March 17, 2010

As you can imagine, St. Patrick's Day in Ireland was an unforgettable experience. After attending a Mass in Irish, my roommates and I made a huge breakfast of eggs and home fries for our friends. After getting decked out in whatever green and Irish flag-themed articles we had around the apartment, we set out for the parade. We couldn't really see the floats because there were so many people, but to console ourselves, we went the Old Oak after and had a pint of Beamish, made right here in Cork City. We came back and made barbeque and sweet chili wings for lunch-ish and then started the corned beef and cabbage. After a nap, we feasted on the "traditional" Irish meal and watched a football game on TV. The perfect day.

Chuck and I after breakfast and prior to the parade
Photo credit: Mag Tucker


Bought these from the 2 euro store :)


Parade shot


Roomie Kristen, me, and Mag at parade


View of the parade, appropriately looking onto the corner of Grand Parade and St. Patrick's Street
Photo credit: Mag Tucker

Mag, Tracy, and me at Old Oak after the parade

Marie, Marie, Here I Come

On Thursday (after Paddy's Day) I'm flying to Madrid to see Marieeeeee! For those of you who don't know, Marie is my best friend and roommate at Saint Ben's. (See photo at right, shown here somewhere in Spain.)

I'm staying with her and her host family in Segovia, Spain, until Monday.

I think this semester has been one of the longest times we have been apart since we've known each other. So sad. But she's going to take me to all the best spots in / around Segovia and Madrid and serve as my translator. Right, Marie? :)


In other news:
I'm still anticipating the activities of Wednesday, the 17th. There's going to be a parade in Cork City and Mag and I are working on securing some Heineken for our St. Patrick's Day celebration. I've heard some rumors that the celebration here isn't as intense or "festive" as in the States, particularly in NYC. According to her accounts (and the fact that there is a huge Irish population on Long Island, where she's from), St. Patrick's Day is crrrazy there with lots of food and parades and general hootenanny. I guess corned beef and cabbage is a big deal for Mag and her family, so if we can't find any around town on Wednesday, we're going to make some so I can get an "authentic" Paddy's Day experience. I'm still looking for a good outfit to wear - thinking about heading to the euro store to get some green stuff. All classes are canceled on Wednesday (UCC shuts down for the day) so we should have a grand time. Don't worry... my flight to Madrid doesn't leave Dublin until 5 pm on Thursday.