Trip to Ireland

The last part of my journey throughout the United Kingdom ended in Ireland. I boarded a bus to the Edinburgh airport at 4:15am, and hopped on a plane to Dublin at 6:20. The early morning plane ride didn't make my first day in Dublin any less eventful, though.

Trinity College

After getting to Dublin, dropping my bag off at the hostel that I was staying at - U2's old recording studio for the first 15 years of their career - and experiencing a "breakfast roll" (a conglomerate of meats, eggs, potatoes, and sauce in a baguette made and served from local Irish convenient stores), I set out to see the city. Similar to Edinburgh, Dublin was a very walkable city, especially because my hostel was right in the city centre.

I kept walking, and luckily there were signs to the main tourist attractions around the city. My first main trip was to visit Trinity College. Trinity College is the most prestigious college in Ireland, the college of Oscar Wilde, Samuel Beckett, and Jonathan Swift, over 40o years old, and the home of the famous Book of Kells (they were available to see, but no pictures were allowed to be taken).

Front Entrance of Trinity College.

After learning how to do it in Edinburgh, I quickly became a pro at joining tour groups. I overheard a student giving a tour, and jumped in easily. It was fun hearing about the student life both historically and in the present day, and to hear all the random facts about the university. And, as if there needed to be any more reason to visit, the campus was absolutely gorgeous.

Dublin City Walking Tour

I continued on my trek by following the tourist's signs to Dublin Castle. After seeing Edinburgh's, the Dublin Castle was a little bit of a letdown (although it was still pretty awesome!), but the tour that I quickly joined and laughed with was definitely not! The tour told us all about Dublin's history, both in the ancient times and more recently, and took us all over the city. I learned that Dublin is named after the Irish words "dubh linn", which means "black pool". The picture taken below, right outside of Dublin Castle, used to be a black pond that was useful in trading way back when...? I don't know if that all makes sense, but I promise it's something close to that!

Area outside of the Dublin Castle that used to be underwater, giving the city its name.

We also got to see the building where U2 used to practice as teenagers, the beautiful Christchurch Cathedral and the infamous Temple Bar district. We also saw a demonstration of what it looked like to live as a Viking, with up to 20 people living in a small house and "spooning" in one or two different beds. Glad I didn't volunteer for THAT demonstration!

Christchurch Cathedral.

Viking "spooning" simulation. Woof.

Project Arts Centre, where U2 got their start.

For the sake of comfortability (and not getting caught), I ended up leaving when the tour group split for lunch, but really enjoyed my second bummed tour of the day.

Guinness Storehouse

Possibly the biggest tourist attraction in all of Dublin is the Guiness Storehouse, where Guinness brewed all of their beer from 1902 to 1988 before opening it up to the public. It was a great place to learn about the history of Guinness (for anyone who thinks that God doesn't work through the beer industry, check this link out) and try a pint of beer on the top floor of the Storehouse overlooking Dublin. I also got to learn how to properly taste beer and pour the perfect pint. Awesome stuff.

Guiness Storehouse.

Arthur Guinness - the man with the plan.

Top floor view of the city with a pint of Guinness.

Irish Bar Scene

That night, I hit up the Temple Bar district and enjoyed a few drinks with the locals. Irish bars are always really fun because, similar to the stereotypes of the movies, there is live music everywhere and everyone is singing the native songs. I just stood there and took it all in.

Irish folk music's rendition of U2's "With Or Without You".

Easter Day Ceremony

Of all the days since I've been abroad, Easter Sunday might have been the day that I missed my family the most. Easter is one of the many holidays in which my family has pretty set traditions - sunrise service at church, Easter lunch, celebration of my sister and cousin's birthdays, and an Easter egg hunt for all the kids. It was hard knowing that I couldn't be there for the celebration, but it was fun to be able to take part in the Dublin Easter festivities.

