The Final Days

Hello Hello again and for the last time :(

Before going into my last couple days here, I would like to do a recap of where I've been this semester.

Ireland: Blarney, Cashel, Dublin, Waterford, Kerry, Killkenny, Borris-in-Ossory, Galway and Limerick.

Continent: Paris, Amsterdam, Munich, London and Oxford.

Seeing all these places that I have been to makes me truly appreciate the time I have spent over here and the fact that I could be over here. I was fortunate enough to be able to study abroad in the country where my family is from and have a deeper appreciation for my family, my education and my future. I have come to terms with issues, resolved problems and have become a stronger woman in the process and I couldn't be more thankful for that. Studying abroad has truly changed me for the better and I am forever grateful.

Traveling to all of these places has broadened my mind to other cultures and how people do things in their native land. I've tried different cuisines from all over (and loved every minute ;) ) and listened to music that truly captures what each country has to offer.

I am very excited to go home, but I will miss Cork and Ireland greatly.

It has become my home away from home. The people I have met will never be forgotten. They have contributed to the changed person I am today and I am very thankful for every one of them. I foresee them as friends forever.

When I first got to Ireland, I was scared. I was homesick. I was thinking to myself, "what the hell did I get myself into." And through these 5 months I have been homesick, but that was it. I knew what I had gotten myself into and I loved it. Every second (even the homesick times).

Coming to Ireland was the best decision I have ever made in my life. I am a new, confident, healthy individual with a bright future (hopefully including more traveling!)

I am not only thankful for being here and the friends I had made, but for my family and friends too. They helped me through the rough patches...and...(thanks to skype) I was able to see them just as if I were home.

I also want to thank my readers. For sticking with me and reading about my adventures through the last 5 months. I know you enjoyed were jealous of my time here and I'm grateful to have such loyal followers :)

Tomorrow is my last day. And it's a bitter sweet feeling. I'm almost all packed and ready to start my journey back to the USA so I guess this is good bye. This blog will not be gone, but in retirement until the next traveling adventure :)

Go raibh maith agat (thank you)

Sara Leslie

We meet again!

Hello Hello all! It has been a long time since I have updated this ole thing, hasn't it?

My dearest apologies, I've been traveling and taking some time to get my mind straight.

I believe the last post I wrote was about Munich. Well a lot has happened since then so I'll give you all the quick low down on what I've been doing:

After Munich I came back to Cork to take a couple exams and turn in papers. Once all that was done, it was time to enjoy my month off and travel to different places (disclaimer, I will not be writing everything I did, just a little sneak peak into my journeys).

First stop: AMSTERDAM

It was a very beautiful city. So many bridges that took me to many different and unique places.

Most of the time they were museums (Come on...I'm an archaeologist that wants to work in a museum, what do you expect ;) )

But in between the museums, many other experiences happened, such as...EATING!

This is the most delicious thing ever. It's a fresh stroopwaffle. It is a waffle (paperthin) cut in half slathered with caramel sauce. I am salivating just thinking about them now! Yum :)

Next stop: PARIS

The city of love, and indeed it was :) One of my favorite cities (besides London). I went on a bus tour that took us from London to Paris. It was all inclusive which was really nice. Not having to deal with planning things was a relief for once.

We did the typical tourist things.

The Eiffel Tower

Notre Dame

And many other sites. (Unfortunately I cannot put thousands of pictures up on here...otherwise this post would take forever to get through!)

However, I will say this. Paris was beautiful and magical. It sparked something inside of me that made me want to return and possibly even live there for a little bit of time. The romance seen as I walked down the street was magnificent. The love and respect that couples had for each other was both new and refreshing.

Alas, on to the next city...

OXFORD, Here I visited one of my oldest friends. We had a brilliant time and it was so nice getting to catch up with her and her family. I will definitely miss them when I go back to the states.

While I was there, we went to Oxford University. It was definitely different than I anticipated. But lovely non-the-less.

My friend Daisy and I

After Oxford came the city I was most looking forward to visiting. LONDON.

I was able to spend 6 days in London. Taking in all it had to offer, and more. Since I spent so much time there, I will not post all the pictures, but only a select few.

I did the usual: Buckingham Palace, Kensington Palace, Greens park, Tower bridge, Tower of London, British museum, Natural History museum, and so much more.

Here is a look into my time in London :)

Yes, I went into Westminster Abby...Where Will and Kate wed exactly one year ago on the 29th of April :)

Although I had an absolutely amazing time in London, my favorite part was definitely the Harry Potter Studio Tour. Now not many people know this (haha let's be real, it's no secret), but I LOVED Harry Potter, the movies, the books, everything. So going on the studio tour was a dream come true for me.

yummmm butter beer :)

It was a banner day if you ask me :)

I left for Cork the next day, which was sad, but it was time for me to head "home". Once I got back, it was nice to sleep in my own bed and rest. Traveling takes a lot of of a person, even if you are by yourself. I've learned a lot over the course of my stay in Ireland, but one important thing that I will keep with me is: Having time to yourself is precious. It is time to think and reflect on yourself and your actions. I am thankful for everything I have and for the opportunity to travel to all of these outstanding places.

