Blogpost #5! Sunshine, St. Paddy's and reuniting with old friends!

It's been a while since the last time I wrote about my adventures, my apologies!

Instead of constantly writing a blogpost about every activity I did over these last weekends, I decided to save up my stories and write them down in one big blogpost.

So without further ado! I really hope all y'all will enjoy this blogpost.

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Day 35
26 - 2 - 2019

Ever since I arrived in Ireland I've experienced what the locals mean by "true Irish weather". Cloudy, rainy, windy & cold...

But today is different! I wake up at 10 and as I open the curtains I get blinded by the sun. Students are roaming on the streets, couches are being dragged out of the apartments and being put on the sidewalks or the grass & music can be heard all around Cratloe Wood Village! 

The houseparty at Taylor, Matt and Andrew's last night was absolutely amazing and the night out at Costie's was great as well.
Or as they say here: "It was great craic (pronounced as crack)". 
And even though I didn't drink all too much, it takes a little bit more time for me to properly get my ass out of bed and start being productive... However, that proves to be a huge bit more difficult than I thought.

After a couple of hanging around pointlessly and being as unproductive as you could possibly imagine, Emma, "small" Rob (who slept at my place for the night due to lack of accomodation) and I decide to just get out and enjoy the sun for a bit. As we're walking around campus we come across Lauren, a good friend of Robert and mine, and she suggests that Robert should take Emma and me to Cratloe woods. We decide that it would be such a waste of time if we would sit inside all day instead of going outside and really enjoy the weather! Emma and Rob feel the same way and so after getting dressed we hop in the car and the three of us are on our way for a lovely walk in the woods on such a beautiful day.

Cratloe Woods is just a couple of minutes by car away from Limerick, but it's a lovely place to just wander around for a few hours. You start of by walking past a small playground for kids, and because there still is a 6 year old in everyone of us, we couldn't resist but to try out every single playground item there was. Next is a small lake laying in the middle of the woods. The lake and the shore provided for a great scenery and view and thus we were able to take some great pictures.

From the lake it was uphill to a viewpoint. Cratloe Woods is immensely popular amongst mountainbikers, this is why there are many different pathways to get to the top of the hill. And since neither of us really had a clue on how to get to the top we just decided to take a left and see where the path would take us. In our opinion we had taken the right decision because after a solid 15 minutes of hiking upwards we arrived at the top of the hill. Providing us with an absolutely stunning view of the valley that layed out before our eyes! Again a perfect moment to add some photos of Ireland to my gallery.

After a good hour and a half of walking, talking and taking pictures we decide to head back to Limerick and call it a day. The weird thing with days like this, when the weather is just so great, you just don't actually feel like doing anything. So besides practice at 6 this day was pretty uneventfull. 

However, that doesn't mean I'm not happy with the events of today. The feeling of walking around in shorts and a t-shirt at the end of February and going for a hike through the forest is absolutely great and I'm glad that Lauren came up with the suggestion for Rob to show us the beautiful nature that county Clare withholds.

And according to online weather sites, the sun will stay out for the next couple of days! Which can only mean that I can't wait to go out to the city centre and just grab a few pints with my friends as we enjoy the sun!

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Day 52
15 - 3 - 2019

I wasn't lying when I said that I was definitely going back to Castlebar to spend some time with Zaief, David, Rosie and the rest.

Friday 15.00 pm. I meet Zaief outside the gates of Cratloe Wood Village and we hop on the bus to take us back up North. After the usual 3 hour journey we get to his house and just like the last time we are starving so we grab a bite first.

Our reasons for going to Castlebar this weekend are to celebrate St. Paddy's day here. Every year on the 17th of march people all around the world celebrate Saint Patrick's day. (More about this later on in this blog). But before that we have to keep ourselves busy for 2 days. Sadly enough, because the bus was a bit delayed we arrived in Castlebar a bit later than expected. Because of this we didn't really have the option to go out and really do something, and since the pub's would be empty as well because everyone in town is either saving up money or saving up energy for this sunday festivities.

