Dublin and the East Coast

Ok....so there is a lot that I have to let you guys in on, Ireland was amazing and I'll break up the week into 2 parts, beacuse there is just not enough room for one post. My friend Leah and I arrived in Dublin on Monday morning, where we met up with 2 of my other friends Alissa and Danielle, who are both from Chicago. From there we went to a family friends house. Eilis, who is friends with my mom and my grandparents was so nice and allowed us to stay at her home for 4 nights. This included feeding us and helping us adjust to the time change, and figuring the 14:40 is actually 2:40, and how to read bus times and schedules. To say that Eilis simply let us stay at her house is a gross understatement. Eilis, if you are reading this, you were an amazing hostess, and I don't know what we would have done without you. You gave us such a warm welcome and truly made my friends and I feel at home. Thank you for everything :) On Tuesday, we celebrated my birthday which was so much fun. We took the bus into Dublin and headed out for Trinity college which was beautiful. We didn't get to see the Book of Kells, only because the line was about a mile long, and I'm not exaggerating when I say it was a MILE long. We visited several churches in Dublin and then went off to the Brazen Head pub, one of the oldest pubs in Dublin. Irish rebels used to congregate here and plan on how to resist British take over. Lunch was fantastic, I had fried bree... basically breaded bree cheese...delicious. From there we went to the Guieness (spelling????) factory and took a tour of the brewery that has made Irish beer famous around the world. To finish off the night Eilis gave me Galway and Cadbury chocolate bars...which make Hershey chocolate taste like dirt (Alyssa and Caitlin I'll send you guys some as soon as I can). On Wednesday we went to Glendalough...translated as the glen of the two lakes; this place was the sanctuary of St. Kevin, whose church and home still remain there. We saw a video before we actually viewed the ruins, and it explained how these monks (St. Kevin) used these sanctuaries to meditate and contemplate on God and to truly dedicate their lives to Him, free of worldly distractions. Glendalough is so peaceful and quiet, it is difficult not to meditate and think about life. Growing up in New Jersey, which is known for being constantly on the go as a suburb of New York City, I sometimes forget that there is more than the next moment, or the next thing, but just to enjoy where I am and who I am with in the present. The large slope of the two hills come together and plunge into a lake, that according to myth is bottomless. I also loved being there with my friends, Alissa, Danielle and Leah who truly made week in Ireland an unforgettable one . As my grandpa told me right before I left for Austria, 'It doesn't matter where you are or what you are doing, if you are among friends, you will never be bored.' He was definately right.