As I was walking throughout the city in the morning, I heard a band playing on the main street near my hostel. What proceeded was a long ceremony commemorating Easter and remembering both Christ's death and the death of Irish soldiers in history. There were multiple bands, an Air Force flyover, and many more. Plus, I got to see the president of Ireland, something you don't get the opportunity to do every day!

President of Ireland walking next to a general in the Irish army.

Overall, it was a day of rest and relaxation - humbly reminding me of the eternal life that I have but don't deserve through Christ's sacrifice, and reminding me how fortunate I am to have a God and a family that loves me so much.

Cliffs of Moher

The last full day I was in Ireland, I decided to take a day trip to Western Ireland and see the more genuine, original side of the Irish countryside. Since the climate in Ireland is so mild (around 50-70 degrees year-round), the grass everywhere was so green and gorgeous. I actually got to drive through and see where parts of the movies "P.S. I love You" and "Braveheart" were filmed.

I decided to take my tour through a family touring company, MacCoole Tours. My tour group consisted of 8 people - 4 from China, 1 from Malaysia, 1 from Spain, and 2 of us from the U.S. It was fun getting to talk to the girl from Spain in Spanish (one of very few times on my trip that I able to do that), learn more about the guys from China and Malaysia, and connect a little bit with the guy from the United States.

Our first stop on the tour was to the MacCoole family farm. We got to see their cows, newborn baby lambs, and took a guide hike with one of the family members up to the top of the Burren Hills and enjoy a magnificent view of the valley and ocean. When we got done with the tour, we got to go inside and get a homemade taste of Ireland through their mom and aunt's apple pie or carrot cake and some coffee.

The foothills of the burren, MacCoole Farms.

Our tour through the Burren.

My new friends Chekfoung (Malaysia), Disi (China), and Lara (Spain)

MacCoole Cottage, home cooking.

After visiting the farm, we made our way to Ireland's main attraction - the Cliffs of Moher. The Cliffs of Moher are giant cliffs located off of the Atlantic Ocean, and stand over 600 feet high and 5 miles long. Our tour bus was hurrying to get there, because the extent of visibility was uncertain - when we got there, it was windy and spitting rain. Even though the weather was rough, it couldn't stop me from enjoying the breathtaking view of the cliffs. I'm not one for extreme statements, but the Cliffs of Moher were the coolest things I have ever seen. The sun ended up coming up near the end of our time there, and the views were even more beautiful. I must have taken a hundred pictures there. It was just one of those times when I would look around, be amazed, and have to take another picture.

After the Cliffs of Moher, we went to a small town known for being the originator of Irish music, saw a couple of great views of the ocean and the countryside, and ended our time at a pub in Galway City before heading home.

I'm so glad that I decided to tour the other side of the country - it was a long and exhausting day full of amazing views and new friends.

St. Stephen's Green

To conclude my trip, I went and hung out at one of Dublin's famous parks, St. Stephen's Green. When I got done with my time at the park and was walking towards the airport bus, I ran into the same study abroad students that I had just met a week earlier in London! Small world.

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So, there ended my two week long trip: I took the bus to the Dublin airport and got back to Sevilla around 8 that night. Reflecting on my trip, I don't think I could have asked for a better experience. I got to experience a great mix of bustling cities and tranquil countrysides, 19 hour days and relaxing days at a coffee shop, of new friends and established community.

Overlooking the Celtic Sea.

Now I'm back in Sevilla, with a refreshed appreciation for the city and culture of southern Spain, ready to make the most of the last month that I have here.

Brad.

Trip to Edinburgh

As if a weeklong trip to London wasn't enough, I embarked on the next leg of my journey - Edinburgh, Scotland. My mom's side of the family immigrated from Scotland, so I was excited to see a bit of my ancestor's history.

