Gaelic might be my new favorite sport. Picture guys in jerseys (no pads) playing soccer but being able to pick up the ball, pass it, and tackle the bejesus out of each other. Each end has a soccer goal worth 3 points and a field goal above it worth 1. The game was one of the most intense, non-stop sporting events I've ever been to. The stadium fit 83,000 screaming Irish fans, and if you know the Irish, they weren't the most pleasant fans to listen too, but that made the game that much more schweet. The Dublin Daves had invited us to the game the night before and its a good thing we came because I think everyone and their mom came to this game. Dublin was playing Offaly for the semifinals. We met up with the Daves prior to the game at a little Dublin team pub down the road. Apparently this is where the Prime Minister likes to come before the game. We saw him walking to the game, in gear, with all the other fans, no security or anything. It must be great to live in a country where political leaders can do that. On the way in we bought some tickets for way cheap on the streets. The game itself was cold and rainy but we loved every second of it. Dublin pulled through with a V, which was a relief because I didn't want to be caught in a stadium of thousands of angry Irishmen. We stopped at an outdoor patio bar with the guys after the game. Since Dave had explained Gaelic football to me, I got the pleasure of explaining baseball to him, which is surprisingly difficult if someone has never experienced a game. He found it humorous that we have to stop from our sitting and eating hot dogs to actually get up and stretch in the 7th inning. I'm starting to understand the American stereotype a little more fully.
We hadn't been in Dublin for an entire day and already it was my favorite stop on the journey. There something about the place that makes it feel like home, besides the face that I am an O'Malley. First off, the people are so friendly and considerate.. makes life so much more enjoyable. The countryside is gorgeous... the greenest greens you can imagine. We got off the plane still in quite a daze and caught a bus to City Centre. Just our luck it started pouring the second we stepped off the bus. So, we ran through the city, luggage in hand, trying to find our hostel. A kind souled little Irish man helped us find it (little old Irish men another of my new obsessions) and we stumbled in and slept for hours. The hostel was right on Temple Bar, a street jampacked with pubs and shops, lots of travelers and few locals but still an awesome time. Our new home also happened to be right next to THE temple bar, probably one of the largest pubs on the strip, so it was like sleeping in Times Square during rush hour.
In proper Irish fashion, we set out for a tour around the city...after a pint at the corner pub. We ended up not leaving for about 5 hours. There was a group of guys in town from Manchester dressed as cowboys and celebrating their friend's "stag night" or bachelor's party getaway. Apparently Temple Bar is a popular venue for such festivities, which definitely added plenty of flavor to our nights out. After conversing for hours, scoring an invite to the UK, getting a marriage proposal, and being formerly introduced to Guinness, we decided to get at least 50 feet away from our hostel. After touring the city we stopped at a delish mexican restaurant, ironically called the Alamo, which became our new grub spot. We returned to the Temple Bar, now packed to the rim with people and who do we run into... the Manchester cowboys, who were by that point way out of their element. We migrated the place and ended up meeting a group of people that became our crew for the week, mostly local Dublin guys with two really sweet Hungarian girls. They are quite possibly the most genuinely nice individuals I had ever met, We latched on to them but they loved us. They initiated conversation by asking where in America we were from..as if we had it stamped on our forehead. After telling them we were there for 9 days with no agenda they got really excited and dave and dave planned the week out for us. We left with them to meet up with their friend for her birthday at a crazy dance club across the river. After a while we headed home and met this guy named Barry on the street, who gave us the lowdown on Dublin. He was as Irish as they come and told us where the real locals hang out. He took us for some Apache pizza, which I must say puts Lawrence's wheel pizza in serious competition.. With a happy belly we finally crashed after a solid first day in the Homeland.
So our program is nearly over, just a few days left, and my head is a mess of emotion. The group I've been with is amazing, the sites breathtaking, the whole experience unforgettable. I obviously hate for this to end, but at the same time am ecstatic to go to Ireland with Clarissa and trek the land on our own. Since we are "studying" abroad, our professor took us to the Catholic University in Brussels for lectures. I really hate to spend my time over here in a closed classroom, but then again, learning is kind of a given. The campus was like its own little town but empty since the students were getting ready for finals.
