Castles, Whisky, and Hiking | Weekend in Edinburgh, Scotland

When I first found out I was accepted to study abroad in Ireland, not only was I excited to see Ireland, but also to travel to Scotland as well.  My last name is Scottish, and I enjoy learning about the history of Clan MacNeill (or MacNeil, as it is more commonly spelled).  My family and I originally planned to go to the Isle of Barra in the Outer Hebrides, but most things on the island are closed after October, so we decided to just go to England and save Scotland for a time when we can really explore Barra.

So my friend and I decided to go to Edinburgh for a weekend.  We arrived Friday night, and checked into our hostel.  Let me just start off by saying Edinburgh is the windiest place I have ever been in.  Like I ran into my friend at one point.  This was also the nicest hostel I had stayed in my entire time in Europe- and the most centrally located.  You walked out of the hostel and turned left and right there was Edinburgh Castle.  We went out to dinner and then called it a night because we were pretty tired and wanted to get an early start the next day.

Edinburgh Castle- with a telephone booth!

We woke up Saturday morning and walked only a minute to Edinburgh Castle, which is kind of expensive, but definitely worth it.  It was super windy and a little rainy.  We took a 30 minute tour, and were then left to explore the castle on our own.  The cool thing about Edinburgh Castle is that there are a lot of museums within the castle itself that you can access.  First, we went and looked at the Scottish crown jewels, which consisted of a crown, a scepter, and a sword, and the coronation stone (aka stone of scone or stone of destiny) which was used in the coronation of Scottish monarchs for centuries until the English stole it in 1296 and was not returned for 700 years.  Unfortunately, I couldn't take pictures there, but I will include a pic from google.

Honours of Scotland

We then went the apartment of Mary, Queen of Scots, where her son, James IV of Scotland (James I of England) was born.  We also went to the Scottish National War Memorial, which contains books with the names of all Scottish soldiers who have died in WWI and WWII and recent conflicts.

It was then lunch time, so we got pork sandwiches with haggis!  Haggis is a tradition Scottish food, containing sheep's heart, liver, and lungs, stuffed in its stomach with a lot of herbs and spices.  It may sound gross, but it is so tasty.  As it was pointed out to me, the Scottish are very open about what haggis is made of, whereas who really knows what hot dogs are made of.

We then went of a Sandeman's tour of Edinbugh which is a free tour (they have them all over Europe).  It was about 2.5 hours long, and very interesting.  It ended in Greyfriars Kirkyard, a graveyard famous for the story of Greyfriars Bobby.  Greyfriars Bobby was a skye terrier who sat at his police officer owner's grave for 14 years after he died.

Statue of Greyfriars Bobby

After that, we went to the Edinburgh winter festival, where there were vendors and carnival rides.
It was really fun and looked so beautiful all lit up.  Upon recommendation from the hostel, we ate at a pub and got haggis stuffed chicken, which was really good.  I also got the best beer I've ever had: Caesar Augustus.  I don't really like beer (especially dark beers like Guinness), but this IPA/lager hybrid was actually really yummy.  We stopped by another pub on our way back to the hostel to get some whisky, because we were in Scotland so it made sense.  I don't really like whisky and the bartender kind of laughed at me when I ordered some (I think I must have said something wrong) but it doesn't really matter.

So festive

Surprisingly good

The next day we got up bright and early and hiked to the top of Arthur's Seat, which is the highest part of the hills in Holyrood Park.  It was quite the climb, but gave beautiful views of the city.  at the summit, it was so windy, I thought I might get blown off the hill!

This view.  Incredible.

Later, we stopped by some gift shops to get souvenirs.  Because there are so many MacNeill things to  buy, I of course had to get a few.  I got a little Clan MacNeill history book and a scarf made of the MacNeill tartan for me, the same scarf for my brother, and a mug for my dad.

We then got lunch at a very expensive hotel restaurant that J.K. Rowling allegedly wrote some of Harry Potter at, where I had haggis, neeps, and taddies, which is a traditional Scottish dish of haggis, turnips, and mashed potatoes.  We then left for the  airport to return to Dublin!

                                 "O ye'll take the high road, and I'll take the low road, and I'll be in Scotland afore ye..."

I had an awesome time in Edinburgh; it was one of my favorite cities I went to in Europe.  It was really great to go to another country that my ancestors are from, and it was cool to see my last name everywhere.  I know I am putting this up like a month after the trip, but I promise I'll have post up about my week in London soon.

