Singing in the Bar, Singing on the Street, Singing in Supermac's, Singing in the Cab, Singing on Campus

Today marked the last day of classes at UCD. Where did the time go? Final exams don't start until May 5th so we're heading to Italy tomorrow, God & Icelandic Volcano willing. My only class today was from 3-5 so I slept in, watched Love Happens with Jennifer Aniston, then went for a run. The sun was shining so I figured that it would be a good day to skip the track and head towards the beach. Make the most of my scenic views while I still have them. I am not a runner, so it was more of a walk/run. It's about 2 miles to the beach, and the day could not be any more perfect. The beach is basically like a sandbar since the tide is always out much further than you can even see, but it was so relaxing to run on the sand. The air was not so fresh today (smelled a little like Berlin), but it was still relaxing and peaceful. The total excursion took me about 2 hours for about 5 miles. I showered and went to my last class.

After class, Jen and I headed downtown. I wanted to get a new t-shirt or two for our Italy trip (in anticipation/hope for nicer warmer weather) and because I've worn the same 5 shirts every week for 12 weeks. We tried American Apparel (ironic, eh?) but it was a little overpriced. We took a walk down Dames Street, got some Starbucks, and then made a loop towards St. Stephen's. We went in this cute little boutique and then headed to Dunnes. I found some simple tees and a little cardigan and another top. All for 22 euro. More on my budget.

Claire met up with us, and we went to dinner at Bewley's Cafe. We had a little bit of an appetizer smörgåsbord. Bruschette, nachos (made with Doritos), Goat Cheese Pastry, and Chicken Skewers. We split those and talked about our semester and how quickly it had gone by and how much we'd seen and done and experienced and loved and grown. We then decided to make it a food crawl and head to M.J. O'Neils so Jen could get her favorite Irish stew. I ended up having some of her stew and we enjoyed a lovely evening. One of our few ones left together. :( We took the bus home, so me and Claire could get ready for the Wicked Wolf.

We took our usual 9:45 bus to Blackrock. Last week we had been disappointed by Brock's mysterious absence. We realized that this was our third to the last Thursday in Dublin, and we were anxious to celebrate in typical Thursday night fashion. We were relieved when we walked in and immediately saw Brock and also millions of Italian teenagers who we guessed were "about 12". The soccer game had just ended, and we were hoping that these children would vacate so we could take our front table. They did not. Instead, when Brock began to play his music, they began to slow dance awkwardly on the dance floor. We couldn't find a place to sit (Eugene needs to reserve a table for us) so we stood around and ended up talking to Mark, our raspy voice Canadian regular whose song selection is always the same. Gangsta's Paradise and Streets of Philadelphia.

We finally took claim on a table, and sat and watched the teenagers get down. A little too excited for only 10 pm. Brock sang his favorites... "Ain't That a Kick In the Head", "Easy like Sunday Morning", "Human". When Allistar took the stage, Stacy and I moved up front to hear him belt out "She's Like the Wind" and "You Raise Me Up". Ofcourse everyone in the bar was making the X, which I am the official originator of. The crowd was into it. Laura & Claire inched us closer and closer taking over tables while Stacy and I jammed up at the front. Brock made up for the lack of seating for us by welcoming us back after our trip to Paris. Always love the shout outs. Next up, Mark. Song choice: Gangsta's Paradise. The Italians loved this. I personally loved Brock doing his best thug dances in the background. Consensus: Mark's been practicing. Well at least practicing Gangsta's Paradise. Streets of Philadelphia, a little rough. Some guy sang "Home" by Michael Buble and that made us all sad because we are all definitely torn right now between wanting to go home and knowing that we will never get to experience this again. He followed it up with "Unanswered Prayers" a favorite of mine. Stacy and I like to believe we started the Garth Brooks trend and we swayed together. Afterwards Brock told us to tell the person next to us that we loved them. Laura, Claire, and I embraced. Naturally Stacy was telling Brock she loved him. The place started going when some of the newbies say "Mamma Mia" followed by a German mother-daughter team rendition of "Dancing Queen". Nothing but love for ABBA in Karaoke bars. The Italian teenagers were still loving on one another and on the German Daughter (I'm pretty sure she was like 26 and the guy she was dancing with was like 14). More newbies, one of whom's birthday it was. "Crazy" by Patsy Cline. The crowd loved it. Next up, "It's my Party, and I'll cry if I want to". It was our turn, "Love Shack" this week. Claire and I rocked it out, and some of the crowd danced around. Brock danced with us, using the microphone stand as a prop. Then some regulars took the stage. Two older woman, who sang "Don't Stop Me Now", like they do every week. Stacy and I danced like fools, but it was alright. Dance of choice: Feed the Chickens. That and the Aussie moves Laura taught me. Follow up, "Don't Stop Believing". There may not be a karaoke song better than that one. Belting it out. It has been the song we sing randomly, all the time, in the streets, in our rooms. We danced around, fist pumped, loved it. Another great song was played....Neil, "Sweet Caroline" complete with the whole bar singing the "Bum Bum Bum"s and fist pumping. So good, so good, so good.