I will try and keep this thing updated more often, however seeing as I have less than a month left, it might be easier than expected ;)

Best wishes to all of you, and SEE YOU SOON!
Sara Leslie

Beer, Brats, Pretzels: Munich!

Hello all!

I have so much to update you all on!

After the 19th, I went on an adventure to Munich. It. was. AMAZING. One of the best weekends I've had in a longggg time.

When Phil and I arrived we went straight to see Jay and Justin. We met them in the city center and then walked around before heading to the hostel (which was very nice by the way).

This is Marinplatz. Very touristy, but absolutely beautiful :)

Then that night we went to a beergarden and I had a massive pretzel, a currywurst and a beer! It was very tasty.

Day two was filled with:

BMW museum

Then we went to the Olympic stadium that was used in the 1972 olympics!

We all then walked around some more and got dinner at this quaint little hole in the wall restaurant for a delicious dinner

Which was then followed by Spaghettieic. It is vanilla gelato with a raspberry sauce sprinkled with white chocolate (to look like spaghetti!) SO GOOD!

Day three included time at the Largest Technology museum that holds every invention ever. (they boys were in heaven).

After that, we ate at an authentic German restaurant.

I had a pretzel soufflé

And with that I had a beer mixed with lemonade. Strange, but delicious.

Day four was rainy and was pretty much a bum around type of day. Jay, Justin and I went to a bar to watch the soccer game and then walked around downtown before heading to the Hard Rock Cafe for dinner. Jay's birthday was that sunday so we decided to celebrate :)

Sunday came along and it was time for me to leave. It was sad leaving, but it was an amazing trip and I was so glad to have had that time with my really good friends :)

St. Patrick's Day and two weeks before

Wow, I have been seriously neglecting this thing. I am truly sorry everyone!

The past two weeks have been crazy!

With regards in school: This is my last week of classes yes! oh no! I've been completing papers and studying for exams like a mad woman! Hence why i've been on a hiatus lately. But since I am pretty much done (minus a paper due tomorrow) I thought I would catch all of you up on my adventures!

3-5-2012 TO 3-11-2012
That was was alright. School was normal and nothing really out of the ordinary happened. However, that weekend my sorority sisters came to visit me! It was so much fun! I took them to blarney (my second time) and it was really nice because I was able to see things I didn't get to before. Such as:

WEDDING!

There were two of them going on while we were there and of course I had to take pictures :)

3-12-2012 TO NOW!

This past week was the craziest one.
Monday: I had my Irish dancing final. It went smoothly and I was definitely more nervous than I needed to be. I'm so glad it's over though! Once class down, three more to go!

Tuesday through Friday were filled with writing papers, editing and preparing for this weekend! Because yesterday was...ST. PATRICK'S DAY!

Before we get to Saturday, I would like to tell you about Friday night.

Every St. Patrick's Day we would have corn beef, cabbage, carrots and of course. SODA BREAD. My favorite part. I knew I was missing out not being home for our usual feast, so I decided to make some of this delicious bread on my own:

Although it burned a little, it was still delicious and I didn't share any of it. I'm actually surprised that I ate the whole thing (finishing it today) :) yum. So good! (but not as good as momma's!!)

Let's get to St. Patrick's Day shall we??

SATURDAY! It was amazing being a part of this holiday in Ireland. I mean, you can't get more authentic than st. patty's day in IRELAND. It was spectacular and beyond crazy. The best combination I think!

Happy St. Patty's Day!

Isn't she adorable! I couldn't get enough of her :)

After the parade, my friends and I walked around to various street vendors where a half a pepperoni pizza and a delicious chocolate and marshmallow rice crispy treat went undocumented ;)

Then, we wandered back to out apartment where we spent about 6 hours drinking (Jameson was definitely included ;) ) and having an amazing time before...PHILLIP CAME! :D


Phil arrived around 10:30. Once he got here we all went to a pub to celebrate the end of an amazing day.

Sunday:
Yesterday all of us decided to head to the Gaelic football and hurling match that was going on in Cork. We were planning on taking a taxi because it was an hour walk to the stadium..well we walked..They were NOT joking about an hour walk. Thank goodness it was a gorgeous day out because the walk was really nice and gave me time to digest all of saturday.

Poor cork :(

Unfortunately Cork lost both games.