The Wonderful City that is AMSTERDAM

My friend and I really wanted to make a trip to Amsterdam, originally planning to go for a whole weekend.  However, it proved difficult for us to find a place to stay, so we decided to only go for a day.  We left for the airport at about 3:30 am and didn't get back until midnight!  I was so tired I slept on both flights, even though they were pretty short (about 90 min, with an hour time change).

Immediately we both loved Amsterdam.  They were super nice to us at immigration, and the public transportation system was pretty good too (I totally judge a city by its public transportation.
It's not the only factor that goes into my opinion of a city-for instance, Rome's sucked, and I loved Rome- but it is important).  We took a train from Schipol airport to Amsterdam Centraal, and getting off the train I could just sense an awesome vibe right away.

Loving the canals

This was the second canal-based city I visited, and I must say, canals are really cool.  However, the difference between Amsterdam and Venice is that Venice is almost entirely canals and small bridges, which Amsterdam had a mix of canals and roads.  The cool thing about Amsterdam is that biking is very highly promoted, and driving cars is discouraged.  It was nice to see so many people riding around on bikes, which really helps the traffic (especially in a canal city).

We hadn't really eaten much of a breakfast, we we decided to find somewhere to eat.  Along the way, we passed a head shop!  I knew weed is legal in the Netherlands, but it was still so crazy to see a store so obviously selling something that was illegal in every other place I had been to in my whole life.

We passed by a restaurant called Sara's Pancake House, so we obviously had to eat there.  I've discovered that in Europe, pancake means crepe.  I now knew I liked crepes because of Paris, and was super excited to eat my nutella and banana crepe.  SO GOOD.

You knew it had to be delicious.

And it was.

We then walked around the Jordaan neighborhood of Amsterdam, which is known for its leftist politics, music, art, food, and, of course, drinks.  It was a really cool neighborhood, and probably the most famous in Amsterdam.  In the Jordaan we went to a coffee shop.  I'll leave it at that ;)

Still can't believe they sell these!

Then, we strolled though a flower market (tulips are really big in Holland), where they sell not only flowers, but also cannabis starter kits! Crazy.  We then walked to the Rijksmusem, and took some pictures at the very crowded "I amsterdam" sign.  We had bought our tickets to the museum online ahead of time, allowing us to skip the queue.  The Rijksmuseum, also known as the Museum of the Netherlands, is a Dutch art and history musem, featuring works by Van Gogh, Rembrandt, and other famous Dutch artists.  It was interesting to compare the Rijksmuseum to the Louvre.  The Rijksmuseum is smaller, obviously, but has the artwork signs in both Dutch and English (the Louvre only had signs in French)!.  Dutch art isn't necessarily my favorite, but it was awesome to see some of Van Gogh's pieces, as well as De Nachtwatch, or The Night Watch, by Rembrandt, which is probably the most famous Dutch paining.  It's also huge.

My attempt at a picture among the huge crowd; the Rijksmuseum is behind the sign.

Just chillin

Self portrait by Van Gogh

De Nachtwatch by Rembrandt

We had planned on renting bikes and riding them in the Vondelpark, which is a really pretty and well known park in Amsterdam near the Rijksmuseum.  However, it was pretty cold out and getting darker, and lightly drizzling, so we decided to just go for a walk in the Vondelpark instead.
A really cool thing about the Vondelpark is that there is a metal fence around a tree where people can hang up lost and found items, like umbrellas and gloves, and no one steals them.  It says "Findfence Respect Honesty Trust" on it, and I think it's awesome that Dutch people are so honest.  I feel like in America, people might be more likely to just steal things if they saw them on a lost and found tree.  This is one reason why I like the Dutch so much- they are so open and accepting and very chill- hence the legalized cannabis and prostitution.  They were not rude to me, and I got an awesome vibe from being there.

Entrance gate to the Vondelpark

Might be a little hard to see, but this is the Findfence

After that, we went to a restaurant for dinner, and then started to make our way back to the train station.  We wanted to see the Red Light District, De Walletjes (De Wallen in English), where there are 300 one room cabins where prostitutes offer services; however, it was only about 7 pm, and the night had yet to begin, so it was mostly empty.

One of my favorite places I've been to.

