Stairway to Heaven

Spring break was a vacation which I both wanted and needed. While I felt that I needed a break from the academic demands of a semester abroad, I just wanted to get out of Dublin for a little while and get to some nice weather for a few days. Florence was just the location in which I could realize both of these goals. I booked my flight on Ryanair, which is a ‘no frills’ budget airline here in Europe. The thing about Ryanair is that you get what you pay for. The flights are undoubtedly cheap, however you are not assigned any particular seat and you only get to carry on one bag, or pay lots of money to check in any extra luggage. Another thing about Ryanair’s ‘no frills’ service is that any food or drinks you want don't come for free, and are in fact very expensive to buy on board the aircraft.. I managed to be within the weight limits for carry on baggage, and I didn't get anything to eat or drink on the journey, and so that saved a few Euro. Another reason that Ryanair is cheap is because they land at the smaller airports, and in so doing, avoid expensive airport/landing fees at the larger international airports Even though I was going to Florence, I actually landed in Pisa and had to take a bus to Florence, which meant a 30-40 minute drive on the highway. By the time I got into Florence, it was very late and I had some trouble finding the hostel. However, after some searching, I arrived at ‘Emerald Fields’ (ironic name as I had just left the emerald fields of Ireland) and went right to bed to be ready for the next day.
Although I visited Italy four years ago, I had never been to Florence and so, my first day in the city filled me with a sense of excitement and anticipation. I began the day with an early breakfast of croissant and cappuccino. Now people who know me well will point out that I rarely drink coffee, but the way I saw it, if I'm going to get a cappuccino, I might as well get it in such a famous city. Immediately after breakfast (and in an effort to avoid those seemingly never-ending lines) I set out to discover Florence’s most famous landmark – the Duomo. I casually wandered the streets with a map, using the Duomo as a point of reference, and when I eventually arrived at this magnificent cathedral, I climbed up to the top of the dome, stopping at a walkway along the inner wall to admire the fantastic paintings contained therein. The details in these paintings are absolutely amazing. I eventually arrived at the top of the dome where the views (and all 300/400 stairs) were well worth the effort of the climb. It was a perfect day and the view from the top was truly amazing. I could see the vast expanse of terracotta rooftops cover the cityscape and beyond into the distance. When I got back down to ground level, I explored the city – assisted by my most trustworthy friend - my map. After many hours of exploring and an authentic Italian gelato, it was time to call it a day.
My main objective of day two was going to see Michelangelo’s David. There are 3 versions of this sculpture in Florence - the original one and two copies. I decided to go and see the real one. If I didn't know where to look for the museum, I would have walked right past it on the quiet, unassuming Via Ricasoli, which is just a few minutes walk from the Duomo. I paid my entrance fee and proceeded into this very interesting museum, where I saw some exhibitions leading up to David. I then walked into the hall where the statue was. I was really impressed with the sheer scale of the statue which, I imagined, was going to be smaller than it actually was. I could have stood there all day admiring it and how excellent craftsmanship that went into producing it, but there were other things to see and do, and so, I continued to explore this ancient city.
On day three, I went to the Uffizi gallery. I could have reserved tickets for later in the day, but I only discovered this after standing in line for about an hour, at which point I was practically at the front of the line. I proceeded to explore the gallery which was really amazing. While many visitors could spend all day looking at the paintings in the Uffizi, I must admit that a whole day of religious art doesn't appeal to me. While I had traveled to Florence alone, I knew that some other Champlain Dublin students would be in the city at some point during the vacation, and sure enough, while walking around the museum, I bumped right into them. I talked with them for a few minutes and we moved on our merry way. I was tired by the time I had finished exploring the Uffizi and decided to take it easy for a while before my further exploration of Florence.
Day four brought about a day trip to Pisa. There really isn't too much to do in Pisa, or say about it. There is of course the famous leaning tower and a church next to it. I decided to go up the tower to say I went up the tower. I doubt it would be the tourist attraction it is if it was “The Formerly Leaning Tower of Pisa.” It doesn't have the same ring to it. After getting a bit of lunch, I decided to return to the comfort of Florence.
On day five, I took a trip to Rome – the eternal city. I visited Rome during my last trip to Italy, and so, I didn't feel the need to see all of the major sights again. I went to the Trevi Fountain and threw in a coin to make sure I get back to Italy. I went to the Sistine Chapel which had been ‘out of bounds’ the last time I was in Rome, as the College of Cardinals had convened there to conduct the election of the new pope. I wasn't overly impressed with the Vatican Museum, as I am not overly interested by lots of religious art. The Chapel itself was smaller than I thought, and I really wasn't overly impressed with the famous ceiling. I guess the bar was set much further up than David. I was ready to get back to Florence and just sit and relax.
I spent the remainder of my vacation in Florence. The spirit or ‘feel’ of city was just amazing. It is a city which is big enough to house numerous art treasures and wonderful sights, but small enough to avoid that “huge city” feel. The hostel where I spent these nights was excellent. I met people from all around the world, but there were mostly Americans. I flew back to Dublin on Sunday evening and embarked on a new week well rested. This was truly one of the best vacations I have ever had, and one which I will never forget – Bravo Firenze – che bella citta!

