Day 9 06/09/12: Top 10 Moments

List the top 10 moments from the trip

This is not in any specific order :)
#1) Watching the street performers. It was really cool watching the singers, violinists, fiddlers, jugglers, and tons more perform on the streets of Dublin and London.
#2) The Blood Brothers Musical. That musical was absolutely SMASHING. All of the characters were fantastic and they all sang great.
#3) When my friends bought me this one sweater that I really wanted. It was really sweet of them haha :). It was a complete surprise. I really should've realized that they were going to buy that for me though >_>.
#4) The cathedrals. All of the churches were so beautiful. The stained glass windows of all the cathedrals we went to were so detailed and gorgeous.
#5) Snowdonia. Snowdonia was amazing. All the sheep were so cute and the mountains of Snowdonia were fantastic.
#6) The British Museum. The British museum was great. When I saw all the Egyptian and Greek artifacts I was stunned. They were so precise and...there really is no word to describe the sculptures in the museum ♥_♥. I really wish we had more than half an hour to tour the place. I would've stayed there all day if i could have.
#7) The city of Edinburgh. I just really enjoyed the buildings and the Edinburgh castle. The architecture of the  city was amazing too. Also, although the city was busy at times, i found it to be really peaceful :).
#8) The FOOOD ♥. Fish and chips, especially. Also, the ice cream there was delicious, and the pasta carbonara I had in Scotland was probably the best pasta I've ever eaten.
#9) Rooming with the same four people for almost the whole time. We got a lot closer and got to spend a lot of time with each other. It definitely got us to know more about each other :). I probably had the coolest and best roomies...just saying.
#10) The city of London. A lot of moments were really memorable there. I enjoyed the musical and the Jack the Ripper tour (that guy was fantastic).

Summary of the day & highlights:

We went everywhere in London today. We went to Camden market and went to more Harry Potter film sites. Also, we went on the tube a lot. Last, we went to the Jack the Ripper, and then ate curry for dinner. The highlight would be the Jack the Ripper tour. He was an amazing actor and hilarious. He kept me engaged in the tour the whole time :).

British Museum ♥

Jack the Ripper

Part of the Olympic Site

Shamrock's 2nd #YOLO picture in front of the 2012 London Olympics site :)!

Day 8 06/08/12: London, Walking Tour, Harry Potter film sites

Summarize experiences in London

London was really busy. After getting up and out of the overnight trains, we went on a walking/sightseeing tour with Allen and the coach bus driver, Nico. We went on the Millenium Bridge and slid across it. It was pretty fun stuff. :). The weather wasn't the best though. It was pouring at times, and then it would be sunny. Nico ended up being late to pick us up so we were all quite soaked. Once Nico came, we got to our hotel in London and soon after, went out to grab some lunch (hummus and chicken. delicioso). I hadn't really had hummus before, so I was happy that I enjoyed it more than I thought I was going to. We then went on a tour of London and went shopping. Derek took us to Soho, which was pretty creepy and sketchy o_o. Also, the Shamrock group took some pictures in the telephone booth. We got to fit all six of us in there, wooh. After the telephone booth, we saw some spots where they filmed Harry Potter (Diagon Alley, Kings Cross Station). That was pretty amazing.

Summary of the day & highlights:

We ate some food (breakfast) on the train, went straight on our walking tour with Allen and Nico, saw several buildings, such as the building that looks like a pickle, stopped by Millenium Bridge, had hummus for lunch, toured around London's market, and shopped some at the convent market. The highlight would be shopping during our free time :)!

the London Eye

the streets o' London

The whole gang in front of the tower bridge in London

Day 7 06/07/12: Edinburgh Castle, Ghost Tour, Delicious Food

Summarize your time in Edinburgh

Once we got to Edinburgh, we got a brief tour on the coach from our very robust tour guide, Keith. After, we visited Edinburgh Castle and spent quite a bit of free time wandering the city of Edinburgh. At Edinburgh Castle, we saw the crown jewels, learned about the different heirs and dynasties. Also, the castle looked more like a town. It was humongous. We then saw a cannon get shot out of the castle. After leaving the castle, we ate a delicious lunch (that we had to wait 40 minutes for -__-). Even though we still had an hour left of free time, we had nothing to do. all the museums that we wanted to go to ended up being closed. There was a lot of rain, and the Starbucks that we continuously went into was pretty grungy (but delicious). At the end of the day, after our unproductive hours of free time, we had a ghost tour, which ended up being funnier than I thought it was going to be. After we had an extremely good dinner (I had pasta carbonara), we headed to our overnight train to London.

