On Tuesdays We Eat Cheese

I think I am finally beginning to experience the crazy Ireland weather.  Today, is was raining when I woke up, misting when I went to class, sunny when I came home, then cloudy again, then a gorgeous day!  I overheard some locals saying that this is the summer that keeps giving.  I could get used to this...

In between my classes, I ventured into the city to the English Market.  We were all kind of worn out from the weekend still, so Jane, Grace, and I wanted to have a low-key night.  We thought a wine and cheese night would be nice (and adult-ish of us!).  I really enjoy making appetizers, well actually, I really enjoy finding appetizers on Pinterest.  So, I was aiming to test one of my Pinterest finds.  I made a fresh strawberry balsamic sauce to put over baked brie.  It was so yummy, and I love brie so it hit the spot!  Jane brought goat cheese and apples, and Grace made cookies.  It was a great night in catching up on our weekends in Germany.  I feel like such an adult living here!  It is so hard catching up with everyone, I don't know what is taking up my time!  I know that it is not very much school work....

Tomorrow is Wednesday and that means only a few more days until my family arrives, I cannot wait!  I feel like I was just leaving the States saying I would see them at my halfway point of the semester.  Time needs to slow down!!!!!

Be back tomorrow!

XO,

Caitlin

Beautiful night on Bandon Road

Midway point (I always forget to snap a pic at the start--I am too excited about the food!)

Countdown Until My Family!

So, since it is Monday, that means I can start the countdown until Mom, Dad, Nana, Big B, Greg, and Carolyn come to visit! They arrive on Friday and I cannot wait!

Today was a typical Monday for me.  I went to my classes and got a little organized around the apartment.  The weather has still been gorgeous in Cork, around 65 and sunny!  I guess this is not typical for the city for this time of year.  Fingers crossed that it stays for the Fox family clan visit.  After class, I went to the local butcher on my street to get some food for the week.  He was so nice and wanted to know everything about my settling into the city.  I will definitely be going back there sometime soon!

I decided to take advantage of the good weather and run outside, because who knows how many more days I will have of this! It was such a gorgeous evening.  The park was filled with people, even at 8 PM!  I don't think I am ready for rain...

Later in the evening, I came home, cooked a little dinner, and caught up with my roommates on all of their weekends.  I am so lucky that have such great roommates.  Meadhbh and Orna have been talking about taking me home to their village next semester.  I am so excited, and it is so nice of them to think of me!

Be back tomorrow!

XO,

Caitlin 

Gorgeous evening! 

Back Home

Sunday was another day of travel making our way back to Ireland.  I cannot believe how fast the weekend went by!  It was an awesome time, however, and I loved seeing all of my Holy Cross friends.

I had a leisurely morning on Sunday. I got to sleep in late, which was much needed after all of the craziness of the weekend.  After packing up the room, the group of girls I was staying with went to our free breakfast, filled up on all we could, and headed to the airport.  We left the hotel around 12 PM to get the the airport for 1 PM.  We were catching a 3:15 flight, which would get us to Dublin a little after 5 (Ireland time).

Our flight landed a little late, so we had to run to catch our 5:30 bus to Cork.  Luckily, we made it with no problems and we were on our way again.  The bus arrived in Cork around 9 PM, and at this point i was wiped out.  Why is that I was sitting all day, yet still so tired?

I was so happy to get home to my apartment and crash into bed.  It was a great weekend, though, and now that I am back in classes I wish I was there again!  I will be seeing all of the HC kids in Amsterdam, however!

Back to reality (ish)!

Be back soon!

XO,

Caitlin

My only fatality of the weekend (and proof that the tents are a little gross)!

 

Tent Time

Saturday was the big day, time for the Oktoberfest tents!  It was a crazy day, but one of the most fun things I have ever done.  With that being said, I do not know if I could go through the craziness all again!

We woke up at the early hour of 5 AM to try and get a good spot in line at the tents.  Clare, Besty, Jane, Nicole, and I left our hotels a little before 6 AM to meet up with Kate, Sarah, and Bucks.  It was shocking to see how many people were up at this hour going to Oktoberfest!  I was so excited I could not even think about how early it was.  We finally got to the tents and rendezvoused with everyone a little before 7 AM and the tents opened at 9 AM.  It was PACKED with people, so we decided to make some friends in line, we would be spending the next few hours squashed up against them...We were waiting at the Hofbrauhaus tent, which was where we would be spending our entire day pretty much.  This tent is the largest of the Oktoberfest tents, holding 10,000 people.  Many American students studying abroad end up in this tent, so I was excited to see old friends!

