Dingle and others

I was supposed to write this post a while back, but I was busy cause of work and last weekend I did a brief trip to Finland to a christening of my best friend's baby. So because of all this, I'm only now writing this.

Anyhow, over a week ago a friend of mine from Sligo times came to visit me with her boyfriend from Finland. Altogether we spent two days together in Galway and after that we traveled to Dingle, Co. Kerry, in Southern Ireland together.

The first two days I just showed my friends around in Galway. I showed them some of the best places in Galway, like Salthill and The Claddagh. It was cool being in Ireland with my friend again, after all, it was the thing that made us friends in the first place. So yeah, there was definitely some nostalgia involved as well. My friend had also booked an express tour to the Cliffs of Moher for her and her boyfriend, since you can't leave Ireland without seeing the Cliffs. Originally, I wasn't supposed to join them on that tour since I had just been at the Cliffs myself. But since the weather had been dreadful the last time, I figured I might as well join my friends on that tour. And I'm glad I did. The weather was quite ideal during our visit. It wasn't raining and it wasn't even that windy. And the visibility was great!

The Cliffs of Moher

The Cliffs of Moher

The Cliffs of Moher

Group photo!

While my friends were here, I even got to see some of Galway's nightlife. The last time I was in Galway with my friend, I had been on antibiotics, so we really couldn't go out then. So out we went. On the first night, we went to a pub by the Eyre Square. It was a nice place, with friendly staff and good cocktails. And the prices weren't that bad either. The next day, after the Cliffs of Moher tour, we went out to an actual night club. The place went to was called Carbon Night Club. Maybe we went there on a bad night or something, since I had heard good things about this place, yet, it was a bit of a disappointment. The place itself was quite cool and the prices weren't too bad. But the music.. This always seems to be a problem with night clubs in Ireland, it seems. The music was horrible remixes or some hipster shit we had never heard before. It only got good way after midnight. So yeah, definitely not as good a night club as I had thought, but oh well, I guess it could have been worse.

The next morning, it was time to head for Dingle. We were faced with over 5 hours of sitting on a bus. Dingle is a lovely place, so it is such a pity that the connections there are so bad.

Anyways, the bus ride turned out to be not so bad and it went by quite fast. But when we got to Dingle, we were faced with a problem. We couldn't find our B&B. And after quite a bit of wandering around and asking around, it finally dawned on us; the location on google maps does not match to the actual location of the B&B. It was weird. And very frustrating. But finally we got to our accommodation. The accommodation was quite nice, though the room we had was quite chilly. After getting some rest we decided it was time to get a first glimpse of Dingle and get something to eat. What surprised me, was that Dingle is actually even more touristy than Dublin is. Dingle is such a small place, so when a small place like that gets that many tourists, well, apparently that's what happens. It was kinda hard to find anything genuine there, and we were wondering how do the locals tolerate it all. And thing that shocked us the most were the prices, especially on food. They were some of the most expensive ones I've seen in all of Ireland, even more expensive than in Dublin. So in that sense, the loveliness of Dingle and the great things I had heard about the place hadn't really dawned on me yet. In all honesty, the place felt like a bit of a disappointment. Especially after all the travelling we've done just to get there.

The next morning it was so lovely to notice how the weather had pretty much gave up on us. It was storming outside. The wind was super strong an it was raining as well. There were even storm warnings all over the country. This meant that for example a tour to Blasket Island on a bout that were supposed to do today would be impossible due to the bad weather. But luckily, we found an alternative. A local taxi company also did tours around Dingle and the Dingle Peninsula. So we did that tour instead. And it was definitely worth it. Because the landscapes.. Wow. Just fucking wow! You literally didn't care anymore that the weather was crap, the landscapes were so amazing. And our guide was excellent as well. He was telling all sorts of stories about the surrounding area, its history and all that. And on top of that, he was perfectly bilingual in both English and Irish. So yeah, when he spoke some Irish to some government worker who was taking care of one of the attractions we saw on the tour, that was pretty damn awesome! Because to this date, I haven't met a single Irish person, who had been perfectly bilingual like that. Good at Irish, yes. But bilingual, no. But then again, Dingle is a part of the Gaealtacht, areas in Ireland where Irish is spoken on a daily basis, so I shouldn't have been to surprised about it. But since words cannot describe the beauty of the landscapes we saw, I'll just let the photos do all the talking.

