Going All the (Gal)way

After departing Athens, the Petitti sisters continued their adventures in Greece with a visit to Santorini, one of Greece’s popular islands. We stayed in the main town of the island, Fira. Heres a nice map so you can get an idea of how we drove the whole island!

Our first stop was to settle into our hotel! We had a great view of the volcano and the rest of the island to the right of us! This was the view from our deck of our hotel:

Walking through Santorini to get to our hotel was a beautiful experience in itself! We walked through small, winding pathways and down many steps lined with white walls and archways, with the views of the ocean peaking out through the archways.

After this stunning sunset:

We got some dinner and then went back to our hotel. We at in the restaurant of a vineyard, called Aroma Avlis. The food was delicious and the atmosphere was great! The 3 Petitti sisters then called it a night and went to bed!

The next day in Santorini started with an unexpected turn: we rented a car!!! Elizabeth braved the roads of Greece and drove us down the whole south of the Island! Our first stop was at the Light House. If you look at the tip of the bottom of the island on the map, that is where the Light House was. It offered spectacular views, with large cliffs that dove right into the clear, crystal blue water. Because it wasn’t the prime time for tourists in Santorini, we were almost the only people there!

Our next stop with our little white car was to one of Santorini’s beaches, Red Beach. Its called Red Beach because the rocks surrounding it are an iron orange. With the sea breeze and the waves coming onto the shore, the rocks slowly degrade and become small red and black rocks that line the beach- giving it the name: Red Beach! How clever!

After soaking up some Greek Rays and dipping our feet in the water, our next stop with our car was to Akrotiri, a small part of Santorini that has some preserved ruins and more waterfront exploration. Our lunch in Akrotiri came with a spectacular view right next to the ocean- literally!

The resturant had a tank with an octopus inside it and walls of the restaurant were lined with seashells, fish nets, and some dried out blow fish- how cool!

After our bellies were full and our faces were sun kissed, we headed to Emporio, another small town in Santorini that is known for its Windmill formations. We drove up this large hill that was lined with what used to be old fashioned windmills. Their base was stone, almost like that of a water well, and the mills were on top of them. The drive led us to another great view of the Santorini country side. The windmills are pictured in the bottom left photo.

After this stop, we headed to Perissa, one of the longest beaches in Santorini and a very popular spot among both tourists and locals. There is a large promenade that stretches along the whole beach. During Santorini’s high season, the prom is lined with a bunch of bustling shops, cafes, and restaurants. None of them were open at the time we went, but it was still beautiful! With the sun shining, the clear blue sky, and the crystal blue water, the beach was beautiful. This pictures are making me want to go back!

We then drove to Megalochri- a town of Santorini that isn’t as touisty and is where many locals live. It was a cute town with a school and of course the winding back pathways lined with white walls, and blue rooftops.

We then drove through Pyrgos to reach a monastery atop a large hill! We went up to the monastery to watch the sunset! We even got a view of the whole island because we could see the very tip of Santorini! Hers a picture of the monastery at the tippy top of the large hill:

Despite it being a bit grey, the drive up to the monastery was adrenaline-filled, as we were very close to the edge of the mountain, driving up up up, and around around around. Heres a pic form the top where you can see the very tip of Santorini!

On our way to dinner, we stopped at another popular tourist town known as Kamari, where the moonlight casted a peaceful, yet spooky glow as it reminded me of the movie Jaws,  atop the ocean.

We ended our night with another fantabulous dinner and a big sister cuddle session!

Our third day in Santorini was supposed to be filled with a nice hike to Oia, the other top half of the island, and then a sunset boat ride that would bring us to the volcano, give us a chance to swim in the hot springs, and the opportunity to see the sunset from the water. Unfortunately, the winds were high that day and we were not able to go on our hike or our boat tour :( Believe me, I thought “oh whats a little wind going to do to us on our hike?” We tried to hike, and were getting blown off balance and this mixed with a cliffside trail doesn’t make to end well. So we went to plan B: we took a bus to Oia and tried to walk around there- but the winds were so strong we could barley keep our eyes open! We sat in a cafe and enjoyed the view of the choppy Aegean sea. The bus took as back to Fira, and upon our arrival, we noticed that the sky was a bit red. We were a bit concerned and kind of scared about why the sky had this red hue to it. We found out that when the winds are that strong, the dust from the Sahara desert blows over to Santorini! I thought this was so fascinating! It served for some really cool pictures too!

We took walked around Fira somewhere, went into some shops, and wound up doing an Escape the Room- a live game where you are trapped in a room for an hour and have to solve puzzles and put clues together to get you and your teammates out. As avid Nancy Drew lovers, my sisters and I enjoyed this very much and found it as a great way to pass the time when the weather wasn’t that great! We then headed to another very good dinner and then back to the hotel for some relaxation and sister time!

On Thursday, we had another boat trip planned to take us to some beaches on Santorini that can’t be reached by car, but the wind again didn’t cooperate. We started off our morning with climbing down the famous stairs that lead to the port of Fira. Many people take donkeys up and down, but we deiced to put our legs to the test and give the donkeys a rest. The port was right on the water and very pretty to explore!

The port of Fira:

With the winds canceling our second boat tour,  we went to plan B 2.0: we rented the car again! We decided to drive the norther part of the island. We stopped in Amiroviglia, Vorvolous, and Exo Gialos. We even did a wine tasting that had a spectacular view!

Our driving was filled with hidden beaches where we got to stop and take pictures with the blue waves.

We drove to Oia to watch the sunset and the explore the town more without the winds being as rough as they were yesterday, and we saw a stunning sunset behind the ocean!

The next day, I woke early to depart form my sisters, :(, and meet my friends in Prague for a 10 day bus tour!

Greece was amazing for so many different reasons. The views were great, the scenery was beautiful, the food was delicious, the people were kind, and I got to experience such a beautiful place with my two sisters. It was a vacation I will never forget!

I had such an abundance of photos and little videos from this trip and didn’t want to overload this post, so I made a little video with some extra footage of our trip. If you want to watch it: click play!

If you missed Greece Part 1, Heres the link:

After St. Patricks Day, Rebecca and I headed to Dublin Airport for the very first RyanAir flight to Greece! 

After sleeping for the whole flight, we landed in Athens on Friday, March 18th! Athens is the capital of Greece. It is a big city with many streets filled with markets, restaurants, bars, and apartments. Within the midst of this relatively modern city, lies ancient ruins like the Acropolis, the Parthenon, and the Theatre of Dionysus. 

