Ireland

The beginning of May was a big weekend holiday in Madrid. I don't know what we were celebrating and I didn't question it. All I know is that it gave me the perfect opportunity to do some more traveling. And I had my sights set on Ireland.

Ireland as a whole has never been on my radar but the city of Belfast has always intrigued me. I knew a bit about the conflict between the Protestants and the Catholics, really just that there was conflict. My guess was that these "troubles" from the past meant Belfast wasn't too touristy...and I would be correct. I also read a book a couple years ago called The Ghosts of Belfast about a man living with the ghosts of the people he killed during The Troubles in the '70s and I thought it was awesome! A great thriller. So now I'm re-reading it and it's so cool to recognize the names of places and streets that he talks about because I've been there! It also makes a lot more sense with my new-found knowledge of just how bad things were...and maybe still are.

So, to begin, I flew into Dublin on Wednesday (May 1) and immediately hopped on a bus to Belfast. For some reason there are almost no flights between Madrid and Belfast, so I decided to just get myself up to Northern Ireland first thing. And it was nice because it was light out and I had a chance to see a little greenery. However, the motorway was not all that scenic...the scenic drives would come later. It took a little less than 2 hours and before I knew it I was wandering down Great Victory Street and Botanic Avenue towards my hostel, Global Village.

This was actually my first hostel experience since I've been in Europe so I didn't know what to expect. The hostel was located on a quiet street close to Queen's University so the whole area had a college-town feel to it. It made me understand why we were on University Street. Ha. The university was in our backyard and I didn't know!

Global Village Hostel

Anyway, I opened the door to find a cute little dog greeting me. His name was Buju, and he belonged to the hostel, and he was super cool. I also met Fox, live-in worker (owner?) of the joint who gave me the grand tour of everything. The hostel is actually an old house and that's exactly how it felt. A home. It was so cozy and inviting and I'd say half the people there were traveling by themselves so we all became instant friends. Hands down, the best possible experience I could have had traveling alone. Most people were Canadian or Australian but I also met some people from France, Germany, Spain and Slovenia...of all places. I think the highlight of our time together was watching Barcelona get slaughtered by Bayern Munich. In Barcelona. Holy Cow.

Fox and I

Alright, back to arriving. My first stop was Queen's University and the Botanic Gardens, which are almost one in the same...and were right down the street. It was the perfect day for a stroll through gardens. Sun was shining, 60 degrees, didn't need a jacket and I was bursting with energy after being stuck on a plane and a bus. I went into the university's library to see what there was to see and unfortunately they didn't allow visitors to take a peak. BUT, the woman at the front desk let me sneak in anyway because there is a replica door from The Chronicles of Narnia that leads to a small reading room. She said it was worth a look. The whole place was packed with students cramming for exams so I kinda stood out with a camera and no books. I didn't doddle. Was cool though. Glad I went in.

Palm House

Back outside I was at the entrance of the Botanic Gardens which were full of students relaxing and playing games. How cool would it be if instead of a Quad you had botanical gardens to play in as a student??? I was jealous. I took lots of pictures. 
 
Ok, the best part of the Gardens were not the gardens themselves but these signs I saw everywhere. They read "No Ball Games". Of course, it's referring to football or whatever other kinds of ball games exist in Ireland, but my dirty mind could not stop laughing!! "No ball games here, stop playing with your balls!" hahahaha I'm pretty sure I sat there and laughed out loud for a solid minute. People stared. I didn't care. I took another picture. Belfast rocks.

The rest of the day was spent walking through the city and then hopping a bus to the Belfast Castle. To my surprise the castle isn't really a castle but a large mansion. It sits on a hill in the middle of a gorgeous park and offers some great views of the shipyards and coast. It was worth the long trek uphill. Again, I was grateful for the beautiful weather.

Belfast Castle

That evening after watching a poor-excuse-for-a-football-game game, a few of us went out to a pub for some live music and some well-deserved drinking. I can now say I've had a Guinness in Ireland. I can also now say that Guinness tastes like shit no matter which country you drink it in. I had two pints, just to make absolutely sure. I rest my case. I'll stick to Blue Moon and Schlafly.

