This weekend I planned to go to Kilkenny, Ireland. Unfortunately, I couldn't find anyone to go with me, and before I could book a hostel to go by myself, it was too late. All the affordable hostels were full for the weekend. So no Kilkenny...
It was probably for the best though. I have a Sociology essay due on Wednesday, so I had a lot of time to do the reading and start an outline. So what did I do this week? It was actually a pretty relaxed week, just going to class, grocery shopping, and homework. On Thursday, I got an email from my adviser back home who gave me the contact info for a student who's coming to UCD in the spring. What shocked me in that email was that it was sent to another person as well. I thought I was the only UIC student here, but it turns out there's one more.
Apart from that, nothing else has happened. Today however, I organized a small trip with some friends to go to a Dublin suburb called Dun Laoghaire (pronounced Dun Leary). It's a nice town right on the coast. When we first got there, we walked along the long pier, stopping along the way for some photos. Unfortunately, the weather didn't cooperate with us. It was windy and nippy the entire time.
After walking up and down the pier, we were going to go to the James Joyce museum in the tower, but it was a pretty far walk, and we were feeling very cold. So we decided to walk around the town, and we came across the weekly market in a small park called People's Park. There were a bunch of stands selling jewelry, kids' toys, pottery, photographs, and art. It was kind of like a flea market. There were also stands for all kinds of food, from pizza to fried noodles, and falafel to irish barbeque. There was also a farmer's market where you could get all sorts of fruits and veggies. We walked around there exploring all the different tents. I stopped at a fudge stand and bought some "Hot Irishman" flavor fudge (made with whiskey and coffee), which was beyond delicious! I also decided to get a falafel sandwich for my lunch, which was also delicious.
After walking around the market for a while, we left and walked around the rest of the town. We stopped in a thrift store for a few minutes, and took some pictures of the churches and along the coast. We then hopped on the bus back to UCD. Overall, it was good craic, and we all had a great time. We'll definitely have to go back again to try more food at the market, and maybe get to the James Joyce museum. Here are some more photos (check the Pictures tab for all my pictures).
It was probably for the best though. I have a Sociology essay due on Wednesday, so I had a lot of time to do the reading and start an outline. So what did I do this week? It was actually a pretty relaxed week, just going to class, grocery shopping, and homework. On Thursday, I got an email from my adviser back home who gave me the contact info for a student who's coming to UCD in the spring. What shocked me in that email was that it was sent to another person as well. I thought I was the only UIC student here, but it turns out there's one more.
Apart from that, nothing else has happened. Today however, I organized a small trip with some friends to go to a Dublin suburb called Dun Laoghaire (pronounced Dun Leary). It's a nice town right on the coast. When we first got there, we walked along the long pier, stopping along the way for some photos. Unfortunately, the weather didn't cooperate with us. It was windy and nippy the entire time.
A view of the southern coast from the pier
A view of the neighboring town of Sandymount. The round tower in the middle is the basis of the opening scene in James Joyce's Ulysses. We wanted to go see it, but it was a pretty far walk...another time.
Our group on the pier
A long view of the pier, with Howth (another Dublin suburb) in the background
A view of Dun Laoghaire from the end of the pier
After walking up and down the pier, we were going to go to the James Joyce museum in the tower, but it was a pretty far walk, and we were feeling very cold. So we decided to walk around the town, and we came across the weekly market in a small park called People's Park. There were a bunch of stands selling jewelry, kids' toys, pottery, photographs, and art. It was kind of like a flea market. There were also stands for all kinds of food, from pizza to fried noodles, and falafel to irish barbeque. There was also a farmer's market where you could get all sorts of fruits and veggies. We walked around there exploring all the different tents. I stopped at a fudge stand and bought some "Hot Irishman" flavor fudge (made with whiskey and coffee), which was beyond delicious! I also decided to get a falafel sandwich for my lunch, which was also delicious.
A view from the entrance to the market...it was pretty awesome!
After walking around the market for a while, we left and walked around the rest of the town. We stopped in a thrift store for a few minutes, and took some pictures of the churches and along the coast. We then hopped on the bus back to UCD. Overall, it was good craic, and we all had a great time. We'll definitely have to go back again to try more food at the market, and maybe get to the James Joyce museum. Here are some more photos (check the Pictures tab for all my pictures).
Of course, as we were leaving, the clouds broke, and the sun came out...why does Ireland hate us?
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