Tag: ireland

The One Where The Parents Visit and We Play Catch-Up
Emily Bernstein
April 17, 2017

I missed a few blog posts, and one of them was such an important one at that! I wrote a few drafts, and never finished them, but I must!!

Mom and Dad came to visit about three weeks ago and we had so much fun. I’m so glad they were able to come see me.

They started their visit here in Limerick, and visited the Blarney Stone on Thursday. Then, on Friday, we saw the Cliffs of Moher (again so beautiful) before heading to Galway – a city I’ve been wanting to see since arriving in Ireland.

Galway was very fun (or at least I thought so!), and we saw a lot of the classic, tourist areas of Galway, while also seeing the beautiful waterside and a very pretty church besides. We headed to Dublin after that and explored some of the more touristy parts of the city. We saw a really cool old jail (called the Kilmainham Gaol – which I think all three of us would highly recommend), Dad saw the Guinness Factory, and we all enjoyed the sunny day in Dublin.

In fact, it seems like Mom and Dad brought the sun with them because the whole weekend was full of sun, and of course, the day after they left, it poured rain. But all is well and good. It’s spring now, so we should be seeing more sunshine.

Of this trip, Dad has most of the photos, so pester him for them!

A week after Mom and Dad came, I headed to Amsterdam with my friend, Emily. Yeah, so don’t forget that name.

We lucked out on the time of year because we were able to see a lot of the tulips blooming! We spent a whole morning wandering the famous tulip gardens in Amsterdam and we both really enjoyed the wonderful colors and vibrant tulips.

Pro-traveler tip #3: Bring your walking shoes. Even if your super cute boots look great, make sure you can walk long distances in them first. 

After the gardens, Emily and I headed to the A’Dam Lookout, a building that on the 21st floor has a 360 degree view of Amsterdam and the surrounding cities. On the very top floor, there is a swing you can get on that puts you over the city. I was terrified, but Emily had a lot of fun, and we get beautiful pictures from it!

We wandered around the city for the rest of the day before grabbing some Mexican food (I’ve found some in every city I visited!).

The next day, Emily and I started the day with the Van Gogh museum and the Amsterdam Sign.

Pro-traveler tip #4: Use public transportation. It is your friend. Even if it looks scary. 

The Van Gogh museum was really cool. I knew the artist was crazy, but I had no idea just how crazy he really was. Reading about his life and seeing his artwork was very interesting.

After that, we took a canal cruise which was a very cool way to see the city we’d already wandered. Emily and I grabbed lunch, then headed to the Anne Frank House to see if we could get in (as we didn’t have pre-bought tickets).

Pro-traveler tip #5: Buy your Anne Frank tickets weeks in advance. 

We waited in line for 3 hours, yes – 3 hours. We met quite a few interesting characters, including a hilarious British couple. At first, I was worried that Emily didn’t want to wait in the line so long, but we both really enjoyed the House. I’m not sure enjoy is the right word, but I don’t think either of us regretted the wait in line. The Anne Frank House is beautifully curated and the story of the Franks is told very well.

After that, we grabbed dinner (Emily enjoyed a very authentic Dutch dinner), wandered the city some more, visited an ice cream shop, and went to bed because we had an early flight home.

All in all, these two weekends were really fun and very rewarding. It’s always good to see family! 🙂

Sláinte. 

Remarks On School and Other Such Musings
Emily Bernstein
March 2, 2017

It’s odd to already be turning my calendar to March. The time is, for lack of a better word and I promise there is no pun intended, marching forward very quickly. If I were at home, I’d be gearing up for midterms, and subsequently, Spring Break. Here, though, I’m writing papers, reading lots, and spending a lot of time trying to make travel plans.

When school began, I was unquestionably excited. I still am. I’m that kind of person that gets excited about school. But, for some reason, I was so worried about my schoolwork (read: exceedingly worried, as I’m always just plain worried about school).

My literature classes demand at least two or three hours on Saturdays and Sundays so that I can, at the very least, begin to read the novels and pieces of literature that we’re reading for the following week. It is a lot of reading and the stack of books in my room looks quite aggressive and daunting. But they’re just literature classes. What was stressing me out about them?

