2 Days Left...

...and I'm not ready to go! I'm really not.

I was going through my albums on webshots.com, and realized you might not know exactly what's going on.

The Cliffs of Moher and the Ireland Countryside galleries are both from the same day. We took a tour that went around Galway Bay and throughout the surrounding area, which was really pretty. We had a bit of a cloudy day, and so the pictures don't necessarily depict what I saw with my own eyes. Stunning. Just like Guinness Love.

Ireland Countryside is bit of a misnomer. It was really just the countryside I saw that day. This isn't the way that all of Ireland is, but I thought it was just incredible. Stone everywhere. You can see where it's been mined from the hills and made into stone walls.

After touring for a while, and stopping for lunch and a Hot Whiskey, we came to the Cliffs. Unfortunately, there was an accident and so the entire left side was closed off by rescue workers. The right side was absolutely incredible. Again, it's cloudy so you can't really see what I saw. But seriously - amazing. Even with the rescue team (or perhaps b/c they were already present), I hopped a fence to get close to the cliffs. I was able to get really close, walking along a narrow dirt path. It was incredibly windy- I am trying to post a video I took to show you how windy it was, but *surprise surprise* the internet is not cooperating with me. Take my word- at one point I turned to Nicole and said, "This is ridiculous; we should go back." It was great though- I was standing up there with my arms out, staring off into the sea with all this green around me, feeling the force of the wind nearly lift me up. It was simply magical.

So, two days left, and I feel like I haven't even started. I've always wanted to come to Ireland, and it's been absolutely everything I expected, and more! I only have two more days with Guinness Love; it's incredibly tragic, and also very poetic. I really can't express how amazing, "awesome", this whole thing has been.

More Ireland pictures!

I've posted more pictures, including of my stint in Dublin. Also, this past weekend I was able to get to the Cliffs of Moher. It was really incredible, and the pictures don't do much to capture the experience. Unfortunately it was cloudy all day. The Cliffs of Moher was part of an all-day tour which led us through the Irish countryside. I'm really glad I was able to fit that in.

Just a few more days left...I still don't feel ready to leave, but I keep telling myself I'll be back someday! This is really such an incredible experience.

Hot Whiskey

2 1/2 oz Irish whiskey
1 slice fresh lemon
2-4 cloves
1 tsp sugar
hot water

Pour the whiskey into a whiskey sour glass. Add cloves into the fresh lemon and place into the whiskey. Fill with hot water and dissolve in the sugar. Serve immediately.

* * * * * * * *

Add a handsome Irish man and a splash of good conversation, and you have yourself a grand 'ole time!

Galway

Hello all! I am alive, and doing grand. I haven't really been able to post any pictures- my internet connection is horrendous here (surprise, surprise). Uploading takes forever, and to be honest I haven't taken any really interesting pictures.

I've been in Galway for just over a week now. The week itself is consumed with school work- I'm taking a class on Intellectual Property (copyrights, patents, trademarks, etc.), and on Pharmaceutical Law. With all the reading, it's hard to rally people to go out.

I've only had one weekend to enjoy so far. On Friday I went horseback riding with some friends, which was fun. I didn't realize, though, that another group was going to the Cliffs of Moher, which I would rather have done. Hopefully I'll get a chance to do that this coming weekend.

Saturday and Sunday had crumby weather, so I pretty much stayed local. A bunch of us went out dancing Saturday night, and I met my Guinness Love. Sunday was spent lounging and hanging with some locals. All-in-all, although it wasn't a very "touristy" weekend, I still had a great time.

Tomorrow we leave for a day trip in Dublin. A bunch of us have decided to stay overnight and come home Friday. Hopefully I will get the chance to take a bunch of pictures that I can upload for you all to see.

This trip is speedily coming to an end- less than a week and a half left. It truly is bitter sweet. I miss home like crazy, but at the same time I don't feel like I've had enough time here. But alas...

I miss you all madly! I'll be sure to take as many pictures as possible in Dublin and post them ASAP. Hope everyone is well!

American Cemetery in Luxembourg

I visited the American Military Cemetery today here in Luxembourg. I'm glad I did. We went in a group, but all split up once we were there. I was pretty solemn, as were most of us. It is really a beautiful site. I've posted the pictures again at http://community.webshots.com/user/d_cianz. It's been easier to post there, especially since the whole computer fiasco.

I've leaving for Galway tomorrow, and I'll be posting a bunch more! Blog with you soon!

~Dante

More photos

I've just uploaded some group shots from the trip. I've had such a blast with these people- we've been really lucky in that mostly everyone is laid back and just wants to have a good time. We all get along, and I know that I am making many long-lasting friends.

Pictures are up!

Hello all!

I'm in Luxembourg at the moment, will be here until Sunday. Then it's off to Ireland.

Luxembourg is..well...it's very French (it's German speaking as well, but I haven't heard anyone speak anything but French). Not as cordial as Belgium was. Our first night here we asked the concierge of the hotel where would be a good place to go for a bit to eat. He told us that this isn't like America, that there are only stores and restaurants here. We already knew that- our professor told us it's comparable to Wall Street. We all got the feeling that Americans aren't very welcome here. After spending a day and a half, I'm not sure that is entirely true. There are definitely a lot fewer people who speak English here than anywhere else we've been, but most of us have been able to get by. I've been able to recall some of the French I studied, and it seems that people here are more inclined to help you out so long as you put in the effort. Going up to someone and asking them if they speak English doesn't seem to fly here.

So we're staying in a hotel, and again the internet access is not great. We're confined to the lobby, without an outlet for a charger, and the internet access cuts in and out. I was able to upload my pictures from Amsterdam. I decided to upload them to a new site: http://community.webshots.com/user/d_cianz

Once you click on an album, I suggest the "slideshow" option to the right of the screen. I got some really great shots of the Holland countryside from the train - everything is so picturesque here, like a painting. I'm really, really enjoying my time here, and am looking into other studies I can do here and possibly some internships.

It's almost 11 am here- I'm 6 hours ahead of everyone in NJ. We discovered that there is an American cemetery here where General Patton is buried, and a bunch of us are going to check it out. I will post more pictures as soon as I can.

I miss everyone! Talk to you all soon!