Another Kervick in Ireland...Watch Out!

Last week Katie came to visit and we had some celebrating to do! Right before she got here she passed her second actuarial exam and was offered a full-time job at the Phoenix, she's a superstar.

I was so excited to introduce her to show her my life here--the country, my new friends, my apartment, and CORK!  We did an overnight trip to Killarney, a small town just Northeast of Cork city.  It's a pretty touristy town, but there's a lot to do so I figured we would have a good time.  We did. 

I really wanted to let Katie have a "traditional" Irish experience. (I've only been here for 2 months, so I really have no idea what the traditional Irish experience is, but I tried my best).

Step One: Early Pints
Katie and I started our night early and went to O'Connors, a tiny, dark, hole-in-the-wall, pub.  It was there that Katie had her first pint of real Irish Guinness (she said it was difficult to get through, but she finished!)

I made the night more "Irish" by wearing a tweed jacket.

Step Two: Traditional Irish Food

We headed over to another pub/restaurant (better lit) and had a hearty Irish meal--Irish Stew and Beef and Guinness Pie. Accompanied by a pint of Murphy's. Can't get much more Irish than that, right?

Step Three: Traditional Irish Music

We then headed to the famous Danny Mann and heard an awesome band from Cork, The Molly Maguires, who played an awesome show.  The music obviously accompanied by more pints.

(Tip: For those of you that travel to Ireland, do NOT request "Danny Boy" to be played anywhere. Though the Molly Maguires handled this with class and played a beautiful mix of Danny Boy/Bridge Over Troubled Water, nothing says "I'm an American who knows very little about Irish music" more than requesting this song.)

The next day Katie and I rode bikes through Killarney National Park and saw Ross Castle.  The park is a must see in Ireland and is home to some of the most beautiful scenery in the country.  It was a perfect, sunny autumn day in the Irish countryside...then we saw a dead cat (I won't go into detail).

She's serious about hydration.

Ross Castle.

In addition to our weekend in Killarney, spending the day in Cork City, eating lots of scones and drinking lots of tea, Katie and I also took a trip to Kinsale, the gourmet capital of Ireland.  We "trekked" (I use this word loosely because it was a 45 minute walk, but if you ask Kate, she would say we sprinted 6 kilometers. I admit, I'm a fast walker), up to Charles Fort. It's a 17th century star-shaped fort.  We learned about the history of it, but I honestly don't remember much beside the fact that it was briefly a commune in the seventies!  The views from the fort were incredible.

It was so nice to have Katie here because it was a little piece of home, and it's nice to have someone who really knows you around.  By the end of the week (me sleeping on the couch for 6 nights, Katie staying out later than she's used to) we were TIRED, but it was so worth it.

And In a couple weeks it's time for Dad...

I could live here...

This past weekend my friends and I took a trip to Galway, a favorite city of many tourists, also home to an Irish university popular among many American students.  It's much smaller than Cork, but I the weekend was one of the most enjoyable yet.  Galway was a medieval city and during the middle ages was Ireland's main port for trade with Spanish and France and Christopher Columbus even visited. I was surprised to learn that during the 16th century, though, Galway did not really get along with its Irish neighbors because at the time it was ruled by Anglo-Normans, and at one point there was a bye-law that exclaimed "either O' not Mac shall strutte nor swagger through the streets of Galway without permission."

One of my friends and I spent the next day roaming the little city while the majority of our group traveled to Inishmaan, the largest of the Aran Islands.  We started our day over scones and tea, walked along the river banks and cheered on runners in a marathon, and ended up on a little beach.  We each curled up in the dunes and read our books, and I wrote.  During this time, even though the ocean was right in front of us, and a marathon was taking place right behind us, everything was still quiet and calm.  I couldn't help but think, "I could definitely live here one day."  It's just beautiful and perfect. 

