El Fin

Well, this is my last blog post. I apologize for it being a little late.

I have been home now for two days (going on three) and it has been wonderful. As soon as I walked in the door I felt an overwhelming sense of comfort and relaxation. I spent an entire day doing laundry and unpacking. It was nice to have no trains or planes to catch and to just focus on snuggling my cats and German Shepherd. Yesterday I began my classes, which was exhausting because of the residual jet lag, but exciting as well. I am looking forward to falling back into my old routine. I also was selected for a job on campus while I was away and will start on Monday. It is with the Office of International Programs! I am so thrilled to begin helping other students to learn more about Study Abroad opportunities and to share with them my own experiences and lessons learned. I can’t think of a better way to utilize what knowledge I have acquired than to give back to the University in this way.

Most of all, right now, I want to express my gratitude to everyone who helped make this all happen for me. You all know who you are- thank you so much. I hope this blog was a nice window into my journey and I hope that my words decently portrayed my adventures. Again, thank you so much for all of your support!

Cheers!
Carmen

Homeward Bound

My European excursion has come to an end. I have to say it was one of the best experiences of my life and although I would love for it to go on in some way, I am ready to finally return home. A month abroad was a lot for this undergrad, twenty-something girl. I am ready to return to my life and begin something new, using the tools and experiences I have acquired studying and traveling abroad.

My last couple of days among friends in Oslo, Norway was perfect. On Sunday we found the famous “naked statue” park, the actual name of it I will not even attempt to say. It is a gorgeous and expansive park, absolutely littered with life-like (you guessed it) naked statues of men, women, and children. In the summers the fountains of the park are in use and the lawns are packed with families, couples, and dogs. Also on Sunday I got to see the Nobel Peace Center, the actual place were they give the Nobel Peace Prize! I thought that was pretty cool.

Monday was the best, however. My friend and I took a ferry ride out of the Oslo ferry port to the other side of the city where all the museums are. And OF COURSE I had to see the Viking Ship Museum, called the Vikingskip Huset (if I remembered that correctly). The weather was just perfect for the ferry and the walk to the museum. And, wow, was the museum so cool. They had three actual longships, one very well preserved, that have been excavated from ship burials around Norway. These ships are massive- the size of whales. But a long with the ships have been found things like partial skeletons, clothes and textiles, and other goods that were found at the burial sites. Only the very wealthy/important people had ship burials, and one major burial that was excavated was for two women, whose partial remains are in a glass case at the museum.

Last night, I packed my things while my friends made a final dinner for us all. We had Albondigas, Mexican style- a type of soup where a hard-boiled egg is cooked inside of a huge meatball. Delicious! I never thought that I would have a home cooked, Mexican meal in Scandinavia. Thank you, Noel! And thanks to Ruben for all of the traditional Norwegian cooking that I had the pleasure of pigging out on! Next time, I’m going to get around to trying whale.

Now I am on my final flight home, only six hours into my seven-hour flight, trying not to dose off. My body still believes that we are on Oslo time and that it is currently 1am. I have watched two movies and have eaten a feast thanks to a couple of Canadian ladies sitting next to me, constantly offering their food. It is so hard to believe that it is all at an end, and that in a few hours I will be home…

Here are a few photos of my last couple of days abroad:

At the park:

The Nobel Peace Center


Ferry riding!

The Viking Ship Museum…

Albondigas, our last dinner together…


A delicious Norwegian style hot dog, wrapped in bacon. Had to get one before I got on the plane!

I will make one final post in the very near future, so check back one last time!

Oslove

I have had non-stop fun here in Oslo. And surprisingly, so far the weather has been consistently fabulous, unlike most of my other destinations. Thursday, I roamed around central Oslo as I waited for my friends to finish work. What a beautiful city! Luxurious, old architecture mingles with the modern artistic, and beautiful parks with fountains and statues pepper the city blocks.

