Halfway Through the Week?

Tuesday, my first day back to class for the week, and almost done with the week!  I am leaving for Prague on Thursday, so, I only have class Tuesday and Wednesday.  I have to say, the life of an abroad student really is pretty great.

I had two classes on Tuesday, Cultures of Cities and Music.  I do not have too much work to do this week, which was a nice break!  I (clearly, from my last picture) had loads and loads of laundry to do, literally.  I spent most of my afternoon in the laundry room, which was sort of relaxing.  Weird, I know.  I am so my mother's daughter!  But, there is no greater feeling than having my laundry all done and a clean set of sheets to get in at night.  In my mind, it was a day well spent.

After classes and laundry, I headed to the gym.  I have had a hurt leg, so this was my first time at the Mardyke in forever!  But, after all of my chocolate and waffles, I felt like I desperately needed to go, no matter what!  I forgot how long the trek was, especially in the gross weather...

I think I am finally experiencing the rain that everyone says Ireland is known for.  It has been grey and misty for the past few days, which is something I am going to have to get used to.  All I can say is, as long as there is no snow, I am happy!  Mom tells me it is supposed to get freezing in CT this weekend!  I do not miss that at all.  The coldest I have really encountered during the day in Cork is about 54, which is not bad at all!

Back to getting organized for Prague-- be back soon!

XO,

Caitlin

Rainy UCC Campus! 

Recuperating

We got back to Cork around 2:30 AM Monday morning from Belgium.  It was a long few days of travel, but so worth it.  Thankfully, Monday was a Bank Holiday in Cork, aka no school!  This could not have come at a more perfect time.

This will be a short post because I literally did NOTHING on Monday.  I desperately needed to sleep and get my life in order.  I have not had a weekend in my apartment since September 19th, so I was looking at Monday as a bonus day.  I got up pretty late, caught up on some blog posts, gathered my laundry, and stayed in bed and watched TV.  It was amazing.

Monday was Maureen's birthday, so I talked to her for a while!  The perks of time change: when she is on her way to work, I am wide awake (at the crack of 11 AM, ah the life of a college student!).  I hope you had a wonderful birthday, Maureen!  I cannot think of anyone who deserves it more than you! I LOVE YOU!

I soon realized that I had no food in the house!  Jane and I quickly went to the Centra down the road, like a 7-Eleven, to get the essentials of eggs, bread, yogurt, etc.  This was the first time we left the apartment all day, and I was not mad about it.  A lazy day is always nice sometimes.

Before I went to bed, I figured I would gather my laundry together so I could do some loads on Tuesday.  I had such an anti-social day, so, my only picture is my massive pile of laundry.  This is so unlike me to not stay on top of things!  I swear, I am pretty with it at HC!  The Irish life is just so relaxed, and I love it.

Be back soon (with some clean clothes, hopefully)!

XO,

Caitlin

Happy birthday to my big sis! 

My mountain of a laundry pile :(

Bye Bye Belgium

Sunday was our last day in Belgium.  I was sad to see this weekend, and the chocolate and waffles, go!  It was such a fun time in an awesome country.

To start the morning, Grace, Jane, and I got our last waffle (so sad), and some Starbucks.  I needed to take advantage of a Starbucks when I saw one!  I am patiently waiting for the holiday cups to come out, which I am hoping will be very soon :)  My last waffle was a great one: a Belgian waffle covered with strawberries and chocolate, a breakfast of champions to say the least.  We then walked to Sablon to a store we had stopped in on Friday.  Grace and I saw some items we were thinking of buying, but it was closed when we got there!

After, we headed to the Atomium.  This is said to be the "Eiffel Tower of Belgium."  It is a very large aluminum structure in the shape of atoms that was built for the first World Fair after WWII.  It received its name from combining atom and aluminum--clever, right????  We toured this for a little while and then waited (forever) to go to the top.  I have to say, I was kind of unimpressed with the views.  It is so far removed from the city that you really do not see anything spectacular.  I would recommend going to just see the structure itself, but it is really not worth the time to go inside!

