The Land of Siestas

The first weekend of November, a few friends and I went to Madrid, Spain. This was the first trip we booked way back in the beginning of September. At SLU, a lot of students choose to study in Madrid because SLU has their own campus there. It’s easier for them to take classes and is the cheapest study abroad option. A lot of my friends chose to study abroad in Madrid, and I was so pumped to visit them. A few of my other friends studying in Rome came that weekend as well. It was so great to all be reunited again.

The morning of November 4^th, we had to wake at 1 AM to take a 2:15 AM bus to Dublin. Our flight was at 7:20 AM, so with the three-hour bus ride and arriving two hours before our flight left, this was the only bus we could take. Although I only got 2 hours of sleep the night before, I was unable to sleep on the bus ride to Dublin and the plane ride to Madrid. My mom gave me some Benadryl to take on the flight back to Chicago so hopefully that will knock me out when I head back December 19^th. Once we arrived at the airport, we went through security. I hate going through security, especially here. Since, I never check any bags all I have is my carry-on, and I’m always afraid airport security is going to catch me for something like the amount of liquids I have. Well this time they did. They made me throw out my face wash and face lotion. I was so annoyed because this was my final trip before I head home. I carried my face wash and lotion with me to and from both Scotland and London and no one stopped me. And, they both fit in a quart size, airport-approved bag. I told my dad about it when I got back and he told me that stuff like that doesn’t matter. But doesn’t he remember that he was the one who taught me to take care of my things and not be wasteful? But he is right. There are bigger problems to worry about. Needless to say, it’s been four weeks and I have gotten a new bottle of face wash and lotion. I just hope the airport donates all the thrown out bottles of lotion, shampoo, and perfume to a charity or something.

Now I don’t want to scare any of you away, but that was the beginning of my terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. Okay, I’m being dramatic, but I do love that book, “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.” While on our flight to Madrid we were told by the captain that the Madrid airport was so congested we had to fly around the air until a gate opened up for us. Normally this wouldn’t bother me, but my friends insisted on meeting us at the airport (their flight from Rome came in two hours before ours) and I didn’t want to keep them waiting. By the time we landed and met them, they had been waiting for four hours, and they still greeted me with smiles and hugs. Do I have the best friends or what? Thankfully, one of our friends, Michael Shay, met us at the airport and took us to our hostel. I realized I didn’t need to write both his first and last name but that is how I always refer to him. He is studying in Madrid this semester and is also a physical therapy student. He became our tour guide for the weekend. Although I don’t think he volunteered to do so, rather his girlfriend (who is one of my friends studying in Rome) told him to. He made sure all of us got our metro passes and got to the hostel. This was my first time staying in a hostel because in London we stayed in a hotel and in Scotland we were fortunate enough to stay with Fiona. The hostel was awful, so unclean and overall, just gross. My friends from Rome have been travelling more internationally than we have thus staying in more hostels and they even said this was the worst hostel they ever stayed in. This wouldn’t bother most college students. They would rather save the money on a cheap hostel and spend it on alcohol, but I’m not meant for the 20-year-old college lifestyle. Get me into a nice bed at 10 PM and I’ll be out like a light. At one point during the weekend I even got locked in one of the bathroom stalls. Thankfully someone found me before I started to cry. We spent as much time outside the hostel as possible, which meant we got to see a lot of great things like The Prado Museum (Museo del Prado), Plaza Mayor, Puerta del Sol (both of these are squares with fountains and buildings all around them), Retiro Park, the Royal Palace, Saint Michael’s Market (Mercado de San Miguel) and Chocolateria San Gines (A place where they sell churros and chocolate sauce. They were scrumptious!) Michael Shay told us that about 500 years ago Catholics would hang meat in their stores to drive Jewish people out of Spain. Talk about exclusivity.

The first night we were there, we decided to go to this bar, El Tigre, which means tiger in Spanish. The bar was so crowded we didn’t stay for more than five minutes. However, when we left the bar, my friend Allie realized her wallet was missing. We went back in to see if she dropped it or anything, but it was gone. While she was in the bar, this man started talking to her, so she thinks that he was distracting her while his friend took her wallet. I felt so bad for her. She was so upset that she decided to go back to the hostel with our other friend and call her parents so they could cancel her credit cards. On our way to another bar, we met up with more of my friends from SLU, and then jumped on the metro. There was a big group of us, probably 20 or so, and the metro was already really crowded so we really needed to squeeze together. Hannah, my friend Danny, his friend Pat and I all jumped into one car. As I got on this woman who was already on the train kept moving wherever I moved and pushing up against me. After about 5 seconds of this, I looked down and realized my purse was open and my wallet was missing. I looked around and saw this man trying to squeeze his way through people away from me. I looked at my friend Danny and yelled, “He took my wallet!” Hannah with her quick reflexes reached for his jacket just to get a hold of him, and then my wallet fell to the floor. I immediately picked it up and maneuvered my way through a few people to stand next to Danny and Pat. I was so shocked! I couldn’t believe my wallet was almost stolen. So for the rest of the night, Hannah and I were on edge. Even though her wallet wasn’t stolen, Hannah felt just as violated as I did. I think both the man and woman were working together to take advantage of students visiting Madrid because after they got off at the next stop two girls from Germany said they tried to do the same thing to them. I guess I’ll never be able to pass as a Spaniard.

