Purple, Prisons, and Poetry

Mondays are my favorite. Classes don't start until 2pm,

giving me a chance to catch up on all of the sleep I don't seem to get here.

Today was a PARTICULARLY exciting Monday, because class

was replaced with a super cool field trip to the Kilmainham Gaol:

a former Dublin prison now turned museum. Neat-0.

And so, I slept in until my heart's desire, slipped on my brand new...

super awesome...

ultra funky...

oober fresh...

BuRnT OuT PUrPle Tee ShIrT

and headed for jail.

Pretty fly, for a white guy.

Then in my ultra chic walking field trip prison viewing gear,

I started my prison viewing.

But not without a ticket.

The place was pretty scary. With capacity at about 200 prisoners,

imagining a full house was not a nice thought.

Lot's of cells. and I ain't talking bout no bloodstream.

Imagine this place cold and damp. Not the most humane of conditions...

Get me OUTTA HERE.

Surprisingly, the prison did have a church, so prisoners...

could pray to escape?

The cells were bleak. Dark. Cold. Small. Isolated.

Not digging the idea.

And what's the most surprising is some of the insane reasons people were sent to jail.

Examples:

- stealing a deer

- stealing apples

- stealing potatoes

Considering many of the jailings occurred during the Irish Famine

when resources were scarce...

what did they expect people to do?! LAME.

After an educating but disturbing day of jail talking, hanging talk and starvation...

I was in need of a mood lighten-upper. And then I realized.

MONDAY NIGHTS ARE SLAM OPEN MIC NIGHTS AT THE INTERNATIONAL BAR.

Glór Sessions here I come! ("Glór Sessions"= the name of the open mic night)

...When someone cancelled out from the set list last minute,

I managed to snag a spot!

And my suite came for moral support :)

Don't worry. Bulmers was there for moral support too...

(The place: Underground. Beer. People. Tables. THE WORKS.)

Want a taste of the slam? TAKE Ittttttttt!

Sorry about the commercial breaks, but just take it as a sneak peak!

The show was fun and I'm so happy to be testing the slam waters here in Dublin...

hopefully I keep it up.

Until then,

Keep it Glór-ious.

Foodgasms.

This weekend was most definitely the climax of my culinary experience thus far.

I decided to get up bright and early and greet the day...

little did I know that an oasis of delicious delight would greet me in return.

Let's begin, shall we? I take the bus into City Center, expecting to eat in a cafe.

But then all of a sudden, I realize that the cafes are blocked by a stretch of the divine-est smelling, looking (and later tasting) dishes any Irish girl could hope for.

That's right folks. This girl has gone Irish.

I begin wandering through each and every market stand, walking with an undeniable jig in my step. The scene was a foodie's heaven.

This table was covered with freshly baked breads, cakes and...

Quiche. Big beautiful quiche. I spotted the roasted vegetable savoury tart, and I knew I had to have it. Nothing in my life had every struck me the way this sliver of delectability did. The world stopped, angels sung. And I purchased the quiche.

It was love at first bite.

For just 5.90 Euro, victory was mmmmmmine. Mmmmm.

(I came, I saw, I most DEFINITELY conquered!) munch munch...

Once devouring my tart on the sidewalk, I was ready for some browsing.

Okay FINE... and a little shopping.

My eyes caught a table of glittery objects and I was seduced.

Hand-made crystal bracelets, necklaces, earrings.

Glitz glitz glitz.

Then I saw signs for an indoor flea market. say no more.

I'm not really sure why it's called exchange. You buy things... not exchange them.

Maybe it's because the stuff was so cute,

I ended up using all the dollars I had exchanged for euros? Whoooops.

Come on in, the waters fine...

Adorable nick-nacks, hand-made post-cards, and teeth necklaces.

Yup. Teeth. Moving on...

Funky-ness on the tables. Funky-ness on the WALLS. It's only fair.

I mingled with some craftspeople, picked up some art secrets

(like where to spot more Slam Poetry in Dublin!!) and peaccced.

But don't get your panties in a twist, I found more cool stuff.

Like panties.

EXCEPT... they aren't called panties! hehehe...

Knickers?! For real?! I'M. IN. LOVE.

But the romance doesn't end there.

Don't forget... the quiche was only lunch.

Behold,

The inducer of the

ULTIMATE food-gasm:

** Note: when have a food-gasm use protection.

I promise, I was wearing a napkin.

This Persian dish involves a lot of stuff I can't pronounce.

All I know is that the man next to me ordered it and it looked

WICKED good. So I pointed to it and got the same thing.

That was some of the most satisfying unknown food I've ever eaten.