When the doors opened, I have to say I have never been so scared!  People were stampeding into the tend to claim a table.  It was absolute madness, and such an adrenaline rush.  The HC crew got a very good table that fit all of us!  There had to be about fifteen people from Holy Cross at this point, and only more would be coming later in the day.  Within minutes of getting in the tent, the beer women handed out the liters and lots of pretzels.  We were all so happy and excited, it was a sign that it was going to be a great day!  I met up with some friends from West Hartford, which was so exciting.  Who would have thought that in a sea of 10,000 you would run into so many people you know...

After the tents, we headed back to rest up for the nighttime activities.  We had been up forever, and I needed a real from the madness!  Luckily our hotel was close, so it was an easy escape.  Later, Besty, Nicole, Jane, and I went back to Oktoberfest to check out the carnival and the food stands.  It almost reminded me a a German Big E.  I had some awesome roasted almonds and a beef sandwich, I was in heaven!  We then went on the ferris wheel, which was a great idea.  The views of the grounds were incredible!  I was still on such an adrenaline rush of being at Oktoberfest that I didn't even process how exhausted I was.  Eventually, we went back to the hotel to rest up and get ready to go home on Sunday!

I had such a fun day, I never wanted it to end!

Be back soon!

XO,

Caitlin

Getting ready! 

 So many people in line! 

First giant pretzel! 

This was about five minutes after entering...

Me, my friend TJ from West Hartford, and my friend Caroline from Northwest Catholic! 

HC Girls! 

View from the ferris wheel.

It All Begins...

On Friday, we woke up pretty early to get a day of exploring in.  Our hotel served free breakfast (such a plus, as well as so good), which was perfect to fill us up for the day.  When we were at breakfast, our friends studying in Spain, Kate and Sarah, showed up to meet us for the day of exploring, as well as our friend Bucks, who is studying in Dublin!

After filling up on as much food as we could, we headed to the Dachau Concentration Camp.  This was very easy to get to from our hotel via subway (or S-Bahn), and the weather was really nice for walking everywhere.  The camp was a incredibly interesting place to visit.  We went through the camp via audio tour, which provided us with a lot of shocking, but informative, history.  I learned so much more about the war and the happenings at the camp than I ever did in school, and it was so heartbreaking.  I could not believe I was at a real concentration camp, that was functioning in the past 100 years.  It was interesting to learn about the evolution of Dachau, as well as see many of the physical artifacts of the camp and personal items from individuals that were held there.  

Once we left the camp, we headed to the main town center in Munich, Marienplatz.  It was lunchtime (our free breakfast wore off), so we were desperately trying to find authentic German food.  When we walked out of the subway station into the town center, we were all in awe at the beauty.  We entered the area welcomed by a gigantic building, the New Town Hall.  It was breathtakingly beautiful.  As we were staring at the building, we ran into two more HC kids, Dan and Brad, who are studying in Dublin.  The group was now 10 people, and it was just the beginning!   We found lunch at a German restaurant, where I had a roast and dumplings.  It was pretty good!  

After lunch, we explored the city a little more, and the surrounding markets (as well as searched for wifi), and then headed to the Hofbrauhaus Beer Hall.  We had to prep ourselves for the size of the beers we would be having on Saturday!  The ten of us went to the second floor of the hall (the first one was buzzing with people) and playing a few games and caught up with one another.  It was an awesome time, we didn't even realize how long we had been there! 

Our day seems to have consisted of food and more food.  After the beer hall, we went searching for dinner.  We ended up at a pizzeria, which was delicious!  Everyone was a little wiped out from an early day, ask we headed back to our hotels at a reasonable hour.  We had a VERY early morning to prepare for on Saturday!

Be back later!

XO, 

Caitlin     

Dachau

The New Town Hall

Me and Sarah reunited!!

Lunch!

Hofbrauhaus Beer Hall

My first HB Beer!

The Marienplatz little markets:

On the Road to Germany

Thursday was a full day of traveling to get to Germany.  I was so excited, my first trip abroad was finally here!  Nicole, Jane, and I began the day by leaving our apartments at 11 AM to catch a 12 PM bus in Cork to get to Dublin.  It was a really nice and warm day, so we walked to the bus station.  The bus was about three and a half hours, getting us to the airport at 3:30ish, which was perfect for our 5:45 flight.