That night Hannah and I went home early because A. we were still nervous about the metro ride and B. we had been up for almost 24 hours at that point. My friend Wes, who is also studying abroad in Madrid and fluent in Spanish, got us a taxi back to our hostel. My first day in Madrid put a bad taste in my mouth, but thankfully the next two were better. Michael Shay showed us all around Madrid and took us to some great restaurants that served the best paella. Paella is definitely one of my new favorite foods. Another reason I love Spain: siestas. I took one both on Friday and Saturday. That's the only way people in Spain can stay out so late (We stayed out until 5 AM Saturday night! Aren't you proud of me, Gidge?) That night after a two hour siesta a big group of SLU students went to this club El Capital. It was so much fun! Probably one of my favorite nights abroad! Still, seeing everyone and being with them made me miss SLU. I can’t wait to be reunited with everyone in January!

The weekend may have started off a little rocky but turned out to be really fun! I liked Madrid but am happy I chose to study in Galway. I guess I prefer the small town feel rather than the big city. I can’t believe in exactly three weeks from now I will be on a plane ride home to Chicago. My time here has flown by, but now it’s time to finish my Shakespeare paper! So to quote Shakespeare himself, “Sweets to the sweet, farewell.”

Retiro Park

Puerta del Sol

The Royal Palace

Kate and I at Retiro Park

Hannah and I at Retiro Park

Kate, Danny and I (old friends from Marist, all the way to SLU)

A group of Billikens at El Capital

Home Is Where The Heart Is

The weekend after I was in London, I spent the weekend with my mom’s first cousin and Aunt Anne’s sister, Mary and her family in Dublin. I was really looking forward to seeing Dublin because although I travel in and out of Dublin, I have only seen the airport. Mary and her youngest daughter, Róisín, picked me up from the bus station in Dublin. Mary and Aunt Anne sound and look so much alike. I mean all the Giblin sisters do, but I think Mary and Aunt Anne are the most similar when it comes to looks. When we arrived at the Culligan house, I was greeted by Mary’s son, Tom. He was so polite. He immediately asked me if he could take my bag and coat to my room. I don’t think I have ever experienced that kind of service before. Mary had a delicious dinner made for us, and I was absolutely starving after the three-hour bus ride from Galway. That night, we all just hung out and sat by the fire. My idea of a perfect night. As I have said before, one of the things I miss most about home is sitting in the family room next to the fire. I imagine my mom will have one waiting for me when I get home on December 19^th. She actually said in one of her emails to me, “When you get home I can’t wait to sit in front of the fire with your head on my shoulder and hear about everything.” Three weeks left, Mom, three weeks left. After everyone else went to bed Kate, Mary’s oldest daughter who is 14, and I watched the movie, Temple Grandin. I definitely recommend this movie. I didn’t expect a lot from it never hearing of it before, but it blew me away. It is a true story about a woman with autism. This movie really shows you inside the head of someone with autism. It was incredible!Claire Danes played Temple Grandin, and she was brilliant.

The next day, Kate took me around Dublin. She showed me Grafton Street, Temple Bar, the Molly Malone statue, and Trinity College. People in Ireland walk everywhere. Kate and I took the bus into town, but Kate said she and her friends will usually walk. I was shocked when she said this. I thought the walk to the bus stop was long, but then we had to take a 15-minute bus ride as well. That’s why Kate is so skinny; she walks everywhere: school, her friends’ houses, town, etc. That night we went to mass. I was so excited because at home my family goes to mass on Saturday evenings and ever since I have been here I have only gone on Sunday mornings. It reminded me a lot of home. There were a lot of kids in the congregation, which was nice to see as well. After mass, we came home for dinner and spent another night around the fire. Seriously, I was in my glory this weekend. I wish I could spend every night in Ireland around the fire, all cozy under a warm blanket. Kate and I watched another movie, The Women. We didn’t like this one as much as Temple Grandin, but it was okay. The whole cast was women, never once did we see a man or even a boy. It was pretty interesting.

