Music Shall Surround You

Grammy and Papa packed up and went to Sicily for a few days while I got work done back in Roma. Sometimes I just wish that all of the work would disappear (or at least leave the back of my mind) so I wouldn't feel so bad about going out and doing stuff in Rome. I have no problems when I leave the city, but as soon as I step back into Rome I feel as if I need to be doing work....

But, I digress... When Grammy and Papa got back it was on a Wed, so I was able to meet them right after my Art in Rome class. We had lunch, and then spent part of the afternoon meandering through the area. I think after having them here, I have left no stone unturned in the Spanish Steps area. If you have questions about where to find something, I probably know the answer.

Wednesday evening the 3 of us went to a mini opera at the All Saints Church that wasn't too far from the Spanish Steps. I don't even know if you would call what I saw a mini opera, but it was wonderful. Instead of sitting through a full opera, it was only the most famous arias from the most famous shows. Now, before this, the only exposure to opera was the music that I sometimes played on my violin for class. Yet, after that evening I had a newfound love and appreciation for the music. I think that going to see a full opera is now in my future (provided I do some research before going in order to understand the plot line).

The next few days were a blur of happiness (and rain). It was just so wonderful to have Grammy and Papa around. We would go out, wander, go back to the hotel to rest and watch CNN, go out again, have dinner, wander around, have gelato... Life couldn't be much better. Not at all...

Cover it in Chocolate and a Miracle or Two

Note: I am a bit behind in the blogging. Please bear with me while I try and update while still keeping up with all of my schoolwork. xo -e

The Friday that my grandparents were here we decided to go to Peugia - a small town that is about 2 hours by train from Roma. Perugia is the home to Perugina chocolate, which is a famous chocolate company that is famous for their small dark chocolates that have a hazelnut in the center - Baci. I had heard about this town from my roommates who had ventured to the Peugia chocolate festival while I was in Pompeii. So, what time is better than now to go?

It actually wound up being the perfect day to go because the public transportation workers decided that that day would be a good one to strike. Go figure. I had been told before that the Romans liked to strike, but I don't think that I fully realized it until this fateful day.

Getting to the train station was a piece of pie for Grammy and Papa, but it was a little less so for me (even though the strike wasn't officially supposed to start until 9AM). I got on the tram, as I usually do, with the intent to take it from my apartment all the way to the end, where I would then grab bus 40 that would take me to Termini. Oh no, that would have been far too easy. As the tram neared Station Trastevere, it just stopped. No, nothing was blocking the track, and the tram didn't die - the driver just decided to stop. Great. As I rushed off the tram I saw that the H bus (another bus that goes to Termini) was pulled over across the street. I hopped the fence and ran after the bus with another Italian lady. The bus driver was being an ass and wouldn't open the door for us. Strike 2! After waiting 15 minutes for another H bus to come, I was finally on my way. Thank goodness I left my apartment earlier than I actually needed to.

The train ride to Perugia was uneventful. I slept as per usual, and I believe that Grammy and Papa just read and enjoyed the scenery that was whizzing by us outside the windows. Once in Perugia, we had to take a bus to the top of the hill where the main Piazza, IV Novembre, is. The higher we climbed, the more beautiful the view was. It was quite a treat to be up on the top of a hill and to be able to look out over the countryside. Even though it was slightly overcast, it didn't much matter - it was just plain gorgeous.

After meandering for a bit and enjoying the charm of this small town, we decided to go and find this restaurant, La Taverna, that Grammy had read about in her guidebook. This restaurant was supposed to be famous for their famous traditional Umbrian cuisine. The restaurant is down the most narrow alleyway in town, and had it not been for the signs leading us there, I don't know if we ever would have found it. But, thank goodness we did, because it might have just been one of the best meals that I have had since being in Italy. Besides the fact that the restaurant was housed in this gorgeous house with vaulted ceilings that has been standing for well over 200 years. Each one of us had a truly fabulous meal - I had ravioli that was stuffed with truffles. It was incredible - out of this world. Never before have I had anything that compares. And, for dessert we decided to split this chocolate mousse-like thing that was covered with bits of hazelnut, just like a Baci candy. I think that I could eat that meal every day and die fat and happy.

