces where they speak a familiar language...
Wednesday I had Modern Irish Society from 11:15-1:15 and then spent most of the afternoon blogging and replying to emails. The best part about Wednesday, and perhaps even of the entire month of February was the surprise package I received from a bunch of my Grove City friends! You all know who you are. Thank you so much! They sent post-it-notes, crayons, lots of little letters, and a 60+ page "cooking abroad book" with hundreds of recipes in it. I can't wait to go to the grocery store and buy ingredients. I spent Wednesday night at Bethany's apartment. She invited me over for dinner. We ended up spending a few hours talking, sharing our favorite things about this whole experience, the things that surprised us the most, our struggles, etc., and we also planned a weekend getaway to the causeway coast.
Thursday I didn't have class, but I did have an assignment due by 12 PM on Friday for my Services Marketing class, so I spent most of the day in the library working on that. Later that evening I went to CU with Bethany, Kari and Amanda. It was so good to see all my Irish friends there after missing CU the week before when I was in Austria. Our speaker talked to us about what it means when Christ says he is the gatekeeper. I was really convicted by the "sermon," and its reminder that Christ is everything I will ever need. After CU, we were invited to go to another CU member, Ducky's house to play games and eat cookies. Bethany, Amanda and I rode with friends from our small group, Nicky and Jo. I almost opted not to go, but I'm so glad I did. There were lots of CU members there: Ducky, Arf, Rachel, Anna, Judith, Kang, Rin Ji, Johnny, Jo, Nicky, Amanda, Bethany and I. I just had to list the names because Ducky and Arf just make me laugh. We ended up hanging out there until 2:30 AM we were having so much fun! I'm so thankful for Christian fellowship!
Friday morning came way too fast. I would have slept in since I didn't have class, but I had to go to the library and get my paper printed off so that I could turn it in before 12 PM. After I took care of that, I had a bunch of details to sort out for my and Bethany's trip up the coast to Portstewart and I had to pack. Even though I was only "home" for three days, it was nice to be back in a familiar place with familiar faces where they speak a familiar language...
Vienna...
As promised, here is the account of my short, but sweet, side-trip to Vienna...
Originally, Emily and I had planned to take the 8 AM train to Vienna, but because we were up pretty late the night before, we hit the snooze and slept for another hour. Bernie was nice enough to drive us to the station so that we didn't have to try and navigate our way through the bus line. Thankfully he was with us, because when we got to the train station, Emily and I had to purchase these students cards in order to get a discount on our ticket, and I'm pretty sure the man at the ticket counter only spoke German.
At 9 AM, we were on the train to Vienna. It was about a 2.5 hour journey, which I filled with reading about Vienna, looking out my window at the breath-taking scenery (think snow-covered Alps spotted with pine trees and the cutest ski lodges you ever did see), and attempting to nap. My attempts to nap were far from successful, however, because an adorable toddler boarded the train at our first stop and felt the need to sing Happy Birthday at the top of his lungs all the way to Vienna. He should be thankful he was adorable, otherwise he might not have lived to see another birthday.
We immediately found our way to the Westend City Hostel, conveniently only a five minute walk from the train station. We locked up our bags and started walking toward the city center. We only had a little more than twenty-four hours in this city, so there was no time to waste! Our first stop was an ATM, and then we came across a beautiful Catholic church and decided to pop in. There was a mass going, but Emily and I decided to go in anyway and stand in the back for a few minutes. Although we couldn't understand a word, it was inspiring for me to see believers worship the same God I worship thousands of miles away from home. We then continued down Mariahilfer Strasse to the Museum Quarter of Vienna. The MQ is just across the street from Vienna's first district, the city center. I was blown away by the architecture we found there. All the buildings were enormous! The sheer size of them commanded respect and conveyed the power held by the Austrian empire at the time they were built. It was easy to understand why Vienna was and continues to be a major cultural center in Europe.