The next morning Mary’s sister, Kate, picked me up to go up to Northern Ireland for a couple of days. I didn’t want to leave the Culligan’s. Everyone was so nice and welcoming. I felt so at home. Claire and her kids came up that Sunday for Halloween, which was the next day. All the kids were off from school that week for a fall break, so before we left we got to see Claire, Mary Ann, Martha, Fionnán and Kate again. I know Martha was so excited to see Róisín. When I visited Claire a couple months ago, Martha said how much fun Róisín and her had trick-or-treating in Dublin last year. I forgot to mention that whenever someone comes over, whether it’s Claire or Kate, Tom greets them with a hug. How sweet is that? I don’t know any 11-year-old boy that would do that. Cathal, Mary’s 12-year-old son is just as nice and polite and what I hear, quite the soccer player. Unfortunately, I wasn’t in Dublin long enough to see him play, but all the more reason to come back, right? So after many goodbyes, I was off with Kate to see Northern Ireland.

Many of you don’t know this, but Kate is quite the traveler. She went on the Camino de Santiago, a Spanish pilgrimage, for four weeks this past September. Did anyone see the movie, The Way, with Martin Sheen and Emilio Estevez? Well that’s what the movie is about. I haven’t seen it, but it looks really good. Anyways, Kate has been all over the world! You think all her traveling would make her a very relaxed and confident driver. Not so much. On our way to Northern Ireland, we picked up one of Kate’s friends from Australia, Mike. Mike and Kate have traveled together in Nepal, Spain and Ireland and are great friends. The first thing Mike asked me was, “So what do you think of Kate’s driving?” I had only been in the car with Kate for like 10 minutes, and his question made me really nervous. I came to realize that Kate is just a very cautious and slow driver. Two things I’m sure my mom will appreciate since according to her, I am very “precious cargo.” After a few hours of driving we stopped in County Meath to see a passage tomb, specifically the one in Newgrange. I had never seen a passage tomb before so it was pretty neat because we were able to go inside the tomb and walk all around it. Kate’s style of travel is to just kind of go with the flow. I am a big planner so it was different for me, but I really enjoyed myself. It was much more relaxed and a lot less stressful.

After our tour of Newgrange, we headed even more north toward Giant’s Causeway. For those who don’t know, Giant’s Causeway is an area in the Northeastern part of Northern Ireland in County Antrim. As a result of an ancient volcanic eruption, there are about 40,000 basalt columns that disappear downward toward the sea. I’m just realizing now how hard it is to explain because let’s be honest, who knows what basalt columns are, so look it up online or just check out my pictures below. We actually didn’t make it to the Giant’s Causeway that day (we got a bit lost, I mean, took the scenic route) so we stayed in the small town of Cookstown in County Tyrone. We were off early the next morning to see the Giant’s Causeway. When we reached about 8 miles outside Giant’s Causeway, Kate pulled over and parked the car in a harbor. I didn’t quite know what was going on, but it didn’t take me long to realize we were going to walk the 8 miles to Giant’s Causeway. Yes, I was going to walk the 8 miles in my Northface, jeans, and new Sperry Topsiders. As we started walking, we realized we were going the wrong way. So we turned around and then we walked up and around this hill just to get back to where we started. Finally we started walking along the beach because if we walked along the coast it would take us directly to Giant’s Causeway. However, the beach came to and end, so Kate thought if we went up this hill it would take us to the main road. Needless to say, we ended up in a field of brush that came all the way up to my waist. We were forging our own path because honestly I think we were the first people ever to walk through this area. We then continued to climb over some people’s fence and make our way onto the road. I have never been more excited to see concrete below my feet in my entire life! As we walked the rest of the way to Giant’s Causeway, it began to rain. So we stood on the side of a closed coffee house and waited for it to stop. Once it stopped raining we continued our walk until we reached the small town of Portballintrae. We were all very hungry by this point, so we stopped for lunch. We had been walking for 5 miles, although I think it was longer with all the detours we made. Since it rained, my clothes and shoes were soaking wet, and I was freezing. Kate and Mike were just as wet, but it didn’t bother them in the least bit. I guess I’m just not meant for the outdoors. After lunch, we took a taxi (thank goodness!) back to our car and drove to Giant’s Causeway. I think Mike realized how cold I was and convinced Kate to take a taxi. Thank you, Mike! Now, I realize I'm coming off like I didn't enjoy my time with Kate, but I want you to know that's not true in the least. I had a great time talking with her and Mike about their travels, I just realized on this trip that I am not an outdoorsy person. I'd rather spend my day inside, probably cleaning out a closet or something like that.

Giant’s Causeway was absolutely beautiful! I’ve never seen anything like it. I am currently campaigning for it to be included in the list of the Seven Wonders of the World. The rock formations are so unique, and the way the waves hit them are breathtaking. Hands down, one of my favorite parts of Ireland. After the Giant’s Causeway, we drove back to Galway, and I took one of the best showers I have ever taken. I was still so cold and wet from the Giant’s Causeway that a hot shower was exactly what I needed. After a good night sleep, I got up for my only class the next day and headed back to Loughglynn, where my Aunt Kitty lives. Since all the kids were off from school this week, Mary came down to Loughglynn with Kate, Tom and Róisín. Some of my classes were cancelled for a few different reasons, so it worked out perfectly. That night we celebrated Fionnán’s 4^th birthday. Everyone came to Granny Kitty’s for some delicious cake. I was so happy to see everyone again. Claire and Kitty are so welcoming that I consider Loughglynn home. I wish I could spend all my time there.