So Zaief decides to call up some of his friends and we basically just hang out in his room the entire evening. At around 2 o'clock we call it quits, everyone leaves and we head to bed. 
Zaief needs to get some sleep anyways, he just recently landed a job at a barber shop and he doesn't want to be late for his second day on the job.

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Day 53
16 - 3 - 2019

Zaief had left this morning at around 8.30. Which means I'm currently alone in a house where I hardly know anyone and to be frank, I don't really feel comfortable staying in this room all day waiting for Zaief to be done with work so we can hang out.

So I pack my stuff and head out the front door. As I'm walking through town I text Rosie asking if she wants to meet up for breakfast. She tells me she is on her way back to Castlebar after a night out with friends in the next town over, and that she could definitely use some food to get her energy levels back on track.

We meet up at the Garda station (A Garda Síochána, which translates to "the Guardian of the Peace", or more commonly referred to as the Gardaí or "the Guards", is the police service of the Republic of Ireland.) and we head out to Insomnia, the lunchroom where David works. 

While the three of us catch up on all of our recent adventures and tales about life, we are waiting for two more members to join the squad, Francis and Roche. Daithí De Róiste (David Roche, but from now on commonly referred to as "Roche") has just travelled from Limerick and, like me, is also going to spend the weekend at David and Rosie's and celebrate St. Paddy's with us.

We wait for David to finish his shift at insomnia and we head over to David and Rosie's to spend the rest of the day there. 
Little did I know that for the rest of the weekend I would be spending my time with them and that I wouldn't be seeing Zaief anymore for the rest of the weekend. Zaief finished work at 6, went to see a movie with a mate of him and took the last bus to Ballina, where he was going to spend St. Paddy's day with his childhood friends. 

No worries, I wasn't bothered by this at all. I had a great time with David, Roche and Rosie and later on Mark Maloney, Francis and Owain who joined us in the living room having fun. There are those moments in life where you meet people of which you sort of know they're going to be your friends for a long time. And even though this is just the second time I'm in Castlebar, these crazy people are amazing and we agree that they should come to Groningen somewhere this summer for sure!

After talking for hours on end we notice that it's already 5 am and so we think it would be wise to call it a night. Rosie provides me with a blanket and I fall asleep on the couch instantaneously.

I'm really glad I've met all these amazing people and that I have finally been able to see them all again! 

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Day 54
17 - 3 - 2019

So! Let me start of with explaining what St. Paddy's day actually is all about. Most people know why we celebrate St. Patrick's Day, but many people see the 17th of march just as a day where everyone has an excuse to drink all day long and just have fun. 

As I've already said, St. Patrick's Day is celebrated all around the world, and in each country they celebrate it in their own way. But pretty much everywhere around the globe are Irish origins to be found in the way of celebrating, such as the color green, traditional Irish music or the usage of the usage of the Irish symbol the shamrock. 

St. Patrick's Day became an official Christian feast day in the early 17th century. The day commemorates Saint Patrick and the arrival of Christianity in Ireland, and celebrates the heritage and culture of the Irish in general. So basically, each year on the 17th of March people all around the world celebrate the Irish heritage, no matter where they live or have travelled.

Saint Patrick himself is the patron saint of Ireland. It is not known when Saint Patrick lived his life, but it is considered that he was an active missionary in Ireland during the fifth century. There are many legends to be told about the life and work of Saint Patrick, one of which is that of Saint Patrick and the banishment of snakes in Ireland. 
As of today there are no snakes of any kind present in Ireland, and according to Irish folklore this is due to Saint Patrick banishing and chasing all of Ireland's snakes to the sea after they attacked him during a 40-day fast he was undertaking on top of a hill.

Also, it is because of Saint Patrick that the Shamrock is currently seen as a symbol for Ireland and St. Patrick's day. According to the legend, Saint Patrick used the three-leafed plant to teach the doctrine of the Holy Trinity. He used the shamrock to illustrate the Christian teaching of three persons in one God.

