Ireland: Kinsale, Cows, and the Southern Coast (Day 2)

It didn’t take long for us to realize that the concept of a “bed and breakfast” in southern Ireland is almost a joke… Just about everybody with a spare bedroom seemed to have signs advertising their “B&B”… We stayed on two adorable little farms during our first and second nights in Ireland which, despite the lack of hot water, internet, or (oddly/annoyingly enough) clocks, did boast some of the sweetest home-grown Irish farmers as hosts. Dad seemed to just love talking shop-talk and farming with the men, and some of those women put even mom to shame with their “gift of gab"… :)

On Wednesday morning, we wandered out to the barnyard after breakfast and got to… *Imagine my mother’s dream morning* Bottle feed baby calves! Haha :) All while we got a hands-on lesson about running a dairy farm! Needless to say we were covered in milk and slober by the end of the morning feeding routine… Which didn’t bode too well because we’d packed light, with only one pair of jeans to last the week (and I know now that the smell of fresh milk sticks to clothing! Haha)… But we had fun and the calves seemed to enjoy themselves… :)

 

We had originally intended to drive the Ring of Kerry and Dingle Peninsula, but made a last minute decision to opt for less time in the car and head for the southern, seaside city of Cork… We settled into our hotel at the Blarney Woolen Mills (in Blarney just outside of Cork, and right across the street from Blarney Castle!), and then the girls all headed down to the seaside port-town of Kinsale, just down the coast.

Irish Traffic Jam ;)

Kinsale was quanit and gorgeous. Definitely a fun, but quiet, touristy stop… We hung out at the docks, walked the town, stopped for some great seafood for dinner, and eventually stopped by Charles Fort (the former strategic stronghold of the British in Ireland). 

   

Kinsale, Ireland!

 

Charles Fort!

AND… Then, of course, there was Carolyn… Again…

*Imagine the “LOOK! IM AN AIRPLANE!” screams to accompany*

And apparently I felt the need to also frolic a wee-bit… :)

With Love from Ireland!… ~Mary Elizabeth <3

Ireland: The Cliffs of Moher (Day 1)

Our whirlwind week-long tour of south-western Ireland and Dublin began Monday evening… We found our way from the Dublin Airport towards Galway on the west coast, and settled into a little B&B in the country for our first night. We awoke to the sound of geese and an amazing Irish breakfast (very similar to the classic English breakfast, just replace black pudding with white pudding… Haha). We headed down the coast from Galway early, winding through “The Burrens” towards the Cliffs of Moher.

By 10am that morning I could without a doubt state that Ireland has more rocks than any other place on earth that I’ve ever seen. And trust me, I thought I knew rocks. When we were little, Papa used to gather the family out on the cabin-property in the mountains, and we would… Pick. Up. Rocks. Needless to say, we kids thought this was a fairly particular kind of torture. But we had no idea. Apparently our Irish ancestors had clearly fields of rocks down to a near science. For as far as the eye could see it was rock walls, containing fields, gardens, cattle, and houses… It was fairly impressive. Just about everything that could be made of rock was.

We got to the Cliffs of Moher by mid-morning, and within 10 minutes of our arriving the cloudy skies opened up into beautiful blue and sunshine (the first of our amazing weather luck for the trip!)… The cliffs were breath-taking to say the least. And mom and dad seemed to particularly enjoy the bird-watching. :)

 

The Cliffs of Moher!  

AND… Then there is Carolyn… ;)

 

 

 

  IRELAND! (As I topple over in excitement… Haha) 

We took off from the cliffs and headed further south down the coast. We took the ferry at Killimer, and ended the day in a B&B just outside Tralee. We wondered down to the coast for seafood, pints, and an amazing sunset view of the Dingle Peninsula across the bay. :) I even achieved one of my personal goals for the trip: To stick my foot in this side of the Atlantic! :)

At the Bed and Breakfast (working farm) in Tralee! 

Have I mentioned that my mother is just a little excited by cows… :P

Dingle Peninsula at sunset…

With Love from Ireland… –Mary Elizabeth <3

St Patrick’s Day/Girls Night! :)

So we had grand plans for St Patrick’s Day… Bowling. Needless to say, I’m awful at bowling, but we (especially the guys) were convinced that was nothing a few pints and some laughter couldn’t cure… But what do you know, the boys bailed… Not for different plans, but to stay-in for the night entirely… So our evening turned into a scramble of a girls night when Anna, Jacki, and I refused to be deterred from going out… Especially when Jacki mentioned she knew where we could get 7 quid pitchers… Haha

And of course, where Jacki goes fun shall follow… So we all ended up having a hoot! Along with several rainbow colored pitchers at the pub… Don’t ask. I could not tell you what was in them. Apparently, all that was important was that we sampled every possible color. But we had a good time, and left quite happy with our home-body selves for not entirely wasting St. Patrick’s Day! Haha

Jacki in all of her colored mixed-drink glory… Haha

And did I mention Anna and I were there too??? ;)

And what, you may ask, did we do to top of a wonderful evening with the girls? We returned home to curl up on the couch and watch “Texas Has a Whore-House In It”… Not a classic either Jacki or I had heard of, but what we lacked in knowledge Anna made up for in enthusiastic singing! Haha Apparently it was a childhood classic in her family. ;) As if the title wasn’t enough to foreshadow the entertainment to come, Jacki and I were perfectly content to watch Dolly Parton and Burt Reynolds for the evening… :)

So the lesson is: Rainbow Drinks + Texas Whorehouses = Amazing St. Patrick’s Day!

