During my ninth week abroad, I not only got to explore more of London, but I also took a program trip to Dublin, Ireland. Between traveling to Elephant and Castle station and waking up at 4 a.m. to catch our train to Gatwick Airport, the week was a long one, but also a fulfilling one that has left me with many fond memories!

Tuesday, March 7, 2017

On Tuesday morning, we went on a walking tour of Shoreditch, an area in London known for its street art. As our tour guide took us around the area, he told us about the history of Shoreditch and how it became rundown, but the police started cracking down to try and improve it. One of the efforts that he said they went to was arresting the homeless who were loitering on the streets. One of the other absurd things about the area that he told us about was that one can apparently live in a tent, but only so long as they have a flat somewhere — if they do not, then they can get in trouble. Besides learning about the area and seeing the street art, we also visited a gravesite where the graves of Daniel Defoe, author of Robinson Crusoe, and William Blake, a painter and poet, remain.

Wednesday, March 8, 2017

My Intercultural Communication and Leadership class met at the Imperial War Museum on Wednesday afternoon. I had never visited the museum before — thankfully I got my iPhone back from the Apple Store the previous day —, so I hopped on the Northern line and took it to Elephant and Castle, from which I walked to the museum using my CityMapper app. Outside the museum, there is a beautiful garden where the flowers are beginning to bloom, a perfect atmosphere that was accompanied by a tiny café kiosk where I had a late lunch after class. The museum itself is my favorite museum that I have visited so far during my time abroad: my class focused in particular on the World War I and II exhibits, and how the British perspective on the wars challenges our own perception of the United States’ involvement. I would highly recommend the museum if you ever visit London; it also has a Holocaust exhibit that I plan to revisit at some point, and the best part — it’s free!

Thursday, March 9, 2017

I had a low-key day on Thursday, only having one class that ended at 11:30 a.m. Afterwards, I spent the rest of the afternoon working in Russell Square, where I had a late breakfast at Caffé Russell and then enjoyed the warm weather in the crowded square. It was so nice seeing people lounging not only on the benches, but also on the grass, enjoying the sunlight that can be such a rarity in the frequently overcast city. I’ll admit that the weather made me even happier with the knowledge that it was bitter cold in the States and that New Jersey in particular was preparing for a nor’easter.

Friday, March 10, 2017

The expression “nothing good happens after 2 a.m.” from “How I Met Your Mother” could not be more relevant than on Friday when I had to wake up at 4 a.m. to walk with our program to St. Pancras International. From there, we caught a 5:30 a.m. train to Gatwick Airport, where we then caught our flight to Dublin. Perhaps the most exciting part of the experience was that we got to load and disembark the plane on the tarmac, but by the time we finally arrived, it was safe to say that everyone was exhausted. Nevertheless, we had a full day of activity, starting with dropping our belongings off at our hostel, Jacobs Inn — easily the nicest hostel that I’ve stayed in during my time abroad — and then eating lunch at the Hairy Lemon.

After lunch, we started our walking tour, where as walked by The George, a well-known gay bar in the city. According to our guide, the street swelled with people after the Irish referendum in 2015 that legalized same-sex marriage in the country. Other places that we saw were Dublin Castle and the Gutter Bookshop, which the latter is, according to our guide, a tribute to Oscar Wilde and other Irish writers. Our guide also informed us throughout our tour that we were standing on top of the original Viking village as we walked around the city. Finally, our last stops of the day where Christ Church, the Dublin City Wall and Gates, and the Guinness Storehouse. The last stop involved us walking around the storehouse, learning how Guinness is made, and taste-testing some of the beer. Spoiler alert: I’m not a beer person and I ended up using our free voucher to get a Fanta instead (I’m my mother’s daughter).

Saturday, March 11, 2017

Saturday morning came as quickly as the previous day. I woke up at 7 a.m. and after having breakfast, we departed the hostel at 9 a.m. and took an hour-long bus ride to Trim Castle (and Keep). The castle was damp and had moss on the walls, creating a “Game of Thrones”-esque aura. Our tour guide was extremely knowledgeable, explaining to us that the staircases were so narrow and winding to ward off intruders, and that it was beneficial to be left-handed because if you were right-handed, you could not swing your sword against the guard waiting at the top of the stairs, but they were at perfect advantage to swing their sword at you. Perhaps my favorite part, though, was when our guide mentioned Walter de Lacy and then asked if we knew “Niall — the Irish one from One Direction”; comparing the two of them in terms of appearance.

After leaving Trim Castle, we got back onto the bus and drove to the Battle of the Boyne Visitor Centre. Along the way, we saw sheep grazing and our program director, Ray discussed the history of Ireland with us, having grown up in the area that we would visit later. While telling us about some of the country’s history, he mentioned the reason why the Irish language is first on all of the signs that we saw. He explained that having Irish above English was not because English is not commonly spoken in the country, but was done as a political statement by the eventually independent country. Regretfully, I did not hear all of what he told us because I fell asleep in intervals during the bus ride, during which Erin took it upon herself to photograph and record me with my mouth wide open (thanks for passing on that trait, Dad).

When we finally arrived, we had lunch at a cute place known as the Tea Pavilion in the Visitor Centre. There, we had finger sandwiches and soup, with tea or coffee. We also were given some time to wander around the garden, where there was an adorable cat named Bubbles that was sitting on one of the tables, basking in the sunlight and attention. Afterwards, we finally started our tour, where we learned about the Battle of the Boyne in 1690, as well as the history of King James II of England and Dutch Prince William of Orange, who led the opposing sides of the battle (King James was also Prince William’s father-in-law; talk about an awkward family dinner). After we were shown where the battle took place and went through a visual tour of the battle, we departed the Visitor Centre and went to the Hill of Slane, perhaps my favorite place that we visited. When we arrived, the clouds parted and the sun shone down brightly upon the hill, creating the perfect contrast between the bright sun and the ruins atop of the hill. The view from the top of the ruins was perfect for landscape shots, and one of the girls in the group even went as far to scale the walls, all in the name of taking photos, which gave those of us watching her more anxiety than she probably felt while perched on the precarious ruins.

Finally, another long, yet productive day of touring came to an end and we returned to our hostel. From there, Erin and I ran (yes, literally ran) to Mass at John’s Lane Church, and then later went to Thai Spice, a restaurant across the street from our hostel, where we ate with a girl named Radiance, one of the other students in our program.

Sunday, March 12, 2017

Like our first study tour, we were given the final morning on our day of departure free to explore on our own. Deciding to get up early — we were a rare case compared to others who were hung over from a pub crawl the previous night — Erin and I visited St. Patrick’s Cathedral, which was stunning, and then went to the Dublin Writers Museum. Despite the distance, walking to and from the cathedral was beautiful because the sun was out in full force. While at the cathedral, we also got to enjoy the sunlight in the adjacent garden, which was full of flowers and people walking their dogs. We then walked to the Dublin Writers Museum, which did not open until 11 a.m., so we spent some time at the nearby Candy Café, where I got a hot chocolate, and Erin, who gave up chocolate for Lent, got tea and a scone (proper, English woman she is, am I right?). Then, we spent about 45 minutes in the museum, learning about Irish writers such as Oscar Wilde, Jonathan Swift and James Joyce, before we returned to the hostel for a 1 p.m. departure back to London.

Ray told us two things about Ireland during our weekend there. The first was that the weather is capable of flipping a switch in five-minute intervals from apocalyptic rain and hail to sunshine with a light breeze. The second was that “in Ireland, if you’re cold, then you’re just not wearing enough layers.” Both statements were confirmed during the course of the weekend.