Luckily,by the time we got back to Dingle from our tour, the weather had improved a little. This meant that we would be able to take part in a dolphin tour to go see the mascot of Dingle, the dolphin named Fungi. I never expected to be able to see dolphins in Ireland of all places, so doing this tour felt even cooler in that sense. The tour itself, even though it was supposed to be sightseeing in the Dingle Bay as well, not just the dolphin, was okay. We did get to see the dolphin and it was pretty damn cool! But other than that, there was no guide or anything who would have told us anything about the surrounding area, which kinda sucked. Sure, I was satisfied with just seeing the dolphin, since I had never seen one in nature before, but still, I felt like something was missing from the tour. They could have done a better job at it. But then again, I didn't hear any complaints, people were very happy just seeing the dolphin. And the landscapes in the Dingle Bay were beautiful as well. So I guess you don't really need anything else.

Somewhere in the Dingle Bay

Somewhere in the Dingle Bay

Somewhere in the Dingle Bay

Yes, I did manage to snap a photo of the dolphin! A bad photo, but still!

Fungi

Fungi

On our last day in Dingle, we decided just to go shopping and stay in Dingle. It was quite nice, even if I didn't buy anything. And we went out to eat at a couple of cafes and restaurants. The food in Dingle was expensive and the quality most of the time didn't meet the price, but we did manage to find a cool pub, where we had dinner. It was a lovely and cosy place, a proper Irish pub. And the food and service there was nice too. And compared to the rest of Dingle, the prices weren't as high either.
The next day it was time for my friends to head for Dublin, where they'd stay for two days before returning to Finland, and time for me to head back home to Galway. Almost 6 hours on a bus. So after that, it felt so good to be home.

At the moment I don't have much time for anything else, besides work. I was supposed to write a work related post some time ago, but I simply didn't have the time. So all I can say is that I'm working and I love the work I do. At the moment, I am also sending in job applications and I have even been called to two job interviews in Galway. So who knows, maybe I'll actually get lucky and I'll be able to stay in Ireland after all!
And next weekend I'll be visiting my first home in Ireland, Sligo. I'm going for the Fleadh Cheoil, the biggest festival of traditional Irish music in the world. And it's held in Sligo. So it'll be great not only go back to Sligo after being away for so long but also see the town buzzing with life and tourists. But I will most definitely write more about it next week.

Work hard, play hard

I know it's been quite a while since my last blog post, but I am back to writing. Again. And since the previous post was mainly about work, this will be strictly about free time and spending time with an old friend.
Last week I had my first visitor to Ireland. A friend of mine all the way from Austria came to visit me in Ireland. I met her when she was studying in Joensuu as an Erasmus student and we hadn't seen each other since she left Finland in December 2013. So yes, it was a happy reunion after almost two long years! My friend had heard all the great things I have said about Ireland and she wanted to see and experience it all herself. And her coming to Ireland and me showing her around in this wonderful country was the best way to do it. This was also the first time for me to show one of my friends around in Ireland.

I met up with my friend in Dublin and stayed there for one night. Even though I'm not that big a fan of Dublin and I am a firm believer that compared to the rest of the country, Dublin is nothing. But still, regardless of my occasional negative views of the city, I still believe that it is a city worth seeing. I just don't think it is the best place in the country, quite far from it, actually.
Since we only had very little time to spend in Dublin, I figured I'd show my friend a couple of the local attractions and then just walk her around the city centre, so that she would get a feel of the place. On the first night I took my friend to see the Trinity College and its gorgeous campus. It felt very nostalgic to be there again, since I hadn't seen the place since the first time I was in Dublin in March 2014. Anyhoo, the Trinity College is a cool place. The campus is huge and beautiful. My school looks so institutional-like in comparison.
The next day it was time to check out St. Patrick's Cathedral. This was a place even I had missed, even though this was my 4th visit to Dublin. The cathedral was a cool building. We didn't go inside, just took a couple of photos of it and that was about it. After the cathedral it was time to head for the Kilmainham Gaol. Now this place is one of my personal favorite attractions in Dublin. The place is interesting, so much history of Ireland in one place, the guides are always good and really know their stuff when it comes to the place and history of Ireland and on top of that, the admission is only €2 for a student. Even though this was my second time visiting Kilmainham, the place was just as interesting as it was the last time. And even my friend liked the place, even though she wasn't that familiar with the history of Ireland.
All in all, my friend liked Dublin. Even though even she admitted that the rest of the country must be even better. I for one didn't like Dublin that much this time. Dublin during high season, packed with people, especially tourists, it just isn't my cup of tea. People are not even nearly as friendly as they are in the rest of the country and well, especially tourists, they can be rude and really inconsiderate of other people. But at least the cafés and restaurants in Dublin are quite cool. So yeah, I would say that Dublin is definitely better during spring or winter, when there aren't quite that many tourists in the city. Which I know sounds a bit weird, coming from a tourism student. But that's just how it is.

