Ciao Rome, Italy!

Did I really get to go to Rome!!!? YES I did :)

After I booked my tickets through Ryanair it did not seem real that I was going to Rome, although once I got to Dublin airport it did! Myself, Ashley and her friend Sarah studying in Limerick waited to board a plane to Italy which turned out to be an experience of a lifetime! It was definitely a culture shock the second we arrived there. After going through customs and walking outside all I heard was people speaking in Italian. It was an adventure trying to find our hostel but we finally did it. Ashley's friend from Manhattan College studies in Rome so she met us and took us out for a delicious dinner when we got there! We ended up walking into a comedy club/restaurant which was so funny. It was all in Italian but once we told the guy with the mic  where we were from,  he started singing Frank Sinatra New York. The next day we woke up early and started to tour the city which was so exciting because it was our first full day in Rome!!!

                                                      Coin I threw into the Trevi Fountain!

                                                               Making a wish in Rome!

                                                                        Colosseum

The Trevi fountain and the Colosseum were both awesome! I loved making a wish and throwing a coin into the fountain :) I was surrounded by people from all over the world doing the same thing as me, once I threw the coin in I felt accomplished. The Colosseum was absolutely beautiful and I could hardly believe I was standing outside of it. The inside was even better I could not believe how old this place really was and that it was still standing.

                                                                   Spanish Steps

                                                 Illegal photos at Michelangelo's  Sistine Chapel

                                                                      Beautiful view

                                                          Lighting candles at the Basilica

                                                       The Pantheon- My favorite part!!!

After exploring the Trevi fountain, The Colosseum, Spanish Steps, The Pantheon, Piazza Navona, Basilicas and more it was time to go out to dinner and enjoy the night life Rome had to offer us!

                                 Three girls studying in Ireland can't pass up an Irish Pub in Rome!

The next day was an early start as well because it was our day to go to Vatican city. I honestly consider it it's own place thats how BEAUTIFUL it all was!!! Seriously as I was standing outside the Vatican I felt like I was in a dream and was going to wake up in Eastchester NY any minute. Nope it was real, it is all so surreal to me and the pictures don't even serve justice, standing outside looking around I was in complete awe.

                                                                       The Vatican!

After going into the Vatican we also went to all the museums and they were all very interesting and beautiful. I bought my grandma blessed rosary beads from The Vatican! I am sure she will love them :) We saw so many more important statues and monuments after walking around Vatican city, I honestly am so happy I had this wonderful opportunity. I would go back to Italy in a second!

Connemara & Kylemore Abbey

Connemara was one of the most beautiful parts of Ireland I have ever seen!!! Myself and couple of friends took a tour through Connemara and also visited Kylemore Abbey. Connemara is known for the beautiful scenery and the friendliness and warmth of the people who live there. I got to see the ruins of the Famine Village and even see the remains of original houses left behind by those trying to escape the famine.

                                                       Remains of houses

                                                                       Cottage

                                                                 Ready for the rain


At the start of the tour it was very rainy, but around noon it became sunny and the scenery was even more beautiful. The mountains were truly amazing, I have never seen anything like it before. The tour guide on the bus was very knowledgeable, and was very interesting to listen to. There was many opportunities for us to get off the bus and take amazing pictures!

                                                                  Kylemore Abbey

While we were at Kylemore Abbey we got lunch and went into the castle. It was absolutely beautiful! We also went into the gothic chapel which was also amazing. After spending a few hours there it was time to get back on the bus. We drove into county Mayo which was beautiful just like the rest of Ireland. On the way back to Galway we stopped at a wishing tree which was one of my favorite parts of the day. Next we stopped and learned how to cut turf which is what most people use to heat their homes in Ireland. The bus driver played traditional Irish music for our ride back home, which reminded me of my family because they play the Irish station on WFUV on Sundays. I smiled thinking about them listening to the music and looking out the window at the beautiful mountains as the sun was setting. We had one more stop before getting back to Galway and that was at the cottage from the well known movie, 'The Quiet Man'.

I had a great day at Connemara and Kylemore Abbey!  This was definitely one of my favorite days this semester.

Halloween started in Ireland?

I never knew the whole idea of Halloween started in Ireland! When the end of October was approaching I was wondering if they celebrated this holiday the way we do in America. Quickly I learned that Halloween started in Ireland! Then I was told that everyone dresses up, which meant I had to start looking for a costume store in Galway. Amber and I found one about five minutes from our apartment & luckily we both found a costume we liked. Compared to the price of everything else in this country, the costume was not too bad only 15 euros! This was a great deal especially because the cost of costumes in the states usually start at around $50. After I got my costume I was pretty excited for it to be Halloween.

