Almost done...

Four exams down, one to go! And that one isn't until Wednesday, so I can relax this weekend. (Sweet!) Also, I feel like I've done pretty well on all the exams so far! (Double sweet!) So I figured I'd put up a little post for you since I've actually got pictures this time. Shocking, I know.

Last Sunday, the weather was fantastically gorgeous. Warm and sunny and lacking that cold wind coming off the sea which always seems to ruin warm days over here. Kalen and I went down to the Sunday Market in Sandycove (just like every week) but this time was particularly lovely.

The tulips are out in full force, everywhere you look! Yes, they really are this bright!



As expected, the beautiful weather ensured that the market was PACKED. The good news is that there's always so much more to see (and purchase) when the weather is nice. Some of the vendors don't show up if it's crappy and rainy and cold out. Which, let's face it, is often. This is Ireland.



Mmmm...purchases. Yes, that is a locally grown organic watermelon. It's nearly gone now, and is super fantastic. Om nom nom!



After the market, we couldn't bear to just go home and sit inside while the lovely weather went to waste, so we walked down the pier...



It must have been a great day for sailing, despite the lack of wind, because the Bay was packed.





No wind meant that the water was super clear.



We went to a little beach.



Just our luck, the tide was on its way out. Play time!



HOORAY FOR SUMMER!



We found a super cool rock. I wonder what happened to it...



We spent a couple of hours wading in the ocean, getting mildly sunburnt. It was wonderful. Nothing makes me quite so happy as heat and sun. I'm very much looking forward to a good Manitoba summer. I will miss the ocean though.









We found all kinds of crazy creatures in the ocean. A teeny tiny little crab...



And a whole load of shrimp! Here's one! They were very quick and tough to spot, so they weren't easy to photograph.



What a great day. Unfortunately, I had to study when I got home from the beach. Bleh.

Aside from lots and lots of studying, something else has been taking up a fair bit of my time the past couple of days...



That's right, I (finally) bought a bodhrán! I love it!



I chose a design which I feel embraces my Scottish roots. :)



It's loads of fun! Obviously, I'm not very good at it just yet, but I'm getting there. Practice, practice, practice!

In other (sadder) news, Matty left yesterday morning, and the apartment is feeling awfully empty now. *sigh* On my own-y all alone-y. Again. Good thing Stef gets here in 6 days. Her visit might be a little bit mad. Haha.

I should have more pictures to post soon because Claire and I plan on going down to Enniskerry, Co. Wicklow tomorrow to visit the Powerscourt House & Gardens. I'm charging up my camera now and hoping for nice weather. The last few days, the weather has been absolutely rubbish, unfortunately, and it's meant to stay this way for at least a week. But on the other hand, you never can tell with Irish weather, as it seems to change on the hour. Crazy country.

I'll leave you with a demonstration of someone playing the bodhrán far better than I am currently able to. Enjoy!

No pictures, but a post nonetheless.

I realize it's been ages since I've posted anything, but life has been quite hectic.

Houseguests became flatmates, and then one disaster after another ended with one back in Winnipeg and the other heading back next week. It's really a shame, but not something I'm going to get into now. All I'll say is that it's not because of flatmate tension. We're all still close friends and we'll spend time together when we're all back in the 'Peg. So I suppose it's all well and good, but it's still been a source of stress over the past couple weeks. All that being said, I'm really greatful to have been able to experience having flatmates. Yes, admittedly there were times when I wanted to smother them in their sleep, but for the most part it was just nice having someone around all the time to talk to and hang out with. I never enjoyed living all by myself, and found it pretty lonely most of the time. It was really nice having someone around to say randomly, "Get dressed. Let's go out tonight." or else just be lazy with and sit around watching movies. I guess mostly it was nice to have the company. I don't think it's any big secret that I miss the one who has gone back already, and I will miss the other one when he goes.

Luckily, there won't be too much time all by myself in the apartment, as Stef comes out in less than 2 weeks now! She'll be here for a couple weeks to help me get everything ready to move back and also to help me enjoy my last couple weeks in Dublin. Should be a blast, I'm really looking forward to it.

Exams are upon me now. Eew. I wrote my first one yesterday (Montessori Theory), and it was easy, no problems. However, I have Psychology on Monday and I think it's safe to say that I'm 100% screwed. The man teaching the course is absolutely useless. He's very nice, and he means well, and clearly tries really hard, but he's just plain stupid. I've learned nothing from him all year. And then unlike all the other profs, he didn't tell us what to study. So I can't help but feel like I'm headed for Fails-ville. Obviously I've been studying from the textbook, but it's such a vast subject I barely know where to start. And everyone else in the course is in the same boat because nobody learned anything this year. Greeeaaat. I'll let you know how this turns out, but I'm not overly confident to say the least.

