Backpacking Across Europe

     Classes have officially finished in Cork and only two finals separate me from summer on Cape Cod, but finals don't begin until May!  With a month long spring break the option was clear for me and four of my friends.  We would spend April backpacking Europe! 
      Tomorrow we leave for London, our first stop,  followed by Prague, Paris, Verona, Sorrento, and anywhere else the wind takes us along our travels.  My excitement for this trip is indescribable. A trip like this is a once in a life time opportunity.  The only problem is packing; I didn't think anything could be harder than packing for Cork!  This tops it, fitting 3 weeks of clothes in a carry on is a whole new experience. 
    As much as possible, I will try to keep updating you about my travels, but for now, happy April!!

I Amsterdam

      A 4 am wake-up call began the three most interesting days in Europe so far.  My early morning flight had myself and friends in Amsterdam for a full day to start discovering.  To my surprise the use of English was a lot less prevalent than I had assumed.  As we tried to find our hostel we struggled to find someone who understood us,  and all the signs were in Dutch, confusing us even more. So far I have yet to travel somewhere that did not provide an English translation for everything, making me feel even further away form home as we wandered around looking for directions.
     The first thing I noticed about Amsterdam was the significant amount of bikes! Everyone rode bicycles; it was strange to see more bikes than cars!  When people are not riding bicycles they use the tram to get around.  We used the tram to get everywhere; it was fairly easy to figure out and only cost 7 Euros for three days.
     The second thing that surprised me about Amsterdam was how low key the smoking of Marijuana way.  Going to Amsterdam I knew it was legal, so I assumed it would be everywhere,  but it's actually only a small part of their culture.  It is only allowed in designated coffee shops,  not out on the streets like I thought.
      The third thing that amazed me about Amsterdam was the Red Light District.  This area is unlike anything I have ever seen.  In this area women stand in windows selling their bodies to anyone interested who walks by.  Walking down this street I wondered how these girls could do this night after night.  It made me sad that so many girls find this as a career.  Amsterdam was a very interesting city to visit.  Their flag with XXX across it couldn't be more fitting for this risky city.

Coming Attraction

When I first arrived in Cork I noticed that on the same road as our apartment building was a movie theater. My first thought was I'm studying abroad; I won't have time or won't want to go to the movies.  My thoughts have definitely changed about that since I have now seen 3 movies in the time I've been in Cork. The movies are the perfect dose of American culture when being in a place very different than home.  When a group of us decide to walk to the movies, it's like we're instantly brought to America.  The familiar smell of buttery popcorn, lots of candy and big comfortable movie chairs, even the snacks bring us back to home.  Sweet factory candy and fountain diet coke is a treat since most places don't have fountain soda.  When we sit down to the newest American blockbuster it's like we never left home.  Watching "Country Strong" brings us to Texas, "Limitless" brings us back to NYC, and "Just Go With It" takes us on a tropical Hawaiian vacation.  Going to the movies seems to be the instant cure for homesickness while in Cork!

16 Miles in the Rain

All semester our program director has been talking about how beautiful the hiking in Ireland is and that it is one of her favorite hobbies.  As one of the many activities she planned for us, she planned a 16 mile walk through Kerry.  When we heard that the walk was 16 miles, we first thought there would be no possible way to finish it, but Mary convinced us with all the walking we do in Cork we would be fine.  Our walk to class is a half hour at least, which is definitely a change from the 5 minutes it takes to get from the dorms at Loyola to the Quad.  The morning of the walk seemed to be a beautiful day to spend outside, the temperature was cool but refreshing, like a spring morning.  We began the hike into the Irish countryside.  The mountains were beautiful; it looked like a postcard you would mail home from a trip to Ireland.  After about a half hour it began to pour, but the difference between Ireland and America became apparent to all of us.  Instead of postponing the walk for a more beautiful day, the Irish don’t let the rain affect anything they do, so instead we marched on for another 14 miles in the rain.  It wasn’t just a light rain, the rain was coming down so hard that soon even with a rain jacket on, it felt like I had just got out of the shower and my sneakers had two puddles in them.  The nice walk we were supposed to have had turned into a blur of rain.  Even though it rained we made the best of it, and we were able to see scenery of Ireland that wouldn’t have been accessible in a car.