Luck of the Irish

Last weekend I was lucky enough to spend it in Ireland catching up with some great HC company and some sightseeing in both Dublin and Galway.  Having many friends with Irish descent, this trip was highly anticipated and I’m so glad I went.  The trip began with an overnight bus on Thursday night to Madrid (this is becoming a usual hah) to catch my flight to Dublin on Friday morning.  As we were approaching Dublin from the air, I immediately knew I was in Ireland as it appeared just as I had imagined: flat greens, farmland, and gray skies.  Once I landed in Dublin, I headed into the center of the city to meet Emma who is studying through HC’s program at Trinity College.  From there, we enjoyed a nice lunch and walked around St. Steven’s Green and the Grafton St. area.  Later on in the afternoon, I met up with a bunch of other HC friends who are studying in both Dublin and Galway to tour the Guinness Factory.  It was a really cool experience and actually very informative; at the very top of the museum, they have what’s called the Gravity Bar, where you can see a panoramic view of Dublin and grab a free pint of Guinness, nice deal if I’d say so!  Later on in the evening, we all made some dinner and went out to explore Dublin’s night-life.  

After a great day in Dublin, we all hopped on a bus headed to Galway to meet some more Holy Cross friends who are currently studying at the university there.  After a two-and-a-half hour bus ride, we arrived to Galway which is a quintessential western-Irish city right on the water.  Although I loved Dublin, I could truly appreciate Galway since it is a smaller city and less-cosmopolitan,more-Irish (sort of how I feel with Madrid to Coruña).  Immediately upon arrival, we made our way to the infamous farmer’s market where I bought a donut and bagel from the legendary donut/bagel carts; as most of you probably know, I love the food in Spain, however this kid needed a little taste of home, and that certainly hit the spot.  After visiting the farmer’s market, Brittany, Katie, Lauren and I took a walk around the city and they were nice enough to point out some of their favorite spots around town.  Later on in the evening, we decided to have a potluck dinner: Karinna and I were in charge of preparing a tortilla.  All struggles aside, the tortilla and everything else, came out really great.  As much as I love living with a host family and wouldn’t trade it for the world, cooking and eating together as a group truly made me think about Holy Cross and how I’m so excited for next year.  It also reminded me of Pamplona, which I can’t believe has already been seven months ago!  After dinner, we all headed out to the pubs and bars in town... when in Ireland. 

Unfortunately, I had to leave Galway at 5 in the morning (that same morning) to head back to Dublin to catch my flight to Spain.  Going into the trip, I didn’t realize how much of a headache my return to Coruña would be... it proved to be a lot worse!  By the way, two fun facts about my travels: 1) Ireland is one hour behind Spain, 2) both Ireland and Spain had changed the time back one hour at 2:00 that morning.  Here’s a timeline of my Sunday for your enjoyment. 

4:45 am- taxi to Galway bus station

5:00 am- bus from Galway to Dublin

8:00 am- arrival to Dublin airport

8:45 am- checked in, through security, at the gate

9:45 am- flight departs for Santander

1:00 pm- arrival to Santander

3:20 pm- bus departs heading to Coruña (with connection in Oviedo)

7:15 pm- arrival to Oviedo, ten minutes late... missed my connection bus

10:45 pm- bus departs for Coruña

3:30 am- arrival to Coruña

After two taxis, three buses, six hours of waiting, and eleven hours of actual travel, I made it home.  Needless to say, I probably had my best sleep that night.  Although it was the longest day of my life, Ireland was so worth it, and I’m already anxious to go back!

Lucky for me, the university’s spring break is this coming week, so my brother CT is flying out and we’ll be in Rome, Florence, Palma and Madrid together... can’t wait!

Buenos Días Chupito de Barajas!

St. Stephen's Green, Dublin.

Grafton Street, one of Dublin's main streets.

Trinity College.

Inside the Guinness Factory, so cool.

Enjoying the free pint of beer at the Gravity Bar!

High Street, Galway.

Spanish Arch, where Spain used to drop off all the wine...

Cool houses right on the water in Galway.

