Ireland – Page 2 – Journals from Abroad

February 28, 2023

The “Ghosts” of Study Abroad Past, Present, and Future

Hello! Long time, no talk. I am back after a midterms-induced hiatus to bring you yet another blog post.

5 years ago, a high schooler from Denmark found his way to my high school in Oregon for a year abroad. In the years since, Johan and I have managed to keep in touch over Snapchat and other forms of social media. So, when I knew that I would be spending a semester in Europe, he was one of the first people I told. We quickly crafted a plan for him to come spend a weekend in Galway, and I got to hang up my tourist cap and become the tour guide.

a cafe table with two mugs full of coffee and two plates, each with a lemon meringue tart — coffee and a lemon meringue tart to fuel our city exploration

bins full of stuffed animals — “artist’s alley”, or the vendor’s area of Akumacon, the University of Galway’s annual anime and manga convention

a canal with rows of buildings on each side — one of the canals that feeds into the Atlantic Ocean

We spent most of Friday and Saturday exploring downtown Galway. We went to the cathedral, strolled down Shop Street, stopped at an adorable café, walked the nature trail that runs by the University of Galway, popped our heads into Akumacon (the anime and manga convention held at the University every year), and eventually found our way to the Galway Museum and its accompanying visitor’s center. At the visitor’s center, we asked about fun things to do and the employee pointed us to a pamphlet about the Aran Islands.

a nature trail with rees on either side — part of the nature trail that runs alongside the university’s campus and the Corrib River

an old stone building with an arched gate in the middle — an old building we found on our walk

a river, on the opposite bank are ruins of a stone castle — We spotted Menlo Castle from across the river!

24 hours later, we were on a bus headed 45 minutes west to the town of Rossaveel to catch a 45 minute ferry to the island of Inis Mór (Inishmore), the largest of the three Aran Islands. Upon arrival, we headed to the only supermarket on the island to grab sandwiches and coffee. What we should’ve grabbed in addition to our lunchtime spread was cash from the ATM, as many of the stores on the island only take cash, and the supermarket closes early on Sunday. But, hey, at least we know for next time!

two people sitting on a ferry. The person on the left is a young woman wearing a teal jacket and a yellow shirt. The person on the right is a young man wearing a brown shirt — Selfie on the ferry to Inis Mór

On the way out of the supermarket, we were stopped by a man running a bus tour offering us seats. As the only other method of island transportation was to rent a bike on a windy, cloudy day for the same price, we happily obliged. This was perhaps the best decision we had made that day. We were able to bounce around the island faster than by bike, were given opportunities to get out and explore sites at our own pace, and got to learn history and current events about the island from an Aran Islands local.

Some of my favorite fun facts from the tour include the following: Inis Mór (and the Aran Islands in general) is one of the few remaining places in Ireland with native Irish speakers, and all schooling on the island is done in Irish; that the islands iconic rows of stone walls were built simply because there were so many rocks on the island that nobody knew what else to use them for.

a graveyard full of tombstones with crosses and low stone walls — our first stop on the tour: one of three graveyards on the island. Some of the tombstones date back several hundred years

a stone pillar framed within a stone arch — another shot of the cemetery

Our main stop of the tour was at Dún Aonghasa, a semi-circular ring fort located at the top of a hill overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. At the bottom was a visitors center, detailing the site’s history and excavation efforts made by archaeologists. Dún Aonghasa dates back to 1100 BCE, and, as an anthropology major at Linfield with an interest in material culture studies/archaeology, it was perhaps my favorite stop of the day.

a gravel walking trail, with a rock wall on the left and trees on the right — the start of the walking trail up to Dún Aonghasa

a rocky uphill path with stone walls on either side — What the walking trail to Dún Aonghasa eventually turns into. It was a fun puzzle to figure out the best route up and down the hill

a young woman standing on a gravel path. She is wearing a teal jacket, yellow shirt, jeans, and sneakers — When I told my friend I was blogging my study abroad experience, he insisted that he take pictures of me so that I would have content. This is the result 🙂

a stone wall with loose stone piles just beyond it — the outer wall of Dún Aonghasa

rocky terrain at the top of a hill with the Atlantic Ocean in the distance — a view from the top of our climb to reach the fort