                                                All of us at the townhouse before going out!

Three of our Irish friends dressed up as Americans which was really funny. Lorcan dressed up as Reggie Bush, Darren dressed up as Charlie Sheen, and Jamie dressed up as an American guy, from what he saw from Kyle. I noticed in Ireland the costumes are more original then at  home. They even put so much face makeup on! My friend Linda had so much face makeup but it made her costume 10X better,  you could tell she put so much thought into it & made it herself.

                                                                     Eyre Square

We all decided we were going to go to a club called Carbon. We found the promoters for the club on the street so we all got stamps for a discounted entry fee and we even got to skip the Q!! ( As the Irish would call the line )

                                                                       Elise & Linda!

Me, Michael Jackson & Linda!

My 20th Birthday in Galway!

I know this is very late but I completely forgot to blog about my birthday! I had such a great 20th birthday :) This was my first birthday away from home, even when I am at Bonaventure I go home for it since it is usually during midterm break. Celebrating in Ireland was so exciting. My friends took me out to dinner to The Dail Bar which is right in the city of Galway. The food was very good and I loved the atmosphere. There was both young and old in the pub and even the music was great. I even got my desert for free!

The Dail Bar

After dinner we quickly came back to our apartments and got ready for a night out on the town! Before going out we went to a townhouse in Eyre Square. In the very beginning of the semester we became friends with a group of guys from Wesport which is in Mayo. We usually go hangout with them a few hours before we all go out. While I was there my phone rang at exactly midnight Irish time, I looked at my phone and saw my house was calling! I answered and my family all sang happy birthday to me. I thought this was so nice because they called me at exactly midnight Ireland time meanwhile it was only 7pm in New York. My bestfriend from home Alyssa called right after too.. It is always nice getting phone calls from home :)

Club K

All of my birthday festivities in Ireland were amazing! Even the day after my birthday my friends bought me a card and a cake which was all a suprise :) Thank you so much guys for making my birthday so special!!!

                                                                             Suprise!

The Netherlands!

I have always heard about the beautiful canals in Amsterdam, but I never thought I would be able to see them in person! Myself & three friends Amber, Alyssa and Kevin booked a trip to Holland. We used Ryan air which is one of the cheapest Irish airlines to fly all over Europe. Our flight was at 7:30 am leaving from Dublin airport going to Eindhoven Holland. We left Galway and got on the bus to Dublin at 2:30 in the morning, this way we would have enough time when we got to the airport. It took us three hours to get to the airport then we went through security quickly and waited to board the plane. I was very excited especially because the only country I have been to outside of the US is Ireland!

                                                                  Eindhoven Train Station

Luckily my three friends fell asleep on the bus to Dublin and on the plane to Eindhoven, unfortunately I did not. I usually cannot fall asleep on buses trains or planes so I was exhausted once we got to The Netherlands. I also lost another hour because The Netherlands are one hour ahead of Ireland. Once we got off the plane we noticed signs in Dutch then in English, which was great because none of us speak Dutch. We took a cab to the train station and bought our tickets to Amsterdam! It is great because Ryan air is cheap but they never fly into big cities so you get stuck paying for transportation to the city, although it was not too bad. Once we got to the train station all of the machines were in Dutch, luckily there was a nice man who spoke English that helped us. The train ride to Amsterdam from Eindhoven was an hour and twenty minutes, and the ride was absolutely gorgeous! I did not even want to sleep I was too busy looking out the window.

                                                                  Beautiful view!

Once we got to Amsterdam Central we got off the train and got a map. The four of us wrote down the directions to our hotel from the train station but we still had a little trouble. First person we asked did not speak English second person we asked used her GPS to help us which worked out so well! The hotel was only a 5 minute walk from the central which was very convenient. Our "hotel room" ended up being our own apartment with 2 bedrooms, 2 bathroom a living room and a kitchen. We dropped our stuff off and all went to sleep for a few hours because we were so exhausted. When we woke up we went out to the city and got lunch. We looked at the menus confused and before we could ask the waitress came over with the English menus.  Lunch turned out great & they even had the best coffee which we needed from all of the traveling and no sleep!

After we decided to go to The Anne Frank House. This was one of the most popular places to go in Amsterdam, I knew it was going to be very interesting. When we got there it started raining and I could not believe the line to get in! Wrapped around the corner and everyone was patiently waiting in the pouring rain. It was only 8 euros to get into the house which I thought was a great deal.

