Quick Update

This week has been very busy with my mom here! We have been on day tours and around Dublin this whole week! It has flown by so fast, and we are packing up our stuff and we are off to London tomorrow!
I will try to post pictures and more things later this week!

In front of the coast after we crossed the Carrick-rede rope bridge in Northern Ireland

Best Weekend in Killarney!

This past weekend has been by far my favorite! It started out Friday night when we all wanted to go out dancing. I still had work Saturday morning so I couldn’t stay out late, but I haven’t been out as much as everyone, and I love dancing! We went to a club called Dandelion, at 11pm they open the dance floor downstairs. There was 6 of us who went, and let me tell you..we tore that dance floor up! Not a lot of people show up til after 12 so we basically had the dance floor to ourselves and we fully took advantage of it.

Dancing away!

I went home around 12:30 and maybe got 2 hours of sleep. I had to get up for my last day of work! It was very bittersweet leaving. I was sad to leave everyone I had been working with, but at the same time I knew I had learned everything I could in these 7 weeks and I loved every skill, technique and recipe I learned. This experience will hopefully get me far in my career. (Maybe a Foodnetwork show one day!) After I got back from work I showered and packed up for an over night trip in Killarney which is on the west coast of Ireland. There were 5 of us who went, and we took a 3 hour train ride out there and then a taxi ride into the country side of Muckross where we stayed at a B&B on a farm! It was amazing! We pull up to this gate where we drive down the dirt road and there is sheep grazing in the front yard and a stable for the horses. After we got settled, Heather, Sam and I went horseback riding it was so fun, my horse had a mind of its own and wanted to eat everything!

On our horses.

After horseback riding we found the Puppies and bunnies! Omg! I can not tell you how excited I was to play with the cutie puppies! Made my day. There were four little puppies that were 8-10 weeks old, and then another one who was 12 weeks. I fell in LOVE with the little runt of the group, he cuddled up to me and made these cute noises and just wanted to be held! I seriously thought about taking him home with me! Chester needs a new friend anyway.  I unofficially named him Shadow.

We got cleaned up and ready to go into town for the night. We went to a pub for dinner, and than walked around the streets. It’s not a very big town so it was to get around and find our through the different shops. They had street performances going on and live music, it was just a great atmosphere. They also had the Irish Open going on and we were all hoping to run into Rory.. haha didn’t happen! By this time, I had been running on two hours of sleep and it hit me like a ton of bricks. I was so tired but kept going because how often am I in Killarney? We did call it an early night because we had to be up early to eat breakfast and check out to get to our day tour. It was a great nights sleep, in another comfy bed and pure darkness outside. We woke up the next morning and had such a great breakfast! This place is owned by an older couple and she makes your breakfast in the kitchen and brings it in the dining room for you! We had scrambled eggs, toast, sausage and bacon, along with cereal and orange juice! We had called a taxi to come pick us up and he arrived early so we did have to rush out of there but I would have loved to stay another night!

We made it into town for our Ring of Kerry tour, it’s a bus tour where it takes you to the different towns of Kerry and through the National Park of Killarney. We were able to see the beach and stop down there for a while, and it had the most beautiful views I have seen in Ireland. It turned out to be a very nice day, where the sun came out for a bit and was able to take some pictures.

On the beach

Me and Heather by the Ladies View of Killarney National Park.

After our tour ended it was time to head back to the train station, we took our 3 hour train ride back into Dublin. We got in at 9:30pm and since it was Heather’s last night going out, we decided to go back to Dandelions because they were having a “white” party. So we got dressed up and danced the night away til 2 am! It was quite the busy weekend, and worth every minute and euro I spent!

Dancing away!

Today was quite busy in the sense of I had to get up and do laundry, clean out my stuff, and pack it all up. This is my last night at Lad Lane! And we have had some great times! I am going to be staying with my mom at the hotel for the rest of the week while we tour Ireland. I can not believe my stay is almost to an end. I am very sad to leave this beautiful place! But I will not miss my bed, shower, having to pay for laundry, or having nice knives and pans to cook with haha! I will be picking my mom up from the airport tomorrow morning and I am so excited to see her! It seriously feels like she was just dropping me off at the airport…7 weeks ago!

Weekly Traditions

For the past 3 weeks on Thursday nights, me and my roomies have made it a tradition to take turns making dinner for everyone. Last night was my turn, and I was really excited to cook for the girls. I decided to make a chicken vegetable stirfry with rice. At the store they have these sauces and I bought a sweet and sour sauce to cook with the chicken, I added red and green peppers and pea pods. I cooked it altogether in the skillet and than served it with rice. It made a lot and it was delicious. I also got some treats from work for dessert. I got 4 gingerbread men and caramel squares which are my favorite from my work! Over all it was such a great night to spend together talking and eating around the table. I will miss these nights when I get back home.

Today was my last full day at work! Tomorrow marks my last day and I am so sad to leave! I have really loved working there and gotten to be one of the “them.” I know I will NOT miss waking up at 3:30am every morning because that just gets exhausting after awhile.
Tonight a bunch of us are going out to a club for since it is our last weekend here. This will be my 2nd time out to a club late at night, kind of sad because everyone goes out 3 or 4 times a week. And than it is off to Killarney tomorrow and that is another over night trip! So I will be bringing back lots of pictures!