One of the ways people celebrate St. Paddy's day is by throwing a big parade. Throughout all of Ireland, in every village and town people are either standing besides the streets or are walking in the parade. And obviously, as a foreigner in Ireland, I couldn't miss out on this annual event! So after all of us woke up and got ready, we headed out to the city centre and waited for the parade to start. We met up with Rosie's family and after a good 30 minutes we could hear the music playing down the streets. The parade itself was actually not even all too special, in my opinion it was just as any other parade I've seen in The Netherlands. School children walking in their uniform playing an instrument trying to hit the right notes to the same song that they perform each year, some big balloon animals and figures who actually don't even have anything to do with St. Paddy's day (think of Bart Simpson and Shrek) and a few local members of the community who created a nicely looking parade wagon. But it was fun to see nonetheless! 

After the parade was over all of us followed the crowd to start the next Irish tradition on St. Paddy's day. Daydrinking! The 17th of March is the only day in the year where you will see entire families (YES kids as well) sitting in the pub having a laugh, drinking a pint or a glass of Coke, and sharing stories about "the good ol' days". 

A few pints later we leave the pub and head over to David and Rosie's house to get ourselves ready for the St. Paddy's party later on tonight. At first we were just planning on throwing a house party, invite some more friends over and just have a good craic. But at around nine o'clock Rosie received a message on Facebook telling her that she had just won tickets and a 50 euro free bar tab at The Castle in Westport, the nightclub in the next town over. So last minute we finish our drinks, run to town and hop on the bus to Westport. After a great night out and an after party that lived on till around 6 in the morning we all go to bed with a big smile on our faces! 

In all honesty I thought there would be more to celebrating St. Patrick's day than what I've experienced today. I thought there would be more festivities in town and much more activities that had something to do with the celebration of the Irish heritage. And I do realize that this would've probably been the case in bigger towns like Galway and Dublin, but I was surprised nonetheless. 
However, that doesn't mean I didn't have a great time celebrating St. Paddy's day for the first time in my life! 

Castlebar, you just don't seem to disappoint whenever I come over!

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Day 58
21 - 3 - 2019

Last week, when I came home from Castlebar, I realized that so far I haven't seen as much of Ireland than I wish I had. 
But today I'm gonna change that! I wake up at 7.00, pack my backpack and leave the house walking to town. The bus to Dublin leaves at 8.15. 

A 2 hour busride takes me to Dublin city centre. And I couldn't have picked a better time to do so, because the weather is amazing. I can just walk around without my jacket on. For the next few days I'm gonna be spending my time in Dublin and see what there is to do and see! There are a few things on my list that I definitely want to see while being here. But before I start crossing things of my list I'm gonna need to sit down for a second and have something to eat. It doesn't take long to find a nice little café and I plan out my next moves while enjoying my Irish breakfast and coffee.

First stop, Temple Bar. The name suggests that I'm planning on heading into the pub at 11.00 in the morning. But no worries, I haven't adapted to all the traits of the Irish culture just yet ;). No, Temple Bar is an area in Dublin that is located on the south bank of the River Liffey. The area is locally and nationally known as 'Dublin's cultural quarter' and the centre of Dublin's nightlife. But during the day it's a lovely area with all kinds of old school looking pubs and alternative small shops. And although it is lovely to walk around here, I'm not really feeling an overly expensive pint so early nor am I looking for a shoulder bag made from alpaca hairs or whatever. So I keep on walking and head over to the next tourist attraction on my list.

As I'm walking away from Temple Bar l look at my watch and see that it's already 2 pm. So I head over to my next stop, Trinity College.
Trinity College Dublin is Ireland’s oldest high-level educational institution, and is ranked best across Ireland. The university was founded in 1592, and it has produced some of Ireland’s best-known literary personalities – like Oscar Wilde and Samuel Beckett. The University currently located in the heart of Dublin, but at the time of its founding Trinity College was actually located outside and to the east of the walled city of Dublin. Trinity College is open to the public so you can just walk around campus without having to pay an entrance fee. I walk around campus for a couple of minutes, soaking up the atmosphere and then I head over to the most significant building on site, the Old Library. 

