10 Days spent galavanting around Ireland with crazy ladies.

I really need to get better about blogging again. I can't believe how long it's been since I've written in it! I have so much to tell you! I have to tell you about the adventures I had with 2 wonderful women AND about my trip to London! Oh where do I begin? I will do a blog for each.

On March 21st, two of my favorite poeple came to Ireland to visit. Let me give you some background information about these two wonderful people. Jody - I work on her organic vegetable farm every summer - Threshing Table Farm. She is also a family friend AND she was my third grade teacher. She was always ready to go and organized each morning far before Davy and I . . . woke up. Davy - She also works on the farm during the summer. Even though they are about 20 years older than me, we have all grown very close. They are like 2 fun moms! Davy and I are have a tendency to be spacy and pretty goofy and crazy, together. It's good craic whenever we are together. When I told them this past summer that I was going to study abroad in Ireland, they joked about how they would come to visit me. Funny how a conversation in a field turned into something real!

Day 1 - March 21st - The morning they arrived, I went to a coffee shop to wait for them. We had planned ahead of time to meet at the "Bon Bon" cafe in Maynooth. I ordered some tea and began to read. They were there within 10 minutes from when I got there. The feeling that I got when I saw them was indescribable. There is something about seeing someone so familiar after being away from home for a couple months. We shared hugs and laughs and then ordered some food. They were pretty out of it from the lack of sleep. Jody ordered porridge, Davy ordered an egg and mushroom plate, and I ordered eggs. Mmmmm! The adventure of delicious food was just beginning! - They rented a car for the 10 days they would be there. Davy was the driver. They told me stories about how the driving was on the way here. (For those of you who don't know, Ireland driving is on the left side.) Apparently Davy didn't want to listen to the GPS on the way to Maynooth from the airport because she thought she knew the way, and so they ended up going in circles in Dublin. It's quite funny NOW, but I think while it was happening, it wasn't too funny to either Jody or Davy. The first day, we just spent at a low key pace. We went and moved the car to a free lot, then we went came back to unpack their suitcases. They brought so many goodies!! The most important goodies they brought were cookies from my dad (upon my request), animal crackers (circus bag kind. I asked Davy to bring some. They are my junk food staple in college and they don't have them in Ireland!) and CHEESE CURDS. I was so excited about the cheese curds. I teared up getting these food items from home. It made me feel so close to home. :) Then the rest of the night we went to Aldi for some groceries then had tea and cookies and just chatted.

The rest of the days they were here:
Day 2 - March 22nd - We went to Dublin. Davy and I were pretty slow to getting ready, so we didn't leave to catch the bus until 11ish. Then we checked the car to make sure it was still there, then we hopped on the double decker bus. When we got to Dublin, we just walked around and went into a few shops. We also went to a beautiful church and the Book of Kells. We got a tour of Trinity College by such a wonderful tour guide. Then we got to go in and see the Book of Kells old library. It looked like a scene from Harry Potter! It was amazing. It was pretty rainy out, but even a rainy day in Ireland is grand and full of craic. We ended the day with a meal at a pub in Temple Bar that played live Irish music and Irish dancers came to entertain as well! It was perfect! I ordered Carrot soup. When I asked the waitress what kind of soups they had, I couldn't understand she was saying "Carrot" and so she tried to say it in an American accent. It was so great! Davy and Jody both got fish n chips. Then for dessert we ordered a brownie and ice cream. mmm mmm delicious! We went back to my apartment and drank tea and ate cookies while watching Ireland tv.

Day 3 - March 23rd - We woke up, got ready, had oatmeal for breakast, and set out for another adventure. Off the Newgrange! Newgrange is in those pictures where it looks like a big grassy dome with bricks. Davy did a lovely job driving there, even on the crazy winding roads. It was so interesting riding in the passenger side! After we purchased our tickets, we went back to the car and had our packed lunch - egg salad sandwiches and carrot sticks. It was so good! Our tour came. It was freezing cold at this location that we went to, but totally worth going to. The tomb was amazing to see and the people that were on the tour with us were very nice (of course they were, they were Irish!). Davy chose to write out the directions because it is easier for her to write down directions and follow them, than to listen to the GPS. We decided to head back to my apartment. The cold weather takes a lot out of you. We settled in with tea and cookies while cooking supper. Then it was time for bed after a little tv and laughs.