We then got a train back to the airport, and flew back to Dublin.  It was a very long and tiring day, but an experience I wouldn't trade for anything.  I wish I had more time in Amsterdam, and the Netherlands as a whole, and I definitely plan to go back.  This trip even made me want to learn Dutch!  It's possible that Amsterdam may be my favorite city I visted in Europe, and I would recommend it to everyone!

Going to Jail, Drinking Guinness, and Kissing the Blarney Stone!

Back to Ireland!

I spent the weekend after I got back from the continent in Dublin, doing some kinda touristy things.  I went with some friends to Kilmainham Gaol, which is a former prison where many Irish revolutionaries, including the leaders of the 1916 Easter Rising, were imprisoned and executed by the British (side note- after living in Ireland for over 3 months and working with Irish people for 7 weeks, I have observed that the Irish tend to have very low opinions of the English, and after learning more about their history, I can see their point of view).

The inside of Kilmainham Gaol

We also went to the Guinness Storehouse and went on the tour.  It was cool to see how the beer is made, and I enjoyed looking at the Guinness ads.  We also got a pint of Guinness at the end of the tour.  Unfortunately for me, I really don't like Guinness.  I've tried a few times, and I really wanted to like it because you can't really think of Ireland and not think of Guinness (or, at least, not think of beer), but I just can't seem to like it.  I much prefer lighter beers and lagers.  We then ate at what is said to be the oldest pub in Ireland, the Brazen Head.

One of the Guinness ads

The following weekend I went on another day tour (like the one to the Cliffs of Moher), but this went to the Rock of Cashel, Blarney Castle, and Cork City.  It was raining a lot that day, especially in the morning, but it was so worth getting up at 5 am to see another part of the country.  The Rock of Cashel is in Co. Tipperary, and has a round tower, a chapel (Cormac's Chapel), and a cathedral.

Me at the Rock of Cashel

Blarney Castle is located in Blarney, in Co. Cork, and is where is famous Blarney Stone resides.
The castle itself is medieval, with the Blarney Stone built right into it.  Legend has it that kissing the stone gives you the "gift of the gab," or eloquent speaking.  Around the castle there are a few gardens, including a poison garden, where weed and opium are grown.  It was really great to go to Blarney Castle, not only because I feel it is an important thing to do when visiting Ireland, but also because it was one of the places my parents and grandmother went to when they visited Ireland 25 years ago.  It was really nice to be somewhere they had been, even if our visits were a quarter century apart.

Blarney Castle

Kissing the Blarney Stone!

After that, we then traveled to Cork City, the second most populous city in the Republic of Ireland.  Like many Irish cities, it is built on a river, the River Lee.  Cork is referred to as the "Rebel City," for their political views in the English War of the Roses, and as the "real capital" of Ireland because of its anti-treaty forces during the Irish Civil War.

Cork City

We went to a pub for lunch, and I had fish and chips (which I've now had quite a few times), and then explored the city for a little while.  We went to the English Market, where there are a lot of food vendors and boutiques.  It was then time to get on the bus and head back to Dublin.

It was really nice to be in Ireland again, do some touristy things in Dublin, and see some of the south of Ireland.

Jim Morrison's Grave & French Pantheon | Paris Day 3 (10/25/15)

Wow this post is so long overdue.  I am going to try to do one post per night this week so I can be caught up before I leave Ireland on Saturday.  This may be difficult because I have a paper due Friday but I am determined!

So my last day in Paris, we got up early and took the metro to the northern part of Paris, to Père Lachaise Cemetery, where Jim Morrison is buried.  Along the way we stopped at a bakery and got a baguette each and some more macarons.  Because the Doors are one of my favorite bands, and I love Jim Morrison (hence my shirtless poster of him in my room, cringing a little bit about that right now), it was great to see where he is buried, and acknowledge his talents.  For some reason, people tie their hair ties to the fences in front of his grave, so naturally I left one too.
Other people also left Jim Morrison-like things, such as a bottle of Jack Daniels.  My friend and I then drank the rest of the champagne we bought the night before near his grave (but we were secretive about it- not sure if it was legal/frowned upon to do that) and had some of the macarons.

Jim Morrison's grave with hair ties.