We walked back and saw that the city centre was buzzing with people! So we decided to stop, and luckily we did because the street vendors were back and there was live music playing! It was a nice treat and a great break from walking :)

Again, a half pizza (this time cheese) went undocumented ;) and phil and I decided to walk back to the apartment to relax a little and settle in for the night.

I was exhausted and actually napped once we got back. Much needed after that exhausting day! But, over all. It was a fantastic weekend!

Today is now filled with paper editing (due tomorrow!) and walking around the city center to get some fresh air and show phil my university!

This week i'll be in Munich! So i'll chat with you all next weekend!

xo
Sara Leslie

Bad Blogger

Hey everyone!

Sorry i've been on a hiatus lately. The motivation needed to come back...luckily it HAS! :D

Now to update you all on the last week and a half. During the weeks, nothing really has happened. I go to class, chill in my room, and work out. You know, the usual. The last weekend in February was nothing special. I stayed in my room/apartment most of the time, while also making sure I went out and hung out with my friends.

This past week has been kind of crazy though. It was the beginning of March, which can only mean one thing...ONE MORE MONTH OF CLASSES! I'm in shock about how fast this semester has been going. I literally only have 2 more weeks of class, a week of "studying"...or exams (if you're me), then TWO MONTHS LEFT. It's insane.

But not to get ahead of myself, i'll keep going with this weekend ;)

This weekend I had my last field trip with my Archaeology class. We went to the Rock of Cashel (and other various sites that I won't bore you with). The Rock of Cashel was beautiful and the weather was beautiful as well :)

I'm loving my headband that my sister, molly, got me for christmas! It has come in handy over here with the bi-polar weather :)

After our exhausting field trip, we got back on the bus and had a 2 hour drive back to Cork...which meant only one thing. READING. yes you heard me correctly, I read :) The book for right now is the Hunger Games. I'm trying to finish it before the movie comes out so I can compare. I'm addicted to it right now...if you were to see me reading it yesterday, you would've been shocked. I got through 7 CHAPTERS! I surprised myself even :) But I couldn't put it down. Soooo good! Definitely recommend.

Once I got back to my room, I had dinner and was planning on going out, but unfortunately plans changed and I wound up chilling in my room again. Not an Ideal night, but it happens.

OH I forgot to mention. On friday I made cookies :) Chocolate oatmeal flour less cookies. they. were. AMAZING. Even my friends thought so. They taste like brownies. The recipe made 17. I gave two to my roommate and her boyfriend and then I took a couple...or maybe 5 ;)

well. Today is another day of pounding out this paper so I can finish before tomorrow (and let is sit so I can start my other 1500 word paper :( ) 600 more words to go!

until next time!

xoxo
Sara Leslie

Kerry On

Sorry it has taken me so long to update on my FANTASTIC WEEKEND!

Like I said in my last post, I celebrated Valentine's Day (which was spectacular) :). Then this past weekend I went on a school trip to the Ring of Kerry.

Now for those of you who do not know what the Ring of Kerry is; It is on the west coast of Ireland in County Kerry. It is the coast line and a tourist's Dream. It a trail that takes you along the coast to see beautiful landscapes that you would not be able to see any where else in Ireland.

We left Friday afternoon to start off the journey. The best part was that it was only 2 1/2 hours away from Cork! Short travel times makes Sara a happy person :)

On friday, we stopped off at the Kerry Bog village, which was pretty much a replication of a bog village that would have existed in the 1800s. It was really neat to be able to see how they would have lived.

After that we got to the Ring of Kerry Hotel (really nice) and had our first homemade dinner. *disclaimer: every meal was homemade and ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS!* The desserts were even better :) That night was filled with Irish dancing and traveling to a local pub, great way to end the night!

Then on saturday we ventured out to Valentia Island and saw Cliffs, a Dairy farm and went to where the transcontinental cable (the one that connected Europe with the US) was established. It was an exhausting day filled with beautiful sites and a lot of walking. We also saw a ring fort (I nerded out). That night we had another delicious dinner, followed by a Gaelic football demonstration and trivia at the bar in the lobby. Saturday overall was a really solid day :)

On sunday, we had breakfast and left the hotel. We finished the Ring of Kerry tour and then made our way back to cork. However along the way we stopped at these little places to take pictures. There was this one place that took my breath away. *we had perfect weather the entire weekend, which NEVER happens*. We got off the bus and automatically I see the ocean, a beach, cliffs, and islands in the background. Then I turn around and I see mountains, fields of grass AND a rainbow. Then it starts to drizzle. That will be the only time in my life that, that will EVER happen to me again, to be able to see and experience all of that in a matter of minutes. It was an amazing feeling and I am so lucky to have experienced it.

Needless to say my weekend was absolutely amazing. I seriously recommend going if you ever visit Ireland (which everyone should).