On our way out the door, we caught a glimpse of one of the chef's assistants in the kitchen slicing open a brand new wheel of pecorino cheese. Man! What a job that is! The assistant was essentially pounding into the wheel with a knife one tiny bit at a time. The head chef (who looked like the typical stereotype of an Italian chef - complete with the potbelly) saw us looking in, and brought each of us a tiny bit of the fresh cheese. I think that it might have been a small slice of heaven, considering how wonderful that little bit of cheese was.

After some more meandering (and discovering this somewhat hidden underground tunnel), and stopping in the Baci store to buy - what else - chocolate, we opted to head back down to the train station to go back to Roma. The train ride back was somewhat hellish. We were stuck outside a train station for almost an hour, and the situation was made even worse because no one spoke enough English to tell us what was going on. After this trip it was decided that no one should ever take a train with me again - all I bring is bad luck.

Back in Roma, and at the hotel (where I spent the night because getting back to my apartment without public transportation just wasn't going to happen), the three of passed out after watching CNN, with our tummies full and our hearts happy because we were all together.

Aren't You Glad You're Not a Turkey on this Thanksgiving Day

Happy Thanksgiving from Roma! I am up early so that I can get myself together and head off to Geneva for a weekend of good Thanksgiving food, fun, and good company. But, before I left I wanted to send a shout out to everyone to enjoy Thanksgiving. I also just wanted to express just how thankful I am this year, not only for having the opportunities that I do, but also for having such wonderful family and friends!

p.s. more updates to come soon - I know, I know, I have been slacking...

My Heart is Like an Artichoke

My return to Rome on Sunday afternoon was quite welcome after being gone for 10 days. Yes, I had an amazing time, but that didn't mean that I was ready to keep living day to day - I wanted to get back into a routine. (And, I needed to rest my poor, tired, blistered feet).

Last Monday and Tuesday I spent catching up on work and relaxing. Wednesday, on the other hand, was a big day - my Grammy and Papa arrived from Chicago!!! This was the best treat that I could have gotten after my 10 day vacation - 2 of my favorite people in my "foreign" city. What more could I ask for? The first night we just wandered around Piazza di Spagna and had a quick dinner so that they could go back to their hotel and get some sleep and try to acclimate themselves to the right time zone. I decided to take the 44 bus back to my apartment from Piazza Venezia. Bad idea. The bus broke down right in front of AUR. By this point I had to go to the bathroom terribly, but the campus was already locked for the night. So, in a moment of genius I called Jessie who lives only a few blocks from campus and asked her if I could run up. Thank goodness she way home! But being there was great fun because I got to go through my bag of goodies that Grammy had brought for me. I got my Uggs, a menorah and candles in preparation for Hanukkah, chocolate chips, a pedometer, and a fabulous shirt from Urban Outfitters that reads "Friends don't let friends vote Republican." Amen!

Thursday I had class in the morning, and then decided to be a bit of a rebel and skip my second class to go and meet Grammy and Papa in the Jewish quarter for lunch. Oh, and what a good lunch we had. Since I arrived in Rome I have been talking about going to the Jewish quarter to have their famous specialty - fried artichokes. Ok, so I wasn't exactly sure what to expect, but they were wonderful! We also had fried zucchini flowers and fried cod, but neither were as good as the artichokes. Then, each of us had a primi (aka a pasta or a risotto). It was a truly wonderful meal.

From the Jewish quarter, the three of us got on the bus and headed up towards school so I could show them the campus, and then we went to my apartment. I think that both Grammy and Papa were honestly impressed with A) how well I know the city and the transportation system B) how nice campus and my apartment are. I would have to agree with them on both of those counts.

After resting and doing some checking of the email accounts, we headed off for dinner back by the hotel. Another wonderful meal ( I can't think of a bad one that I have had since being in Italy, come to think of it). I had prosciutto crudo and fresh buffalo mozzarella. Yummmyyy! Back at the hotel we had a few logistics to work out due to the newly announced information that there was going to be a nation-wide transportation strike the next morning. Now, this wasn't going to really affect the three of us during the day, because we had planned to go to Perugia early in the morning, but it was going to affect us upon our return - when it came to getting back to the hotel and me getting back to my apartment (which is not exactly within walking distance). What was decided (and what we learned) was that in the morning, before 9AM we would be fine, but after that - there was no way of knowing. So, the plan was that I would stay at the hotel on a cot for a night upon our return so I wouldn't have to worry about getting back.

Does the Moonlight Shine on Paris?