We then headed back to Sablon for lunch, and to check if the shop Grace and I were looking to go in was open yet.  We had lunch at an Italian restaurant, which was very good!  Want to hear something shocking?  They ACTUALLY served bread with this meal, something you never find in Europe!  After lunch, we went to the store, and it was open!  The universe clearly wanted us to go shopping here.  I got a new bag, some gifts, and Jane, Grace, and I all got matching bracelets.  We figured we needed something to remind us of Belgium when Grace goes back to Wake Forest next semester!

Unfortunately, it was then time to leave Belgium :(  Maybe I will be back one day!

Be back soon!

XO,

Caitlin

My last waffle :(

View from the top of the Atomium 

Me, Grace, and Jane at the Atomium 

Grace, Jane, and myself at lunch!

Brugge

Saturday was the day that Grace, Jane, and I would be going to Brugge (Bruges).  Brugge is an old historic city in Belgium, just about an hour train ride from Brussels.  A lot of pole I had talked to said that Brugge was a must see.  I am very happy I took their advice, because it has definitely been a highlight of my time abroad!

We woke up around 9 AM on Saturday, got ready for the day, and headed to the train station.  This was only about a ten minute walk from our hotel.  (I was so happy with the location of our hotel.  It was close to everything, but not too close where we would be disrupted.  Anyone studying abroad and needs a place in Brussels:  this is the spot!) We hopped on a train that got us to Brugge at noon.  When we arrived in Brugge, we walked from the train station into the city, which was very close.  It was a gorgeous day out, thank goodness, because we would be outside all day!

Our first stop in Brugge was the Belfry of Brugge.  This was at the center of the Grote Markt, the main square of the city.  We climbed to the top of the Belfry (which I must say, WAY harder than the Shandon Bells), and saw incredible views of the city.  You could see for miles, especially since it was such a clear day.  After we climbed the Belfry, Jane, Grace, and I were starving.  We went to a little restaurant right in the Grote Markt.  I had a classic Belgian dish, a beef stew.  It was amazing!  Coming to Europe has definitely made me a soup person (Mom- I am sorry for all of those times I refused soup for dinner! I will make up for it come Christmas!).   I could not get over how beautiful a day it was, and I was sitting in Brugge.  It was definitely a "pinch me" moment.

Once we had lunch, we made it our mission to eat as much chocolate as we could.  We stopped at three different chocolate stores: Neuhaus, The Chocolate Line, and Chocolatier Dumon.  I had a hazelnut and nougat chocolate at Neuhaus, a slated carmel chocolate at The Chocolate Line, and a white chocolate and nut one at Chocolatier Dumon.  My favorite was the Neuhaus one!  Thank goodness there were more Neuhaus stores in Brussels, so I did not have to part from them just yet.

We then walked around the city for a little while.  Jane and I were on a mission to find prints of the city.  We are trying to get a print from ever country we go to, and it was not easy getting one in Belgium.  Luckily, at the very last minute, we found one!  I was vey happy with my purchase, and I cannot wait to hang them up when I am home!  Before we went home, we bought some macarons for the train ride, and stopped for coffee and tea.  We went to an adorable shop, The Old Chocolate House.  We were getting a little chilly and needed a warmup before we headed back!

We grabbed a train home,  got back to the Brussels, and hung out at the hotel for a little.  Mom and Dad were looking at my off-campus house for senior year on Saturday, so I had a lot to talk about with them.  Luckily, I was traveling with two awesome people who let me figure it all out (while hearing me talk about it non-stop)!

After, we went into the city for a late night dinner of waffles and french fries.  Such a great end to an even better day.

Brugge, you stole my heart.  Which European city is next?

Be back soon!

XO,

Caitlin

The River Woods

View from the Belfry of Brugge

Me, Jane, and Grace in the Grote Markt.

The Grote Markt

Chocolate 1 from Neuhaus

Chocolate 2 from The Chocolate Line

Chocolate 3 from Chocolatier Dumon

Brugge streets

My latte from The Old Chocolate House

Pistachio macaron from Galler.

