October!

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Fungie the Dolphin

Hello Friends and Family!

Since my last blog I have had Thanksgiving, gone to Kerry/Killarney and Dingle Bay, Donegal, Ballyshannon, the Hill of Tara, Phoenix Park, and celebrated Halloween!

University College Dublin held their first Thanksgiving for Canadian students and had the new Ambassador from Canada, Patrick George Binns as a guest. He was born in Weyburn Saskatchewan and moved to Prince Edward Island where he was Premier. He told me he knows some of the McGuigans from St. Mary’s Road! Dinner was good, but nowhere near as good as home’s. So when I get home mom, you better have potato salad, chilli, and cheesecake waiting on the table 😉, and dad- turkey and stuffing please.

A couple of weekends ago I went with some friends to Kerry where I went horseback riding in Killarney National Park, did a tour of the Ring of Kerry which was so beautiful, and went out in Dingle Bay to see their resident dolphin named Fungie- he has been there since 1984! Be sure to click on the video at the top of this blog to see him. On one of the evenings we went to a local bar to watch the Rugby final, and on another night we went to listen to traditional music.

Last weekend I went surfing in Bundoran, Donegal, which is in the north. The waves were awesome! I think I’m going to move to California to take up surfing. It was a very touristy town, with amusement parks and casinos, but it had character. We stayed at a lodge by the ocean and it was so nice (see the pictures!). Right next to Bundoran is Ballyshannon, a place we got stuck in on our way there and back because we kept missing our buses (long story…). I am very happy we got stuck there though because it was cute and had a lot of history.

I had a field trip to the Hill of Tara for my Archaeology class. It has many ancient monuments, but has not fully been excavated so we do not know with too much certain what exactly went on there. It was cool though. It was fun trying to figure out by the landscape how things were used and what for.

Phoenix Park is on the North side of Dublin, and it is one of the largest enclosed city parks in Europe. Inside is a zoo, the residence of the President, and the Papal cross, which was erected for Pope John Paul II in 1979 when over 1 million people came for mass. We were able to walk right up close to a herd of wild fallow deer.

I miss Halloween with my friends at home, but here it is crazy! People dress up all week long, day and night. My friends and I went to a bar and club. I dressed up as a Pint of Guinness, and my friends were mobsters, D4s (Dublin 4’s- the girls at school who wear short skirts and tons of make up), and various other things.

I have a few friends here from Germany, so I am trying to learn German in my free time. There is always something going on though so I am quite busy. At the end of this month Matt and I are going to Paris, Rome, Frankfurt, and Riga. So I will have pictures from that trip next.

I will be home in 50 days!- December 22nd. Miss you all so much. You can leave messages for me on here- so please do! Or email me. Xoxoxo.

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Photos

Kerry Bog Village
Replica of how people lived in the 18th Century.

Halloween!
In our dorm- Leonie, Deidre, me, and Jess.

Killarney National Park
View from my horse, Jimmy.

The President's House
Me and the French boys from across the hall- Paul and William

Comments

[Mom]

loved it!
I loved reading all about your experiences and seeing you in the pictures. You are living life the way it should be and I am so proud of you. I wish I could have stayed there longer and seen and done so much more with you. I will have your welcome home dinner ready. Enjoy the rest of your time. It will go fast. I can't wait to hear about your next big adventure. Be careful and stay safe. Love and miss you so much. xxxxxooooo

[James]

The Words Unspoken
Woah your horsie was named Jimmy? He looks just like me! I can see why you chose that one. He's clearly the JF of horses. He even has my trademark scowl. Looks like you're having a prettaay pretttaay pretty good time over there. I'll see you when you return but I can't promise that I can compare to the interesting people you've met or take you to equally interesting places. That dolphin video was pretty neat. He looked just like the dolphin on your ankle. BTW, why no pictures from that Sopranos restaurant on here? Jeez, you take like 3 bloody pictures for my benefit and don't even have the decency to include them on your travel blog. Poor form alaina! Well keep having yourself a grand adventure in Ireland for the next 47 (i think) days. Don't worry your pretty little head about little old me. I'll still be the same beer-swilling, swash-buckling, foot-stompin', fiddle-strumming, zombie lumberjack pirate that you've come to know and love when you get back. Miss you! Sincerestly, James