Edinburgh

The last weekend of November Jake, Joe, and I took a weekend trip out to Edinburgh, Scotland. During our 4 day stay we took a walking tour of the city, chased ghosts in some of their cemeteries, visited the town castle, and ran around on the golf courses of all golf courses-St. Andrew's.

This was one of our first views of the city, taken from the highest point on the ferris wheel we rode (pictured below).  It was part of a German market that is set up every year, in the heart of the city,  at the beginning of December in celebration of Christmas.  It came complete with rows of booths devoted to arts & crafts, clothing, and most importantly, bratwurst.  You best believe I took advantage of that!

Just a quick photo before our noses caught the delicious smell.

The 2nd day in, we trekked up the Royal Mile - a stretch of road in the middle of the older part of the city that gradually slopes up to Edinburgh Castle - to see what all the fuss was with this giant monstrosity of brick and cannons.  

Treating historical artifacts like toys.  Mom - can I have one for Christmas?

Jake snapped this as we waited to see the "Family Jewels" inside the castle.  There was a mural painted along the wall of the waiting area.  I think the new look suits me quite well.

Apparently this spot is pretty famous in the world of golf.  Not being a big fan of the sport, I wasn't aware of this until I asked about it right before this picture was taken.  Joe explained this was where the champion of the British Open gets their picture taken every year at which point I exclaimed, " anything Tiger can do I can do better!"

Sitting inside the prestigious St. Andrew's clubhouse.  It was only open to the public one day a year, and we happened to be visiting on that very day.  At this point I had been wearing the same pair of pants for a good 4 days in a row, and hadn't showered in at least 2 (hostel wasn't especially clean) You can imagine the looks this earned me from the clubhouse crew as they were dressed in suit and ties, and obligated to talk to me about the building and course. HaHa!

Went to St. Andrew's Castle afterwards mostly because it was close and free as well because of the special day.  Underneath the ruins were these man-dug tunnels left-over from a failed invasion attempt from centuries past.  Very cool, very cramped. 

Then, seeing as though it was the day in honor of Scotland's patron saint, we thought it best to pay our respects at his supposed place of burial .  The giant church they erected on this spot is now in ruins, but the foundation and entrance are still there.  Its built on a small peninsula of land that juts out into the Atlantic ocean.  Being that it was the end of November, you can imagine how cold it was, or I can just tell you.  It was 0 degrees Celsius.  

Our final stop was a hidden fairy mound.  As our guide put it, this was a "special bonus" part of the bus tour due to the small number of people in the group (9 in all, including himself).  Even though we were instructed not to put our hands in our pockets, swear, or whistle while on the sacred land (it's believed to  anger the fairies) I found myself whistling within 3 minutes out of habit.  I then preceded to cuss when I realized what I was doing.  This cost me close to $1 in coins as the only way to undo the wrong is to place change in the rock pictured above.  Whoever gets it, I hope they don't spend it all in one place!

And that was the end of our enlightening trip to Edinburgh.  We also managed to try some Scotch during our time there, but I'm still not convinced...wait...wait a minute.  I'm confused. Why do I feel like I was supposed to be talking about some other trip I took before Edinburgh? Hmm, that's weird.  Oh well. Until next time!

  

What I Did in the Last Month pt. 2

The second trip. sponsored by IES, was up to Northern Ireland.  Starting Friday, we met in the afternoon in Belfast for a quick lunch and tour of the conflict murals, then verntured further North to a small sea-side town known as Portrush.  Here we spent two nights in a well kept, but very retro hotel complete with an adjoining  pub and full Irish breakfast served each morning!

Whiskey tasting at the Bushmill's Distillery

Saturday day we stopped off at a Bushmill's Distillery, the oldest, legal distillery, for a late morning kick-start.  Next, we visited a special part of the Northern Irish coast known as The Giant's Causeway.  It was wet, windy, and incredible. 

Rainbow's are commonplace in Ireland

Group shot, a la Jake Kimble

In the "Giant's Boot"

After being taken out for a huge dinner at a restaurant with the most literal menu in the world (a cheeseburger pizza was actually a pizza with a cheeseburger on top), we had a night out on the town and encountered our first DRINK SPECIAL in Ireland - 2 for 1 until 11pm.  Boy, did Derrick and I take advantage of that!

The next morning, before heading back to Dublin, we stopped off at another part of the coast to walk the Carrick Rope Bridge.  I could try and describe how unstable you felt crossing it, but I think the pictures do it more justice...