Since we were already there, we decided to check out a couple of the art museums in the MQ. We bought a combo ticket for the Leopold Museum and the MUMOK. I mentioned earlier that I did some reading about Vienna on the train ride. One thing I read was that the Viennese are obsessed with death. That obsession was definitely captured in the exhibits at the Leopold Museum. I spent around two hours of my life looking at depressing paintings, drawing, sketches and sculptures. Not exactly my cup of tea. We figured the MUMOK was going to be a lot of the same art we had just seen, so we decided to save that for Monday and instead journeyed into the city center.
First, we walked past the Naturhistor. and the Kunsthistor. Museums, which are also in the MQ. Then we crossed Burgring, walked through a gigantic archway/gate and into the grounds of the Hofburg palace. I still cannot get over how big and stately all of the buildings were! I wonder how long it took to build such huge structures back in the day.
By then, it was about 3 PM and we were hungry, cold and wet. We were also slightly lost and had no idea where to find a cafe or the tourist information center, so we just wandered. We got stopped twice by different ticket salesmen who tried to get us to pay 30 Euro for a symphony/ballet/opera performance. Luckily, Emily had heard from a friend that you can get opera tickets for as cheap at 2 Euro, so we held off. After those encounters, we finally found a cafe, Cafe Palffy, and stopped to get lunch. Emily had some sort of gnocchi with eggs and veggies and I got a spicy goulash dish.
Feeling rejuvinated, we were ready to fight the elements and find the tourist information center. Turns out it was just five more minutes down the street from the cafe. There we found information about a driving bus tour and several performances happening that night. We decided to go to a German Opera called Die Lustigen Nibelungen, and, because the performance started at 7 PM, the standing tickets went on sale at 6 PM and it was already 4:30 PM, we had to hurry to the nearest underground station and get to our hostel to check in.
We did all of this in record time and made it to the Volksoper a few minutes after 6. The standing tickets were the cheapest tickets available, so we bought those even though that meant standing for roughly three hours! We tried to get a table at the cafe across the street so that we could give our feet a break for an hour, but there weren't any seats, so we went back to the opera house and sat on the floor in the back waiting for the opera to start.
The next three hours are kind of a blur. I'm not really sure what the plot was. I do know there was a king who had to fight this warrior woman in order to marry her. There was also a man named Sigfreid who made his first appearance on stage with two pet dragons (little pug dogs dressed in green lizard costumes). That was probably the best part of the entire opera. In the end, Sigfreid ends up married to both his first wife and the warrior woman as well. It was very weird to say the least. The first act was about an hour long and by the end my feet were killing me, especially after walking or standing all day. I almost fell asleep a couple times as well, nearly falling into the head of the man sitting in front of the standing section. The music and the acting were good though. At intermission, Emily and I were both sick of standing and decided to scout out any empty seats that we could sneak into. A couple songs into the second act we found two seats, very good seats actually, right in the middle of the auditorium. My feet were so thankful for that seat, even though we did get a couple glares from the old people in the seats around us. I felt so Viennese after it was all said and done. Attending the opera is just something everyone does in Vienna.
To complete such a cultural evening, Emily and I went back to the cafe after the opera. I ordered my very own slice of Sachertorte with a nice, hot cup of tea with milk (I think that's probably more Irish than Austrian, but oh well!). Emily ordered a mouth-watering dessert consisting of boiled pears, ice cream and whipped cream drizzled with chocolate sauce. While eating, we struck up a conversation with a German couple sitting at the table next to us about the various dialects of French, German and English. They were very nice people and wished us all the best as we walked back to the underground station.
When we returned the hostel, our six roommates were already in bed, so Emily and I had to make our beds in the dark. An older woman who was sleeping in the bunk below Emily's woke up to our noise, and, in a state of being half-awake/half-asleep, she let a bunch of loud farts rip and was making some very strange groaning noises. She then proceeded to get out of bed and start packing up all of her belongings and then she snuck in the bathroom before Emily and I had gone in to brush our teeth. You're probably thinking exactly what I was thinking...Great, she's going to stink it up in there! Fortunately, the only noise we heard was a great big belch. She just saved the farts for when she got back in bed. Other than that disturbing experience, my first stay in a hostel was pleasant.