After that weekend, nothing could compare, so this week has been pretty boring so far.

Monday was the usual.

Tuesday was FAT TUESDAY! However, in Ireland it's called Pancake Day. I think I can live with that ;) I splurged on pancakes and brownies...I felt sick this morning, but at the time it was delicious :)

The rest of the week will be relaxing and just preparing the rest of my travel plans for the last 3 months!

I cannot believe I only have 4 more weeks of classes and 3 more months left. Time is flying by!

Gotta take advantage of it now!

xo
Sara Leslie

Love is in the Air ♥

Hello all!

Well it's been quite the week. Actually not really...it's been pretty boring.

Monday through thursday was the usual. Class and hanging out (I just recently got Netflix...it's AMAZING!) I'm addicted now :)

On Friday, however, My friend and I went to go see the Vow. What a great romantic movie! It was a tear jerker! A great way to start off the weekend and a couple days before.....VALENTINE'S DAY! After the movie, we went to a pub and hung out for a bit with some other americans that we knew and then called it a night.

Saturday = BEST. DAY. EVER. wanna know why?? because I stayed in bed ALLLLLL DAYYYY LONGGGGG. It was marvelous. I've never had one of those days and it was just what I needed, and what my knee needed. I watched movies and typed up notes. It was a great day.

Sunday was nothing different, went grocery shopping etc. Same ole sunday.

Today. For the first time since the first week I've been here, me knee didn't KILL my while dancing. It was a great feeling. I can feel the improvement and hopefully it stays like this!

Now, tomorrow is...VALENTINE'S DAY (if you couldn't tell, I LOVE valentine's day...actually I love ALL holidays :) ) But valentine's day especially because it is an excuse to eat chocolate, indulge and spend time with the one you love. Now even though the boyfriend isn't here, that doesn't mean i'm not going to celebrate! My girl friends and I are going to go get hot cocoa from the amazing chocolate place I stated in a previous post and then we are going to go out for some drinks later that night! I'm so excited. I love pink, red, flowers, chocolate, romance, and luckily it is all put into one day :)


I hope all of you have a romantic and special Valentine's Day, even if it is with your family, or with yourself (make is special with some wine, and a nice movie ;) )

xo
Sara Leslie

PiCtUrEs!

Yea I know, I'm silly. DEAL.

Anyway, this post is merely to show people, who do not have a Facebook, what I have been up to via pictures :)

So here is my Flikr URL: http://www.flickr.com/photos/saras-adventures/

ENJOY! if the link doesn't work, or you cannot see the pictures, please let me know via comment below :)

xoxo
Sara Leslie

Du Du Dublin.

Instead of going through me week...since it is usually pretty much the same (boring and filled with class), I will just talk about my amazing weekend in...DUBLIN!

So we left on Friday. We took the 10 am bus to get us there by 2:25--Perfect timing :)

Once we got there, we got to our (wait for it) HOTEL. Yes, we stayed at the Shelbourne Hotel in Dublin. Be jealous. It was like staying in the fanciest part of the Titanic. Absolutely gorgeous.

We got to the lobby and found out that they upgraded us to a suite! It was stunning (I promise I will upload my pictures onto my flickr soon). After checking in and getting to our room, we decided to get some tea (in the TEA ROOM, because it's a famous tea room) and chill before we head out for dinner with one of my old high school teachers. We met up with her and then went to Temple bar (the street) to have dinner. We went to this place called Boxty? It was amazing and had delicious traditional Irish food. Sooooo filling and good. After that we met up with Taylor's friend and went to a couple pubs before calling it a night.

Saturday was filled with touristy things and LOTS of walking. First, we went to *starbucks*...I have that in stars because they don't have one in Cork and I was really excited to have some. Don't hate. Anyway, after that, we featured to St. Patrick's Cathedral. Now let me tell you, I am not that religious, but walking into this historic and jaw-droppingly beautiful cathedral got me thinking and I actually was praying whilst inside. It was very spiritual and for me (being an archaeology major) it was just divine. After St. Pat's, we walked past Christ's Church and then went to Dublin Castle. We went on a guided tour of Dublin castle which was awesome. We learned a lot about the old and new parts and the fact that my family, the Fitzpatrick Clan, was a part of the Order of St. Patrick's, which is a very high honor.

After Dublin Castle, we moseyed on over to Trinity College and saw the Book of Kells and the Trinity Library. I felt like I was in Beauty and the Beast! I snuck some pictures ;) Absolutely stunning. So many ancient texts and *drool* it was spectacular. After Trinity, we walked around some more and found...THE DISNEY STORE! It was the only one in Ireland and it was right down the street from our hotel. It was a sign and I was in heaven. I felt like a little kid again :)

After that adventure, we went back to the hotel and got ready for the night. We went out to dinner at this little restaurant and had a delicious and filling meal. After that...we were *still* hungry so we got some gelato (delicious) and walked to Temple Bar (the actual Bar). We stayed here the rest of the night and had some interesting conversations with some locals that bought us umpteen amounts of Guinness. I was a happy girl :)

Around midnight, we were all pretty tired and decided to go back to the Hotel and sleep in the comfiest beds ever.

