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Roma

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For midterm break, my class visited the Eternal City.

I stopped at a different bar to try a different coffee for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack. I memorized my favorite order: “Un cafe freddo, por favore.”

Of course I enjoyed Italian pasta. Since I have Celiac Disease and am extremely gluten sensitive, I made use of an allergy card app on my iPhone. My friend got my gluten free pasta one night and I got hers, which was no fun, but all in all, the Italians were knowledgable about gluten and many places had gluten free pasta. Not to mention that I learned all public places have to have GF options- America take note!

On the last night there, my group went to a restaurant with no knowledge of anything. Upon arrival, we descended into a cellar restaurant right out of any Italian romance movie. Wine and salads turned into cheese and meat plates, which turned into pasta, which turned into salad, which turned into dessert. It turned out to be a six course meal- we all regretted not pacing ourselves. Even though I couldn’t eat about half of it, the waiter made sure to bring me and a vegetarian classmate alternatives. I highly recommend the restaurant.

In between, we walked all over the city- from tourist areas, to ruins, to cathedrals, to neighborhood churches, which were just as amazing as the well-known holy places,

While traveling from Point A to Point B to Point C, my friends and I stopped at several different markets. Each had identical scarves and jewelry, but each offered a unique flair brought by the venders.

Now that I’ve visited Rome twice, I hope to visit a different city in Italy next time.

Midterm Update

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I had an amazing day!

We started with classes in the morning, followed by the tour of a church and graveyard on a hill, with rich history, called St. Mary’s.

Then, my class toured Nemeton TV studio, which makes movies and broadcasts all Irish. We viewed a film they made called Kennedy’s Cadets about the Irish guards JFK loved and who served at his funeral.

After the tour, we stopped for tea and coffee at a local boarding school called St. Agostine’s, where all classes and interactions happen in Irish.

The building was haunting yet lovely in the evening light.

Below, my friend Allison poses with her cup of tea.

As we walked in, students greeted us in Irish (one even nodded with his best American accent and said “Sup?”

While we were drinking, I took my camera to the window to take pictures and was surprised to find that students were curiously looking and smiling.

I cannot stop starring at this photo of three girls:

Here, my classmates pose outside on the lawn.

After tea, the headmaster gave us a tour of the area and we visited a famine cemetery, which was extremely solemn and moving.

Here are my classmates Clair and Chelsea posing at the harbor.

Below them, our bus driver John O’Brien waits for us to finish our history lesson.

Our day ended at the Marine Bar in Dungarvan with professors, guides, and classmates eating Mutton and potato stew. There, the owner played a set of songs and told about time time Brad Pitt visited when he was staying at a nearby castle. This was followed my friends taking over the microphone and the owner accompanying them on guitar.

Cheers!