Later that night, after a dinner of homemade sushi, we went to a traditional festival that is held every year for the Equinox. It consists of thousands of lit torches that are placed along the river which flows through the city. People walk along these torches next to the river, and stop occasionally to watch traditional entertainment, such as choirs, dancers, shadow performers, story tellers, musicians, and more. Every year, about 10% of the population of Oslo attends this festival, which is maybe forty to sixty thousand people. All walking the VERY long stretch of river and torches. My friends and I walked for an hour, but only completed maybe a third of the total walk. When we had finished our stroll we took part in some free waffles and coffee and headed back to their apartment.

Friday night we went out to the bars and experienced some Oslo nightlife. It was a blast, but definitely got a little crazy. At one point I even got questioned by some Norwegian Police, haha. But overall the night was great and we all danced our butts off. The next day was dedicated to sleep and recovery, but that evening (last night) we attended the Opera- The Marriage of Figaro. Wow, the opera building is SO gorgeous! On the outside it is a shiny, white, gleaming masterpiece, and on the inside, everything is made of beautiful wood. And I do mean everything- floors, walls, and ceilings, are an inviting oak surface. And it is right on the water; the sun was just beginning to set, creating a stunning backdrop for our arrival to the beautiful Oslo Opera House.

Here are some photos:

Out and about…

At the torch festival..

Out shopping…

Yummy Norwegian dinner of lamb, cabbage, and potatoes…

The Oslo Opera House…

Cityscape

Inside the opera house…

Today we are laying low and relaxing, because on Sundays in Norway almost everything is closed. It is nationally recognized that Sundays are days to spend time with family and to rest. Which to me is a really nice concept. So today, instead of more shopping and bar going, we will take a blanket to the park, sit, and soak up the day in good company.

Luxembourg- The Ancestral Pilgrimage

The last day of our program in Den Haag was dedicated to the International Court of Justice, a court that is an organ of the UN and that is designed to settle disputes between nations (not individuals) peacefully. Mostly it handles cases over territory, borders, fishing waters, etc. but sometimes it branches out to things like the imprisonment of foreigners. The ICJ (aka The Peace Palace), is a beautiful century-old building that was built by Andrew Carnegie (ironic?). While there we had presentations by one of the 15 elected judges of the ICJ and one of the legal advisors, Michael Becker, an American from Chicago. The ICJ is an interesting entity because it has no enforcement force for the decisions it makes on cases. States can choose whether or not to abide by the courts ruling, and there is absolutely no way to make sure that a state follows it. Despite this odd fact, most times states actually do follow the courts decisions. You could probably teach an entire course on WHY states choose to follow the court’s ruling when they don’t have to, but I think it mostly is due to concerns for things like reputation amongst the international community, and hopes that if they play nice now, maybe they will get some sort of benefit in the future. Who knows… I’m sure my study topics are über boring for you all, so I will get to the exciting stuff….

I MADE IT TO LUXEMBOURG!!! Yes I had to make four train changes, and yes I got onto one wrong train, and yes I got stuck in the train doors with my huge backpack when trying to get out quickly before the train I was on whisked me away to some strange land, possibly a distant, crumbling, Eastern block city known for its cheap sex slaves (getting more interesting now?). But I made it. And I made friends! The three of us were all looking for the hostel and bumped into each other off the bus. I met a nice Kurdish girl who is from Brussels named Jiyen. And I met a boy from Ålesund, Norway named Audun, but I call him Odin- it was as close as I could get to the correct pronunciation. We went exploring the city that evening, and oh my god. This city is incredible. It looks as if it is out of a story book. Luxembourg is one of the wealthiest nations in the world. AND IT SHOWS. I mean, you have to be loaded to live in this place. All of the shops are VERY up scale, and all of the cars look like they cost at least twice as much as the amount of student debt I will owe by the time I graduate. I would have liked to explore more and learn about the history of the city, but only one night was not enough to suffice this.

This morning I awoke in a strange hostel, in a room full of girls I didn’t know, and it was a little depressing. I don’t know why. It was just sort of lonely. But I met my new friends in the cafeteria for breakfast and was rejuvenated by the coffee and friendship at our table. Audun and I checked out of the hostel and shared a bus ride to the train station where we parted ways. From there I took another bus towards the WWII American Military Cemetery. I say TOWARDS because the bus only goes so close to it. I had to walk about twenty minutes, with 30+ pounds of luggage on my back, in the rain, through a construction site, BUT I made it there too.

