My classes have officially finished now.  Currently my time is equally split between sitting at a computer creating beautiful works of academic genius and procrastinating with Youtube.   technically it is spring break here, but at the moment the howling wind and rain doesn't make it feel that way.  Spring break will last about two weeks, and in that time I hope to finish my essays, maybe read a book for fun and entertain my parents (they come next weekend).

I really enjoy this kind of schedule.  Wake up whenever the sun wakes me up, leisurely consume breakfast and coffee, organize myself a bit, get a bit of work done, and then finish the day with a homemade meal and a drink or two.  Its a very laid back approach to living.  However, I will soon trade in the laid back lifestyle for a traveling one.  Some how my classes over here only required final essays of me and not any exams (though it should be noted I had a total of 15,00 words to finish, approx. 30 pages in all).  What that means is that the time period reserved for exams is mine and mine alone.  My roommate has also found himself in the same situations, and we are planning on undertaking quite an ambitious journey once our essays are turned in.  We will start in Italy and work our way north along France, Belgium, Netherlands, then east to Germany and Czech Republic.  Since we have so much time, the trip is only loosely planned and will only end when our money or energy breaks.  I really don't know 

how far we'll make it but Im pumped to be traveling with an open mind and very few restrictions.  I hope it all turns out well.

During my procrastination time I came across this.  It is from the Tourny in Limerick.  At 3:01 you can see me throw a huck to a man in a skirt.

I want to be wild

Holy awesome!  This is gonna be so cool!  Lets all go Where the Wild Things Are.

soaking it in

Ive been in Ireland for a while now and Im beginning to feel "in it" now.  It has sort of lost its initial newness, but thats not a bad thing.  It feels like I live here now.  Im accustomed to a lot more.  I get to walk along a river every day to class which is really cool.  Galway is a city I can really get my arms around.  Cobblestone city streets a few blocks west and open walking space along the ocean to the east.  I'm in a pretty sweet location here.

Listening: Do Make Say Think.

An instrumental group from Canada.  Kinda of an offshoot of the Broken Social Scene collective.  Very cool music that bounces from Jazzy horns, to distorted guitar, to beautiful strings.  Heres a little taste.

AA Bondy- American Hearts

I don't really know how I got a hold of this CD but its great.  Here is a taste.

Reading:  I'm taking several English classes here and have been having to read a lot for class.  But, I'm enjoying it.  One class is 20th century fiction the other is Northern Irish fiction.  The later class is pretty interesting because we discuss fiction on what happened during the 70's in Northern Ireland, and we have this older guy who was actually in Belfast during that time taking the class with us.  Pretty Crazy situation.

Aside from school work I am finally reading Return of The King.  Its the kind of book that really takes you out of the physical world into something new.  Its great.

By they way if you're feeling sad ever this might make you feel better.

Cheers!

Stone Walls, Pickled Herring, and Beer

Its been a while since Barcelona.  Lots has happened and I find myself dangerously close to the end of my semester.  A sudden panic has hit me in the stomach.  There are papers to finish and exams to be taken.  Yet, before I commit to fully panicking over my school situation I did some cool stuff that I will now tell you about.

First, we got a chance to check out this place called the Arran Islands.  It is this series of islands off of the west coast of Ireland, not far from Galway.  Since I've been here a bit, I have realized that Ireland is more modern than the stereotype it is given back in the states.  Young people dress in the European fashion, they eat fast food, and the economy is based on more than just potatoes.  This doesn't seem to be the case for the Arran Islands.  After a woozy bus ride and still woozier ferry ride (which was not something my brain loved, with the Guinness still lingering in my head) we arrived to an Island that gave me the feeling of the Ireland of old.  The Irish culture does flourish around Galway, but never before have I heard as many people speaking Irish as I did on the Island.  It felt like a time warp.  Our itinerary for the day would consist of a bike tour across the island with stops along the way.  It was as dismal day.  The fog and piss rain were another reminder of Irish life I guess, but we got through it.  Saw some cool stuff, including a lighthouse not used anymore, big cliffs, a church from the 8th century, a horse, a seal, Irish sweaters (called jumpers), and lots of stone walls (to keep the soil from being blown away).  It was good stuff.

