My Home Across the Pond

Realization of our trip’s end officially set in with a reception dinner. Dressed in our best, we gathered in the Park Hotel’s formal dining area to formally thank the town for our experience and to acknowledge the sanctity of our international union. We listened as professors, students and council members expressed an appreciation for our union. At every other ceremony that I have ever been to, the repetition becomes tiresome. Thanks to this person; thanks to that person; when can we leave? The sincerity of this town has made the words spoken that night unmistakably genuine and unfathomably true.

As we said our final goodbyes, sadness consumed us. We weren’t just parting with a country; we were parting with an experience; with our new friends and with what we learned to call home. After clearing out the last of my things, I sat on my bed in silence. The empty room that I first came to was different than the one I now sat in. My experiences gave it meaning and in many ways they gave me meaning.

One-hundred-thousand thanks to the town of one-hundred-thousand welcomes.

One Final Excursion

In the Irish spirit of “Carpe Diem” a group of us made one final excursion, this time to The Copper Coast and Mahon Falls. Each of these destinations is on the southern coast of the island but is distinctively beautiful. The Copper Coast gets its names for its once mined metal industry. The word “Industry” portrays imagery converse to its stunning shoreline. I sat there admiring it, starring off into the clear ocean water. I was sitting at the end of the vast world; a grain of sand on an ocean washed shore. On the ride to Mohan Falls, I sat and thought about the triviality of any one being in this infinite world. Perhaps Keats sat upon this same shore in his own realization.

We stopped at the Mahon Falls on our way back to the hotel. Who knew that this natural wonder was right in our backyard? Mahon Falls is a sixty-meter waterfall that rushes over a divergence of small mountains. There is beauty in the symmetry. The air made my lungs proud as I gazed upon the mystic setting. Even the water tasted more pure.

A Gentleman's Game

With merely two weeks remaining, our Ireland adventure was concluding. Although this made us sad, we still had a lot to celebrate. We had already experienced nine unforgettable weeks, and with class already at a close, we had the chance at Irish leisure without constraint. Sounds like trouble, right?

Our time was spent celebrating some birthdays and playing a simulation of golf; you know, the gentleman’s game.

Pub golf is a very complex game. Let me explain. It is a partner game (a scramble, so to speak). Each pair of players makes their way through 18 different pubs, drinking a pint of beer at each one. Strokes are counted as lifts to the mouth (a complete chug being a hole-in-one). There are also two bunkers, where shots are to be taken and two water hazards, where bathrooms may not be used.

One of the “golfers” suggested an addendum that brought an entirely new dimension to the game. We created a variety of awkward, yet humorous sentences, to be chosen at random. If one of these were to be said to a stranger, a stroke would be subtracted from that team’s score. “ You would look great in Periwinkle”.

Okay, “simulation” may not be the best word choice, and “gentlemen’s game” may be a stretch, but I think we kept our composure quite well considering our aggressive drinking approach. When in Ireland, do as the Irish do, Right? Until morning, we stood along side some of our Irish friends and did it the Irish way. We danced to songs of laughter and drank to songs of sadness; singing all along. No amount of nausea or degree of aching head could diminish the joy that the nights companionship has brought me.

Scotland Part 2

After a good night's rest, we grabbed some breakfast and continued our exploration of Edinburgh. We had some ideas of what we wanted to do that were brewed up in our previous explorations. We planned on: visiting the Our Dynamic Earth Museum, visiting Edinburgh Castle and further exploring the Royal Mile. The Royal Mile is pretty interesting. It is the city's largest tourist spot, it is composed of a variety of small shops and historical sites; which for me was reminiscent of Paris, on a smaller scale of course. We walked this route to and from the Museum, making our journey an event in its own.

The Our Dynamic Earth Museum is a unique experience. It is a science center that offers information on the processes and cycles of the earth. This two and a half hour experience consists of a variety of visual displays and videos. We really enjoyed the videos and learned a variety of new things about the way the earth works. I recommend it on a rainy day or for a nice relaxing experience.

