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I can not even believe that I am writing this from my own bed in my own room in my little town of Burrillville.
The only noise I hear is Allie watching the finale of Survivor and wind chimes outside my door.
It's a bit different from the sounds of Dublin- ambulance sirens, thick Irish accents coming from the pub below our apartment, the clicking of horseshoes on the pavement, the honking horns, the voices on loudspeakers from the many taxi-strike parades.
I remember getting on the plane on January 8th, the meal I ate, the Irish woman sitting next to me.
I am in complete shock at how quickly the semester went by.
Everything I experienced from the waffles in Belgium to the crepes in France was absolutely amazing. Out of this world.
I have no words for what I experienced over the last four and a half months.
It is a good feeling to be home but as I look back on it now I miss 7 College street with its leaky ceilings, washing machines that stain all clothes blue, and floors that look as if they will collapse at any moment. Dublin has become my home away from home.
I don't know where the time went and right now I can barely process that I'm not in Ireland writing this blog but am instead in Rhode Island.
Time seemed to slip through my fingers while I was over there.
I didn't even have enough time to finish writing about all of my travels!
For now I'm going to go unpack and remember all of the amazing memories I made.
Over the next week or so I'll finish writing about my trips to Belgium, Spain, and France.
Thank you to everyone who followed my blog. You are all wonderful!
You've shared with me, in a little way, the most amazing time I have ever had and some of the most amazing memories I have ever made.

Slainte & Cheers,
Sam xo

Dingle, Ireland

Where to begin?
Belgium, West of Ireland, Spain?
I'll start with the West Coast of Ireland :)

So one day my two roommates and I decide to take a 7 hour bus trip across Ireland to a little place known as the Dingle Peninsula.
With not many main roads leading there the journey took a while but passed fairly quickly. About half way there I passed out and when I woke up my two roommates (Laura and Miranda) and I were in the little seaside town of Dingle. Unfortunately we did not see Fungi, the bottle nosed dolphin who has lived in Dingle Bay for over 20 years.
Our hostel was a friendly little house named the Rainbow Hostel fifteen minutes walk from the centre of the town. Two cats named Gypsy and Eway shared our beds with us at night and ate with us in the little kitchen that was warmed by a wood stove. Our first day there I realized I'd forgotten any other pants other than the UNH sweatpants I'd worn on the 7 hour bus ride. So, for the next three days I wore only those pants. After searching for pants and failing to find any we picked up as many snacks as we could from the grocery store along with a pizza and snacked all night in the hostel while watching Hocus Pocus.
The next day was rainy and windy so we decided to stay indoors, only leaving the hostel to get more food to pig out on.
The third day there we woke up to more rain but decided we needed to make the most of our time anyway. Following the path behind the hostel for twenty minutes we came to the Dingle Horseback riding stables. In my sweatpants, winter jacket, and riding boots, and helmet I hopped onto my horse named Blasket- named after an island off the peninsula. My roommate Miranda was the only one of the three of us who'd ever rode before so she was given the old lady horse who was stubborn as hell.
After heading up the foggy hillside which would normally provide riders with a beautiful view of the ocean the guide told us it was time to do some "trots". Let me just say that if that was a trot...I don't know how people stay on these massive horses when they are running at full speed. With snot dripping from my nose, my hair in my eyes, rain smacking me in the face and my legs flailing, I could not have been having more fun. :)
In the last ten minute stretch of the ride while passing along field after field the guide pointed to the side of the road, just behind a stone wall and near a few bushes. Right before us were to baby lambs and their mother who had just been born minutes before. The blood from the birth was still fresh on their dirty white wool and only one of the two tiny lambs was able to walk. On the walk back after saying goodbye to our horses we were able to take a few photos of the babies who by now were both running circles around their tired momma sheep.
A car pulled along side us on our soaking wet walk back to our hostel and a nice couple with their little girl offered the three of us a ride, which we graciously accepted. Back at the hostel we learned we would be sharing the room for the last night with a girl named Michelle who was traveling on her own across Mexico and Europe for a few months. Our last night there we spent talking with her in front of the wood burning stove and sharing snacks in the kitchen before heading out the next morning back to Dublin.
Dingle was magical.

Next stop: Bundoran for surfing!