With Peace and Love,
Scott Miley

Breaking Away

It has been a busy week. This is the week before Spring break and my mom is currently visiting. It's a fun time, but I will have time to relax on my break.
My mom got here Sunday early. So far this week we have been going around Dublin and seeing the sights to be seen. When we go out to eat, we are making a point of going to place where I haven't been yet. One great place we went to is Bewley's on Grafton Street. It was recommended by Tom, the head resident here at the apartments. They have wonderful stained glass windows and it is very reasonably priced considering the location. Grafton Street is a reasonably touristy place (not as bad as Temple Bar) and the prices reflect that. We are going to Malahide tomorrow, which is a short train ride north of Dublin. We will also do the Guinness tour.
My mom leave Friday fairly early and then I will be heading to the airport later on that day. I booked my flights on the hostel in Florence, Italy. Oddly enough I am staying at Emerald Fields in Florence. I guess I can't get too far from Dublin in some respects. It is just me going on the trip, even though some of the other Champlain students will be in Florence. We don't have any plans to meet up and I don't mind too much. I will be there the whole time, which means I will be out of Dublin on St. Patricks Day. It would be cool to be here, but I'm not going to spend the extra time and money to figure out how to be here. I will shoot some video while I am there and post it. I just need to get some work done before I head out.
Below is a video from Ballintoy, the small town with 1 road and 2 pubs we stayed in when we were in Northern Ireland. Such an amazing sky.

With Peace and Love,
Scott Miley

Them Changes

It has been almost 2 months since my arrival here in Dublin (already?). When thinking back to when I arrived, I notice some changes for me personally and how I see the city itself. Let's break it down:

Language
When I first arrived, it was a bit of a challenge of understanding a person with an Irish accent. I could still understand them, but I would have to fill in gaps on what I thought they said. In recent weeks, I have become more accustom to the accent and can understand it no problem. I never thought that I would essentially have to learn a "new" language here in an English speaking nation. Also, some of the terminology takes a little getting used to. One of the big terms is "grand" which is used in a situation where Americans would say "great" (ex. "Grand idea" as opposed to "Great idea").

Getting Around
The whole driving on the other side of the road threw me off for about 2 weeks, especially if I am crossing the street. I went to London twice when I was younger, so I, in getting here, the concept of driving on the other side of the road was not a totally new idea to me. When I was on the Northern Ireland trip, I thought that I have gotten so used to the driving on the left side of the road that it will actually take a bit of getting used to when I get back, but I'm sure the adjustment period will not be as long as getting here. Having such an extensive bus and rail system is something that I really enjoy. When I was young, I loved trains (Thomas the Tank Engine was one of my favorite shows at the time). The concept of taking the train to where I need to go is great (or should I say grand?).