The next day we all went to mass for All Soul’s Day, and it was Martha’s first time altar serving.At different points during the mass, the altar server is supposed to ring the bells. Sometimes it can be easy to forget when exactly to ring the bells, but thanks to Granny Kitty there was no problem. The first time Martha was a little late ringing the bells, Granny Kitty shook her rosary beads in the air to get her attention so she knew to ring them. Then every time after that when Martha needed to ring the bells, she got a little reminder from Granny Kitty and her rosary beads. It was so funny because by the end everyone in the church could hear the rosary beads and they knew the bells were coming.

That night, Mary and Kitty took me to see Johnny Kelly, the man who introduced my grandparents over 50 years ago. Sometimes when my grandpa has a few too many drinks, he will say, “God bless Johnny Kelly.” I was so excited when Kitty suggested we go see him. He lives alone now after “his Bridie” died and is so lonely, but he is the one of the kindest and sweetest men ever. Kitty and him pretty much chatted about people I don’t know, but he also told me how he introduced my Nana and Papa. It was so cute! When I get home in December, I am planning on asking my Nana and Papa their memories of that night and videotaping their answers.

Unfortunately, my trip came to an end the next day. I was so sad leaving because I really do feel like home in Loughglynn with Kitty, Claire, Mary and their kids. Next time my Aunt Anne comes to Ireland, I plan on packing myself in her suitcase just so I can see everyone again.Hopefully, within the next three weeks (Do you believe it? That’s all the time I have left here!) I will be able to see them all again!

Well, I guess that’s it! Again, I’m so sorry for not being better at keeping my blog up-to-date, but my last final is a week from Wednesday, so then I will have all the time in the world to update you. That is if I’m not visiting the Aran Islands or my Uncle Mikie and Winifred in the home-house in Cloonshee. So look out for my next few blog entries about my weekends in Madrid, Dingle Co. Kerry (with my Papa’s younger sister Eileen), Auntie Margaret (my Papa’s older sister) and this past weekend with Hannah’s parents in Dublin. Thanks to all of you still reading, and although I have fallen in love with Ireland, specifically Galway, I can’t wait to see you all again soon!

Love, Molly

Newgrange Passage Tomb

The entrance to the passage tomb

Kate and I at Giant's Causeway

Solo picture! I have a lot of these.

Kate and I

Fionnán and his birthday present, a tractor just like his dad's

Kitty and me

Happy Birthday Fionnán!

Tom being silly

Me, Johnny Kelly and Kitty

I am realizing now that I didn't take any pictures while I was visiting Mary and the Culligan's in Dublin. I guess that shows how much fun I was having that I forgot to even take out my camera. I guess they just have to come out to Chicago so you can all meet them :)

Keep Calm and Carry On

Hello everyone! Long time, no talk. Or update for that matter. I am so incredibly sorry for taking so long to update you all. School actually started to require some work. Who would have thought that studying abroad meant you actually needed to study? It’s a lot different here. For the first half of the semester, almost no one does homework, but then for the second half, teachers start dishing out assignment after assignment and you find yourself with six papers to write and four blog entries behind. I know you all have been on the edge of your seat for the past month waiting for me to tell you about London so here it goes.

London was AMAZING! I absolutely loved it. Four days there were just not enough. We arrived on an early Thursday. (We had to leave at 4 AM from Galway and since no buses leave before 8, which would have been too late to make our flight, we had to take a taxi to Shannon Airport.One of my friends suggested taking a bus Wednesday night and sleeping overnight in the airport, and then she saw the glare I was giving her and agreed that Thursday morning was the way to go.) When we got to London, it was only 10 AM, but it felt like 3 in the afternoon. We headed straight to our hotel to drop off our bags. Number 1 reason why I love London: the Tube! The Tube is London’s underground transportation system, and it is amazing. I could have spent the entire four days riding the Tube, getting off at different stops, and navigating my way around the city. It’s like a grownup puzzle. There are so many ways to get from point A to point B, and it was a contest amongst my friends to see who could find the fastest route. I was torn from my will to win and my desire to ride the Tube for as long as possible.

