Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Galway and the Cliffs of Moher






This past weekend I went to the beautiful west coast of Ireland. The Cliffs of Moher are a huge tourist attraction and for good reason. The most beautiful drop offs you could ever imagine are found here, near a town called Doolin (200 km South of Galway). The cliffs are known for having accidents - yes seriously people fall (as you can see from the pictures below) because they fail to read the signs and take a serious risk! The ground is incredibly unstable, but the views are worth seeing. The pictures do not do justice for this natural landmark. If you visit anywhere in Ireland, skip Dublin and head to the West coast - you will not be disappointed. The City of Galway is easy to navigate with cobblestone streets and old buildings filled with bars, restaurants, and small boutiques. The food is phenomenal at The Spanish Arch and The Quays Bar is a must see. The bars are small at first when you enter, but around the tall, woodlined panels and corners, you will find huge balconies that overlook pits that are crowded with people, a larger bar, and a live band. The town has a wonderful vibe and it is very easy to find places to eat late (until 9 or even 10), which has been a challenge in Dublin. We skipped the 8 bedroom mixed dorm at the hostel and opted for The Jury Inn - a great choice and right down at the harbor by all of the action.





Thursday, March 24, 2011

Pixie Lott

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5o8L-Or0O4&playnext=1&list=PLDA116BDBD68DA3E7

St. Mark's SNS and Fossett's Circus

St. Mark's National School is not far from where we are staying and the students wrote letters today to my students back in Chicago! They had all kinds of questions and one boy informed me that Denzel Washington is on the USD. Obviously.



Meaning: Irish Speaker





Mara and I went to the Circus last night in Tallaght... we were expecting Elephants and Cotton Candy... let's say we were a little let down! There were exactly 7 performers in total and I became part of a silent movie in the center (and only) ring! It was hilarious and the 250 lb. roller skating couple were by far my favorite act. They did have pony rides and some pretty interesting (not chicago style) hotdogs that I took a pass at. I opted for a Diet Coke (much needed after my improv skit). Who knew?
Below are some gems from the Fossetts Circus... including myself under a (married) guy for the silent movie... not by choice.









Friday, March 18, 2011

St. Patrick's Day!











St. Patrick's Day was unbelievable! There were so many people in the City Centre and the Luas (tram into the city) was packed. Mara and I met alot of people and made our own pub crawl! At one point we ended up on Grafton Street (shopping) without even trying! We had our first pint of Guinness too! The town looked a little like Iowa City on game day, but green instead of gold... Check out the parade pictures!

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

City Centre...

Day 4 in Dublin!

So much has happended! The time difference is 5 hours (Daylight Savings) Mara and I began our Student Teaching yesterday at St. Mark's School in Springfield. Everyone has been so inviting and welcoming. We go to school from 8:30 -2:30 and the teachers even take a tea time break for ten minutes in the morning! The kids all learn to speak Irish and do Maths (not Math). They also seem to think that anyone from the U.S. is famous or knows someone famous. Its very funny. The students have interesting names like Oion (Owen) and Gashan, and each one is incredibly unique. They have "copy books" to keep all of their lessons in and the teacher rarely makes photo copies - very different from the American Schools. Everything is different, but in good ways. The pace is slower and the people are friendlier. Luckily we live right about a great cafe/bar (depending on the time of day!) and they play "American Music" - hilarious. It has been nice to live with college students because they are all very much the same as us. It is hard to think that people who live on the otherside of the world can be interested in the same things, but they are! The town of Tallaght (pronounced Talla) covers a large area just about 9 miles South of Dublin. There is an IT campus nearby and we are able to walk to Springfield. We have been into the City Centre (Downtown Dublin) twice already and the St. Patrick's Day festivities have already begun!!! Luck for us, there is no school this Thurs or Fri and we will be celebrating with the rest of Dublin in the Homeland : )
More (so much more) to come...
Pictures are from our night downtown ...








The Globe - the first bar we went to in Dublin!






Monday, March 14, 2011