Day 2: Thursday, May 2. This was THE day for Belfast to strut its stuff, and it blew me away how much I didn't know about so many things. I started the day walking over to Titanic Belfast, the museum dedicated to all things Titanic since the ship was built in the shipyards. I'm not really sure if I knew Titanic was built in Belfast until I started doing some research...Doesn't matter. All that's really left today are the boat slips. There are also 2 yellow cranes built around the '70s specifically for the construction of giant ships that dot the skyline. They are affectionately called Samson and Goliath and are still in use today. There's also a bizarre looking building that houses the Titanic museum. Inside it was broken down into different galleries that showcased first how the Titanic came to be made in Belfast, the actual construction, life aboard the ship, the sinking, the aftermath and finally the exploration of the shipwreck at the bottom of the ocean. I highly recommend it to anyone who finds themselves in Belfast. There were all kinds of interactive maps, blueprints, re-creations of cabins and even a telegram button to practice your CQD. I was impressed.

Titanic Belfast

 What really stayed with me, though, was the display of some or most of the telegrams Titanic sent to other ships after it had struck the iceberg. They started out very matter-of-fact like "Hit a berg" "CQD" "Request for assistance"...something like that. But they became increasingly more panicked: "We're taking on water fast, we're going down" and one which was just "CQDCQDCQDCQDCQD". It gave me goosebumps. All of them were dated and time-stamped so you could see just how quickly things got out of control. The whole thing was very intense, until finally:


After the museum I walked back to the hostel and hopped on a black taxi tour of West Belfast, the famed neighborhoods along the the Falls Road and Shankill Road. Again, another intense experience. I knew nothing of these conflicts so I got quite the education. The Shankill represents the Protestant side, which are the Loyalists and prefer being under the British crown so you see British flags everywhere. The Falls is heavily Catholic and would like to see a united Ireland. Hence, they are the Republicans and Irish flags are everywhere...or as they say, the tricolor (pronounced like "trickler"). Anyway, there are walls that run through these neighborhoods called Peace Walls, which to me seems a little ironic. On one side people have left their signatures of peace and hope for Ireland. Very similar to the Berlin Wall I imagine.

Paz = Peace

There are also propaganda murals on the sides of houses dedicated to each sides "war heroes". They are incredibly disturbing. And they don't look like something that belongs in a residential neighborhood. But it was certainly something to see. At the end our guide told us the tension is as bad now as it ever was. Houses still have gates around their windows to protect from flying bricks or bottles if they are close to the wall. And there are still over 3,000 unsolved murders in Northern Ireland (or was it just in Belfast?). 

Protestant Mural

Day 3: Giant's Causeway. Friday was spent on a day-long tour up the coast of Northern Ireland to the Giant's Causeway with a few stops along the way. These stops mainly included castles or castle ruins, lunch at the Bushmill's Distillery and crossing a fancy rope bridge. Oh, and the coastal road we took there is considered one of the top 5 scenic routes in the world. I believe it. Absolutely gorgeous.

So this rope bridge, which I didn't know I signed up for, was used by salmon fisherman almost 1000 years ago to hop between two islands that jut out into the sea. It's now become a tourist attraction. It's about 60 feet long and god-only-knows how high. I refused look down when I crossed it and I couldn't see the bottom when I made it to the other side. It's no secret that I have a debilitating fear of heights so this was not easy for me. But I did do it. I have pictures to prove it. And, to blow your minds even more, I had to walk back across it a second time! Phew! Needless to say I felt pretty proud of myself. Still do in fact. And for an extra pound you could buy a certificate stating you crossed the bridge. I bought the certificate. Just in case people don't believe the photos. Can't wait to frame that badboy.

Carrick-A-Rede Rope Bridge

And then on to what we'd all been waiting for. The Giant's Causeway is unlike any place I've ever been to. It's basically made up of these strange rock formations, most of which are hexagonal shaped, on the coast that led to the legend of 2 giants building a causeway to fight each other. Fionn mac Cumhail (Finn MacCool), the Irish giant attempted to fight the Scottish giant Benandonner. Basically, they were both too chicken to fight each other in the end and so most of the causeway was destroyed, leaving the few rocks we see today. It was kind of like a giant playground with all these stones to crawl over. Adding in the rain and ferocious wind, we had the quite the
adventure.