Summary of the day & highlights:

After eating a yummy breakfast at the hostel, we went on a tour of the hostel, we went on a tour of the Edinburgh Castle, had loads of free time, ate a yummy lunch, had MORE loads of free time, and then came to the train that would soon depart to London. The highlights were seeing how small the trains's rooms were and shopping a bit in Edinburgh.

Edinburgh Castle

our ghost tour guide. he was hilarious :)

our lunch that we waited 40 minutes for...was it worth it?

more Edinburgh Castle

DELICIOUS DINNER. pasta carbonara was so good. Wish i could've taken it home with me :(

view from a cannon in Edinburgh Castle

Day 6 06/06/12: Edinburgh, Scotland

Write a poem about nature

The Peace from Snowdonia
After being lulled by the bus
And the constant views of sheep
I finally wake from my lazy sleep.
Glancing at the mist from above,
I finally see how people fall in love.
The green of the mountain-side,
Accompanied by the streaming water glides,
Brings a peaceful smile to my face.
I see more sheep careening,
And I realize my mistake of daydreaming.

Summary of the day & highlights:

We ate a nice breakfast at Beaufort Hotel, drove for a long, long time (it felt like it), saw William Wordsworth's house and garden, walked around a small and cute English town, ate yummy fish and chips, drove around some more on the coach bus, got to the hostel, ate dinner, and then walked around Edinburgh. Walking in Edinburgh was the highlight because of the beautiful architecture. It wasn't as congested as Dublin, but not as quiet as the country. It was perfect and peaceful. I really enjoyed Edinburgh :).

yummmy fish and chips. I dont think I could get sick of these

our hostel. yay.

William Wordsworth's home plaque

William Wordsworth's garden. It was beautiful.

Day 5 06/05/12: Ferry to Wales, Snowdonia

Do you prefer the city (Dublin) or the country (Snowdonia)?

I normally would prefer the city and the tall buildings, but in Ireland and Wales, I preferred the country side. I really liked seeing the mountains of Snowdonia, the sheep, all the green land, and the natural water streams. I don't think I liked Dublin as much as I could have because of the fact that Dublin didn't really get dark. Because of this, they didn't have all the bright, city lights that I look forward to seeing in urban areas. Also, I talked about this in my other journal entry, but my experience in Dublin was pretty scarring. I liked the relaxing mood in Snowdonia and I really enjoyed seeing all the residents with their dogs. It made me think of my dogs hahah. I appreciated the city and all of the shopping stores (♥). I also liked the cobblestone walking streets of Dublin. I also thought that the Dublin Spire was pretty neat as well as its phrase of "the stiletto in the ghetto." I thought that Snowdonia had a lot more to see and that the natural beauty of the mountains were gorgeous. If I had to choose one, I would choose the countryside because of its nature, as well as the fact that the events in Dublin, and the people we met in Dublin were not that nice.

Summary of the day & highlights:

Today, I had a short breakfast at Belvedere Hotel in Dublin, slept most of our ferry ride to Wales, saw the mountain peaks of Snowdonia, saw MANY sheep and cows, glanced at the "Ugly House," and slept most of the way to our hotel. Also, we visited the town of ChurchofMaryofWhiteHazelNeartheFierceWhirlpoolandtheChurchofTysilisbytheRedCave :)! The highlights would be seeing beautiful Snowdonia, and our group's #YOLO picture in front of the store we visited.

me sleeping on the ferry to Wales. 

the town with the very long name :)

Views of Snowdonia ♥

our #YOLO picture. haha. by the way, there were random people taking pictures of us too :l

Day 4 06/04/12: Dublin, Trinity College

How was your free time in Dublin?