The next morning, we slept until 8:00, skipped the shower, packed up our belongings, ate the free breakfast, checked out and took the underground to the Shonbrunn Palace. This palace sits on a vast piece of land just outside Vienna. It was the home of the Hasburg Empire, and important people, like Maria-Theresa and Kaiser Franz Joseph and Elisabeth lived there. We did an audio-tour of twenty-two of the majestic rooms in the palace, all of which were decorated in either the Baroque or the Rococco style. My favorite room was the gallery, basically a huge dance hall where balls were held. We also got to see the room where Mozart played for Maria-Theresa when he was just eight years old. After the tour we ventured outside into the gardens. The gardens are more like a park. There we found multiple fountains and pools, a summer ball room and even a zoo! Could you imagine having all of that in your backyard!? I think I'd prefer my warm, cozy house with our small backyard over the extravagant palace and gardens any day.
After our tour of the palace, we took the underground back into the city center. We had a little bit of time to kill before the 1 PM Red Bus City Tour, so we just wandered down one of the main shopping streets, stopping in a few different shops, cafes and bakeries. Oh there were so many tempting treats in those bakeries! I resisted though, knowing that we'd be stopping for a sandwich after the bus tour.
The bus tour drove us past all of the major sights in Vienna, including the Museum Quarter, Hofburg Palace, Parlament, Rathaus, Burgtheater, Borse, Stephansdom, Urania, Kunsthaus, and many more historically and politically important buildings. We also saw some important cultural sights, such as the Sachertorte Cafe, where the delicious cake was created, and the Goulash Museum, where samples of hundreds of different kinds of the Austrian dish are included in the price of admission. We also drove across the Donau river and caught a glimpse of the newest part of Vienna. Our only stop on the tour was in the artsy neighborhood of Vienna. The architect who designed the neighborhood wanted the buildings to be very natural, so there are no straight lines and there are trees growing out of the very colorful buildings. Our stop was only twenty minutes, but Emily and I managed to take pictures, find a cafe and buy fresh sandwiches all during that time. I am so glad we decided to do this tour, because there is no way we could have walked to all of those sights in the short amount of time we had in Vienna.
The only thing left to do after our tour was head back to the MQ's MUMOK, another modern art museum. This museum, although perhaps a bit more happy, was by far more absurd than the first. One of the exhibits was all about self-inflicted abuse. Apparently that's art? By the time we left I had had my fill of nudity, blood and other abstract art. Future travel note for myself: stick to traditional art or history museums.
From the MQ, we went back to our hostel to grab our bags and then to the train station for the 4:20 train back to Salzburg. I couldn't pass up the perfect opportunity to eat a pastry, so I stopped at a bakery and bought a flaky, glazed pastry with strawberries and custard on the top. This was my treat for the train ride home...and what a treat it was!
Originally, Emily and I had planned to take the 8 AM train to Vienna, but because we were up pretty late the night before, we hit the snooze and slept for another hour. Bernie was nice enough to drive us to the station so that we didn't have to try and navigate our way through the bus line. Thankfully he was with us, because when we got to the train station, Emily and I had to purchase these students cards in order to get a discount on our ticket, and I'm pretty sure the man at the ticket counter only spoke German.
At 9 AM, we were on the train to Vienna. It was about a 2.5 hour journey, which I filled with reading about Vienna, looking out my window at the breath-taking scenery (think snow-covered Alps spotted with pine trees and the cutest ski lodges you ever did see), and attempting to nap. My attempts to nap were far from successful, however, because an adorable toddler boarded the train at our first stop and felt the need to sing Happy Birthday at the top of his lungs all the way to Vienna. He should be thankful he was adorable, otherwise he might not have lived to see another birthday.