In the morning the camp counselor in me came out. We said that we wanted to be out the door by 9AM so that we could get into the Louvre without having to wait. Lo and behold, the 3 of us walked out the doors of Oops! Hostel (what an awful name for a hostel, by the way) at around 9:07AM. Not too shabby at all.

Thankfully, we got to the Louvre just as it was opening. In less than 10 minutes time we had gone through security, gotten our tickets, and were heading upstairs towards the one and only Mona Lisa. Ok, so I went into the Louvre knowing that I was supposed to feel overwhelmed and impressed by the masterpiece that is Mona Lisa. Not so much. Sure, it was nice, but I couldn't get close enough to admire her so-called beauty or see the technique or even get a semi-decent picture.

After getting crushed by all of the people who at this point (a half hour later) had entered the Louvre and gone straight to the Mona Lisa; Sarah, Angelica, and I all decided to split off because each of us had different goals and we didn't want to spend all day there. The Louvre doesn't really house "my type" of art - it just doesn't appeal to me, and I see enough of it in Rome. I hate to be what some call naive or ignorant, but there are only so many paintings of Jesus or the Madonna and Child that I can see without having them all start to blur together. In my wanderings I happened to have a really weird moment (that had nothing to do with the art) where I ran into one of my friends from AU, Sienna, who is spending her semester studying in Madrid. I love it when the world seems small.

Laura met us outside the Louvre after we all took a glance at the inverted pyramid that Dan Brown talks about in the DaVinci Code, and from there we took the metro back to the Basilique du Sacré-Cœur. the view was just as pretty during the day as it had been the previous night. We wound up wandering around in the little area, which I guess you could call Montmartre, that is by the Basilique, and we had an outdoor lunch. I had the most wonderful Croque-madame (a toasted ham and cheese sandwich with an egg on top). I once again felt like I just belonged in Paris. It was such a quintessential thing to be sitting at an outdoor cafe eating one of their traditional foods. The waiter was even really nice and tried his hardest to help all of us with our French - that almost never happens.

The 3 of us that were not studying in Paris had our heart on seeing the Moulin Rouge - so, that is exactly where Laura took us. The street that leads up to the famous nightspot is crazily sketchy, but equally as funny. Along the way we managed to find a Phi, as well as two fat statues that were outside of the erotic museum - so of course, we had to stop and take pictures. The windmill was impressive, but that was about the extent of the entire site. I don't think that we ever got closer than across the street from it. Yet, it is still pretty neat to say that I have been there - or at least close to it.

The 4 of us did a quick hour of shopping that turned into me sitting down and resting my tired feet. But, after that short break (and a cup of coffee to get the blood flowing), Angelica, Sarah, and I made our way towards the Eiffel Tower. We got off the metro right as dusk had fallen the clock had struck the hour. This was perfect timing, because as we rounded the corner to step into the shadow of the tower, the lights were once again sparkling.

Once down underneath the tower we choose what we had deemed to be the shortest line to go up to the top. After waiting 40 minutes (and being annoyed by the obnoxious German couple in line behind us), we come to find out that we were in the line that doesn't take you to the top in an elevator - we are in the line that you are supposed to be in if you want to climb the stairs to get to the second platform! By this point it made no sense to change lines, so we were committed to climbing those 700 stairs to make it up there. At least, though, we would be able to take an elevator to the tippy top.

The view from all 3 platforms were amazing. I was just so happy, I felt like a small child who's parent told them that they could go to the zoo to see the baby elephant. Many of you know the wide smile that I get when everything is perfect in my world - imagine that times two and you get me on top of the Eiffel Tower.

Once we came down, the three of us found a small piece of pavement and just sat and looked at the tower. It was as if I was starring in my own movie. The moment just felt perfect. The moon was out, the tower was twinkling for the 4th time in the 3 hours we had been there, and my dream of being in Paris had come true in the most magical way.

I Love Paris Every Moment

The next morning I woke up too early and took the metro all by myself down to the Musee D'Orsay so that I could be one of the first people in line when it opened. I wanted to have the impressionist paintings all to myself for as long as I possibly could.

The museum is housed in the former railway station, the Gare d'Orsay. When you walk in you are just overwhelmed with the grandeur, especially since early in the morning the light is streaming through all the glass giving it is somewhat dream-like quality. All the sculptures that were housed in the main area looked as if they could come out of their marble shells and magically come alive.