I thought maybe it was because my law class terrified – and still is quite scary and confusing – me. My law class is for third year law students because, in Europe, students enter straight into law school. My peers in that class are my age but they’re gearing up to take a few exams this summer and this fall and then begin their work as solicitors (or at least their interns – these students aren’t being thrown straight into the courtroom). Add on the fact that we’re studying a political system in which I do not partake, and to say that the lectures confuse me would be a vast understatement. But human rights law is the law that fascinates me the most, so I’m struggling, but trying to manage.

I’ve just turned in my first law paper, and I’m gearing up to write three literature papers for the next two upcoming weeks. And they’re just papers. My lit papers are being written in MLA format – a format I’m so familiar with I could do it in my sleep. The books we’re reading are just literature, able to be analyzed and looked at in the same way I look at books at home. I can research to understand my law class (that’s what Google is for, right?).

It’s taken me, now, a month and a half to come to this conclusion: studying abroad is just school.

It might be silly, committing a whole blog post to this. But it’s something that a few friends have remarked upon as well. Until we all really settled in to work, school was something that we didn’t really think about. We went to class, listened in lectures, etc., but I think we all expected school to be so different here than it is at our home universities. And while the classes are run differently, school is just school. 

I don’t have much to say that’s more than this, but just a personal note to remember (and for future study abroad students).

Slainté. 

In Which Kim Talks To (And Names) Trees and We All Kiss Rocks
Emily Bernstein
February 6, 2017

After a full week of classes (and lots of reading), we were all ready for the weekend to begin.

Kim, Kaitlin, Ian, and I all bought tickets to take a bus down (up?) to Blarney Castle and Cork. As a writer, I felt obligated to go kiss the Blarney Stone so that I could have the gift of gab – or rather, eloquence.

The castle is surrounded by miles of walking trails and gardens and beautiful greenery. The castle itself is under construction but it is still really pretty! The castle is smaller than I would have imagined it would be, but, come on, it’s a castle, so if I was living there, I wouldn’t be complaining. We wandered through the castle for a while and Ian guessed which stone was the Blarney Stone (considering they were all technically stones of Blarney, or so we joked). Then, we climbed more steep steps (see last week’s post about King John’s Castle) and got in line to kiss the stone.

 

Ian guessing which stone was the Blarney Stone.

The views from the castle were so beautiful. The countryside was somewhat misted over from the morning’s rain and, wow, was it amazing! While we waited in line, there were funny little signs explaining about the Blarney Stone and why it is so important (which I’m still not 100% sure how the myth around it started).

Just an example of the funny signs we saw.
The view from the top of Blarney Castle.

To actually kiss the Blarney Stone, you have to lie down, kind of scooch down, while someone holds your legs. The Blarney Stone is very far down (for someone of my height – Ian had no troubles at all). I’m not even sure I kissed the stone itself – I might’ve grazed one resting on top of it. They’ve added steel bars in case of someone falling, which Kim and I were very worried about, so it’s fundamentally safe. But that doesn’t really help when you’re lying down on your back and trying to reach a stone that’s about a foot lower than where you’re lying. It’s hard to describe, but let’s just say that Mom would not have liked it.

Kaitlin kissing the Blarney Stone.
That little whole in the top is where we were to kiss the Blarney Stone. This is the view from the ground.

After we kissed the stone, we wandered around the Poison Garden, where they grow things like wolfsbane, juniper, and merijuana (which is very safely fenced off from people trying to take its leaves). Then, we wandered around this beautiful green area that just felt magical (which according to our tour guide, people feel magic all around Blarney Castle). We went to a fern garden, where there was a really pretty waterfall. 

The gyst of the sign says that, while this plant was big in Harry Potter, it was also big in poison back in the day.

 

The much protected Merijuana plant.
So pretty and green! I couldn’t believe it.