That first day we saw as much as we could from Big Ben, Parliament, and Westminster Abbey to Buckingham Palace and Trafalgar Square. At Trafalgar Square, my friend Amy was meeting one of her friends from home, Zack, who is studying this semester in London. He took us to see the National Gallery, an art museum right on Trafalgar Square. All the museums in London are free. It’s so cool because you can spend an hour or all day in there if you want. As we walked into the museum I heard a voice saying, “Notice on your right the brush strokes. During the 1500’s this style was very unusual which makes this painting worth what it is today.” I looked around for the tour guide giving a very scripted and boring tour to a group of very unfortunate individuals, but the only person I saw was Zack. I didn’t know whether to laugh at the sheer fact that Zack had speech prepared for us or to cry knowing I couldn’t get out of it. Thankfully, we were all very tired from our day of traveling so we only stayed for an hour. We headed back to the hotel, found a nearby restaurant for dinner, and called it a night.

The next day we went to see the London Eye. For those that have never been to London, the London Eye is a giant Ferris wheel, the tallest one in Europe, located right on the River Thames. It overlooks Parliament, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey and so much more. It is really neat because you can walk all around the passenger capsules, which are made of glass so you can see everything. I wouldn’t recommend it to someone who is afraid of heights. Next we took a tour of Wimbledon. My friend, Amy, is a big tennis fan so it was her dream to see Wimbledon.I don’t care too much for tennis, so I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the tour. Although I have many favorite parts about London, Wimbledon definitely ranks pretty high up. We got to see all the tennis courts and even sat where the players do while being interviewed in the press box after a match. After Wimbledon, we made a stop at King’s Cross Station. For those of you who are not Harry Potter fans like myself, this station is the starting point for the Hogwarts Express. We took advantage of the photo opportunity and took a lot of pictures at Platform 9¾. That night we went to the Broadway show, Jersey Boys. I had already seen it with my family back home, but I never pass up the opportunity to see a Broadway play. It was just as good as the one in Chicago, but toward the end of the play, after the actors were getting more and more tired, you could hear their British accents coming through. It was quite comical actually.

The next day, we went to Notting Hill (Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant, anyone?). There is a famous market there on Portobello Road. It had so many cute things. I also bought part of my sister Bridget’s Christmas present there. Don’t try to weasel it out of me, Bridge. I’m keeping it a surprise. Later in the day we went to Tower Bridge, the very popular bridge in London. It was so extravagant! Before we crossed the bridge, Hannah spotted two men being interviewed, and one of them had on a Comcast Sportsnet jacket. Later, we realized that it was Anthony Adams, a defensive tackle for the Chicago Bears, being interviewed before the game on Sunday.(Actually, we had no idea who Anthony Adams was before this, but we got a picture with him!)In honor of the English Shakespeare class we are taking in Ireland, we thought it would be appropriate to see the Globe Theater. Now it isn’t the actual Globe Theater, just a replica of the first one. It was interesting to see what it would have been like to watch one of Shakespeare’s plays in 16^th and 17^th centuries. In honor of the Olympic games next summer, the Globe Theater is putting on every single one of Shakespeare’s plays. They have theater groups coming from all over the world to perform. There is even a group coming from Chicago. Way to represent Chi-city!

The next day we went to Tower of London. This is not to be confused with Tower Bridge or London Bridge; however, Tower of London is right between both of these bridges. Instead Tower of London is a historic castle, also known as Her Majesty’s Royal Palace and Fortress. It is filled with a bunch of different historical pieces like the suits of armor former kings have worn and the Crown Jewels of all the previous kings and queens. The Crown Jewels was my favorite part. There are even the jewels the Queen wears to open Parliament every year. After our tour of the Tower of London, we were off to my favorite part of the weekend, the Bears game! I was so excited to see my beloved Chicago Bears play. Sunday afternoon football games is one of the things I miss most about home, after my family, friends, and Giordano’s pizza.There are so many American football fans in England. I have never seen so many NFL jerseys, and not just Bears and Buccaneers jerseys either. I saw Ravens, Dolphins, Eagles, Raiders, Rams and Titans jerseys too. You name a team and someone was wearing their jersey. It was like a football rainbow with the sea of colors surrounding Wembley Stadium. The game was so much fun! We had the best time, although a lot of mine was spent explaining to the Brits around me what was going on. The Bears made us proud and pulled out a win! Leaving the game, I came to realize I have only been to two Bears games, one in London and the other at Lambeau field.Don’t worry Soldier Field. We will meet one day. Christmas present, Mom? That night, since some of my (insert here: an adjective for “cheap” that only my hilarious Uncle John could come up with) friends didn’t want to spend money on a hotel for another night, I had the pleasure of spending my first (and last) night in an airport. Needless to say, I spent the entire next day catching up on my sleep.

Well, I guess that’s all I have for you right now. I apologize for waiting so long to update you. I think my dad is the only one who appreciates my effort to make good grades. Every time I talk to him the first thing he asks me is, “How is school? How are your classes? Are they going alright?” After reassuring him that school and classes are going well, I would ask if he has read my blog (obviously I haven’t asked him this in the past month since I haven’t written anything, but when I would ask him before that) and he always says, “It’s on my to-do list.” Maybe if I wrote a blog entry on how my classes are going he might read it. Then on the other hand, I would probably lose the interest of the rest of you, so I’ll keep thinking of something that might interest both you and him. I will try tomorrow to write about my week in Dublin, Northern Ireland and Roscommon, but don’t be upset if you don’t get to read about that one until early next week. Anyways, thanks to all of you who have stuck with me this far. I can’t believe I only have a month left here. Talk to you all soon!