The first day Rebecca and I were there, we explored the Plaka, an area in Athens that has lots of little shops and restaurants. We poked our heads in and out of a lot stores and purchased some great items both for ourselves and others! 

We started the evening with some greek food: souvlaki! It is basically pork cooked on a stick, and then taken off the stick, with some rice. A lot of the traditional Greek restaurants serve you this type of alcohol, called Tsipouro, to welcome you  when you sit down at the table. When it first came to the table, Rebecca and I were unsure if we had to pay for it (lol students on a budget here), but it turns out its complimentary. I can understand why because I don’t know who would pay for something that tasted that bad. We couldn’t drink it but appreciated the gesture none the less! 

We then met up with some of Rebecca’s friends from Loyola Maryland that are studying in Greece. They took us to their favourite local bars and we got to experience the very smokey Greek bar scene. It is against the law to smoke inside bars in Greece, but they do it anyway! You would never know its illegal when you walk out smelling like a chimney! 

The next day, Rebecca and I started the day off with more shopping around Plaka. I purchased a nice Greek leather backpack that I have been using a lot for my other travel trips! Rebecca was all about the rings with the ancient symbols of life and eternity. After being shopped out, we headed to lunch and then to wait for the other Petitti sister to arrive! 

We sat in Syntagma Square, where the Greek Parliament is. It is a nice square with benches to sit on shaded by orange trees. It’s scattered with fountains and both locals and tourists.  

After waiting in the sunshine and smelling the orange trees, Elizabeth arrived!!! The 3 Petitti sisters were all reunited after 3 months apart!!! It was great to all be together in this place we’ve never been before- it was such a great feeling to see them and have us be all together! 

All together and super duper excited, we headed to Monastiraki, a square and an area of Athens where they have a large flea market. 

After exploring Monastiraki, we headed for dinner at this nice restaurant. I got “Chicken in the oven”. I think the translation from Greek to English was just a bit broken, but none the less it was still tasty! We then hit up the bars of Athens on the Athens Pub Crawl! Our tour guide, Thomas, was great! He didn’t want to take the free shots at the bars because he had to drive his motorcycle back home so he stuck to beer instead. #GreeksAreHardcoreMan Heres a picture of us with Thomas:

Our next day in Athens started with the exploration of ancient ruins!!! We explored the Acropolis, walked up to the Parthenon, saw the Theatre of Dionysus, and other ruins!

 We then sat on this nice hill that gave us a view of Athens and the ruins within this cool city.

Do you see the mountainous tip in the middle right of the photo? We climbed that to watch an amazing sunset over Athens! 

We walked through the forest on a dirty path on a full incline to get to the top of these beaut, but the sunset view was worth it!

We then got a great view of Athens at night with the Acropolis all light up!

We then made our way back down to the streets of Athens to find some yummy food! 

Our next day in Athens concluded our time there. We walked through the National Gardens and enjoyed the sunshine. We met a turtle along the way!! 

Our time in Athens Was well spent! We saw some great ruins and I was just so happy to be with my sisters again! Our journey continued with a short flight to Santorini, Greece on Sunday, March 21st! 

You can read about it in my next post if you would like!

Lots of love,

As an Irish Dancer, my St. Patrick’s Days were always busy filled with  live music, bagpipes, cheering crowds, and of course, dancing! Since I was five years old, I was missing school on St. Patricks to dance with the Christine Murray School of Irish Dance at golf and country clubs, nursing homes, Channel 5 and Channel 2 news, and other schools that were celebrating this fantastically joyful day! 

Being in Ireland for St. Patricks Day, the tables were turned and it was a fantastic time! Instead of marching in the Yonkers St. Patrick’s Day parade, I stood in the crowd as members of the Galway community marched and cheered up the famous Shop Street. There were different members of the community marching, including youth Gaelic football teams and even members of Galway’s Judo dojo. Even though I am not Irish, I have been celebrating the Irish community through dance and music for years, and I was so ecstatic to actually take part in this great day in Galway, Ireland.

I felt even better because I had some visitors! Many other Fairfield Stags studying abroad in London, England, and France came to Galway to celebrate the great day filled with laughs and sunshine (we lucked out! it was great weather!) 

One very special guest came to visit, my twin sister Rebecca!! It was great to see her and spend time with her in such a fun environment! Ned came too, and the train trio was reunited all the way in Galway! We watched the parade, sat along the bay with ciders in hand, took in the sun, and enjoyed everyones company! 

Everyone was out enjoying the day around the Claddagh!

Our apartment was packed to the nines that night, it was like a mini-fairfield sleepover in Galway that made for so much fun and lasting memories! 

It was such a vibrant day, nothing could dull anyone’s spirits! 

Me and Rebecca got a total of 45 minuets of sleep because we had to rise very early for our flight to Greece!!! 

The first trip to start off on March 13th right here in Galway with a trip to the Aran Islands with the rest of the Fairfield Stags abroad in Ireland!

Heading into the trip, we knew we would have to take a bus and a ferry ride to the islands just at the mouth of Galway Bay. There are 3 separate islands  that make up the Aran islands, the Inishmore, Inishmaan, and Inishmeer. We headed to Inishmore, the island with a wormhole, a great cliff, and a fort! 

When we arrived on the Island, the first thing we did was establish how we would get around to seeing everything we wanted to on Inishmore. We found out that we would be biking the whole island! We thought we were in for a nice, leisurely pedal but with the hills, dirt roads, and wind that leisurely pedal turned into a strenuous one quickly. We didn’t mind though, the hills and dirt roads were fun and the surprise workout ran up our endorphins and made us even happier! We stopped to take pictures of the beaches along the way and even to pose with some of the local pets! 

Our first stop was to a large fort that sits cliff side of the island. The fort, Dún Aonghasa, sits on the edge of a 328 foot cliff! The cliff is beautiful. It drops straight into the North Atlantic Ocean and spreads down the whole side of Inishmore, giving you a spectacular view! 

Heres Inishmoore with the fort on the map:

Here are some photos of the cliff views and fort! It was fun sitting at what felt like the tip of the world. The waves crashing over the rocks and the cliffs spreading vastly down the shoreline made for some great, breathtaking views.

We then made our way back down to our bikes to our next destination where we would explore the cliffs at normal sea level. The large rocks and caves placed along the shore’s cliffside were fun to explore and beautiful to photograph!

Heres a nice cave selfie!

We then rode our bikes back to the ferry with a nice scenic view! 

The day was filled with sore tushes from biking but we all had a lot of fun biking together to see some pretty cool things.