As with most places where tourism makes up a large portion of an area’s economy, the Aran Islands have many a shop for tourists to visit, including cafés and restaurants, bigger stores selling Aran sweaters and touristy knicknacks, and small shops selling handknit/crochet pieces and art from Aran Island locals. We visited in what is considered the tourist off-season on a Sunday, which means that many of these shops were closed, but it also gave the entire trip a more “authentic”, cozier feel. We ended the day with dinner at a bar, accompanied by the two other people on our bus tour from the day, who were university students studying abroad at the University of Glasgow in Scotland.

traditional celtic style art of a woman holding a stick, positioned on the side of a white-walled building — traditional art on the side of one of the shops on the island. I purchased an art print from a local artist in a similar style from here 🙂

a yellow building and a road — a picture captured from the end of our day on the island, including the rare sight of blue sky and some sun

the top deck of a ferry during sunset. The ferry is flying the flag of Ireland — we braved the cold of the top deck on the way back to watch the sunset on the ferry

Being able to reconnect with an old friend and experience this little corner of Ireland together has been one of my favorite parts of my study abroad experience thus far. But, there is still ample opportunity to make even greater memories in my time here. So, this blog post is dedicated to the “ghosts” of study abroad experiences past, present, and study abroad experiences yet to come. Dickensian puns aside, I can’t wait to see where this adventure takes me next 🙂

Until next time,

Katie

February 1, 2023

The Definition of Walking Distance

What do you consider to be “walking distance”? How long are you willing to walk to reach your final destination? My friend and I frequently have this debate, and my definition has traditionally been rather short (5-10 minutes), where his is rather long (45 minutes to 1 hour). A lot of this has to do with where we grew up (rural area where I could walk 45 minutes from my house and barely reach the edge of town vs. an incredibly walkable city where an hour gets you everywhere you could need to go).

a road and two stone arches — more scenery outside my apartment

stone ruins of a castle; 2 partially standing walls — Terryland Castle, which I pass on my walk to campus

I’ve been thinking about this debate a lot while I’ve been abroad. I am very fortunate that Galway, like most European cities, is incredibly walkable. But, it has meant that my definition needed some massive updating. It takes me 15 minutes to walk from my student accommodation to campus for classes every day. 30 minutes to go downtown, 45 minutes to an hour if you want to wander to places like Salthill Beach or the outer edges of Galway City.

a dome and arches inside of Galway Cathedral — The interior of Galway Cathedral

an arched doorway with a red door — The entrance of St. Nicholas’ Collegiate Church downtown

a white building with a blue door and a blue shuttered window — more fun architecture of downtown

ruins of old stone walls — Ruins of the Hall of the Red Earl, hiding down a little alleyway downtown

While my change in definition sounds rough, it has yielded some pretty wonderful results. By walking, I’ve been able to take things at my own pace and explore the city. For example, I’ve found restaurants and shops and street performers on pedestrian-only side streets that aren’t accessible by car.

I also have the ability to stop and photograph things I think are cool without worrying that they’re going to disappear out of view. I don’t have to worry about paying for parking. I can catch up on new music and podcasts to pass the time while I walk, consistently “close my rings” on my iPhone’s fitness tracker, and the list goes on.

a picture of board games displayed on a table — a board game/ttrpg store downtown (they also sell delicious nerdy themed donuts) 🙂

a wooden sign with arrows pointing to different places as depicted in works of literary fiction, including wonderland, narnia, neverland, and diagon alley — a sign at a local bookstore

So, if you ever want to update your definition of walking distance, I highly recommend traveling to a walkable city and exploring for a while. You might be surprised at how many little things you see that you might not have otherwise 🙂
Bye for now,
-Katie

a sailboat in a lock during sunset — a sailboat in a lock near the mouth of the Corrib River

a picture of a river and a row of houses — where the Corrib River meets the Atlantic Ocean

January 25, 2023

Becoming a Galway Girl

Fáilte (welcome) to my first post detailing my study abroad experience at the University of Galway!

My departing wish on January 3rd, before we made the 30-minute drive to the airport, was, of all the things, a chicken burrito (and the accompanying avocado sauce). My favorite restaurant had been closed for winter break and reopened the day I was scheduled to leave, so stopping before leaving the country for 4 months was a must. I even ran into one of my best friends while there and was able to say one last goodbye!