Peter Pan

Last night I was able to go see a play at the Grand Canal Theater! It is a newer theater here in Dublin and they are playing Peter Pan until August. When I found out that was playing I had to go, because as many of you know my obsession with Peter Pan and Tinkerbell! They are my favorite Disney characters. Me and Sam bought our tickets and were able to get some pretty good seats. We walked down there, which was only a 15 minute walk, and got in our seats. They had an orchestra playing, but I was also not aware that it was a musical, so it kind of threw me off a bit. But after I got my head wrapped around it, the play turned out really cute and the actors were amazing! The two things that bothered me were that they gave Captain Hook and “Jack Sparrow” look and it was just the wrong look for Peter Pan play, and than also they had Wendy and Peter kiss at the end! I mean really they are supposed to be little kids! They are not supposed to kiss. But I absolutely loved a night out at the theater. After we got out since it was dark they had the theater and the canal all lit up, it was gorgeous!

Grand Canal Theater

Canal

Weekend Away

This past weekend I went down to Wicklow, which is about an hour away from Dublin. Sam’s boss invited her and whoever she wanted to come down and stay the weekend. Since a lot of the other people from the group were on over nighters it was just us two. We left Saturday and took the bus down, we got there in the afternoon. We met up with her boss down the road, her boss Theo and his son Steve walked us back to the house, where it’s their house and then a huge property, no city life, no loud neighbors or cars, it was great! We got settled in and was greeted by their adorable dog Peppy, I don’t remember what breed they said he was, but I was so excited to be around a dog to play with. It was a beautiful day out, so we went out to the patio and talked, where I met his wife Ann. Later we had to go pick up his daughter Katie who is in Culinary school and is working at a golf club for the summer. While driving we took a nice drive through the country side, it’s just how I have always picture Ireland. After we had a nice long late lunch and sat around the table, talked and had good conversations. That was how the whole weekend went, after we would have a meal it would end up being 3 hours around the table talking. I felt like I was staying at a family member’s house, they were so kind to let us stay there and made such great meals for us, always made sure we were taken care of. Sunday, I was able to sleep in for a bit and Theo made a delicious pancake breakfast. After I got ready for the day, his son went and set up one of the horses on a carriage and took us on a ride through the fields of their property it was just perfect. Than we had to pack up and head back to the bus for Dublin. This was one of my favorite weekends, I just needed a night away to relax and not worry about anything.

View of the Wicklow hills!

Peppy! 🙂

View of their house.

So today, was my last Monday at work! I came home and took a good 3 hour nap, showered, and cleaned up my laundry. It was a typical afternoon. Than some of us decided to go try this new mexican restaurant that opened near by. It’s the european version of Chipotle. It was very good, I got a fajita style burrito with chicken, I would definitely go back again. Than we went to the store and got some ice cream Magnum bars they were a nice treat after. And it was another nice day so it was freezing eating your ice cream while walking. It was a great day to get out of the apartment for a little bit. Now I am off to bed again so I can get up at 3:30am, I will not miss having to get up so early!

6 Weeks down, 1 to go!

Tomorrow marks the 6th week I have been here! Crazy! I only have one week left of my internship, and it’s bittersweet. I have had my up’s and down’s with working there, but I have learned a lot and will use what I learned to good use! As the guys downstairs have told me this week I have finally “come out of my shell” and I am not so shy.. Ha I knew I was a little shy going in there because I didn’t know exactly where I fit in with everyone, and being switched around on different shifts every two weeks put me working with different people. But I am glad they have come to know me, two of the guys downstairs asked me if I would consider marrying them, I got a little suspicious knowing one has a girlfriend, the other with a wife…they just wanted a green card! Haha but they were only joking! So only one week left!
On another note, we had another roommate dinner last night, Natalia bought all the fixings for Chicken Tacos. She needed me to cook the chicken because she doesn’t like to. We added peppers to the chicken and seasonings! Oh my they were delicious, topped them with lettuce, cheese and salsa, so good! Definitely will be making those at home again. Next week will be my turn for another roommate dinner, we try to do that at least once a week and we should have started them when we got here! That will be another thing I am going to miss is having all my roomies together! 🙂
Well that is about it for a Friday, I am going to Wicklow tomorrow with Sam and it should be a nice weekend!

