blogging – My Love To The Leprechauns

Disoriented and Dehydrated by Day 3

Emily Bernstein

May 5, 2017

Travel

Hello! It has been almost three weeks since spring break, so yes, I am behind in my blogging. (And if you missed it, you can read about Mom and Dad’s visit to Ireland and my trip to Amsterdam here.) There are multiple reasons that I’m behind: 1) I recently turned in my last paper this week so I finally have free time and 2) there are so many memories from break that I wanted to remember them all, but here goes.

We started off in Milan, staying in an AirBnB in Seregno. We explored Milan for a day, seeing the duomo and wandering the city. The next day, we took the train to Venice – which I think we all enjoyed a lot more than Milan. Venice is a beautiful city to wander in and explore all the small shops you may stumble on. You have to be willing to get a little lost in Venice to really see everything you have to.

It’s beautiful there! 10/10 would recommend.

Pro-traveler tip #5: If you have strict dietary restrictions, be patient with whatever international city you’re in. It can be difficult to find good food, but not impossible.

Highlights from Italy:

Guy: “Eating gelato in the sun along the canal.”

Kim: “Every facet of Venice, especially seeing it for the first time.”

Kaitlin: “Every meal and the first moment getting off the train in Venice.”

Emily: “The guy in Venice making masquerade masks along the canal.”

Pro-traveler tip #6: You don’t have to be fluent in the language of the place you’re visiting, but it’s always an advantage to know a little bit of it.

From Milan, we took the train to Nice. Nice was nice – oh come on, I had to say it! But actually, I think we all really liked Nice. It was the part of our vacation that was actually just vacation. We spent one day on the beach, reading, listening to music, relaxing, joking with each other. It was really wonderful. We also took the bus to Monaco one day, so check that country off the list! Monaco was beautiful – I felt a little out of place just because everyone there looked like they were coming off a night at a charity ball and they were just heading out to brunch on the beach.

Being in Nice was also a great way to brush up on my French skills before next fall when I take French 201. Conversationally, I did pretty well, but I still need a little more refreshing.

Highlights from France:

Guy: “The pastries, not getting sunburnt, and Monaco.”

Kim: “Reading my book wrapped in the quilt in the AirBnb, laughing in the park, playing 20 questions on the beach.”

Kaitlin: “Reading a new book on the balcony, finding beautiful paintings, the view from the AirBnb.”

Emily: “Wandering the streets of Nice just exploring, the beach.”

Pro-traveler tip #7: Always figure out train schedules, ideas for food, making plans before leaving a wifi spot.

We flew from Nice to Barcelona, Spain. Barcelona is a beautiful city and it’s nothing like I expected. It is so modern and active and contemporary. There are, of course, old, authentic European corners of Barcelona, but I think what is so endearing about the city is how mixed up it all is with the modern. We visited a market in Barcelona and were surrounded by fresh fruit and seafood and corn tortillas filled with salsa and meat and vegetables and I could eat almost everything in the market! It was wonderful.

We also visited a lot of old churches, and we visited the old Jewish quarter of Barcelona. I made everyone take a break from churches so we could have a short introduction to the first synagogue in Barcelona and it was so small but beautiful. While we were leaving, a family from Jerusalem came in and it made me nostalgic for Israel, but how could I be missing that country when I was in an amazing country too?

Eating in Barcelona was a breeze. We all loved the sangria and the paella. And honestly, who doesn’t love paella? It’s so good.

All of us loved Sagrada Familia when we visited. It’s quite an amazing building, and I can’t even imagine how wonderful it will be when it’s completed. Maybe we’ll all have to go back and visit when it’s completed as a reunion.

Highlights from Spain:

Guy: “Sagrada Familia and paella.”

Kim: “Paella, churros (it was her first one!), and our adorable only family photo.”

Kaitlin: “Sagrada Familia and walking the pier with sangria at sunset.”