Cheers,
Sam <3 xo

London, England

Well I'll start by saying that I was in London for 4 days and experienced no rain whatsoever which is, in itself, quite incredible.
The flight took no more than an hour and it still blows my mind that I am able to fly all over Europe and experience such different, amazing places in such little time.
After arriving in England about an hour outside of London the group and I hopped on a bus to the city centre.
Although it was dark I could already see the beauty the city held with the cream colored buildings on either side of me as we walked to the hostel.
(I went with 8 of my housemates)
From the very first day the group arrived in Ireland every single person in the house seemed to rush off to Subway when hungry. I however had been able to hold off, until this point. It was midnight, our hostel was in a more quiet area of the city, and with nothing else around us open, my stomach cracked under the pressure.
My sub of turkey, ranch, hot sauce, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, and corn was delicious, although it seemed to gross everyone around me out.
After devouring my sub we headed off to our hostel.
From the outside it looked quite promising- a little hostel situated between a row of identical flats and what appeared to be apartments.
The inside, however, was much less appealing.
My roommate Laura and I were sharing a room on the top floor that consisted of a fire engine red bunk bed and small sink.
We were thoroughly grossed out when we found hair and unidentifiable stains on our pillows and mattress but fully clothed, so as to not let it touch our skin, we climbed into our beds.
After three minutes had passed we were both out of bed again deciding to take our mattresses off of the bed which seemed like it could collapse at any moment and placing them side by side on the floor. Luckily, we'd be moving to a new hostel in the morning.

The next morning when we woke the group navigated the London Underground to the Wellington Arch where we joined a free walking tour of the city.
Our tour guide was a bubbly American girl with a slight Minnesota accent who worked for a touring company that ran only on the tips the people provided the guides with at the end of the tour. The company had bases in many of the larger European cities and ran free tours because it felt that anyone on any budget should be able to explore and experience each place.
The weather was out of this world for England- the sun was shining without a single cloud in the sky.
The tour went on for a little over two hours, stopping at places like Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square, the changing of the guards, Westminster Abbey- all of the places I imagined in my head when I thought of London.
Each of these places far exceeded my expectations.
I don't even have words for how beautiful the city was or for the feeling I had while I was there.
The only thing I could think to myself the entire time was that it was exactly how I'd pictured it to be and more.
It's hard to describe the feelings you have when I was there, or when I'm in any part of Europe really. Each place has such a different and unique feeling to it. London was different from Dublin. It was much bigger with a population of roughly 7.5 million compared to Dublin's 1.5 and unlike Dublin it had an extravagant metro system running underground.
Oh my gosh I love Europe. I love Europe. I love Europe.
I WISH I could put into words the feeling and atmosphere of each place!

