I apologize to everyone for taking so long to post another blog! If you thought my life was busy before, think twice! Honestly though, you have all not missed much. The highlight of the last 3 weeks for me has been St. Patrick’s Day weekend in Dublin which I will explain in detail. Since returning home from Dublin, I have worked to complete 3 final papers! With the last day of classes being March 27^th, I had to get straight to work in order to complete my assignments before Spring Break…. Which is tomorrow!! I am going to Paris, Barcelona, Seville, and Lagos, Portugal. It is also my 21^st birthday on Tuesday… Happy Birthday to me!!! There is a lot on my mind to blog about, so I am going to go week by week.

 

The last time I blogged, I was very sad because Reilly was just leaving me after an awesome week we had together. There was no time to spare after his departure because my friend from my home town, Katherine, was coming to visit 2 days after Reilly left. I felt like a hotel service, cleaning and washing all the sheets to turn them over for my next guest! Katherine arrived in Galway on Tuesday, March 12^th. She was amazed by Galway’s beauty and pleasant atmosphere, but who wouldn’t be?! We had a fun ‘girls week’ eating lots of food and catching all the good ‘craic’ in Galway. Katherine repeatedly said coming to Ireland made her appreciate her father more who is very Irish. She and I wished Mr. Stewart was with us to experience the same fun we had. Our few days in Galway were fun and fast, but the real fun was yet to come. On Friday, we set off for Dublin to enjoy St. Patrick’s Day weekend! This was definitely a once in a life time opportunity. We were also very lucky because we got to meet our other high school friend, Lizzie, who is studying abroad in London this summer. She flew to Dublin for the weekend.

 

On Friday night, we began our weekend with Temple Bar: The most famous (and touristy) row of bars in Ireland! The Temple Bar area was crazy this weekend, everyone was dressed in crazy green outfits. It was so crowded it was hard to walk. Sometimes this isn’t fun, so we walked all throughout the city to find a place to eat because it was so crowded. However, we still got our shot at the pubs that night. Lizzie arrived late, so we went back to the hotel after waiting up for her in order to get a good night of sleep for a busy, long day the next day.

 

On Saturday March 16^th, it was a beautiful sunny day and we were on a mission to get our green outfits for the weekend! By Saturday, Dublin was crowded with tourists and action, live street performances on every corner! We had a lot of fun dressing in our green accessories and we enjoyed the entertainment. Saturday we spent most of the day at THE actual Temple Bar. I told the girls that if they wanted to Temple Bar experience, we would have to go during the day because it gets so crowded at night. We were very lucky to get a table at Temple Bar where we stayed most of the day. It was fun as well because there was a big rugby game in town, Ireland v. Italy, so there was a lot of camaraderie.  

 

After having too much fun on Saturday, we were good about getting to bed early so we could get up and look cute for the parade on Sunday! The Parade was very crowded and very green, what a surprise. It was a little cool in the morning, but we lined up on O’Connell Street to get a good spot. After the parade there were millions of people so it took a long time to walk from point A to point B. We finally found a pub to get a bite to eat at and celebrate the holiday for the rest of the night.

 

On Monday morning, I said goodbye to Katherine as she flew out of Dublin back to the states. It was a long and sad ride back to Galway because I was entering the final stretch of school. Monday morning was a ‘bank holiday’ in Ireland. What a coincidence…..

 

School ended on March 27^th because we had off for Holy Thursday and Good Friday. I was extremely busy during the final days of classes because I had to write 3 final papers before my spring break trip. My schedule is very nicely split up because of my 6 classes, I had 3 final papers due by today, April 5^th, and I have 3 final exams: April 25^th, 29^th, and May 2^nd. Today I handed my papers in with a smile on my face because it is the best feeling in the world to get things done!!!

 

Tomorrow starts a 21^st birthday week excursion for me… I am SO EXCITED!!! This time tomorrow I will be in Paris. My trip is set up from April 6^th to April 15^th; these two weeks now is our spring break before the final exam period. My good friend on the trip, Katie, is traveling with me. Tomorrow morning we are leaving at 3 am for the bus to get to Dublin airport and will be arriving in Paris at 12 noon. Paris is one more hour ahead of Ireland, so now I will be 6 hours ahead of the United States.

 

In Paris, we are staying with Katie’s sorority sister. I am very excited to be staying with someone in Paris who goes to school there because she is going to show us the ropes! Monday night is my 21^st birthday, so we are very excited to celebrate. Thank you to all my family who has been sending me birthday cards! It is so fun to receive cards even when you are so far away. Missing you back at home!!

 

We are going to be in Paris from Saturday until Tuesday. On Wednesday morning, Katie and I are getting up early and then flying to Barcelona to stay for 2 nights. The two of us chose Barcelona because that is a place we both really wanted to go. We are also looking forward to the warm weather!!! It has been a little nicer in Ireland, mid to high 40s in the last few days. However, the projected highs for Spain this week are mid 60s!! I only packed cool clothes, so it better be warm! After spending two days in Barcelona, Katie and I are flying to Seville. From Seville, we are going on a “Discover Lagos Portugal” Excursion, a group spring break getaway for the weekend. A bus is picking up the group of students who signed up from Seville and is taking us to a resort in Lagos, Portugal for the weekend. This is an all inclusive trip that got good reviews so we figured, what the heck! We are excited to stay in a hotel and check out all the beautiful beaches and cliffs of Portugal. I will put up a picture to show you how beautiful it is going to be!!! Plus we will be with a lot of college students, so we cannot wait.

 

After a final weekend in Portugal, it will be a sad ride home from Seville on Monday, April 15^th. Ireland will greet us with final exams to study for…. These are two weeks that I am not looking forward too! However, I am lucky to have such a fabulous week starting tomorrow. My dad has recently informed me that he and his brother, Uncle Tom are coming to Ireland for a golf trip on May 22^nd. After a week with them, I will be coming home on May 29^th.

 

March was definitely the quickest month since I have been here and I cannot believe that there is an end point of this experience in the future! However, I still have 2 months with a lot of action. I look forward to blogging next week about all the fun I had on my trip!!! Hopefully the weather will be nice and the RyanAir flights will go smoothly.

 

Belated “Happy Easter” to everyone at home! I had a quiet Easter at the Galway cathedral and went out to brunch with friends afterwards. However, I did miss my family the most on Easter Sunday. I am going to bed because I am getting up at 3 am tomorrow, but I am happy to catch everyone up with my last three weeks. What do they say in France?? AU VOIRE!!!!!!!!!

 

PS: Next time you hear from me I will be 21!!!

 

I am going to post a separate blog with all my pictures.

Location: Galway, Ireland