Edingburgh is the capital city of Scotland. Unlike London, Edinburgh is close enough together that it was walkable and, although still lively and populated, didn't seem at all intimidating to a tourist like me. One of the first things I noticed when taking the bus from the airport to the city centre was how ridiculously green Scotland is. I'm a fanatic of well-manicured and beautiful lawns, so seeing a country whose climate made it near impossible not to overflow with luscious greenery definitely brought a smile to my face. I must warn you, I didn't take quite as many pictures in Scotland, so my selection wasn't quite as vast to choose from.

Chillin With The Bros

Thanks to my buddy Knox, I had a connection with an American student, Caleb, who is studying at the University of Edinburgh this semester and offered to let me stay with him in his flat. He lives with two Scottish students and a student from Slovakia. It was fun being able to relax with them, get to know a little more about the Scottish and Slovokian cultures (and try to understand their accents). Caleb was a friendly and generous host, and we had a lot of fun together. Being from Texas, Caleb wanted to show his Edinburgh friends a little taste of home, so we even had a fajita fiesta one night, complete with homemade guacamole! Too sweet.

Black Medicine

My first full day in Edinburgh was a rude awakening. I had been fortunate to have amazing and mild weather in London all week, and my first experience with Edinburgh was a rain-snow mix. I used the weather as my excuse to chill for a morning in a local coffee shop recommended by Caleb, the Black Medicine Coffee Company, which I enjoyed greatly. It was one of my many trips to coffee shops in a week that would prove to be relaxing, to say the least.

The Elephant Bar

One of Edinburgh's more recent claims to fame is that J.K. Rowling wrote the first of the 4 "Harry Potter" bestsellers at a coffee shop in Edinburgh called the Elephant Bar. I went late one night, drank a cup of coffee while overlooking the Edinburgh Castle, and imagined to myself the amazing thoughts and motivations that Rowling must have had when she was writing her book, and the doubts that may have gone through her head as well. Needless to say, her confidence overcame her doubts and she wrote one of the most popular books of all-time, and I got to go to the place where it all started.

My view from the Elephant Bar - overlooking the Edinburgh Castle.

Arthur's Seat

A cool thing about Edinburgh is that it has an extinct volcano right in the middle of town. My first day there, although it was windy and snowfall was flirting with Mother Nature all day long, I decided to hike up the extinct volcano, called Arthur's seat, to get a better look at the city. The view of the city was absolutely gorgeous, and I couldn't get enough of the beauty that was the Edinburgh Castle. I would have taken one more picture with me in it, but when I turned around to ask the lady behind me if she would mind taking a photo (amidst the cold and heavy wind), I noticed that she was crying and seemed like she was ready for the descent.

Arthur's Seat.

View of Edinburgh atop Arthur's Seat.

Ghost Tour

I don't know if it was the fact that it was cold and overcast all day, the architecture, or a combination of the two, but Edinburgh had a sort of creepy sense to it. There are actually ancient underground cities within Edinburgh that were completely closed off without warning during the Black Plague. Combine that with a history of people being unfairly hanged, and there's a certain sense of historic spookiness that comes out during the moonlit night.

The Tollbooth Tavern. Intangible spookiness.

While I was roaming around one night taking pictures of the city, I decided to go up to the Edinburgh Castle. When I made it to the top, I overheard a group of people that seemed to be on a tour. When I looked over, I noticed that the tour guide was dressed in all white make-up and a cape, and that these people were on a ghost tour. I continued to take a few pictures, and when I heard the tour guide say "alright, let's go ahead and make our way to the next stop..." I jumped right in the tour group, blending in with all the other tourists just fine.

The tour itself was great! The ghost tour guide was light-hearted and funny, and every once in a while a "ghost" would come out and try to startle us. I learned about different stories of Edinburgh's history, different ghosts that supposedly still wander the streets, etc. The best part of it all was that I got it all for free. Holla!

Pre-Approach to the tour group..

Our lovely tour guide and assistant.