Love, Molly

Amy, Hannah and I watching the Bears pull off a W

Hannah and I outside Wembley Stadium

Hannah, me, Anthony Adams and Allie (notice Tower Bridge in the background)

Hannah and I at Portobello Market in Notting Hill

Off to Hogwarts

Wimbledon

The view of London from the London Eye

The National Gallery

Just got off the phone with the queen, no big deal

Hannah and I outside Buckingham Palace

Westminster Abbey

Amy and I outside Big Ben and Parliament

The Green of Aberdeen

This past weekend, Hannah and I had the chance to visit my mom’s first cousin, Fiona, and her family. She is also my Aunt Anne’s younger sister. We left early on Friday morning to take a three-hour bus to Dublin so we could catch our flight to Aberdeen, Scotland. I have never been to Scotland, and although the majority of tourists visit the capital of Scotland, Edinburgh, Hannah and I were happy to go somewhere outside the norm.

Fiona picked us up from the airport with her three kids, Amy, who is 10, Ellie, who is 7, and Joe, who is 4. Fiona is also expecting twins next month, a boy and a girl. Fiona is a twin herself with her sister, Kate. My nana’s sister, Kitty, had two sets of twins, Fiona and Kate, and Aiden and Gerard. Fiona’s kids have school off for two weeks for a fall break. Isn’t that awesome?This was the end of their first week, so they were able to come pick us up from the airport. We headed back to Fiona’s and she made us a delicious lunch. In the car, the kids were a little shy, but by lunchtime they had really warmed up to us. Amy is so sweet and a great big sister. She kind of reminds me of myself. Am I allowed to say that? Ellie is going to be famous. I just know it. I told her she needs to invite me to her first Hollywood movie premiere. She is so funny!!Throughout the weekend I kept looking for a pen and paper to write down the funny things she said and did so I could remember for later. Unfortunately, I never could find a pen and paper fast enough. Joe is such a sweetheart and God bless him having two older sisters. I think he has the strongest Scottish accent of the whole bunch, and this weekend he had a little bit of a cold, which made him even cuter. After lunch we headed to the beach for a walk. It was a little chilly by the water, but I came fully prepared with my scarf, gloves and earmuffs. Even though, it was cold, it was really fun! We saw these three guys surfing, and I swore I thought Joe was going to jump in the water and join them by the way he was staring, mesmerized by what they were doing. After the beach, we went home and just relaxed. Hannah and I were really tired from getting up early that morning. Fiona put on a warm fire, and we all got under the blankets and watched TV. It was so nice and really made me miss the times my dad puts on a fire, and we all just sit around enjoying each other’s company.

The next morning, Fiona took us to a few castles around Scotland. The first one we went to was called Drum Castle. There was a garden outside that looked like it was from the movie, Alice in Wonderland. There were four parts to the garden, each representing a different century of flowers and plants. They were from the 17^th, 18^th, 19^th, and 20^th centuries. It was so beautiful and absolutely no one was there. I think it was empty because the castle was actually locked, so we couldn’t go inside. It didn’t matter though. The outside of the castle and garden were beautiful. The next castle we went to on the other hand was very busy. It was called Crathes Castle. They had a visitor center and little restaurant for lunch. We first ate lunch and then took a tour of the castle. It was so cool! It made me wish I was a princess and could live in my very own castle. There wasn’t a tour guide, so everyone could go through the castle at their own pace. They had little hidden Lego knights throughout the castle for little children to find. At the beginning of our tour, we were handed a map of rooms the knights would be in. Under each room, there was a riddle that hinted where in the room the knight would be hiding. Under each knight was a letter. After you found all the knights, you had to unscramble the letters to form a phrase answering a question about the castle. I think I might have enjoyed this more than the actual castle. Ellie absolutely loved it! She sped through all of the rooms searching for the knight. At the end, she was given a certificate to show she completed the knight puzzle. She was so proud, although she had already completed it two times before. The last castle we went to was Dunnottar Castle. This castle was so cool! It was on a little peninsula and took us 15 minutes to walk from the parking lot to the actual castle. There were so many stairs! I was so impressed with Fiona because I was tired after walking up and down all those steps; however, she didn’t even look fazed. We didn’t go all the way up in the castle because it was getting late, but we did see the castle dungeons. It totally freaked me out. To think people actually were in these dungeons gave me the chills. I much preferred looking at the castle from the outside.

