Eat Prey Love... Eat again.

Long time guys!! How you all been?

Just got back from my 10-day Mediterranean adventure and MAN do I have a lot to tell ya.

Let's start at the beginning. Rome. Beautiful. Delicious.

Need I say more? (Veggies, sauce, cheese. MMmmmm)

Well, I will... but only because I know you're all ULTRA curious.

We (Carolyn, Miranda, Leslie, Sam and I) arrived in Rome

at around 10pm. (Do you know where your children are?)

After a complicated trip to our hostel, we managed to get ourselves settled

and scouted Rome for some dinner. Sam and I stumbled upon a wonderful

little restaurant with an overly friendly staff that seemed more interested in

taking down our phone numbers than our orders... but we were flattered.

Our waiter, Gabriel, explained how the restaurant had been in his family for

FIVE generations. He entertained us as he and the other waiter argued for

our attention, each claiming that the other one was married with 4 kids. Hilarious.

Gabriel treated us to some limoncello at the end of our meal, made by his very

own Grandmother. WOW. That grandma does not play around. Some strong stuff.

After a glorious meal, we headed back to our...

not-so-glorious hostel. But hey, it was cheap!

The five of us woke up starvingggggg (okay... that's a lie)

But we had to try more Italian food. So we did.

First on the list: Pastry

Check. (almonds, creme, love)

Once we finished chowing down, we cruised the city for some

architectural splendor.

But couldn't find it.

AT FIRST.

Oh hey Colosseum, wattttup?!

Walked a few blocks and bumped into this guy:

Augustus, Roman tyrant. With sexy abs.

Walked a few more blocks... and realized...

IRELAND IS FOLLOWING ME.

But it's cool. Rome, you can try out our pub scene...

Pffff YOU WISH. No really. Make a wish.

That's right Trevi Fountain, baby.

Now, I won't tell you what I wished for... but I will tell you

that if I had wished for the perfect pizza, this would have been

IT:

Pesto, mushroom, fresh mozzarella. Are you crying?

Because I am.

And oh wait... finished? All this? Yeah. Yeah it is.

So what do you do after eating a full pizza?

Eat gelato.... obviously.

Yummmm!! (stracciatella and tiramisu, SO good)

Okay... so PAUSE on the eating. Praying time!

Me and my girls at the temple of the gods: The Pantheon!

Okay, UNPAUSE: Foooooooooooooooooooooooood!!!!!!

I was so excited to witness the sugary goodness.

Too bad you ain't got smell-e-vision.

Don't have room for a caesar salad after all the sweets?

Well make some room for Caesar... THE REAL THING.

This is where Caesar was stabbed to death.

Yeah, piss off Brutus. UNCOOL.

The full view:

This place is now called: the Torre Argentina Cat Sanctuary.

Historically Caesar's murder site, but today a cat shrine for all of

Rome's feline population. I don't ask questions. I just take pictures.

Wandered some more and came across a play in the center

of a square... I think I caught the wrong moment.

But I'm sure it makes sense in Italian...

Okay PAUSE. I ate, I prayed... I LOVE fashion.

So, after a confusing show, we left to find some funky, vintage

Roman threads... and found a bunch!

No purchases for me, but a lot of browsing. Cost effective!

Okay, UNPAUSE. Back to eating :)

Salad of green olives, FRESH FRESH FRESH mozzarella,

and additional salady goodies. D-licious.

Wait... you thought that was IT?! ha.

Taste party on mah plate.

Eggplant parmesan, mushroom risotto, potato and brie.

Are you salivating? Because you should be.

Come on, make Pavlov's day.

That didn't do it for you? HOLY CANNOLI!

No really, this was a holy cannoli.

Leslie and I always have room for a little taste. or 2. or 3...

We walked a bit and stumbled upon some

QUESTIONABLE wine. hmmmm... why?

Curious.

FAST-FORWARD 10 hours. Past sleeping in an airport.

Yea, past that part. Oh boy, all-nighters in the airport

are NOT my fav. But it's necessary for the 7am flights!!

Good morning Athens! Gyro breakfast.

Just kidding guys, it was lunch time by the time we arrived.

WHO do you think I am?!

After settling into Athens we hopped on a train ride for a city

tour. We soon realized why the tickets were only 4 euro...

MAN that thing was rickety! But oh so fun!

See... aren't Carolyn and I having fun?!

When we got to the Acropolis we hopped out and explored.

So pretty!

Pretty theatre!

Pretty pathway!

Pretty awesome.

Pretty Greek.

Pretty, pretty Greek.

Greek-est.

Greek-est-est?

NOPE! Gotcha. Baklava is Turkish. Not Greek. Ohhhhhh

I was so upset when I found this out, that I decided to leave

Athens. Right then and there. So... I went to MYKONOS!

So beautiful, it did not look real. But it was. I promise.

And when we got there, we realized the island was celebrating:

Carnival, the European version of Halloween. Kind of.

Partyyyyyyyyyy!

Oh hi festival.

Oh hi super cute baby in a bunny suit.

Me and my roomie in the streets of Mykonos, blissss!

Just before we all trekked out for dinner...

I know, should be a postcard, eh?

We found a little restaurant called "Maria's" and Maria

herself served us a delectable dinner of Greek goodies.

Oh yea, and she had 2 euro wine. Uhooo.

I always believe my glass is half full... unless it's empty.

This is Leslie in Mykonos. That's all.

After missing the ferry out of Mykonos

2 days in a row thanks to some bad weather,

we managed to ESCAPE back to Athens. Finally.

Then we flew off to Milan,

because Italy had not had enough of us.

And we hadn't had enough of it either. Nom nom nom.

Chicken Milanese... a milan speciality? No idea.

Strawberry cheesecake. So ricotta-y. Yum.

Creme croissant from here:

Cutest bakery/ready-made food cafe EVER.

Outdoor market: cheap clothes. Cheap food. Yes.

Act your age, not your shoe size...

Unless you see a cute little bike.

Architecture of Milan... gorgeous, dahhhhling:

(The Duomo)

Note the balloons... Milan was celebrating Carnival too!

The streets were filled with craziness, lots of confetti,

costumes, screaming, dancing... and so much more!

... Like people spraying shaving cream.

Sorry Miranda! Carnival victim. Whhooops.

Evidence of the confetti: hello dirty street.

Miranda and I squeezed our way through the insanity

that was the Milan Carnival festival and made our way to

an equally crazy street of stores. Found these crazy bunnies

in a funny little boutique... with an indoor disco ball and DJ.

WHaaaaaa? Yea. That's right.

After a fun-filled and crazy afternoon,

the 5 of us were ready for our final Italian meal.

We went out to the Navigli region, a beautiful

waterside area with a bountiful supply of

restaurants. For some reason, the river water was

drained, so our view was not exactly what we expected.

BUT... the goodbye dinner was superb.

Especially after a healthy dose of grated cheese:

Gnocchi with smoked mozzarella, tomato sauce and mushroom.

Drool. Best dish of my life. Perhaps. Or the pizza. TOUGH call.

So long Spring Break adventure, and until next time...

Bone Apetito!!!

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 ;)