                                                                     Long line!


Right after entering the house I saw several times on the wall "A museum with a story". I learned about Anne Frank's history years ago, but I still learned more from visiting all of these exhibits in the house. It was very interesting to be where Anne Frank was hiding in history. The part of the house that stuck out to me the most was the windows with the black curtains on them. We learned that she was never allowed to open the curtains not even a little bit which made her room very dark and dreary. There was even a bookcase left in the house which made me realize how authentic everything was, also the fact that we were not allowed to take pictures in the house made it clear how ancient everything was. This was such a great experience, although it was very sad I learned so much and got to see all of the exhibits up close and in person.

We also went on a canal tour which was beautiful! It was at night so all the canals were lit up & they served cheese and crackers, and wine on the boat.

                                                              Canal right next to our hotel

Overall I absolutely loved Amsterdam! Experiencing a different part of Europe was so much fun & very interesting. Taking the trains in The Netherlands was an experience, hearing the beautiful language, learning more about their culture and seeing such beautiful scenery was all amazing!!! I definitely plan on going back one day :)

                                                     Train ride & Dutch labels I could not read!

Rome this month!!! Very excited.. I also still have so much more to blog about - I will keep updating as much as I can - classes are ending in a few weeks and finals start pretty early, but I will keep adding :)

Leitrim & Cavan

Can't come to Ireland without visiting all of my family! I have been to Leitrim many times now visiting all of my Dad's family. I also visited my Mom's family in Cavan twice. It is so nice seeing all of my aunts, uncles and cousins since I do not get to see them as much as my family in NY. I have a house in Leitrim so whenever I come over on vacation with my family that is where we stay. Because I am here by myself I usually stay with my cousins, which is nice because I can get away for the weekend. It took alot of research to figure out how to get to Leitrim from Galway. Getting to Dublin, Cork, Limerick and other bigger counties is very easy from the coach station, but Leitrim is alot smaller and would not be a place where many students go. Luckily I found out there was a college bus that ran every Friday and Sunday provided for the students through NUI. 12 euros each way is definitely a great deal and I even get dropped off directly across the road from my apartment!

                                          Father Mychal Judge Memorial in Leitrim
                                          Had to get a picture next to it because not
                                          only did his family come from Leitrim like mine, but  
                                          he went to Bonaventure! I also did a presentation on him in Cath Fran
                                                                 


After going to visit my family a few times a few of my friends here in Galway asked me if they could come. Of course I said yes and they were telling me how excited they were. I never get too excited to go because I have been there a good amount of times since I was a kid, but they told me that they wanted to see more of Ireland. Galway is very nice but we are still in the city, and my two friends have never been to Ireland before. The weekend that they came we stayed at my cousins house and they met a good amount of my family. They loved everyone and thought Leitrim was beautiful. My family took great care of us and made sure we had a blast! We went out to lunch spent time with my little cousins, who they absolutely loved! My younger cousin Conor is one of the funniest kids I have ever met & very outspoken, they got a kick out of him. My friends were happy to have home cooked meals, comfortable beds & enjoyed being in a new atmosphere all weekend. We went out in Carrick which is where most of the pubs and clubs are in Leitrim. They even really enjoyed the night life there!

                                                                  Me and my cousin Conor!

                                                            Ashley and Alyssa at Dunnes


My cousins Lisa and John who live in Leitrim, but study in England, are coming to Galway this weekend to stay with me! Should be fun :) I will be back to Leitrim soon to spend some more time with my family!

Trad on the prom!

I checked my emails and saw one from my old Irish dance teacher, telling me all about an Irish dance show that he thought I would love! He told me it would bring back old great memories from when I danced a few years ago. I told a few of my roommates and other friends and we looked into it and got tickets right away. I learned that this show was ranked #1 in all of Ireland. Trad on the Prom is the best of Irish traditional live entertainment. The show was preformed in the new conference center of the Salthill Hotel which is located on the seafront promenade over looking The Galway Bay and the Clare Hills. Not only was the dancing amazing but each of the musicians sang and played many instruments such as the violin, accordion, bag pipes and a bodrhan. Every person in the show was completely full of talent and it was clear that they were all eager to put on a great show.It was very exciting to be watching world championship Irish dancers. We were sitting in the second row with a clear vision of their feet which made it ten times better. This was one of the best shows I have ever been to, I am so happy I heard of it when I did because we went to the last show until 2012! At the very end of the show they played one of my favorite songs..