I am so glad I made the extra trip to Luxembourg to visit my great-grandfathers grave. It was an emotional arrival. At the visitors center I was offered a place in their office for my heavy bag, which was a welcome relief. A cemetery associate took my name, where I was from, whose grave I was visiting, and my relation to him. I was then escorted to the grave by the associate, Erwin, a very nice old gentleman who I believe was a native Luxembourger. At the grave site, he rubbed sand into the etched letters of the white, marble headstone so that they were more visible for photos. He placed a small American flag at the base of the cross. I took my photos and then he asked to take one of me and Florencio’s headstone to put up on their website. Erwin asked me many questions about my great-grandfather, such as if he had siblings and children, so that they could more accurately complete his profile in their database, and I told him what I knew. He also told me what he knew about Florencio’s part in the Battle of the Bulge and what was going on in the war at the time of his death. I really appreciated Erwin’s thoughtfulness and interest in my family’s history. He also gave me information about how to contact Fort Knox for the full personnel profile of Florencio, and information on what benefits Florencio’s children have, and many other services that the ABMC offer. You can even have flowers put out on the graves of loved ones whenever you want if you send them the form for it. It was a pretty amazing experience, I had no idea that this place would offer so much. Erwin gave me a folder full of papers and pamphlets, including his card and a profile page with Florencio’s information on it. He even included an informational sheet that is in Spanish, he thought maybe my grandpa would prefer it. Erwin let me sit and eat my snacks in the lobby before I made the trek back to the bus stop- he brought me coffee, and instructed me to use their employee private bathroom if I wanted instead of the normal visitors restroom outside. I felt very welcomed and taken care of at the cemetery, something I was not expecting at all, and I am very grateful to Erwin for that.

Now I am sitting in the Luxembourg airport, tapping away on my iPad reflecting on my solo time traveling here. Sometimes it was lonely and confusing, but meeting the people I did was the best part. I have met new friends that I might not have met if I was not alone. I think it was also important for me to make mistakes and face challenges and then have to figure them out on my own- however, luckily the challenges I faced weren’t too terrible this time! Maybe the next time I travel alone I will try it for a little longer amount of time! (I can picture my mother cringing at this thought, haha!)

Photos from the Peace Palace

My UN shot glass!

Some photos of Luxembourg and the friends I made

The WWII American Military Cemetery, the grave of Florencio Valenzuela

UPDATE: I am now in Oslo! I just got in a few hours ago. I wasn’t able to publish this post while I was in Luxembourg because of shotty wifi connection. But here it is, and I will make a post telling you all about my time in Norway as soon as possible!

An Amazing Ride

Yesterday was the day that we visited the ICC (International Criminal Court). It was pretty much the day everyone had been anxiously waiting for. The ICC has been a large part of our studies, not just during this program, but back home in our curriculum at UW, as well. The specific trial that we attended was for the Congo/Central Republic of Africa situation, where the accused (Jean-Pierre Bemba) is indicted for certain crimes against humanity, amongst others. The trial today was the examination and questioning of a witness who worked for Bemba, his identity was kept confidential for his own security. Aside from attending the trial, we had presentations by some of the staff of the ICC, such as Judge Chile Eboe-Osuji, Deputy Prosecutor James Stewart, and Victims Expert Gloria Atiba-Davies.

Thursday was probably the most entertaining and interesting day of court, however. We went again to the Yugoslav Tribunal and this time, the defendant, Ratko Mladić (aka the Butcher of Bosnia), was present. We sat just feet away from Mladić, only a glass wall separating the accused from the audience. It was incredibly tense to be in the same vicinity, making eye contact with a man who crafted and ordered the genocide of thousands and thousands of Muslim Serbs. When he was lead out of the courtroom during a break he stopped at the glass wall and gave us all a big smile, clapping his hands and laughing, gestured an enthusiastic thumbs up and salute. I think he was happy to have so many observers at his trial, something that doesn’t happen often. To us, he just seemed to be soaking up the attention, and very obviously to be going a little crazy. It was the most awkward, disconcerting, and just plain wrong moment of this trip for all of us. But it did liven up the boring courtroom lull, I suppose. Nobody was nodding off after that little scene.

