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One Last Trip

As my semester abroad wraps up, it becomes increasingly hard to ignore the fact that I fly home in three days. To celebrate the end of finals and as one last hurrah before going back to the U.S., Bridget and I took a final trip around Europe. One thing about being abroad is that sometimes trips are extremely spontaneous. That’s part of the whole “you’re only abroad once” philosophy. It’s part of the package. You have to be ready to be flexible if you want to travel. While most of our friends were still in the midst of finals week, I lucked out, being an English major means a whole lot of papers and very few exams. I know it’s not everyone’s cup of tea but I’d much rather write five papers in ten days (which I did) versus taking exams in a hall with 1000 other kids. Now I know a lot of people wouldn’t say the same and to each their own, but I was thrilled that finishing my papers 12 days before my scheduled flight to Boston, meant one last trip around the world.

When my mom was in college, she spent a semester studying abroad in Budapest, Hungary and because of that, it’s been a bucket list item of mine this semester. Once May rolled around I didn’t think it would happen, but religiously checking Ryanair flights pays off sometimes. Bridget and I booked a last-minute trip to Budapest, Vienna, and Prague, checking off three countries in one week and bringing my country count this semester to a whopping nine; Ireland, Northern Ireland, England, France, Italy, Spain, Hungary, Austria, and the Czech Republic.

Budapest was incredible, we spent our days there exploring the city, relaxing at the Széchenyi Baths, taking a river cruise tour on the Danube, and eating great food. It was so special for me to spend Mother’s Day weekend in the country that my own mother studied abroad in when she was my age.

We decided to take a train from Budapest to Prague but first stopped in Vienna for the day. I will admit, I didn’t know a whole lot about the city before visiting but I was incredibly excited to see The Kiss. Gustav Klimt’s painting has been a recurring motif in my life ever since my mom introduced it to me when I was a kid. She brought home a framed copy one day to hang in our upstairs hallway and told me it was her favorite painting. “It’s impossible to tell whether or not the two figures are entangled in love or hatred, is the man trying to strangle the woman or kiss her?” That’s what makes the painting so compelling and why the highlight of the trip was staring at the golden trademark in The Belvedere for as long as I could. That and trying schnitzel for the first time of course.

The last leg of the trip and final destination outside of Ireland before heading home was Prague. The city blew me away. I had very low expectations but had been told by other study-abroad students that it was their favorite trip. The architecture was incredible, each building was intricately detailed and unique in ways that made me want to study it for too long. The river running through the center was a constant comfort and the views from Prague Castle made the scope of the city even more magical. I was genuinely in awe.

My last trip outside of Ireland while studying in Europe was bittersweet. The perfect ending to a semester of incredible adventures and memories that I am lucky to call my own.

Cheers.
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Family Visit to Ireland

There have been quite a few highlights of my study abroad experience over the last few weeks, but a top runner has got to be my family coming to visit me. I’m writing this blog as they are currently flying over the Atlantic Ocean back to Massachusetts. I won’t lie, I cried when they left, but I was so happy to have them here and to show them the life that I’ve been living while in Ireland.

The first two days we spent in Dublin and I brought them to all the classic touristy spots. Temple Bar, the EPIC Museum, the Church. We spent a lot of time exploring the streets and me acting like a tour guide who has lived in Dublin in her whole life. Or at least that’s what my parents were expecting because every other second was “what’s that building Jules?” or “what’s the history behind that statue Julianna?” I did my best to answer all of their questions, and even though I’m not a Dublin native, I really was surprised by everything I was able to tell them. I’ve learned so much more about the city than I even realized by just being here for a few months.

On Easter Sunday, we took a tour to the Wicklow Mountains and County Kilkenny, both of which I hadn’t had the chance to go to yet. It was so special to have my family with me for the holiday and to explore a new part of Ireland.

The next day we hopped on a second tour bus and traveled to the Cliffs of Moher. Even though I’ve been there already, I had to bring my family to see them. They’re also the kind of thing that will never get old, no matter the amount of times you go to look at them. The weather was even better this time around so our pictures came out great and I didn’t have to worry about getting blown into the ocean!

The tour bus brought us to the city of Galway after the Cliffs and my family and I spent the next two nights there. It was a short little getaway but we did a lot. Explored Galway, ventured to the town of Cong (where the movie The Quiet Man was filmed in 1952) as well as to Connemara where we toured the beautiful Kylemore Abbey.

I taught my family the ins and outs of the Irish railway system on our way back to Dublin from Galway and we spent our remaining time together in the city I’ve been calling home. One day my mom even came to all my classes with me! She was so thrilled to tag along and watch me live my little life. I brought her to my Victorian literature lecture as well as my archaeology class and we had lunch together in-between. She had a ball and I was so happy to share a mundane day in my life with her. All the while, my dad and brother were golfing along the Atlantic coast! I can’t say that I regret not joining them as I find golf to be wildly dull (sorry guys), but they claim to have had a blast.

All in all, I had the most wonderful week showing my family my life while abroad.

P.S. I can’t end this blog without at least giving a shoutout to my sister Sophia who came to visit me earlier in March during Holy Cross’ spring break. We had a fabulous time together too and she was very sad she couldn’t come for a second round with the rest of the family. Love you sista.

Cheers!