I thought it was okay. I liked how we had the freedom to walk around and do what we wanted to do. I liked the city of Dublin but my day was kind of ruined because of multiple reasons haha :P. Our group mostly just wandered around, watched some street performers (who were amazing, by the way), and shopped for clothes for the theater at H&M. We didn't really know where to go and what to do so we just wandered around a bit. I was kind of overwhelmed in Dublin, but again I was having an off day so every little thing that happened that wouldn't normally tick me off, ticked me off like a psycho. The street performers that we saw were the guitarist, a bag-pipe player, and opera singer, people statues, an artist, and a lot other performers. I also felt really bad for the homeless. I've seen a lot of homeless people in Chicago as well, but not as up close. I could never imagine myself being homeless so it made me really sad. Besides the homeless people, my camera breaking, me almost losing Mr. Schagrin's 50 euro note, and encountering an extremely rude couple in a restaurant, I guess the day was okay.

Summary of the day & highlights:

We went to the cathedral, Trinity College, walked around Dublin, ate a light dinner at Trinity restaurant, and then came back to this hotel (Belvedere Hotel). The good highlights happened while we ate dinner at Trinity restaurant. It wasn't the most fulfilling meal, but the moments our group had there were hilarious. We played a Korean hand game and I had to teach the Shamrock group how to play it. We had a lot of laughs so it made up for my bad day :)!

Funny how these stores were next to each other :)

ART by an artist on the pavement of Dublin <3

Dublin

A bridge we crossed overlooking the views of Dublin

Trinity College! We weren't allowed to take photos in the Long Room

Waiting outside to get into the Long Room 

Day 3 06/03/12: Blarney Castle, Rock of Cashel, Dublin

Compare the country (Kerry, Killarney, Cork, etc.) side to the city of Dublin in Ireland. Which side do you like?

Personally, I really enjoyed both parts of Ireland. The country had a lot of green, and the Blarney Castle was extremely beautiful. In Dublin, there was definitely less green and a lot more buildings (and litter). There were a lot more people and people were dressed differently. The church we visited was gorgeous, too. I wish I had the chance to go into the church though (Dublin). At Dublin we saw a group of Marios and Luigis, and one Waluigi. It was hilarious and I think it was for a bachelor party. I really liked when all of the Luigis, Marios, and the Waluigi started to sing with a street performer. It felt like they were all a family. It warmed my heart :D, and for some reason, reminded me of my family back in Illinois. The people in both the country and the city seemed like extremely nice people. I would barely walk in front of someone's way and they'd be the one to apologize. In the country, there are a lot more cows and sheep. In Dublin: dogs (very cute ones), not a lot of green. Also there are no bugs in the hotels in Dublin which is a great plus haha. Oh, also, the graffiti in Dublin is pretty spectacular.

Summary of the day & highlights:

We ate our last breakfast at the hotel in Killarney, went to see Blarney Castle (our Shamrock group didn't get to kiss the Blarney Stone though), saw the Rock of Cashel, drove a long way into Dublin, walked around the city of Dublin for 2 hours, and then came back to our great hotel room. The highlights of the day were probably walking around the city of Dublin and seeing the Blarney Castle.

Blarney Castle!

more Blarney Castle

Views from the Blarney Castle

Poison Garden in the Blarney Castle

beautiful poison flowers

Rock of Cashel

hotel room in Dublin with my lovely roommates :)

Day 2 06/02/12: Views of Ireland, Bog Museum, Ring of Kerry, Sheep :o

Compare Ireland's landscape from what you thought Ireland was going to be like and what it really looks like. Compare it to your home and other travels.


I've always thought that the landscape of Ireland was going to be a lot of green land with nothing but green grass. It is all that, but a lot prettier than I thought it would be. There are a lot of mountains and hills. It's a lot rockier than I thought it was going to be. Also, I was not expecting the lakes and waterfalls, as awell as all the rocks. All in all, I thought that the landscape of Ireland was extremely gorgeous and a thousand times prettier than I thought it would be ♥. Compared to Korea, Ireland is kind of similar in a way, landscape-wise. Korea is pretty green in the countryside and also has mountains (not as high as the mountains in Ireland, though). Compared to my home, Ireland is completely different. There are no mountains nor any high hills. Also, the closest thing Illinois has to Ireland's dramatic shorelines is the beach of Lake Michigan. Also, the grass isn't always green in Illinois. I think there are pretty places in Illinois, but in Ireland, the views are absolutely spectacular *-*. There are no words to describe it, really. 