Some of my other favorite songs that were sung. A good music night tonight.

1.Can You Feel the Love Tonight-Lion King. Sang by the Gentlemen of UCD Vet Medicine

2. Build Me Up Buttercup

3. Walking in Memphis-- on my top 5 favorite songs of all time list.

4. I Will Survive-- another great karaoke song

5. An Island in the Sun.-- favorite lyric "On An Island in the Sun, we'll be playing and having fun". Describes our life on the Emerald Isle.

Stacy decided she wanted to duet with Brock on Total Eclipse of the Heart. She went to talk to him, and ended up having to buy him a Coors with a promise to return the favor next week. Typical. As a reward, the end of the night song was dedicated to us. Song of choice: End of the Road. Boyz II Men. Allistar & Brock duet. To the 4 Americans and 1 Australian. (Too bad there was only 4 of us) I think Brock forgot Laura was Aussie so he just added that on. A beautiful song, belted out. We thanked Brock & Allistar. Allistar gave us all high fives. We told them about how our semester was coming to an end and that we had big plans for our last nights at the Wicked Wolf. Allistar said he would sing whatever we wanted him to. We had our usual end of the night chat with Brock, and then headed out to the street. Allistar was in a particularly good mood and had continued singing End of the Road Acapella. We obviously joined in.

When we got outside, the singing continued. From End of the Road, to Michael Jackson "You are not alone" to "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" to "I Believe I Can Fly" to "Don't Stop Believing" to "Billie Jean". Dancing and singing on the street. Jamming out. Acapella. Priceless. A girl named Caroline introduced herself to us, and when we told her we were from Chicago and going to UCD her response to both was "F*** Off". Which she meant in the nicest way possible. More like a "No Way!!". Upon her boyfriend calling her for her to come... we broke into song, sing "Sweet Caroline". Allistar & Claire Dueted to "Total Eclipse of the Heart" and slow danced on the street. Priceless. After multiple singalongs on the street with Allistar & Mark we headed off to Supermac's, promising to see them in two weeks after Italy (which ofcourse prompted Curry & I to sing Roma-ma-ma-ma).

Supermac's was hopping. I'm pretty sure it has become the official karaoke afterhours spot. We had to wait to order, Stacy said she would give the guy "a few seconds". Standard orders. Chicken fingers & chips for Stacy (she wanted to save the 45 cents and not provide Claire with her usual Coke). Moo Moo Chocolate Shake for me. Chicken fingers for both Claire & Laura. Extra ketchup please. Stacy was too busy finding a newspaper to shove in her jacket like last time. Newspaper of choice: Accountancy. We enjoyed our meal, Curry got ketchup all over her fingers, Claire drank Laura's coke. Then Allistar walked in. More singing. Then the "Don't Stop Me Now" women came in. Stacy serenaded them. Then group sing a long of "Don't Stop Believing" in the fast food restaurant. Amazing. After lots of laughs and grease, we found a cab and made our way back to UCD.

Stacy took her usual spot in the front seat. The seat belt buzzer started going off. The driver indicated what it was. Stacy's response was "I got this under control". The driver laughed. He liked us instantly. Stacy sang Total Eclipse of the Heart to him. Then Claire & I sang Love Shack.

The driver loved us and wished us well as we got out of his cab and told us to "go straight to bed".

More singing on the way to Roebuck. Stacy playing the drums with her newspaper and a bush. Perhaps another quote worth mentioning. "Brock is like a dog. Allistar is like a cat". While her analogy made sense about how Allistar took a little longer to love us made sense, the initial statement out of Stacy's mouth was fantastic. Bid farewell and heading to bed laughing.