Next, Me and my two friends, Colin and Mike, took a trip to Sweden last week.  We stayed in Stockholm for 2 days then took a short train ride to a town in the north called Upsala.  I sort of came into this trip with few expectations.  Really knowing very little about Sweden it was new at all parts.  I was completely blown away.  I ate up every little nuance and small difference in culture between Sweden and everywhere else I've visited.  Delicious pastries, serve yourself candy in every convenient store, constant coffee, snow!, a national park with a beautiful expanse of walking paths only a walk out of the city, and beautiful burnt orange or yellow colored buildings with ancient copper roofing.  They also have these stores called Loppis.  They are a sort of cross between an antique store and a thrift shop.  Cool old stuff, but reasonably priced.  

We got duped into visiting the Ice Bar.  I had images of the TV show where they make a hotel out of ice (they actually do in way north Sweden), but it turned out to be one room, over priced drinks, and lots of tourist there to take pictures.

Upsala was a a success though.  Sweet college town situated along a river with bikes everywhere.  We somehow got into this bar, that is apparently only for Swedish people and drank some great Swedish Beer and conversed with some Swedish students.  One of them even invited us to this art show that was happening the next day.  Our true goal of Upsala was to see Jose Gonzalez play a show on our last night.  It was great.  We were last row and he spoke only swedish but it was a great show nonetheless.  Next day woke up early and traveled almost all day back to Galway.  Made our plane thankfully.

Finally, I experienced St. Patricks Day in Ireland.  Its different.  Its not like the States.  It's more a religious holiday for the older crowd.  Though there was a cool parade with everything from New Jersey Cops, to marching bands, to kids dressed up as schools of fish.  It was a good day though.  

This post was long.  Thanks for reading.

Now onward to schoolwork!

Hola, Barcelona!

Last week was a three day trip to Barcelona Spain.  After racking my brain to finish 2 midterm essays, we took the 3AM bus to catch a flight to Barcelona.  This has been the first visit to a country other than Ireland, as well as my my first visit to a non-English speaking country in Europe.  I think you find yourself in a country like this.  Things are different there and I loved it for that.  I got a good (though short) glimpse of Spanish lifestyle.  However, I am told Barcelona is not a representation of all Spain (this area of the country is know as Catalonia.  Many speak Catalan as well as Espanol and identify differently than the rest of Spain).  Regardless, I loved the glimpse of Spanish culture I got.  

People take things easy here.  Cars and trucks have no problem letting pedestrians cross the street.  You can easily approach someone on the street to ask a question and they patiently wait through your broken Spanish.  The biggest example of this is eating out.  Go to a restaurant and you should expect what we would call "bad service" in the states.  I thought it was a breath of fresh air though.  It takes a while to get a server, order and eventually get food or drink.  However, this allows you to socialize and generally enjoy your meal rather than feel rushed.  Relaxing atmosphere and delicious food.  Aside from food, my favorite part of Barcelona culture was the use of public space.  Everywhere there are arty public benches, parks, playgrounds and sculptures.  People flock to these areas.  They are all clean and utilized well (the city and Beach were surprisingly clean for such a big city).  Makes you feel connected to the city and the other people there.

The architecture was another aspect I loved.  We saw all the Gaudi stuff, though we never payed to go inside any of them.  There is this huge park overlooking the city called Park Guell that was utterly beautiful.  The city architecture gives you a very open feel.  Balconies on all the windows, tall buildings and interesting, maze like, ally ways.

I could probably write way more on my visit, but Ill let the pictures speak for me.  Though I should mention we loved it so much we thought maybe we should miss our buss/flight to Ireland, be forced to spend an extra day in the nearby city of Girona and then spend the night in the Dublin airport.  So we did.  It was weird.