National Museum of Scotland

Unbeknownst to me, the University of Edinburgh is actually a very prestigious and successful university. With the likes of Charles Darwin, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Alexander Graham Bell, and countless others, the Scotland had a lot to offer. I went with Caleb and Matt, his Slovakian roommate, and we had a blast. We checked out everything from ancient battleships to animal skeletons to racecars and more. We even saw Dollie the Sheep, the world's first successful mammal ever cloned, which happened right there at the university.

Dollie the Sheep.

Edinburgh Castle

The most popular and well-known thing in Edinburgh is the Edinburgh Castle. Towering high above the city on Castle Rock, the castle dates back to 9th century BC! Although I didn't tour the castle itself (I heard that it wasn't worth the 22 pound price), I took enough pictures to last a lifetime.

View of Edinburgh atop Edinburgh Castle.

Basketball in Kilts

Okay, so I didn't actually do this. But, I did play basketball with Caleb against the University of Edinburgh basketball team. Although 4 or 5 of the guys we played against were at least 6'6" or so, Caleb and I kept up and actually won almost every game. It was a fun time and a good way to end the trip with Caleb.

All in all, Edinburgh was just what I wanted it to be - a time of relaxation and community with new friends while getting to explore a country that has helped shape my life through my family.

Brad.

Trip to London

So, like I said in a few previous posts, I recently went on a two week trip to England, Scotland, and Ireland. Spain had a general strike that allowed me to leave on a Wednesday night and not miss school the following day, followed by us not having classes because of Holy Week (or semana santa) the next week. So, I missed two days at the end, and ended up being gone for 13 days - from Wednesday to Tuesday, the 28th of March to the 10th of April.

I was originally going to blog about my entire trip in one post. Instead, I'm going to go city by city, for the sake of both my sanity and the reader's.

The first city that I visited was London. I headed out with my new friend, Darcie, who had studied abroad there last summer. Since she was going to Morocco on Saturday (us study abroad-ers live rough lives), she was only in London for a couple of days with me. It was a great help having her around to make the huge city of London less intimidating and more personal.

Fat Tire Bike Tour

After a crazy course of events that went down in the customs line of the airport (ask me sometime if you want the whole story, it's a pretty good one), we finally arrived to our hostel late Wednesday night. Our first full day in London was a great one, and started off with the Fat Tire Bike Tour. The Fat Tire Bike Company is an American company started by a man from Texas A&M that offers tours in Paris, Berlin, Barcelona, and 2 tours in London. We chose to do what was called the "River Thames Tour", and went to popular sights like The Tower of London, Big Ben, The London Eye, Trafalgar Square, The Tower Bridge, Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, and Covent Gardens.

Tower Bridge.

Our touring partners.

Trafalgar Square.

Big Ben and the House of Parliament - my favorite thing in London.

Our tour was smaller, consisting of 4 of us plus two tour guides. We later figured out that one of our two tour guides was a British rapper (of course he was, right?!). He gave Darcie and I his information, and this is what we found - the greatest thing to hit YouTube since this guy. See the embedded video below. Even though there's a few choice words, it's a pretty harmless (and hilarious) video. I mean come on, his rapper name is "Murmur" and his rap group is called "Fur-real", how can that not be awesome?!

Overall, the tour was one of my favorite things of the trip. Not only did we get to see a bunch of awesome parts of the city while biking, our tour guides told us all about the history of London. It all was really interesting, and I left feeling like I knew London on a more personal level.

Ben's Cookies

For my dad's sake, I'll say this quick tidbit about Ben's Cookies - in all fairness to my loving mother, these might be the best cookies in the entire world. Darcie introduced me to them, and my life was forever changed. It's definitely be one of my dad's 15 cookies on his "Top 10 favorite cookie" list.

My dad (on the right) knows a thing or two about cookies.