Favorite moments of the night

.Brock making fun of Allistar's hair

.Brock dancing and using the microphone stand

.Singalongs on the street

.Getting everyone in Supermac's Singing

Celebrate because Time is Short, but Sweet for Certain

After our history class on Wednesday, Claire and I decided to head out on the town. Our days are numbered in Dublin and we had things to celebrate. Claire's victory in her election back in Champaign for VP Professional and a successful interview with Zurich which will hopefully culminate in an internship offer. Life is pretty good.

We were both tired but we wanted to enjoy some live music and just enjoy the Dublin scene. We headed to O'Donoughe's first but the pub was quiet. Next. We headed to the Stag's Head, another famous pub. Also quiet. Strike two. So we headed in the direction of the Temple Bar area which never fails us. We headed to the VAT House, a cute little restaurant and bar. The place was pretty deserted but there was a live band so we decided to stick around and have a drink. Drink of Choice: Bailey's on the Rocks. In a large wine glass, classy. We enjoyed the music and chatted for a while. When we finished our drinks, we decided to keep moving. Next stop, St. John Gogarty's. More live music. More Bailey's. Song of choice: "Take Me Home Country Roads". The Dubliners love that one. We were pretty sure we had stumbled upon the "traditional music pub crawl". The place was full of tourists. Free chicken strips made up for the lack of locality. The city was quiet for a Wednesday night, but we guessed it was because the airport closures had prevented air travel.

Chicken strips for the road. Bus. Home.

Eat, Drink, and Be Merry.

Tonight was the second farewell dinner, this time for ALL the study abroad students, not just business. All of the students considered to be study abroad are American, so appropriately the tables were decorated with either green & gold balloons (for Ireland) or red, white, and blue (USA USA). Our dinner started at 6:30 with a wine reception in a room that reminded me of a high school multipurpose room with folded up wall bleachers. We mingled with some acquaintances than found a table to sit at.

Dinner was buffet style, chicken, rice, lasagna, salad, garlic bread. Ate too much for sure. The whole room/experience reminded us of a wedding. Which obviously got us talking about weddings. We enjoyed our meal, and the constant wine refills from a waiter who I'm pretty sure was sampling the wine himself.

Topped it off with some cheesecake. And then the entertainment started. Our favorite Irish men...the Irish House Party. They did the same routine that they had done before, sang the same songs, made the same jokes. I laughed just the same. They did some dancing, more river dancing, more legs moving independently from their bodies. Then it was time for student entertainment. We slow clapped and chanted for Tom to sing Wild Rover (deja vu again). It's my favorite because everyone gets to clap along and sing. Sing-alongs have been common theme in Ireland and I love it so much more for that. Then Ben from Florida and his friend sang a Irish folk song called Seven Drunk Nights where the chorus is basically "I was drunk as drunk can be". The song went on forever but it was a good laugh for sure.

But the best part of the evening is when they made us all get up and form two circles. Girls on the outside, boys on the inside (hello Middle school) and move in a circle to the right until they told us to stop and then waltz with our partner. It was hilarious, especially because we were all stuffed full of buffet food and dessert and had all be victim to the wine man. Moving in a circle and spinning around was just ridiculous and we pretty much all free styled it. The girls out numbered the guys so me and Curry shared a romantic waltz. Typical. After a bunch of laughs we finally sat down.

Then the evening was coming to a close. And how do you end a proper American Irish evening. Singing the respective countries national anthems ofcourse. We got to our feet and swayed along to the Irish National anthem. And then, it was time to sing the Star Spangled Banner. Taylor & Tom took the mic and led us in patriotic love. There is nothing Americans love more than the Star Spangled Banner, so we were all moved by it. Belting it out, swaying with one another.

On that note, it was time to depart. Another great Irish evening. Full of singing and being merry, and loving Ireland and the United States, and wanting to go home, and wanting to stay forever.

Dinner at the Arlington & Lord of the Dance

This week marks the last week of classes at UCD. Then we have a week for studying (which is supposed to be a trip to Italy for me... God, Mother Nature, & Iceland Volcano willing). So this week is full of Farewell Dinners given by UCD and the Quinn School of Business. When you are paying thousands of euros in tuition, they are happy to give you a few free dinners.