Money
I haven't really missed the dollar too much, but I could do without a bad exchange rate. It just makes things a bit more expensive in an already expensive city. Things here might be the about the same on the price tag, but then factor in the exchange rate and it just makes my wallet want to cry. When we were in Northern Ireland, I went out to a pub. Drinks were £2.50 (They use pounds, not Euro). You would be hard pressed to find a beer here in Dublin for €3. I have really become a fan of store brand instead of name brand items. When the store brand is significantly less expensive, it's hard to pass up. Also, I have noticed that the shelf where the sale items are is the first shelf I look at. I love the fact that 1 Euro and 2 Euro coins are popular. America has tried the concept of dollar coins a bunch of times, but each has failed. I would love if it did work.

Dublin and Ireland has really started to feel like home to me. When my dad was here, I noticed how much about the city I had learned. Mainly it was navigation, where stores are, and being able to talk about Dublin landmarks. I don't know if I will be ready to leave at the end of the semester or not, but I can tell that I will really miss Dublin when I am gone.

With Peace and Love,
Scott

"We are all born mad. Some remain so." -Samual Beckett

Only a Northern Song

This past weekend was busy as it was our group trip to Northern Ireland. We visited Belfast, Ballintoy (super small town) along the Antrim Coast, Carrickfergus Castle, Giant's Causeway, and then Dunluce Castle. This whole trip started really early on Saturday. We left the academic center at 8 AM. Luckily, I thought ahead and packed my bag the night before. Since I don't do well with thinking that early in the day, I figured it would be safer to pack the night before. I woke up at 7, put the remainder of stuff in my bag, did one last e-mail check, then left. The bus ride up is a few hours up, in which I did manage to take a quick nap. The interesting thing about going from the Republic of Ireland to Northern Ireland is that there is no border check, despite the fact that they are different nations. The only noticeable change is the fact that some of the road markings change and the road signs become miles not kilometers.

Once we got to Belfast, we picked up our tour guide. We rode around in the bus, getting out at the stops. We got to see many of the numerous murals in Belfast. There was some real artistic skill in the murals. I noticed that there were a few anti-George Bush murals, which I was surprised about. Not that I was surprised that people were anti-George Bush, but that they would put that in the murals. We went the the "Peace Wall" after. The Peace Wall separates the Catholic and Protestant sections of the city. They close the gates at night. It is a bit strange to have such a wall running through a major city in these days. Our tour guide told us that public feeling is that the wall should actually stay up, even though there is now relative peace. After, looking at more of Belfast, we headed out to Carrickfergus Castle where we had a tour. It was fairly interesting. We got to take a look at some of the weapons used when the castle was in use, but it wasn't much beyond the sword and some other tools. After that, we headed to the town we would stay in. We stayed a hostel at Ballintoy. When I say it is a small town, I am not joking. There is one road and two pubs. That's about it. I think there are more sheep than people.

We got up the next day for breakfast at the hostel. I took a few photos of the wonderul landscape shots from the hostel. After that, we made the short drive over to the Giant's Causeway. The causeway is a geological formation of rock in hexagonal shapes of all different hights. We were there for about an hour. It was very neat to climb on the rocks. I managed to grab a few cool shots while there. We took a stop by Dunluce Castle after the visit to the causeway. This castle was in far worse shape than Carrickfergus. It was bascially a ruin. The tour was a bit less interesting owing to the fact that some of the info on the basic castle building was already covered at Carrickfergus. Also, at this point, I was bit tired from walking a lot the past few days and not sleeping too well in the hostel. Our original plan after going to the castle was to go to a beach, but the weather had taken a turn for the worse while we on the tour of Dunluce. We made a choice to go on a tour of the Bushmills Whiskey distillery. The town of Bushmills was a short drive away from Dunluce. As sticking with the classic sterotype of the Irish, drinking is in fact a part of the culture, so seeing how an Irish whiskey is made is definately a part of understanding the culture. It was interesting to see the process of making a bottle of whiskey.

With Peace and Love,
Scott

P.S.- For those on Facebook, I posted a photo album of our tour. Feel free to comment.