In other news... Ireland has some other unknowns I have yet to figure out.

Bags that declare loving... Peanut Butter?

(later learned it was Paul's Boutique)

The Irish serving Tapas? Now I'm seriously perplexed.

Clue me in guys, cause I don't recall Spain serving a pint side their tapas.

Lot's of love... and silly-ness!

The Sams striking MAHEM on the bus!

I think I'm gonna hurl...

Hey everybody, I've got a bit of crazy news today.

Ireland is currently... SUNNY.

That's right. Having spent over a month here with zero

Vitamin D beaming from the sky, it has finally happened.

And today was the PERFECT day for it.

Our Contemporary Irish Society Lecturer, Frank,

guided a field trip this morning to give everyone here

a taste of the Irish sports scene.

We spent the day learning the methods of

Gaelic Football, Hurling and a bit of Handball.

Let me tell you... that stuff isn't easy! No wonder the Irish hit the pubs to relax.

First activity of the day was HURLING:

It's basically a combination of field hockey and lacrosse...

plus a lot of other crazy moves.

I tried my best to incorporate my high school field hockey techniques,

but I don't think the concept translated. Luckily, I looked DARN good in my helmet.

(Trust me... we looked good. I'm a doctor)

Next on the agenda was Gaelic Football... NOTHING like American Football.

Except for the fact that people run. It was sort of close to soccer, but with different rules.

This is basicalllllly how intense I was playing. Me exaggerate? Please.

In recent news, classes for today have been cancelled.

Is the sky falling??...

because nice weather AND classes cancelled just can't be right.

Well, I'll take it, talk to you soon!

Granted that the sky stays in place...

Northern Ireland: I came, I saw, I napped.

Well hello there readers... it has been A WHILE! I've missed you all terribly, so sorry to have been out of touch for so long. The reason I haven't been able to blog is because of my most recent traveling to Northern Ireland.

This past Thursday, my classmates and I hopped onto a bus and headed to

Northern Ireland for the weekend.

Our agenda:

- Drive a lot...

- Nap a lot while driving

- Go to Belfast, stay the night

- Go to the "Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge" (a rope suspension bridge near Ballintoy, County Antrim, Northern Ireland)

- The Giant's Causeway (an area of about 40,000 interlocking basalt columns, the result of an ancient volcanic eruption. It is located in County Antrim on the northeast coast of Northern Ireland)

- Go to Derry, stay the night

- Check out "Grianan of Aileach" (an Iron Age stone fortress in Cashel, County Donegal)

So that's the agenda... but what did we think of it?

Well... the accomodations were as follows:

(Perhaps a slight exaggeration, but not far from reality)

Luckily, the beautiful sights made up for our lackluster hostel.

It's me! Right before heading over to the...

Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge!!

Just a litttttle spooky walking over this thing. Just a little.

We saw these cool hexagonal rocks at the Giant's Causeway:

And we toured the city of Derry at night. In the rain. For 2 hours.

BUT IT WAS PRETTY!

And how did we get to all these places? On the good ole'...

PADDY WAGON!!

In other news...

My friends and I also participated in DCU's Dating Show "Take Me Out!"

"Take me out" is a dating show popular in Ireland...

and DCU did their own spin on the media phenomenon:

It basically involved my friends and I participating with other DCU students and attempt to pair off with "the perfect man"... didn't find the perfect man. But managed to find an unforgettably entertaining evening!

Miranda and I ready to hit the stage...

THE STAGE:

And that's all folks. To be continued!

BABY SIS GOES TO COLLEGE!

Happy Valentine's Day followers!

My most recent news isn't really news of my own at all...

but I had to SHARE IT WITH THE WORLD.

Jaxie is going to WESLEYAN! She just found out today.

That's some Valentine's Day gift.

HOLLER ATCHA SIS!!

I was definitely sending you some luck of the Irish ;)

Sangreetings from Madrid

Viva la España!

Well readers, I have returned from yet another successful European adventure... Spain! Friday morning (at 5am to be exact), my 7 friends and I left for Madrid. Once arriving, the grogginess of travel and lack of sleep quickly shrank into oblivion. We were in Spain... and it was beautiful.

Upon arrival, we were greeted by a warm spanish sun, cool crisp air, and streets crowded with locals. Lauren, Beth and I chose a hostel separate from the other 5 girls, so we parted ways in the airport and sought out to find "The Analina Rooms Hostel" near the Puerta del Sol. AMAZING LOCATION. AMAZING HOSTEL. Things were looking good.