The group split up later that day; a few girls went to see a show at the theatre while the rest of us walked around a bit more. Later that night we ate gyros and falafel before taking the underground back to our new hostel named "Best Place in Paddington" which was much nicer than our previous one. This one was situated above a 24 hour bar which closed at 11 to the public but remained open only for those staying in the hostel. It was a cute little pub with a few couches, tables, and a television that they plugged a Wii into around midnight for anyone who wanted to play. I must say that hostels can be quite the experience. You come to find and eventually accept that when you are staying in a room with sixteen other people, the majority being strangers, at least three of them will snore, four will most likely have terrible smelling feet from traveling and not showering, two won't speak English, and one of them if you're lucky might even have a life-size cow stuffed animal that you wake face to face with. At the same time it is one of the most incredible feelings I have ever experienced. As I was lying there in my bed it hit me that I was in fact sharing a room with fifteen people from all over the world like Poland and France in London, a place I'd never really imagined I'd be sleeping in. It was a strange feeling not knowing most of the people I was sleeping in the same room as but also having enough faith in people to be able to do so without worrying too much that any harm would be done to me.
The next day was filled with more walking and sight-seeing.
The sky was cloudless once again and it was warm enough to wear only a light jacket.
Our first stop was to a famous market named Portobello Road. It was lined with antique shops, street performers and vendors selling everything under the sun.
After taking the underground to the most amazing Thai restaurant and again onto Trafalgar Square three of the girls and I walked through the city for a few hours, stopping at the Tower and London Bridges which, contrary to popular belief, is not falling down.
Later that afternoon the three girls I was with decided to see a musical. I opted out of the standing room only option to explore the city on my own for a bit. I'd heard of a frozen yogurt place that was supposed to be amazing, serving real frozen yogurt with healthy toppings like fresh fruit and nuts. I was pleasantly surprised with myself at how well I was able to navigate the underground alone. After several minutes of walking around in search of the yogurt place called "Snog" I was about to give up. It was getting dark so I headed back towards the tube stop I'd gotten off on when I saw a bright pink neon sign in the words "Snog".
It was delicious! I chose the warm apple crumble- fresh apples, granola, and cinnamon on top of vanilla yogurt.
That evening we decided to try out the London night life as we were told it is some of the best in the world. I was not a fan. Most of what we could find were clubs that required a cover charge to get in so we headed back to our hostel for a good nights sleep instead. I'd much rather have the pubs in Dublin over the New York City style night life in London.
Our last day in London was yet another beautiful one. Westminster Abbey where Princess Diana's wedding and funeral were held was holding Sunday service so a few of the girls and I attended mass there. I love how nonchalantly I say "Oh we just went to mass at Westminster Abbey, no big deal". It was in fact one of my favorite moments of London. Following the service we took the tube to Hyde Park to visit the Peter Pan statue. I learned very quickly that the birds enjoy banana chips and if you give one bird a banana chip she will probably let her thirty friends know too. I was able to meet up with my friend Gulsun who is studying in London too!
We returned to the cheap yet amazing Thai place for a meal of roti canai, pad thai, and curry. Oh my good Lord that place was so delicious and on top of that nothing was priced above five pounds.
With full bellies it was time to go on yet another excursion. Several tube stops later we found ourselves running through Kings Cross train station similar to the one in Harry Potter in an attempt to find Platform 9 and 3/4. After twenty minutes we were pleased to find the wall with the shopping cart sticking half way out of it, the sign above it reading "Platform 9 3/4".
Twenty pictures later I felt it was my obligation to share the wonderful Snog with the girls. This time I had warm pears and cinnamon. I just love food way too much!
After saying goodbye to Gu we headed back to our hostel for our last night in London.
We decided it would be beautiful to see the Tower Bridge lit up at night so we made our way across the city for the view.
It was gorgeous of course. That is the only way to describe it.
We decided to try out our luck with the bus system rather than the underground. Though we got lost for an hour we still managed to make it back to our hostel.

One would think the story ended there having been our last night but oh no, of course it did not.
The next morning when we woke we had to take the underground to the bus stop that would take us on to the airport for our flight. We ended up getting off one tube stop too soon and missing the first bus to the airport. After a half hour of waiting outside because nothing was open at five am the girls started to argue about what our bus looked like. Glancing around I spotted an orange bus down the road and, pointing to it, told the girls that THAT was what our bus looked like.
Oh dear. As the bus pulled away in front of us we realized we'd been standing on the wrong side of the road. Though we missed yet another bus and had to wait another half hour we still made it to the airport with time to spare.

It is always nice to come back to Dublin after a long trip. London was out of this world and better than I could have ever imagined. Parts of it were busy and bustling with people but a short walk brought me to a quiet park where it was easy to forget I was in a city at all. One moment I was surrounded by old buildings and beautiful architecture and the next I was in Piccadilly Circus which reminded me of a mini Times Square. The entire trip was unreal and looking back on it seems like a dream. It is so hard to grasp the idea that I am in a foreign country traveling to places like Enland. Walking down side streets made of cobblestone, seeing sights like Big Ben. It is simply out of this world and indescribable.

Next stop: Dingle and Bundoran- West coast of Ireland!

I love and miss you all.
Cheers,
Sam xo

Long Overdue

This is probably the third time I promise this so I won’t promise it anymore, but I vow to at least try harder to update my blog more frequently than I have been! Anyway, I love and miss you all. Here is a long overdue blog entry. <3