The Trinity College

Campus of Trinity College

St. Patrick's Cathedral

Kilmainham Gaol

After our brief visit to Dublin, it was time to head for Galway. The first night in Galway was mainly spent on walking around the city centre, the shop street, Latin Quarter etc. The next day it was time for a proper tour around the city. I showed my friend The Claddagh and Salthill. The weather wasn't ideal for the tour, but at least it wasn't raining. Claddagh and Salthill are my favorite places in Galway and I got the impression my friend really liked those places too. Especially Salthill and the ocean.

Sofia, the unofficial nature photographer..

The Claddagh

Salthill Beach 

Salthill

Since one does not simply leave Ireland without seeing the Cliffs of Moher, the next day we did a tour to the Cliffs of Moher and to the Burren. But on this day, weather definitely wasn't on our side. It was raining the entire day, which itself isn't that pleasant. Especially on a tour like this. Our clothes were  get damper and damper as the day went on. But we thought that by the time we would reach the Cliffs, maybe the weather would change for the better. But boy, how wrong were we.. It was literally storming when we got to the Cliffs. It was really windy and the rain was like whip lashes. In other words, the weather couldn't have been crappier. Still, we went up to the Cliffs, but we survived about 20 minutes. Then we couldn't take it anymore, we had to go back inside. We could barely see a thing. It seemed that me and Ireland were having a bit of a trouble in paradise. It sucked that the weather was like that on our visit to the Cliffs, since this was the place that my friend was looking forward to see the most. So I felt really bad for her. Talk about bad luck. But regardless of the shitty weather, I did manage to get a couple of decent shots of our Cliffs of Moher & Burren tour. And well, the photos of the Cliffs look fairly interesting, especially when I compared them to the ones I took on my first visit there.

Poulnabrone Dolmen

The Cliffs of Moher

The Cliffs of Moher

In comparison, here is a photo I took of The Cliffs of Moher
on my first trip there in spring 2014. Quite a difference, huh.

Once we got back home from the tour, I don't think a hot shower, dry clothes and a hot cup of tea had ever felt better. But our day wasn't done just yet. Since Galway Film Fleadh was still going on, we wanted to see at least one movie as a part of this film festival. Originally we were supposed to go see an Irish movie called Pursuit. But look at that, the tickets were sold out, so we had to choose another movie. But it all turned out alright. We chose a movie called Bloodsucking Bastards and that movie turned out to be a great one. It was fucking hilarious and quite original. All in all, we weren't disappointed at all anymore that we had to go see this one instead of the Irish movie. And well, the producer of this movie was originally from the South of Ireland, so yeah, I guess that counts for something. If you get a chance, do go see this movie. It is a really good one. I for one haven't laughed that much at a movie since I watched the Wolf of Wall Street.

The next day it was time for another tour. This time Connemara and Kylemore Abbey tour. And after yesterday, Ireland definitely owed us one. And apparently, Ireland always pays its debts, since the weather for this tour was great. Especially at the Kylemore Abbey, the weather couldn't have been better. We got some amazing shots of the Abbey by the lake. And it was a nice change not having to be in damp or wet clothes the entire day. We also got to see some of the landscapes of the Connemara National Park. In this sense, I was a little disappointed. I would have liked to see more of Connemara, since it was a place even I hadn't seen before, even though I've done travelling around Ireland. But oh well, I guess you can't pack everything on a day tour like this. I am still glad I got to see at least a small part of Connemara and my friend liked this tour as well, which was the main thing. After all, it was her first visit to Ireland and I wanted her to see as much as possible during her stay.
Once we got back to Galway, we even got to see some of street performers, which are an everyday thing in Galway. The name of the performer was Super Scott. And the main reason we even stopped to see his act was his Scottish accent. But his act turned out to be really cool. He was juggling things like knives, which was cool. And he was funny as well. All in all, it was a great end to the day.

Somewhere in the Connemara

Somewhere in the Connemara

The Kylemore Abbey

The Kylemore Abbey

With my friend at Kylemore Abbey

Victorian gardens at Kylemore Abbey

Somewhere near Kylemore

Somewhere in the Connemara

Somewhere in the Connemara

The street performer Super Scott

It was great seeing my friend after almost two years. It was cool to show someone who has never been to Ireland before around this wonderful country. My friend enjoyed her stay and said that she would surely come back. I can't really blame her. Ireland usually has that effect on people. I know it had that on me.
Sadly this was the last full day we got to spend together. Next day I had to get back to work. We did get to spend some time together in the evening, after I got back home from work. The next day my friend headed for Dublin and back home to Austria. But I'm happy she enjoyed here time here and that she would want to come back here in the future. 