Emily: “Paella, wandering along La Rambla street, the old synagogue, sangria, Sagrada Familia.”

(Can you tell we all loved Sagrada Familia?!)

Until next time, Europe. We all had an amazing time.

Sláinte.

The One Where The Parents Visit and We Play Catch-Up

Emily Bernstein

April 17, 2017

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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

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School

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 The Words Of Joey Tribbiani: London, Baby!

Emily Bernstein

February 25, 2017

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Travel

Last weekend, the crew and I finally got out of Ireland and traveled to the beautiful London, England. I say finally because, although we’ve only been here for a little over a month, it feels as though we’ve been here for quite longer than that.

When Meghan studied abroad, her blog was quite the rave about London, and she still swears that it is her favorite city in the entire world. I’m not going to lie, from my very brief visit when I was younger (maybe 10-years-old?), I didn’t think it was that great. Maybe it was because we were rushing around, or I was too young to appreciate the city. Still, I went into the trip with a positive attitude, thinking, I’m older, and we have more than a few hours to see the sights.

And Meghan, I get it.

London is quite the city. You can be staring at Westminster Abbey, appreciating the old architecture and beautiful windows, and then turn around and see modern skyscrapers. It’s hard to put into words what I was so enamored with in London, but I definitely liked it a whole lot more this time than the last time.

Pro traveling tip #1: Even if you look super cute, bring your comfortable shoes anyway for walking.

Friday, I wandered the city by myself and saw Hyde Park, Regent’s Park, Daunt Books (a store that is so cool and chock full of really amazing books – and also a store where Meghan got me a subscription where I got a new book every month that was tailored to my novel and poetry preferences), and I got to have lunch with one of my sorority sisters, Cameron! Then, we had dinner at Wahaca (Meghan’s suggestion), a Mexican restaurant. I was a happy camper.

Saturday, we went to Westminster Abbey and spent quite some time there. Before we went in, we took our obligatory photos of Big Ben. It’s so cool and totally beautiful. We saw Charles Darwin’s grave, Isaac Newton’s, Queen Elizabeth I’s, Queen Mary’s, Mary Queen of Scots’, Richard II’s, and many more. It was actually quite difficult to walk through the Abbey without walking over a grave. My superstitions were going wild. On our way out of the Abbey, we saw people heading into Saint Margaret’s Church (the church right in front of Westminster Abbey) for a wedding. It was very fancy, and the people attending were clearly very rich, and I very much wanted to go in and see it.

Pro traveling tip #2: Download the app Citymapper to use as a map. It works so well, and has the maps of the tube, the subway, the metro and bus schedules as well.

After the Abbey, we headed to Borough Market, a very busy but fun market full of raw ingredients, spices, fruits, vegetables, and good food to eat. We had lunch there and it was so so good. From there, we headed to King’s Cross Station to take our obligatory Harry Potter photos (spoiler alert: you can’t actually get through the wall to Platform 9 3/4).

From King’s Cross, we went to Hyde Park and saw the sunset there. We went to dinner at really good restaurant called The Minories (good find, Kim!). I had the El Mariachi burger (sans bun), which was basically a (really good) burger with jalapeños, guacamole, pico de gallo, and lettuce on top. I thought it would be best to keep with my Mexican food dinners in London. Everyone else (Guy, Kaitlin, Kim, and Conor) had more traditional British food, but as most of it is fried and/or very bready, I did not partake.

After dinner, we walked to the Tower of London to see it all lit up, and to see the Tower Bridge at night. It was very beautiful and we were all very glad we walked down to see the view. Then, we explored an area called Covent Garden – very touristy but very beautiful at night – again at Meghan’s suggestion.

Sunday morning, the boys left really early for Ireland, so the girls and I headed to the British Museum to explore for a short time before we headed to the London Eye. This was a totally touristy experience, but the views were cool! Mom would not have enjoyed it – even I had some trouble looking at the top!