Thanks for the read! Hope you enjoyed,

Lots of love!

Cheers,

Hey everyone! Hope you are all enjoying your Satuday!

This past weekend, the whole group of Fairfield students took a trip planned by the university to Dublin! It was a fun weekend to travel with all of my fellow stags and great to not have to do much planning! 

Our time spent in Dublin consisted of a couple of Museum visits. We Stopped at the National Museum of Ireland, which was filled with artifacts from Ireland’s ancient times, including lots of jewelry, a viking exhibit,  tools, and even history regarding Irish surnames and the slow population growth in its different counties.  After this museum we headed to another right down the road, which was more of an art gallery. There were old paintings and some mini sculptures that were interesting to look at (maybe a bit odd too). 

We then headed to Trinity College to see the well-known library and the Book of Kells! I was very excited to see the Book of Kells because as an Irish dancer, this is where the designs on the traditional costumes are taken from. The walk-through exhibit of the kells was fascinating and it was great to understand a bit more of their history.

Here are some pictures from the Library. 

After this, we departed the college for our hotel and we had some free time to explore the city of Dublin. We walked around the main strip to see the Spire and explore a bit of the shops. Here are some photos from our wanderings:

Our hotel: 

For dinner, we headed to the Brazen Head Bar and Restaurant, the oldest pub in Ireland founded in 1198! Dinner was accompanied with storytelling of Irish legends and myths, such as the fairies, leprechauns, and banshees! 

Then we hit up the night life in Dublin. We explored the Temple Bar area, which is a famous location in Dublin known to many different bars and night clubs! My friends and I found a great pub with a great DJ for a night filled with fun and dancing! 

The next morning, we made our way to another museum known as the Little museum of Dublin, which was filled with old photographs and knickknacks from Irelands time during the 1916 rising. We then took a nice walk through St. Stephen Green, a nice park with plenty of greenery and small ponds!

We then made our way to the Glasnevin Museum and Cemetery, a large cemetery in Dublin that is home to around 1 million resting souls. Anyone can be buried in this cemetery and many famous people of Irelands history are buried there. It was interesting to visit the graves of those that had a deep impact on Ireland’s history. The cemetery was very peaceful and beautiful.

Our next stop was my favorite, The Guinness Factory!

Here we had some nice lunch and took a tour of the factory. We learned about all the steps the four ingredients of guinness go through and then we got to taste some at the end! I am not a huge fan of beer, so the dark stout/beer didn’t do much for me. But I did get to go up to the sky bar and take in the views of Dublin! We got lucky with a sunny afternoon:)

We got to see the history and evolution of Guinness advertising! That was cool! 

Then we headed to the Guinness Academy where we learned how to craft the perfect pint of Guinness! The bar tender who taught us was great and told me all the tricks and secrets to pouring the perfect pint! 

Here is the evolution and process step by step of crafting the perfect pint!

I started out thinking, “psshhht I got this”, then it progressed to, “I gotta concentrate”, and then finally, I got the approval from the pro himself, “Not too shabby Catherine.” And then I got to enjoy the perfect pint! 

 It was a fun weekend in Dublin! 

Hope you all enjoyed reading! Sending lots of love!

Cheers,

Hello everyone!!! I hope your week is going well so far! This weekend, my friends and I took a trip to London to explore this bustling city and visit some of our friends studying abroad at Regents University there. Hang on to your macs as I take you through my weekend in London filled with fun, friends, and photos! (I unfortunately forgot my camera, so these were all shot on my Iphone!) 

Following our early bird trend when it comes to traveling, Emma, Nicole, Kerry and I awoke around an early 2:45 am on Friday morning to head to Shannon Airport for our 7:00am flight to London! While I did my best to catch any wink of sleep while in the air, I was excited to land and start my time exploring the city and seeing my friends. After taking a train from the airport and the London Underground (also known as the tube, which I LOVE), to Baker Street Station, we met up with  Liz and Patricia, two of my good friends from Fairfield studying abroad in London!  We were welcomed to London with a walk to Regents University through Regents Park. 

The park was so refreshing and many of the flowers planted throughout were blooming! 

After catching up with Liz and Patricia and exploring the park and university grounds, we made our way to the very well known (get ready...) ABBEY ROAD! I was super pumped to see this iconic sight famous for the Beatles Abbey Road album cover!! Being a Beatles fan and loving Paul McCartney, to reenact the famous cover my friends and I held up traffic to strut our best impressions of the fab four across the street. We got some beeps and toots from oncoming traffic, but it was totally worth it for the experience and the photograph! I had to commit 100% to Paul’s look on the cover, so I crossed Abbey Road without my shoes. Thats right. Barefoot in London on the same street Paul was barefoot.

(I substituted Paul’s cigarette for an Iphone because I like my lungs too much)

After this exciting stop, we headed to Covent gardens for a bit of exploring of shops and a bite to eat. We then made our way to Trafalgar Square. It is a big area with a large monument, a couple of fountains, and many statues of generals, lords, and even George IV. From the square you can see a bit of Big Ben. It is most known for the large lions that surround the large monument within the middle of the square, known as Nelson’s Column. 

The lions are fun to take pictures with! (Shoutout to Kerry who took the pic!!)

We then proceeded to walk through Trafalgar Square and made our way to the famous and must-need-to-see-landmark-while-in-London, Big Ben! Fun Fact, the tower is actually known as the Elizabeth Tower and the bell within it has the name of Big Ben. I Had to get a selfie (or a couple) with Ben!

After Big Ben, we headed to Westminster Abbey! Although we didn’t get to go in because we were there after closing time, we basked in the abbeys vast beauty from the outside. The amount of detail and intricate stonework outside of the abbey was breathtaking, I can only imagine what the inside could look like!

We then walked through a nice park and sat along the Thames River with a nice view of the London Eye. 

Liz and Patricia who are studying abroad in this great city are pictured above!  

We then headed to the Eye for our 5:30 ride on the ferris wheel that dominates London’s skyline! The timing of our ride was perfect.  As the night sky darkened the lights within the buildings and bridges surrounding the wheel lit all of the city of London!

(the building towards the right is known as the Shard, a very famous building in London that is know for its height, as it is the tallest building in London!)