Sunday came and reality set in. We got up early though, had our *free* continental breakfast. I GORGED my face with pastries and oatmeal and fruit and then we went shopping. Walking around Grafton street (rodeo drive of Dublin) was a dream. They had Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Hermes, etc. It was a dream :) Luckily I will be back, so I can see all of this again.

Once we were done shopping we went back to the Hotel to pick up our bags...Unfortunately it was at the same time that the Irish Rugby team was leaving (oh, did I not mention that they were staying in the same Hotel as us? ;) tehehe) It was a huge deal and everyone was waiting outside to cheer them on!

Unfortunately we could not stay and had to book it to the bus station to catch out bus that was at 2 pm. We got there with 20 mins to spare and then headed home.

Once I got back to my room, the first thing I did was go on my computer...seeing as I didn't have it the entire weekend (I know, shocker). I missed it so much :( haha

Later my friend and I went to a Super Bowl party...it was lame so we left, got chips and I went back to my room. Boring ending to an absolutely amazing weekend that was a once in a life time experience.


Being in Dublin and staying in that hotel has had me thinking about my life and how truly grateful and thankful I am for my family and how wonderful my life is. I do not know what I would do without my family.


I was humbled by the experience and Thankful for the much needed vacation.

I hope you all had less exciting weekends, so that you can live vicariously through mine :)

Until next weekend!

xoxo
Sara Leslie

Stone circles...and all that jazz

We meet again readers.

This week was the last week in January and i'm still in shock. I've been here for a month exactly (today) and it's going by so fast!
It's incredible how much I have done in the past 4 weeks. I can't believe it. However, this week was a little rough and boring for me.

Monday: same old song and dance (haha). Had dance class and Archaeology. Went grocery shopping and then actually did "homework" aka--> typed up notes for my class.

Tuesday: Today was different. I have been eating so healthy lately that I was CRAVING some hot chocolate. Luckily there is the best hot chocolate place in Cork near us. So my friend megan and I went and it was totally worth it. I had Dark chocolate with soy milk and marshmallows. It was like heaven in my mouth. They make their own chocolate and the way they prepare it is they take the chocolate, melt it, then add the milk (or soy). It was so creamy and delicious. Note for next time though...get the small lol they ALSO give you a side of chocolate chips (milk, dark and white) for a little nibble :) After that delicious adventure, I went to my last class and then out for a little. I came home though to my roommates having a little wine party, so I joined and we had a splendid time.

Wednesday: terrible day. It rained constantly. Fortunately I had one class, so I went to said class. The walked back in the pouring rain and stayed in my room the rest of the night (lie. I went to yoga to calm myself down). Not to mention my knee is still not doing so well...

Thursday: I had my class that meets twice. This class is very interesting, but the professor makes the material sound so dryyyy. It's horrible. But because i'm a good student, I went to the library and read some of the material that he "suggested" (nothing is required here) and now I am ready for next week :). Thursday night I stayed in because of my knee and watched a movie and some TV. It was a chill night, just what I needed. I also skyped with some people (aka my mom ;) and phillip).

Friday: Friday was the best day of the week (it was also phil and my 4 year anniversary) (besides the hot chocolate). I woke up feeling refreshed, went to a work out class from 7:10-8:10 in the morning (yes, you read that correctly. I woke up early to work out.) BOOM, i'm awesome. The class was intense but made me feel amazing. After that I went shopping a little, (knee still feeling like death) then came back, got ready and went out to my favorite pub with my roommates and friend taylor. It was a solid night of irish music and a Jameson and ginger ale :)

Saturday: Yesterday was the day of the field trip for my archaeology class. We left at 9:30, we didn't get back till 5:30. It was a LONG ASS day :( my knee was not kind to me, seeing as we had to walk everywhere. It was gorgeous (besides all the rain.) It was intensely green everywhere we went. We saw bronze age stone circles, a fortified 1616 house, and a castle. It was a dream (archaeology nerd). Unfortunately, it was an hour drive home and me knee seized up. I couldn't walk and had to hobble back to my apartment. I was in so much pain, but luckily I had ice on hand and laid around the rest of the night.

Sunday: This morning was great. I got to sleep in and my knee felt amazing. So me, being the "smart" person I am, went to go work out. AWESOME UPDATE: knee is fine..for now. iced it before, after and took aleve (miracle). I did my grocery shopping today also, because I wanted food annddddd i'll only be here till thursday because...I'M GOING TO DUBLIN NEXT WEEKEND. aw yea, bring on the jealously. But as of right now, I am laying in bed, watching UP and chillin. The typical night for an Irish/American student at UCC. well..my average night.