I forgot to mention that where Amy and Ellie go to school, each class has a castle they represent. It’s just like Harry Potter only instead of houses like Gryffindor or Slytherin, each class represents a castle like Drum and Crathes. Obviously being a huge Harry Potter fan, I thought this was so cool!

That night, Fiona made us a delicious dinner, and we all snuggled up under a few blankets and watched the very popular TV show, X-Factor. Of course a fire was on which made the whole evening even better.

The next morning, we went to mass. My mom always tells me to make a wish in a new church.So every time I enter a new church, I make a wish. By the time I come home, I’m guessing I will have made 20 wishes. The only problem is that I forget what I had previously wished for, so I probably am wishing for the same thing over and over again. Maybe this increases the chances of this particular wish coming true instead of wishing for 20 different things. After mass, Fiona’s husband, Kevin, took us to Donald Trump’s new golf course in Aberdeen. (Kevin had just come home that morning after a golfing trip in Spain.) It was right on the water and absolutely breathtaking. Kevin kept telling me that I must show the pictures I took to my Uncle Paul because he knows how much my Uncle Paul enjoys golfing. When this golf course is finished it is supposed to be better than Saint Andrews.

By the time we left, we had to go straight to the airport. Since the airport is so small, we arrived only 30 minutes before our plane took off. Then we said our goodbyes to Fiona, Kevin, Amy, Ellie, and Joe. I wish I could have packed them up and taken them with me! I kept telling Fiona she needs to come visit Chicago soon so we can spoil her as much as she spoiled us. We had the best time in Scotland, and I already miss them!

Tomorrow, Hannah, a couple of our other friends and I are going to London. I am so excited! Ever since I first watched the episode of Friends, The One with Ross’s Wedding, in season 4, I have dreamed about going to London and taking a tour on a double-decker red bus. On Sunday night, we are going to the Chicago Bears game against Tampa Bay. What are the chances that the weekend I will be there, the Chicago Bears are playing… IN LONDON! I am so excited!!! I have missed American football so much while being away. Hopefully, they will bring home a win. Go Bears!

Ellie, Joe, Amy and Me on the beach

Ellie and me on the way to the Drum Castle Garden

Drum Castle Garden

Drum Castle

Crathes Castle

Dunnottar Castle

Dunnottar Castle dungeons

(obviously Fiona and Joe weren't as afraid as I was to go inside the dungeon)

Donald Trump's golf course

All Around County Mayo

My plan of action when tackling this blog is to write a post every week. Mostly about the events of the weekend because during the week I am in school and studying, things that can become a bit repetitive week after week. Still, I promise to fill you in on any exciting things that happen during the week. Now I know I have delayed this post for two weeks, but just think of it as getting two posts in one week. It’s like Christmas! Tomorrow I will write about the amazing time I had in Scotland this past weekend with my mom’s first cousin and Aunt Anne’s sister, Fiona, and her family. Now on to my time in County Mayo.

On this weekend, Hannah’s aunt and uncle (Mrs. Knight’s brother and his wife) came to Ireland and took us around different parts of County Mayo. They both live in Evergreen Park, IL and just came to Ireland on vacation for two weeks. I was excited for this weekend because after dragging Hannah to see my family every weekend, I knew she was excited to show me hers. On Friday morning, Tom and Molly (names twins!) picked us up at our apartment. This was the first weekend we were going to be spending with tourists just like us, people who wanted to see Ireland for themselves instead of just showing us Ireland. They were so so nice! It was a typical day in Ireland, full of rain. We drove to the northern part of County Mayo and stopped in Ballina. (Not pronounced Ba-LEE-na, but instead Ba-lin-AH). I had the most difficult time pronouncing this word. Even now every time I say it I have to first stop and think about it in my head. Well, this is where Mrs. Knight’s family is from. We even went to the church, Saint Muredach’s Cathedral, where Hannah’s great-great grandma was baptized. There was a wedding taking place on this particular Friday. Molly (I haven’t started suddenly speaking in first person. Remember this is Hannah’s aunt. Although, if you want to, as you are reading this, you can think to yourself that anytime I write Molly, I am referring to myself. It might be funny.) insisted we go inside. I’m glad she did. A lot of the women in the pews were wearing hats that guests wore at the Royal Wedding. I don’t know if these kinds of hats are as popular for weddings in Ireland as they are in England, or if this wedding is just unique. I plan on bringing this trend back for my wedding one day, and although this day is far away I suggest searching the stores now. I don’t know the selection Chicago offers for these hats.

