Dublin is not a particularly beautiful city, but it is super cool. I don't know a better adjective than cool because that's really the best way to describe it. The bars, pubs, and restaurants were upbeat and lively, the green parks were sprinkled throughout the city, and the Irish are probably the friendliest people I've encountered in Europe. Walking around the city was a lot of fun; we got to see St. Patrick's Cathedral, St. Stephen's Green, and Grafton Street. We also ate at a famous fish and chips place which many celebrities have frequented, including: U2, Sandra Bullock, the cast of P.S. I Love You, Alan Rickman, Tom Cruise, Serena Williams, Mick Jagger, and many others! Saturday night, Clare (notice the different spelling; this is not my roommate Claire, but my friend in BIMS Clare) and I went to mass in a beautiful church off Grafton Street that we stumbled on earlier in the day, and it was our first mass in English since America! After mass, all of us went to the oldest pub in Dublin, the Brazen Head for dinner. I had a delicious Guinness beef stew. The next day, we took a tour bus all the way across the country to the Cliffs of Moher. Seeing the very green Irish countryside was beautiful, but then seeing the Cliffs of Moher and other natural monuments were breathtaking.
Lisbon was sunny and stunning. I was not expecting to love Portugal as much as I did, and I think it was probably my favorite country as a whole from spring break. We walked around the city quite a bit the first day, seeing the beach, Sao Jorge Castle, Jeronimos Monastery, and Belem Tower. For dinner, we went to a famous seafood restaurant, and I tried my first raw oyster on the half shell. Let me tell you, I am not a fan. It tasted like slimy sea water. The main dish was good though; it was like a seafood stew with rice, mussels, shrimp, and lobster. The next day, Clare, Sarahi, and I took a day trip to Fatima. We got to see the basilica and go to confession and mass. It was so amazing. I highly recommend a pilgrimage there.
Barcelona. I have quite a few mixed feelings about this city. Some quick background info on me: I get very motion sick and am known to throw up on airplanes. Luckily, I have not had much trouble on this trip and had almost convinced myself I had gotten over the whole motion sickness thing. But. On the plane ride from Lisbon to Barcelona, I did throw up. Now, because I have a history of this I passed it off as motion sickness and proceeded to brush my teeth and move on with my day. After checking into our nice AirBnb, the girls went across the street to a mall/supermarket to buy swimsuits for the beach and groceries to cook. After purchasing mine, I started to feel pretty badly again. Sarahi (a Spanish speaker, bless her) came with me to the pharmacy to buy some stomach medicine when I suddenly had to run outside to throw up on a tree. I came to the realization that it was not my motion sickness but the stomach bug Kyle and Kendrick had a couple days before. I also learned that the Spanish are very nice people as well. Two different men came up to me to ask if I was okay (I assume that's what they said I don't speak Spanish. I am very impressed they approached me at all. What does it look like when a college student is throwing up in the street on spring break?). The second man stayed for a while and overcoming the language barrier, I determined he was a doctor. Sarahi came out of the pharmacy, and he told her which medicines to buy for me. I am so grateful to both of them! After spending the rest of the day running from my room to the bathroom, taking medicine, and resting, I was ready the next day to do some light exploring. It was a little disappointing because we went to both the Sagrada Familia and Park Guell, only to be told we had to buy tickets online and make a reservation to get in. We took a beach break, which was fun and relaxing and just what we all needed. The water was freezing, but the weather was sunny and nice. Later we went back to Park Guell, and Saturday morning we went to the Sagrada Familia. The next day was my highlight of Barcelona. We took a day trip to Montserrat, a mountain with a monastery on it. We hiked in the mountains, went to mass in the monastery, heard the famous boys' choir, visited the art museum, and climbed a giant boulder. It was all great fun. Our last half day in Barcelona, I was finally able to eat solid food again, so I got to try tapas! Then we all played beach volleyball (or tried to at least). I am proud to say I got slightly tan!
This was definitely the best spring break I've ever had. It was full of friends, trying new things, and incredible sights and experiences. It's crazy to think I just traveled through Europe for two weeks straight. It was an experience of a lifetime, and I definitely learned a lot and made some great memories. I am glad to be back in Bonn again - it feels like home in Europe.
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