Barcelona

For spring break four Marquette friends and I headed to Barcelona. We soaked up the sun for four days. We spent time on the beach, sightseeing, and meeting other friends who were studying in Barcelona.

The first day we strolled through the Gothic Quarter and down Barcelona’s most famous street Las Ramblas. We eventually ended up at the beach where it was 80 degrees and sunny. Then we meandered to St. Joseph's Market for lunch.

At night we headed to Placa d’Espanaya where there was a water show at the Font Magica.

The next day we spent more time at the beach and then found a great lookout spot for views of the city. And on the walk home we went into a casino. It is the first time I’ve ever gambled and within minutes I won 27 euros which is almost 40 US dollars so pretty sweet deal!

The most noteworthy thing we did the last day was go to the Sagrada Familia a church desgined by Antoni Gaudi a Catalan architect whose work is spread throughout Barcelona. To date - It is the most beautiful building I have ever been to in my life. The outside looks like a melting sandcastle. My jaw literally dropped when we entered the overwhelming fortress. The pictures don’t do it justice. It feels incredibly modern inside even though Gaudi began his designs for it in 1883.When he died in 1926 it was only twenty five percent finished and they are still constructing it now with it anticipated to be finished in 2026.

My friends headed to Italy on Tuesday before my flight back to Ireland so I did some extra sightseeing. I took the Metro (they have a great public transit system) to Parc Guell another Gaudi creation. It is situated on a hill so more amazing views.

I was really interested by how Barcelona residents live. I saw almost exclusively balcony apartments within the city center. Each one had their own personality.

Roommates + St. Paddy's Day

Here is a photo of the entire Niland House clan.

From left to right
Samantha, Julia, Kjirsetn, Marie, Erin, Siobhan, Shannon

We all go to MU except Siobhan and Marie who are from Massachusetts. Siobhan or Sib as we call her is from Plymouth and goes to BC. She and I share a room. We all get along really well. The house requires a lot of maintenance because of the amount of us but we make due.

St. Paddy’s Day was great “craic.” Galway was bustling with tourists. The parade was small but fun. Marquette was on spring break last week so a bunch of MU students crossed the pond to celebrate the holiday. There were about 20 guests thoroughout the week. Needless to say it was a party.

Also, there was a navy boat docked in front of our balcony (you can see our red porches to the right of the boat in the photo) and they were giving tours so a bunch of us of course went on.

Volunteer Victory

Since February every Monday I have been going to a stable in the countryside of Galway to volunteer with the Riding for the Disabled Association of Ireland. Myself and 4 other NUIG students drive to the stable and help with equestrian therapy sessions for children. It has been one of the most fulfilling parts of my experience in Ireland so far. The women who run the session are amazing and have been teaching me the tricks of the trade when it comes to working with horses. And the kids are wonderful. They are so happy to be there and always up for a chat.

Speaking of volunteering, since I’ve been in Ireland I have been working on an application for a Marquette volunteering scholarship. I interviewed 2 weeks ago via Skype and received the news that I was accepted this past Tuesday! The scholarship requires that I do 8 to 10 hours of community service a week at a designated site in Milwaukee and meet with advisors of the Marquette Program who will help to guide me in my service experience. I decided to give up my RA gig because it would just be too much to do with the scholarship. So I’m currently on the hunt for a place to live but I’m happy about my decision.

Here is a photo of my 3 MU friends in Galway. We are on a peer that leads to a lighthouse. It was a beautiful day for a walk.

Prague Photos

Scotland Photos

Living the Surreal Life

The past two weeks have been ridiculously amazing.

I visited my friend Katy in Scotland. She lives in Glasgow so we spent a day being tourists there. Then took the train to Edinburgh the next day. Edinburgh was my favorite. The architecture was magnificent. We went on a walking tour of the city and saw the sites of where J.K. Rowling sat and wrote Harry Potter. The café looks out on to a preparatory school that was the inspiration for the beloved Hogwarts. Then Saturday we went out to the country on a trip planned by the international students society at University of Strathclyde. We went to Blair Castle and the oldest whiskey distillery in Scotland. The countryside was breathtaking. Mountains with snow and rolling hills.

When I got back to Galway my friend from Marquette who is studying in Paris came to visit. I enjoyed being Kaellen’s tour guide and showing her around Galway. It’s fun being a tourist in your own town.

Then this past Thursday I jet setted to Prague. I signed up for a “Weekend Student Adventure.” The company is run by Andy Steves son of Ricky Steves the travel book writer. He organizes the hostel, tours, dinners out for a fee and then students who are abroad all over Europe come together to enjoy the weekend. I fell in love with Prague. The Czechs are friendly and happy to talk to tourists about their country. It felt like every building was from a different century and had a story. The country was only communist 22 years ago so the history was fascinating. I ate some delicious Czech cuisine goulash, fried cheese, sauerkraut. And surprisingly I had the best Mexican food I’ve ever tasted. After 3 days I still wasn’t used to currency. 20 koruna equals 1 dollar. It seemed like I was spending tons of money but the cost of living is much less so I was actually saving. Being in Prague also motivated me to try and learn another language. Czechs on average know 3 languages! I’m going to try and make the next place I live be one where I’m forced to learn the language.

Pictures to come.

Cheers from your friend bit by the travel bug.