Today, we have just returned from riding bikes along the kinderdijk. Kinderdijk is this area in the Netherlands that is a sort of wetland with a bunch of huge 300 year old wind mills. It is in this little town that is about an hour away from The Hague. It was SO much fun. Everyone here rides bikes instead of driving cars so it is easy to rent bikes from pretty much anywhere. But this place where we rode was so beautiful and the massive windmills just completed our stay here in Holland. I can’t believe this program is over in only two days. What an amazing ride its been.

P.s. There are some incredible beaches here! Who knew?

Here are some photos from the last few days:

At the beach!

Dinner on the beach 🙂

The ICC


out riding bikes. That is my professor with the hat.

Half Way.

Welp, we made it to The Hague, Netherlands. The “home” of International Justice. We flew into Amsterdam and took a short 30 minute train ride to get to this city, known in Dutch as Den Haag.

We are living in luxury, by the way. No more stuffy, cramped hostel rooms, stacked with bunk beds for us. No sir, now we are proper civilized. In an actual hotel. With real beds. And a real shower. And a balcony patio. And REAL breakfast! With fruit and junk! I never, ever want to see toast or instant coffee again. Oh and the coffee is better here than the kind you get in Irish cafes. It tastes somewhat normal here. But you should be mindful- if you stumble into the wrong kind of cafe you might be offered a joint with your soy latte. The Hague is a beautiful city though. It is clean, the people are friendly, and there is a very safe vibe. Not quite as much of a party city as the ones I got used to in Ireland. And it is a bit more expensive here. I ran out of my Lactaid pills (for lactose intolerance) and when I finally found some at a pharmacy they were €15- That is like $20!

Today we went to the International Court Tribunal of the Former Yugoslavia, where we were spectators of the Mladić trial. Unfortunately, Mladić was ill and was not present in the courtroom. The judges had to gather information on his condition and decide whether to proceed without him or adjourn until tomorrow. Ultimately, they decided to wait until the morning, and we did not see the defendant. But it was pretty amazing to sit there and watch the judges, prosecution, and defense all interact with one another in an international tribunal. During the recesses we filled the press room and listened to speakers, several of whom are involved in the Yugoslav tribunal. One, the prosecutor of Mladić’s case (who we saw do his thing in court today), and another was the defense council to Karadžić, another case within the ICTY. I found it interesting that both of these lawyers were Americans, originally from California. Mladić and Karadžić, by the way, are both indicted for genocide, and several counts of crimes against humanity.

Here are some photos of my time so far in The Netherlands:

We finally made it!

The view from our balcony


The Peace Palace, on the way to the ICTY


AcRoss the street from the ICTY


In the press room of the ICTY


On the tram.

Belfast- Hopefully Healing

Yet again, another top favorite day of this trip to add to the growing list. Yesterday we spent the day in Belfast. I am still no expert, but I can say that I understand so much better the conflict in Northern Ireland, especially what are called “The Troubles” of the 1960’s, 70’s, and 80’s. Today the city is a mish- mash of beautiful old buildings from the 1800’s and ugly buildings from the 80’s. This is the result of the bombing of some old buildings in the 70’s that were later replaced by 80’s architecture. It is truly a bizarre city. The tension is still palpable in the atmosphere even 17 years after the ceasefire. Segregation of the Catholics and Protestants is denoted by huge walls, called “peace walls,” that separate their neighborhoods. Only 5% of the population in Northern Ireland is educated in integrated, non-biased schools. The other 95% attend either Catholic or Protestant schools were only those respective versions of history are taught. The Catholics- Irish history; the Protestants- UK history. Because Northern Ireland is a part of the UK, under British government, we had to bring along our passports for when we crossed the border. We also had to use Pound Sterling currency, not Euros. We visited an Irish Republican museum (the Republicans, or Nationalists, are the Catholics), where we saw lots of the old weapons, letters, newspapers, and other memorabilia from The Troubles. After this we went on a taxi tour through the neighborhoods of Belfast where we saw several of the famous murals that are peppered throughout the city. Some done by/for the IRA, others done by/for the UFF. While there we saw a Loyalist (the Protestants) parade through a Protestant neighborhood. Parades generally stay in their respective neighborhoods due to the fighting that usually breaks out when the two sides mix. Riots and demonstrations are still common in Belfast, as well.

