It's been a great week across the pond! Saturday morning my boyfriend Kyle landed in London and after a few rainy, touristy days, we set off for Cork, Ireland!

After he arrived, we checked out Big Ben, Westminster Abbey and then met up with Olivia and Mary. Olivia hadn't seen Kyle since May, so they were so happy to be reunited! We ran into a Russian Festival in Trafalgar Square and threw coins in the fountain, and then we were off to Buckingham Palace! I hadn't been there yet, but it was so cool. But, because it was so late, we couldn't see a changing of the guard. By this point, we were all hungry, so we went to a pub and Kyle got his first plate of Fish and Chips.

Sunday we went to HIllsong, did a little shopping (I got new shoes!) and I took Kyle to Leicester Square and Soho. Monday was St. Patricks day, and we celebrated by visiting Borough Market (yummy Mediterranean food and eclairs!) and riding The Eye of London, which was lit up green for the occasion. It was a cool experience. From the top you can see the whole skyline all a glow. One thing that I noticed is that when you do the toursity things, you run into a lot more Americans. I heard more American accents over these few days than I'd heard since I've been here. Tuesday we went to the Tower of London, which served as a prison for much of London's history. This is also the home to the Crown Jewels and hundreds of years of British amor. Kyle loved getting to see things like the armor  of Charles the I, and the evolution of the weaponry. They also had a lot of history concerning the British army, which he also liked. Without the exhibits, the building itself was drenched in history. That night we met up with Olivia and got dinner at The Rocket, a local pub.

Wednesday morning, myself, Olivia, Kyle, and Mary met very early to catch the train to the airport. Once we got there, there were 99 gates and they wouldn't tell us which was ours until 20 mins before boarding. This lead to a lot of sitting and waiting, so Kyle and I knocked out some Sudoku puzzles. The plane ride was only an hour and half and it was a beautiful flight. We flew in over the Irish cliffs and the country side, spotted with sheep and cows. It made me nostalgic for the country, and made me realize how much I have missed home. The quite rolling hills are simply not a thing in London. After landing, we all got bus passes and rode into the City Centre of Cork. From there, our Bed and Breakfast was only a short walk. The couple that owned it were sooooooo sweet. There names were Danny and Annette and they were so very Irish. Thy only wanted to help us. They gave us so many ideas on what to do, and our trip really was so much better because of them. The first day we just walked around and explored the quaint city. We loved to look at all the pastel colored buildings, and the cute shops. We ended up stopping for dinner at an Indian place and then came home and watched a movie.

I didn't feel too guilty about watching a movie on our first night in Ireland, just because I knew that from then on out, it would be non stop. We woke up around 7:00/7:30 each day and kicked off the morning right with a full Irish breakfast! The first day, we caught a bus to Blarney Castle. It was a rainy mess, but we had so much fun. It was almost like a big playground with never ending rooms and staircases. We explored it up and down, and even got to kiss the Blarney Stone, bestowing us all with the gift of gab! The Castle grounds were covered in gardens (including a poison garden-complete with poisonous plants) and lake walks. We got back and stopped in an old time candy shop, filled up a bag each, and then dried off just enough to venture out again. This time, we went to the Cork City Gaol (Jail). This was an old jail used in the 1800s, and you can pay to go in and see what it was like. They let you go in the cells and hear the stories of various prisoners. We really didn't know what to expect going in, but it was fun! That night we had italian for dinner, and then headed to a pub to listen to live music!

Friday we went on a Paddywagon day tour to the Cliffs of Moher. We made a few other stops along the way, plus our tour guide was great! He knew so much about Irish history and he was able to explain so much to us about the current state of the country. We stopped all along the way at various places, which I honestly don't remember the names of.

Seeing the ocean was breathtaking! We had so much fun climbing on the rocks and taking pictures. When we got to the Cliffs, the rain clouds had rolled in and the wind was ridiculous. Our hair was flying in our faces, and there were times that the wind was stronger than we were, literally paralyzing us mid step. It probably could have mad for a damper on the day, but we felt like such adventures, braving the elements! There were times that you just couldn't help but laugh at the ridiculousness of it all. Oddly enough, we ran into some other Centre students while we were there. Small world, huh? As we boarded the bus to head back to Cork, the clouds parted and the sun came out. Oh the irony... I'll admit, I slept most of the way home. But once we got there, we were greeted by a beautiful sunset over the river, making for a great end to the tour. We decided to spend our last night right, and all dressed up to the best of our abilities (keep in mind, we are living out of backpacks...). We got dolled up and headed out to a fancier-ish restaurant. I got to try out some of this famously acclaimed Irish seafood and then we pub hopped a bit sampling the different live music selections.

On Saturday we took a walking tour of the city, taking us to the bells of Shandon. It was a bit warmer and drier, lifting our spirits! Unfortunately we had to check out by 11, so we went back to our bed and breakfast, packed up our stuff, and gave huge a huge thank you to our hosts. From there, we strolled through the English Market and boarded our bus to the airport. More security and sudoku. Our flight went smoothly, and we took the train back to where we live. Very Harry Potter-esque. Kyle and I went out for our last dinner at O'Neils, my favorite pub.

The next morning, Kyle and I had to head out to the airport at about 5am....It was a bit early, and a bit stressful because the buses weren't arriving quite on schedule, but we got there in plenty of time! Plus, this nice airport lady let him go straight to the front of the check-in line, saving lots of time. From here, we said our reluctant goodbyes and he went on his way. I was so thankful for his visit, and we were blessed with a wonderful week! After sending him off, I made a pilgrimage through the airport, looking for my parent's terminal who would soon be arriving! After a little bit of confusion and back tracking, I found them and we were able to spend the hour tube ride back to London together. They're in Edinburgh at the moment, but they'll be coming back to London soon for a real visit.

Today was back to class and some major studying for my government mid term tomorrow. Wish me Luck!

Love from London,

Deanna