Three people standing for a photo: my sister (left), me (center), and my friend (right). My face is partially obscured by my hand. — My sister (left), me (center), and my friend (right), before I left for the airport!

After acquiring the necessary fuel to tackle the 22 hours of travel ahead of me, I finally made it to RDM, with a suitcase barely under the 50 lb. limit, a carry-on full of all of my heavy and bulky items, and a backpack stuffed with school supplies and things to keep me entertained firmly in tow. I bid farewell to my family and spent about 5 minutes going through security (one of the perks of flying out of an airport with 4 gates, I suppose).

a picture of the Seattle-Tacoma airport subway system — The SEA-TAC subway station

A 45 minute flight and three rides on SEA-TAC’s subway/shuttle system later, I made it to the international terminal and met up with the other two Linfield students headed to Ireland with me. Next came the long haul flight: 9 hours from Seattle to LHR, stuck behind a man who fully reclined his chair the second the pilot turned off the seatbelt light and only moved it upright during our in-flight meals (pasta for “dinner” and a breakfast sandwich for “brunch”, though the 8 hour time difference encountered over the course of the flight rendered labeling meals irrelevant).

pasta with tomato sauce in a foil container. A hand holding a wooden spork above the pasta — my in-flight cuisine

A young woman (Katie) wearing a pink KN95 mask and giving a thumbs up. She is wearing a black t-shirt and her hair is in two braids. She is sitting in an airport terminal — Waiting for the flight from London to Shannon

Upon landing in London, the pilot announced that we would have to disembark the plane in a specific order due to the weight distribution of the passengers on the flight. This meant that we had less than an hour to deplane, change terminals, go through security again (only to have LHR security confiscate my scissors), and find our next gate. So, we put some pep in our step and sped through the airport, only to reach the proper terminal to see that our flight to Shannon had been delayed, which meant we could’ve put slightly less pep into our step.

Once in Shannon, we had to go through customs and claim our luggage. The very kind customs employee asked if I was of Welsh descent (I am not, but apparently my name screams Welsh) before stamping my passport, and our taxi driver was very patiently waiting outside for us to collect our luggage before we drove an hour north to Galway. One adventure down the road to the nearby Dunnes (think Target, but Irish) for pillows and adapters and we were all ready to crash.

Further adventuring and acclimation waited until orientation over the next few days. We suited up in our finest walking shoes and raincoats and one leisurely 15 minute stroll and a couple wrong turns later, and we arrived at Áras na Mac Léinn, or the Student Union building. We watched presentations detailing on-campus resources, student events (including orientation events like campus tours, a pub quiz/trivia night in the on-campus bar, board game nights, and a scavenger hunt around Galway), and information about course registration.

a picture of a silver metallic suspension bridge — Part of the walk to campus involves crossing this cool suspension bridge!

a man crouching next to a riverbank feeding swans — Spotted on our walk: a man feeding swans 🙂

a sunset. There is a road cutting across the image and buildings in the background — Sunset as seen from outside my apartment complex.

Students in a bar. The bar has red columns and high arched ceilings — Sult, the on-campus bar. Campus societies will typically use the venue for events or just hang out and chat with friends!

picture of an L-shaped building made of light grey stone with a grass courtyard in front of it — The Quadrangle, one of the oldest buildings at the University. It used to house the entire university, but now it’s mainly an administrative building.

My “week 0” in Ireland ended with some downtown exploration in torrential downpour and a moderate wind advisory, as one does. We wandered Eyre Square and Shop Street in the heart of downtown, walked the Corrib River for a bit, and sought refuge from the rain at the Galway City Museum, which had exhibits on the Irish Civil War, the Aran Islands, Gaelic art and culture in the medieval period, and marine biology in Galway.

picture of a narrow street with buildings lining both sides. In between the buildings are strings of lights. It is raining and the ground is wet — A view of the Shop Street area in downtown Galway.

a white wall with stencil graffiti and a red door. One piece of stencil graffiti is a blue circle with two red hands clasped together with a red flame above them. Below is blue text that reads "reignite world freedom". The other is a circle with a black and white silhouette of the galway cathedral in the background and two black and white hands holding a red heart. Around the art are the words "Claddagh Watch, Heroes of Humanity". The wall also has a bright red door and merges with a dark grey stone arch towards the right of the photo — The Spanish Arch and surrounding architecture. Located right outside the Galway City Museum!