The reason why the Old Library is definitely worth a visit for any tourist is because of two different elements, the Long Room and The Book of Kells. The Long Room's history dates back to the establishment of the College in 1592 and is the largest library in Ireland. Before I get to the Long Room I walk through an exposition where it is explained why the Old Library, the Long Room and The Book of Kells are significant and how books were made back in the day. I educate myself for a minute and then I keep on walking. I arrive in the Long Room and I'm shocked by how impressively humongous it is. Not only is it way longer than I thought it would be, the height of this room is amazing. I ask one of the security staff if he wants to take a picture of me and after he took it he starts stating some interesting facts about the library. For example: the Long Room consists of many different inlets with oak pillars where thousands of books are stored, and on each side of the oak pillars is a line of letters. However, not all of the letters you would expect are present. The letter J is missing. Why? Because there is no J in Latin.

Today the Library has over 6 million printed volumes with extensive collections of journals, manuscripts, maps and music reflecting over 400 years of academic development. The most famous of its manuscripts, the Book of Kells. As I slowly move through the Long Room I end up at a display and in it lays the Book of Kells. The Book of Kells is one of the great treasures of medieval Europe, it is an illuminated manuscript written in Latin, and it contains the four gospels of the New Testament together with various introductory texts and tables. It is believed to be created by Early Christian monks around 800AD. The pages are made from so called vellum (calf-skin prepared for writing). The vellum used in the Book of Kells was taken from the skin of 150 calves.

I finish the exposition and head out of the building. I look at my watch and notice that it's already 4 o'clock. I decide to head over to the next and last stop for the day. I have decided to not see everything in Dublin yet, since I will come back here more often with visiting family and friends and I don't want spoil the fun by already seeing everything before them. So I head over to the Spire. The Spire is nothing more than an immensely tall needle in the middle of Dublin. This is where I meet Clare, one of the friends I've made since my arrival in Ireland. We head over to a bar, order a cocktail and catch up. 

The both of us wander around town for a good hour and then head to a club where we meet one of her friends. 

So far Dublin has been amazing. The city centre contains of beautiful buildings and there are so many historical monuments and tourist attractions. I can write 10 more pages about my day in Dublin but I'm afraid that this blogpost will become to long then.

After a fun night out with Clare and her friends we head over to one of her friends' place and go to bed.

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Day 60
23 - 3 - 2019

After Dublin, I went with Clare and her friend Chris to Maynooth. Maynooth is a small town just outside of Dublin. And after a fun night with my friends I wake up early on saturday morning, say goodbye to my friends and head over to the bus. I hop on the first bus to the airport and this is where I meet Priscilla. Priscilla and I have been great friends since I joined my basketbal club back home in Groningen. Last september Priscilla moved to Barbados for an internship and that meant we wouldn't see each other for a long time. So acting on an impulse, Priscilla bought tickets to come to Ireland and visit me.

As we finally meet up again after 7 months we give each other a hug and head over to the bus that will take us back to Limerick. 2.5 hours later and we finally arrive in Limerick. Since we both are starving we first head into McDonalds. After our bellies are filled we walk around town for a bit and we head into a Paddywagon tours' office. Tomorrow morning at 8 our bus will take us to the Cliffs of Moher.

For the rest of the day we decide to stay in Cratloe Wood Village. We go to sleep a tad early because we don't want to miss our bus!

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Day 61
24 - 3 - 2019

It's 7.55 and we hurry ourselves to Arthurs Quay in order to be on time for the bus that will take us to the Cliffs of Moher. The moment we arrive we find ourselves to be early since the busses in Ireland are never really on time.