Every time I take a journey to a new destination in Ireland, I tell myself “this is the most beautiful place on Earth.” Apparently, there are several “most beautiful places on Earth” in my head.
A few weekends ago I decided to cross over into Northern Ireland which is actually a part of the United Kingdom, uses the pound as currency, and is a separate country from the Republic of Ireland where I am studying, although the two countries make up the greater Ireland.
The journey began early in the morning with four other girls from my house by taking a bus trip from Dublin to the northern city of Belfast. As usually, the countryside along the drive was brilliant. Thousands of sheep and endless, rolling green fields passed by my window until I finally dozed in and out of a light sleep before waking up to find myself in Belfast’s city centre. After gathering my belongings the girls and I set out to see all we could of the city before having to catch a train to our hostel later that evening. The city was much smaller than Dublin and the hills surrounding it were covered in a light snow, which was fairly rare as snow doesn’t usually stick around for long. In the center of the city near the government buildings was a large “ferris” type wheel that one could have a ride on for the small price of seven pounds. That roughly converts to about twelve US dollars, so we passed up the ride. Some brilliant person decided that the best place for a Titanic memorial statue was right in the center of the ferris wheel and all of its workings where it was barely visible. Belfast is where the Titanic was built and launched and although we were unable to make it to the actually site where this occurred, we were able to see the cranes that had pieced it together in the distance.
While walking through the city we stopped at St. Ann’s Cathedral, a beautifully built church with amazing architecture and colorful stained glass windows. The WWII museum was simply a small room full of WWII artifacts and glass cases that told about Belfast’s role in WWII. After walking around the city a bit longer and on a tight budget we decided to try our luck at a little restaurant named “Blinkies”. The food was cheap and the menu contained items other than a chicken liver plate or black and white pudding. Black pudding is a sausage filled with I believe a pig’s innards and blood while white pudding is the same but the blood is replaced with bread stuffing. Delicious, I know. After eating our meal it was time to take our north bound train to Coleraine where we would then catch a bus to our hostel for the night in Portstewart. The train ride passed quickly. I read my book while the other girls napped and spoke with two locals, an older man and woman who had been childhood friends and were returning home from a reunion. I couldn’t help but laugh when the woman said she was surprised at home many people attended the reunion and were still alive.  Two hours later our train arrived in Coleraine where we then hopped onto a bus to Portstewart where our hostel was located. The hostel itself was an adorable little apartment situated literally 100 feet from the ocean and was owned by a man named Rick and his little cat Gingie. The night ended with a trip to one of the towns pubs where it was a nice change to see the price of a pint about half of what it is in Dublin.
The next morning I woke to sunlight streaming into the window. After packing our belongings we boarded yet another bus which took us on a short journey to Giant’s Causeway, a formation of thousands of basalt columns on the ocean’s edge that were caused by an ancient volcanic eruption. The scenery along the route to the Causeway was stunning as it usually is driving along a coast in Ireland. The bus raced pass castle ruins with views of an ocean below where people could be seen riding horses. The Causeway itself was amazing as well. It is supposedly composed of over 40,000 pillars that range in height, are almost perfectly hexagonal, and serve as great stepping stones arranged all along the shore. With the waves crashing all around me and the sun shining down from a clear blue sky I couldn’t help but feel at great peace.
The remainder of the trip was fairly uneventful. A bus and train back to Belfast followed by another bus to Dublin left me feeling exhausted. Belfast and Northern Ireland we beautiful. Really though, I feel like I need a new word or way of describing my experiences. I have trouble finding words for what I’m experiencing it and try so hard to paint an image of it all using my words but I feel like I’m falling short. The only words I can think of to describe what I’m experiencing are beautiful, amazing, wonderful, stunning, breathtaking, exciting…and though they all seem generic and repetitive sometimes I’ll do my best to continue to fill you all in on my journeys. Hopefully my pictures help a bit as well.  Next stop: London, England.

Cheers and Love,
Sam

I know I'm awful at this...

Ok soooo I know I am terrible at updating my blog but I'm working on it!
Let's see where I last left off....

A few weeks ago I went to visit Kilmainham Jail in Dublin which was very awesome.
No longer used as a prison, it was once used for public hangings and held prisoners of all ages from children to elderly.
The prison itself was incredible. Directly about the main entrance on the main street the two posts where hangings once took place can still be seen.
After passing through the huge gated entrance was a museum with facts, stories, artifacts, and history of the museum itself. The prison was unique because several important figures in Irish history had been held or even hanged there.
The overall feel and vibe of the jail was heavy. The stone corridors were cold, dark, and gloomy and were once flooded with disease due to overcrowding. During the Potato Famine and other times of hardship in Ireland people would commit small crimes just to be thrown into the jail where it was the law that food must be provided to the prisoners. However, once the government caught onto this the rations were cut greatly and the quality of the food was very poor. A newer portion of the jail built in Victorian style looked more modern and resembled the prisons like the one in The Green Mile and Shawshank Redemption. The rounded, open, multi-level architecture was used so it took only a few guards to be able to keep an eye on all of the prisoners. One 360 degree rotation enabled the guards to view every single cell, and the peep holes into each cell were in the shape of an eye so even when the prisoners were not being watched it gave the feel that they were, causing a sense of constant paranoia.
The courtyard of the prison was perhaps the eeriest part of all. On either end of the yard concealed by tall stone walls and black gates were two erected crosses. Both crosses marked the exact spots where two influential Irish leaders were executed, as well as several others, by a gun firing squad.
As I looked back on the dark walls of the prison when the tour had finished I knew for certain it would never ever be a place I'd want to spend any time in. The feeling both inside and outside the jail was sad and heavy...and I SWEAR I saw a ghost ;)