Summary of the day, highlights, & funniest moment of the day:


We ate a fulfilling breakfast this morning, visited Kerry Bog Village (museum), saw and took pictures of amazing views, watched the dogs that guided (and terrified) the sheep, got bit by lots of bugs, ate fish and chips at The Lodge in a town in Waterville, got hot chocolate from a bus cafe, and saw a REALLY pretty waterfall. We got our shoes dirty, but it was worth it. I think that the funniest moments of the day would be the Timmy song we listened to on the coach bus and when me and Christine did our foot five in the hotel :D.

more views *_*

Albert in one of the rooms at the Bog Museum haha

my soaked Bog Museum guide

dramatic shorelines

sheep dog!

SHEEEP 

fish and chips. yummmmy. 

stunning waterfall *_*

Day 1 06/01/12: Flight to New York, then to Shannon, Ireland

Reflect on the first 24 hours of travel...exciting, difficult, looking forward to?

I thought that my first 24 hours of travel were pretty tiring and sluggish. I know I can't really complain because we were expecting the times of the airplane flights and all, but I was still pretty tired. I thought the views were absolutely spectacular though :)! The occasional cows and horses we saw were pretty rad too. The only thing tha tI would've changed is to have the power to make myself go to sleep during the plane flight to Shannon, Ireland. I had a lot of fun when we (me, Christine, Theresa, Sophia, Xochitl, and Albert) were playing cards the whole time while we were in the airport. I have learned that Albert is a boss at playing cards (and that you probably shouldn't play against him if you get angry easily). I hope that the rest of the trip is even better than today. The most exciting part of the trip would have to be looking at the great views of the mountains of Ireland. I've only seen pictuers of Ireland, but never in person. The hardest part of the trip would probably have to be handling my tiredness and laziness throughout the day. I'm most excited for the Ring of Kerry tomorrow!

Summary of the day & highlights:

Today we went to the airporst, played some exciting game of cards, saw Bunratty's castle, visited the town of Aundare, saw the wonderful views of Ireland, took some pictures with the views and a horse (and its dead-looking foal o_o), and visited Ross's Castle before heading back to our hotel. I thought the highlights were seeing the views, and playing Egyptian Ratscrew (card game) with my group. 

Me and Christine on the flight to Ireland

Everyone waiting at O'Hare airport

Shoe picture :D

Hello Ireland :)

Beautiful views <3

Bunratty Castle :o

Horse and foal :D

Poem: "The Darkness" by Lord Byron

1.) I read "The Darkness" by Lord Byron. I liked the poem and I enjoyed it because of many reasons. I enjoyed the dark, gloomy tone that the poem had that the other poems didn’t seem to have. While reading the poem, I could imagine myself in the situation in the poem, watching all of the horrors occur. I also liked the language of the poem and the fact that I knew what most of the words in the poem meant J.

2.) I think the poem is trying to say that once it is the time for the world to end, and the world is full of catastrophes, every man (or creature) lives for himself. All the riches, luxuries, and money that you may have will no longer matter. Every man will have the same look on his face: desperation to be spared from death. Everything will revolve around death and there will no longer be love in the world. The poem also talks about the lack of religion and that people will not even care for a higher being when in disastrous situations. Once the world is falling apart, people will give up everything to stay alive. This connects to today’s world because I feel that many movies today are based on post-apocalyptic events causing the whole population to be in mayhem. I also think it’s relevant in today’s world because I feel that that’s how this world would respond to monstrous disasters as well. The phrase “every man for himself” is clearly identified in movies today that include apocalyptic events, such as zombie outbreaks, airborne illnesses, etc. Most of the characters in the movies put their own lives before others and do not allow themselves to trust others. Like in the poem, all the love and care is replaced by fear and mistrust. Also, I don’t think that the world has changed or will change. I feel Lord Byron is telling us that it is in man’s nature to become helpless, selfish, and savage once placed in a life or death situation.

 3.) The poem is “romantic” because it expresses a personal experience of the poet, it contains a lot of negative emotions (anger, fear, sadness, etc.), and it glorifies nature. It expresses his personal experience because it was the poet’s dream. I think that the poet wants the readers to imagine all of the events in his poem and feel all of the powerful emotions. It glorifies nature in that it shows how nature is in control of the lives in the world. In the end of the poem, “the winds were withered in the stagnant air,/ And the clouds perished; Darkness had no need/ Of aid from them.” This shows that although man needs nature in order to survive, nature does not need man.