Day 4 - March 24th - We went to Palm Sunday mass at my church, St. Mary's, right in Maynooth. The outdoor ceremony was wonderful and joyful, but once we got inside, things just seemed a little all over the place and sped up. Mass was done in 45 minutes. It wasn't the priest that I usually have and adore, but it still felt nice going to Palm Sunday mass with close family friends. Then we went to Bon Bon for delicious food. We got there right before they opened, so we got to pick wherever we sat! I ordered the French Toast, Jody ordered the small Irish Breakfast and Davy ordered eggs I believe. Then we ordered a dessert (of course) it was like a fruit coffee cake, tart, thing. After eating wonderful food we went to the car and headed off on our daily adventure. We went to Ardigillian Castle. It was LOVELY. We had this 18 year old tour guide. He was so funny and knew SO MUCH. There is so much I could say about this tour, but in summary, we had so many conversations with him throughout the tour that it took us 3 hours to go through only some of the castle. He said it is the longest tour he has ever given. And we even got to see a couple rooms that people don't usually get to see (including the servant's headquarters!) So cool! The castle was right on the ocean and so beautiful. We went back to the car on a beautiful walk and had our packed lunch and decided it was time to head back to to the apartment. Where we made supper and had tea and cookies. (Tea and cookie time was my favorite part of the day!)

Day 5 - March 25th - We set out on a long adventure! Starting on Monday we were going to go to a small town where Davy's ancestors were from then settle in Galway for the night, then go to Cloughjordan for the night to see a CSA farm, then we would get back to my apartment on Wednesday. On the way to the small town, Jody spotted a "Mitchell's" above a store. Of course we stopped and took pictures in front of it! It was so grand. The gentleman working inside told us to come inside. I introduced myself as a Mitchell and he said he was a Mitchell too! I had the biggest smile on my face. I got a picture with him and we chatted for a while longer and then his son walked in and introduced himself as well. Very nice people. We got some tasty cookies from there. (I forget what they were called, but they were so good!) It was a little convenience store. Did you know the difference between Mitchell  and Mitchel is that the one with two Ls means Catholic and one L means protestant. Learn something new everyday.

Then we made it to Davy's town and went to a real estate shop that had her name up on it and asked the lady working there if she knew of any "Flannery" and she didn't, but she was a very nice lady! Then we went to the church that one of Davy's grandmother was married in. It was gorgeous! Of course. Then we went around to different charity shops and other shops where Davy asked around about her ancestors. What a neat little adventure it was. :) Then it was time to gead to Galway. We checked into our little B&B. It was VERY LITTLE. Then headed into Galway on the bus. We had supper - Davy and I had Irish stew and Jody had chicken. We also had Bailey's Cheese cake. Mmmmmm! Loved it! Then we just headed back to the B&B, watched "Meet the Smiths" and went to sleep. We had fun playing around with Davy's voice activated tablet. We couldn't stop laughing before going to bed! I love laughing.

Day 6 - March 26th - I got up earlier and went on a little run/walk in Galway. Such a sweet exercise. Then we had breakfast. We went into Galway for a few hours. We walked around the beautiful city, bought some candy at a cute little candy shop, bought homemade hats from a lady in a gas station, Jody bought lots of souveniers and had a lovely conversation with one of the ladies working in a store, and then we headed back to the B&B and set out for Cloughjordan. But FIRST we must go to the Cliffs of Moher! This was my third time there and it was a neat thought that I was becoming so familiar with the place. :) I met some boys there who were traveling with the Madison, Wisconsin rugby team. I was so excited to meet Wisconsin people! We had such a good time at the Cliffs. The weather was a little chilly, but that didn't stop us from walking around them and taking in the views. So blessed to have the opportunity to witness God's beautiful creation.

NOW, time for Cloughjordan. We traveled on the freeway for most of the trip, then a few back roads. We ran into a roadblock - Cows crossing the road - it made my day! Loved that moment! So country. We weren't sure where the hostel was, so we ended up pulling into a beautiful house and asking for directions. Eventually we arrived at the Hostel that is located on the CSA farm. It is in a little village and this village was so fascinating! They are all about "being green". More about that in the next day. We got into our hostel room - which was very clean, spacious, and earth friendly/environmental friendly, then we asked Pa (the man who owns the hostel) where we could eat. He told us of a place about 5 miles down the road. It's called Fairways. It was the cutest place we had been! We were so excited about it. It was so homey and calm and cozy and Irish. It's hard to explain, but it just felt very welcoming and peaceful. We ordered a lot of food! Davy also ordered some wine for us. I took lots of pictures! (Hopefully you can see them on facebook!) Our waitress was so dear and so nice. I had the mushroom soup, Davy had lamb and Jody had fajitas. We also had a couple desserts. Mmmm mmm delicious! When we got back, I Skyped my family for a bit, then we went to bed.

