kaitlynandee54

Friday, February 6, 2015 - After arriving in the Edinburgh airport at 7:30 a.m (after a very early morning of traveling from Galway to Dublin, and then Dublin to Edinburgh) we made our way to the city to find our tour. We were amazed by the architecture in Edinburgh and loved walking around the beautiful city. Even though most of our time was spent out in the countryside in Scotland, it was definitely a city I would return to and would recommend to those who are visiting Scotland. The tour we took was through the Timberbush Tour Company, and lasting 9 hours long it was one of the shorter scenic day trips available that began in Edinburgh. Our first stop was at Stirling Castle where we were able to wander around (and get lost in) the ... read more

My first day of class at the National University of Ireland Galway (NUIG) began on January 12, 2015. While there are some similarities, there are also many differences in student life in Ireland than in the United States. As a visiting student, I was able to "shop for classes" for the first two weeks of school. During this time I was able to sit in on classes that I thought I possibly wanted to take but did not have to commit to if I did not think it was a suitable class. I am now registered for five classes that mostly have to do with Irish culture (Irish history, Irish religion and folklore, intro to Irish culture studies, castle development, and sacred places/Christian buildings). Each class meets twice a week for 50 minutes and for my ... read more

Saturday, January 10, 2015 - My roommates (Carly, Carla, and Sarah), Amanda (a girl from our apartment complex), and I decided to take a day trip to the Cliffs of Moher which is about an hour and a half south of Galway. We booked a tour through Galway Tour Company which picked us up at a bus station that is about 15 minutes from our apartment. Our bus driver/guide's name was John and he was very comical and shared a lot of information about Ireland and the various towns we passed through. Along the way to the cliffs we stopped for pictures at a few castles and light houses, and had lunch in Doolin which is about 10 minutes from the cliffs. It was a gorgeous drive and I felt like I was in a movie ... read more

Monday, January 5, 2015 - I arrived at the Portland International Airport at the dark and early hour of 3:30 AM. I was very fatigued because I could not sleep earlier that night, but was very excited for the upcoming trip. Me and the other three girls (Emily, Caitlin, and Alicia) I am travelling with from school made it through the first flight okay but experienced a very turbulent landing. We arrived in Newark, New Jersey an hour early which meant that our layover there was extended and was no 6 1/2 hours long. After spending the afternoon in the airport (and observing that Jenna Marble's claims about overdressed people at the airport were very true on the East Coast), we made it on to our second flight okay. We could definitely tell that most of ... read more