West End Musical

Similar to Broadway in New York, London is known for their West End plays and musicals. Darcie and I decided to go see "Rock of Ages" one night, a musical set in the 80's about a rock and roll revolution. Our experience was unlike any that another West End musical would have given us. Unlike "Wicked" or "The Lion King", "Rock of Ages" was more of an adult musical with a funny and twisted edge to it. A few times they would talk to the audience personally and deliberately state that parts of the musical were cheesy or cliché, giving a refreshing and original vibe to the night. Combine that with a free seat upgrade, fake lighter props passed out to the audience for slow songs, a live 80's band, a main character from Kansas, and West End caliber singing and acting, and you have yourself an amazing and unforgettable night.

"Rock of Ages" stage.

Chipotle

London is by far the most "American" city that I've been to in the last 3 months for a variety of reasons - they speak English, people are always in a hurry, they have free wifi around every corner, and they enjoy the same types of cuisine that Americans do! I took advantage of that last similarity (twice) by rejoicing in the newly-opened Chipotle in London, and loved every minute of it. I knew I was at home when I asked the Chipotle worker if I could have a double portion of rice and he said, "Sir, you can have double rice, or even triple rice." You're darn right I got that triple rice!!

With Chipotle, anything is possible.

Hummous Bros. and Russell Square

For Darcie's last day in London, we took it easy - went to breakfast with a friend from TCU, hit up a bookstore, and ate the famous Hummous Bros for lunch in Russell Square Gardens, aka Darcie's old stomping grounds. She was at home and I was in heaven - the hummous was delicious!

London House Party

After saying goodbye to Darcie and toasting the short trip together with a Cadbury Egg, I was on my own for the next 10 days. Darcie leaving was both rough and exciting, because although in my heart I knew I was a little nervous about traveling alone, my head knew that it was going to be a time to display boldness and find adventure on my own. That's exactly what happened the first night.

After settling in at my new hostel in London, I planned out my night. I read in a tourist guide that a great place to go and take pictures of the city at night was the Waterloo Bridge, so I hopped on the tube and headed out in that direction. While on the tube, I sat next to a girl who seemed to be about my age. We got to talking, and I learned that she was actually a few years older, and was currently working for CNN in London. There was a couple next to her that I quickly learned was her Irish cousin and boyfriend who were visiting her for the weekend, and before I knew it, I was accepting an invitation to go to a house party in East London with a random girl and her Irish relatives!

Victoria, the girl who trusted me not to be a creeper.

The day before on our bike tour, I asked my tour guide if there were any parts of London that were dangerous and that I should avoid. He said that everywhere is pretty safe, just don't go to East London at night...Woops. Long story short, I'm bad at following directions, had a great time meeting new people and learning about their differences of cultures over a few drinks, and was completely safe while doing it.

American Friends in London

After taking part in experiencing both the posh Portebello Market in Notting Hill and the more run-down Camden Market, I went to the Tate Modern Museum of Art, explored St. Paul's Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, The House of Parliament (aka Big Ben), and Buckingham Palace. All were incredible in their own individual ways.

Portobello Market.

Camden Town Market.

Seats to sit and eat in the locks of Camden Market, made from old mopeds.

Westminster Abbey.

Buckingham Palace.

Tim Foote, one of my good friends that worked with me at Kanakuk the last two summers, studied abroad in London last semester and gave me a slew (K-Kountry people know what I'm talking about) of suggestions for when I visited. The place he stressed that I had to visit more than any other restaurant was Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese, one of the oldest pubs in London and the same place where famous writers like Charles Dickens used to go (I'm expecting he had pretty high expectations). Anyway, if you've ever gone into a bar by yourself, you know how completely weird, awkward, and flat-out uncomfortable of an experience it can be. Everyone is already established in their groups of friends and comrades, and you're just the odd-man out looking to find any reason to talk to them. To make a long story short, I found a reason to talk to someone (she sounded American) and met a group of 6 study abroad students who, like me, were visiting London but studying abroad in Austria. We ended up eating some fish and chips and having a few drinks, and hanging out together the rest of the night taking pictures of the city and just exploring. Definitely a great memory.