Kim found this amazing tree that has branches that are huge and look like strong arms. Something you must know about Kim is that she loves plants. The way she loves plants is kind of the way I love poetry, so clearly she loves them a lot. She kept talking to the wonderful tree, and later decided to name it Atticus. Then we went to the Rock Close, and there we find the Wishing Steps. If you walk down these steps backwards with your eyes closed, and then walk back up with your eyes closed, all your wishes will come true. We all know how superstitious I am, so obviously I had to walk them.

Kim with Atticus.
The Wishing Steps!

After Blarney Castle, we went to Cork, a city bigger than Limerick, but still very quaint and beautiful. I didn’t take too many photos there. But, while there, I found an amazing bookstore called Vibes and Scribes. Alas, I bought no books there because of all the previously mentioned books (see this post for all the nerding about books). I would like to go back to Cork to spend more time there exploring all of the small shops and churches we saw.

Then, we went home and had a quiet night in. Sunday, we all did homework. Then, Kaitlin, Kim, Guy, Ian, Lilly, and I all headed to a pub in Limerick to watch the Super Bowl. It started very late here, around 11:30pm, and two of us (Guy and me) had a 9am class today so we left after Lady Gaga performed. I was so into the football, and very impressed by the Falcons, and we even explained the game to a few Irishman. You can’t really tell from the pictures, but the pub we were at was packed with Irish and Americans alike. Part of me wishes we had stayed for the whole game considering the fourth quarter was such an upset, but I didn’t get to bed until 2:30am as is, so it’s probably best that we left when we did.

Until next time!

Sláinte.

Limerick Gained A Reputation For Piety, But We Knew It Was Only The Rain
Emily Bernstein
February 1, 2017

Note: This post is a little late. It focuses solely on this past weekend and not really on this week at all (because, really, who wants to read all about my classes again?).

This weekend was a whirlwind of waking up just after the rain stopped and then living in perpetual rainfall, traveling to and from Limerick, and lots of laughs with friends.

Most of us got a late start on Saturday morning (except Guy, who got up at 7am to go on a bus trip to the Ring of Kerry that looked so beautiful that I’m a little sad I missed it, but it was at 7am!). After we all managed to get our act together, we (Kaitlin, Kim, and I) decided to go into Limerick City to do some much needed clothes shopping (I really just needed more socks), and to explore King John’s Castle.

A few other girls (Lilly, Kendall, and Emily) joined us on our little adventure, so we got on the bus and headed into town. I know I’ve said it before, and I’ll probably say it again, but Limerick is just so pretty.

It was cold and cloudy when we arrived, so we all hurried into a store to look around (and I got my socks). The most important part of the day is that I got tacos – yes, that’s right, tacos. While not up to California street taco standards, these tacos were definitely delicious and certainly made me homesick for good old fashioned Mexican food.

My tacos!

While walking towards the castle (so that we could all pretend to be princesses, obviously), it started to pour rain. The six of us decided we would wait out the rain by exploring St. Mary’s Cathedral, a beautiful church just outside the city centre.

From where the congregation would sit: the altar.
This altar is the biggest and heaviest in all of Ireland.

A gentleman working at the church showed us around, telling us about the altar, the history of the church, and who was buried where. He was so passionate about teaching us about the church, but he moved very quickly! I tried to snap a few photos to show everyone, but honestly, the pictures don’t show all the color and intricate stone carving work in some of the little crevices of the church. By the time we finished the tour, the rain had cleared up so we took our time taking photos and walking along the little cobblestone streets of Limerick.

Outside the church.
Front view of St. Mary’s Church

From there, we headed to King John’s Castle. They were going to close in an hour, so we hurried through the museum part of the tour so we could be sure to make it to the part of the castle that was actually the castle. I’m sure we missed good stories of the castle being sieged and who lived there and why it stands where it does, but we wanted to climb to a high tower to see the view and take pictures. If anyone is exceedingly curious, I’d be more than happy to go back again to get you the details.

Kim and I being soldiers. Me making faces is something that I’ve always done, and will always do. Some things never change.
Kim demonstrating for all of us how to properly pour water in an old church that was reconstructed in the castle’s courtyard.
The view of the main castle from the courtyard.