The first dinner was given by the Quinn School of Business and took place at the Arlington Hotel on Dames Street, across from the Dublin Castle. The festivities started at about 7:30 and we arrived a little before then. We met up with some of the other American students and took our seats, as the first to arrive. Turns out that one of our new friends is from Wisconsin and goes to the University of Minnesota. Midwest representation. Its funny how interacting with people from all around the country, you find the subtle differences in personality.

We were served a 3 course meal, as well as a beverage of our choice (wine, beer, jameson, coke) and the waitress made sure we were aware that it was free and thus couldn't understand why Claire wanted just coke. Irish mentality. I ended up getting a salad, Guinness & beef stew, and a chocolate mousse for dessert. And a Bulmer's. We cheers-ed and continued our conversation about Jimmy Johns and assorted sandwiches. There was a video montage on of Dublin and it made me realize how much I'm going to miss this place. The live band started playing as we ate our meal, taking requests for our favorite Irish songs. The lead singer had a good voice, but he tended to mumble, which probably was exaggerated the more guinnesses he had. The dinner was very good, and very filling. Such a relaxing atmosphere, eating my stew, singing and clapping along to my favorites like Galway Girl, Tell Me Ma, and Wild Rover.

The musicians were replaced by dancers and they did some traditional river dances. Somewhat like Michael Flatley, Lord of the Dance. I obviously could only think about how "its as if his legs move independently from his body". We had a good laugh at that, and how it reminded me a little bit of Stomp The Yard: Irish style. Our dessert was brought to us. The waitress told us that Aoife had decided to let us all get a second drink... so I got a Bailey's. Mom, you would've been proud. We enjoyed our drinks, and dessert and then it was time to go.

We went to Porterhouse for a bit in search of the rest of the crew, but ended up taking the last bus home. Sleepy and chilled from the cool Dublin evening.

Sunday In The Park

Friday & Saturday were full of excitement, so Sunday we were all in the mood for something a little more relaxed. A Farmers Market in Dun Laoghaire promised to be that type of event for us. We met up at 1 (after I finally got a chance to talk to momma) and we took the bus to Dun Laoghaire. The bus ride went by fast as I had my nose in my book. An Irish #1 Best Seller called "The Best of Times" which had just started to get interesting. The weather was a little chilly. The sun plays a huge role in Dublin weather, and today the sun was hidden by some big clouds that threatened rain.

The farmer's market took place in the People's Park, a quaint little park located near the seaside. The park was filled with all things you'd hope to find on a Sunday, families picnicking, kids eating ice cream, some hippies playing the bongos, the smells of fresh food from all around the world. The market wasn't very large, but it had booths offering an array of products. There was a rather large fresh produce stand, with plenty of carrots and oranges. Then there were jewelry stands and a book stand (complete with true Irish literature like Ulysses & Oscar Wilde poems). A few vendors were selling organic items like clothing and candles. Of course there plenty of food stands: homemade fudge, homemade ice cream straight from the farm, crepes, falafel, assorted breads, fish, and homemade pizza. After making a loop around the market, I decided on a homemade pizza for lunch. My blueberries for breakfast had worn off and the smells were too good. Claire got a crepe and Stacy a muffin and we headed to sit by the seashore and eat our meals. The waves were crashing against the walls, and we hummed "sitting on the dock of the bay" while we ate. My only complaint was that it was a bit chilly, but we sat and chatted about life, love, Ireland, & going back to the United States. We decided to get the blood flowing so we went for a walk up and down the pier. We all loved Dun Laoghaire, it has the peaceful seaside village thing going for it, and the sailboats in the harbor, and the people out for Sunday strolls. Stacy said some day she will retire here, and I don't think that sounds too bad. The elder couples strolling down the pier holding hands & eating their ice cream seems like a perfect way to live to me.

We got some frozen yogurt (even though it was cold outside) and sat on a bench to enjoy it. After a while, we decided to head into Dublin for a little shopping and to meet up with Stevie & Laura to watch the Aussie Rules Football game. We ended up shopping at Penney's, but I didn't end up buying anything. Then we headed to the Woolshed a little earlier. We ordered dinner and waited for the rest of the people to arrive. Stevie & Stacy ordered drinks and we waited for the footie game to come on. About 9, Stacy & I headed home. I had some homework to finish up. As it turns out, the footie game was cancelled so the rest of the group ended up coming home soon after us.