Day 7 - March 27th - Davy and I slept in and Jody got up to talk to Pa about the CSA farm and the village. Once we got up, we got ready, then had tea and cookies (yes, for breakfast). Then we went on a walk with Pa, around the village. It was such a highlight to the trip! It was amazing to see all of the wonderful ways they were building houses (straw and mud, recycled car parts, etc.), ways in which they were conserving energy, ways that they farmed, ways that they built play areas for children (out of sticks and mounds of grass for a tent/fire area). We got to talk to a few of the farm workers about the crops in the CSA. It was such a joy talking to people who had a passion like we did for farming. There is something about talking to another farmer that warms the heart and forms a connection within 5 minutes of a conversation. The dog was also along for the walk - Django was his name. We passed some horses as well. The walk came to an end, then it was time to meet the partner in crime to the farm. Her name is Lily. She took notes as we talked about Jody's farm. She loved what she was learning and we loved what we were learning. There were so many similar passionate thoughts about farming that there were times that I got goosebumps and couldn't stop smiling. It was so cool that there was a CSA farm in Ireland that worked like we did! After meeting with these wonderful people, it was time to head back. We stopped in this little town for a bite to eat. We all got potato soup and bread. Then we ordered a dessert. I can't remember what it was called, but it was so good! Then we stopped in a little town and did a little window shopping. It was a nice way to end the 3 day trip. We made our way back to Maynooth now. It started snowing on the way back! Felt like we were back in Wisconsin. Then we had tea and cookies and went to sleep.

Day 8 - March 28th - We slept in just a little, then got up and headed for Dublin! We had a grand time in Dublin. It was beautiful! Sunny weather! We felt very blessed. We went to many charity shops (Davy had looked some up before we left), we went to a little market, and ate at this SUPER AWESOME restaurant! It had the most beautiful paintings of cows. We got the greatest burgers I have ever eaten and chips (fries) and Davy got some coleslaw with her burger. I have never felt so full. We went past a fancy liquor store so that Davy could buy her dad some fancy Whiskey. We talked to a gentleman about which to buy. He was very helpful. Then we stopped in this really cool soap store. It was unreal. I don't even know how to describe it. The atmosphere was amazing. Music was bumping, the employees were fun and very nice. All of the soap and other bath items looked like food or they were really colorful. It was an interesting place. We also stopped in another candy shop and we also went to a mall in Dublin. It was the most beautiful mall I have ever been in. Pictures are on Facebook! It was so clean and had the coolest windows and ceiling. After a day full of craic, we caught the bus home and finished off the night with movies that we bought "Atonement" and "Mystic Pizza" and had stew. Life is good.

Day 9 - Last day - March 29th - We slept in a little this morning, also. We ate at Bon Bon and then I decided to show them my campus (Davy asked to see it!). It was sunny on this day. It was probably one of my most favorite days. I wanted to show them my favorite building, St. Patrick's, where I have my theology classes, so we went in there, but most doors were locked. Then a priest came out of a door marked, "Private" and asked if we'd like to see the church. I had never seen the church before because I always thought that it was only for the seminarians. When we walked in, the sacristy was huge, for starters, then we walked into the church and words can't describe the feeling I had. My breath was taken away, I got this very emotional feeling over me. I almost cried at how beautiful this church was. We didn't even talk for a good couple of minutes as we took it in. The priest was so nice and stayed with us and told us all about the church. He explained the stained glass windows and how they tell the story of Jesus and the top window about each foreshadows. The alter was made out of marble. There were individual pew seats. I can't even describe the beauty. Pictures on facebook! Then we walked out to see the graveyard that was in the back of the building. The entrance to the graveyard was an archway of trees (another breath taking moment), and then the rest of the land in the back of the building was open and there were paths to walk on. It was perfect. Then we walked back to my apartment and went to the Hill of Tara. We took a back way there and ended up stopping on the road to take pictures of sheep. Yes. Sheep. When we got to the Hill of Tara, we went into the little gift shop, then to the hill, then we tied our yarn on the fairy tree and made wishes, then a man asked us to take pictures of him on top of the hill. We struck up conversation with him. He said he was from London and I mentioned I was going there and he told me all of the places I should go. Then we went back and shopped in the little shops. :) When we got back, most places were closed because it was a holy weekend. Though, we did find a cute little coffee shop to eat at. I got a few salads and a chickpea burger and Davy and Jody got fish and chips. Then Davy and I went to look at the desserts. We were in a deep discussion about which one we wanted and the man behind the counter was chuckling about this. We ended up striking a conversation with him. He was so nice! We told him all about our trip and all of the nice Irish people. Then since Davy and I couldn't decide, he said he could give us a half of each kind. We went back and sat down and he came to the table with a 3rd dessert that we didn't order! He said, "Here's something to remember me by." Such a sweet man. I love the Irish! Jody also got a dessert. I think it was lemon something. Then we went back to the apartment and relaxed.



Day 10 - Jody and Davy got up mighty early to catch their flight. It was so sad that they had to leave. I cried when they left, but then I remembered my mom's saying, "Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened." And I distracted myself and slept some more and cleaned my room and went grocery shopping.

I am so glad that they got to share Ireland with me! I feel so blessed in so many ways. The days they were here was full of lots of laughter, lots of good food, good company, and more. They were perfect.