Quickly I headed up to the top floor to go and see the impressionist collection that I had heard (and read) so much about. Upon entering the wing, I realized that the entire trip to Paris had been worth it just to see all of this great artwork. The first piece that I saw that I knew was Degas's "Tiny Dancer" sculpture. I just stood in front of the case absolutely mesmerized by the perfection and beauty of it. In fact, (please don't make fun of me) I started to cry. No, these tears weren't tears of sadness, they were tears of joy. Seeing all of these famous pieces of artwork that I had only seen in books for so many years was a dream come true. Yes, I know that this makes me sound like a small child in a way, but standing there I realized how lucky I was to have been raised to have an affinity for travel, learning, and for art (among other things).

From there that room, I went and spent some quality time with some of my favorite artists, including (but not limited to) Monet, Picasso, Renoir, Toulouse-Lautrec, and many others. I wish that I could do all of the pieces justice, but I can't (and you would get quite annoyed my post because it would go on forever. Instead, I am just going to post some of the pictures that I was able to take.

Following my enlightening experience at the d'Orsay, I killed some time until Laura could come and meet up with me. I took a lovely walk down the Seine, and eventually found myself at Notre Dame. Somehow, I accidentally went in the "out door." Oops. I felt like I was back at camp and I had to use the correct doors to go and get food in the kitchen. Except, at Notre Dame in Paris, there was no Jacob Pactor or Ilana Gildenblatt to teasingly scold me. Anyway... So, I went in the wrong door, which meant that I was going against the so-called flow of traffic. But, regardless... Even though it was crowded, and at times my claustrophobia kicked it, the structure was just amazing. And whenever I felt like I wanted to run out of there screaming, all I had to do was look up and see all of the space. I have always had an affinity for stained glass because my grandfather made on the side as a hobby. Yet, the glass at Notre Dame just radiated throughout the entire building. It was this light amongst the darkness and somber mood of the church.

From Notre Dame, I walked along this small touristy shopping street in the hopes of finding a charm for my bracelet. Of course, I got the obligatory Eiffel Tower charm, and I also wound up with an adorable mug with Le Petite Prince on it. During this walk, I also decided to suck it up and get another crepe, because how could one pass that deliciousness up? I decided to have one filled with banana and chocolate...how much better could life get with that combination?

I met up with Laura at Hotel de Ville, and we walked the few short blocks to the Pompidou Center to go to the contemporary art museum that is housed on the 5th and 6th floors. Not only does this building house contemporary art, it is also functions as a piece of art. The building is somewhat sore on the eyes after seeing all the gorgeous buildings that are so well known in Paris. Yet, the tubing and "exoskeleton" that is visable from the outside makes the building unique and a true topic of conversation. Hey! I even remember talking about it in my French class when we were in middle school!

After we waited an hour in the line to get in, Laura decided that she didn't really want to go with me, so she went to a friends to do homework, and I ascended the many escalators to get to the museum. Being here was essentially love at first sight. The art collection leaves off where the Musee d'Orsay ends, so it is mostly contemporary art. Some of my favorite artists, like Worhal, Agam, Chagall, (late) Picasso, and others are housed here. Yet, the best thing that I saw was something that I had no idea was even in Paris, let alone the Pompidou. The Matisse cutouts from his jazz series were hanging on a nondescript wall in a gallery. And so, there I stood and had another bout of my "happy-tears."

Afterwards, I once again met up with Laura and we went first to the Basilica du Sacre-Coeur to see the sun set over Paris, then we found our way to the Latin Quarter in the hopes of finding dinner. After wandering for a bit we decided to have fondue. I started the meal off with French onion soup, continued with a 3 cheese fondue, and finished with chocolate fondue. I felt oh so Parisian. I also felt like a fat kid who just wanted to eat more and more and more. I even suggested to Laura that we ask for bread to dip into the chocolate fondue so that we could eat the last drops of it. She didn't even want to entertain that idea and just kind of rolled her eyes at me.

By the time dinner was over Sarah Butzer, and Angelica (two of my sorority sisters that are spending the semester studying in London) had called me on my cell phone to tell me that their plane had touched down at Charles de Gaulle airport. This was my cue to leave Laura to go and meet the girls at the hostel that we would be staying at for the next few nights.

After a bit of drama that involved me getting lost once getting off the metro, and the hostel not taking credit cards, the three of us found out way up to our tiny room and I proceeded to pass out. But, don't you worry, there would be plenty in store for the three of us the next morning!