Carmel macaron from Galler

Long Day of Travel

Friday was a very long day, but it was all worth it because we were going to Belgium in no time!  We took the 11 PM bus on Thursday, which got us to the airport around 2:30ish in the morning, We had a lot of time to kill before our 6:20 AM flight, but I would rather sit around and wait than be running for my flight.

We landed in Belgium a little before 9 AM and caught a 10 AM bus that would bring us to Brussels.  I was sort of in zombie mode at this point, running on little sleep, but I was about to have a fabulous day of exploring ahead of me! Jane, Grace, and I got to the bus stain and took a taxi to our hotel about ten minutes away.  Our hotel was great!  It was really clean and comfortable, as well as in the perfect location, about a ten minute walk from the main center of Brussels, the Grand Place.  Check-in was not until 2 PM at the hotel, so we dropped our bags off and went into the heart of the city.

The three of us walked to the Grand Place,  but made a pitstop on the way for some chocolate.  We went to Mary Chocolatier, which is very famous.  Mary was the first woman chocolatier in Belgium!  I had a hazelnut praline chocolate, and I was in heaven.  We then continued to the Grand Place.  When we got there, it was absolutely breathtaking.  It was a massive area with the Town Hall, a museum and a few other beautiful buildings.  We were on a mission to find some food, so we stopped at (what seemed to be) a very authentic Belgian restaurant.  I had a Croque-monsieur, a classic French item.  Brussels was predominantly French, so I desperately tried to remember the little French I had from middle school.  I was not very successful, every time I wanted to say "oui" my Italian came in and I kept saying "si," the Belgian were not as amused as I was!  After lunch, we walked around the city a little more.  We were looking for the Menneken-Pis.  This is a very small fountain in Brussels of a boy peeing into the fountain.  It is supposed to show the "rebellious" side of the city, but it was just a little weird to me.  After seeing the fountain, we had our first waffles at a place called, the Waffle Factory.  I had the Belgian Waffle with speculoos butter, a cinnamon cookie butter.  Oh. My. Goodness.  AMAZING.  I could really get used to waffles and chocolate all the time.

We were pretty wiped out at this point, so we walked back to the hotel to check-in and take a nap.  This was much needed, we needed more energy for waffles and chocolate!  We took a good, long nap,  showered, and then headed out to see another part of the city with great shopping and restaurants, Place du Grand Sablon.  This was close to the Grand Place, about ten minutes from our hotel.  Our first stop in Sablon was for hot chocolate and macarons at Pierre Marcollini.  I must have a hot chocolate spilling problem, because I lost half of my cup in a battle against the marble floor.  Oops.  My macarons made up for this tragic loss, however!  After our sugar fill, we walked into some very cute shops and then grabbed dinner.  We went to Cafe Leffe, named after a famous Belgian beer.  I had a famous Belgian dish, mussels and fries.  The muscles were great!  It almost felt like I was back on Nana's porch in Black Point :)

After dinner, Jane, Grace, and I were on a mission to find a famous bar in Belgium that was recommended to us by a lot of people, Delirium Cafe.  Delirium is famous for having over 2,000 brands of beers, and a big tourist spot.  It took us a little while and some turning around to find it, but eventually we got there! It was crazy, there were about four different bars, and lots of people.  Delirium was not crazy, as in wild and what you would find in America, even though the name may suggest otherwise.  It was crazy in the sense of the amounts of people there, the types of beers, the awesome atmosphere, etc.  I had the Delirium Tremens, which was really good, but really strong.  I couldn't even finish a glass!

Once everyone finished their drinks, we headed back to the hotel.  We were all so tired and needed to get ready for our day to Brugge on Saturday!

Be back soon!

XO,

Caitlin

Chocolate from Mary

The Grand Place

The Grand Place

The Grand Place

Grace, me, and Jane in the Grand Place. 

Brussels streets

Me, shocked at the Manneken-Pis

These ACTUALLY line the streets!

Pierre Marcollini macarons 

Dinner!

Jane and Grace in the Grand Place at night.

Grace and me at Delirium!

Delirium Cafe

Cheers to finding Delirium! 

 

WeHa in Cork?

It was so relieving to see Thursday come.  My test was done and I was handing in my paper!  Belgium was so close and I really was looking forward to it!

