Up the Coast

Hello everyone! Thought I would write a quick update before I head off to Scotland for the weekend. It has been a crazy week, and I am getting over being sick again. I wish my body would just adjust to Ireland already! Let’s see, last Wednesday I went out to Bandaoke, which was a lot of fun. It is just like karaoke, but you have a band as back up. We had a blast. I had my last Physics lab last Friday, which is a relief! I dreaded the three hour labs. Physiology lab started up this week, it was very different from what I am used to. We were in a lecture hall and the teacher pretty much did the lab for us on the projector. I am used to hands on small lab groups. It was an easy cardiovascular lab, but in the end we had a “MCQ” twenty question quiz that was pretty difficult. Not sure where he came up with those questions!  

Last Saturday, a group of us went to Kinsale, a town on the coast about a half hour away. It is more of a summer town, but it was full of cute shops and cafes. We walked about a mile and a half up to Charles Fort. It is a star shaped fort built right on the water that was constructed in the late 17^th century. It was huge! We walked all around it, seeing the view from the walls and looking at what was left of the brick buildings. It started to drizzle by the time we made it back to town, so we found a pub called Muddy Mahers, and grabbed some food. The pub is family owned and it seemed like everyone knew everyone. We ended up sticking around as we had perfect seats for the Rugby match so we watched Ireland beat England 14-13. I am getting very into Rugby these days, it is amazing to watch.

My spring break has been planned and flights have been booked! I am backpacking through Europe with three of my friends for the month of April that we have off. The current plan is to start in Greece in Athens, and then move on to two Greek islands, Ios and Santorini. Then fly to Rome, travel up the coast to Florence and Venice, then take a train to Nice on the French Riviera. Next, on to Barcelona and ending in Paris! It will be four weeks :) I have been doing so much research with the travel, flights, and hostels. Earlier this week I booked hostels for the first week in Greece. I still need to book the rest, but just need to find the time!

I am off to Scotland today. I fly out tonight to Glasgow, but am taking a train to Edinburgh. I will be back late Saturday night. Quick trip, but I got great deals on the flights.     

Also, I put pictures up from Northern Ireland http://flickr.com/photos/mjhastie/sets/72157614747372336/ !