I really can't believe it's almost all over. I'm crazy relieved about it and very happy to be heading back to a country where I feel like I belong, but at the same time, leaving is sort of bittersweet. I've made some really great friends over here who I'm sad to leave behind. Though it's safe to say that I'll be getting some visitors in Canada over the next couple of years, and I've always got places to stay in Dublin. As much as I hate this damn city, I know I'll be back. This dirty old town is a part of me now, and I know already that I'll eventually be called back to the green hills and salty coasts of Ireland. But just for a visit. Do I have regrets? Sure. But who doesn't? All I know is that it's definitely time for me to leave, but I'm glad I came. I can see in myself all the changes that this experience has caused. Some of them positive, others not so much, but I can say with confidence that I've grown up a lot over the last 9 months. Maybe no one else will see it, and I'm okay with that. Emerald Away is coming Home.

I must get back to studying, but I'll try to post again after exams and before I leave Dublin.

J'aime Paris!

Ok, seriously, people...if you have never been to Paris then get on a plane right this second and go there. It's the most amazing city in the whole world and I'm so upset that I had to leave. I will most definitely be back there several more times before I die. It's got everything! And...well...it's PARIS! 'nuff said.

I'm having a hard time being back in Dublin and remembering to speak English. However, it was pretty difficult for me to find things to eat in Paris. Ended up eating a lot of bread. (Mmmmm....bread). But nothing quite beats sitting outside a cafe on the streets of Paris, sipping espresso and eating chocolate. *swoon*

I took over 500 pictures, just because there's so much to take pictures of. Obviously I'm not going to try to post all of them, so here are some highlights.

Kalen and I stayed in the Peace & Love Hostel in north-east Paris. It was amazing. It was a hostel - so the rooms were small and awkward, the toilet was down the hall, and there was no lift (and a lot of stairs, unfortunately) but it was the most fun I've ever had at a hostel. It's a youth hotel, so everyone there is under 35, and we met a lot of really cool people. Downstairs there is a bar, which also serves as the reception desk (to give you an idea of what kind of place this is), where they serve cheap drinks and the adorable bartender Julien is very friendly. It was pretty much party central. Awesome.



This was the view from our room at night.



We did a lot of wandering around, even though I was on crutches, and we saw most of the popular sights...

The Opera House



Grand Palais



The Arc de Triomphe





Assemblee Nationale



Notre Dame (during the day)













And at night from across the Siene.





We saw the tower where Marie Antoinette was held before she was beheaded. Spooky!





And did some random wandering. I don't remember what these buildings actually are, but they're beautiful anyways.







The Eiffel Tower (of course!)



We ate crepes there. They had butter in them and made me sick, but it was so worth it.









We went up to the top (thank goodness there was a lift!) and got a breathtaking view of all of Paris. *heart*



























We had to come back at night to see it lit up.





Every hour, they switch on the twinkly lights for a few minutes. I love it.



We got to see the full moon shining underneath the tower.



There's a super sweet double decker carousel in front of the tower. We wanted to go on, but it appeared to be just for small children. It was sad.



On our last day in Paris, we went to the tower and took some goofy glamour shots.







Then we stuck around to watch the lights come on at dusk.

Not yet...



Now!





The we wandered along the Siene to take some more pictures.









We also went to the Louvre and saw the Mona Lisa! She's much smaller than I thought she would be.



We didn't see everything in the Louvre, and I didn't take pictures of everything, but here are some highlights. Apparently, if you were to spend 1 minute in front of every item in the Louvre, it would take you 4 months to get through the museum. Crazy.















Outside the Louvre is the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel.



We sat in the sunshine in the courtyard for a while and enjoyed the pyramids.











And from there we went to the St. Eustache Cathedral. For something that doesn't even make it onto the tourist maps, it was really impressive.









On Easter Sunday we went over to Sacre Coeur. This was a huge mistake. There was service going on and there were so many people I could hardly breathe.







The view was quite lovely though.



Once we went inside, it took forever to get out again.







Then we went to MOULIN ROUGE!!! eeeeee!









And then we went down to the river to take a little boat cruise. There was a really neat little market on the pier.



And then we boarded "Gavroche", the boat.





Off to see the sights from the Siene!































We took the Metro, which is extremely complicated and confusing, but convenient nonetheless.



We ate some very good food and drank some very good wine.



We looked in some tacky tourist shops.



And also did some serious shopping. I bought this fabulous giant handbag (which is actually more purple than blue, it just doesn't photograph well).



And I also bought these amazing shoes, which (in true Paris fashion) were very expensive. *sigh* But so worth it. I can't wait for my knee to be healed so I can wear these!



We also spent some time wandering the beautiful gardens in front of the Palais Chaillot.













We saw a mama canard and her babies.



Bonjour, petit canard!





Some cool trees.













And then unfortunately, we had to leave.

Au revoir, Paris! I will see you again as soon as I can!