Before coming to Ireland, I had no idea that the north was a separate country from the rest. And I was honestly a little shocked to hear someone from Belfast call themselves a Brit. But according to locals, the bad blood of Belfast is getting better. There are no more car bombs or explosives in buildings and markets. There are still occasional politically-motivated killings, but they are becoming less and less. Now that I have learned more about The Troubles I really want to re-watch the movie In The Name of The Father (yes, partly because it is another Daniel Day-Lewis flick), which is a film about the the conflict in Northern Ireland. I felt that we got a really well-rounded experience of Belfast and learned a lot about both sides of the issues. Our tour guide was amazing. We all thought for sure that he was Catholic by the way he told the stories, but at the end we found out that he was actually a Protestant who saw his own family members die at the hands of the IRA. Astonishingly, he married a Catholic. Their children are raised within an understanding of both religions. I think at the moment, this man and his family are the exception. But it is proof that things really are starting to get better in Belfast.

Today was our day off from tours and courts and lectures. Guess what we have been doing? Frantically writing our essay journals which are due tomorrow. I did sneak in a short trip to the Jameson Distillery, as well as to the Guinness Factory. It is quite strange- when you start getting close to the Guinness Factory, you can ACTUALLY smell the yeast! Especially if you are walking from downwind. It smells pretty horrible to me, but it was kind of a cool indicator anyhow. I thought I would squeeze in some last minute sight seeing because today is our LAST DAY in Dublin. I can’t believe we go onto The Hague tomorrow- our time in this brand new city has flown by.

Me, writing a note of peace on one of the “Peace Walls,” adding to several hundred thousands.

A couple of the famous Murals.

The Protestant parade.

Coffee and journal writing.

Dublin. Not so Debonair.

It’s a big city. And what permeates all big cities? Trash, drugs, and bad smells. But at least it has its architecture and awesome pubs. Like my overall experience, Dublin is quite overwhelming, especially when coming from a quaint place like Galway. Blocks and blocks of big old buildings and large river canals that are structured in a way not unlike Paris (hopefully no Dubliners are reading this!). What has been especially confusing, though, are all the Swedes. Tonight Ireland is playing a football (soccer) game against Sweden, here in Dublin. And the Swedes are here to show their support. In fact, an entire street has been decked out in Swedish flags and decor to match the mobs of tall blonde dudes in blue and yellow jerseys. And boy, do all these football fans get rowdy. Like I said, mobs and mobs of Irishmen and Swedes drinking and hollering their team songs.

Yesterday when we arrived in Dublin by train, we had three hours until a reception dinner. Some of the girls and I explored the blocks around our hostel. We found the infamous Temple Bar area and stopped in at THE Temple Bar for a pint. We also came across Trinity College, which is one of the most beautiful college campuses I have ever seen. When looking around at all the old facades and park grounds, it is seriously hard to believe that people actually go to school there. Our reception dinner was also held in a historic, fancy, old building where we actually rubbed elbows with a senator. After the dinner we went immediately to the Abbey Theatre where we saw the play Major Barbara. It was pretty good actually, despite the naïve and annoying main character, Barbara, who is a major in the Salvation Army in the late 19th century, and whose father is a very wealthy arms manufacturer. It addresses some really interesting tensions between religious salvation and the realities of the destitute. I think that is why I enjoyed it- because it was realistic about the grey areas of war and humanitarianism. I think this kind of production makes people question their own sense of morality and principles. I would recommend seeing it.

