St. Patrick's Hill

This afternoon we climbed to the top of St. Patrick's Street -what a trek! Reminds me a bit of Montmarte in Paris. But the view from the top was amazing. We could see the whole city and the green beyond! This picture was taken by Andrea (my camera is out of commission) as she peeked over a stone wall. It was a lovely, sunny day!

"The Best 12 Euro I've Ever Spent"

Last night Andrea, Stina, Tanja and I went over to some Irish college students' house (Andrea met them through the Ultimate Frisbee club). They invited us to go see a concert of a group called East 17. They described them as the "original boy band" before America had the Backstreet Boys. After watching a few of their music videos on the Internet, I knew that seeing this early 1990s group perform would be hilarious. The group members now must be in their thirties or forties, and it was funny how they still wore '90s clothes. I felt like I was 13 again seeing 'NSync with Aunt Laurie and Carrie! All of the Irish young people in the crowd were so excited to see this group from their childhood. And the best part was that it was held in a large pub (where I actually had a wonderful lunch last week). We drank Beamish and chatted for a few hours before the show. And I finally learned that the distinct smell of Cork City (that I thought was from bread baking in restaurants!) is actually from the Beamish factory. All of the "lads" told me I had to go on a tour of the Beamish brewery before it closes because it is so close to Cork's heart. As they all complained about the recession (as is the constant topic over here) our friend said "This is the best 12 euro I've ever spent!"

Kinsale

Today we had quite an exciting day trip! Five of us ventured to Kinsale, which is a 30-minute bus ride from Cork. It's on the southern tip of the Island and is also known for its history. We luckily timed our trip before it rained! As we walked around the quaint, colorful town, we saw a miniature train parked on the road (which we thought was for children). It turned out to be a trolley to take tourists up to Charles Fort!





The ride up the hill was breathtaking. We could see the entire town and a beautiful green coastline along the blue waters of the River Bandon. Tours of the fort are only held during tourist season, but an employee gave us a brief overview of the landmark's significance. In short, Charles Fort has been used from the 1601 defeat of the Spaniards to providing barracks during World War I. After walking around for an hour, we found shelter from the wind in Dino's Fish and Chips, and we can't wait to visit again when it's a bit warmer!

Slainte! (Cheers!)

Dia dhuit, (Hello)

One of the classes I am taking is Introduction to Modern Irish, where I will learn to speak some Irish (a form of Gaelic). The first class was quite intimidating, but I suppose it is always scary to learn a new language. I'm used to the Romantic languages, and this is a Celtic language. Before coming here, I didn't realize that Irish is the official language of Ireland. All government documents are written in Irish and all signs must have the Irish and English names. All children are taught Irish in school (and must pass a proficiency test to advance to university). The history of the language is remarkable, but I won't be boring with all of that. But as my professor put it today, "A country without a language is a country with a soul." By venturing to learn this language, I hope to be immersed into the Irish culture and feel some of that Irish pride.

Slan! (Goodbye)

Blarney

There is one word to describe our brief trip to Blarney: drenched. We picked the worst day and the worst part of the day to go. It rained the entire time, which was OK once when retreated to a pub with a fire. This picture is of Aileen and me in the dog kennel at the bottom of Blarney Castle. I was proud that I made it to the top of the castle and relieved that the wind didn't blow us all away! It was hailing once we got to the top. I did not kiss the Blarney Stone, and a man I met from Blarney at a pub last night said "Thank you! I don't understand why Americans do that." If I understood the significance, I would have, but being in the castle was special enough for me. Today my Irish roommate told us that on TV the news casters were telling people not to travel. Although it was a messy day, I will never forget it!

Irish Beer

This advertisement is definitely the best one in Cork, so I thought I would share. I have had my pint of Guinness, but I have greatly enjoyed trying the other Irish beers. I never knew how many were so similar to Guinness, such as Murphy's. The beer Beamish is brewed here in Cork (very close to where I live) and is being bought by Miller. It is probably my favorite dark Irish beer, and it's the cheapest since it's local. I haven't enjoyed the Irish cider, Bulmer's, as much as I thought I would. My Irish roommates made fun of me for drinking dark beers. They say it's a "man's" drink. Most women drink wine, cider or liquor. I however am taking advantage of the good Irish ale! Cheers!

Rain

I'm finally experiencing the rain! The locals say it usually rains and then goes away so to always carry an umbrella. But today is one of those times that it rains all day. It doesn't pour down (as it often does in VA and NC) but the wind is brutal. Most locals use umbrellas, but I found it annoying with the wind. Luckily I have an awesome North Face rain jacket that does not allow a drop through. The locals also do not wear rain boots - I suppose it's not fashionable. They wear variations of leather boots and shoes. Now I am warm in my apartment with my pants drying on a rack over my heater...