Also in included in this month was the dreaded midterm week.  A storm that I can safely say we navigated ourselves through with relative ease.  What's worrisome now is the only thing that separates us from the end of our study abroad experience are 2 final exams, 7,000 words -spread over 4 papers, and a trip to Scotland.  All of which take place within the time frame of less than 4 weeks of time.  Giddy-Up!

Poland experience coming shortly.

What I Did in the Last Month pt. 1

Park lunch in the Galway town-square. (Great idea, Adam!)

The first trip we took was to Galway to see the west coast (also known as the REAL Ireland by all those who live there).  We spent the Firday night in the city, known as a culture-rich college town, and the second night on a nearly deserted Island - known as Inis Mor - that you could only reach by riding a fairy.  Galway was much less expensive and far smaller than Dublin, but equally as fun.  I taught some stiff Irish youths how to dance, but sadly, no photos were taken.  

 

To jump, or not to jump...

Inis Mor was incredibly eerie upon our arrival (8pm on Saturday night, pitch-black with almost no signs of life), but incredibly gorgeous once the sun rose.   In our hostel, we met a couple of old ladies - one from Texas, the other Alaska - who told us where to go if we wanted to see cliffs.  It was as if they read our minds!  So Sunday morning, we set off on a 45 minute hike to witness one of the most beautiful landscapes one could imagine.

The hike

The reward

What started out as a haphazard venture, turned out to be one of the most fulfilling trips I've ever taken in less than 3 days.  So much adventure, but so little time!  In between all of this, there were delicious meals, loud laughs, and special moments.  Many of which I can't include because I simply don't remember, but rest assured, they happened.  

To My Avid Readers

I sincerely apologize for my absence.  I know it's been hard for you, and my phantom-like existence is frustrating and largely unforgivable,  but in a vein attempt to justify myself, let me offer you an explanation.  

It's due to a combination of factors.  Mainly: a flood of academic assignments, successive trips, and a failing economic market.  Also, I felt compelled to finish my latest Chuck Palahniuk book, Rant.  It all happened in the blink of an eye, and in order to keep my head above water I couldn't afford to stop and contemplate, so I sincerely apologize.

For now, it is off to KraKow, Poland, to get a first person perspective of the Home-Country!  Until Monday, when I promise to return in full force with constant updates,  Na Zdrowie!

Malahide

This past Saturday Brian and I joined the girls for another train-trip to a town in northern County Dublin - an area I still haven't left from since arriving in the beginning of September.  The destination was Malahide, the purpose was to see our first castle.  

This is Malahide castle

And this is the group reacting to the sight of it.

The tour itself took about as long as it will take you to finish reading this post, and was a bit unorthodox.  It consisted of you and a random group of tourists walking yourself about the 8 room "house" as a voice recording continuously told you random facts.  The biggest letdown was the forbiddance of any flash photography, sorry guys.  You'll just have to take my word for it when I say they had some pretty intricately carved mantles back in the 1600's. 

Compensation for the lackluster castle was provided by the beautifully green, wide open area surrounding it.  There were hundreds of yards of untouched field capable of inspiring even the manliest of men to frolic.  Unfortunately though, Bryan has a bad knee that is aggravated by damp weather, so we were forced to settle for a jubilant stole in order to not make him feel left out.

Although our wanderings started out aimless, we ended up at a really amazing playground complete with a 40 foot slide, a really tall jungle gym that Jeanine and I conquered (seen below), and a huge tandem zip-line that made the entire trip seem worthwhile.

We also met an American couple from the East coast who just moved to Dublin no more than a week ago.  It seems the girls may be baby-sitting for them in the future - cha-ching! - but I'll let them tell you all about it.  Until next time, I'm Adam Kepa and you've just been updated.

  

Last weekend before this weekend

It's a slow Friday morning here.  Derrick and Brian are still asleep, compensating for the hours spent at a birthday for someone in our program,  and Joe left  for a  complicated trek to Amsterdam late last night.  Complicated because he had to catch a train from central Dublin to Belfast - where he was flying out of - only to kill 6 hours in the airport waiting for his plane to take off...I wonder how he's doing.  Anyway, before the activities of this weekend put me further behind in my updates, I thought I'd catch you up on the happenings of last weekend.

Saturday was a big day, and if it were a sit-com episode I think an appropriate title would be "Adam and the estrogen" because it consisted of me and 4 women parading around Dublin for the better part of the afternoon.  Starting from Kayleen's front-door, we walked to Dublin Zoo, where we were greeted by a sleeping lion, shy tigers, and phantom zebras.  