Arc De Triumph

Sweet jungle gym like thing we played on

There are so many mopeds here, really cool

Museum De Picasso. Mostly stuff from his early periods, but still very cool

Best cup of Cafe con Leche I have ever had.

Gaudi: Sagrada Familia.  Still under construction

Very intricate

Casa Batllo

Park Gruell

Park Gruell

Park Gruell

oh yeah, I have a mustache now.

Oh yeah!

Ultimate with a side of Stab City

Last Thursday I got to see this performance of Irish arts put on by the university.  They had professional trad musicians come in as well as sean-nós singers (signers who sings in Irish) and dancers.  It was a very cool and a very authentic version of Irish arts.

That weekend I went south to Limerick to play in an tournament.  The tourny was really well run with music playing and food served all day.  We played mostly Irish teams though there was a team from UK and Amsterdam.  We played well and ended up 9th out of about 19 teams.  For the finals we got to see this Irish club team play this UK team with a lot of players from the Great Britain Worlds team.  It was the most beautiful ultimate I have seen in my life.  Most mind blowing was that the girls has way better throws than the guys.  This one girl, # 14, absolutely blew my mind.  At one point it would look like she was going to take an easy dump throw, the next she throws a huge break throw the width of the field for a score.  Unbelievable.

Limerick is sort of a working class city.  It used to be called the 'Stab City', but has been cleaned up a bit more.  No one got stabbed but i kept my guard up the whole time.

The Great Britain team

Last weekend I went to Cork for a one day Ultimate tournament.  I went down early with my friend Colin from Wisconsin and stayed with Colin's friend near University of Cork, a bit outside the city.  We arrived to a dinner of crepes with lamb and onion, crepes with vegetables and cheese, and a crepes with Nutella and strawberry dessert.  That night we sipped some wine along the river and discussed adventure.  We also got egged.  Apparently the youths of Cork like to egg people as they walk home from the bars, and the place we stayed was right in the middle of the war zone.  We didn't get hit bad, but it hurt my pride more than anything.  

The next morning I joined the ultimate team for the tournament.  Im not sure how I feel about the team.  I had fun playing, but its just not the same as playing with your really good friends (I'm looking at you Marquette).  I might play another tournament with them but I don't know if Ill get real attached to them.  One bright side was that the team is very light on handlers so I was able to play handle all day and throw some really stupid scoobers and hucks.  I also got a layout-D.  If you have no idea what I just said, its frisbee talk and I apologize.  

that night we went to a local brewery and tried some local Cork beer.  I tried one called Phuca as well as their Shannon Stout.  It was a quite night and so was the next day.  I didn't get to see much of the city but that was Ok.  I needed a weekend to relax a bit.

Phuca

Cliffs of Mordor

Over the course of the weekend a large group came together.  We battled through rough weather and slight hangovers on our metal,  8 wheeled passenger stead (bus).  It was a free trip, payed for by included with our stay here, and though it was supposed to only be for Marquette students, we snuck out St. Joseph's roommate and our friend from University of Wisconsin onto the bus.  The fellowship was lead by our Marquette liaison's son, Paul, seeing as she had the flu.  Our fellowship made a few stops at some lame castle and another less lame cave, but then we were off to our real destination.  The Cliffs of Moher.

As we arrived, the sun showed its self to us and we witnessed a sight that was in every sense of the phrase: Breath taking.  Out of both awe and dizzying fear, the cliffs literally make you stop and just wittiness them.  Though the site is obviously a huge tourist spot, it takes nothing away from how beautiful they are.  There were  some walls and barriers up to maintain safety, but there was also a section to the south that you could walk along private property, barrier free.  