Sorry if these posts are getting a bit boring. I'll try and make next weeks upbeat (which is will be because i'll be talking about DUBLIN). The more I travel, the more interesting these posts will be. Promise :)


Lots of love,

Sara Leslie

Holla atcha whiskey girllll

Heyooooo

So tis the start of the weekly blogging. HERE WE GO:

Monday: Boring, nothing really happened. I had dance class and archaeology. Then went grocery shopping (much needed). Pretty much chilled in my room, taking care of my leg. It's still not doing so hot.

Tuesday: Again, class...But that night I went out with my friends, had some pints and a jolly good time :)

Wednesday: Bummed around most of the day (I still went to class). I watch movies quite frequently, which helps pass the time :)
ALSO the IT guy came and said that the internet problem I have been having was the same for three other people, and he didn't know how to fix it. So he was coming back on friday to figure it out.--I was NOT happy. On the plus side, I went to my first ZUMBA class here and it was a lot of fun! I'll be getting in shape in no time :)

Thursday: ClassClassClass...(the usual) Went out with friends again, because well...I DON'T HAVE FRIDAY CLASSES.boom.

Friday: alas comes the day that the IT was supposed to come. But before that I did a little walking and such to pass the time and get out of my room. That night the IT guy DIDN'T show up, BUT the warden fixed the problem and now I have..wait for it...INTERNET! yay for ethernet cables :) and it's the fastest internet EVER. not joke. Later that night Taylor and I went a got indian food (delicious) and watched finding nemo back at my place. It was a nice chill night.

Saturday: I will discuss this awesome day down below..

Sunday (today): Went and had a delicious brunch with my friends and then walked around. Tonight is the first spin class (hopefully my knee doesn't get irritated). WOOT


Ok, What you all have been waiting for. SATURDAY, was the day we went to the Jameson distillery. So here starts my whiskey of the month:

When we got there, the next tour wasn't until 1:15 so we had a lot of time to walk around and engulf ourselves within the Jameson gift shop and have a pot of tea :)

The tour itself was delightful, it was very informative and not that boring ;) We started with a 10 min video on the history of the Jameson family and how whiskey originated. Then there was a walking tour of the old whiskey distillery, it was so fascinating being in these 100+ year old buildings. They taught us all about how whiskey is made and how Jameson whiskey is *better* (i'm adding that). After the walking tour was the best part. TASTING!

After the tour he asked for 8 volunteers for tasting three types of whiskey and then you get a free drink :) so, being a Fitzpatrick, I HAD to volunteer ;) My friends and I were the only ones who quickly raised our hands HAHA it was quite funny, I was very excited.

We sat in the bar and in front of us were three types of whiskey. 1. Jameson 2. Scotch 3. Jack Daniels. We went through each one and found their flavor profiles. I personally loved the Jameson because it is kept in barrels that previously held bourbon and sherry for no less than 4 years and then are mixed. It had a sweet scent and was smooth going down. The scotch (second fav.) had smokey undertones due to the barley being dried with peet. It was a little strong though. And then there was jack daniels (not my fav.) It was sweet to the smell, but rough going down. After tasting, we received certificates stating that we are official whiskey tasters. WHAT UP! family reunion--get ready for the professional. We THEN got a free drink, I had a Jameson with ginger ale, new favorite drink :)

After that awesome day, we went out last night to the traditional Irish pub that we went to last friday and listened to an authentic trad band play music. Had a pint and a wonderful night.



Fitzpatrick family--you should be proud.

Well that was my week in a nut shell! Hope you all enjoyed it and my pretentious whiskey talk, more of that to come later!


xoxo
Sara Leslie

Getting fresh with the stone

Hey all!

It's only been two weeks and it feels like MONTHS! But i'm loving every second of it :)

Not much has happened since wednesday, except a few things.

On thursday I was supposed to go out with some friends, but unfortunately, my knee started acting up, so I had to stay in and nurse it back to health. Luckily it feels MUCH better. Which is good because I would've been in biggggggg trouble while dancing and walking around everywhere.

On friday though my friend taylor and I walked around the city centre for about three hours and discovered a bunch of different and unique places. It's amazing that every time I go down there I find something new :) It's wonderful. But later that night we decided we wanted to get everyone from Iowa together and have a dinner. We went to this delicious Tapas restaurant. Amazing food and wine (expensive, but totally worth it :) ). After that, we walked to this local traditional Irish pub, had a couple pints and listened to this amazing musician play traditional Irish songs. He even took requests, I asked for: Take me home again Kathleen (tribute to Katie my sistaaaaa) and Whisky in the jar :) It was perfect. A great ending to a great night.

