pub – My Love To The Leprechauns

In The (Edited) Words of 10 Year-Old Me: “I Didn’t Know Edinburgh Was So Bumpy!”

Emily Bernstein

March 15, 2017

Travel

When I was 10, my dad and I rode our bikes across California. During this ride, I was interviewed for, and later featured on The FredCast Cycling Podcast. During the ride, I discovered that the state of California was not as flat as I had formerly believed it to be. And thus, the much quoted “I didn’t know California was so bumpy!” quote was said (you can hear it on a special episode of The FredCast from 21 May 2007). And yes, Dad, I did search through the backlogs of The FredCast to ensure I quoted myself correctly on this.

All this is quite a long digression to say: California has nothing on Edinburgh, Scotland (or at least, that’s what it felt like when we were walking around). When Kim and I left Dublin on our flight to Edinburgh early Saturday morning, I don’t think we were expecting to arrive in a city that is quite hilly. But we persevered, dragging ourselves up a hill (and then down one) to our hostel, which was conveniently located right under Edinburgh Castle. (And really, me talking about the hills in Edinburgh is partially just a ploy to use this blogpost title because I just couldn’t pass it up.)

When in Scotland, you’re bound to hear a bagpipe or two (or a hundred).

On Saturday, Kim and I headed through New Town of Edinburgh (down a hill) to the Royal Botanic Gardens. Not a lot was blooming, but it still was quite beautiful and I’m definitely glad we made the trek down there! I’m not sure Kim or I had ever seen that many rhododendron trees in our lives. But despite some of the plants still in their winter dead mode, it was worth the walk.

After the Botanic Garden, we headed to Edinburgh Castle. While walking there, we passed through amazing neighborhoods and cute parts of Edinburgh that Kim and I speculated to be expensive living (though we still talked about how glorious it would be to live there).

Edinburgh Castle is amazing. I mean, for starters, it’s a castle, so what’s not to love? It’s also beautifully kept up and tells a lot about the history of the castle and who lived there. There’s also a war memorial there, which very recently held an event and honored people from every war that Scotland, and thus England, has been a participant in. There were books all around with names of those lost, so I can only imagine how personal it must be to go there to commemorate a loved one. It was all very cool. There’s also whisky tastings on Castle Mount, but Kim and I did not partake. Something to remember for the future though!

It sounds like a short day, but that concluded our Saturday (I didn’t describe dinner but it was Mexican food!).

Sunday morning, we got up, walked down to Holyrood Park, and hiked Arthur’s Seat. This is the main mountain in Edinburgh, its height is 251 meters (825 feet) in height, so not too tall in the scheme of my Utah life, but it was a steep hike to the top. But oh man was that view worth it. Basically, at the very top, you can see all of Edinburgh, Scotland, including all the cute suburbs, the castle, the monuments, and all such things.

After we got back down to the bottom of Holyrood Park, after petting adorable pups, and calming our shaking legs, we headed to the Palace of Holyrood House. This house (no pictures allowed) is where Mary Queen of Scots lived, and where the Queen of England stays now when she goes to Scotland on official business – hence the no photos. The audioguide is free at Holyrood, and I would 100% suggest you take it because there are not too many explanatory signs throughout the house.

We stopped for a much earned lunch at a local pub after that, and then went to the National Museum of Edinburgh to enjoy interesting facts about animals, engineering, space, fashion, and everything in between.

We went on a ghost tour Sunday night (yes, I went on a ghost tour), and it was actually really interesting about ghosts, but also the history of Edinburgh. The only time I felt the shivers was when we walked into a cemetery at night which goes against every single superstitious bone I have in my body. The woman giving the tour was very nice and wonderful.

After our ghost tour, we had dinner at a great pub, and then went to try Scottish whisky. The bartender helped Kim and me pick out a whisky, and Kim really liked hers! I…might not be a whisky person, but perhaps I’ll grow to like it with age.

We returned to Limerick with quite a few assignments to complete, but a ton more memories to keep. Thanks to Kim for such a great trip!

Sláinte.

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.

Limerick Gained A Reputation For Piety, But We Knew It Was Only The Rain

Emily Bernstein

February 1, 2017

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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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

Girls Like You Always Get To See Ireland….

Emily Bernstein

January 16, 2017

1 Comment

Ireland

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.