Today has also been very busy for the group. We took a tour of the Four Courts here in Dublin which is a historic (yes, everything here is historic) courthouse and also houses the Supreme Court of Ireland. This is where all the big wig judges (they actually still wear wigs sometimes!) do their thing. A lot like our Supreme Court, I suppose. We also went to the very old Central Criminal Court where the infamous Robert Emmet was tried and convicted of sedition and treason against the British Empire. Emmet is now considered a hero, who led a rebellion against the oppressive rule of the Crown in Ireland in the late 18th century. One of the students in our group was asked to read the part of Emmet in an hour-long re-enactment of the trial in front of the almost filled courtroom of people and officers who wanted to hear the speeches of Emmet and his narrative. It was unfortunate for that student, who was pretty hung over from the night before, but the rest of us had a good laugh at his expense.

After the courts, we went to the Dublin barracks of the Irish Defense Forces and heard another presentation on the peacekeeping endeavors in Lebanon-UNIFIL. These barracks are also the National Museum of Ireland, which I have not yet had a chance to check out. There are so many thing to do here in Dublin, though. I hope to see most of them on Sunday, including the Guinness Factory, the Jameson Factory (whiskey!), and the Book of Kells, to just name a few. I will let you all know how far I get. Should probably hit the Book of Kells first, just to be safe.

At the reception dinner…

At the courts of Dublin…

Watching the game: Ireland vs. Sweden…

The view from our window of the hostel.

In the streets, notice the Swedish Flags…

Trinity College

My new favorite beer

At the Courts of Dublin

Presentation on peacekeeping at the barracks…

The Swedes won the game, so we got a picture…

An über drunk dude from Belfast who thought I had a great nose…

Goodbye Galway

I apologize for the delay in posts recently. With such a full schedule this blog tends to generally be the last thing on my mind when we get back to the hostel. But the last few days have been very beneficial to my studies and understanding of international law.

I am especially fond of Monday when we spent time at the barracks of the Irish Defense Forces here in Galway. We heard four presentations from four different Officers on different facets of international law and Ireland’s role in operations abroad. As some of you may know, Ireland is a neutral state. It does not train for invasions or full-on combative war. Its forces are used by the UN for peacekeeping and observation missions abroad. We heard from an officer who has had a total of eleven tours all over the world, mostly in Africa, observing armed conflicts and recording the events that take place. Another Officer gave a lecture of his recent observation mission in Syria. The records and journals that these soldiers keep are submitted to the UN which are later used as testimony in international tribunals on war crimes and crimes against humanity. It was fascinating to, instead of hear a lecture on peacekeeping missions, hear directly from the soldiers who carry out these operations. It was a completely new perspective on the issues that we have been studying, a very valuable contribution to our education here in Ireland. We had lunch with the Officers in their mess hall and came back that night for a reception dinner on their campus where we were able to socialize and talk more freely with them about their opinions and experiences with international justice.

Tuesday we spent most of the day in seminar, but later on went to dinner with the mayor of Galway, which was quite the experience. The mayor here is referred to as “His Worship” which everyone has had several good laughs about. The mayor, Padraic (pronounced Porrick), pretty much looks like an Irish mobster and smells like a reservation casino, but was a very humorous and interesting guy.

Today has been pretty laid back. We had seminar and went out to dinner. A professor on Irish folklore and sagas, Lillis O’Laire, who we have spent some time with before, met us for dinner. I always have fascinating conversations with him about the ancient legends of Ireland, especially the story of Culchulan and The Red Branch. This guy actually taught us an old song in the traditional Gaelic language. Only a short chorus though- six syllables was about all we could remember while attempting to pronounce the words correctly.

It was a bit of a bitter-sweet night because tonight is our last night in Galway. Tomorrow morning we pack up and hop a train to Dublin. If ever I return to Ireland, Galway will be a very special place for me to visit again. This beautiful, historic, small city really grows on you.

Some of the stained glass inside of a chapel on the grounds of the barracks. Notice the UN symbols and blue “peacekeepers” hat.