Dublin revisited

Second blog post within two days. Excuse me for the spam, but since I have regained my enthusiasm for this blog, why not write when I feel like it. Especially when now there are some things to write about. So about Dublin:
Technically, this was my 3rd visit to Dublin. I was here in March 2014 with my friend and when I came to Sligo for a short vacation in October 2014, I stayed in Dublin for one night. But this visit was the first time being alone in Dublin for me. Though at first I was a bit nervous about being here alone (my sense of direction, it's bad. Veeeryy bad), but it all turned out well. I did not, I repeat, did not, get lost a single time while walking around the city centre today, which for me, is huge! Though I did get a little lost last night, when I was trying to find my hostel..  But then again, it wasn't entirely my fault, since I had printed a map from the Dublin bus station to the hostel, but it turned out that the bus would leave me to a bus stop near the bus station, not right in front of the bus station. This led to confusion and some wandering around.  But thanks to some help from a stranger (this is what I love about Ireland. People actually ask you, if you need help, and this can happen even in a big city like Dublin) I found my way to the hostel. And so far so good, I haven't gotten lost since that first time.

I spent most of this day just walking around the city centre. The weather has been beautiful, sunny and a bit windy, but still warmer than in Finland when I left. I was supposed to visit two of the sights I had yet failed to see in Dublin; St. Patrick's Cathedral and the Dublin Castle. But I got a bit lazy, and ended up visiting just the castle. It was an okay place. I just wanted to get a quick look of the place, so I didn't go on a guided tour, but got a ticket for a self-guided tour instead. I probably would have gotten more out of the place with a guided tour, but oh well, I got to see most of the castle anyways.
I've noticed that in Dublin, the major sights are not that spectacular. They are cool, but not the most amazing places I've ever seen. This was the case with the castle as well. But that's just my opinion, since I happen to prefer the nature landscapes of Ireland (The Cliffs of Moher, the beaches and coastlines of the country... Yeah, I know. The Western coast of Ireland has completely stolen my heart) over the likes of what for example Dublin has to offer. There is one very good thing about the tourist attractions in Dublin though; the tickets are cheap. I think the only place I've paid more than 10€ for entrance was the Guinness Storehouse. All other places have been way under 10€.

Outside the Dublin Castle

Inside the Dublin Castle. The ceiling was beautifully decorated.

After visiting the castle I went shopping. My enthusiasm for shopping comes and goes. I'm not too keen on fashion nor trends. I couldn't care less about what's in and what's out. But even I can say that Dublin is a very good city for shopping. And of course, Ireland has Penneys. Which as retail stores go, is one of the best things ever. Exactly how I like my clothes to be; cheap, yet cool. Quite often I find it hard to find anything cool at clothing stores, cause my taste in clothes usually isn't the most traditional kind. Yet I don't think I've ever left Penneys without buying at least one item. Since we don't have Penneys or Primark in Finland, it was great to go there again after a long time. I didn't find as much clothes as I would have thought (my wallet will thank me), but I did find clothes for my internship and something that satisfies the little geek in me A LOT.

The little geek in me is very happy right now.

I have to admit, it does feel kinda exciting to be in Dublin, regardless of my mixed feelings towards the city. For a girl from a small town, Dublin feels big. There's no way around it. And yes, I'm well aware that as capital or big cities go, Dublin is far from big. But to, it is big. There are a lot of people and there are people wondering about at all times, it seems. At first, that feels a bit exciting and of course different. But in the end, it feels a bit weird and makes me feel a bit restless. I like the liveliness of Dublin, but I also like some peace and quiet. I'd say that Dublin is a nice city to visit every now and then, to get a feel of the "big city life", but I would never want to live there. For a longer period of time, at least. Coming here is a bit of an adventure and my feelings towards Dublin have actually changed more positive, but at this very moment, I am still very happy about the fact that I will be living in Galway. Smaller, yet lively, cities are just more my cup of tea.
Since the weather is still nice and sunny, even though it's getting late, I'm gonna do one last stroll around the city centre and get something to eat. And tomorrow, my adventure can really begin. Galway get ready, cause here I come!

The river looks nice, especially on a sunny day like today.

All sun and no rain the entire day.