Before our stop in Saint Muredach’s Cathedral, we grabbed some lunch in town. I forgot to mention that during the car ride from Galway to Ballina, I felt carsick. As my family knows, I have never experienced carsickness in my life; however, on this day, the one day I was with Hannah’s family, trying to make a good impression, God graciously gave me the gift of nausea.As Hannah and her aunt and uncle were talking I was trying to focus my attention on not getting sick. As it was still raining out, the windshield wipers were going full speed, and as they were right in front of me, I focused on their swift back in forth motion. (Later, Hannah would tell me how stupid I was for doing this) This of course made me feel even worse so I just closed my eyes. (Something, Hannah’s uncle, a doctor, nonetheless, said at lunch was something you should never do when feeling carsick) My excuse to both of them was that I had never been carsick before so I didn’t know. It’s not like they have a lesson for it in third grade, “What to do when you’re carsick”. Thankfully though, after lunch I was feeling much better. I was afraid of being sick again so I refrained from reading my copy of Seventeen Magazine the rest of the weekend while in the car.

The next stop on our tour was Killala Bay. I would like to take this time a note how much I love the travelling style of Tom and Molly Daum. There was only one mandatory stop we had to make (you will find out why shortly) and two hotels we had to get to before dark but other than that, there was no plan. All the other places we went (the majority we only stayed for 15 minutes) were unplanned. And let me tell you, they were some of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. The pictures below don’t do them justice. So we stopped at Killala Bay, only for 20 minutes, took a few pictures and left. Molly is a wonderful photographer and even sells some of her pictures online, so she was almost kind of working. Our next unplanned stop was the Céide Fields in Ballycastle. A local told Tom and Molly about this place the night before in Galway. They thought it sounded cool, and boy, were they were right. The Céide Fields is the oldest known field systems in the world, over 5,000 years old. The remains of stone field walls, houses and tombs are preserved beneath a blanket of peat over several square miles. Quick quiz: what is peat? I mentioned it in at least one previous blog, but for those who forgot, it’s partially decayed vegetation matter that people in Ireland use in place of logs to build a fire.Some families, especially in very rural Ireland, still use it to heat their entire home. So, we took a little tour of the fields and even watched a short video in the visitor center about how the Céide Fields got to be this way.

Our next stop, the only one that was planned was in Belmullet. Since this stop was planned, and for very good reason, we also stayed the night in a hotel there. It was getting late, and we were afraid the sun would set. Molly’s father died in January and was cremated. Molly, Tom and Molly’s father once came to this old graveyard on the coast of Belmullet, and ever since then, he told Molly that this is where he wanted some of his ashes to be spread. So that was what we were going to do. Hannah’s uncle had emailed her a week or two before about this ceremony and this is what he said. “I mentioned before that I need you as the videographer for Mr. Shannon's ash ceremony. I will be attempting to play Foggy Dew, Danny Boy and Amazing Grace on the Irish whistle and was wondering about your and Molly's voices. Would you be sports and sing? It would be fun- NO PRESSURE; don’t really care what it sounds like. I'll bring the words. I have visions of Molly and you having been in the choral groups in High School.”After much contemplation and failed attempts at practicing (we couldn’t stop laughing!) in our room, we decided to suck it up and sing. Number 1: My only vocal experience is from Saint Michael's Children's Choir back in 3rd grade. And even then I think the choir director made me in charge of the instrument, the triangle, to keep me from singing. Number 2: The first time I heard the song Foggy Dew was when I was attempting to sing it at the cemetery. So you can just imagine how it went. Hannah filmed the entire ceremony while Tom played his Irish whistle, and the two Molly’s sang. There were parts that Tom and Molly read pieces of poetry Molly’s dad liked. I was so honored to be apart of it (even if my lack of vocal ability hindered the beauty of the ceremony).

The next day, on our way to Westport where we would be staying that night, we took a detour to Achill Island. I’m telling you, this weekend was full of the most magnificent scenery. We only stayed long enough to snap a few pictures, but it was so worth it. When we arrived in Westport, Tom and Molly gave us a few hours to do whatever we wanted, read, sleep, or explore the city.Hannah and I were so exhausted that we took a three-hour nap. Now Mom, I know what you are thinking. We should have explored the town of Westport. Our time here is precious. And you are right. However, Hannah and I had been in Westport the previous weekend after we climbed Croagh Patrick. And since the town is only a few streets, it doesn’t take long to walk through it once. After our much-needed nap, we went out to dinner and then to Matt Malloy’s, a famous pub in downtown Westport. They are known for their live music and on this night they had musicians playing traditional Irish music, which was so fun to watch. One of my favorite parts of Ireland, and one of the things I will miss most when I go home, is the live music. I could watch them for hours.

The next morning Hannah and I caught a bus back to Galway. Tom offered to drive us, but since the bus stop was right outside our Bed and Breakfast, we insisted on taking it. We both slept the majority of the bus ride. Traveling really takes a lot out of you, but it was truly an amazing weekend!

Saint Muredach's Cathedral in Ballina, County Mayo

Killala Bay

The Céide Fields in Ballycastle, County Mayo

The Céide Cliffs

Belmullet, County Mayo

Hannah's Uncle Tom playing the Irish whistle

The cemetery where we had Mr. Shannon's ceremony

Achill Island

Another view of Achill Island