After this we headed to dinner with Liz and Patricia in London’s chain Pizza Express. Don’t let the chain part fool you, the pizza was delicious! We then headed to our hotel to relax for a tiny bit (as we have been running this whole day on only 4 hours of sleep!) We then met Liz and Patricia and other friends from Fairfield studying abroad at Regents at a bar/club known as the KoKo- it is known to have the largest disco ball in London! The venue of KoKo was what made it so interesting. It used to be a theatre, so the chairs had been removed within the balconies and the orchestra seating was cleared for a large dance floor. There were two live bands and a fun DJ. We all caught second winds of energy to keep our dancing feet going after spending a whole day on them and taking 34,184 steps!  We were ready to sleep to say the least, but had to journey home via the night buses of London (it was a fun adventure and good snippet of what studying abroad is really all about.) We awoke early the next morning to head to the Tower of London and the Globe Theatre!

Now, running on a total of 5 hours of sleep (this was the ongoing theme of the trip) we headed to the Tower of London. As I was just in London with family this summer (shoutout to the fam!) I decided to take a boat along the Thames River to the London Eye and walk to Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre. The boat ride was a great and different way to see London. Here were some of the photos I snapped while cruising along the Thames. 

The Famous Tower Bridge and the Shard! The bridge is so pretty and really never gets old to look at!

Big Ben and some famous red buses that roam London’s busy streets. 

This was taken under the famous Millennium Bridge. 

After hopping off the boat at the London Eye, I took a walk back up the Thames River to Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre! My freshmen year high school self was so excited to take a tour of the known theatre I studied in English class with one of my favorite teachers. The Globe is placed right along the Thames river, even though its original location was a few feet back. The tour took us within the theatre under its famous thatched roof (the only one still to exist in London, as they are illegal from being extremely flammable) and our tour guide even did some reenacting of Shakespeare’s famous lines! Here are some pictures from the tour of the theatre:

As you can see, the roof does not cover the whole theatre. Back in Shakespeare’s time, plays were performed during the day and the natural sunlight was used to light the stage.

After this tour, we stopped for some lunch at a nice french cafe before heading into St. Paul’s Cathedral. The Cathedral is beautiful. It is very large and the vast ceilings are covered in mosaic interpretations of the saints along with biblical and holy scenes. The inside has many columns, soft archways, and domes that add to the cathedrals height and many intricate layers. We walked up 257 steps to the Whispering Galleries and then hiked up another 200+ stairs to the very top of St. Paul’s- which gave us a great 360 view of London. (I am sad to report that I left my fitbit in the hotel for this step-filled adventure). Here are some pictures from the Cathedral and the view from its tippy top!

Thats the shard to the right in the first picture and the left in the second. The bridge in the middle of the 2nd photo is the Millennium Bridge (it can been seen in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I when the dementors attack London and flip this bridge into the Thames!) You can peep the London Eye in the far right corner underneath the fog. 

After St. Pauls, we headed to the hotel to rest a bit before dinner. We then made our way to stop for a.....CHEEKY NANDOS!!! We had to go to Nandos while in London and experience what all the chatter about the well known fast food chain was about! It was different than what I thought it was going to be, but fun to say the least!

I got the plainish chicken and some garlic bread with mashed potatoes (despite the name of plainish it still had a little kick, I have a sensitive palate what can I say?)

We then headed back to Regents with Liz and Patricia and then to the area of Camden to embark on the Camden Pub Crawl! The crawl starts off at one bar to gather all the people participating (our group had about 35+!, it was crowded but that made it more fun!) We stopped at four pubs in total ending up at Camden’s Proud, a bar that was previously a horse stable! This was a fun adventure and definitely racked up our step count. I had my fitbit on for this journey and tracked over 20,000 steps! We were definitely ready for sleep and rest, but guess what! We got about 3.5 hours of sleep! 

We rose early the next morning to head to King’s Cross Station, home of the Hogwarts Express. Because it wasn’t the first of September, the barrier was sealed but that didn’t stop me from embracing my inner Harry Potter fan and pushing the trolley to head to Hogwarts! 

Departing from King’s Cross, we met up with Liz and Patricia (again! haha we couldn’t get enough of seeing our friends!) to head to Buckingham Palace. The palace is enclosed by large, regal gates and attracts many viewers to witness the changing of its guards- a pristine process involving guards in large, fuzzy hats, horses, and music!  The Queen was in, as the flag was flying atop the palace, and the changing of the guards was unique to see! 

(mind the heads of those in my shot)

(The Changing of the Guards in progress, peep the fuzzy hats!!)

Me and the large gates at Buckingham Palace!

After this exciting stop, we headed back to Camden for the famous Camden Market. The market is huge and has a variety of shops and stands to explore. There are crafts, artwork, handmade jewelry, and lots and lots of food to explore. There were food stands ranging from barbeque, to mac and cheese, to authentic Italian, Ethiopian, Venezuelan, and Mexican food to  pork buns, and even DESSERT! (large doughnuts and small dutch pancakes with Nutella!)  The market had an option for everybody but I went with the authentic Italian. I had homemade pasta that was made right in front of my eyes with butter and sage, hand crafted by a handsome Italian boy from Rome (he said he liked my accent, holla!!) 

As you can see, I was very pleased to be eating a heaping pile of fresh pasta and tomato and mozzarelle.

Here are some more photos of the market!

 (Peep all the Italian gold, aka the garlic)

(This is where I got my pasta. You can see the fresh dough, the presser, and the strands of pasta hanging on the rack to the left. You can even see the cute Italian boy from Rome- who was totally not the reason I took this photo;)

(My yummy, raspberry jam filled doughnut!)

After this, we went back to Regents University on a full and very satisfied tummy to make our way back to the airport! I stopped at the London Beatles Store on my way to the tube and then headed back to Stanstead airport with Kerry to embark on our journey home. 

Our time in London was a great change of pace. I missed being in a large city, navigating bustling streets, and commuting via public transportation. It made me miss home and the irreplaceable characteristics of NYC a little extra. I enjoyed riding the tube and love the sign for the Underground! Heres a nice little compilation of tube stops from my weekend in London.

A big thanks to Liz and Patricia and the rest of the stags in London who showed us a great time! It was great to see you guys! (Shoutout to Liz and Patricia who were fantastic tour guides the whole weekend!) 

Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it! Sending lots of love home, hope all is well!

Cheers,

Hello everybody! I am blogging today about another fun weekend, this time in Edinburgh, Scotland! It will be filled with pictures so be prepared scroll at your own pace!

This trip was mine and my roommates first true travel experience with more than one mean of transportation.  It all started in the wee hours of Friday morning, when we awoke from our 2 hour naps to catch a 2:15am bus to Dublin Airport. While arriving at the airport, going through security, and boarding our plane, we were all set to take off at 6:40am and head to Edinburgh, Scotland! 