We get on the bus and we are on our way. It takes us a solid 2 hours before we arrive at the Cliffs and on the way the tour guide on the bus provides us with some interesting information about the Irish countryside. For example: Ireland is known for it's stone walls throughout the country that represent borders between privately own pieces of land. In some parts of Ireland these walls are known as penny-walls, most of these stone walls in Western Ireland were constructed in the last 200 years, especially during the great famine to form field divisions and clear the ground. During the great famine a lot of people struggled to come up with enough money in order to provide for themselves or their families. Land owners then came up with a plan in order to provide the poor with a little bit of money, they would give people a penny a day in return for building the stone walls. No mortar, tools and hence was used in order to built these walls.

We arrive at the Cliffs of Moher and the tour guide tells us we have an hour and a half to walk around, take pictures and enjoy the beautiful views that the Cliffs provide. We start to realize how lucky we are to be visiting the Cliffs today since the weather is absolutely great, besides a few rain drops and quite a strong wind the sun is constantly shining and the conditions grant us with amazing pictures!

As we wait at the bus for the group to be complete again, the tour guide tells us we are heading of to the next town over for lunch and after that we are driving a little bit up north to pay a visit to what is known as "the baby Cliffs of Moher". 

On the way to our second official stop we drive past an advertisement sign for a matchmaker and the tour guide tells us that back in the days people in the countryside who were having trouble finding a partner for life would often go and see a matchmaker who would help them look for a partner. This was often done by throwing parties where multiple bachelors (male and female) would show up and by the guiding of the matchmaker would find a partner for life. Usually a deal was to be made between the families in order to benefit both families.

Whilst at the Cliffs of Moher there is a lot of green to be seen, at the baby Cliffs of Moher it's nothing but rock formation. We get off of the bus and have about half an hour to walk around and take pictures of the amazing views. After walking around carefully, because neither of us wanted to break our ankles on the sharp and dangerous rocky cliffs, we get back on the bus and head back to Limerick. Right before we arrive back in Limerick we make one last stop in a small town called Buratty. The tour guide tells us we have about half an hour to walk to the castle's gardens to walk around but Priscilla and I decide to go to the pub next to the castle and enjoy a nice pint of Cider as we both agree to have walked around enough for the day already. 

We get back to Cratloe Wood Village at around 6. After dinner we decide to put on a movie and stay in for the night instead of heading back into town for a good party.

For me, paying a visit to the Cliffs of Moher has been the first time since my arrival in Ireland that I've been a tourist activity. However, driving through county Clare (where the Cliffs of Moher are located), visiting the Cliffs and the baby Cliffs of Moher and having a pint in an old traditional Irish pub was truly amazing and I would recommend doing the paddywagon tour to anyone who is planning on paying a visit to Ireland in the future.

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Day 63
26 - 3 - 2019

On monday we decided to take it easy and give our legs a little bit of rest. We payed a visit to Cratloe Wood forest (I've already written about the forest in one of my previous blogs) and went out with one of my friends I've made over the last months, but furthermore we stayed at the house all day enjoying the sun.

However, on tuesday, our last day in Limerick, we went into town to walk around and visit some of the tourist attractions that Limerick itself provides. We wandered around town for a good couple of hours walking in and out of some shops that sell alternative clothings and interior. After we agreed upon the fact that Limerick city centre had nothing more in store for us we went over to see St. Mary's Cathedral. St. Mary's Cathedral is founded in 1168 and is is the oldest building in Limerick still in continuous daily use. The Cathedral was built where the palace of the late King of Munster, Donal Mór O’Brien once stood. During the last eight centuries, it has witnessed invasions, sieges, battles, wars, famine, unrest and times of great peace.

After the Cathedral we were on our way to King John's Castle, but sadly enough we were too late to enter it. So we decided to grab a cup of coffee in the café across from the castle and be on our way home afterwards. 

After dinner we decide to go to bed a bit early since the alarm will go off the next day at around 6. Before Priscilla and I will say goodbye again we will go to Dublin city centre and see trinity college and wander around town.

It's been great to have had Priscilla around for these last couple of days and we have had a great time catching up. But for now I'll be on my own again going back to college and getting ready for the last bit of the basketbal season.