We immediately found our way to the Westend City Hostel, conveniently only a five minute walk from the train station. We locked up our bags and started walking toward the city center. We only had a little more than twenty-four hours in this city, so there was no time to waste! Our first stop was an ATM, and then we came across a beautiful Catholic church and decided to pop in. There was a mass going, but Emily and I decided to go in anyway and stand in the back for a few minutes. Although we couldn't understand a word, it was inspiring for me to see believers worship the same God I worship thousands of miles away from home. We then continued down Mariahilfer Strasse to the Museum Quarter of Vienna. The MQ is just across the street from Vienna's first district, the city center. I was blown away by the architecture we found there. All the buildings were enormous! The sheer size of them commanded respect and conveyed the power held by the Austrian empire at the time they were built. It was easy to understand why Vienna was and continues to be a major cultural center in Europe.
Since we were already there, we decided to check out a couple of the art museums in the MQ. We bought a combo ticket for the Leopold Museum and the MUMOK. I mentioned earlier that I did some reading about Vienna on the train ride. One thing I read was that the Viennese are obsessed with death. That obsession was definitely captured in the exhibits at the Leopold Museum. I spent around two hours of my life looking at depressing paintings, drawing, sketches and sculptures. Not exactly my cup of tea. We figured the MUMOK was going to be a lot of the same art we had just seen, so we decided to save that for Monday and instead journeyed into the city center.
First, we walked past the Naturhistor. and the Kunsthistor. Museums, which are also in the MQ. Then we crossed Burgring, walked through a gigantic archway/gate and into the grounds of the Hofburg palace. I still cannot get over how big and stately all of the buildings were! I wonder how long it took to build such huge structures back in the day.
By then, it was about 3 PM and we were hungry, cold and wet. We were also slightly lost and had no idea where to find a cafe or the tourist information center, so we just wandered. We got stopped twice by different ticket salesmen who tried to get us to pay 30 Euro for a symphony/ballet/opera performance. Luckily, Emily had heard from a friend that you can get opera tickets for as cheap at 2 Euro, so we held off. After those encounters, we finally found a cafe, Cafe Palffy, and stopped to get lunch. Emily had some sort of gnocchi with eggs and veggies and I got a spicy goulash dish.
Feeling rejuvinated, we were ready to fight the elements and find the tourist information center. Turns out it was just five more minutes down the street from the cafe. There we found information about a driving bus tour and several performances happening that night. We decided to go to a German Opera called Die Lustigen Nibelungen, and, because the performance started at 7 PM, the standing tickets went on sale at 6 PM and it was already 4:30 PM, we had to hurry to the nearest underground station and get to our hostel to check in.
We did all of this in record time and made it to the Volksoper a few minutes after 6. The standing tickets were the cheapest tickets available, so we bought those even though that meant standing for roughly three hours! We tried to get a table at the cafe across the street so that we could give our feet a break for an hour, but there weren't any seats, so we went back to the opera house and sat on the floor in the back waiting for the opera to start.
The next three hours are kind of a blur. I'm not really sure what the plot was. I do know there was a king who had to fight this warrior woman in order to marry her. There was also a man named Sigfreid who made his first appearance on stage with two pet dragons (little pug dogs dressed in green lizard costumes). That was probably the best part of the entire opera. In the end, Sigfreid ends up married to both his first wife and the warrior woman as well. It was very weird to say the least. The first act was about an hour long and by the end my feet were killing me, especially after walking or standing all day. I almost fell asleep a couple times as well, nearly falling into the head of the man sitting in front of the standing section. The music and the acting were good though. At intermission, Emily and I were both sick of standing and decided to scout out any empty seats that we could sneak into. A couple songs into the second act we found two seats, very good seats actually, right in the middle of the auditorium. My feet were so thankful for that seat, even though we did get a couple glares from the old people in the seats around us. I felt so Viennese after it was all said and done. Attending the opera is just something everyone does in Vienna.