Heres a picture of the propeller plane that we took- it was quite the bumpy, shaky, and windy experience but I am glad we made it to Edinburgh safely. And with inheriting my dad’s ability to sleep anywhere, I fell asleep for the turbulence!  (*Shoutout to dad!) 

Once landing in Edinburgh, we headed to check in to our hostel, The Castle Rock Hostel. While we had a couple of hours to spare before we were able to get into our room, we explored Edinburgh and the sights that must be seen when staying within this marvelous city. 

To give you a bit of information about Edinburgh, it is a city with many hills  located in Scotland that is separated into two parts, Old Town and New Town. Within Old Town, all the large hills are bordered with old, stone buildings that have a bit of a gothic look to them. The buildings ranged between light and dark greys, beiges, and dark browns with many points on their rooftops. This city was unlike any other city I have ever been to. It is so unique and untouched in a way that gives it such a defining character and charm. 

Here are some pictures within Edinburgh’s Old Town. 

This was one of the various cathedrals located in Edinburgh. 

Above is Edinburgh’s New Town in the early morning, clearly marked by the monument of Princes Street (more about that later!)

There is also a well known walk complied of several streets known as the Royal Mile within Old Town, where it received that name from its proximity to the Queens Palace. We walked this lovely mile to get to Arthurs Seat, passing many shops, a few bakeries, and of course cafes and restaurants. 

Arthurs Seat is a large hill located within Edinburgh that when at the top, a great view of the city can be seen! To get to the top was quite the hike, but it was exciting and the view was definitely worth it! While I was a bit shaken by the height of the hill and the distance everything else was below me, I was more shaken by the wind! There were such huge gusts that when taking pictures, I had to sit down because I would almost fall over! It was pretty entertaining at first because I couldn’t believe how strong the breeze was! 

Here are some pics hiking to the top of Arthur’s Seat and the view when we got there! 

Making our way up to the top! 

The journey was a straight incline pretty much the whole way up, with pathways depleting and rock formations taking their place. We had to channel our inner rock climbers when the paths started to vanish and we had no choice but to climb.

Not at the top yet! 

Now we made it to the very top of Arthurs Seat! 

Here are some of the great views that we had!

After this hike, we decided to keep our energy going with making our way to Calton Hill, another place in Edinburgh where more views of the Old Town can be seen.

Here are some views from the top of the hill:

This is the view of King Arthurs Seat from Calton Hill- the peak in the middle is where we climbed to the tippy top! 

There was also this large monument known as the National Monument of Scotland. It had many large pillars and was a cool photo spot!

(This one is in black and white, it wasn’t that grey, thankfully! Also, shoutout to those two strangers who wouldn’t move for the longest time but also made this pic a bit cooler! lol)

Nicole, Emma, and I at Calton Hill at the National Monument. 

After this, we headed down from the hill to do some exploring within a very popular street in Edinburgh, Princes Street, located in the New Town.  It is known for the Scott Monument, made in honor of Sir Walter Scott, a renown writer.  Although this part of Edinburgh takes the name of New Town, it isn’t that new. The buildings are around 200 years old, but they are  occupied with more modern things, like department stores.

Here is a slightly lopsided (whoops!) shot of the Scott Monument with a bagpiper in front! Nothing says Scotland more than a kilt! 

The street It is lined with big stores, restaurants, a mall, and the famous Blamoral Hotel- which is where J.K Rowling finished the 7th Harry Potter Book and carved her name in the furniture! 

To continue our Harry Potter kick, we headed to the Elephant House, which is where J.K wrote the first chapters of the series. It is a small cafe where one can get coffee, tea, sandwiches, and some desserts. There are articles about Rowling’s actions within Edinburgh, where she does have an apartment, and pictures of her within the cafe. 

The main attraction of the cafe, however is the bathroom. I know, a strange thing to say but it is true! All of the Harry Potter fans that have gathered to where J.K wrote the first chapters of our favourite story have left pieces of themselves and notes of gratitude to both the author and her characters on the bathroom walls, doors, and any other place where words could be written. It was moving and emotional to see how many people have been influenced by one author and one story that has touched so many childhoods and made long-lasting memories. The writings on the wall made the whole experience even cooler! Take a look:

We continued our own Harry Potter journey by strolling through Greyfriars Kirkyard, which is very close to the Elephant House and is where J.K herself has been said to stroll through from time to time. She even found the name for Tom Riddle on one of the headstones within the graveyard! We even saw a school that served as a bit of inspiration for Hogwarts! I was diggin the Harry Potter theme. 

We then stopped for some Scottish Whisky, which I was not fond of. I don’t understand how people would or could drink something that tastes like that, but to each his own I guess! Our next stop was more exploring of the streets of Edinburgh and a stop into the National Museum. It was am interesting museum with fun interactive exhibits and great models of a variety of animals, large and small!

Thats a mega sloth on the right! (Shoutout to Julie who really likes sloths lol)

Then we headed to dinner along the Royal Mile and back to our hostel for the evening, we had a long day filled with hikes, hills, and excitement with only about 4 hours of sleep! 

Our hostel is right next to the Edinburgh Castle! A large castle atop a hill in Edinburgh that looks fantastic both during the day and at night! 

Read on to hear about our second day in Scotland which included a tour of the Highlands! 

Hello Everyone! I hope your Monday is off to a good start and that your weekend was enjoyable! 

This weekend, my friends and I journeyed to County Cork. We ventured out early afternoon on Friday with a bus departing from Galway around 12:30. Once boarding the bus, my excitement was placed into full swing. I was looking forward to experiencing my first overnight travels with my friends, my first hostel stay, my second time kissing the Blarney stone, and to see my good friend Ned!

After our ride of nearly 2 and half hours, we finally arrived in Cork. After checking in at the hostel, we had some spare time  before meeting Ned for dinner, so we explored the county’s streets. Cork is much bigger than Galway and has more of a modern city feel. There is a river that flows through the main hub of Cork, known as the River Lee. It is lined on both sides with different shops and small, connected, colourful buildings. There are several bridges that cross the River Lee and can be accessed from different lengths and entrance points along the river. 

Nearing the city center after crossing the bridge, we came to a plaza filled with many big department stores and small side streets to take you into deeper, more quaint parts of the city streets. 

The city center, where many locals and tourists alike come to visit the stores and the pubs for a great day.

