Well these past two weeks have been all about experiencing Ireland, yet also throwing in a lil bit of Amurrica, especially with this past weekend being the great holiday of THANKSGIVING!
Week 12
Leading up to this past weekend, we wrapped up rugby training for this part of the season. I was sad to see it end, because I really enjoy the new sport I've picked up as well as hanging out with the girls. After our Wednesday night session, where we didn't even play (we watched film of different rugby teams to see how to get better), we went over to Hannah's house and watched the second half of the Ireland vs. France World Cup qualifying match. Now a little background: this was the second match that they were playing against each other since that's how it works in the World Cup. France won the first meeting in Ireland, but then Ireland was ready to take on France on the home pitch.
Everything started off well, Ireland was up 1-0 at the end of regulation, but it was all tied up on aggregate, so they went into overtime. Ireland came 15 minutes short of forcing a famous penalty shoot-out against France when a highly disputed goal in the first overtime created the loudest uproar I have ever heard. French captain Thierry Henry blatantly handled the ball with his hand right near the goal and fed it to William Gallas for a header into the goal. Then, all of Ireland cried out in horror. Such a blatant handball, surely the ref will overturn it? FALSE!
France got to move on to the World Cup 2010 in South Africa, and Ireland left, feeling dejected. Since then, FIFA and other soccer elites have weighed the possibilities of letting Ireland be the 33rd team for a play-off game and adding more referees to each game. I hope Ireland still gets a fighting chance in the World Cup.
For the rest of the week, we just fumed about the unfair loss. I went to all of my classes, score! When we went out on the weekends, they were two of the best nights in Galway in a while. I think it was because we had such huge groups of friends both nights, that we practically owned the dance floor. Maggie, Bryeanna and I decided we wanted to at least make it out of our flats one time on Sunday, so we went to Riordan's for Irish breakfast. So yummy. Though it did take up a good chunk of the day, it immediately started to get cold and rainy when we got back, perfect weather to stay inside and "work"...I didn't eat anything until about 9:30 that night!
Week 13
This week marked the last week of modules (aka classes) at college! Wow, how quickly the semester has gone! It worked out perfectly that I didn't have any modules on Thursday, which was THANKSGIVING. I was lucky enough to be invited to two different feasts, but in the end, I was unable to attend both. I first went to my friend Brigid's, from Fairfield University, parents' holiday house that they had rented for the week. The McEntee family hosted about 15 hungry American study abroad students for a great feast! We had all of the fixins: turkey, two kinds of stuffing/dressing, mashed potatoes, broccoli, sweet potatoes, rolls, butternut squash soup, baked apples and tons and tons of dessert! We wined and dined for hours, but then I had to leave early to head to the coach station to pick up Sloane! What better way for a Parisian to spend THANKSGIVING than in Ireland, getting some greenery and fresh air!
Since I was in my post-THANKSGIVING food coma and Sloane was tired from traveling, we opted out of going out to a pub or club for the night (and good thing too, because it was freezing and also very late...they would have been closing by the time we got there, ha!). So what did we do? Drink a bottle of wine and watch two episodes of "Glee": sounds like a good, relaxing THANKSGIVING night for me!
The next day, typically BLACK FRIDAY and spent shopping with the fam (or in my case, usually window-shopping since I hate crowded, hectic and chaotic dressing rooms...too overwhelming), Sloane and I went on a tour of Connemara, the west of Ireland's Gaeltacht region. We toured the Irish countryside and saw breathtaking scenery, despite a sometimes gloomy day. We saw Ireland's only fjord, the Killray Fjord in Leenane. In Leenane we stopped at a pub for "refreshments". Since it was a chilly day, what do Sloane and I opt for? Irish coffee, of course! It was actually my first Irish coffee, ever, seeing as I now prefer tea (two sugars and milk) to coffee. But nevertheless, it was refreshing and definitely added a lil sumthin sumthin to our morning!
After our pub stop, we made our way to the Kylemore Abbey. This landmark wasn't originally an abbey, rather it was an elaborate home for a husband and wife; the husband built it for his wife as a honeymoon/wedding present. It sits upon a gorgeous lake, surrounded by mountains and bluffs. There is also a miniature replica of the Norwich Cathedral on the grounds, as well as extensive Victorian gardens and a mausoleum. The interior of the big house was reminiscent of some of the chateaus I went in during my French adventures! And since it is now an abbey, I was totally expecting seeing nuns everywhere. Sadly though, I didn't see any "nuns having fun" (which is one of the funniest blogs/calendars/books I have ever seen), nor did I see any nuns singing about how to solve problems like Maria (shameless "Sound of Music" plug). Sloane and I had a great time exploring the grounds of this magnificent house.