Lunch in the mess hall of the barracks

At the reception dinner with the Officers of the Irish Defense Forces

Dinner with the mayor!

Our last seminar at the Irish Center for Human Rights…

Okay, I’ve changed my mind…

I have become very ill. By the time we got to dinner last night I had a fever, chills, and an incredibly stuffed-up head. Hiking around all day in the rain and sitting in wet clothes threw my former sniffles over the edge. So today I have been quarantined and have been moved in to the program assistant’s room so she can better care for me. I also have to miss out on the Croagh Patrick hike today to instead visit the local clinic. The other students have been very helpful and concerned, picking out sleepy teas and extra tissues for me. I am lucky to be a part of such a great group. So while they are all out experiencing the glory that is St. Patrick’s mountain, the most visited destination in Ireland, I am here resting in bed and feeling pitiful. To be honest though, I do not feel so bad missing out on visiting Croagh Patrick, I am more into the pre-Christian and prehistoric sites and monuments of the very first cultures of this island.

That said, I have changed my mind… Yesterday is now my favorite day so far. We saw SO much of ancient Ireland. On our way out to the Burren, we got to stop and explore a couple very old Ring Forts from the medieval era. They were fortified in the shape of a large circle and were lived in by entire little communities of people and livelihood. There are many around Ireland, but most have not been excavated by researchers. The locals feel that it is bad luck to tamper with these ruins, so roads, fences, and everything else go around them. They are maintained very well and kept very clean, but no one, not even the government, touches them otherwise. But this is the way it is for most ancient structures around Ireland.

Me inside one of the medieval Ring Forts

When we got to the Burren, our guide took us on a wet and windy hike up in the highlands above the valleys of County Claire, where he owns a farm. The guide, Shane, pointed out every plant and told us its name and what it has been historically used for. He also explained to us the geology of Ireland, and how Ireland came to be, as well as the reason for some species being in on the island and not others, such as snakes. Our professor chimed in at this and mentioned jokingly, that it was St. Patrick who banished the snakes from Ireland. “Balls!” was Shane’s hilarious reply. He took us to a field on top of a hill where there is a 5,000 year old tomb from the Stone Age. It was so incredible to get to see and touch a man-made structure so old. There is not much of anything like that in the States. Again, nothing had been tampered with in this tomb; it is largely left alone except for occasional tourists, like ourselves. He then took us to our last destination of the Burren hike, which was an ancient holy well, used over hundreds, possibly even thousands of years, and is still used today. People come on sort of pilgrimages to these holy wells and leave things like coins, jewelry, even toothbrushes, depending on what is being asked for, or to be healed.

Tomb dated back to the Stone Age

One of the Holy Wells around Ireland

At this holy well, to mark the end of our Burren journey, Shane pulled out a bottle of Irish Whiskey and several plastic shot glasses and poured everyone a drink who made it to the end!

Then we made our last leg of the trip to the Cliffs of Moher. This was the most awe-inspiring place I have been to, so far in my entire life. The photos DO NOT do it justice. I am having trouble finding the words to even try and describe this place. It is no wonder that this site has had such a spiritual influence on the people of Ireland for all of their presence here. When standing on top of a cliff, where straight beneath you it drops hundreds and hundreds of feet into crashing waves, and look out into miles and miles of gray-blue ocean, the wind threatening to whip you off the edge, you feel the insignificance of yourself, possibly for the first time. While I was standing in this spot, I knew that if I ever revisited any one place of my travels, it would be this place.

The visitors center which is built into the hillside

UPDATE: I just got back from the hospital clinic. The doctor was a very pleasant and humorous guy. He checked me out and said that I have just caught a viral infection (bad cold), that my sinuses and ears are congested (explains my ear aches), but that I will be fine- “nothing serious just bad luck.” And he let me know what I could get to help the symptoms. He gave me some prescriptions, but I decided to just pick up the over-the-counter equivalents to save money. One thing he recommended was having a few hot whiskeys if I wanted. That is the third Irishman to give me this advice, and apparently it works very well. However the thought of whiskey makes me want to gag at the moment, so I will try that another time!