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Sunday, August 3rd, 2025

Week 8: Sardinian Send-Off

For my final week in the program, I had a free weekend, so I decided to head to Sardinia. Thursday night, I caught a flight to Cagliari, the island’s capital. Friday, I walked nearly 30,000 steps exploring the city, and catching some great photos in the process. In the sunset photo blow, the pinkish-purple glow coming through the clouds on the right is illuminating the silhouette of the mountains just outside the city as the sun sets behind them. Saturday was the highlight of the trip. I rented an e-bike and rode through the mountains to Villasimius, a coastal town […]

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Sunday, August 3rd, 2025

Week 7: Celtic Tombs and Cliff Walks

Saturday this week we headed to the Boyne Valley which has some of Ireland’s most important historical and archaeological sites. Our first stop was the Hill of Tara, then we headed to the Trim Castle, where we got an impressive tour. The Loughcrew Passage Tombs, our next stop, was a series of ancient burial mounds with stone carvings dating back over 5,000 years. The views from the top of the hill were impressive, and the hike up to them was fun. From there, we made our way to the Hill of Uisneach, known in Irish mythology as the naval of […]

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Sunday, August 3rd, 2025

Week 6: Irish House Party and the English Spelling of ‘Jail’

Thursday this week, we all went to the Irish House Party event. For dinner I had the Guinness pie, which was good, and then we headed into the basement of the hotel which had a small stage and a full bar. The music and dancing was really good. On Monday we toured Kilmainham Gaol. The weather wasn’t great, but once we got into the jail that didn’t matter so much. I found some parts of the jail much more impressive than others, but I enjoyed learning about the deep history of the site, and how deeply rooted it is in […]

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Sunday, August 3rd, 2025

Week 5: Titanic Echoes and Coastal Wonders

Our weekend trip this week was to Northern Ireland, so Friday morning, we got on a bus headed north. Our first stop was the Titanic Belfast Museum, which is built on the site of the old Harland & Wolff shipyard where the Titanic was built. The museum was very interactive, and the highlights for me were reading the telegraph messages to and from the Titanic and the surrounding ships who rescued some of her passengers, and the collection of personal artifacts. I picked up a poster at the gift shop which was an ad for the White Star Line with […]

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Sunday, August 3rd, 2025

Week 4: Stories, Stones, and a Pint of the Black Stuff (oh and more castles)

Thursday this past week we all went to the Stag’s Head Pub for a storytelling night. The combination of low lighting, worn wooden panels, and the majestic taxidermy stag on the wall above the bar makes this a place I want to come back to at some point during the next month. We then all headed into the basement event space, which although less visually appealing, was also very charming. After around 90 minutes of folklore and fairies, we all headed to the Merchant’s Arch in Temple Bar for dinner. This restaurant is stunning, with a spiral staircase that reminds […]

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Sunday, August 3rd, 2025

Week 3: The Wild West – Cliffs, Islands, and Castles

Week 3 was all about venturing to Ireland’s west coast, a region famed for its natural beauty. After a very early morning departure, and on our way to the Cliffs of Moher, we made a fun stop at the famous Obama Plaza, a glorified gas station/rest stop celebrating Barack Obama’s Irish ancestry. The Cliffs themselves were beautiful. I took more photos than I have anywhere else in Ireland so far, and we could even see the Aran Islands off in the distance. We then went to Galway, where Anthony, Gideon, and I had dinner at the King’s Head Pub, which […]

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