I can't say it was the best trip the zoo I've ever had, but it was worth it to see the Californian sea lions swimming around and yelping for no apparent reason.  I think we just came at the wrong time because it seemed like every animal was either being fed, or corralled inside for the night, but we still got some good views...

If you want more animal pictures, check National Geographic.

On our way back from the zoo, we stopped into The Brazen Head - Dublin's oldest pub - for much needed refueling before making the long walk home.  It was a nice, quaint place with a history so rich, you could smell it when you walked in and taste it in your Guiness.  Though it wasn't live (as the sign out front suggested it would be), it was the first time I had heard traditional Irish music being played in a pub since the first week we got here when my roommates and I sang with an Irishman.

  

In total, we clocked 9+ miles on the day, so you can imagine how excited we were to get home, heat up some food, and huddle around a laptop to watch the season premier of The Office!  The perfect way to end the day.

This just in...

A startling development has taken place in the course of Adam Kepa's study abroad semester. Approximately 4 hours ago he submitted a request to be selected for a completely random, one off, one-time job here in Dublin's fair city.  Considering it nothing more than a pipe-dream, he forgot about the entire thing almost immediately after hitting "send" at the end of the e-mail. 

Nearly one hour ago, that very same dream became a reality as his e-mail was quickly replied to with positive results claiming,  "You sound like just the type 

of person we're looking for - crazy!"  Out of complete joy, and a bit of shock, Adam then proceeded to exclaim to the entire living room he had been hired!  

So, what's the job?  Continue to scroll...

Shown directly in the center of this photo is the first participant of the 2006 Dublin marathon to cross the finish line.  Notice the graceful stride,  his hands jubilantly waving in the air, and the enormous smile on his face. Now shift your gaze to the right corner of the picture to the gentleman with the bright-neon vest eagerly awaiting the runner to cross the finish line so he can get his picture taken.  He's called a Finish Line Marshall, and that's what I'm going to be for the 2008 Dublin Marathon this October 27th.  

A big thanks goes out to my folks, without whom I wouldn't have had the experience to consider going after such a position.  

Catching Up

It's been a while since my last update, but it has not been due to a lack of activity over here. In fact, it's quite the opposite. Since I left you, A LOT has transpired.  So let's just get the apologies out of the way and move on, because I know you're sorry for wanting a constant stream of current information and you can't help it. All is forgiven.

Kayleen arrived, bringing with her 3 other females studying Dietetics at Purdue.  This means a number of great things, the most important of which is that they can all COOK! We've already taken advantage of this by organizing weekly group dinners between their house and ours, the first of which took place this past Thursday at their place.  

Rather than repeat what you may have already read, I'll just refer you to her blog for further detail/pictures.   Some might consider this lazy, or a bum's way out, but I think of it as my way of reducing waste.  There you can find a good summary of everything I've done in the last few days including our amazing trip to Howth (Hoe-th) for our first view of the gorgeous Irish coastline, fresh fish n' chips, and surprisingly, to meet some wild seals.  Photos for proof are there as well...

Just swimming freely in the harbor.

So while you get aquatinted with her blog, I'll get some photos organized from this weekend's trip to Dublin Zoo, and the Brazin Head - Dublin's oldest pub, and meet you back here soon.  Cheers!

The Things I Do for Free Food

Not much to report in the way of current events, so I'll clue you in on a few things I skipped over from last week. 

All of us, that is the 4 strapping young men currently residing at Wyckham 10, registered ourselves for volunteer positions in the Dundrum area.  We're tired of Irish people not coming to us, so we're going to go to them!  Derrick is looking for a place where he can write (he's an English major), Joe and I are interested in sports/recreation, and working with kids, and Bryan is just going to take what he can get.

Also,  I signed up for the IES student council.  Which is great because it's a chance for me to interact with the big - wigs of the IES organization,  make sure the student opinion is heard, but most importantly, it means I get FREE LUNCH once a month.  Yes, that's right.  For our monthly meetings, myself and 5 other IES students meet with the 3 administrative bodies of IES Dublin for an all expense paid trip to a local bistro!  I wonder if that includes pints...

Speaking of pints, here's a photo of me and Arthur Guiness himself. Thank you, Sir.

As for now, Joe and I are going to continue enjoying the smell of the cool air coming in through our bay windows and the muffled luster of the full moon that's currently hidden behind a stream of clouds.  Cheers.