Giants Causeway

I don't even know how to put into words what it was like. Despite the treacherous weather I could have stayed there all day. Being surrounded by cliffs and the raging sea was very humbling. It's good for soul to be reminded every once in awhile how small you are. And relatively insignificant. It gives you perspective.

The journey home was much quieter. Our tour guide, Alan, who was hysterical and informative, didn't say much since most people fell asleep. We were lucky that we had a small bus...only about 15 or 16 of us altogether, so we all became fast friends. We had a guy from New Zealand, a girl from Taiwan, a guy from China, two ladies from England, a girl from Canada, two girls from Madrid :), and then a few peeps from my hostel, myself, and a few others. It was a great group. This definitely ranks as one of the best days of my life. Period.


The next day was split between Belfast and Dublin. I had a really hard time saying goodbye to Belfast. We got along so well together. I felt very comfortable there. Luckily I had a nice scenic bus ride back to the Dublin where we stopped in a few small towns along the way. But driving into Dublin was the biggest shock I've had in awhile. I was expecting something small like Belfast, but instead found a heaping metropolis. It might even be bigger than Madrid. It sure felt like it. I was completely overwhelmed.

My hostel was a major let-down as well. It was packed with people and it was not homey at all. And I was in a room with smelly guys. Gross. And some of them were creepy. I was homesick...for Belfast! Get me out of here! Take me back!

The city of Dublin is nice. It's got beautiful old buildings and the River Liffey runs through the middle. But it's also dirty and smelly and touristy... not to mention extremely expensive. I did not expect that. I was already tired when I got there so I mainly wandered around aimlessly and took some pictures. There's a lot to do in Dublin but I just didn't have the energy. 

River Liffey in Dublin

The two main things I did was tour Trinity College to see the Book of Kells and the Jameson Distillery. Trinity is cool and the Old Library you walk through to see the Book of Kells is cool, but the actual book itself is a bit underwhelming. (or can I say I was just "whelmed" since I was in Europe...anyone? anyone? tehehehehehe). Jameson was another disappointment since nothing about it is original and no actual distilling was going on. For a place that calls itself the Old Jameson Distillery, I expected more. The whiskey at the end was good. But again, I was not impressed. 

Trinity College

By the time Monday rolled around I was ready to go. Dublin and I were not jiving. And then when I got called and an "ignorant bitch" by some homeless man for not giving him any booze money, shit hit the fan. That was it. I was done. I marched back to the hostel, grabbed my things, and peaced the hell out of there. I ended up at the airport about 3 hours early but it didn't matter. Relief was in sight.

The only saving grace about Dublin was the nice Northern Irishman (figures!) I met in my hostel. He lived and worked up North but went to school on the weekends in Dublin. So we talked a lot about Belfast. Actually he did most of the talking. It was nice. When we parted ways he shook my hand and told me to let him know if I ever was in Belfast again. And that was that. A gentleman. How refreshing :) 


So long Ireland, you were the trip of a lifetime. I'm so grateful to have met you.

~Caralyn

Some more fun photos from my trip:

Cliffs of Northern Ireland

Irish Countryside

Most bombed hotel in Europe: Europa Hotel, Belfast

                                     

                                                                          Bye!!

Finally! a breakthrough!! It's so nice to know you're valued at work. And I found out that I'm not alone in my dislike for certain individuals...the whole school can't stand them. Can't tell you how happy that made me. Luckily, none of them will be here next year. But I will be :) It's official, I've been accepted for a second year.

Also, I've finally kicked the toxic friendship I let drag on for years. I've haven't felt this light in a long time. Good riddance. I'm starting to feel like my old self again, what a relief.

Next stop, IRELAND, baby!!!!!

~Caralyn

Semana Santa

Mom and Dad came into town for Semana Santa this year and man, was I ever grateful. It was nice to have people to talk to and hang out with for almost a solid two weeks. It made me realize how much I miss just sitting, drinking coffee with my mom or watching TV with my dad. Honestly, if we never left their apartment I think I would have had just as much fun with them. Luckily we got a few trips and sight-seeing in as well :) We even got to see a football game! But I was happy just to have someone around. And now that they're gone I'm back to being lonely and bored. And dreading the weekends. I guess I could wander around Madrid like I usually do, but it won't be the same by myself. I'm starting to wonder how much more of this I can take. 