From top to bottom: caramel, marscarpone, vanilla, caramel. mango, pistachio, and chocolate

We then traveled to the French Pantheon, which was once a church but now functions as a mausoleum.  Because I had a DCU ID, they gave me the EU citizen price- which was free!
Some of the famous people buried in the Pantheon necropolis are Voltaire, Rousseau, Louis Braille, Marie Curie, and, of course, Victor Hugo.  It was an honor to be in a place where so many amazing people were buried.  It was especially great to see not only where Victor Hugo lived, but also where he is buried.

Now I can say I've been to two Pantheons!

After that, we got lunch at a very snooty restaurant, where the waiter took my dessert from me before I was even finished (typical), and then made our way to the airport.  I loved going to Paris and seeing so many iconic places.  It was heartbreaking two weeks later when Paris was attacked, and very scary to think that not only was I not too far away in Dublin, but also that it could've happened while I was there.

I had such an amazing time in Italy and France, and I will treasure these memories for the rest of my life.  It still feels very surreal to me that I was in either country; I guess I just can't believe how lucky I am.  I definitely plan to go back to both countries (especially Italy), but until then, I will have to settle on reminiscing about my adventures.

Arc di Triomphe, Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame | Paris Day 2 (10/24/15)

I am so far behind on these posts- so I will be making them a little more concise because since I've come back from Italy and France I've had adventures in Dublin, Cork, and Amsterdam, and am still going to Edinburgh next weekend and London with my family after that- and I want to be more caught up.

So, back to Paris:

This was our first (and only) full day in Paris, and we did a lot.  We started off by going to the Arc di Triomphe, and then walked to the Eiffel Tower.  Just before we got to the Eiffel Tower, we stopped to get fresh, homemade crepes.  I never thought I liked crepes because I had only had savory ones that weren't so good- but this crepe changed my whole outlook.  It was filled with nutella and bananas, and covered in chantilly cream on the top.  So amazing.  We then spent some time taking pictures in front of the Eiffel Tower, because you can't go to the Eiffel Tower and not take a million pictures.  I did not know the Eiffel Tower was brown- also, it was a lot more industrial looking than I would've thought.

Arc di Triomphe

One of my first views of the Eiffel Tower and the Seine River

Artsy photo of the Eiffel Tower

Me with my amazing crepe in front of the Eiffel Tower

And me in front of the Eiffel Tower- it may not look that crowded in this picture, 

but I had to do a lot of cropping with this one

After that, we walked to the Love Lock bridge- now, of course, there are only locks on the fences on the banks of the river, not the bridge itself, but it was still cool.  We then stopped by the Louve to see how it looked during the day.  Next, we went to the Notre Dame Cathedral.  It was free to enter- always a plus.  And it was so beautiful inside; the stained glass in particular was breathtaking.

Some of the remaining locks

Exterior of the Notre Dame Cathdral

This picture doesn't even begin to do the inside justice.

We then found a (relatively) inexpensive place to eat lunch: a glass of wine, a quiche, a side salad, and a cheese platter for only about €13.  Also, the serving staff was actually nice to us- not rude at all (the staffs at every other restaurant in Paris I ate at were super rude).

We then went to Maisons de Victor Hugo, Victor Hugo's house for 16 years (from 1832-1848), which is now a museum dedicated to him.  As many people know, I love Les Misérables, so it was really amazing to see the place where Victor Hugo lived.  I didn't think I would be able to see this on this trip, so I was really happy.

"Who am I? / I'm Jean Valjean!" - This is a painting of the trial in Les Mis

We then tried to find the Bastille.  Turns out basically none of it is around anymore, but we were in that general area.  We got macarons- they were super tasty, as usual.

By this time it was getting dark out, so we made our way back to the Eiffel Tower to see it all lit up.  It was definitely an amazing sight to see during the day, but at night, it is simply gorgeous.
And I could see why it was so iconic, especially when it suddenly started twinkling (apparently it does that for 5 minutes every hour on the hour, but we didn't know that).   So we took like a million more photos.  You always see the Eiffel Tower in movies, tv, ads, so it was surreal to actually see it in person.  I still can't believe how lucky I am that I was able to take this trip.

Eiffel Tower lit up at night and twinkling.  What a sight!

Anyway- we weren't that hungry, but it was getting cold and we needed to kill some time before heading back to the airbnb, so we went to a restaurant for dessert.  Keep in mind, this was 10 pm.  However, in France they eat dinner really late, so the staff at the restaurant was annoyed we were only ordering dessert.  I really dislike how they are able to be so rude to us and it's completely accepted.  Just differences in culture, I guess.