We all really liked London, so I call the trip a success. Now we’re back in Ireland looking forward to our next few trips, and really settling into school (because midterms, you know?).

Sláinte!

P.S. I didn’t take too many photos on the trip, and I am sorry for that, but my friends did so I’m sure I could get you all copies if you’d like.

In Which Kim Talks To (And Names) Trees and We All Kiss Rocks

Emily Bernstein

February 6, 2017

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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.

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.

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.

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.

Books on Books on Books on Books

Emily Bernstein

January 26, 2017

1 Comment

Ireland

I haven’t blogged in some time because school started and I didn’t want to bore you all (read: my family) with all the intricacies of syllabus week and my nerding over my literature courses.

But alas, all I really have to do here is nerd about my literature courses.

My school week began at 7:30am on Monday so that I could get dressed and walk to my 9am class on time. Said class is Human Rights Law (a law class completely focused on the European Convention of Human Rights and the European Convention of Human Rights Act of 2003 that Ireland instated in order to properly ensure that everyone’s human rights are being respected). Our lecturer, while funny and nice, speaks very quickly about Irish politics and such. It’s going to be tough, but this is why we go to school! …Right?

The second class I had was Study of a Major Author, and the author we are studying is (drumroll please) Shakespeare! I’m very excited about it. Not only is the professor very passionate about Shakespeare and every piece of art that he’s affected since he started writing, but she also assigned plays that I love: King Lear, Twelfth Night (which I’ve read and performed in, so I think I’m set on this one), and Henry IV part 1.

I’m also taking State of the Union: American Literature since 1930. I know, I know… Taking American Lit in Ireland? But this professor is assigning mainly literature written by mixed race authors which is an interesting aspect of American Literature that we don’t always study in the US. Beyond this, I think it will be interesting to take this class while here (plus it satisfies a credit back home, so why not?).

My favorite lecturer at least (not class because I don’t have one yet) is my Irish Literature since 1930 professor. She was so engaging and we are studying amazing texts. Waiting for Godot is one of them (and she pronounced it correctly), and we are also studying poets and novelists that we skip over in the US because we mainly focus on British authors. It’s going to be a tough and demanding class but I can’t wait.

Last, and certainly not least, is my British Literature since 1945 class. Again, we’re studying great texts (have you noticed a pattern yet?), and the lecturer is funny, if not a little quiet. Though not as engaging as my Irish Lit professor, this professor is definitely going to teach me a lot. We’re reading a lot of poetry (yay!), and plays (like Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead), and two novels. I’m excited.

Can you tell I like all my classes? They are all going to be hard, I’m going to have to be reading about three books a week for all of my classes, I’m going to have to read the Irish Constitution and the ECHR Act of 2003, but I am really looking forward to learning everything I can while I’m here.

Having gone through syllabus week, and survived, I realize how blessed I am to have the education that I do. I have read at least one thing on every literature course syllabus. Not that I won’t be keeping up with the reading, but it lifts a little bit of the pressure off of me.

This post is called books on books on books on books because I think that is what my life is going to be like for the next few months. While I’m definitely going to travel and have lots of fun, I’m probably always going to be carrying around a book – just call me Rory Gilmore (even though I’m not her biggest fan).

Still, I’m nerding out because I get to read all of this amazing literature while living in a place where amazing writers have lived and traveled and written about. Catch me squealing like an excited tween over here in my room.

But then catch me crying when, during finals and midterms, I have five papers all due within four days of each other.

Outside of school, I’ve been spending time with my friends (Kim, Kaitlin, Guy, and Ian – get used to these names), and sleeping a lot. Kim, Kaitlin, and I went food shopping today and navigated the bus system all by our adult selves. It rained today after two days of being crazy windy. Ireland is great and I’m doing well.

Hi Mom!

Quote of the week: “Hold for short time.” -Daniel, a German Erasmus student (probably only funny in the moment but still).