Having some craic

One of Carrie's friends warned me about this word craic - it is slang for fun. Cat and I got a good taste of that word on our cab ride into Cork last Sunday. I think he said "it's good craic" or "to have some craic..." in every sentence. Cat took some pictures last night so I thought I'd share them! We had some American and Danish students over to our apartment and then went out to An Brog for some pints. The first picture is at the bar/pub (from left to right) Aileen from the University of Scranton, Cat, me, Tanja and Stina from Copenhagen, and Tiffany from Iowa State. The second picture is of Cat and me in our living room/kitchen.

Why have bread?

Without butter? Many of us live by this and I found our mecca in Cork today. On a "heritage tour" of Cork given by students today, we stumbled upon the Cork Butter Museum in the Shandon area. During the 19th century, Cork was the center of international trade of butter. We did not go in the museum today, but I'm sure I will at some point. The brand Kerrygold came from this city and is the main butter product of Ireland. This was something I did not know about Cork or Ireland!

St. Peters and Pauls Church was one of my favorite churches today because it was full of light and had beautiful architecture (built in the mid- nineteenth century). Most of the structures in Cork are no older than 200 years old because of destruction during wars.

Market and traveler's checks

Yesterday Cat and I ventured to the "English Market" which is a sort of farmer's market in the city. Once you walk through the gates, it's as if you are in a small town. Butchers, fruit, fresh bread, vegetables, wine, fresh sweets, you name it. Everything was much cheaper than the grocery store, and it's on the way home from campus. Our favorite find so far! (Speaking of grocery shopping, bags are not provided as grocery stores so bring your own! Luckily I had a net one with me- a wonderful Christmas gift!- but they charge you up to 2 euro to use a plastic bag.)

Today I went to the bank to ask about my Euro traveler's checks. Apparently no one accepts them here like we accept American traveler's checks in the States. I cashed some of them since I haven't been able to use them, and it had a EUR4 fee. I asked why there wasn't a fee when I deposited my American traveler's checks, and the teller said that they like those because of the exchange rate (currently 1.395 to the euro). So if you get traveler's checks, only get American ones because there is no charge to cash them.

My first nun

I met my first nun today! As Cat and I were wondering about town, she asked if we needed directions. She was wearing a normal scarf, hat and coat, but then she said she was a sister of Bon Secours (a convent in town). She gave us a bunch of history lessons about Cork and we talked for a good 15 minutes. She encouraged us to hike up St. Patricks hill (which is at the very end of the street that we live parallel to) because it had the best view of the city. Although it's so steep that the Tour de France cyclists couldn't get up it... When it isn't 20 degrees we shall attempt it! She pointed us to the Saint Fin Barre's Cathedral, which is a famous landmark in Cork (pictured). Townspeople living in the hills petitioned against builders who almost blocked the view of the cathedral, so there are some interesting shaped condos on the blocks surrounding it.

First class

I had my first class tonight! "Introduction to Irish History for Visiting Students." The lectures are from 6-8pm every Tuesday. We alternate professors after two lectures, so we will get a taste of 5 different Irish historians and professors. Tonight we started with the "Great Famine" which was an eye opener to say the least! I also got my cell phone and opened my bank account at the Bank of Ireland today. Much to do as an "immigrant!" The town is just lovely - especially at night. I feel like I'm in New York City at times. Except that there are certain times when the streets are dead and others when they are packed. We found the "Everything 2 Euro" store today which was great! An Irish dollar store! Tonight I hung out with my roommates and we compared Irish and American traditions. They said it's funny to hear our "Southern" traditions because they only see American TV shows and movies that take place in the north or in California. They thought all Americans are loud and city folk. They loooove Grey's Anatomy here! We finally have our "tele" (not teev as I said before) but we only have 4 channels. Many American shows come on, but there are Irish news and soap operas. Hopefully I will upload some pictures tomorrow!

I'm Here!

The trip went as planned, but I unfortunately did not sleep on the plane so it was a long day. I have been awake from 7:30am on Saturday until 5:30pm Sunday (US time). We had a driver take us directly to our apartment building in Cork from Shannon Airport (a good 2 hour trip) instead of taking the epic bus ride. It's a lot more money, but boy was it worth it! Cat (another student from NC State) is one of my roommates, along with two Irish students - Anna and Hannah. They have been very friendly and we've had some great conversations so far - everything from "Desperate Housewives" TV show to President-elect Obama. Their last roommate left with the "teev" so they are looking forward to borrowing one soon from Hannah's boyfriend. We have already seen some American students about town, and we are anxious for orientation tomorrow morning.