A mustard yellow woven cloth hanging on a salmon pink wall — Part of the Galway City Museum’s Aran Islands exhibit, where they invited local artists to create pieces encapsulating the “vibes” of the Aran Islands.

Text embossed on stone. The top passage, in French, reads "La tradition ne veut pas dire preserver les cendres, mais garder la flamme vivante.- Jean Jaures". The bottom passage is a translation of the top passage and reads "Tradition does not mean preserving ashes, but keeping the flame alight." — The museum has quotes scattered in the doorways around each museum. This one was in the section on Gaelic arts.

Going from having never traveled internationally to staying in a different country for 4 months has certainly come with a learning curve. Irish (or Gaeilge) is a national language along with English, which means that signage is written in both languages, often with Irish being written first. This can make it difficult to navigate at times, as I have had zero exposure to the language, but I’m slowly starting to acclimate. Food is called different things (most notably, chips instead of fries, english muffins are just muffins, potato chips are called crisps or tayto) and cars drive on the opposite side of the road ( and yet the universal phenomenon of drivers neglecting to implement their turn signal persists abroad). Despite these differences, I’m enjoying getting to learn about living in a different country and am having an amazing experience thus far!

With that, I say slán (goodbye) for now!

Katie

November 7, 2022

Obrigado

Now we come to Lisbon, that Iberian rascal. I prefer it to Italy, which is an outrageous statement, I know, but I live for controversy.

I arrived in Dublin in the evening, crashed at Megan’s, and slept for approximately thirty minutes before our 2 AM bus to the airport. Most painless TSA passing of my life, which I attribute to my expert packing: all my worldly possessions crammed into one, single Maxpedition backpack that’s seen me through, now, six international junkets. What a loyal friend, that green, ratty thing.

Arrived, again, painlessly. Immigration was a breeze. Had no quarrels with the hostel people when we arrived by, first, the metro, then our own untrained feet that had to be reminded of the woes of cobblestone. We treated ourselves to pastel de natas, God’s bloody gift, which I indulged in excessively. Then we checked out a market near the water where I bought my mother a little something for Christmas. Hit the hay early, I admit. Couldn’t help it after running on a half hour of sleep.

Day two, how salubrious. Walked ten miles with our legs of steel, pursing geocaches (a newly acquired hobby of mine, thanks to Megan’s influence) scattered around the city. Jerónimos Monastery, an utter smack in the face in its glory. Belém Tower, a surprisingly quick line, and built in that exaggerated style I wish, one day, for a future house of mine to mimic. Architectural debauchery, if you ask me, and I live for it.

Girl in red outfit walking towards Belem tower on a cloudy Lisbon day — Architectural Debauchery

Dinner at Faz Frio, whose waiter I danced with shamelessly when the music called for it. Let it be known, cod and wine mix well. To anyone visiting Lisbon in the future, if you don’t eat at Faz Frio, you might as well decline food altogether. It’s practically a religious experience.

Day three, trip to the town of Sintra for a walk through Pena Palace, the vacation house of the royal family (19th century grandeur, to give you an idea), and the Moorish Castle, which dates back to the 8th Century. Pena Palace was furnished, I tell you! No empty rooms, the walls dripping with color and detail and, in one specific room, a green, emerald wardrobe that made me drool. If ever I possess one, that’s how I’ll know I’ve made it. “Megan, look…” said, agog, around every corner, finger pointing here and there to the annoyance of the other guests. There may have been a moment of screaming. Me and my tea sets.

A short pano of Pena Palace, with tree branches framing the yellow fortress — Pano of Pena

The Moorish castle was more of a meditation. A small hike on the walls overlooking Sintra, fog thick, people few (as few will brave the incline). Silence, mostly. “I don’t think you or I realize how old this place is…” The clouds were coming in and the rain was on its way. We made it back to Lisbon before the weather could dampen us, literally and figuratively.

