Since it is quite cold, very windy, and sputtering rain (not unusual), I have some down time to throw a few layers on, curl up with some tea, and update y’all on my life. Here is some visuals to what I’ve been up to. It doesn’t capture all the moments, but it shows some of the big trips I’ve been on.
Temple Bar in downtown Dublin – this is more of a section of town dedicated to food, pubs, and tourism.
Maynooth University
A path on campus that leads to a graveyard. It just has neat trees 🙂
Belfast/Carrick-a-Rede/Giant’s Causeway
“The Dark Hedges” featured in Game of Thrones (If you’re familiar with the series, it’s from season 1, the road Arya takes with the Night Watch).
Giant’s Causeway with the gang!
Giant’s Causeway pt.2. The rock is hexagon shaped – I’m not completely clear on why, but I know it came from a volcano and relates to how the lava dried.
Taken from an island off Carrick-a-rede, a rope bridge in Northern Ireland.
Same as above.
Cork
The Dublin sunrise as two others and I speed walked through town to catch our morning bus to Cork.
My very first Shepherds Pie from the English Market
Downtown Cork!
Glendalough Mountains
Glendalough Mountains with the Maynooth University Rovers, a club I joined that takes hiking trips around Ireland.
Glendalough Mountains pt. 2 🙂
Class Trip to Clonmacnoise & Corlea
A road that was used in 148 BC! It was extremely well preserved in the bogs in Corlea, and was found/dug up in 1984.
The original Scripture Cross from Clonmacnoise, carved in 914 AD. It is used as a grave stone, marking wealth and power of the deceased.
It’s starting to get cold outside, so I’m now adjusting to the new temperatures. We had a bit of a “heat wave” when it hit 65 degrees, then two days of class cancelled after Hurricane Ophelia hit (which was super chill. It was partly sunny and very windy, but other than that, Maynooth was fine), and now it feels like winter. Even though I’m still adjusting, it’s a nice break from the Florida heat. Other than that, classes are good, the people are good, the food is good…life is good. My next update will be after study break, where studying will not happen but traveling will, so I’ll have lots to write about. TTFN 🙂