That being said, I have a really great time in this city when I have people to enjoy it with. I love it so much. There's always something new to try and explore. And I can't believe how many new things I discovered with my parents. Stuff I've walked by a million times but never gave it a second thought. Museo de Jamón, I'm talking to you. Great ham sandwiches that are sooo cheap! Can't beat it. I'll never find that at home :( 

I also discovered a new Irish bar that I really like, but it's useless to me if no one ever wants to go out. Or wants to watch football games. Or wants to get tea and scones. Boo. How did I end up in this situation where no one ever wants to do things that I think are fun?? Not every weekend can be a trip somewhere. I want to have fun "at home" as well. And now, for the first time in my entire life, I have all kinds of free time on the weekends and no one to spend it with. I guess that's how the universe works. You can have one or the other but never both at the same time. Or maybe I'm just not trying hard enough. Or maybe I've just given up altogether. I'm open to any advice at this point. 

Hmm, this isn't where I thought this blog post was going to go, but oh well. Hopefully the next one will be better.

~Caralyn

 

Logroño, La Rioja

Last weekend Raelynne and I were fortunate to take a weekend trip to Logroño, the capital city of the province La Rioja, which is famous for its WINE! Yup, I know what you're thinking and yes, that's exactly what we did. Between the two of us we brought home 11 bottles of wine...and that doesn't include any of the wine we drank while we were there. Such a fantastic place. We had a great time. By far one of the best trips I've taken. Period.

                        First night in Logroño at "our bar"                     View of the church at night in the Casco Viejo

We took the bus to Logroño which is about 4 hours north of Madrid. That proved to be an adventure in and of itself...mainly because I got completely confused about where the bus station was. I knew it was at a metro stop called Avenida de America and yet for some reason I went o Plaza de Castilla. Those two sound nothing alike but I always confuse them. It makes no sense. I'm not sure why I have this issue. Anyway, it meant running through the station at 4:25 to make it onto our 4:30 bus. Thank god a lot of people were going to Logroño on that bus because the line gave us a few extra minutes. I think I spent the first 3 hours of the bus ride thanking the powers that be for letting make the bus. The last hour was spent wishing I could get out. The twist and turns as we drove through mountains was doing nothing for nerves...or my bladder.

We ended up finding our pensión (like a small hotel) easily enough from the bus station and luckily it was on the main drag through the old part of town, Calle Portales. It was stunning. That was a nice surprise for both of us.

                                             Bodega (winery) Franco Españolas

Our first full day in Logroño was spent hunting down all the wineries. Unfortunately there's only two winery within walking distance and one of them was closed. So we made the best of Franco Españolas, the most well-known of the area. Probably because it's so close. On our tour we made a friend with an old man named Luis. He was very chatty and told us the same stories over and over again. I think Raelynne got a picture.

                   Look at all those bottles of wine!                             ...and barrels! 15,000 of them

What the vineyards must look like

The tour of the winery was very nice and they gave us a tasting at the end. I walked out with one bottle of wine...I wanted to pace myself. The cool this is, the bottle came in a wooden box. I have no idea how good the wine is, but now at least I have a cool box! Afterwards we got lunch. Normally a lunch menú comes with a drink, which can be a glass of wine. However, in Logroño, they just give you the whole bottle. Raelynne and I made the mistake of drinking it all. We then stumbled back to our pensión and I passed out. I have never been so drunk off wine in the afternoon! My head felt like a pile of bricks. It's exactly what we came here for. haha!

Demonstration (manifestación) along Calle Portales, view from our balcony

I actually woke up to shouting and whistling in the streets. There was a demonstration that evening to protest the cuts and financial troubles of Spain. There wasn't much to do in the evening other than drink, but we needed a break from that so we joined in the demonstration. It was really cool because I think everyone in the city was there. And it gave us a nice tour of the town :) Did I mention it was snowing?? I think I forgot! But yeah, it snowed the entire time we were there. Beautiful snow. It made the place that more enchanting.

