Goodbye Ireland, Hello Italy

I'm currently sitting in the Dublin airport bored and hungover. =( Yuck! I don't know why I decided that drinking 5 pints of beer last night was a good idea! Anyhoo, I'm filled with mixed emotions. I am very sad to leave Galway- it truly feels like I'm leaving my home away from home. It's hard to be excited about Italy right at this moment, but I'm sure that will change as soon as I step off the plane into Rome.

I finally find myself missing home. The other day Amanda and I saw a street performer from the States. We were wondering why he sounded funny when we realized we actually missed the American accent. Sometimes it would amaze me to think that we (the Irish and Americans) speak the same language, as we often have difficulty understanding one another. I am excited to go back to consuming my normal diet and drink "normal" tasting diet coke! I can feel all the beer I have consumed these past couple months around my waistline. Oops! Back to healthy eating as soon as I get home! =)

Today will be a long day of travelling. I have a five hour lay over here in Dublin and then another 3 hour layover in Milan. Apparently I wanted to give myself plenty of time! I arrive in Rome at 9:30pm this evening and hopefully will have enough energy to maneuver myself to the train station and figure out how to get to the city centre with my little Italian. (I have neglected my Italian language studies the entire time I've been in Galway!) If I feel too tired or lazy, I may just splurge on a cab. We'll see what happens tonight. Well, thats all I have for now and my internet is going to time out soon. I don't know how my internet access will be in Italy, but I will try to post at least once while I'm there. If not possible, I will be sure to post about it as soon as I get home. Time for some vino.....ITALY, here I come!

Danielle recants a statement...

Okay, okay, okay, a few blog entries back I said something along the line of, "the Irish are not known for their cuisine." Well, I have since been chastised by Ireland Garrett for that statement and last night he made me sit down to a traditional Irish dinner. Let me tell you the story....

So, we're walking along the streets of Galway trying to decide on what to have for dinner, where I.Gar. gets the idea to have Irish cuisine. Here are my thoughts on Irish cuisine: First of all, does anyone know what Irish cuisine entails? I know I sure didn't. But anyhoo, anything "Irish" that I have ever eaten has a particular spice or seasoning of sort that I do not care for. I don't hate it, I just don't like it and I have no idea what exactly it is. They put it in everything from their soups to their gravy to their potatos, etc. So, determined to prove me wrong we stop at a place called "Finnegans: Traditional Irish Cuisine."

We start by observing the menu posted outdoors. It read something like follows: "Traditional West Coast Ireland Chowder" (check), "Shephard's Pie" (check), "Irish Stew" (check), "Lasagna" (hmm...), "Vegetarian lasagna"(?), "Chicken Kiev" (wait a minute!) and to top it all off: "Pizza!" (what the ?). Okay, we say, so not the most traditional Irish menu, but there's something on there to try anyway. We go inside where old 80's pop hits play over the radio and are seated across from a picture of the poet Yeats where I promptly make the mistake of stating that I studied him during my British Literature major...haha! Ooops, Yeats is from Ireland and when you're in Ireland that is not the same difference! Oh well, my faux pas. On to dinner...

We both order Shephard's Pie. To this point I really have no idea what it is, but it had once been highly recommended by I.Gar. and so I decide to give it a try. We also decide to order a pint with dinner. "I'll have a pint of Carlsberg, please." To which our waitress responds, "You can't. The only thing we have on tap is Budweiser, Heineken, and Guinness." Ha ha, okay, I'll take a Bud.

So anyway, it was a very enjoyable dinner I must admit. I truly enjoyed my Shephard's pie and ate almost all of it! There is nothing quite like having a delicious Irish meal while sipping a Bud listening to old 80's pop hits under the watchful eye of William Butler Yeats...=)

I don't want to leave Ireland.

I know it may be a little premature to be worrying about going home as I am yet only half way done with my program, but even the thought just makes me so sad. I don't want to go home. Sure, I miss my family, my friends, and of course my cat, Pangur Ban, but I just love it here and I can't help it. Maybe you all should just move here?!?

I love everything about Ireland. Everything is beautiful and a million shades of green. The weather is unpredictable and it often rains while sunshining much to my curiosity, but it all just makes it more delightful. The pubs are so old and charming with their walls made from stone and wood. They feel ancient and I'm sure house a million stories. I love the music here as well and it is everywhere. Galway is known to be a very artsy city, but never have I been surrounded by more musicians and street performers. Everywhere you go musical notes waft from the pub doors onto the street, mingling with the noise of the crowds and performers outside playing for your spare change.

The people are truly what make Ireland and Galway the magical place that it is. Though frequently harangued by the taxi drivers on American politics and their dissatisfaction with the current administration, the majority of people are overwhelmingly friendly. When at the bar, the bar tender doesn't ask you if you want anything, instead they look at you and say "are you okay?" It always makes me giggle a little as that is my cue to order. When they serve your drinks you are given a friendly, "cheers!" Instead of "excuse me" here everyone just says "sorry." And if you you're the one uttering the "sorry" it is always met with a "no worries." The phrase I hear most often when checking out at any retail store is "thanks a million!" Amanda and I are fortunate to meet many people when we go out. I think our tan skin draws us some attention (everyone here is pale!) and we use that to our advantage. People are always eager to talk to us and find out what we are doing in Galway and whether or not we are having a good time. Galway city is very welcoming indeed. I have also come to the conclusion that every Irishman knows the details of Boston metro. As Amanda is from Boston, she is always met with a "where abouts in Boston?" much to my surprise. Even more surprising is that when she tells them specifically what part of Boston, they are always familiar. I, on the other hand, am not entirely certain that even a small percent of the Irish know where the State of Minnesota is located in the Union. If they are familiar, I am usually met with a "that's by Chicago, isn't it?" I usually just stick with, "It's by Canada." Or, if I don't feel like explaining I'll just say that I am from Boston as well. Thinking about it, there are a lot of Irish people running around thinking that I am from Boston, but that's okay, what do they care anyway?

In any case, I love it here. I still have three weeks to go so I'm not going to worry just yet, but it makes me sad to see the time flying by so quickly. This truly is an experience of a lifetime.