Saturday was filled with activities as well! We moseyed on over to Blarney Castle, and well, I KISSED THE STONE! It was magical, really. Just walking around and embracing the culture that was centuries old. It was a little cold (aka my toes were frozen) but once we were walking and exploring it wasn't so bad. After the castle, we went to get lunch at this local pub. The food was sooo good. I had an irish brie and cranberry relish sandwich with chip and vinegar. Deeeelish! After that we went to Blarney woolen mills. Of course I had to get an authentic sweater :) It's so warm, just what I needed for this cold i'm catching :(

After that long day, coming home to tea and movies was the perfect ending. Unfortunately waking up with a swollen throat was not a good beginning to today, but it'll get better. Lots 'o vitamin C and tea, with movies and tv...and maybe some reading in there as well for good measure :) Gotta keep up with the homework ;)

I can't believe it's only the third week! I'll be updating every week now (probably on sundays) just FYI :)

Have a lovely week everyone!

(next post will include whisky of the month!)

xoxo
Sara Leslie

p.s. I'm trying to upload pictures to a website so that people without Facebook can see. It's in the process so hopefully by next time it will be up :)

It's like riding a bike

Greetings!

A lot has happened since I last posted, so I thought I would update you all on the continuing amazing time I am having :)

Sundays here are very quiet. It is a very subdued atmosphere because everyone is in church. Everything is closed! Until noon rolls around that is haha. Then the hustle and bustle comes roaring back as people run around to get their last minute shopping done before dinner time.

Monday was the start of my first full week here and I was a nervous wreck! I had so much to do in a short period of time. I had to register for classes, go to my FIRST irish dancing class in 13 years... :/ and I had another class on the opposite side of the river 5 mins after dance. It was an experience. Luckily I got everything done and had enough time to come home and make myself a lovely dinner (pasta with red sauce, a specialty of mine lol).

*side note* I am going to talk a little bit about my irish dancing experience :)

Irish dancing was a part of my life for about 4 years (5-7 years old) until we moved to Naperville. After that it just sort of went away. I concentrated on other things, became a part of other teams and put irish dancing behind me. However, when I went into that dance studio on monday and started doing the steps, it all came back to me. It was like riding a bike, it never really goes away. Needless to say, I was ecstatic! I had a smile on my face the entire time. It also helped that everyone else in the class had no idea what they were doing so I looked brilliant (ego boost). I never really realized how much I missed irish dancing, but I am so glad to have it back in my life.

Not only did I sign up for a class, my friend taylor and I joined the *advanced* Irish dancing team at UCC. Yeah...advanced. I haven't done this for 13 years and I joined the advanced, but to my surprise, I didn't struggle at all! It was like I had been doing this all my life. Again, I was over joyed. By the end of the day, I was exhausted, sore, smelly, and over all extremely happy, because I am starting up something that I left a long time ago :)

*moving on....*

After monday I felt dead. My body was aching, my feet felt like they were going to fall off and I was over all, physically exhausted, but extremely proud. So once tuesday rolled around, I was ready to just stay in bed all day, however I had two classes that day and needed to get up, get ready and prepare myself for a painful and long day ahead of me. Luckily, the day went by fast again and after my 2 hour class...yes TWO HOURS :(...I went to my friends apartment, bought some (more like A LOT) of cider :) *I LOVE cider* and drank it up with some friends before heading to a pub for a pint. After sooooo much cider, I could only finish a pony of Guinness :(. Sorry dad. After an eventful and long day, it was very nice to come home and pass out on my bed because I didn't have to be awake until 1 for my one class that was at 2 today :)

I hope all of that information (kind of disjointed information) was entertaining :) I am going to Blarney Castle this weekend and will be posting pictures and I will update again soon! I hope all of you are having a wonderful time and taking advantage of the nice weather back at home, I hear it is going to SNOW! (i miss snow :( )

Being here has taught be a lot already. Do not take advantage of the time you spend with friends or family, because you'll miss it when you are in a different country. So spend time with your family and friends :) you'll be thankful you did!

For all those college students, have fun with your last week before classes start for you! and Good Luck!

Love you all
xoxo
Sara Leslie

Wine, cheese and the Cobh

Hello again!

Life has been absolutely smashing here in Ireland so far! I have done so much in this past week it's crazy! I taught europeans how to play flippy cup, I explored the city centre AND I started classes. But that is not all...

On thursday I had classes, which were easy seeing as it was the first week. I've decided all of my classes and I could not be more excited! I'm also doing Irish Dancing :) woot woot! But anyway, thursday night I went out with my friends for a casual pint and just chilled at a local pub for a bit before returning to the apartment and snoozing...for a long time. aka I did not wake up until 1pm friday afternoon and it felt AMAZING!