View down Calle Portales

Our last day was much more chill. We slept in. Got breakfast. Shopped. Bought more wine. Then went to lunch. This time though, we didn't finish the entire bottle but we got close. In an effort to not pass out and sleep the afternoon away we sat ourselves in a cafe and I had a few cups of coffee. That helped a bunch. In the evening we did wine and tapas. Oh, fun fact: our first night out we bar hopped a bit and found out that a glass of wine in Logroño costs about .70euros...that's not even a dollar! Ridiculous! Needless to say, we ate and drank like queens. 

Soaking up the snow!

It was really hard to leave Logroño. We had such a nice time. And I think Logroño had a hard time letting us go too...because the next day in Madrid it snowed. :-)

~Caralyn

The Hills of Cuenca

At the beginning of the month, my friend Alyson had a great idea: try and do a day trip every weekend through the month of February. I couldn't make it last weekend because I chose to stay up and watch the Super Bowl, but this weekend we decided on Cuenca, a place neither of us have been to.

Cuenca is a small city/town in the province of Castilla la Mancha (think Don Quijote territory). It's about a 2 hour bus ride, so not bad for a day trip. And the old part of town, the Casco Viejo, is small enough to walk in one day, although it seems like you're always walking uphill! Cuenca is situated on top of a huge hill/mountain and is surrounded by a deep gorge. We had some awesome views.

Our trip didn't start out the greatest. Within about 1 minute of stepping out of the bus station Alyson slipped and fell into a puddle of brown goop. I tried to be optimistic that maybe it was just "chocolate ice cream". However, after she wiped it off her boots in a restaurant bathroom she assured me it was excrement of some kind. We think dog. So gross. Luckily it was only on her hands and boots, things that could easily be wiped off and cleaned. Unfortunately that wasn't how we wanted to start our trip!

Before the slight incident I asked an elderly gentleman to point us in the right direction of the old part of town...because the newer part of town is kind of a dump. I didn't expect that. People always talk about how beautiful Cuenca is. I realize now that they are just referring to one part of the city. Anyway, he was very helpful and got a big kick out of two American girls living in Madrid who took the time to visit his city. Spaniards are always so friendly and happy to help out foreigners. They take such pride in their cities. I am forever grateful. He told us to take the bus, but we decided to just walk. Good choice. We would've missed a lot on the bus. 

Old monastery, now a hotel! (parador)

One of the main attractions in Cuenca are the casas colgadas, the hanging houses. They are built right on the edge of a cliff and seem to be barely hanging on. It was neat to see. Cuenca also has a cathedral, multiple churches and convents/monasteries, remains of a castle from the 13th century and lots of windy streets that always seem to lead up. And the Río Cuervo snakes through at the bottom of the gorge. There's not a whole lot to do in Cuenca, but there's plenty to see. I wouldn't mind going back there again, but next time I'm taking the old man's advice and riding the bus!

                              Casas Colgadas

                   Street off of Plaza Mayor                                                 Cathedral

The hills have eyes!!!!

~Caralyn

Trip to Paris

Last weekend I was fortunate enough to take my first trip to France, and even luckier that it was in Paris! I'll admit I've never been in interested in Paris for one reason or another, but my friend Laurence (who's French but not technically Parisian) is studying there so I figured it was the perfect opportunity to see if this city was really worth the hype. It kills me to say this, but, it is. I loved Paris. I must go back.

I got in on Friday evening and met up with Laurence at the Gare du Nord (North Train Station) and we took the metro back to her apartment together. I had to ask someone in broken French at the airport to make sure I was heading toward the correct train station and he was very polite and helpful. I'm wasn't really sure how to pronounce it so I just went with how it was spelled. Not correct. French is not phonetic like Spanish so my Spanish-speaking brain was of no help to me. He understood, though, and replied with "Oui". Too funny. In my relieved state I said "gracias"...oops. Later my phone went off and I was speaking in English. He probably was really confused about where I came from. (For the record it's pronounced something like "gar de nor" - the d is silent. my bad)

Anyway, Laurence took me back to her to apartment: a small yet cozy studio in this really cool old building right in the heart of Paris. She told me the building used to be for rich people and that her apartment was actually part of the servants' quarters. We had a side entry to the building and we got to walk up an old spiral staircase because the elevator only went so far. I thought it was cool.

