First Days

---

After 3 flights, one of which I had to switch to 10 minutes before takeoff because the original was cancelled, I'm finally in Ireland. So far, so good. I'm staying at a B&B until I find housing, and it's quaint and nice and close to campus. The family that runs it has been very nice to me and has even given me a number to contact about renting a room.

Currently, I'm in an internet cafe downtown, so no pictures yet! Downtown Limerick is REALLY cool, with all kinds of little shops, cafes, and restaurants lining the bustling streets. I took the bus down here from the University, which isn't too bad of a deal (UL is about 5 miles from the city). Yesterday, upon arriving at 5:40am, I dropped my stuff at the B&B and started my own walking tour of the area. The suburban area I'll be staying in is called Castletroy. I walked all around campus, which isn't too big, but possibly more spread out than USC. I also went out to see three houses with rooms to let. One looks really promising, but I want to check one more out before I make my decision. I was initially to stay at an apartment complex, but heard from former exchange students that it was too far from UL and had some other problems, too. I went and checked it out myself yesterday, and they were right. It's like it's out in the boonies. so, hopefully one of the closer ones will work out.

Also, I think I had my first taste of black pudding and white pudding. The B&B comes with a full Irish breakfast (which has lasted me all day) and I didn't have the guts to ask what the strange things were. They were tasty, and when I wandered into the nearest grocery store, I found where the black and white puddings were, and the package looked pretty much like what I ate :-) From what I've heard, black pudding is made from pig blood and parts, and white pudding replaces the blood with milk. Mmmmmm-- it's tastier than you'd think!

Well, my time is running out here on the computer, but hopefully I'll be able to write more when I get a password for the school computers. So, Ireland is fun, the weather's been great, and I'm getting used to cars driving on the "wrong" side of the street (I keep having to tell myself, "Look right, then left"-- it's an adjustment). Ah, the joys of traveling!

---

Photos

Graveyard in Limerick
One of my first sights during the beginnings of my exploration-- my arrival day ended up being quite beautiful!

Old Headstone
Yes, I even found the graveyards interesting. A closer look at a headstone in the Limerick graveyard I saw.

View from the B&B
The countryside of Ireland spread before me...

Main Entrance to Univ. of Limerick
Here is the main entrance to UL, the giant posts by which I walk on my daily trek to class!

UL Arena
This is the university's gym/wellness center. It's really cool and has an Olympic-sized pool, but unfortunately, I'm not a member because it costs extra, and I'd rather take another trip! But it was one of my first sights in Limerick!

Comments

[anonymous]

You made it!
Hooray, safely in Ireland! It sounds nice - good luck with the apartment-hunt. Your pudding adventures are disgusting, but you're a brave girl! (It's always braver to eat the unidentified objects than to ask questions) We should have a taste test: which is better, duck's blood or pig's blood? Anyway, miss you here! Take care! - Stephanie

[anonymous]

Blimey!
Yeah, the roads throw you for a loop for the first few weeks. Don't worry though, you'll get the hang of looking the wrong was as soon as you do some travelling on the continent where things are back to normal! - Patrick