Dublin Rocks

In lieu of taking a trip somewhere outside the city, the roommates and I decided to stay here and check out a 3-night music festival known as the Hard Working Class Heroes.  Held primarily in the Temple Bar area of Dublin, the festival offers a list of 90 unsigned Irish bands and gives them about a 40 minute set in one of 5 different "hot spots" within the area.  That area, by the way, is somewhat reminiscent of what I imagine bourbon street is like for Mardi Gras.  Just a bunch of secluded streets littered with people having a great time as they spill in and out of pubs, eateries, and over-priced shops.   The real bonus is that you only pay $20 for entry into 5 different pubs - far cheaper than the cumulative price you would have to pay to go into each on a regular night - and get live music of most any flavor from 7:30 - midnight. 

Highlights of the night included:

• The smashed 16 year old girl on the train ride into the show who insisted she was going to call the president of Ireland in order to find out which of her friends took the remainder of her alcohol and questioned everyone's knowledge of their own self identity by exclaiming, " NONE OF YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE...SLAGS"

• The size of the bouncer at the first club we stepped into, the Button Factory.  His waist literally began at my nipple.

• The music, of course.  We started the night off as strong as we ended.  Hybrasil wound us up by demonstrating their love for Duran Duran channeled through elements of their contemporaries the Killers and Minus the Bear.  While Frightened Rabbit (pictured up top) sent us home with a taste of chill indie rock a la Death Cab for Cutie in our mouths.  The funny thing about their show was we all agreed they sounded similar to DCFC within minutes of being there and found out they are opening for them in a couple of weeks after we got home. 

• Four Dame Lane (pictured below) - the coolest, and most popular pub of the night. It kind of felt like you were hanging out in someone's attic.

                                                 

Another band deserving of your attention is The Revellions. We were geared up to see them before we left, but were sadly disappointed to learn they were on the bill for the night before.  But in the end it didn't matter.  We boarded the train full of left over enthusiasm from the shows and plenty of $7 pints of beer.  Well worth staying home for the weekend and a great way to forget how poorly Manchester played against those sacks from Liverpool! 

Mission(s) Accomplished!

Friday was a whirlwind of activity.  Aside from the fact that it was the closing day of the first week of classes, those of us taking courses at the European Business School (EBS) were inducted into the program and taken on a tour of their facilities at 10AM.  It was here that I found two things I've been looking for since I got to Dublin:  

1. An outlet for playing football

2. A solitary place to read/study

EBS organizes football trails in early October to select up to 18 players for their school team that competes around Dublin throughout the year. This excites me because not only will I get a chance to play football in another country, but due to the fact the team will be made up of EBS students - an internationally varied bunch to say the least - I will be playing with guys from Germany, Italy, France, and Latvia at the same time.  Now all I need to do is find a ball so I can maintain my touch...

The second thing EBS provides is a state-of-the-art library for all things academic.  As some may know, I'm an avid patron of the Herman B. Wells library in Bloomington and have been missing it for some time now.  So having this available is like having a second home here in Dublin.  It also came at the perfect time as a couple days ago I went on a personal search for a public library that produced ZERO results.

Time for breakfast.

Sunday's loss

This past Sunday, the roommates and myself took off to a pub in City Centre to watch the traditional Irish sport of hurling. For those of you unfamiliar to the sport, as all of us were before looking up the rules via wikipedia, it's a game comprised of 1 part baseball, three parts field hockey, 1 part soccer, with just a pinch of barbaric brutality. The scoring is almost as fast as the players are. In short, it's fantastic.

This particular match was the championship between previous 3-peat winners, Kilkenny and the ultra-underdogs Waterford. Seeking to make things a bit more interesting, we decided to place bets on the outcome of the game. As all of us were generally in the dark about both teams, we figured it'd be the fairest gambling any of us could ever take part in. So Derrick and myself, thinking luck was on our side, chose Waterford. Within the first 5 minutes of the match, we realized what a horrible, horrible mistake we had made. I'll spare you the miserable details and just tell you the final score: Kilkenny 36 Waterford 16. Currently, we are in debt to our roommate Joe a pint a piece.

A day later we were reminded of our own foolishness when we overheard an Irish Sports-caster mention, "Oh yea, anyone that knew anything about hurling knew how it was going to play out right from the start..."

That picture up there is not only that of a distraught Waterford player, but a good depiction of what Derrick and I looked like in the pub.

Guiness Brewhouse

On Saturday we took a bus tour through the heart of the city.  It was very informative, and allowed you to get on and off as you pleased.  One of the stops was the Guiness brewery, considered as a must-see by myself and the roommates prior to taking the tour, so after about 25 minutes on the bus, we got off there.  