Sofia

November 7, 2022

Dublin, Dear

October was erratic, to say the least. The first portion was spent romancing Dublin, the second preparing, and then traveling to Lisbon, a decision made (as all the best are) by the youthful spirit of spontaneity. (To humble myself, perhaps spontaneity is merely a pretty word used to gloss over the actual sense that overtook me: recklessness or mid-term stressors or that special kind of indifference that is not necessarily a detriment, but rather a shrug-of-the-shoulders symptom in which one trusts in themselves enough to know that they’ll thrive anywhere, and so anywhere it is, anywhere being Lisbon). Allow me to walk you through my month of rapid heartbeats that led up to such an adventure.

I took the train to Dublin so many times, I can’t recall the number. Played games of this-way-that-way until, on more than one occasion, I was looking at deteriorated, Victorian graves in a churchyard near a swanky cafe. (Shoutout to Social Fabric for the best pancakes in town).

One of my strolls included the continuous listening to Blue Oyster Cult, walking down some random street until my legs couldn’t propel me further. The sunset surprised me -reminded me I had only an hour before my train back to Galway. Here’s the POV, but no face-shot of the initial panic.

Sun setting on a random street in Dublin, with a car driving by — Dublin, as the sun sets

I met up with some dear friends on another of the Dublin outings. The already mentioned Megan, and our fellow compatriot, Cara, visiting from D.C. The Guinness factory was “eh,” as I have no affiliation for beer. But the literature shared in Saint Stephen’s Green on that unforgivingly cold autumn day… How lucky I am to have such like-minded people in my life. Bookish and fashionable, obsessed with the art of conversation and unafraid of passion – utterly Oscar-Wilde-esque. The best of our qualities were exposed in the convivial park, home to the comings-and-goings of Dublin’s families and college friend groups.

Three girls in St Stephen's Green. Cara (left), Sofia (middle), Megan (end). Pavilion in the distance. Autumn day, — Musings in St Stephen’s Green

Two young ladies walking over the bridge leading into the heart of St Stephen's Green in the city center of Dublin — A prolonged jaunt

Admittedly, I prefer Dublin to Galway. That is not to say I don’t find pleasure in my current surroundings. But there is communion taken in step-by-step introductions to a new, lonely street. To a statue, to a park, to people-watching from behind the window of a new cafe. I’ve explored Galway to death, but Dubin! Like any significant metropolis, one could live there for half a century and not know there’s a cute deli on x street, a hermetic bookstore on y. It’s an ever-expanding monopoly board. Doesn’t matter how many times the loop has been made.

Sofia

September 30, 2022

Innishmore

A few months before I flew to Ireland, I made a phone call to a dear friend of mine, Megan. The call’s purpose was to, I admit, brag of my upcoming study abroad trip. In seconds, however, I discovered that she, too, by complete coincidence, was to attend university in Dublin at the same time that I was to attend in Galway.

I do love it when the Universe plays tricks on us unsuspecting commoners. Surprises like that never cease to add a little flavor to the pan.

Megan came last weekend, the two of us reading books side-by-side in a student apartment bed meant for one when we weren’t out-on-the-town contributing to the general chaos of the city. The crowning achievement of our reunion, though, was neither finishing fantasy novels nor dancing in pubs. We gave that title to the 10-mile bike ride we took in Inishmore, the largest of the Aran Islands.

Ferry ride: peaceful. Bike ride: glorious. We rented cruisers and headed down the length of the island, passing horse-drawn carriages and stopping only to pet the ponies and look at the Bronze-Age settlements.

We shared a sandwich from the Jungle Cafe (which we had, the day before, purchased from the popular joint in Galway) over the edge of the cliffs at Dún Aonghasa. I bought a wool hat from an old lady and a postcard to use as a bookmark (as opposed to an old grocery receipt). And Megan, with her keen sense of direction, navigated us over old, stone walls and sunken grass to the “wormhole,” a swimming-pool-like rock formation at the base of the lower cliffs, east of the previously mentioned fortress.

Exhausted upon our return, we stopped for Korean food. It was well deserved, I assure you. 1500 calories burned, according to Megan’s apple watch.

