cheers...

this past weekend was my last weekend...can you believe it? it is so weird that this is all coming to an end...but, that didn't stop us from going all the way to ireland! and the travel part wasn't nearly as bad as our previous trips, because we flew both ways...we spent the first night in dublin...explored the popular temple bar area and a traditional irish pub...it was probably the happiest place on earth...there was live music and tons of people just smiling and saying nice things to each other in accents...it was so fun...our first stop the next morning was ofcourse, the guiness factory, a must-see in dublin...which i highly recommend going to if you are in dublin...it was really cool...and there was even this thing that let you take a picture and email it to yourself...here's the link...i think there is someway to get a discount on the museum or something...click here...anyway, after we had spent the day in dublin, we took the train to galway...i listened to my 5 favorite christmas songs the entire way there...it was glorious...our first night in galway was incredible...for several reasons...one of which being eli...yep...that's right...as fate would have it, eli and i booked the same weekend to go to ireland! she was staying with one of her friends from wake forest...so they came and got us from our hostel and then her friend molly showed us around town...we ended up at another "old people" pub as molly liked to put it...but it was still so much fun...irish people are so kind...i can't really think of another way to put it...they are just all so happy...pretty much the opposite of italians...but pubs are just full of really happy to be alive people...they even let me sing "sweet home alabama" on stage...which was slightly awkward since i forgot the words...the next morning eli went with us on a bus tour to the cliffs of moher...beautiful...everything was green...and the weather was perfect, with the exception of the finger-freezing winds at the edge of the cliffs...but the tour lasted all day so was saw a good chunk of the southwest of ireland...to call the cliffs impressive would be an understatement...mesmerizing maybe...just go...except not right now...because you'd get frost bite...and walking was sort of difficult at times...because the wind was out of control and it kept blowing my hair in my eyes...which is sort of scary when you are trying to walk along the edge of a 400 foot drop off...but ofcourse, the bus tour would not have been nearly as wonderful if it hadn't come with the funniest old man in ireland (a.k.a. desmond the tour guide)...he was pretty cute...but uncomfortably forward at times...he kept telling us about the aphrodisiac properties of oysters and how he had just eaten three dozen...but anyway, after that lovely adventure, we headed back to galway...we went to a pub that was in my guide book as THE place to see bands before they make it big...however, to actually here the band you had to pay 30 euro...no thankyou...but the pub was still cool...except irish girls are not at all what i had pictured...they aren't as down to earth as i had imagined...but they still are the nicest people...i can't say this enough...we did however keep forgetting that people could understand us in ireland...we are so use to just talking about anything and everything in public places because it doesn't matter in italy or in any other country we've been in...i'm also so use to just ignoring people on the streets, because in italy you have to...our program told us from the very beginning to ignore anyone who talks to you on the street (especially the men) because that's how italian women act...it sounds terrible but you really just have to...so, i'm kind of glad ireland was my last weekend trip...it was kind of a refresher about how to act appropriately in the states...anyway, on sunday we pretty much traveled all day...which was kind of dumb...we had booked a flight out of belfast because it was a lot cheaper than flying out of dublin...however all the money we saved on the flight we spent on buses trying to get there...it really wasn't that bad...especially because we had already been in galway for two nights, but just some poor planning on our part...well...i like ireland...a lot...probably one of our best trips...which are now over...and my heart just sank...wow...but hey, i'm coming home in 4 days...well, 5 depending on how you look at it...and i am so excited about it being christmas when i come home! but it's pretty christmasy here too...they just put up this huge christmas tree in st. peter's square...it's apparently from sweeden and is quite impressive...amy and i saw the pope today...upclose...he was driving around town in this glass box thing...it was weird seeing the pope in something so modern...and yesterday was an italian holiday so there were people everywhere and children with balloons on every corner...ok, well...my last week in rome...gotta go...peace


and happy belated birthday elizabeth (sandner)! i have presents! see you soon...