It was there that I experienced one of my many awkward overseas tales..the bank was running dry but I was officially out of euros and found what I thought was an ATM... there were pictures of credit cards on it with a slot, I mean what else would it be. So I stick the card in, nothing happens. This man comes on the speaker, yelling at me in French, which I am by no means fluent in.. not really knowing what to do I take out the card and press cancel. At this point nearly everyone in the square was staring because this crazy man is still yelling through the speaker. Attempting but failing to play if cool, I stepped away, man still screaming. And Netherlands stared at the confused American girl. Thoroughly awkward.
Our last night in Brussels ended on more than a bang. Fourney treated us to a classic Belgian meal a few blocks from the hotel and then treated us to a little Gelato for dessert. It was our final farewell to both her and Brett = ( . After a bittersweet little goodbye, the crew headed back to the hotel, grabbed some Juliper, and bonded like James. We went up to the balcony for a final time, soaked up our last sight of the Brussels lights, and then embarked on a night which Clarissa termed "the night we don't speak of"...so I'll keep it kosher. All fifteen of us stormed Brussels that night, ignoring the fact that we all had fairly early flights out in the morning. We ended at Pheonix, the place of the notorious "Andre", who owned the place and let us have free reign over everything. After kanoodling in the 5 foot wide dance room, entertained by the styling dance moves of the one and only Kiyo, we got back to the hotel, shortly before the flight. Clarissa and I had an early flight to Dublin, which we frantically packed for as the taxi waited... not the smartest of our life decisions. Bye bye Brussels..hello Dublin!
Obviously I would have rather gone to Amsterdam or Rotterdam, but our little day trip was spent in the Hague, which is basically the governmental headquarters of the country. I got my first taste of Dutch life, which was pretty tasty. We had this crazy old lady with a cane show us the city. Overall I didn't find it spectacular but it was nice to add another country to the mix. Highlight of the day: trying on legit Dutch wooden shoes. I also got to see Vermeer's Girl With a Pearl Earring, which is one of my fave paintings. I felt mainstream touristy and bought the novel about the painting in the gift shop and almost finished it on the bus ride back to Brussels.
After a five hour train ride we finally made it into Brussels, the last stop on our program journey. First impression..unique architecture, more industrial, not as many touristy attractions, but beautiful nonetheless. We had a group pizza dinner that night. Sicilian pizza apparently is covered in eggplant..lesson learned. The next morning we visited the US Mission to the EU, with is basically a liaison between the two. We listened to a few speakers which I found fascinating. It actually made me reconsider my career plans. Diplomacy for the USAID would be a definite dream job. That afternoon we wandered into town and I must have seen over a hundred chocolate and waffle shops. After another art museum visit, we headed home when when it started pouring. Me and the girls decided to stop at a little cafe until the rain stopped. We got waffles and beer, so Belgium of us.. and sat and talked for hours. The top of our hotel has a balcony that overlooks the whole city. We had class up there one day so we know the access code and have spent a lot of nights up there, hanging out while looking out at the Brussels lights.
We took a little day trip to the city of Bruges, a medieval town about an hour outside of Brussels. Most of the locals spoke Flemmish there, so it was a new culture taste. We toured a few museums and then climbed the bell tower. It was about 30 minutes of climbing up super narrow spiral staircases to get to the top but worth the view. That night we went out for Abby's 21st birthday. We ate at a place called Chez Leon, supposedly the best Mussels restaurant in Belgium.
The next day we spent most of the day at the Museum of Modern Art in Brussels. It was about 8 stories deep and really impressive. I've developed a new appreciation for surreal art, which they had floors of. That afternoon we went to see the Atomium, a building that resembles a giant atom. It was odd but interesting architecture. We only made it about halfway up since the lines were long, but it was still a site to see. We visited the NATO Headquarters bright and early the next day. Three correspondents lectured on the recent workings of NATO, focusing on Afghanistan, Darfur, and Iraq. Its amazing how much easier it is to keep interest in lectures when you are actually experiencing the topic of discussion. Keeping with the academic agenda, we visited the EU Commission that afternoon. Brussels is definitely a hot spot for international institutions. Other than that, the night life is pretty fun, at least around the main square, where we spent most our time.