Sofia

Petting a grey pony during the bike ride along the main road — New Friend

Legs thrown over the side of the cliff as I look out at the sea and the distance down to the water — On the edge

Walking betwixt stone walls with fields of green in the background — The additional hike

Using an orange bicycle to cruise down the main road back to the ferry — Cruisin’

September 16, 2022September 20, 2022

Moher

The slow start I’ve had has not hindered me. It took my companion and I a good week-and-a-half to truly settle in, but we have already incorporated ourselves into a friend group consisting of, primarily, Germans with business majors, along with a few outliers on the side, us Americans included. There are twelve of us total, a group large enough to ensure there is always a plan brewing. Thanks to the ambitions of one of us, Hedda from Sweden, we were able to organize a two-hour bus ride to the Cliffs of Moher last weekend.

The bus was public, no bathrooms aboard, no local guide on the speaker announcing the arrival of a castle on the left or a battlefield on the right. We preferred it this way. It allowed more time to pick the brains of our friends and find pockets for laughter over an inside joke that’s made its presence known to every social outing.

At the Cliffs, our group split in two: those of us who wanted to walk the extent of the trail and those of us who preferred to lounge near the entrance. Me being an avid hiker, naturally I chose to walk the extent. We ventured far enough that the majority of the other visitors fizzled out, a charming perk that allowed us relief from what is, quite honestly, an indisputable tourist trap.

Finally alone, the appreciation for the place became insuppressible. One is dwarfed by the Cliffs. There’s no room for gawking, no room for noise. Each moment only allows its guests the opportunity to remember their own pitiful insignificance in the shadow of Mother Nature’s complete, green, frightening reign. I was inclined to fear Her as much as she invited me to take pleasure in the view I was so generously offered.

Sofia

A view of the water and cliffs with some different varieties of grass and plants lining the edge of the cliff — Grass on the Cliffs

A brown cow on the cliff side eating grass — Cliff Cows

I am walking down a gravel path lined with wired fence and rock pieces — Trail Blazing

May 6, 2022

The last hurrah

With my semester abroad coming to an end, I figured I shouldn’t leave without exploring more of the country that has hosted me the past four months. So for one last hurrah, I took a trip up north. I ended up in Belfast, Northern Ireland; technically Ireland and yet, encompassed by the United Kingdom.

I traveled to Belfast by bus and it took around five hours. As soon as I arrived I started exploring the city. I came across the Salmon of Knowledge, the Beacon of Hope, City Hall, and a popular outdoor mall downtown.

Once again, I eventually met up with Jakob who was on his last leg of traveling for his spring break. We had two full days to explore Northern Ireland, and half a day to spend in the city before making the trek back to Galway.

We spent the first day hiking at the Giant’s Causeway, a World Heritage Site. This is a famous tourist attraction known for its green, scenic cliffs and irregular stones. Legend has it that the causeway was formed by two fighting giants!

After exploring the area and missing our bus, we decided to walk to Dunluce Castle. This castle is known as the most scenic castle in Northern Ireland. You have to pay a small fee in order to gain access and walk through it, but we opted to take in the view from the hillside.

The next day, we set out to hike in the Mourne Mountains. We ended up choosing a route that would lead us to the summit of two mountains. The hiking was beautiful, scenic and grew more strenuous with each mile. We summited Slieve Commedagh first after a tiresome uphill battle. We celebrated our summit with a lunch break at the top, looking out across the ocean.

The clouds came in as we hiked back down, which left us debating whether or not to hike the second mountain, Slieve Donard. This particular mountain happens to be the tallest mountain in Northern Ireland, and while only a couple hundred feet taller than the last, the title itself made it seem more daunting.

Once we reached the base, we ultimately decided we had to hike it since you can’t come face to face with the tallest mountain of a region and not climb it!

It was chilly at the top and the view was cluttered by clouds and fog, but of course it was still worth it. From there we hiked all the way back down and explored the little town beneath the mountains until our bus picked us up to return to Belfast.

We spent our last day walking around Belfast on a self guided tour. We saw Queen’s University, the Botanic Gardens and visited the Ulster Museum. By dinner time, we were on a bus back to Galway.

Overall, we had a super fun time in Belfast and I’m glad I was able to see more of the island I have been lucky enough to call home.

Best,

Laney Green

April 20, 2022

Clifden Castle

Hello from Galway, Ireland!