The stairs we climbed to get to the top were steep and slippery from our wet shoes tracking over them. I’m not a huge fan of steep stairwells to begin with, but add in wet stone and no railings? I wasn’t a very happy camper.

But, well, the view was worth it.

Looking into the city from the castle, with the sunset in the distance.
Looking off away from the main city.

I can only imagine the patchwork of green and farms that the view would have held hundreds of years ago when people lived in the castle and called it home. Still, it’s pretty darn beautiful. Just after the rain, too, the sky seemed to shine a little brighter on the city and the green land we could see in the distance.

From left to right: Kaitlin, me, and Kim. And yes, this was a real candid of us being beautiful princesses.
All girls are princesses.

We got a quick dinner after that and then headed home to rest and get ready for the evening. Kaitlin, Kim, Guy, Ian, Lilly, and I headed back to Limerick to go to an actual Irish pub (and not one that is on campus), and while we didn’t meet another chatty Irishman, we did have loads of fun together. Even at night, Limerick is quite beautiful. The streets were wet and the streetlamps made them shine – it was the epitome of a European night that you read about/see in movies.

Sunday, we all literally did nothing. It rained (of course), and I hung out in my apartment for the whole day, did some reading for classes this week, and everyone just caught up on some much needed sleep for the week.

This post title is brought to you by Frank McCourt, the author of Angela’s Ashes. I thought it was apt considering I was mainly discussing Limerick and a lot of it had to do with the rain. If you haven’t read the book, I highly recommend it; it’s very sad but very wonderful.

I’ll spare you the nerding out over my schoolwork again, and instead just say that I’m excited to continue classes!

Until next time!

PS: did I mention Limerick is beautiful?

PPS: Hi Dad!

It’s Teeming With Life Down There…
Emily Bernstein
January 22, 2017

Let me start from yesterday.

Yesterday, we got the opportunity to go into the city centre of Limerick so that we could see it and begin to explore. On Saturday mornings, they have what they call the Milk Market, which is basically a farmers’ market. It was so cool! There were people playing music, selling cheese, fresh sausages, wool products, hats, pottery, you name it. I loved it. And yes, while we Americans all stuck out like sore thumbs, the Irish still treated us so well.

The view in Limerick. This is the cover photo of my blog in the daytime!
Gluten free crepes in the Milk Market!

It was cold, and it was a dreary day, but it was still cool to see Limerick.

To be honest, going into Limerick and seeing the sites was the first time I really felt like I was in Ireland. Of course the university is Irish and I’ve been meeting and seeing many Irish people, but it’s still very modern. I mean, it’s a university after all!

But Limerick… I felt the Irish magic there. There’s really something about being in a real Irish city, exploring the cobblestone streets, and seeing the castle and old churches just really makes you feel Ireland.

And now, we get to today. Talk about Irish magic. 

Today, we went on a bus tour to the Irish coast. Along the way, we saw farms on farms on farms on farms. In Garth Brooks’ song about Ireland, one I’ve quoted on this blog several times, he sings about the rolling fields of green and fences made of stone. I never thought I’d get to see those in person, but today, I did. And boy, was Garth right. Ireland is all patchwork green, cows and sheep grazing, and fences stacked in stone. It’s just beautiful.

Primarily, we spent time at the Cliffs of Moher. If you don’t know what these cliffs are, look them up, but don’t trust the photos you see on Google, because nothing does them justice. Nothing but standing on the muddy grass above them, staring down at the waves crashing against the rock. Nothing but feeling the ocean breeze hit your skin, wondering what these cliffs must have seen, what they must think of Earth now. Nothing but being there and seeing them with your own eyes.

       

It’s hard to describe these cliffs. They are majestic and huge and go on for miles. They stand, unashamed, staring at the water. They feel majestic, dangerous, protective, and completely and utterly wild. While there, I kept thinking of a Wallace Stevens poem about them:

THE IRISH CLIFFS OF MOHER

Who is my father in this world, in this house,
At the spirit’s base?