Laurence's building

Home sweet Home

Our first order of business was crepes. I was told by a friend to get a chocolate and banana crepes and then I was told by one of my students to get a ham and cheese crepes (typical Spanish . I got both: ham & cheese for dinner and chocolate & banana for dessert. I was assured that it was normal and expected to eat 2 crepes in the same meal. Crepes...check!

Ham and Cheese Crepes (Jambon et Fromage)

The next day we walked all over the city. And I mean it...we walked all. over. town. Our first stop was the Arc de Triomphe which was just down the street from Laurence's apartment. It's basically a square with a huge Arch serving as a sort of war memorial. It also connects a lot of streets, including the Champs-Elysées, which was next on our Itinerary.

Arc de Triomphe en Place de L'Etoile

The Champs-Elysées is kind of like the Michigan Avenue of Paris (or Gran Vía of Madrid) but on a much bigger scale. Lots of great shopping and people watching if it hadn't been so cold. I would love to see it in the summertime. This lead us down to the Jardin des Tuileries (I have no idea how to pronounce most of these French words by the way, bare with me) which is the garden/park area in front of the Louvre. Again, I'm sure it's an incredible site in better weather but there wasn't much lounging and sunbathing going on in the frigid temperatures.

Looking down the Champs-Elysées from the Arc de Triomphe

The Louvre itself is an incredible building. It was once a palace, but now has to be the largest art museum in the world. I'm seriously, it's MASSIVE! It just keeps going. I don't know how anyone could get through the museum in a week, much less a few hours. I didn't go in because it was probably packed and I wasn't willing to waste my time being disappointed by the Mona Lisa. Sorry Da Vinci, I mean no offense. I got some cool photos anyway.

Louvre

Looking out from the front entrance

Later we walked through the neighborhood of Saint Michel (say: san michelle), which is kind of a student hang out, to make our way over to Notre Dame. The cathedral is not as big as I thought it would be, but it was definitely worth the walk-around inside. The stained glass is incredible! And it's just everywhere! I've never seen so much stained glass windows in my whole life. To top it off, 2013 marks the 850th anniversary of the beginning of construction of Notre Dame. I can't even wrap my mind around that.

Notre Dame de Paris (Our Lady of Paris)

Next stop was Ile Saint Louis (say: ill san lou-IE), a little island in the River Seine (say: sen) right behind Notre Dame's Ile de la Cité...lots of little land masses in the middle of the river. This was just something I wanted to do for the heck of it because everywhere you looked there were signs with "Saint Louis" on them. And lets be honest, that's makes for some funny photos. While we were there we got some really good sorbet. Even in the cold it was delicious.

After Ile Saint Louis we strolled along the Seine back to another neighborhood called Saint Germain (say: san zzher mon) to stop at a restaurant called Ladurée to get some macarons. I was told these things are awesome but also expensive...both are true. I can't even described how delicious these little cookies are, but they were well worth the wait. I got 4: chocolate, orange, raspberry and pistachio and these 4 bad boys set me back 7 euros...eek!! Totally worth it. Macarons...check!

Eating Sorbet along the Seine with Notre Dame behind us

The next day we put sight-seeing aside and decided to march for same-sex marriage rights in a demonstration that went through the heart of Paris. I can now say I've been a part of a French demonstration. It was peaceful and everyone was in good spirits. A great way to stroll through the city and just take it all in. And I learned a new word: Egalité (Equality).

Monday was my last day and I just had the morning and afternoon left to wander around. Soooo.....we headed straight for the Eiffel Tower (Tour Eiffel). I didn't go up because I have a terrible fear of heights, and we didn't have the time, but it was another incredible structure.

Impersonating the Tour Eiffel

Last stop was the Statue of Liberty, given as a present to the French by the U.S. apparently in 1986. It's much smaller than the real thing, but it's the same statue. Who know I would see it in France before New York? Nothing should surprise me anymore.

And that's my trip in a nutshell. Glad you could come along :) Au revoir!
~Caralyn