I had a very quiet morning, just getting some of my school work done (at the last minute) and getting ready for the weekend.  Our flight on Friday was very early, so Jane, Grace, and I had to take a bus on Thursday night up to the Dublin Airport.  That was, of course, after Grace's family treated us to a wonderful dinner!

The Hallinans had been visiting Grace for the week in Ireland, and were so nice to offer to take us out.  I had not been able to catch them all week, so I was looking forward to seeing them.  It was an awesome little West Hartford reunion in Cork!  They brought us to a great restaurant in the City Centre, Cornstore.  I had not been there yet, so I was very excited to check it out!  My meal was great, swordfish on noodles an vegetables with a delicious sesame sauce.  I have not been to a bad restaurant yet while in Ireland!  To the people that say the Irish cannot cook, I beg to differ.  The restaurants have been incredible.  We sat at the restaurant for a long time and caught up on the happenings of our lives and hearing about the Hallinan's trip so far.  It was a great taste of home having fellow WeHa-ers in Ireland! 

After dinner, the Hallinans walked us to the bus station, and we were off to Dublin Airport!  Belgium was almost here!

Be back soon! 

XO, 

Caitlin 

Dinner at Cornstore.

Working Wednesday

On Wednesday, I really did not end up doing much at all.  I really needed to get my work done for Belgium!

I woke up a early to take a few hours to study for my History exam.  I am not a test taker at all, so I just wanted it over!  I really should have been thinking about my paper, but the test was the only item on my mind.  I went to class, which I was very lucky, got out an hour early! More study time...

In between classes, I made a lemon and garlic chicken for dinner, thanks to my dad's recipe!  I wanted to have my dinner made so that when I came home I could eat and get right to work.  I baked my chicken, which was something I have never done before.  It came out great and tasted so good!

My exam was not too horrible, it was just really long.  I had to write two essays in an hour and a half.  The last time I took a serious exam was May, so it had been a long time.  I needed this over!!!!!  Thankfully, I was done around 6:30, plenty of time to start/write my whole paper.  I swear, this procrastination is not like me!  Ireland is making me lazy...

I set myself to writing my paper, and I got it all done!  Now I could look forward to the weekend!

Be back soon!

XO,

Caitlin

Pretty day in Cork! 

Study Time Tuesday

Tuesday was a very quiet day for me here in Cork.  I had a lot of work coming up, so I needed to stay focused.  I had a great weekend ahead of me: Belgium!

I only went to one of my classes on Tuesday (oops).  I really wanted to get as much work done as I could before my Politics of Church and State exam on Wednesday.  I came home from class at 12 and stayed cooped up in my room.  Thank goodness I have my care package from Brenda :) The chocolate was coming in handy!!

I took a little bit of a study break in the evening.  My roommates had a few friends coming over who they were going out with!  It was graduation time at UCC, so everyone was out celebrating.  It was really nice meeting some more Irish students and taking the time to get to know them.  They were all very nice, and super interested in my American ways!

It was back to studying later in the evening, not very fun....

Also a big happy birthday to my favorite boss, Brenda!  I hope Tuesday was a great day for you :)

Be back soon!

XO,

Caitlin

Dinner!  The most massive sweet potato ever...and the Irish think my love go BBQ sauce is very weird...

Homework filled night

Monday Blues

Ugh Mondays, not fun when I have been spending the weekend galavanting around England.  But, it was back to reality, for only a few more days.  I have a busy week of homework, for once!  Are midterms really a thing abroad? I don't know how I feel about that....

I went to my two classes and began studying for my exam that would be on Wednesday.  Not very exciting...but once this week was over, it would be time for Belgium.  I needed to set myself out to doing my work so I could enjoy the weekend!  On my way to class, I tried a new coffee shop that I walk by every single day, but have yet to step in.  This shop is called The Coffee Station.  It was really cute, and full of students!  Maybe a good place to do homework sometime?  After class, I got the BEST surprise ever for one of my favorite people.  My boss at the Foundation this summer, Brenda, sent me the greatest care package.  It was full of all of my favorite things, an many, many inside jokes that put a smile on my face.  It came at the perfect time!  I needed lots of candy to get me through studying and paper writing this week.  Brenda, you are TOO MUCH!