My father’s father, his father’s father, his –
Shadows like winds

Go back to a parent before thought, before speech,
At the head of the past.

They go to the cliffs of Moher rising out the mist,
Above the real

Rising out of present time and place, above
The wet, green grass.

This is not landscape, full of the somnambulations
Of poetry

And the sea. This is my father or, maybe,
It is as he was,

A likeness, one of the race of fathers: earth
And sea and air.

          

Yes, it’s nerdy, I know. But these cliffs are amazing. I could not believe it. I want to go back – spend more time there, maybe sit down and write there, and just enjoy the view for a bit longer than today. Just…wow.

After the Cliffs of Moher, we made our way to Burren, a very karst landscape (a landscape full of sedentary rock that has settled in such a way that allows life to grow through the cracks in the rock). While this view didn’t astound me or make me tear up the way the cliffs did, it was still beautiful.

Navigating these rocks are easy – Kim and I climbed them with no problem – but you constantly want to stop, bend down, and see the life from below. The title is a direct quote from Kim (an environmental studies major from Rhode Island) that was just too funny and good to pass up. And really, it just sums up Ireland. Every inch of this country is just teeming with life. I don’t have too many pictures from Burren, because all the pictures really just looked like rocks, and no one really wants to see that.

When we returned to campus, we had dinner, and then we all (Kim, Kaitlin, Guy, Ian, and me) all headed to Stables, a pub on campus, to watch football. Little did I know that I was going to watch the slaughter of the Packers. Oh well, boys, there’s always next year. Maybe use your time off to work on your defense.

Anyway, classes start tomorrow and I just can’t wait.

I’ve decided to begin including a quote or two that really stand out, make me laugh, or just remind me of some of that Irish magic. Today, the quote (besides the title) is: “You can tell how old we Irishmen are by the shape of us. The rounder we are, the older we are.” -Some Irish guy telling me about beer bellies.

Until next time!

Sláinte. 

It’s A Nice Little Island…
Emily Bernstein
January 19, 2017

I wasn’t going to write a blog post until school started, because all I’ve really been doing is going to orientation events, getting a good feel of the campus, and walking a lot (it’s very strange moving from LA which is a total driving city to walking all around Castletroy to get places).

But I decided that I just had to write one today because it was sunny! 

Yesterday, I came to terms with the fact that maybe the Irish sun was really just the light that shines through the clouds, but when I woke up this morning, it was to blue skies and sunshine. I was so happy. The sun made everything look more vibrant and wonderful (as if it isn’t already beautiful) and it made it warmer as well (and by warm, I mean it was 50 degrees). And beyond this, it made daylight that much more worth it – we get about 8 hours of sunshine and daylight, so any time in the sun is amazing.

The two flagpoles that mark the entrance to campus.

Today, the main thing that all us international students did was get a campus tour. The tour of campus took 2 hours. The University of Limerick is huge! We could have toured Chapman University at least twice. It’s strange going to a school that is so big compared to my home university, but I think it’ll be a great experience for me. Our tour guide kept telling us places to go while we are in Ireland, and all the while was muttering, “it’s a nice little island,” so I couldn’t resist titling this post that.

The university is so big that it actually crosses two counties: County Limerick and County Clare. The Shannon River is what separates the two counties, and there is a beautiful walking bridge that crosses the river. Right now, the view is kind of drab, just because it is winter here, but with the beautiful blue sky reflecting in the water, I still think it is a rather nice view.

The Shannon River.
A stream on campus that feeds into the Shannon River.

I really can’t wait for classes to start. That’s really all I’m waiting for at this point. Not only am I looking forward to having a regular schedule, and being back in school, but I’m also really looking forward to just see what classes will be like (and to start traveling)!

After an early dinner, we all headed to the concert hall for a Celtic Steps show. We had no idea what to expect, but it was amazing. The Celtic Steps are a group of musicians and dancers that play authentic Irish songs, while Irish Step Dancing. It was so cool. It’s hard to describe but the show was full of great music and amazing dancing. Some of the dancers are not only University of Limerick students, but also world champions in traditional Irish dancing. So cool. 