After taking the tour of the jail my next stop was Dublin Castle, situated right in the heart of Dublin. There isn't too much to say about Dublin castle, you really just have to experience it in person. The tour basically consisted of a walk-through throughout the castle which ended with a viewing of throne. The rooms were decorated beautifully and the king's bed was said to have been big enough to fit nine people. The most interesting room in the castle was a long room with high, painted ceilings that is still used when a new president is sworn into office.

A few weeks after classes had started we learned that we would be going to a Gaelic Football match in Croke Park, the main stadium in Dublin and Ireland.
Here's a link to a video that shows some gaelic football being played.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIlsRsMMJUc

Initially no one had any idea what team we should be cheering for but we quickly realized from the massive crowd that the blue team was Dublin and the red was the opposing team from a northern county called Tyrone.
Obviously it was necessary to have a few Guinness before the match!
I also purchased a blue Dublin scarf from a street vendor; though it was over priced and didn't smell too good, I didn't care!
The match began and the crowd went crazy, each person cheering on their county.
Over 79,000 people were at the match and not a single player was being payed to play. Each player was playing for the pride of their county, unlike our athletes who have half the talent of these players and are payed millions to catch a ball.
Though it's neither of the four, gaelic football is a fast-paced game involving skills required to play basketball, football, soccer, and rugby. At either end of the field are two soccer goals with a pole attached to the top of each side of the goal, creating what looks like a cross between a soccer goal and field goal post.
At first the match and rules were hard to follow but before I knew it I was screaming at the Dublin players at the top of my lungs to kick Tyrone's bloody arses.
The match was more fun than I'd imagined. I had more fun at the gaelic football match than I'd ever had in Fenway, even though that's almost a sin to say!
At halftime singer/songwriters Mundy and Sharon Shannon played their hit "Galway Girl", an upbeat Irish song that everyone knows and sings in the pubs all the time.
The match went into overtime but unfortunately Dublin lost to Tyrone. Because it was the 125th anniversary of Gaelic Athletic Association the match was followed by a light and fireworks show. Highlights of past games were shown on several big screens around the stadium followed by music and the light display.
After about fifteen minutes the show came to an end with the entire stadium lit in orange, white, and green lighting for the Irish flag.
It was by far the most fun I'd had and have had since I've been here.
Below are a few pictures of the jail, the outside of the castle, and the match.

I promise this time I will not wait so long before I post a new blog!
My next entry will be about my weekend to Northern Ireland :)

Slainte,
Sam <3

I'm back!