When we settled in at the gate, we met up with a HC girl, Clare, who is studying in Galway.  It was so great seeing other Holy Cross kids studying abroad and hearing about their experiences.  It made the entire study abroad experience feel a little more real to me!  The flight was an easy one, only an hour and forty-five minutes.  And, a plus, they served food on the plane (I am never opposed to free food!).  We got to Munich airport close to 9 PM, Munich time, and met up with another HC girl, Betsy, who is studying in Scotland.  The group was slowly growing!  Betsy, Clare, Nicole, Jane, and I were all staying together at the Residence Inn in Munich.  We struggled to find the exit from the airport, but eventually made our way our and headed to the hotel!  The Munich subway system was very easy to figure out, we felt like pros!  Eventually, we made it to the hotel (with a little bit of directional issues), and immediately went to bed.  We had a long weekend ahead of us!

Be back with more details of the weekend!

XO,

Caitlin

Gearing up to go!

Clare, Nicole, and Jane patiently waiting! 

A gorgeous sunset (as well as a wing picture, because I know this will make Maureen laugh)

One More Day!

Wednesday was my last day of classes because Thursday is Germany time!  It was a crazy day of packing and getting organized, but I am ready to go!

I had later classes so my schedule was a little weird.  I did not get out until 7 Pm, it felt lilt the middle of the night!  After I got home, Jane, Nicole, and I went into town to the Oliver Plunkett to meet some of the USD kids.  Our friend, Molly, has a boyfriend from USD who is studying on Semester at Sea.  The SAS kids are ported in Ireland for the weekend, so we were finally getting to meet him!  It was a really fun night, with awesome live music.  Very relaxed, which was perfect for an upcoming busy day of travel.

When I came home, Orna and Meadhbh made brownies, which was such a nice treat!  I hung out with them for a very long time, and shared LOTS of laughs.  I am so luck to have such great roommates here.  It definitely makes the abroad process a lot easier than I expected.

In the morning, it is off to Munich!  I will be back Sunday!

XO,

Caitlin

 Beautiful day at UCC, it reminds me of the Hoval at HC!

Music at the Oliver Plunkett.

Counting Down to Germany

I cannot believe Oktoberfest is almost here!  I feel like I have blocked it out of my head because it has been planned for so long.  But, only two more days!!!!

Today was another quiet day in my Tuesday routine!  I woke up and got some work done for Holy Cross, and then headed off to class!  I had Cultures of Cities and Modern Music in Ireland.  Both of them seem to be going pretty well.  In between the two classes, I took a quick shopping break at H&M.  H&M is my guilty pleasure...but, I need keep up with the Irish fashion, right??  Luckily, I did go too crazy and I only got a few sweaters in preparation of this weekend!

Once the day was over and I came back home, I did a little school work (shocker, right?) for my Cultures of Cities class.  I actually did not mind doing work and feeling like a real student for once!  I the FaceTimed Mom, Dad, Nana, and Big B who are all at the Cape for a few days.  Their happy hour looked very nice and relaxing, I wish I was there!  But, before I know it, we will be having Cork City happy hours (10 days!).

I cannot contain my excitement for Oktoberfest, so I began to do a little packing.  The weather looks like it is going to be great in Munich this weekend.  I have been so fortunate with weather, maybe I just bring the sunshine with me wherever I go ;)

Be back tomorrow!

XO,

Caitlin

Beautiful first day of Fall! 

Foliage! 

UCC :)

Back to Reality, Sort of?

So, today I officially received access to the site where my class assignments are posted.  I think that means it is time I get to work?  But, abroad work is definitely different that Holy Cross work...I have to say I do not miss dying in the Dinand stacks.  However, I am actually excited to maybe get some homework some and be a little productive!

Today was a normal Monday for me.  I went to two of my classes, one of which I accidentally went to the wrong classroom for (whoops).  It is hard to keep track of where to go!  But, I eventually got to the correct place, I feel like is it freshman year all over again!  After class, Jane and I went to the gym and had a nice long steam session post-run.  I could really get used to a steam room everyday, and not just because it is filled with adorable Irish men (but that is a plus)!  However, at the gym I got yelled at by a worker for texting!  I never knew it was against the rules, and I am bummed because it is one of my WiFi spots.  I guess I will just have to be more sneaky!