Walking into the factory was like walking into Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory, but for adults. It was amazing.  One ticket allows you to embark on a 7 -level, self guided tour of all things Guiness through an old fermentation plant which, at its center, holds the world's tallest pint glass.  Which called to mind the question, can you really only call it a pint if it's seven stories tall?  Looking at it from the bottom, I was reminded of the feeling I got while waiting in line for a roller-coaster at 6 flags.  During the tour, you learn about the standard things like the founder, Arthur Guiness, the ingredients and fermentation procedures, etc. 

Further on, you're invited into the tasting lab where they teach you the finer things about admiring the flavor. After learning about the product, you continue climbing higher to learn more about the business end of things such as marketing,  and transportation techniques.  Finally, the greatest part of the whole experience, a complimentary pint is delivered to you at the gravity bar on the 7th level.  It's a huge round lounge, perfect for a view of the entire city of Dublin.  The combination of that, and the best Guiness in the world was something magical my friends. It was also my breakfast for the day at 12 noon.  

Sky-bar 

Currently laughing at...

First Irish sing-a-long!

In an effort to get more familiar with our neighborhood, we took to the streets of Dundrum, the south-central borough of Dublin where we reside, in search of a local pub.  After opting out of the nightclub with a 10 cover, we stumbled upon a string of pubs about 15 minutes away from our place.  Of the 3 within that string, two were closed.  So, due to circumstance alone, we ended up at Ryan's Dundrum Pub.  It was perfect.  

With a small, quieter room to the left, and a bigger, louder room to the right, it had room for everyone and every mood.  On this particular evening, there the quieter area was occupied by the older crowd, complete with a lively bunch of Irish men seated at the bar,  one carrying a guitar.  Within a half hour or so, we, the crowd of 8 U.S. students, were trading songs back and forth with a group of 6 middle-aged cheery Irish folks.  We really came together when Derrick (roommate) played Last Dance with Mary Jane by Tom Petty.  We stayed about 2.5 hours before closing down the pub with the folks.  It was surreal.  We plan to achieve a semi-regular status there within the coming months.  

Video to come soon.

48h In

During a routine grocery trip to the nearby Tesco Superstore (their equivalent to Wal-Mart) I was denied the ability to purchase alcohol because the cashier suspected I was under the age of 18 and refused my Indiana Drivers License as a credible I.D.  Although this may have been flattering for some, it was infuriating for me.  I still stand-by the statement I made yesterday during our first trip to Tesco that it houses the only disgruntled and unpleasant Irish people on the entire island, but more investigating needs to be carried out.

In other news, we set up our class schedule today at the IES center (No class on Tuesday or Friday), ate lunch at what appeared to be a well-established tennis club, and got our first taste of authentic Irish weather courtesy of the combination of gusting winds and steady rainfall. Apparently a gale is headed our way this evening...shame we don't own any kites.  Neighbors are too come over soon and hang out for the night.  Must....stay...awake....

And finally, we visited the ruins of a monastery yesterday in an area known as Glandalough.  It was apparently some of the best weather Dublin had had in awhile, so we were very fortunate in that aspect.  Just thought I'd share some photos.  

 

Ancient obelisk in the center of the monastery.  They were built as signals to traveling monks as well as a sign of wealth.  This one in particular is the 2nd tallest in the world, so they had some cash.

Adjacent cemetery, and a nice shot of the scenery as well.

Wide shot of the entire compound.

Lastly, a shot of the lake and mountains surrounding the area.  In all honesty, this photo's only included to show off my roommate Joe, and a bit of my own vanity of course.  Cheers.

Welcome

Just arrived yesterday to a five star apartment, and ten-star roommates. (Herein-after referred to as flat-mates or "besties.") Compared to other people's set-ups in the program, seems as though we really lucked out. We seriously clicked within minutes of meeting each other.  Here come the photos...

Kitchen

 

Bedroom

Living Room                                                                    

Balcony

View from Balcony

We're located in a pretty ritzy south-side area of the city. While those in the north-side are considered less well-off.  The mall is a 5 minute walk from our apartment, and is a great place to shop and save in the 3rd most expensive city in the WORLD.

As far as the first day went, we got aquatinted with Louis - the light-rail system that takes us to class everyday, the IES center - where our classes are, and the pub closest to the school-house. It takes us about 20 minutes to get there from our place, but it's worth it for the better quality of housing we're in compared to some of the other students that are a 5 minute walk from the IES center. 

Tomorrow the whole group of IES students (about 30) are going on a pre-paid trip to a monastery west of the city (where the country side is).  Photos and stories to follow.

Current objectives:

• Secure tickets to a Manchester United match
• Lure & capture the dog that roams around our apartment complex 
  
• Meet actual Irish folk