I Could Wander Paris After Dark

The first sight that I saw after arriving in Paris was the Eiffel Tower all lit up and sparkling as I passed it while riding on the metro to my hotel. Somehow, after all of my years of dreaming about the city of lights - I had arrived. Ever since I was small and in primary school and learning about Monet in art class, Paris has been on the top of my list to visit in this big world of ours.

Thanks to my Daddy and his gazillions of Marriott points, I was welcomed with open arms to the Marriott Rive Gauche when I arrived at 12:30 AM. Immediately I headed up to my room, watched a bit of CNN (!) in English (!!), and proceeded to pass out in the gigantic bed with all of the down comforters and pillows I could ever want. I wanted to take a picture of me jumping onto the bed like Carrie Bradshaw when she was was in Paris, but no one was there to take the picture, so this one of the room will have to do.

After an incredible night of sleep I woke up in the morning, showered, and went downstairs to ask the concierge where to go and get pastries. He sent me to a patisserie only a few blocks away where I proceeded to spend 8 euros on pastries and a can of apple juice. Not only did I buy the stuff, I ate every last crumb in the bag. Ever since Le Cezanne opened around the corner from my house when I was in middle school I was always partial to French pastries, now I really just can't imagine eating anything else.

Following my "piggy-ness" Laura, one of my pledge sisters who happens to be spending the semester in Paris, met up with me at the hotel. from there she took me to Jardin du Luxembourg where we met up with her friend Molly. After eating some warm chestnuts and frolicking through the park the two of them took me on a magnificent walking tour of Paris. We walked by the Seine, Notre Dame, the Louvre, Hotel de Ville, and we finally wound up in the Jewish quarter so that the two girls could eat some traditional Israeli falafel.

I wasn't hungry because of my earlier love affair with the pastry, but I was happy to sit and help eat the tomatoes out of Laura's Israeli salad while she and Molly enjoyed their balls of fried chick peas. It was almost like being back in Israel, you know, minus the who it being cold thing and everyone around me speaking French. But other than that, I could have been on Ben Yehudah street with all the black hats and orthodox women around me. It was my own little corner of Paris where I could feel perfectly at home. A big thanks needs to out to Laura and Molly for introducing me to this little corner of the city.

From there, the three of us got on the Metro and headed for the Champs Elysee to see what all the fuss was about. Sure, it was a very nice and wide street with lots of shops lining it, but overall, it failed to impress me. I guess it had a lot of live up to after talking about it so much in French class when I was in middle school and high school, but it just didn't make my heart go pitter patter like I thought that it would. The best thing about the entire road was making it to the end and seeing the Arc de Triomphe. No, we did not climb it, but I certainly took my time and walked all the way around it. What Napoleon was trying to say when he built this massive structure is quite apparent - he wanted to be perceived as the head of the next great empire, or equivalent to the former rulers of Rome. The arc is very skillfully designed after the Arc of Titus and the Arc of Constantine. This is when my newfound knowledge about the Art of Rome comes in handy...

The next stop on our tour was Les Tuileries, the garden that stretches for a number of blocks outside the Louvre. It was such a beautiful fall day, so the three of us chose to sit outside at one of the cafes and treat ourselves to some cappuccino, and I decided that I had to try my first crepe in Paris. Done and done. It was a great snack, and there was some enjoyable people watching that went along with it. I don't know what it is about Europe, but no matter what the weather is, I always seem to be willing to sit outside, and this was no exception.

From here the three of us took a nice leisurely stroll along the Seine, and I had the chance to cross over the famous Pont Neuf bridge for the first time. At this point, Molly went home, and Laura and I found ourselves a seat on the bridge where we sat and talked until the sun went down. From there, Laura had to go back to her host family's house to eat dinner, and I went back to the hotel to take a bath, a nap, and watch some more CNN.

By the time Laura finished dinner, it was too late for her to come back into the city to stay with me, so I once again asked the concierge for some advice as to where to go to dinner. They sent me to a cute place no more than 3 blocks from the hotel called Alouette. I had the most wonderful salad that had chicken, sweet corn, olives, hard boiled eggs, and a melody of other ingredients. It was probably the best salad that I have had since being abroad!

I decided to turn in early so that I could be up early for a long day of sightseeing. I came in knowing that my time in Paris was limited, and I needed to do as much as possible in the little time that I had available to me.