Jane and I came back to my place for dinner after our workouts.  I became a little creative for dinner and made a quinoa, chickpea, carrot, and lemon mixture.  It was not bad, I love quinoa and I am trying to get rid of some of my food before I leave for Germany!  Speaking of Germany, during dinner, Jane and I looked up some information for Oktoberfest.  This got me SO excited for the upcoming weekend, and we are starting to make a lot of plans.  Munich looks like a really interesting city!  It should be an awesome weekend with some HC friends.

Be back tomorrow!

XO,

Caitlin

A quiet UCC campus.

Hogwarts-esque

Dinner! 

Tailgate

Sunday was a gorgeous day in Cork!  It was around sixty degrees and sunny, almost feeling like the weather at home.  It was a perfect day and a great way to end the week.

I decided to take advantage of the beautiful weather and go for a run around the park near the gym (my new favorite spot).  It was buzzing with people all over the place!  It was so nice being out and about in the presence of so many people and families, it made me so excited for mine to visit!

After my run, I came home and got ready for our tailgate.  Jane had the great idea of recreating a football tailgate with the Holy Cross students in Cork, as well as some of our adopted HC friends!  We all brought our own dishes and drinks and played a bunch of fun games.  I made a taco, cream cheese, and bean dip, which surprisingly came out okay!  I had to improvise on some of the ingredients, but it all worked out.  We had so much food (cookies by Chelsea, Muddy Buddies by Jane, nachos by Grace, buffalo chicken dip by Nicole, potato skins by Molly, and so much more) it was amazing!  I was in a food coma for the rest of the night.

The tailgate was a lot of fun and definitely made me miss some good old American Football at home!  A fall favorite of mine is going to Amherst games in the big red truck with Dad's gourmet food (plus Atkins cider doughnuts, Flayvors, and Freshside).  Maybe we can recreate that when they come to visit :)

Be back later! 

XO,

Caitlin  

The river on my run

Pretty flowers on the UCC campus on my way back from my run! 

Tailgate! 

Cobh- The Isle of Smiles

Today Jane, Grace, Chelsea, Nicole, Julia, Molly, and I went to Cobh, Co. Cork for the day.  Cobh is a famous, very small, port town right outside of Cork City.  We were so lucky with the weather, it was not too hot and not too cold, and no rain!  Definitely a perfect day.

We began the day by catching the city bus a little after 10 AM in order to get the the train station.  This was only a fifteen or twenty minute ride, and we had plenty of time to catch out 11 am train.  Thankfully Jane checked out all of the logistics for the trip (thanks, Jane!)!  It was very easy and successful.

When we arrived in Cobh (pronounced Cove), we walked around for a little while.  The town was very quiet, not surprisingly, it was a Saturday morning!  But, it was nice enjoying the calm water view and taking our time.  After walking around for a little bit, we grabbed lunch at Gilberts.  I got the seafood chowder--it was so tasty and hit the spot!  Once we finished lunch, we headed up the the famous St. Colman's Cathedral.  This is the image you would see if you Googled Cork.  It is a gorgeous, massive church, on top of a hill.  In front of the cathedral, there a lots of colorful houses, known as the "Deck of Cards Houses."  I took lots of pictures :)  There was a flower festival going on, so we were unable to go inside.  However, it made for a very pretty setting outside of the church!

Later, we walked back into the town center and found out that it was "Open Day."  There was live music, lots of activities, and loads of people filling the town green.  The girls and I decided to enjoy a tea and scone while taking all of this in.  I was in awe of the beauty of Cobh.  It was so bright and cheery, and even better, by the water.  I loved being able to sit back and truly appreciate where I was and take in the gorgeous sea vistas.

Eventually, we headed back home and got in around 5 PM.  I ran some errands with Grace in preparation of our "tailgate" tomorrow!  I wanted to stay outside as long as I could and enjoy the sunshine.

Be back with updates on the tailgate cooking!

XO,

Caitlin

P.S.  I hope MIRACLES was a great success!

Me, Jane, and Grace on the rocky shoreline!

Lunch 

Me at the flower festival!

Picturesque Cobh

Scone and tea time!

The very colorful harbor.

Gelato is Good for the Soul

I have jinxed the good weather, unfortunately.  It looks like rain for the next few days :(  But, I knew the trick to solve rainy day blues- gelato!

