With another week passed in Dublin, we have reached the halfway point of my summer adventures. Thursday night, we met at a pub in the city to hear some stories of Irish folklore and fairytales, which added more cultural context to the trips that we have been going on. On Saturday, we took a trip to three different castles, starting with the Rock of Cashel. I always love seeing these castles, and think it is amazing just how old they are. We then went to Blarney Castle, where people lined up from across the world to kiss the Blarney Stone. I thought about waiting in line, however I decided against it once I found out the queue was over an hour and a half. Blarney Castle was both beautiful and breathtaking, and had lots of trails surrounding it to explore the natural beauty of Blarney. The highlight was being able to get up and close to a couple large horses, one of which tried to eat my shirt. Prior to this summer I had not experienced too many interactions with animals, however I find myself enjoying the company of the many different animals in Ireland. We finished the day off with Cahir Castle, which was once again, breathtaking.
Sunday we had no scheduled events to wake up for, however my parents had arrived late the night before, so I met them for lunch and showed them around the center of Dublin. After getting a couple recommendations, we decided to get some lunch at the Little Lemon, which was delicious. Since the weather was beautiful, we decided to walk around St Stephens Green in the afternoon, which reminded me of Boston Common at home. The city was super lively due to the weather, and my moms highlight of the day was seeing all of the dogs walking around the park.
On Monday, we had class in the morning, and then took a trip to the Guiness Storehouse in the afternoon. This immersive experience was one of my favorite places we have been to, and the way they set up the tour and showed the process of making Ireland’s favorite beer was awesome. The rooftop bar was definitely a personal favorite, giving us a view of the whole city while being able to drink a well poured pint of Guinness.
My internship has been going great, and I was able to bond with my research group on Friday night when our supervisor took us out for dinner in the city. We went to a bar on campus after our meeting on friday, before the dinner which was definitely something that I was not used to, coming from Bucknell. I made my first set of gels to get data on, and discussed a game plan for the coming weeks with my supervisor. I feel like I am starting to get the hang of it, and get more comfortable with going into work during the week. I look forward to what’s to come!