We then made our way back to our airbnb and rested up for our last day in Paris and the last day of my 10 day trip!

The Louvre- Paris Day 1 (10/23/15)

We got off our train at about 7 am and went to a Starbucks to charge our phones (there weren't any outlets on the train) and to access wifi.  We then took the metro to our airbnb.  The Paris metro was so nice, way better than the Rome metro.  It was clean, and the trains came EVERY FOUR MINUTES.  On the dot.  Like clockwork.  Also, they were never disgustingly crowded like in Rome.  I've now ridden metros in 5 cities, and Paris's is by far the best- we'll see how London's compares in a few weeks.

After settling in at our airbnb, we got some food- we were starving.  I had some French onion soup, which was very good, but kind of a small portion.  We then went to the Louvre!  I had done some research online, and found out that there are a few "secret" entrances to the Louvre that have very short queues, unlike that at the main entrance by the glass pyramid.  Also, since the museum is open late on Wednesdays and Fridays, its best to go then because it is less crowded (especially on a Friday night, which is when we went).  Typically the museum is free for anyone 18-26 who is a EU citizen, but on Friday nights it is free for everyone 18-26!  So not only did we not wait in a long queue, but we paid nothing!

So I should start off by saying that the Louvre is huge, and even though I had a map, it was a little difficult to navigate the many halls and rooms and wings and floors.  But I got to see most of the major artworks (some pieces weren't available to see when I went), as well as many other pieces.

For instance:

Winged Victory of Samothrace, aka Nike of Samothrace

The Coronation of Napoleon, by Jacques-Louis David

Aphrodite of Milo, better known as Venus de Milo

Four Seasons, by Giuseppe Arcimboldo (clockwise from top right: Autumn, Spring, Summer, Winter)

And of course:

The Mona Lisa, by Leonardo da Vinci (which really is quite a small painting, behind a sheet of bulletproof glass, and flanked by two guards, and in front of a thick crowd) 

And the painting across from the Mona Lisa, which, by contrast, is huge (the largest painting in the Louvre)- The Wedding at Cana (or The Wedding Feast at Cana) by Paolo Veronese

Overall, the Louvre was amazing and I would definitely like to go back someday and see more of it.  We then went back to the airbnb, and I got a quick panini for dinner.  It was really nice to be able to shower again, and sleep in a bed.  We then rested up to prepare ourselves for our busy day the following day!

Marseille, France (10/21/15-10/22/15)

We arrived in Mareille, which is in the south of France, late on the 20th, and took a taxi to the hotel we stayed in near the airport.  I hadn't showered since I was in Venice, so it was so nice to finally feel clean again and sleep in a bed!  We got up the next morning and took a bus into the city centre, and then took the metro to the Vieux Port (Old Port) of Marseille, which is where out airbnb was.  Vieux Port is such a pretty area; it is right on a marina and there are lots of restaurants and shops nearby.  Our airbnb was so nice, the nicest place we stayed during the whole trip.

Vieux Port

We relaxed for a little bit (we were so tired) and then shopped around for a while.  I had my first macaron (chocolate, of course), which was delicious.  We then tried to find a place to eat, but we soon realized a very annoying fact: almost every restaurant is closed from about 2 pm to 8 pm.
So we decided to eat at a pho place instead, which was really yummy.


The next day we went to a bakery for breakfast, where I got a beignet au nutella (amazing pastry filled with nutella- so freaking good) and then made our way to Notre Dame de la Garde, which is a basilica in Marseille that sits on top of a hill, allowing you to see the whole city.  The views were amazing- on one side I saw a huge mountain range, and on the other I saw the sea.  The basilica itself was also so gorgeous, and as a bonus was free to enter!

Notre Dame de la Garde

Incredible views

Some of the mountains in the distance

After that, we tried to find a place to eat, but again, most places were closed, so we went to a bakery.  I got a quiche and a pain au chocolat (chocolate bread).  We then sat in McDonalds so we could have wifi and plan our days in Paris.  We then took an overnight train (the last one, thankfully) to Paris.  We had one stopover, and the total trip was 12 hours.  It wasn't as bad as the train from Venice to Rome because there were no cabins and the seats reclined a little.  I really enjoyed Marseille, and would definitely go back to see more of the city (it's the second largest in France).  We arrived in Paris the next morning, tired, but eager to see the city.