Grocery Shopping

Grocery shopping is such a chore! Back home I would just get in my car, drive to the store, put on the groceries in the trunk, drive home and walk 2 feet in the house to unload. Not here! Depending on what grocery store I go to its a 10-20 minute walk there, if you want a big basket you have to pay a euro to “rent” it out, so I just use the tiny hand basket. I load up my groceries, and I know if it’s heavy in the basket, it will be heavy walking home. The first time I went shopping I bought a big reusable bag here because people don’t bag your groceries nor do they provide plastic bags, you provide your own. That bag has been a life saver! Walking home just seems forever depending on how much stuff you have to carry! I definitely will not miss grocery shopping here. And I appreciate the convenience of a car to drive everywhere.
On another note, I am done with the bread shift at my work, they needed me back on days because someone quit with no notice on Saturday, so they have had to do some switching around and needed me downstairs baking. I really didn’t mind because I have my days free but getting back on a regular sleeping schedule has been hard and I am more exhausted trying to switch back! Good thing for nap time! 🙂
AND only 2 more weeks til my mom gets here! I am so excited to be able to show her around! 🙂

Galway and Cliffs of Moher!

This past weekend I went on two day trips on Saturday and Sunday, both were absolutely amazing! On Saturday, Sam and I took the train out to Galway which is 2 1/2 hours away. We got there in the afternoon and it was pouring rain but that was not going to ruin the day, I was prepared with my umbrella! We got lunch at this little cafe and then we were on our way into town. On one of the guides we got we noticed a cupcake shop and that was a definite stop next. It was a little shop called Sweetie Pies and let me tell you it was one of the BEST cupcakes I have ever had in my life! I am a huge fan of red velvet and that was the one I chose. It was a perfect combination of cake, frosting and sweetness! So on the way out of town we stopped there again and got a box of six for each of us to share with our roomies! 🙂 We walked down the main part of town and looked through the different shops, we headed down to find a jewelry shop where I wanted to buy a Claddagh ring. It’s a ring with hands around the heart and a crown on top of the heart. It means friendship, love and loyalty. They are made in Galway and I finally was able to find one in the jewelry shop I liked and bought my first souvenir! We walked to the spanish arch that has been there since the 1500’s and also went inside the Galway museum. After that we made our way up to the Galway Cathedral, it was really big inside and very pretty with all the stained glass windows. Through out the day we walked around town, and it isn’t a big city like Dublin so everything is close by. It was a very fun day besides the random rain drizzles we got. I loved Galway and would love to go back! (especially for the cupcakes)

The Cupcakes!

Claddagh ring symbol

CLIFFS OF MOHER!

On Sunday was another day trip with the whole group of interns! We took another paddywagon day trip out to Clare county to see the famous Cliffs of Moher! They filmed part of the Princess Bride and Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince! It was about 2 1/2 hours away so most of us slept on the bus til we got into town. We stopped in Limerick at Bunratty Castle for a picture stop, than we were on our way to the cliffs. It was a very small road and had lots of turns all the way up, but we made it to the parking lot of the cliffs, and before we even got out the bus was rocking from the strong winds. We made our climb up there and boy was it windy and a workout! But the views were breath-taking! They were right on the Atlantic ocean and it was picture perfect! But the wind was so strong it literally swept me away at one point when I went walking through this “wind tunnel” in the grass! I had to have someone grab me so I wouldn’t run into the fence. The tour guide told us before they built barriers that people have been blown off the cliffs before! Kind of a scary thought. After being up there for a good 40 minutes we headed back down and after you got settled back in the bus the effects from the wind caught up with you, my ears hurt and had a slight headache! But it was all worth the trip! 🙂

Gorgeous Cliffs! It was a little overcast that day too!

Harry Potter

On Thursday, a bunch of us in the group got midnight tickets to a theater that was showing Harry Potter part 2! It was great, I was so excited all day to find out how they had put it all together. We left the apartments at 10:30pm to walk over to the Theater. It was pouring rain, but that was not going to get me down, we walked for 25 minutes in the direction that we thought the theater was in, only to find out it was the wrong way. So we decided to take a taxi to the theater to make it on time. After getting the theater we got our tickets, and luckily they had reserved seating so we didn’t have to wait in a big line all day! ( I totally would have though) The movie started and I was in Aww the entire time, I loved every minute of it. I think they did such a great job with putting it all together. I wish they would have added more of the fighting scene because that was such a huge part of the book. But over all I LOVED it! I now feel like a part of my childhood is over, because I have been reading Harry Potter since the 4th grade! That is a very long time. So I will definitely see it again in theaters!

Bread and more bread!

What do you get when you have 3 polish guys, an English guy and an American girl? My bread shift! I have to say I love it! I haven’t worked passed 11pm this week, the down side is I didn’t know that I would get off that early so I have slept during the day and then I can’t go to bed til 1am. But the guys I work with are awesome, they have been teaching me how roll bread the right way and what makes brown soda bread. It’s the same production every night of soda bread, GI bread, white bread and then they make it into rolls, different size loaves and baguette’s. I am covered in flour by the time I leave. Tonight Andy, my supervisor told was asking me different questions, and told me I should just keep talking because he wanted to hear my accent. I was not aware that I even had an accent! To them I have an awesome American accent. We didn’t have a lot of breads to do today, so sometimes there is a little down time, the table is usually covered in flour so one of the guys challenged me in a game of tic tac toe. He thought he was going to beat me, but I have strategic moves in this game, and I won! They were all amazed and I think that earned me bonus points. So despite the weird working hours I really love working the bread shift. Would I want to do it forever? No I think I am more of a cake person.