Hi everyone! I'm sorry it has been so long since I've had a chance to write.
It started to become a bit hectic here with the start of classes, the new roommates arriving, and sorting of my schedule.
Hmm, where did I leave off?
Ok, so, two weekends ago half of the group was taking the tour of Italy while the rest of us remained in Dublin and to take an Irish history course and day tours throughout the local counties.
The four girls who were on the tour, myself included, decided to get out of Dublin for a bit and hopped on a bus to Galway. Most of the time I was able to sleep but every so often I brought out the camera to capture the beautiful country side passing outside my window. Although...after about 200 pictures, all sheep begin to look rather similar :)
After a bumpy four hour ride from Dublin to the west coast of Ireland where Galway is located I wanted nothing more than a hearty meal. The girls and I dropped our things at our hostel, Kinlay House, and set out to explore Galway.
Our first stop was at a little crepe shop named Zatsuma where I ordered "the Spicy Galway"- a crepe filled with cajun chicken, tomato, cheddar cheese, and a sweet&spicy sauce. It was absolutely delicious. When we finished our meal we took a stroll down the main, cobble stone streets of Galway which were lined with little shops, cafes, bakeries, restaurants, and pubs. After learning about the history of the "Claddagh" the girls and I continued down the path towards the bay where we were greeted by dozens of beautiful swans (almost taller than me!) and other birds and ducks who were unphased by our presence. The coastline was breathtaking. With the little seaside town behind me and the Atlantic in front of me it felt like I had never even left home. Dogs were running freely in the green fields to my right and I wanted nothing more than to have Peaches with me running around and swimming by my side. Ok, I guess the rest of the family could be there too :)
As the sun was setting we decided to head back into town, grab some dinner, and see what Galway had to offer for pubs. When we returned back to our hostel we were greeted by a woman who was sharing our room with us. Her name was Nahdia; she had been traveling throughout Europe for 5 weeks on her own while on vacation from teaching where she lives in Australia. She had already been in Galway for about a week and offered to show us a few pubs she liked. (Thanks for the advice Johnny!!! Galway misses you!)
The first pub we went to was Taaffes Pub. It was exactly what one would expect an Irish pub to look like- wooden floors, stone walls, dim lighting, people packed in like sardines, the smell of smoke in the air coming in from outside, beer...everywhere, and a four person band in the back playing traditional instruments- one of the men switching back and forth between playing the penny whistle and doing a jig. Everyone cheered and clapped though no one had more than a few inches of room and in Ireland there is no such thing as "personal space". If you're in someones way they will literally pick you up and move you, though they are always kind about it. After Taaffes we went to a second pub called The Quays. This pub was a bit bigger though still very traditional. The entrance had a bar that opened up to a staircase. At the bottom of the stairs was a dance floor, a second bar, and another set of open stairs leading up to a third bar and a balcony where a band was playing. With a few beers in us and a new Aussie friend we decided to go to one more pub named The Kings Head. Like the others, this pub had dark wooden floors, a wrap-around bar, and traditional style decor. A live band was playing in the rear on a stage where the female singer was singing every typical American song possible like...ug...Love Shack. The best part was, the Irish knew more words than any of the four of us did. After a long night it was time to head back to the hostel and get some rest. Wandering the streets of Galway trying to find your hostel is even better when you have a crepe filled with Nutella and whipped cream. If you happen to see a street performer with a guitar, feel free to sing "Leavin' on a jet plane" with him, too...and throw him a few euro. :)
The next day the girls and I had hoped to go to the Aran Islands and the Cliffs of Moher but we unfortunately woke to what seemed to be a small hurricane. The cliffs would have to wait for now. After having a crepe (which became a huge problem for me while in Galway and the only thing I ate) we battled through the storm to Galway Museum where we learned a bit about the history of Galway and discovered JFK was a god in Ireland, having an entire section dedicated to him. The rest of the day became too awful to even go outside so it ended with a quick stop at a small street market where I bought a type of potato and pea curry/stew, followed by a long nap and a Guinness or two.....and maybe another crepe.
When we woke the next day the sun was shining, which is like gold in Ireland, so we hopped on a bus that took us on a scenic tour of the western coastline to the Cliffs of Moher. The ocean was a magnificent blue-green unlike any shade I'd every seen before and several quaint little towns passed by my window nestled between the Atlantic and the rolling green hills of Ireland. An hour after getting on the bus it pulled up to the tourist center at the cliffs. The center was built into a hillside and looked like the home of the Teletubbies with only a few windows giving away it's presence. This was because there had been a long debate about having an info center at all with arguments that it would take away from the natural feel of the cliffs if a huge tourist center was built. With only a few minutes to spare to beat the rain I walked towards the footpath along the cliff's edge. More than 500 feet below me extending as far as I could see was the Atlantic. The cliffs were absolutely massive and beautiful. As quickly as the sun had come though, it was once again hidden by the dark storm clouds coming in from the ocean. The winds picked up and the rain managed to find its way to every one of my remaining dry spots. My trip to the cliffs had to be cut short, but was absolutely breathtaking to say the very least. When I returned home to Dublin later that evening I was thrilled to be greeted with a package full of rice krispie treat sent from Memere (je vous aime avec tout ma coeur)! Galway was amazing...and wet. The pubs had a more authentic feel and I can't wait to hopefully return there later on when the weather is a bit nicer. :) I'll leave off here for now because I just wrote a novel, though I do still have many updates to write about! Tomorrow I will be going to a Gaelic Football Match!!! I can't wait to share stories about it :)
I miss you all and love you.
<3 Slainte,
Sam

So, it's a pain in the butt to try and fit pictures on my blog but I'm attempting to make a video sideshow so hopefully that will work!
Cheers,
<3 Sam