Wise Words from St. Theresa

Before going to bed, I stumbled upon something that my mom gave me before coming to Spain, the prayer of St. Theresa.  It reads:


May today there be peace within.
May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be.
May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith.
May you use those gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you.
May you be content knowing you are a child of God.
Let this presence settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love.


Amen.

Mundanity in La Coruña

Hello blog friends.  I hate to use the word “uneventful” to describe my past week, however it’s been pretty normal, which I guess in itself is kinda cool.  The Holy Cross study abroad office (as well as the former students) told us that by this time in the year everything would start to fall into piece and that things would sort of become like second nature by now.  I never really thought about that until now, when all of a sudden I realized I wasn’t thinking about it... if that makes any sense.  For example, I was skyping with my good friend Emma last night who’s studying at Trinity in Dublin (see you in a two weeks!) and she asked me if it was weird that all my classes were taught in Spanish.  I simply replied, not really, and then I kind of stopped and thought about that for a second.  Having classes taught in Spanish is kind of like second nature now, which is a really cool feeling and keeps me motivated to continue learning and getting better.  Sometimes it’s the little things in life that keep ya going.

Speaking of the little things, good friend and number one blog fan Pati, sent me some questions that address mundane findings in my life; I probably take these for granted, so here’s a little bit of what everyday life is like here in Coruña.  I’ll start of with the first-third of the questions, and continue the other two-thirds in two other blog posts.  

Describe what you see walking to school?  Stores open?  What do they sell? Hours of operation?  Streets all cobblestone or pavement?  How old is average person you pass?

The university is the only place that I take the bus too in Coruña, seeing that it borders with the neighboring town.  Everything else is pretty much within walking distance since I live right in the center of the city.  Coruña is a decidedly cosmopolitan city, and there is a LOT of life on the streets; doesn’t matter if it’s the morning, afternoon, or even at night, there are usually a ton of people walking around.  Just like any other city, there are countless stores and offices that range from fashion, technology, markets/restaurants/bakeries/cafes, pharmacies, banks, bars... essentially, you name it, Coruña’s got it.  Generally speaking, the hours of operation for any type of store (except restaurants and the like) will usually be open from 9 in the morning to 9 at night, with the a two hour break in the middle of the day for comida.  Coruña has an interesting mix of an old to new city feel since there are streets of all cobblestone and of all pavement (the later being the most common).  For the most part, there are all sorts of ages walking around the streets.  It’s very typical to see people running errands, men/women in business suits, families/couples going for a walk.  One thing in particular that really surprised me upon my arrival was to see the amount of older people walking around and their ability to maintain their social lives; it is very common to see older people going for a walk, doing some errands, or sitting down at a cafe talking with friends.  I find this particular aspect to the culture very admirable, and very reflective of their out-of-the-house, way-of-life.

Art: Are there local galleries or street art?  Or do you have to see that in Madrid?

Coruña is certainly no Florence, however it is home to unique architecture and hole-in-the-wall local art galleries.  Las Galerias (pictured below) are the most famous architecture designs of the city and actually have a cool little history behind them.  The facades were designed to allow sunlight to warm up the house, while preventing the rain from entering.  These houses are considered a luxury since these windows overlook a beautiful dock and the front entrance overlooks the Plaza Mayor with Coruña’s impressive city hall.  Another important structure is the infamous Torre de Hercules, which is the oldest functioning Roman lighthouse in the world; the Torre (also pictured below) certainly finishes in second place of most significant Coruña architecture.  With regards to local art galleries, there are many interesting exhibits within small homes all around the city.  I actually got the chance to see one of them since my host dad’s art work was featured in one of the exhibitions last November.   

Pets: Do many people own them?  What kind of pets?

Todo el mundo (translation: everyone) seems to have a dog!  Coruñeses are certainly dog people, and they are always walking around the city with their favorite pups.  The Westie (West Highland White Terrier) seems to be the pick-of-the-litter, since at least half of the dogs are of this particular race.

Las Galerias de La Coruña!

La Torre de Hercules!