We ventured away from the main square onto some of the many side streets Cork had to offer. We found ourselves strolling along grid like streets that kept those walking organized and consistent (the New Yorker in me was fond of this aspect) and they were filled with a variety of shops, pubs, and a variety of restaurants. You could even see St. Fin Barre’s Cathedral, a well recognized cathedral within Cork, at the end of each road. 

One of the city’s side streets, Mutton Lane, is famous for the mural along the wall. This side street is famous for being used to hustle the sheep into the English Market back in the day!

We then made our way to The English Market, a very unique and popular market within Cork. It is a market filled with butchers, fish vendors, small cafes, tasty treats, and fresh jams. While we came a bit closer to closing time, we still caught glimpses of the various types of fresh meat and fish that the market is so famous for. There were even small patisseries, one which I frequented for a tasty strawberry tart!

I channeled the little kid within myself when I ate this delicious, sticky, and sweet treat with my bare hands and no napkins! No regrets though, it was so yummy!

Once time passed and the streets were explored, my friends and I headed to The Oliver Plunkett for dinner with Ned. It was great to catch up about our time in Ireland so far and tell each other new funny stories- it was nice to have another piece of home when we are so far from it (Shout out to Ned!!).  We ate yummy food and listened to the live band, who encouraged the audience to participate with some dancing. The crowd was enthusiastic and quite entertaining. There was an old group of men who were celebrating a birthday and some other tourists who were really enjoying the band and making the most out of their beers from the bar. It amounted to a fun night with lots of laughs spent in great company!

We then headed back to the Bru Bar and Hostel for a night cap accompanied by more live music. 

When it was time for bed, we ventured upstairs to our humble abode for the evening. 

To say the room was small wouldn’t do it justice. There was just enough room for the bunk bed, the small alcove that served as a closet, and the bathroom. 

Nicole and I shared the bottom bunk and Emma slept on the top! While it was a tight squeeze, we were thankful to have a place to sleep and hot showers. A night that was supposed to be filled with sleep, however, was filled with a bunch of surprises! The band directly below us didn’t stop playing their music until late in the evening, or I should say early in the morning. And finally, when the band stopped and we thought we would get some peace and quiet, the fire alarm went off! It was all taken in good spirits though and we will definitely remember our first hostel experience as a funny one! 

Continue reading if you want to hear about the Blarney Stone!

Hey everyone!! I hope you guys are keeping warm under all the snow back home! 

Here in Galway, the weather isn’t too bad. I knew there was going to be a lot of rain, so I came prepared mentally and physically with a great raincoat! The wind has been strong but we have had some sunny days and have seen several rainbows! I’m still searching for that pot of gold though! 

Heres a picture of our apartment, Donegan Court, in the sun light! 

If you look at the Donegan Court sign along the front of the building, the door underneath is the balcony that leads from mine and Emma’s bedroom. The round window all the way to the left on the same level and the door to the right of it open into our kitchen! We got lucky with our accommodation and are enjoying our new home!

Heres a picture of the sunrise (because I wake up early enough to see it before classes!) over the canal right outside our front door!

Another sunrise along the canal! 

With it being my third week in Galway, I have situated into my classes and even some clubs here at NUIG! There is an Irish dancing group that meets weekly and I find it so exciting that I am learning new steps within the country the dance originated! I also joined a martial arts club, known as Judo. It is a Japanese style martial art focused on grappling: which includes gripping your opponent and throwing them strategically to place them within holds they are unable to get out of. It is a bit difficult to explain, but I am learning so much! It is such a different style than any other martial art I have practiced which makes it so intriguing! The members of the club are fun to be around and the teacher, Colm, is excellent at portraying the art and encouraging his students.   

With my classes ending in the late afternoon (usually between 4-7) and following them with Irish dancing and Judo practice, I have been busy! But soon my course schedule will lighten and  my clinical placement will begin. I have been using my free time on the weekends to plan further trips and experience Galway to its fullest. I have frequented many pubs and sipped many (but not too many!) pints to embrace the Irish Culture. I have been trying different ciders and found myself fond of this one: Orchard Thieves (I love the name!)

 I even tried fish and chips at Mc Donagh’s (Shout out to the NYR Captain!) This was a big step because I don’t like fish, but I had to try the renown combo in Ireland. It was actually pretty tasty and didn’t taste like fish at all!! 

We also stopped in to a well recommended tea shop known as Cuppan Tea. The shop is small and has a quaint atmosphere. The windows are decorated with hanging tea cups, there are old photographs on the walls, small books on their shelves, and unique sugar bowls and tea pots littered on the tables different for each tea drinker!

(Disclaimer: the blackboard says Gentlemen of Galway: Fight the frills and eat it anyway, theres nothing girly about our food!) Great sign. 

While I’m not a big tea drinker, I did try a cup (but I didn’t like it very much). I was more fond of the breakfast, which was absolutely delicious! 

This past weekend, my friends and I also went to a rugby game! How exhilarating it was to watch! So much tackling, mud, and rules I didn’t know but all these aspects summed up for a great game and fun experience! The older men cheering on their team, with mostly tough love, made me giggle and miss my Ranger fans from New York. We saw the Connacht Eagles, who won 47-5!

On Sunday, we explored the local Galway Market again, and ate some delicious doughnuts! They were the perfect amount of fried with a crisp outside and doughy inside that was just right and extremely tasty!

I hope you are all doing well at home! Sending love as always!

This weekend my friends and I are headed to Cork to kiss the Blarney Stone, see a good friend (Shoutout to Ned!), and explore another unique city in Ireland. Enjoy your own weekend festivities!

Lots of love,

Cheers! 

Happy Tuesday to everyone! Another week of classes is underway here in Galway. The week was welcomed in with great spirits left over from a very enjoyable weekend! Saturday and Sunday were both packed with miles traveled, sights seen, and fun had! Strap on your best reading glasses because this blog post is going to be filled with great pictures taken and lots of memories recounted!

On Saturday, my friends and I headed to Connemara, a region in County Galway with the Galway Tour Company. Our bus departed at 10:00 to take us into Connemara. Throughout our journey, we stopped to take in the beautiful scenery and specialty landmarks along the way. We drove through County Mayo and saw two bodies of water, Lough Nafooey (Lake Nafooey) and Lough Mask. The lakes were outlined with rolling hills of green grass scattered with cute sheep here and there. Our chipper bus driver, who kept making enjoyable jokes and recounting historical stories, let us stop to take pictures of  in the Irish country side as much as we could.