We continued our day with a warm Irish lunch at Riordan's, "The Home of Traditional Irish Food."  We ate in a cozy little upstairs sitting room. I had Shepherd's Pie, that they served with a side of potatoes (yes, more potatoes), cabbage, and carrots.  My friend had traditional Irish stew.  It was delicious.

We continued the day with shopping, more reading, napping, and ice cream for dinner.  It was one of the best days I have had since I've been abroad.  One thing I have to keep reminding myself of is that even though I'm in a different country and want to see as many things as possible, it's important to remember that I need to take the time to relax and just simply take in the fact that I'm in Ireland...part of the experience of living in Ireland is doing just that, and being a normal person, not a tourist all the time!

-Mollie

Ireland Loves Arthur Guinness!

Guinness Mustaches!

A beautiful pint.

Arthur Guinness, born in 1725, was bequeathed 100 pounds by his godfather in 1752.  This 100 pounds is arguably the most influential 100 pounds ever to be part of Irish history. With his sum, Guinness invested the money and started a brewery in Leixlip, just outside Dublin, and the rest is history.  Now, Arthur's day is celebrated around the world in order to honor the Guinness legacy. Arthur's Day was definitely one of my favorite nights out in Cork so far!  The festivities started around 5pm.  At 5:59 everyone in the pubs across the country stopped in order to cheers to Arthur.  My night included a free pint of Guinness and free food (not much can make me happier), and lots of live music and dancing! It was a great celebration of one of the most important men in Irish history!

London

So, I've been failing at keeping up with my blog, but I'm going to do a couple posts to try to bring everyone up to speed in my crazy, Irish life.

Two weekends ago I traveled to London.  I wanted to love London, I really did, but my first impression was being stuck in traffic for half an hour trying to get from the airport to the hostel.  It was just busy and crowded.  Cork is crowded but not like that!  

We walked through Piccadilly Circus that first night and I was absolutely amazed by the architecture.  The streets were lined with beautiful, huge, white buildings --I had never seen anything like it before.   But, as I was trying to take in the beautiful nighttime lights and architecture, my friends and I were literally bombarded by night club promoters trying to get us into their clubs.  It was annoying and overwhelming.  We ended up at a small pub, it was cozy, but the beer choice was awful. When Foster's is the best beer on tap you know something's wrong. I'm already spoiled by my Murphy's and Guinness.  

Our first night in London. Typical with the double-decker bus.

Though I wasn't the biggest fan of London, I was excited to be able to go to some of the most well-known tourist spots ever.  I saw Big Ben, the London Eye, Westminster Abbey, Hampton Court Palace, the tower of London, Buckingham Palace (They charge like 20 pounds for you to see Kate's dress, that should be illegal).   

Me doing the tourist thing in front of Big Ben.

A couple highlights from the trip:

1. A picnic on the lawn of Hampton Court Palace.  The palace, home to royal families since the 18th century, was amazing, unbelievable really.  The whole thing was just so rich and the gardens were so lush, I was having such a hard time trying to believe that people had actually lived in a place like that. There was a chapel built right into one of the wings of the palace that was absolutely incredible, I almost cried a little.  But back to my picnic:  on the grounds of a palace in which royalty has lived, eaten from the nicest china and silver, slept in the most luxurious fabrics, received the most expensive gifts, I sat with my friends and a loaf of white bread (stolen from the hostel that morning), and a 99p jar of peanut butter.  I laughed at the irony, and felt like I was sticking it to the rich man a little as I enjoyed my lunch.

 2. The Crown Jewels at the Tower of London

I don't consider myself a jewelry lover by any means, and honestly, I could care less about diamonds and gold.  But the display of the Crown Jewels made my girly, feminine side come out and I was in awe.  The diamonds and jewels that were on display had me drooling.  There's something about a 546 carat diamond that makes me excited.  

Though I enjoyed my time in London, I could never live there.  It was way too big and too touristy and everything seemed fake.  That's the thing about Cork and Ireland in general, it's more real, and down-to-earth.  I love it even more after London.

-Moll