A relaxing day by the seashore, full of reading, and fresh food. A good way to spend a Sunday.

Getting Down & Dirty On Causey Farm

At the beginning of the semester we were given a list of study abroad day trips, and the one that stood out the most to me (and Stacy) was the trip to Causey Farm. A day of farm things. I am not sure why this out of all the trips was the most exciting. But it promised authentic Irish things like hurling, and baking, and playing with sheep, and the infamous bogs. And then, today, that day finally came. The anticipation was high, but let me tell you, Causey Farm did not let us down. Today may have been one of my ultimate favorite days in Ireland so far. I did things today that I would've never imagine doing and I'm sure people wouldn't imagine me doing either.

We started the day at 9:15 in the Quinn Parking lot where we were picked up. Dorothy was stuck in Barcelona due to the volcanic ash sweeping Europe so we had another woman taking us on our adventure today. Her name was Terri and she was a sweet woman, whose daughter is currently pursuing a PH.D at Northwestern. Only 20 or so people decided to hit the farm with us today, which was surprising because we were sure that this would be the most anticipated trip. It was about an hour and fifteen minutes to the farm which was west of Dublin, near the town of Trim and Athbay. We got off the bus with our backpacks with our change of clothes that Dorothy suggested we bring for this optional "bog jumping". No one was really sure what this would entail but Dorothy has yet to let us down. We were instantly greeted by a lovely woman named Debbie who would take us around the farm for the day. First stop, baking Irish brown bread. We were instructed to wash our hands, put on our aprons and head up stairs.

Debbie instructed us how to make this brown bread. A heap cup of flour, 3/4 cup of wheat flour, half teaspoon of salt, heap teaspoon of baking soda, an egg, half a cup of buttermilk, and there you go. Of course all the measurements were made using a coffee cup and big barrels of ingredients. Debbie tossed eggs around the room for us and one did not make it. Oops. She didn't seem to care much. Ardi decided to get his hands in the dough, and thus ended up with half of it stuck on his fingers since it was so sticky. It took both Debbie and Terri and some flour to get it off his hands. Everyone was having a good time, laughing and baking. We put our names on toothpicks and brought our bread downstairs to be baked while we went out and explored the farm.

Next up, Irish dancing. But while we waited for the barn to clear, we got to see the baby lambs. So adorable. The one little baby was standing on his mother "baa"ing at us. We were all so excited about the animals, I'm pretty sure Debbie thought us Americans were all crazy.

She took us into the barn with the cows and a baby calf and asked if any of us wanted to milk the cow, appropriately named Betsy. I definitely had my adventure pants on so I stepped up to milk the cow after one of the guys had gone. I've milked a cow before, some time in grade school, so it was no big deal.

Mary, the milkmaid, than asked if I wanted to try some of the milk. I said sure. (I had my adventure pants on remember) so she then told me to squirt some into my mouth. Given the angle and location of the udder, that would basically mean that I'd have to get my face underneath the cow. I was expecting more of a cup kind of deal. I laughed and told her "I think that's a little more than I can handle". She then told me she could squirt it into my mouth for me. Good idea? Seemed like it at the time. Why not, right. So I backed up, took position, and she launched a stream of cow's milk into my mouth (and sort of on my face). It was kind of like trying to get water from a hose stream. The pictures don't do it justice, at just how ridiculous this moment was. I'd like to note that I was the only one brave enough to drink the milk straight up from the udder. Warm milk. Talk about organically grown. Reminded me of Fox and the Hound when she squirts the milk at Tod.

Then we got to play with the Calf. Basically this calf just sucked on our fingers. Ridiculous. We were getting up close and personal with the animals.

The dancing barn still wasn't free so she took us to see the PUPPIES. Little Collie Pups. I got to hold one for a little bit, then I passed it on to Stevie, who passed it onto Dan, who then got pooped on by the little pup. These little puppies were straight up just born, they reminded me of 101 Dalmatians (lots of Disney animal references today).

Natasha started making fun of Dan, and karma struck and her puppy pooped on her too. Too much excitement for the puppies. Moving on. Next, we saw a Billy Goat. With a beard and everything. Fantastic. Then chickens. We got to go in the chicken pen and some people picked up roosters. Not an animal I needed to hold. There were also bunnies, and the Collies were running around. Block and Cinderella.

