Thursday I had a field trip to Dáil Éireann, the Assembly of Ireland, which is the lower house of the Oireachtas (Irish legislature). The building a nice architecture, but it wasn't as impressive at Stormont was in Northern Ireland (probably because of the British influence).
On Fridays this half of the semester I have no class, so I just had a very relaxing day. I slept in for the first time in a few weeks, which was really nice. My friend and I then planned our trip to Holyhead, Wales.
We decided to go the next day, but because we used the same computer to buy both of our ferry tickets, for some reason the computer system combined them. So, after getting up at 6:45 am Saturday to catch the ferry, we find out that not only did we miss the ferry (my conformation email didn't say we had to get there 30 min early), but that my reservation didn't exist. So we changed out reservations to the next day.
I was really tired after that, but I knew I had some shopping to do for my internship, which starts right after I get back from Italy and France. So I went into the City Centre and boought a few things from Penneys (aka Primark, aka the greatest store ever- I just found out the only Primark in the US is in Boston. I am so freaking excited), and Easons (a bookstore- I bought a lunchbox and container with an ice pack so I can bring lunch to work). Later, I got Japanese food and ice cream with my friend.
Sunday, I got up even earlier and this time we made the ferry! And our reservations were all good.
For whatever reason they made us get first class on the way there, so we got complimentary food and drinks. The ferry is about two hours from Dublin port to Holyhead, which is on the Isle of Anglesey, and I slept a good portion of the way.
When we got to Wales, we took a taxi to South Stack, which is a small island off the coast of Anglesey. It is famous for its lighthouse, which unfortunately is closed this time of year. We hiked on the Anglesey Coastal Path, which took us to around the island, giving us really nice views of Holyhead. We also went to Elin's Tower, a landmark near the lighthouse. We hiked up and down a really tall mountain. Because I dressed in layers, by the end I had 3 jackets/fleeces tied around my waist. I clearly blended in well with the locals (#American).
Lighthouse in the background.
Elin's Tower
The mountain we hiked up.
Me at the top.
View of Holyhead from the Summit.
Then we looked at these really old circular settlements. They're called the Tŷ Mawr Hut Circles, and date from the 3rd and 4th centuries.
One of the Tŷ Mawr Hut Circles.
We then went to a nearby farm (maybe trespassing?) to try to get near some sheep (the sheep are like they are in Ireland- everywhere!), but they ran away from us and made loud baaa-ing noises. We also went to a beach, but it wasn't very accessible. It was pretty, though.
The beach
We then left South Stack to go back to Holyhead to catch our return ferry. We were only in Wales for a few hours, but I still had a really nice time. I hadn't planned on going to Wales while I was here, but I'm glad I did. Also, this was my first time in Great Britain (and second time in the UK)!
By the time I leave Europe in December, I'll have gone to all 4 countries in the UK.
I have two finals this week- my Ethics in Healthcare class tomorrow and Contemporary Irish Society class on Thursday. I then have my mid-semester break! So this will likely be my last post before I leave for Italy and France. I'm so excited!
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