Copenhagen and Brussels
Spring break has started for NUIG, and I intend to make the most of it! I am currently sitting in a hostel in Brussels, trying to give me feet a break from constant walking. But I am getting ahead of myself, I left Galway on Friday afternoon to travel to my first spring break destination: Copenhagen. The capital of Denmark was cold, beautiful, and expensive. I bundeled up with all the layers I had (I am traveling with just a backpack for these two weeks of break) to brace the Baltic temperature. (0°C aka 32°F)That may not seem to bad for a Minnesotan, but with only a light raincoat, this Irish lass was a bit chilly. I started my day at the Nyhavan Canal since my hostel was located right next to it. This street is everything I dreamed Copenhagen would be: brightly colored buildings and boats made even that chilly day warm and friendly. I even got to go on a canal ferry ride to experience all of Copenhagen’s beautiful canals.
Before this visit I was not aware that Denmark even had nobility, but after touring three palaces I can’t deny the powers of some kings and queens. Amalienborg Palace, Christiansborg Castle, and Rosenborg Castle are all extremely beautiful and ornate. Below are picture of each (one outside and one inside) in alphabetical order.
I walked through Copenhagen all Saturday and most of Sunday until I had to hop on the metro to the airport. I got into Brussels late Sunday night and started yet another day of walking in the morning. There are so many beautiful buildings and statues in Brussels; the most impressive being the Grand Place. The picture below is only the beginning of the beauty because every point of a 360° spin fills your eyes with impressive buildings.
The architecture is amazing, but the best part of Brussels is the food. Belgian waffels are certainly better in Belgium than in America, Belgian frites beat McDonald’s fries any day, and meatball means a whole different thing over here. Not to mention the souvenir of some good old chocolate that I will struggle to make last until I get back to Ireland. All in all it’s been a good start. Tomorrow I will hop on a bus to Amsterdam, but that’s a story for another time.
Week 8: Storm Emma
It seems as though I brought a little bit of Minnesota to Ireland this past weekend. The whole country went into Code Red shutdown as Storm Emma and the Beast from the East pummeled the land with snow. In reality, we only got a few inches, but to an Irish person, this was unheard of. All of the bread disappeared from grocery stores as people stocked up and NUIG cancelled college for Thursday and Friday. Snowball fights and snowmen littered Galway as most shops closed up for the storm. I was just happy to see some snow. My friend Adrienne and I built a snowwoman named Patricia outside my house, but she didn’t last very long! All of the snow has already melted to reveal the green grass and daffodils underneath.
While I am thankful the weather gave me a few days off of class, it also wrecked some plans. On Sunday my ISA group was scheduled to visit the Cliffs of Moher, but an hour into the bus ride we received a phone call saying that the cliffs were closed. In order to not waste a trip, we stopped in The Burren to see the limestone plateau. There I was still able to sit on the edge of a cliff and gaze across the ocean. The limestone was such a unique feature, and we were able to explore as much as our cold feet and fear of heights would allow us. Ireland is full of such beautiful landscape, but it is nice to know that staring across the ocean, I am looking toward home.
Week 7: Rome
My weeks 5 and 6 were pretty normal with just school and soccer – plus spending a lot of time in bed with a fever – so I have saved my blog writing for something more exciting: Rome. This past weekend my roommate Ruth and I took a total of 4 buses and 5 planes to visit the Eternal City. I have never been one to choose the urban setting, but in just 48 hours I fell head over heels in love with Rome. On Saturday morning we started our sightseeing at the Colosseum. It is one of those places that no matter how hard you try, pictures just cannot do it justice. It was so amazing to walk down a normal city street and spot the Colosseum standing tall and mighty right beside the metro station. You are living in the modern world but inside you are standing on almost 2,000 years of history.