Time to dance. We were taught an authentic Irish jig. Reminded me of an Irish line dance. I think the best part of the dancing experience was the fact that Block, the 9 year old Collie, literally scaled the door so he could come in. He then sat in the middle of the floor and wouldn't move. I don't think he wanted us to dance. The dance wasn't too complicated but the spinning got a little confusing. We had a good time though, and it was a little cardio for our day.

We then went out in the field to get some first hand experience with the dogs herding the sheep. The dogs listen on command to the master's directions and herd the sheep in whatever way they're instructed. Pretty impressive.

Block was an old pro and he had the sheep come to us. He did manage to chase them outside of the gate. A little lamb got stuck in the fence and all the girls "Ahhh"ed. But the lamb got himself out and kept running. Totally precious.

Then we got our own chance to wrangle some animals. Including a mother goose who probably would have chopped your finger off with her beak.

And a BIG pig. I like to call him Wilbur. Some of the guys tried to ride the pig. (The farmers pretty much let us do whatever we wanted). Brendan managed to ride the pig for a few feet. I only wish I would've been quick enough to capture this moment. After wrangling the pigs, it was time to play a little drum.

The Bodhran is a traditional Irish drum used in jigs and reels. The skin of the drum is made from goat's skin, and you are supposed to put your hand on the back of the skin so that the drum sound is a little muted. The drum sticks have to ball like ends and you are supposed to hold the stick like a pen with your wrists facing inward. We all got a drum and learned some basic rhythms and then played along with music. My rhythm skills aren't that great, but it was still fun to play along.

After all the dancing, drumming, and animal wrangling it was time for lunch. We congregated in the dining area. For lunch, our homemade brown bread and homemade vegetable soup. There was also cheese slices so I ate some of those with my bread. It was definitely a hearty meal and I felt pretty legit eating it, especially because I had made the bread myself. I didn't finish my whole loaf but they gave us baggies to bring it home in. Then after lunch was tea, coffee, and scones. Give me another place and time that you'll find 20 American students sharing tea and scones. Full of soup and bread, it was time to hurl.

Yep, outside on the field for hurling. We got hurlers and balls and took to the field to try out our skills at the Gaelic sport. No surprise that my skills were a little bit lacking. You have to scoop up the ball with the flat stick, balance it on the stick with you run (like an egg on a spoon), and hit it like a baseball. We got to practice all these skills with our coach Darrin.

We raced each other trying to keep the ball on our sticks and did some what of a "home run derby" hitting contest. Then we got to practice our skills shooting at the goal posts. Hurling is an amateur sport (much like Gaelic football) meaning that the players don't get paid. I think American athletes should come to Ireland to see how hard people work just for "the love of the game". Makes me question how much Michael Jordan really loved it, or if he really loved those million dollar endorsements.

After hurling, it was time for the moment we had all been waiting for. BOG time. All that we new about bogs was that supposedly the Bernstein Bears once had played in them. I changed into my shorts, not expecting anything other than it would be easier that having to roll my jeans like Debbie said we could. As we waited for the tractor to come get us, we went into the barn and the farmer and I made rope out of hay. Then Claire and I used it as a jump rope for Stevie. Until another girl tried to double dutch in and the straw rope broke. The tractor had arrived so we hopped in. Hay rides, another one of my favorite things.

The tractor ride was about 10 minutes and then we stopped and got off. We were in the middle of a forest/bog type deal. It's nothing like you've ever seen. The bogs are the marshy lands that were created by the glaciers melting, forming lakes, then decomposing plants filling these lakes. The bog is marshy lands that have a preserving quality about them. They stay at about 3 to 4 degrees (Celsius) so the bogs were once used to keep butter cold before refrigerators. The bogs are so good at preserving things that Debbie said they've found old butter in the bogs (from like 100 -200 years ago) and you could almost still eat it. No thank you. The bogs (not this particular one) have also been known to contain preserved bodies. The moisture and the temperature kept the skin and hair preserved while the bones deteriorated. We saw these "bog bodies" in the National Museum of Ireland in one of the first weeks in Dublin. The dried peat from the bogs is then burned. We continued to walk through the bog path, coming upon a "hen party" playing in the bog. Hen Party is the Irish form of a Bachelorette party. I found it a little sexist that the woman came to bake bread and learn to dance for their hen parties. These particular hens were in the mad search for their "wellies" which they had stupidly worn in the bog. Now you might think it'd be a good idea to wear rain boots in the muddy bog. Except the bog has this suction quality to it, almost like quick sand.