The main destination was Kylemore Abbey, a beautiful abbey situated along a large lake. It was originally home to a family of 11 and then taken over by the Benedictine Nuns, who used it as a convent and a school for girls until it closed down in 2005. The vast grounds contain the large, mansion like abbey, the walled gardens, the church, and a mausoleum where some of the original family has been buried. There is a walk along the bed of the lake with a great view of the two mountains that you can see converging to form a fjord. Despite the fog and the grey atmosphere, the view was still wonderful. 

Kylemore Abbey and its reflection along its lake.

Here is a shot of the mountain range that faces the front of the abbey. (I took this in the hallway entrance, shooting out through the open door.) I like this photo a lot!

This is a foggy picture of the lake that reflected the mountains and the abbey within its still waters.

We also explored the gardens, which were filled with various types of flowers and well manicured lawns. Because of the month we are in, the flowers weren’t in full bloom but the lawns were green as ever. We then made our way to the church located on the grounds. The walk was along side the lake, calling for some great photo ops (which resulted in the first photo of this post!) and random findings of small streams and waterfalls stemming from the tops of the mountains that lurk behind the abbey.

A picture within the gardens of the abbey.

I jumped onto some of these rocks in this little stream located on the grounds to take this photo. I have realized I am becoming a bit more adventures while exploring-its great to expand my comfort zone!

Although the church is a small church, it did not lack presence. The outside had beautiful stonework and the inside had intricate stained glass windows and a small, quaint altar. The atmosphere within was comforting and almost every pew held a small history for those who they were dedicated to.

(I also lit a candle in thought of my parents, who took me to the abbey two years ago! **shoutout to mom and dad!!)

After our trip to Kylemore Abbey, we headed back to Galway with a few scenic stops along the way. We stopped at the Killary Fjord, where three mountain ranges diverge into a body of water. These mountains, made up of the 12 Bens and Maumturk Mountains on the South shore with the mountain of Mweelrea on the North shore, were pictured from the small village of Leenane.  The body of water between these mountains is a small strip of the Atlantic Ocean. There are lines of buoys that capture muscles, salmon, and lobster to provide popular, fresh fish for the locals of Leenane and other visitors of Ireland.

We then made our way to the Cong village, which is famously known for the movie The Quiet Man starring John Wayne. Here is a picture of me and my friend Nicole reenacting the statue representation of the Quiet Man.

The village was small and held its own monastery. Because of the rough weather Ireland has recently been receiving, the river in Cong overflowed parts of the village. There was one bridge that when crossed, the water came up to my low ankle. This did not stop me though! I trucked through the water and crossed the bridge to the other side. Once across, there was not much more adventuring to be done. There was just another bridge that photographed well.

That banister pictured on the left was the flooded bridge that I crossed. (Peep Nicole, Emma Julia, Colleen, and a random stranger!)

This demonstrates more flooding in the village of Cong.

This was the pretty bridge located after crossing the first one. It’s not flooded but is close to it! 

After our time in Cong, we ventured back onto the bus to make one more stop before returning to Galway at  the Ross Errilly Friary. We went around dusk and the large, green fields looked great against the darkening light blue sky.

More of the sky between the windows of the abbey. I really liked the contrast between the colours of the stone and the sky.

After this, we headed back to Donegan Court in Galway. We bought our Saturday to a close with some delicious meatballs and pasta, time spent with friends accompanied by fantastic live music in the pubs of Galway, and a great sleep for the next days plans. 

Read on if you want to see the next journey we took to the Cliffs of Moher!

How you all been keepin’?! I am hearing more little bits of the Irish lingo now that I have been in Galway for officially one whole week! The time is already flying fast and now with my class schedule finalized, I am eager to get into a routine.

With the start of a new week upon us, the first day of classes arrived on Monday, January 11th. To decrease last minute nerves before my classes, my friends and I explored the campus of NUI Galway to find our class buildings and gathering our bearings from one end of campus to another. NUIG is a large university! There are many different buildings with large lecture halls dedicated to the subject each building hosts. The nursing building is at the tip of campus. It is a great facility with many lecture rooms and extensive SIM Labs- I wish I could use them but the classes I am taking here don’t call for it. 

(The nursing building on the left known as the Aras Moyola Building. The school of health studies (so premed, OT and even speech and language,) and nursing and midwifery is in here!) **Shoutout to Elizabeth, Jen, and Alison for being the coolest SLPs I know!**

The main hub of campus is known as the Concourse. It is a long strip of hallway that has branches into lecture theaters (thats right, theaters!!!).  There is also a nice lunch spot known as Smokey’s along the concourse with sandwiches and soups for lunch options. It is where I am currently sitting, writing this blog post! 

(the windows stretch along the whole concourse, making it nice and bright when the sun decides to shine!)

Another known landmark of the campus is known as the quadranagle. It is a beautiful part of campus that is frequently photographed. Sadly, there are no classes held within the building but rather administrative offices and such. That is the first picture of this post! Its gorgeous! I can’t wait to see it when more flowers bloom later in the year. 

(When you walk in through the main entrance- the symmetry is perfect throughout the whole space!)

There are many archways and four red doors located on each wall of the quadrangle  that are intricately outlined by growing vines and branches. 

This was photographed through the archways present along the back of the quadrangle. 

And this is what you see from the outside of the quadrangle! 

It is a a great view and never gets old to look at! 

After exploring NUIG, we met up with one of Nicole’s family friends who is a Galway local. She gave us the nitty gritty information on Galway and names of the best pubs to hear great music and have great craic! (thats the Irish term for “fun” or “great times”). After that, we stopped to try some recommended pizza at Dough Brothers off of Shop St. They serve a variety of individual pizzas with buffalo mozzarella that are wood fired- it was delicious! Not what I was expecting in Ireland, to be honest, so I was pleasantly surprised and happily full! 

(My pizza with buff mozzarelle, shreded ham, balsamic onions, and some delicious sauce!) 

We finished the Sunday with a great meal and some well needed rest to prepare us for the first day of classes that was quickly approaching.

The first day of classes went by quickly. I am taking some nursing courses that don’t seem too difficult and I am looking forward to see how they progress. My schedule is a fully packed for the month of January but after the 2nd week of February, some of the classes die down and I have more free time that will be filled with 42 hours of clinical work. I don’t know what I’ll be doing in the University Hospital, but I am sure I will learn a lot and expand my skills. 

We topped the Monday evening off with a night cap at Tig Coili, a pub along Shop St that is known for the live, traditional music nightly. It was great to listen to the music with friends and share a pint in the small pub. The music never fails to make me smile and it always makes me so happy to hear! 

My Stonewell Cider! Its not too sweet but not too bitter- its just right! 