With Love from Oxford… <3 Mary Elizabeth

Bringing the Southern USA to England! :)

In true “surviving graduate school ” tradition, Hilary Term was peppered with various pot-luck dinners with our little gang… But without a doubt, our best-hatched plan yet was Southern USA night!  After months of craving biscuits (and yes, I mean the real ones, not the British version of cookies… Haha) and gravy (and you should see the looks of shock and horror when we attempted to explain that “Yes, you put the gravy ON the biscuits”), we decided it was time for an introduction… Oxford. Meet collard greens, fried chicken, and homemade macaroni and cheese! :)

So Anna and I insisted (with much urging and promises of home-made fried chicken from Steve!) on bringing a little of our own culture and heritage from southwestern Virginia to all our British (and even occasionally northern American) friends! It only seemed a fair turn-about, since we’d spent the better parts of the past 6 months adapting to their British “Fish n’ Chips” and “Bangers and Mash”…

Two southern gals and a tableful of home-cooked food… How very appropriate… :)

Anna and I spent the WHOLE afternoon in the kitchen, having a fabulous time… We admittedly made quite the cooking duo with I taking all glutinous, meat based foods, and Anna on vegetarian/gluten-free duty… There was much wine involved… Some of it even made it into the food (Yet another great southern tradition)… ;) And we had a great time reminiscing old recipes, while also making several up along the way (often in an effort to adapt our recipes to the availabile ingredients! Haha Don’t even get me started on the lack of cheese selection in England!) It was the perfect way to unwind from a morning spent sitting for my first Oxford Written Exam! :)

All in all, the evening was quite a success… The men even managed to find Southern Comfort (for a toast, that was NOT directed at the Queen, for once… Haha) and Budweiser… If we’d had NASCAR or football (American style), the evening would have been truly  quintessential! We have decided that when Trinity Term convenes in May, we will have to put a night of either “Breakfast for Dinner” or “Americanized British Classics” on the calendar!

Until then, however, I’m headed home for 5-6 blissful weeks of break in Germany and Ireland!… Yay for some much needed rest and relaxation!

With Love from Oxford… <3 Mary Elizabeth

Finally! Spring in England! <3

 

St Mary’s Cathedral

Finally finished with my first, dreaded Oxford Written Exam!

(In front of the Examination Schools)

The University Parks…

(Just around the corner from home)

A Very “Oxford” Weekend…

Hilary Term is coming to a close! And with it, there seems to have been a rush of social events attempting to distract me (and successfully so) from all that studying I should be doing for my Science and Technology Studies (STS) examination in Week 9…

Last night was the annual St Cross Hilary Feast… As always, a fun night to dress up and catch up on the social goings-on in the college.  The meal was delicious and all the post-graduates and fellows alike  managed to drink  way too much… No surprise there, right? I was a little disappointed the Master didn’t indulge us with another comic routine (apparently that’s only a Founder’s Feast performance), but we were entertained by a wonderful piano performance of the “Moonlight Sonata” (one of my old favorites) during dinner… So all in all it was the perfect night away from the books. :)

And in true Oxford style my Saturday was spilt between studying in the Radcliffe Camera with Anna and checking out Torpids 2011. I have to admit that my rowing lingo and knowledge is completely unacceptable. Who would’ve known there was so much to it all?! A one year Master’s is just not long enough to get the hang of all these Oxford-isms… :) I was shocked to witness my first bump, which subsequently sent a boat (worth 30,000 GBP) sailing into the bank… Yikes! Torpids has been going on for the past several days, and is quite the Oxford social event… So I’ve now heard some pretty rough stories of rowing accidents and battered/tipped boats, which have completely changed my original perceptions of rowing as a sport… Definitely a serious event around here! :)

Anna and I were feeling very “typical Oxford”…. Heading straight from the library to rowing… :) 

Notice the white-boat in the bank… :)

With only one week left in Hilary Term, I officially have one more tutorial paper left in my degree! YAY! So this Tuesday evening will bring cause for brief celebration, before continuing onto cramming for my STS exam. Looking forward to taking a break and enjoying the weather in a few weeks… Everyday seems just slightly warmer and sunnier! Yay for spring! :)

With Love from Oxford… ~Mary Elizabeth <3