This month we have been focusing our time on our final essays for our classes, but since it is also our last full month in Ireland, we have been going out to explore as much as possible. County Galway is actually a really vast area to explore with lots of cool history and nature around us. Our classes this semester focused a lot of the archeological background and sites of medieval Ireland, and since we have been hearing about these places in our lectures, we wanted to go out and see them for ourselves. We recently visited Clifden and took a beautiful hike to Clifden castle.

two girls walking towards castle — walking to the castle

One thing that turns people away from exploring around Ireland is the weather. It can be extremely windy, cold, and rainy even in the springtime. Whenever we have taken our trips, we have usually been given really nice weather, or we have planned for days when it was supposed to be nice out. When we took our trip to Clifden, it was misty, gray, and cold outside but we decided to go anyway. We found the experience with the weather to be even more delightful, and so incredibly Irish.

side of Clifden castle with a girl in yellow walking around it, the ocean and green grass in the back — Clifden castle

We took a bus to Clifden in the early afternoon and about an hour later we arrived. The castle was about a 40-minute walk away from where the bus dropped us off. When walking to the castle we saw lots of really cute cows, donkeys, and sheep.

cow laying in a green pasture with a stone fence to its left — Clifden cow

The Irish landscapes looked beautiful in the gray mist, and the green hills reminded me a lot of Oregon. The castle itself was an amazing experience. Because we came on such a gray day, we were some of the only people at the site.

old castle walls and inside window with girl posed in the windowsill looking at the camera — exploring

We were able to walk through the old structure and look at the stone walls, and rooms up close. The castle was taken over by vines and the earth around it which gave an amazing effect of man-made structures mixed with natural beauty.

girl perched on a castle window with a tree branching around it looking out on green fields — princess of the castle

After exploring the castle for a couple of hours, and taking lots of pictures, we headed back into town by the sea. The day was so perfect for a walk by the stormy ocean.

pasture of green grass, sheep in the fields, and the ocean and distant coast in the back — sheep fields

We grabbed dinner at an amazing restaurant and caught the bus back to our apartment. It felt really nice to be able to take a break from finals and look closer at the sites we were studying.

Best,
Isabel Brown

April 20, 2022

Spring holiday

If you’re curious about how students studying abroad are able to pick up and jet off to dreamy destinations on a whim, I’ll fill you in on how it’s all possible.

Flights around Europe, once you’re already across the pond, are cheap. And I don’t mean a couple hundred dollars cheap. We’re talking only 14 euro if you can manage traveling with one backpack that fits under a plane seat. Accommodation is also very affordable if you book a hostel or split the cost of an Airbnb with travel partners.

Classic UK telephone booth — UK telephone booth

With a two week break before finals officially commenced, I bought a ticket and packed a backpack. My first stop was in Nottingham, England to visit Jakob, another Linfield student who’s studying abroad. I was only there for two days before we both set off for a day trip to London. While the weather continuously shifted from blue skies to downpours, it didn’t stop us from catching sight of Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, the London Eye, Tower Bridge, and a city view from 35 floors up.

We spent the night in a hostel before catching a train to the airport at 4 AM for a flight to Croatia. The rest of our holiday was spent in Croatia between two cities, Split and Zadar.

Both cities were breathtaking in their own ways. The atmosphere in Split became especially magical as we watched the sun rise over the terra cotta roofs, and then disappear into the ocean as it set.

Sun rise over Split — Sunrise over Split

From both locations we took day trips and even ended up visiting three national parks! The first park we reached was Krka National Park, known and recognized by its impressive waterfall. This park was gorgeous and very family friendly, but lacked the hiking excitement we sought.

We also went to Plitvice National Park, an area filled with waterfalls and complemented by incredibly clear turquoise water. This park was also less adventurous than anticipated, but again, beautiful and accommodating. We were able to create more excitement by renting a paddle boat and exploring the area further by water!

The last park we visited was Paklenica National Park. This was my favorite park out of the three as it provided us with some great hiking! It was really fun to be immersed into the Croatian mountains, summit a peak, and look out across the whole mountain range.

Signing peak notebook — Signing the summit notebook

The rest of our time was filled with a bit more hiking, a visit to Ugljan island by ferry, and just some quality time in each city amongst locals and other tourists.

Spending my holiday in Croatia was more fun than I could have hoped for, and I’m glad I took advantage of visiting while I live so close!

Thanks for following along on my holiday abroad!

Best,
Laney Green