After the Colosseum, we explored the Palatine Hill and Roman Forum, also known as Old Rome. The paths were never-ending and everywhere I turned was another fallen column, beautiful ancient building, or statue. But that was only the beginning of the Eternal City. We left Old Rome to find lunch and explore the slightly more modern Roman beauties. Again it was as though everywhere you turned was another beautiful structure; an obelisk, a fountain, a statue, the Spanish Steps, or the Pantheon. And in between all of these are narrow streets full of shops and pizzerias. My absolute favourite part was the Trevi fountain. Ruth and I visited it three times during our 48 hours in Rome. The artwork is incredibly beautiful and I couldn’t miss the opportunity to throw in a few coins. I could have spent hours by the Trevi fountain eating gelato and watching hundreds of tourists throw coins and take pictures.
On Sunday we visited Vatican City. Again it was simply incredible to see the amount of marble and intricate artwork that is in Rome. I did not see Pope Francis but I certainly did see more than enough statues of previous Popes. From the Vatican, it was just a short walk over to the Tiber River which has the most elaborate bridges I have ever seen. There were almost as many statues on the bridge as street vendors.
Walking around the city we stumbled upon a gorgeous view of Rome looking out at the Piazza del Popolo. I have grown so accustomed to the rain from Ireland that hopping over a few puddles to get this picture was no problem at all. Every part of the city surprised me with something beautiful. Rome is a city that I will not soon forget.
Week 4: Dublin
My ISA group took a weekend trip to the capital city of the Republic of Ireland, Dublin. In less than a three-hour bus ride, we had travelled from the west coast to the east. Trips like this remind me that the whole country of Ireland is only half the size of Minnesota! Our main attraction for the first day was visiting Trinity College. The college is known for a beautiful old library that holds the Book of Kells, an illustrated Bible from around 800 AD. I wish one of my latin scholar friends was along so that they could have read it to me, but the plaque next to the book said that it was open to the page of Matthew 5, the Sermon on the Mount. Sadly we were not allowed to take pictures of this exhibit so if you are curious about its beauty you will have to google it. The old library made me feel like Belle in Beauty and the Beast with one sad exception, I was not allowed to touch the books. We also went to the science gallery on campus which was full of students’ incredible work.
Then we braced the cold wind for a guided walking tour of Dublin. Our guide brought us to Dublin Castle and told us the true and legendary history of Dublin. The castle was originally a Viking fortress but eventually came to serve as the residence for the British monarchy representative in Dublin. The courtyard of Dublin Castle is the place where Michael Collins famously handed over the treaty of 1922 that made Ireland free and started a civil war. While the castle has been added onto and rebuilt over the course of its existence, it was still amazing to stand in a place brimming full of Irish history.
Our second day in Dublin focused on a different part of Irish history, the Guinness brewery. In 1759 Arthur Guinness signed a 9,000-year lease (yes, 9000!) on this brewery in Dublin and ‘The Black Stuff’ that Ireland is so famous for, was born. The museum in the storehouse was beautifully done and ended with a free pint of the freshest Guinness possible in a room that had windows for walls. Every day in Ireland is a “Lovely day for a Guinness”, but nothing can top that day in the storehouse.
Week 3: Northern Ireland
I may not have left the island this past weekend, but I did exit the country. The history of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland will always baffle me. (I won’t go into politics, look it up for yourself.) Crossing over to the UK didn’t require me to show my passport or go through security, but it did make me change my euros for pounds and turn all the phone booths red. My friends and I stayed at a hostel in Belfast for the weekend. From there we could take a long walk to the Titanic Museum, watch a soccer game in a local pub, and experience a bit larger city than our quaint Galway. But most importantly we could hop on a tour bus to the Giant’s Causeway. Old historic buildings are beautiful, but nothing compares to God’s work in nature. Giant’s Causeway is made up of hexagonal stones that add to the beauty of an already rich landscape. I didn’t bother to learn the science behind it because no scientist shouting billions of years could answer better than saying that God is amazing. Climbing along these rock formations was certainly an adventure because the wind kept us on our toes. My feet got wet and my hair messy, but I can honestly say that the two hours spent there are my favorite so far. Since the wind was almost blowing us into the ocean while we were on dry ground, we couldn’t cross the Carrick-a-rede rope bridge for safety reasons (which might be a good thing since even walking near it gave me goosebumps.) Maybe by the end of my trip, my fear of heights will leave me. All in all, it was a fantastic weekend full of beautiful sights, great food, and good friends.