After the exhibit, we headed back up the Royal Mile towards the Edinburgh Castle. After some souvenir shopping, we arrived at the castle. The castle was not a very good experience for us. Besides the fact that a camera was stolen from us here, we found that the castle did not have much to offer other than its aerial views of the surrounding city. I do not recommend a visit here.

After our castle visit, we were ready for some food. It was our last night in Scotland, so we felt like doing it big for dinner. A bottle of wine and a nice italian meal made the day complete and also made us pretty tired. With an early flight the next morning, we gave in to our fatigue and called it a night, but first we went for a final walk down the beautiful streets of Edinburgh. We took a good look at the gardens, monuments and castles against the night sky. Truly a site to see.

Scotland

In the last weekend of April, we scheduled an excursion to Scotland. The trip started off quite smoothly. We were able to skip out on the hassle of sleeping in the airport, due to another grand gesture by Tom Keith. He called and paid for a taxi ride the morning of our flight. This gave us a chance to go into the trip well rested. As we made our way to the airport, I sat and enjoyed the silence of the early morning drive. I thought about the calmness a driver must find when the roads are clear. At times like these, the job looks pretty appealing, especially when you are in a smooth riding Mercedes like this one.

The driver left us in perfect time to catch our flight. The airport process was a lot smoother than it had been on previous trips. I guess it gets easier with experience. I also have gotten pretty good at packing. I have managed to fit a weeks clothes into a small backpack, not to mention my notebook and sketchbook which I brought to keep me occupied on the plane. The plane ride always seems shorter when you keep busy. I spent this one getting ready for final- so take that back, sometimes it seems longer.

The stuff I was studying actually has a lot to do with my experiences here. Its amazing how many creative minds have sprung from this small island, it got me thinking about how inspiring the land can be.

After our plane landed, we had a short bus ride to our hostel. Having bee surprised by our previous sleeping arrangements, we set no expectations for this one. After all, it was the cheapest one at only 12 Euro a night.

The hostel was much different than I had expected, in a good way. Its halls were covered with really interesting graffiti art ( intentionally put there by the owners), which gave it a hip modern appeal. The hostel also included a bar, kitchen and dining area. Not bad.

After we unloaded our things, we set off on our first day of adventures.

We started off with a stroll down Princes street, stopping at spots such as: the National Gallery, Royal Scottish Academy, the Scott Monument and the Princes street Gardens. All of these sites were interesting in their own way. The gardens were absolutely beautiful, serving as foreground to distant castles and government buildings. We eventually made our way northeast to a place called Calton Hill. This area was one which was elevated over most of the city. It included sites such as the City Observatory, the National Monument and the Nelson Monument. The National Monument was a pretty epic site. It consisted of a recreation of the Greek Parthenon, well part of it anyways. Midway through the replication of this unbelievable structure, Scottish funds ran low and the project was brought to a stop. Bummer, because what they had was beautiful, especially against its natural surroundings.

From this site we headed south to the Palace of Holyroodhouse. The Holyroodhouse is probably my favorite palace that i've visited thus far. It is the official residence of Scotland's monarch. Maybe it was the audio headset, but my attention did not wander from the interesting stories of the palace and its occupants, that is until I saw the Scottish Parliament.

The Scottish Parliament was of particular interest to me, due to its unique and brilliant post- modernistic design. The architect of the building is Enric Miralles and this is definitely the jewel of his work. He explains the building's design as inspiration from upturned boats, sprays of green leaves connected by twigs, and when viewed from above, a shimmering shoal of fish. He designed the building to be a part of the area's landscape, running the building right into the base of Scotland's extinct volcano. Just looking at this building inspired me.

After our visit to Parliament, it had been a pretty long day for us. Our plan was to grab some food and relax. What better way to relax than the premier of Iron Man 2? Oh yea, they have something called V.I.P sitting, which we got, which included leather reclining chairs and ice cream. Yep, living the dream. And in case you were wondering, the movie was excellent. Do you know how in sequels and trilogies the movies gradually get worse? This one didn't. Two thumbs up!