I decided not to do a big grocery shopping run, because I would only be here for a few days.  I went to Centra, like a 7/11, on my street to just pick up some essentials.  Going away every weekend makes it hard to do shopping for the week.  I do not need much food, but when I come home on Sundays, I am usually cleaned out.  Eggs are becoming my best friend...

Well, boring night, but hopefully it will get more exciting!

Be back soon!

XO,

Caitlin

The Coffee Station

My care package :) LOVE YOU, BRENDA!

Last Day with Linds

Sunday was my last day in York.  It was not fun saying by to Lindsay, but we would be seeing each other in seven weeks!  The countdown was on!

We woke up a little earlier than Saturday, packed up my stuff, and went off to see some more of the city.  We did not have big plans, really to just hang out with one another for one last day.  We went to a great restaurant called Nandos.  They are famous for their spicy chicken dishes, an boy were they spicy.  But, very, very good!  Thanks, Anne, you have made me a spicy food lover :)

After lunch, I was on a mission to find a print of York.  I am trying to get a picture of every city I visit.  I forgot to get Munich, so I would not let myself forget York!  There is a really cool artist who sets up shop on the Shambles in York.  He sells his pencil prints for "whatever you think appropriate."  I thought this was so cool.  I have never heard of anyone not setting a price on their art, and letting the buyer create the price.  The man was extremely kind, and very grateful for whatever you gave him.  I ended up getting a neat drawing of the Shambles, I can't wait to add it to my collection!

We then went to Cafe Nero, a coffee shop, to kill time before I had to leave for the airport.  It was nice just sitting and chatting with one another, I still could not believe how long we had gone without seeing each other!  I got a delicious hot chocolate, per Lindsay's recommendation!

Lindsay went with me to the train station, but on our way we had a horse poop issues!  Lindsay stepped in a massive pile of poop and could not get it off of her leg.  I know this is a little gross, but if you know Lindsay and me, you would know that we could not stop laughing, but also did not know what to do.  It was so hilarious!!  After we cleaned up, Linds got me to the train and I grabbed a 3:45 train to the airport.  I had an amazing time in England and reuniting with my long lost friend :)

Be back soon!

XO,

Caitlin

Hot Chocolate!

Horse Poop Problems

A Saturday with My Best Friend

On Saturday, Lindsay and I had lots of plans to explore York.  We slept in for a little bit, I was still really tired from my day of travel to England, and then we got moving on the day.

Our first stop-- lunch.  We went to a great little restaurant called the Lowther.  It was a really nice day, so we were able to sit outside.  I cannot believe that is is almost the end of October in England and we are sitting outside.  The weather was beautiful, not too hot, there was a great breeze, and no rain.  This was the perfect start to a great day!  After lunch, we stopped at Starbucks to get a coffee (a little perk for our afternoon adventures), and then walked around the city a little more.

York is a city that contains a lot of history.  One of the main attractions, actually making York a city, is the York Minster.  The Minster is the largest gothic cathedral in northern Europe.  It is absolutely massive, and such a beautiful piece of architecture is a classic English city.  Behind the Minster, there is a park, Dean's Park, open for visitors to walk through.  There were colorful leaves all over the park, and very green grass everywhere.  It was so gorgeous and picturesque!  York was showing the colors of fall a lot more than Cork, and it reminded me of home :)  After our walk through the park, we decided to walk part of the Walls of York.  York is surrounded by a large stone wall, dating all the way back to the times of the Romans.  You are able to walk around the entire city on the wall (don't worry, there are pathways!).  This walk can take about two hours, so we decided to just do part of it.  It was really cool and a great way to get a feel for York.

Once we finished part of the walk, it was late afternoon.  The day was flying by!  When we got back to the University of York, we walked around for a little while so I could get a better feel of the campus and to take some pictures.  The campus is so beautiful, it almost looks as if it is a park.  There  were ducks, ponds, sitting areas, definitely different from UCC, and even HC.