We made our way to the area with a rope walk and monkey bars and the bog for jumping. We were all still unsure about jumping in this bog. It isn't wet like mud, and it looks solid like normal ground. But it's not. It is kind of like jello. Jello with a suction. Suction demonstrated when Bridget fell off the monkey bars and got stuck in the bog. Dan had to go help her out.

We asked Debbie how deep it was and she didn't know. She said the only way to find out was to jump in, and so Pete jumped in.

And then another guy jumped in. I had my adventure pants on, and so I jumped next. Straight in.

And then I was stuck. There is no way to capture or explain what it's like to be stuck in a bog. It's like you slide in, and then you are stuck. The bog closes up around your legs and you can't move them. Moving around is like sticking your hand in those kids' "farting putty". There is air pockets and it is so dense that ever move you make it difficult. I literally got stuck, and so Claire jumped in too and helped dig me out.

The trick, don't jump straight in. jump with your legs out so you land like you are sitting in a chair. Stacy realized we were having all the fun so she jumped in too.

We spent a while playing in the bog. Jumping in, getting stuck and having to dig ourselves out. We convinced Lauren and Bridget to come in, so they jumped in too.

Then the four of us when to the top and jumped in from the top. I got stuck again, and had to kick my feet to loose them. Even though you have no wiggle room because the bog literally tightens up around you. I was covered in bog peat, and pretty much ruined my tank top. I should've grabbed my tshirt that I brought for the bog hopping. Claire and I jumped in holding hands (special right?) and then she proceeded to dig herself out while spraying me with the peat. So I chucked some at her. It could've turned into an all out war but I don't think either of us wanted bog in our hair. Plus Debbie had warned us that changing facilities were minimal.

I finally wiggled myself out, and crawled out of the bog, like a full out bog creature.

I am not sure how many people can say they have jumped into a bog. But let me tell you, it was quite an experience. The mud created a force, and it was very cold. We wonder if its like a mud path....

Bogging Buddies

The Boggers

Full of dirt and bog materials, we headed back to the tractor. The bog began to dry on our skin, and unfortunately for the guys, in their leg hair. We were all rather disgusting and we had to crowd together on the hay ride home to accommodate for the accompanying hen party. We got to the farm grounds, and one of the woman workers was astonished to see us all covered. We all thought this was the normal thing to do. The "washing" facilities we had were literally aluminium pales and a tap on the side of the barn. Luckily, she found us dish rags and soap so we could at least scrub the peat off of us with the ice cold water. Needless to say, it was a long process of getting clean. When we were finally clean enough to put on some new clothes (but not really THAT clean) we changed in one of the little houses. They brought us bags to put our bog clothes in.

We collected our bread, said goodbye to our farm friends and animals, including the sheep that I went and pet. We were all exhausted from the adventures and we all pretty much fell asleep on the bus ride home. Then straight home and into the shower to get the rest of the bog off me. What a day.

That's exactly how I felt.

Pure Ireland

Today marks the one month mark until returning home to the USA. Time flies when you are having fun, and now we are all in the mode to make the best out of our last month here. None of us have class on Fridays so it became apparent that we'd need some type of adventure for the glorious spring day that we woke up to. So I did a little Googling and found an adventure for us. Wicklow Mountains Part 2. Blessington Lake. Seen in PS I Love You. Number 65 bus. Check. I invited my comrades for my adventure, promising nothing but some scenery. I told Stacy that this was a "path less traveled" type of adventure. She liked my style. We rendezvoused at 12:15 and headed to take the 10 into the city to catch the 65 to Wicklow. We got to the city with enough time for Jen to get some chinese take out and we enjoyed the bright sunshine as we waited for the bus. The bus ride took a bit, which I warned my compadres about, but it was cool to see another part of town. The ride ended up taking about an hour and a half, and we neared our destination on the outskirts of the little town of Blessington. We literally got off the bus at this random gas station. I mean nothing but a gas station. Hello Now & Then. We decided the sunshine & warmth made popsicles and ice cream a necessity.