"Famous Through Four Centuries. Ye Old Cheshire Cheese - Rebuilt in 1667. Known Haunt of Samuel Johnson, Charles Dickens, and countless others."

The Ye Old Cheshire Cheese Gang.

Sunday Church

I decided to double-up on church when I was in London, and ended up having two very different experiences. First, I went to Hillsong United's church in London. If you don't know, Hillsong is a popular Christian church, band, and movement that is spreading throughout the world. The church in London took place at the Dominion Theatre, the same place that the Queen tribute musical "We Will Rock You" is every other day of the week. Although it was a huge church with incredible music, it surprisingly didn't feel like a concert or production. I got to know the people around me (one lady from South Africa, another man from Manchester, and a couple from Sudan). It definitely reminded me that the Church is bigger than a church.

The second service I went to was the 3pm "Evensong" service at the historic Westminster Abbey. Although the cathedral itself was one of the most beautiful that I've ever seen (I still think Sevilla's is the best), the service itself made my eyes heavy quickly. However, I can now say that I went to church with Shakespeare, Churchill, Newton, Darwin, etc...

In between services I went and checked out another market - Brick Lane Market, which was absolute hipster paradise. My pants couldn't have been tight enough, my glasses thick enough, my iPod music obscure enough, or my clothes organic enough. I liked it!

A Savory KU Victory

Miraculously this March, KU made it to the Final Four! Complete with a team of so-so players and a few studs, Bill Self led the Hawks back to where each fan hopes their college basketball team goes every year, and I was determined to watch it.

I had heard from my parents that there was a Kansas City style BBQ restaurant in London based off of my favorite restaurant, Oklahoma Joe's, and that they also replayed American sports games there the next day. After looking online to check the times and locations, I headed out to Bodean's BBQ joint in SoHo to watch the game. I got there, proudly sporting my KU shirt, expecting a night of solitude with my hawks. Then, through a sequence of kind of crazy events, I met a man from Hungary named Peter who had studied at KU back in the early 90's! I don't know who was more excited to meet who, but he quickly offered to buy me a drink, and before I knew it I was at a table enjoying both Final Four games with Peter and his two friends, one from Egypt and one from Saudi Arabia. We ate and drank like kings, and somehow I got away with not paying a dime for a meal that altogether cost nearly $300! We left full and satisfied after KU pulled out a victory, and I have new European and African friends.

The before.

The after.

The "dessert". Seriously.

The bros, celebrating a KU victory on a full stomach. From right, Sam from Egypt, Talhed from Saudi Arabia, and Peter from Hungary.

Waterloo Bridge

After Bodean's I finally made it to the Waterloo Bridge to take a few pictures of the beautiful London city at night.

Tower of London

Monday was my last full day in the city. After seeing the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace, I hopped on the tube towards Tower Bridge.

Changing of the guards ceremony, Buckingham Palace.

Arguably my favorite experience of the whole trip was one of my last - going to the Tower of London. We had heard a lot about the Tower of London through our bike tour, and a lot of things got me interested in taking a tour of the place. A Yeomen Warder, more commonly known as a "Beefeater", guided my tour through the Tower and did an absolutely incredible job. Our guide's name was Bob, and he was just as theatrical as he was informative. I learned all about how the Tower used to be a prison, royal palace, armory, treasury, and more in an amazingly entertaining way, and got to see "Lizzie's Bling", aka the Crown Jewels of Queen Elizabeth.

Bob.

Altogether, London was an incredible city that gave me some very lasting memories. I should also give a shout out to Rachael, the friend of a friend of a friend that let me stay with her and her flatmates for 3 nights and was so hospitable.

I had such a great time in London. There's a famous quote from Londoner Samuel Johnson that seemed appropriate for my seemingly short stay:

"A man who grows tired of London grows tired of life, for there is in London all that life can afford."

Updates from Edinburgh and Dublin coming...sometime.

Brad.