To complete such a cultural evening, Emily and I went back to the cafe after the opera. I ordered my very own slice of Sachertorte with a nice, hot cup of tea with milk (I think that's probably more Irish than Austrian, but oh well!). Emily ordered a mouth-watering dessert consisting of boiled pears, ice cream and whipped cream drizzled with chocolate sauce. While eating, we struck up a conversation with a German couple sitting at the table next to us about the various dialects of French, German and English. They were very nice people and wished us all the best as we walked back to the underground station.
When we returned the hostel, our six roommates were already in bed, so Emily and I had to make our beds in the dark. An older woman who was sleeping in the bunk below Emily's woke up to our noise, and, in a state of being half-awake/half-asleep, she let a bunch of loud farts rip and was making some very strange groaning noises. She then proceeded to get out of bed and start packing up all of her belongings and then she snuck in the bathroom before Emily and I had gone in to brush our teeth. You're probably thinking exactly what I was thinking...Great, she's going to stink it up in there! Fortunately, the only noise we heard was a great big belch. She just saved the farts for when she got back in bed. Other than that disturbing experience, my first stay in a hostel was pleasant.
The next morning, we slept until 8:00, skipped the shower, packed up our belongings, ate the free breakfast, checked out and took the underground to the Shonbrunn Palace. This palace sits on a vast piece of land just outside Vienna. It was the home of the Hasburg Empire, and important people, like Maria-Theresa and Kaiser Franz Joseph and Elisabeth lived there. We did an audio-tour of twenty-two of the majestic rooms in the palace, all of which were decorated in either the Baroque or the Rococco style. My favorite room was the gallery, basically a huge dance hall where balls were held. We also got to see the room where Mozart played for Maria-Theresa when he was just eight years old. After the tour we ventured outside into the gardens. The gardens are more like a park. There we found multiple fountains and pools, a summer ball room and even a zoo! Could you imagine having all of that in your backyard!? I think I'd prefer my warm, cozy house with our small backyard over the extravagant palace and gardens any day.
After our tour of the palace, we took the underground back into the city center. We had a little bit of time to kill before the 1 PM Red Bus City Tour, so we just wandered down one of the main shopping streets, stopping in a few different shops, cafes and bakeries. Oh there were so many tempting treats in those bakeries! I resisted though, knowing that we'd be stopping for a sandwich after the bus tour.
The bus tour drove us past all of the major sights in Vienna, including the Museum Quarter, Hofburg Palace, Parlament, Rathaus, Burgtheater, Borse, Stephansdom, Urania, Kunsthaus, and many more historically and politically important buildings. We also saw some important cultural sights, such as the Sachertorte Cafe, where the delicious cake was created, and the Goulash Museum, where samples of hundreds of different kinds of the Austrian dish are included in the price of admission. We also drove across the Donau river and caught a glimpse of the newest part of Vienna. Our only stop on the tour was in the artsy neighborhood of Vienna. The architect who designed the neighborhood wanted the buildings to be very natural, so there are no straight lines and there are trees growing out of the very colorful buildings. Our stop was only twenty minutes, but Emily and I managed to take pictures, find a cafe and buy fresh sandwiches all during that time. I am so glad we decided to do this tour, because there is no way we could have walked to all of those sights in the short amount of time we had in Vienna.
The only thing left to do after our tour was head back to the MQ's MUMOK, another modern art museum. This museum, although perhaps a bit more happy, was by far more absurd than the first. One of the exhibits was all about self-inflicted abuse. Apparently that's art? By the time we left I had had my fill of nudity, blood and other abstract art. Future travel note for myself: stick to traditional art or history museums.
From the MQ, we went back to our hostel to grab our bags and then to the train station for the 4:20 train back to Salzburg. I couldn't pass up the perfect opportunity to eat a pastry, so I stopped at a bakery and bought a flaky, glazed pastry with strawberries and custard on the top. This was my treat for the train ride home...and what a treat it was!
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