Once we got exploring, we realized our stomachs were aching for some grub. Unfortunately, the meal we stumbled upon wasn't the least bit grubby.

Somehow I managed to force it down though...

Chicken curry fajitas with chips and guacamole. HOLLLERRR

After collecting our energy at the charming little restaurant (which didn't seem to excited to host a collection of American girls stumbling over broken Spanish)... we headed out to conquer the rest of the Peurta del Sol region.

And suddenly. Things got a little sweet and nasty.

First I'll hit you with the sweet:

Now, I'm not exactly a candy person... but this assortment of spanish candy was out-of-this-world. After tasting a few types, I don't think I can pick my favorite. So I guess I'll have to do another taste-testing the next time I'm back in Spain...

Now I'll hit you with the nasty. Grandma, shield your eyes!

In an area splattered with cute restaurants and boutiques... this shop seemed a little bit out of place. But being the curious young girls we are, Lauren, Beth and I couldn't help but poke our heads in. Once entering... we promptly poked our heads back out. Not exactly a family-friendly store folks. Take note.

After a naughty and nice afternoon, we needed to relax over a jug of sangria. And so, we searched for the perfect restaurant. Suddenly, we saw the name "Museo de Jamon" (one of the restaurants my friend had suggested I visit if in Madrid)... so we wandered on in.

The. Place. Was. Packed.

Utilizing our savvy American skills, we finagled our way to a table right in the center of the dining action. The walls of the restaurant were covered with hanging meats, but the ambiance was more exciting that disgusting... even though dried pork isn't exactly my wall decor of choice.

Overwhelmed, we glanced at our menus praying for English translations. We weren't so lucky.

We did however get pictures next to each meal option... even better. When the waiter came over I pointed to a picture that looked good and cheap... And it was!

Wasn't thrilled about the fact that this fish was bony through and through,

but hey... that place was busy... guess the chef had bigger fish to fry!

SANGRIA also graced our table...

Briefly.

We finished our meal around 9:30pm (actually a very early dinner for the locals!) and wandered back to our hostel. Nightlife didn't start in Madrid until 2am!! What were we supposed to do?

Siesta!!!!!!!!!!! zzzzzZZZZzzzzZZZZzzz

Siesta: Where you snooze, you win.

Several hours later, we were ready to dance. So where did we go? Kapital. Undoubtedly the craziest nightlife I have experience. Thus far. (Amsterdam still awaits as a travel destination...)

A PACKED dancefloor at 2:15am. Half naked dancers. Oh yea, and a rope dancer...

Yea sure, typical Friday night...

So what do you do in a packed nightclub with circus acts, flashing lights, and stripper poles? YOU DANCE! In the most tasteful way possible Daddy :)

Lauren and I strut the American moves...

And then pass out a half hour later.

Listen, I know, I know. "When in Rome... do like the Romans do." Except:

1) We weren't in Rome.

2) We had woke up at 5am for our flight. We couldn't stay up until 7am like the locals!

SO, by 3am we headed back to the hostel... ready for the beddy. Next thing we knew, it was 1:30pm and we had slept the day away. Good thing Madrid likes to start off the day late!

We decided to wander the city and find the Royal Palace...

and found the spectacular Retiro Park on our way.

Turns out they had boats for wanderers to ride.

So of course...

we rocked the boat. Baby.

(Pre-rocking the boat)

Some other things we stumbled upon during our delightful agenda- free afternoon:

A mariachi band... AYE AYE AYE!!

A pub... Ireland was following us...

A store with its OWN PERSONAL DJ... can I get a woo woo?

A man on the street who spontaneously sprouted out of

a table to petrify... me.

And stores with super cool bracelets. Beth and I got HOOKED UP:

Flashforward. It's 10pm... do you know where your children are?

Well, we were in Madrid. And we were hungry.

So we wandered the seductive streets of Madrid

to find a location with Tapas. TAPAS TAPAS TAPAS

Can you feel the romance? The air was thick with seduction. Rawrrr...

An hour later...

We find a restaurant that meets our expectations.

Cheap, beautiful, tasty-looking...

and LOADED WITH LOCALS

(key sign as to whether the food is authentically-awesome or not)

What we're eating: Manchego cheese, olives stuffed with anchovies, fresh bread, salad with tuna, onion and tomatoes, fries with scrambled eggs... and then some.

I bet you can't TAPAS that!

(Get it? Top that...)

The only problem was that the napkins were pieces of wax paper.

Tapas makes for messy fingers. And wax paper makes for terrible napkins.

BAD COMBO!!

Luckily. I got over it. Quickly.

That meal was SENSATIONAL.

Until next time,

xxx SAM!