On friday (since I wasted half of the day sleeping) I went out with my friend taylor and we explored the city centre some more and got some food from this local eatery. It was hilarious because it was called "Tony's" it had "Godfather" pictures everywhere and the food was named after american celebrities. hahaha After that we went to 7 North Mall (a house that all of the other Iowa peeps live in) and had a wine and cheese night. It was wonderful :) I met a bunch of new people and even some Irish folk.

Needless to say it was rough waking up in the morning, however I managed to get up at 7 so that my friends and I could catch a train to Cobh. For those of you who do not know what Cobh is, it was the last port for the Titanic before it set sail to the Americas. This is there 100 year celebration and they are getting ready for it. It was amazing seeing everything and the memorabilia and just imagining the Titanic towering over the tiny city. While we were there, we visited a Cathedral (which was right up my ally) and it was astounding how well intact it was. I was delighted :) After A LOT, and I mean a lot, of walking we settled into a little restaurant and grabbed some grub (I made myself a pb sandwich because I didn't want to spend a lot of money) however their tea was splendid. After lunch, we wend to a pub and had Irish coffees (my first experience) which was ... interesting. Usually they are made with bailees, however this was made with whiskey. Although I do not LOVE whiskey, this was delicious and satisfied our tastebuds.

After a long day, we trekked back to the train station, got back to Cork and all went our separate ways, until our next adventure. I am now currently eating pasta and veggies that I MADE! and it is delicious. I love being able to cook for myself!

Well, now that the first week is over, I might be blogging less, but who knows, I might surprise you all :)

Hope you all are jealous of my awesome adventure stories :)

xoxo
Sara Leslie

Let the semester begin

Since this first week is filled with travel and class, I thought I would blog more this week and then go for a weekly update.

Monday = travel day (exhausted)

Tuesday = Day of orientation and exploring the city centre. It was a busy day. We started with Class orientation which lasted from 9:30-1 pm (long) then I went shopping for essentials and such. After all of that (and getting lost many times) I went out with the international students to a pub and had a cheery night :) I had my first Guinness (in ireland) and had a great time meeting people from all over the world. Something interesting I found out was that Irish people listen to American music, which was kind of depressing because I was looking forward to hearing irish pop music. Oh well, looks like i'll be up to date on music while i'm here :)

Wednesday (today) = FIRST DAY OF CLASSESSSSS! ha, which are kind of a joke. Some of the professors didn't even show up. Luckily the only class I had today, my professor was present at. It is Irish Archaeology (come on, did you really expect anything else from me; an anthropology major?). I'm pumped for this class. I have taken one like this at Iowa, but it's a lot different when you are learning about it in the actual country. In this class we get to go on two field trips. 1. we are going to Drombeg stone circle and Ballinacarriga Castle and 2. we are going to the Rock of Cashel. Other classes I am taking are: Irish history for visiting students, Step dancing (old style) and other irish history classes. I figure since I am in Ireland, might as well fully engulf myself in the heritage :)

I know this semester will be going by fast, so I am going to take full advantage of it while i'm here!

I hope you guys are having a good time back in the states!

Cheers!
(how the irish say goodbye)

At last I am here

I made it!

I cannot believe I am actually in Ireland!

It has been a long 24 hours (only got maybe 40 mins of sleep), however the flights were not too bad. British Airways was lovely, cosy and very hospitable. Next comes Aer Lingius...Although I had an entire row to myself, it was bumpy, the landing the most. I hate landing, my ears pop and you bounce up and down on the tarmac, blech. Anyway, all that changed when I feasted my eyes on the landscape that was before me. Ireland was always beautiful in pictures, but just wait until you see it in person! It is stunning. absolutely gorgeous. As I was taking a taxi into the University, this euro music was playing and I could only imagine myself being in the one amanda bynes movie where she goes to london and this music plays as she enters the town. It's kind of like her theme music whenever she sees something exciting or takes a taxi somewhere. That was me. I was that girl that had the perfect music playing while she was watching the green pastures roll past on her way to the University.

This excitement soon came to an end when I reached where I was staying. This place looks NOTHING like the pictures they have on the website. *hint* UPDATE YOUR WEBSITE IDIOTS* I was disappointed, but I figured it could be worse, so I am making the best of it and it is going swimmingly :)

I explored the city centre; found GREAT shopping and loads a new places to hang out and have a pint! (look i'm already starting to sound like them! Even though it is REALLY hard to understand them).

Ah well, this was day one of Semester in Ireland and I cannot wait to write more about my adventures! Please keep reading these. It makes me feel like people care about what I am doing over here (I swear it will get more interesting with more traveling!) :D :D

xoxo

Sara Leslie