After a late lunch at the Kylemore Abbey, we were off again traveling through Connemara. When we finally got back to Galway at 5:30 p.m., we were starving! We went to McDonagh's for a delicious fish and chips dinner, Sloane's fish and chips THANKSGIVING! Ha ha. After that, we headed back to my flat to get ready for a little bit of a pub crawl. We went to the King's Head first, typical popular pub. The band that evening was a GREAT Southern/Classic Rock cover band...played a lot of Creedence Clearwater Revival, Lynyrd Skynyrd and the like. Sloane and I were digging it, being Southern Belles and all. Then some of the guys met up with us to enjoy a bit more of a jam sesh to some of "The Boss" (Bruce Springsteen for y'all uneducated folk). After the King's Head, we joined up with some of the other boys and girls at the Quays. It was PACKED! We luckily created a huge table in the bottom nook of the pub and just hung out. I liked that we didn't go to a club; it was nice to just chill and talk, drinks in hand. According to the Irish kids, the Quays has the best pints of Guinness in all of Galway, so naturally Sloane had to have her first real pint of Guinness here. We then headed home to rest up for another full day of adventuring.
We woke up to another gorgeous day! So sunny, though very cold. We first walked over to college and I showed Sloane our most "Harry Potter"-esque buildings. Then we walked by the Cathedral and we were going to go in and look around, but it was in the middle of one of the Mass services, so we decided to come back later. Then we started to get a little hungry, so we walked down a path by the raging River Corrib. The Corrib was so full due to all of the massive rainstorms and flooding (apparently the worst floods in 800 years!). There were some very adventurous and brave paddlers kayaking out in the rapids though. It definitely looked like fun! It made me miss paddling in North Carolina...not too much longer though!
We went to Riordan's for the full Irish breakfast, naturally. It is such a bargain for all of that food and it is so delicious! With our bellies full, we headed back out to take advantage of the gloriously sunny day in Galway. We walked down to the Claddagh and down by the bay. On our way to the Claddagh though, we stopped by the Spanish Arch, and there I had my brush with death. No, I wasn't mugged or held at gun-point...a HUGE swan got very, VERY angry at me and charged me. Sloane documented only the "before" and "after" shots, but had we recorded it, it would be the next Youtube sensation.
We walked all around the Claddagh and out by the bay, and boy was the tide high! There was hardly any beach left to explore. Though we did see many dogs out and about, and that started the "Oh I wish my dog was here! He'd love it!" reminisces. Soon enough, I shall be reunited with the best dog in the world: CHARLIE!! After walking off some of that breakfast, we moved on to the next order of business: SHOPPING. Sloane was on a mission to knock out presents for her dad and future brother-in-law. After a quick stop into my favorite Claddagh ring store/museum, we were off on our way looking for jerseys and Irish wool sweaters.
We enjoyed stopping into all of the touristy shops, killing some time before the Ireland vs. South Africa rugby match. We also went down to the market and I drooled over some of the prints of Galway and western Ireland. So many things I want to bring back home, I don't think I'll have enough room in my suitcase! We also went into the Church of Ireland, where I discovered a memorial to me, "Amelia", though I'm glad it wasn't really me, because that would mean that I would be dead. Probably death by swan attack.
Now we determined was a good time to head back over to the Cathedral, surely Mass would be over by now. We were in luck, no services. Just plenty of space to document the gloriousness of the Cathedral. Then we realized it was time for the match (though apparently kickoff was an hour earlier than I had thought...oops). No matter, we saw the end of the first half and the exciting finish. It wasn't much of a match, but fly-half Jonathan Sexton got the job done with tons of penalty kicks. Sloane quickly became a big fan of rugby, though we both agreed that drinking Guinnesses made the game a lot more fun! The atmosphere was unlike any other sports bar I've ever been in, and this win concluded a year of wins for the Irish: undefeated since November 2008. Quite the record.
After the match I took Sloane for the best hot chocolate in Galway. Granted, it was no Angelina's like in Paris, but it is still pretty damn good. We followed that up with a bit more shopping and then headed back to prep for going out. Then we went to the Cellar for dinner. How appropriate for two Richmond girls to go out to dinner at the Cellar: it was as if we hadn't left campus at all. Then we came back home and realized that we were both a lot more tired from our busy day of exploring and day drinking to go back out into the cold (it was literally 0 degrees Celsius aka freezing in Fahrenheit). Alternative game plan? Snuggle up under some blankets, drink wine and watch "Sex and the City". WIN!
We were up early since Sloane's bus to the Shannon airport was at 10:15 a.m., but Sloane could not leave Ireland without having a scone. We went to the Galway Bakery Company for tea and scones before one last goodbye at the coach station. I was so glad to have one of my good Richmond friends come for the THANKSGIVING weekend. I can't believe that our time abroad is quickly coming to an end. It'll definitely be a bittersweet goodbye.
Until next time...
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