I hope everyone is doing well at home! I miss everyone but am glad to have your support! I am truly lucky to have people who make my home so easy to miss! 

Lots of love to all, 

Cheers!

Hello again everyone, I hope you all are enjoying your weekend at home!!

Friday afternoon, after scheduling some of my nursing classes and doing a bit of exploration around Shop street, I headed back to the apartment

My first weekend in Galway is off to a great start! Last night the evening festivities started with most of the Fairfield Students meeting up and heading to some of the popular pubs in town. They are deceivingly large and have many hidden rooms, staircases, and bars within them; they are a great little adventure to explore with friends!

We stopped in at a pub known as the Front Door. At the hour we went, the pub transitioned a into a bit more of a night time, party atmosphere for young adults. There was fun music and lots of people to make the time pass enjoyably!

Our next stop was  to a pub known as the Quays (pronounced the Keys). This was the last and my favourite stop of the night. Through many staircases and a balcony that overlooked the dance floor, we found a marvelous live band- A full set, professional bad that was basically free to hear! They filled the pub with a “rockin’” atmosphere and played great music to dance to (including a very popular favourite, Galway Girl). The dance floor was filled with cheers, voices singing along to the great hits, and everyone dancing and enjoying the company of those around them! I also think it might have a close to a reherseal dinner or something wedding related because there were blow up groomsmen and balloon wedding dresses. None the less, it was still a great time!!

We slept in to Saturday morning and then headed to Riordan’s for a nice Irish Breakfast. I had a full Irish breakfast served with one egg, beans, potatoes, sausage, bacon, and a tomato. It came with bread and tea/coffee too! it was delicious!

After this yummy meal, we headed to the Galway Market to peruse some local artists and fresh foods. I didn’t take any pictures, but I will defiintly be going back again. The market is there on Church Yard St almost every weekend and is filled with locals who make and sell jewelry, fresh leather belts and key chains, and unique, interesting house decratives. There are also little food booths with curry and another homemade doughnut stand! After walking along the market, we stopped into St. Nicholas’s Church.

It is a small Church frequented by many locals.

A side alter in the church.

Candles lit in memory of loved ones. I lit in honor of all of my grandparents. (shout out to gram!!)

After this, we did some grocery shopping for dinner for the next couple of nights! We have been walking every where, I am averaging almost 25,000 steps daily!! Woohoo!!

Today and yesterday we had some sun, which was really nice! My friends and I went on a nice run out to Galway bay along the pier, the views were so beautiful it made the cardio much easier!!

These were some of the great views from my run along Galway Bay. Beautiful! 

Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend at home! Sending hugs!!

Cheers,

Hello there everybody! I am writing from my apartment’s kitchen table, excited to account yesterday’s adventure. 

It all started at an early 5:30am (Ireland Time), when I arrived at Shannon Airport. After waiting in the customs line and picking up my baggage, all of the other Fairfield students meet to take a bus to the apartments we are staying in here at Galway. The apartments are located in great area that is close to both the city center and the campus of NUIG. After arriving, my roommates and I had some time to kill, so we shopped around the main Galway city, gathering supplies for our apartment. 

The apartment is  Donegan Court and I am sharing mone with my roommates,  Emma and Nicole. We have been friends for a while and they are lovely to live with! It has a kitchen and sitting area with a reasonably sized four person table. There are two bedrooms, one with two single beds, which is where I am staying with Emma, and one with a single bed. The bathroom is a little tight and the shower has been giving us some issues, but the handyman available, Donald, is very nice and accommodating. It also got recently painted! 

(This is mine and Emma’s room in the mist of unpacking. Not pictured are two desks mounted into the wall and one closet. You read right, one closet for two girls! Don’t worry, we are managing quite well! **Shoutout to Poley!!!) 

Another perk to our apartment is the entrance. The apartment entrance is not located within the courtyard like the others but rather it is along the sidewalk of the canal. So we have two balconies available to us and plenty of windows that look over the calm waters. 

(Front door off of the sidewalk with one balcony pictured to the left.)

To top it off, the location of the apartment is great! It is about a 7 minuet walk to Galway Bay and the peer that brings you to the edge of it. The body of water in Galway Bay is known as the Corrib River (I believe), and the canal outside of our window (Eglington Canal), leads into the river.  So I can walk along the canal in either direction of my door step and still be led to one of the main parts of Galway, Shop Street. 

(The white building in the top left corner is our apartment, and this is Englington Canal that flows into the greater river, Corrib.)

(A bit of Galway Bay with a nice rowing boat.)

(My roommates, Emma (middle) and Nicole (end) on the pier at Galway Bay. Its a bit windier and chillier by the water!!) 

My roommates and I have done lots of shopping for household supplies within these first two days. We’ve purchased garbage bags, kitchen towels, cleaning products, some warm slippers, and even cozy blankets to spruce up our rooms. I have made new friends already with other Fairfield students I have never gotten the opportunity to know before. We all took a campus tour together today and had lunch at a close by sandwich shop, Wards. 

The atmosphere in Galway can’t help but put a smile on your face. Almost every pub is filled with live music and has a comforting atmosphere of low ceilings, old wood panels, and Christmas lights. The streets are buzzing with locals, students, and tourists eager to explore the shops and visit their favorite pubs. 

Galway has been great so far! 

Sending lots of love to everyone back home.

Cheers!

Hello everyone! Welcome to my blog dedicated to documenting my study abroad experience.

 In just a few short hours, I will be embarking an incredible journey! I will be leaving to spend my second semester as a junior nursing student at the National University of Ireland, Galway (NUIG). 

I am super excited to take part in experiencing my nursing education in another country. Not only will I be hitting the textbooks filled with nursing knowledge, but I will also be hitting the hospital to engage in clinical hours in settings I’ve never experienced before! I am extremely excited to learn from a unique culture that I have always held so dear to my heart.

As many of you know, I have not a single drop of Irish blood running through my veins. While I am of an Italian background, I have grown up around one of my favorite parts of Irish culture, their music. I have been Irish dancing since the age of five and it has been a part of my life that has always made me happy. The music combined with the dancing always lifts my spirits. Needless to say I am looking forward to the musicality of Galway and the never ending jigs and classic Irish ballads that will be playing in the pubs. 

I want to keep track of all of my adventures and journeys I take while abroad, not only in Ireland but hopefully in other parts of the wondrous world. I am eager to learn and explore and gain an extraordinary experience! 

I would love to keep you all updated! I will miss my family and friends, but I want them all to know that out of sight is not out of mind!