Grace, Jane and I got ice cream for lunch today.  It is becoming a new ritual for us to try somewhere new on our days off.  I have been dying for gelato, and this place, Scúp, has gotten a lot of great reviews.  It was my mission to try it before I start my travels!  I have to say, I was very impressed.  I got hazelnut and a malt ball gelato in a cone.  They servings were pretty hefty, which was perfect for my meal replacement!  If you know me, you would know I have a hard time finishing ice cream.  I encountered this trouble today, but I really wanted the cone!  Jane and I did some teamwork and skipped the gelato part and got right to the good stuff (my ice cream-loving family is rolling their eyes right now, I am sure!), I too was disappointed in myself.  After gelato, we walked around Oliver Plunkitt Street for a while.  We found out where are the top restaurants in Cork City are, which is perfect because my parents and the rest of my family will be here so soon!  I am staking out the good spots for us to check out, and for you to spoil me at dinner with a good meal :)

After our afternoon of exploring, Grace, Jane, and I went to an evening spin class.  Jane and I accidentally got there an hour early (oops), so we went to the sauna to kill time.  It was so relaxing, I felt like I was at the spa!  The spin class was a great way to end the day, and I had an awesome start to the weekend.

Tomorrow we are hopefully going to Cobh for the afternoon.  Be back with details of the day!

XO,

Caitlin

P.S. Good luck to my Saint Francis Foundation family with MIRACLES XXV on Saturday!!  I know it will be a huge success!

Jane and me stuck in the rain!

Scúp!

Hello, gorgeous.

Exploring! 

TGIT

Thank god it's Thursday!  Time for the weekend festivities to begin :)

My Thursdays are pretty easy, I have my Sociology of Class lecture at two different times during the day, 1-2 and 4-5.  I love this lecturer, and I take the class with Jane, so it goes by quickly!  In the morning, I explored the  neighborhood a little and checked out the fruit and veggie stand across the street from my apartment.  It is so convenient, and the owner was very friendly, like every Irish person.  After class, I went to the gym in preparation of for my (amazing) dinner coming up with Grace.

Grace and I went the a burger place for dinner called Coqbull.  I have to say, this may rival Max Burger.  I had the Chili Burger, which had hot sauce and chipotle mayo--delicious!  I also tried one of the local Irish Ciders, called Little Island.  I felt so grown up ordering a drink with my dinner!  When we finished dinner, Grace and I went back to my apartment to meet Jane to go to The Washington Inn.  This is a bar that we have come to love.  Old 90s throwback music is played on Thursdays, and even better, there is no cover charge to get it.  We had a blast!  After the Wash, we headed the An Brog, a bar that our advisor, Shane, recommended to us.  It was packed with people, but a cool very cool place in the heart of the city.

Friday is my day off, so Grace, Jane, and I will be exploring the city a little more!

Be back tomorrow!

XO,

Caitlin

Dinner!

The Wash, so packed on a Thursday! 

Jane, Grace, and myself at the Wash.

Feels Like Day One

For those of you that are dying from the suspense, I finished my paper!  Thank goodness it is out of the way, and I am (almost) officially done with Early Start.  Now, I just need to hand the paper in.  Finding the building may be harder than writing the actual paper...

I had two classes today, Sociology of the Community, and Politics of Church and State.  They went well!  I am a little less intimidated by my Politics and Church and State class after today.  The course is co-taught.  I had the second lecturer for this class, Jerome, who seemed really great.  His presentation of the information and Irish history was very clear for us visiting students.  I continue to love the sociology classes, two hours really flies by when I am enjoying the information.  It is crazy that I can sit through a two hour class here, at home I have a hard time sitting through an hour and fifteen minute one!

As a reward for finishing my paper, I went out to The Rock Bar with some of the HC and USD girls to grab a quick drink and listen to some trad music.  It was so packed!  It felt like the first day of UCC Orientation being back there.  The USD girls and I were reminiscing on how a little over a month ago we awkwardly ran into one another here after just meeting for the first time.  Crazy to think that after a month we are such good friends with them!  It has been hard to see them with Early Start ending, so it was great to catch up.  The music at The Rock was very good, and Danny, the owner, was so happy to see us back there.  I have a feeling Wednesdays at The Rock are going to become a routine!

TGIT tomorrow, because that means weekend!

Be back soon!

XO,

Caitlin
 

So many students!

The band (sorry it is dark)!