Not the best photo, but it’s the Celtic Steps!

Until next time!

Sláinte.

 

Girls Like You Always Get To See Ireland….
Emily Bernstein
January 16, 2017

Today was a whirlwind to say the least. After flying to Boston yesterday, watching the Packers beat the Cowboys (woo!), then boarding a plane to Shannon, Ireland that was probably 1/3 study abroad students, the day felt like a week.

After landing, everyone that was on my flight navigated through customs, then met up with University of Limerick students in yellow shirts (meaning they are International Student Guides). They shuffled us all onto a bus that took us from Shannon to Castletroy, where the University of Limerick is (the city center of Limerick is actually about 20 minutes away from us). I tried to take photos of the drive, but it doesn’t get light here until about 8:30am, so I’ll have to snap photos some other time.

I got to my apartment complex – Troy Village – around 8am (local time). I immediately got to unpacking so that I wouldn’t have to do it later.

At 10:30, we (meaning the other international students in Troy Village) walked to main campus for a tea/coffee social. From Troy Village, campus is about a 20 minute walk, which I moaned about at first, but it’s beautiful and it’s pretty nice to be off campus.

I shopped for bedding and for some food that would tide me over until tomorrow when I can focus more on what I want to eat throughout my months here in Ireland.

I have my own room here at Troy Village, but I do live in a three bedroom apartment. One of my roommates is from Venice, Italy. She is so so nice and funny. We get along great and she even offered to show Italy to me over spring break if I wanted. How could I say no to that?? I have yet to meet my third roommate because they have not yet arrived.

I met up with some people from my flight at Scholars Café, which is just a pub with a fancy name on campus. They are so nice and sweet. We went from there to another pub a little ways away (don’t worry, Dad: Castletroy is safe, plus I was with a group of people which included three men). This was a real Irish pub full of Irishmen drinking whiskey and Guinness. Here, I found Orchard Thieves Apple Cider so, while I could not participate in the trying of Guinness, I could still have a pint in my hand while chatting.

At said authentic Irish pub, we met Eoin (read: Owen). Eoin is a 40 year old Irishman who was all too happy to chat with the group of us at the pub about Ireland, ourselves, and himself. He was funny and was such an interesting person to meet. It’s definitely an encounter I won’t soon forget.

We returned to UL campus where I met up with my roommate, Marzia. We walked back to Troy Village together, ate a quick snack, and then retired to our respective bedrooms.

Today, I learned that Ireland has so much in store for me – friends, learning, culture, etc. Today, I learned that the University of Limerick is huge and that I can’t wait to start classes. Today, I learned that Ireland is beautiful and cold and wonderful.

Today, I learned the Irish/Gaelic/Celtic word for cheers. Everyone says it slightly differently, and it’s definitely a strange word. But that’s most of Gaelic for you.

Sláinte.

PS: in my local grocery store, they sell taco ingredients, so a few people and I are going to have taco night tomorrow night (yay!). Taco Tuesday in Limerick is real now.

Ireland, I Am Coming Home…
Emily Bernstein
January 14, 2017

I write this while my (mostly) packed suitcase sits at the end of my bed, my planner open on top of it which reads: 1 day! under today’s date, my backpack full of my books (both about Ireland and not), and my heart full of the completely surreal feeling that I will be in Ireland in just a couple days’ time.

I always feel this way before a big trip: the feeling of the unknown so great that I cannot even begin to fathom what is about to occur. The feeling that something amazing is about to happen but I just don’t know what that is. The feeling that my life, and I, am about to change.

One thing I do know for sure is that whatever experiences Ireland (and wherever else I travel in these next few months) holds for me will be great, unforgettable, and completely amazing.

And I can’t wait.

So, Ireland, I am coming home. I’m coming for your fields of green, fences made of stone, deep history of literature, passion for all things whiskey, and every single thing I can learn from you.

And while I’m there, I’ll be sure to give my love to the leprechauns.