Deep within the Emerald Isle

The next morning, I slept quite a bit longer than I had intended to. But, I guess my body needed the sleep, and who am I to argue with my body? When I finally got myself out of the apartment (around eleven), after having a proper cup of English tea and a kit kat, I headed down to the city center of Dublin to do some exploring. Marthe had been kind enough to loan me her Dublin book so I would at least have a basic idea of where I was going.

When I got off the tram that took me into downtown Dublin I chose a direction and set off exploring. I wanted to get my bearings before I actually chose something to do or see. After wandering down Grafton Street (and stopping every two seconds to window shop) I found myself at Trinity College and in the middle of the Dublin Marathon. Trinity is just gorgeous. I throughly enjoyed wandering through the campus and admiring the gorgeous buildings and the perfectly kept lawns (which are probably partly due to the signs all over the place warning people to keep off the grass).

From Trinity I wandered around for a bit. I had planned on going to St. Patricks cathedral, but due to the impending darkness, I chose to wait for another day. Instead, I wandered back down Grafton and found myself in an English book store. Now, I never ever thought that sometime like that could have made me as happy as it did. I have been a crazy reader since coming abroad, and hence, I have run out of books. So, I chose to curl up in a leather chair (just like at Barnes and Nobels!) and browse through some books.

Eventually, I met up with Marthe again, and we headed back to her apartment so that she could do some shopping for a Halloween costume. Appearantly Halloween is a HUGE deal in Dublin, so she needed a costume that would allow her to live up to the hype. She and her friends eventually decided on dressing as if they were from the 80s - complete with cut off sweatshirts and large plastic jewelery and ugly as sin make up.

After shopping Marthe and I went for dinner at this place called Mao. Even though by this point I had been out of Italy for more than a few days, I was still thankful for a meal that didn't have pasta in it.

The next morning I woke up, had a cup of tea, and then headed out into the city center. My first stop was the National Gallery of Ireland. I had such a hard time finding the place because the streets in Dublin change names about every 5 blocks. Most natives don't even bother with the street names, they just direct you by telling you to turn left at this pub, or right at this pub. Yet, for me, that wasn't even a possibility because I don't know any of the pubs!

Eventually, with the help of a map, I was able to make it to the museum. The most impressive thing there was the Yeats gallery. Jack Yeats was an expressionist painter whose favorite subject was the circus and horses. The amount of emotion that came through in his work practically blew me away. It was just wonderful.

From the museum, I tried to find my way to the Cathedral, and once again failed - big time. Instead, I got lost almost on the opposite side of Dublin. That was the downside. The upside was that I got to see a beautiful part of the city that I never would have gotten to otherwise. I especially loved the different colored doors and all the beautiful trim around the windows.

and Marthe and I were supposed for dinner once again. She wound up taking me to the Temple Bar area, which is right around By this time, it was once again getting dark, so I asked for directions, and headed back to the main area. There, I found myself walking through St. Stephan's Green park. I think the thing that I enjoyed most about the city was the sheer amount of green space. Now, it was getting late, to meet up with to goher internship. She and I opted to go to the restaurant that her boss always has lunch at - so we knew it was good before we even sat down. I had the most wonderful Irish stew that was made with Guinness beer. Yummmm!

The following day was my last day in Dublin, so I was determined to make it to St. Patricks. I had it in my head that a trip to this city was not complete without a stop at this famous landmark. But, first, I had to get a mocha (per Marthe) at Butler's chocolate shop. Now, I have had many a mocha in my day, but this one wins the prize for being the best. After stopping and asking for directions more than once (I won't tell you how many times), the cathedral finally came into view. It was just gorgeous inside, and there was a lot of history there, so I was glad that I made it. My camera and I also had quite a bit of fun...aka I took too many pictures.

From St. Patrick's I went back to Grafton Street to meet Marthe so that we could go to the Guinness factory. Now, I am not at all one for beer, but I just couldn't leave Dublin without doing something that has to do with Guinness - it is a staple of life in Ireland, they even say that it flows like water. We got a wee bit lost on the way there, but we did make it. And oh, was it worth every step to get there, and every penny that I paid to get in. I actually learned a decent amount, got to take some really neat pictures, tried the first Guinness I have ever liked, and I got to have an incredible view of Dublin.

From the Guinness factory, we had a quick lunch at a pub, and then I ran back to the apartment to grab my stuff so that I could head to the airport to go to PARIS!