Earlier in the bus a smaller group of myself, two of my housemates and our friend from UW had decided spontaneously that our goal was not fulfilled and that we had to continue onward to the town of Doolin (about a half inch away from the Cliffs of Moher according to this map).  We were told that we could follow a trail that leads north along the coast from the cliffs all the way to Doolin by our liaison's son Paul.  Paul did us well.  Breaking from the fellowship, we hopped the fence and started our journey to Doolin.  Of all the things I have done in Ireland so far, this hike was the most monumental.  The trail was definitely there, though it was almost never safe.  We walked along sheer cliff drops of a height that, without any doubt in your head, would  kill you.  But the thing was, it was so high up that you couldn't even comprehend how high your were.  All we could do was giggle, and in fact we did, a lot.  I felt like the kids in Stand By Me.  But really there aren't words to describe what it was like.  We didn't find out until we got home that when the weather is bad wind can pick people up and off the cliffs, even in the touristy section.  (don't worry mom and dad, we made our primary goal not to die for this trip) My roommate took lots more pictures and there's a link to them on his blog.  

Eventually, we strolled into Doolin Town found a hostel to dry our soaked/muddy feet.  Doolin is actually a really big tourist spot but it is practically shuts down in the off season.  So, most everything was closed.  However, we were able to find a pub with some food and the Gaelic football game.  Then we found another pub with great trad music (thats what the Irish call traditional).  Since it was the off season, its was only locals in the pub.  Some guy even pulled out the spoons and played them.  Next day, we packed our tired asses onto a bus back to Galway and got some sleep.

I got a head start on facial hair February

The start of the trail.  This was probably the safest part.

We walked all the way from where I took this picture to the furthest point you can see.  After that we still had another hour of hiking to Doolin.

Sweet Hostel

Dublin, Pronounced Dooblin

We took a two day trip to Dublin over the weekend.  It's a big city with more of an international feel than the smaller Irish charm of Galway, but the history of the city is immense and it was a an awesome way to get a better perspective of Irish culture.

Our hostel was The MarlBoRough Hostel.  Very friendly.  It felt almost like a commune.  You share a kitchen, Internet, TV room, courtyard and bathrooms and showers.  Lots of younger  international people.  We actually met some people from Germany and Belgium that we ended up going out to the bars with.

This spire is a feature of the city.  I don't think the locals like it much.  It seems to stick out, though it is impressively big.

One of our major goals of the trip was to visit the Guinness storehouse.  Though they brew Guinness elsewhere now, there is still a museum tour you can take in Dublin.  It was a bit artificial but well worth it.

250 years of Guinness

The man himself, Arthur Guinness

Tasting room

One of my favorite parts was the advertising of the past.  Apparently in the 1950's Guinness was good for you. I took way too many pictures.

The creator of the famous "my goodness my Guinness" posters John Gilroy.

I got to pour my own pint.

The tour finishes with a bar at the top, and since it was such a nice day you could see all of Dublin.

Next day we trekked to Croke Park, home of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) where they play such games as Hurling and Gaelic Football.  The stadium holds some 83,000 people and is the 4th largest stadium in Europe.  Though Hurling and Gaelic Football aren't even professional sports, there is still a huge draw for them.  Surprisingly, this was one of the best things we did during the trip.  The revival of the Irish games occurred at the same time as much of the militant attempts to gain Irish independence from Britain.  Many Irish nationalist were afraid that their culture was dying out so they began to try and revive Irish language, dance, music and Gaelic games.  I don't think the GAA was meant to be political but there had to be some connection.

The stand to the left is known as Hill 16.  It is the place where Dublin fans like to be when their team plays.  Apparently, its called Hill 16 because it was originally built on old ruble from the Easter Rising of 1916.  The Easter Rising was a militant attempt by Irish republicans to gain independence from Britain.  Another of the stand was called Hogan stand after one of the coaches (Michael Hogan) along with 13 others were killed when a British officer opened fire in Croke Park on the day known as Bloody Sunday.  More than just a stadium, Croke park is steeped in history, which is why I think I liked it so much.

This statue in Dublin Castle was built by the British and apparently faces away from the rest of the city.  A symbol that the British didn't respect the Irish.  Also, until they drilled holes in it, the balance would be unequal when it rained.
 
We finished our trip with a visit to the old Jameson Distillery.  Like Guinsess, Jameson isn't distilled in Dublin anymore but they still offer a tour.  It was really cheesy and artificial, but there was a happy ending.