We went back to Lindsay's apartment and called our best friends, Anne and Chris.  Both Anne and Chris are at HC this year, and usually the four of us are inseparable, so it was so weird not being with them!  We had a really long conversation with each of them, and it was almost as good as the real deal.  After our phone calls, Linds and I cleaned up and got ready for the night.  We were pretty tired, so it was going to be a low-key night!

We went to a restaurant called Missoula Montana Bar and Grill, a really pretty restaurant on the River Ouse.  The restaurant had a really cool ski lodge vibe, and definitely felt a little bit like we were back in the US.  After dinner, we met up another HC girl studying in York, Emma, who has become friends with Lindsay.  We went to The Golden Fleece, a haunted bar!  There was some great live music and loads of people!  It was a very fun time :)

We headed to back to the apartment and went to bed pretty early, we had to prepare for our last day together!

Be back soon!

XO,

Caitlin    

Me and Linds at the Lowther.

York City!

The York Minster.

The University of York

At Missoula Montana Bar and Grill!

Cork to York

Friday was a very early morning, but it was all worth it because I was going to visit Lindsay!  I ordered a taxi to pick me up for 4:30 AM to get me to Cork Airport for a 7 AM flight.  I had never been to Cork Airport before, so I was leaving myself a lot of time.  I could barely sleep the night before, I was so excited!

The airport was very empty since it was so early in the morning, which was perfect, no security lines!  I was flying from Cork at 7 AM to Manchester, getting in around 8:30ish.  We landed a little early. it was a very easy flight!  I then had to make it to the Manchester Airport Train Station so I could take a train to York.  These run pretty frequently, so I was in no rush.  I told Lindsay I would be arriving in York around 10:30ish, so I had to grab a train leaving around 9 AM.  It was pretty self explanatory finding tickets and the train, I felt like a travel pro (Mom, you have no need to worry!).

When I arrived in York, I felt like I was in a movie finding Lindsay.  I saw her and jumped in her arms!  I was reunited with one of my best friends after two and a half months!!! For those of you that know me and Lindsay, you know that is a very long time for us to go without seeing one another.  When I met up with her, we caught a bus that would take us right to the University of York.  This was so convenient!  Lindsay lives right on campus, so when we arrived I got a little tour as we walked to her room.  I dropped my stuff, and we were off to explore the city!  But first, lunchtime!

We ate at an awesome restaurant, Bill's.  Lindsay and I shared honey mustard sausages and I had a grilled chicken sandwich with "chips."  It definitely hit the spot after a long day of travel.  We were talking a mile a minute to one another the entire time, we had so much to catch up on.  We kept saying, "This is so weird, we are in Europe together.."  It was so surreal!

After lunch, we walked around the city.  Lindsay showed me some of the famous spots in York, The Minster, the River Ouse, The Shambles, everything.  York was a really cook historical city, and it felt like an old English Village, with the mix of city life.  I loved it!  After walking around, I was pooped, so Lindsay took me to Starbucks and I got my first Pumpkin Spice Latte!  It was officially fall :)  We them went back to her apartment to hang out and watch a movie before going out for the night again.

We went to a later dinner, around 8:30 PM, to a really nice place on the river, Slug and Lettuce.  We both had pork pad thai, with pomegranate and edamame.  It was delicious, and I have been craving thai food.  We then shared a toffee cookie dessert as well as a brownie dessert.  YUM!

Lindsay then wanted to show me some of her favorite bars.  The first one we stopped at was Dusk.  This was a really neat place, with drinks named after American celebrities.  The atmosphere was really cool, and it was packed!  We then headed to the coolest bar I have ever been to, Evil Eye.  This is supposedly one of Johnny Depp's favorite bars (so cool!)!  The drinks are all really exotic and made with fresh fruit.  It was a blast!  We were wiped out after Evil Eye, so we headed home to prepare for Saturday!

I can't tell you enough how great it was to be back with my best friend.  It was a perfect taste of home when I was really missing a big weekend of my family being together.

Be back with more details of the weekend!

XO,

Caitlin

Sunrise on the flight!

University of York

Lunch!

The Shambles

York City Centre

The River Ouse

 My first PSL!

At Dusk!

 <3