After buying some from the gas station and asking the attendant where we should go, we headed down the road. Not ideal for walking. Narrow roads, speed limit 100 km/h (62 mph). We found the quickest path off the road, towards the lake. A little off roading, and we soon found ourselves at a grassy cliff on the shores of the lake. The sunshine, the lake, blue skies. Perfect.

We set up camp, more like we took off our jackets and sweatshirts, took off our shoes and socks and laid in the grass listening to my ipod play Molly Malone and Galway Girl.

Jen passed around her bottle of wine she had brought. Rough week for Miss Matchett. We enjoyed the sunshine for a while until we were getting too hot and sweaty. I'm not sure if you find moments more perfect than laying in the grass, in the sunshine, singing along to Irish music.

We decided to keep walking and find somewhere we could get in the water. I had tried to climb down from where we were, but we decided that even if I got down, I would be unable to get back up. The grass was very dense and dry, like tumbleweed. We found a path that led us to a place where we could climb down to the beach part. We put our feet in the water, which was pretty much ice cold. We took advantage of the cold water to chill the rest of the Oyster Bay.

My feet were numb after a few minutes. But that did not stop our little Canadian friend from deciding that the Wicklow National Forest and Blessington Lake would be the perfect place to return to her Canadian nudist ways and go skinny dipping. So she did. And then Claire joined her, while Curry and I sat on the shore in the sunshine laughing at them. It was a perfect little beach and I think we could have sat there all day, skipping rocks, and laughing at Curry's failed attempts. The sun was bright, a fisherman was in the distance casting, and a sailboat on the opposite side of the shore.

We decided to head to the nearest Texaco. We had high hopes of hot dogs and more wine. We figured we could create a little bonfire on the beach. Although fires of any kind were prohibited in the national park, but then again so was swimming. We headed back towards the road, singing country songs about Texaco Stations. I ofcourse pulled it up on my ipod and we sang along to Walk Away Joe. We tredged through a field and found the road. Texaco Station, nowhere near. We walked along the road in the direction of Blessington.

It was not that enjoyable, since we felt like we were going to get run over. We found a car park with some boats lined up on the lake near it, so we thought it was a place we could rent a boat and get out on the lake (PS I Love You boat scene was shot here according to IMDB). But it was more of a boat graveyard, and there was no one to be found.

Hm.. at least we found a path that we could walk on that wasn't on the N81. We also found a sign that told us their may have been scum in the water that cause irritation and vomiting/diarrhea. Good thing we didn't drink it. Hopefully Claire & Jen don't end up with a sweet skin rash. We ended up walking through the forest as I busted out Walking In Memphis.

In the forest,we stumbled upon a patch of shamrocks. We searched for four leaf ones with no luck. We sang Dixie Chicks and Big Green Tractor and ate cookies and picked shamrocks.

We continued walking, we had since passed the point of no return. We passed a field full of cows. And then sheep. Smelled like Champaign when the southwinds blow. We heard the little sheep "baa"-ing. Surreal.

We came to a road, and we walked along it until it met up to the N81. About 12 times during the afternoon I felt like we were in Now & Then, when they go on their bike ride. We even busted into song a few times.... "Knock three times on the ceiling if you want me...Twice on the pipe if the answer is no". We walked along the road singing "Cowgirls Don't Cry". We passed a golfcourse and a guy golfing shouted to us. Both Curry and I thought it was a old woman until we saw him. We passed another wanderer on the road, who looked sort of like a young Albert Einstein. Randomness. Another field full of baby sheep, including the rare black sheep.

We got back on the N81 and walked along the nonexistant shoulder. It was less than ideal especially when it came to the curvy parts were we had to balance alongside the guard rail. Lucky for us, the number 65 came upon us and we flagged it down. The bus driver let us board and we headed back to Dublin after a very wonderful afternoon in Wicklow.

When we got dropped off on the Eden Quay, we headed straight for the Chinese Buffet. We loaded up on Sweet & Sour chicken and rice, and fruit, and a soft serve banana split. Stevie joined us and we recapped our day and talked about the volcanic eruption that was keeping Jen from going to Scotland and preventing Stevie's friend from coming to visit. After loading up on buffet, we headed home.

The inspiration for the day. Pure Michigan.

A little sign that say so much. About our need to fill our lungs with fresh air. To stretch, to laugh, to simply get out and play.

Gone Rock Skipping, Gone Hiking, Gone Wandering.

What a perfect day.

A perfect day.