St. Patrick's Day Weekend in Dublin

For the St. Patrick's Day weekend, I crossed something off my bucket list. I went to Dublin. I found a company that would allow me to go in a group of university people, rather than alone, which was great. I managed to convince a friend to come with me as well, so I would have a buddy. To get there, we took a coach, driving a few hours through Wales to get to Holyhead, where we would take the ferry. It was raining a lot, but once we got away from the coast, the sun came out and the skies were bright blue. On the ferry, my friend Rhiannon and I started talking with two german exchange students who were also on the trip. One, the guy - Timur - actually lives below me in Raleigh Park. We clicked pretty fast and decided to make sure that the three of us girls would be in the same hotel room. We got to Dublin and had some time to settle and get ready for dinner. The hotel rooms were so nice, way better than i expected! We then went to have a group dinner, where i had salmon and stole someone's delicious potatos as they were not eating them. We met two more germans, a brother and sister, and that basically formed the group I spent the weekend with. After dinner, we went to a pub and had a few drinks before returning to the hotel, as the next day would be a very long one! 

Since it was St. Patrick's day and we were going to the parade, we all decided to wear our green group shirts for the day. Breakfast was a traditional Irish feast, but I only had some elements, as I am allergic to eggs. I tried the black and white puddings, but i really just couldn't eat it. The taste was not right, maybe i tasted the blood more than other people. The weather started out horrible, sleeting and grey, but turned into rain as the day went on. It pretty much stayed that way all day, unfortunately. Before the parade, we did a walking tour of central Dublin and learned some of the history. Then it was time for the parade. We found a decent spot, though our average and below average heights worked against us. The parade itself was not as awesome as it is rumoured to be, mostly because it was cold and raining and there were pretty large gaps between sections of the parade. None the less, the experience was worth it. Instead of immediately going to a pub like many tourists likely did, we got some lunch and then hit up all the major tourist spots, like several cathedrals and nice buildings. After a supper of McDonalds, we went to a pub where they spoke Gaelige and heard some music. A nice woman talked to us and taught us some of the language. After that, we went to another pub where we heard a live rock band. The guitarists were phenomenal, it was so amazing to watch and hear them play. After that, we went to another bar and ended up spending a few hours there, dancing, before heading back to the hotel to crash for the night. 

Our last day, monday, was reserved for major tourist things. We went to the Guiness storehouse and took a tour of that. We got to try the beer, which i personally really didn't like. As a beer, it was probably great, but as a strong disliker of beer in general, i really could't drink more than a little bit we got as a taste test. I used my free drink voucher for a coke! After that, our group headed down to the river and we walked alongside it, taking pictures as we headed towards the centre of Dublin. We stopped by the hard rock cafe in Temple Bar before going to Trinity College to try and see the Book of Kells. Unfortunately, it was closing when we got there, so we went to see Oliver Wilde's House instead. By then, it was raining pretty strongly, so we split up, the germans going to find a restaurant and Rhiannon and I going to see the Library and government buildings. We went to a tourist shop and I bought an "I love Ireland" t-shirt and then we joined the rest of the group. We had burgers for dinner and they were really good, but the service started out horrible. Our waiter didn't seem to like us and got my order wrong. I complained and they fixed my burger and gave me a free drink! After wasting some time there, we went to the bus stop, where we would get on our coach and make the 9 hour journey back to Nottingham overnight. All in all, a very enjoyable weekend and I loved seeing Dublin. The city is beautiful, but if i ever return, it will be in the summer! 

Nottingham Castle

I finally went to the Castle today! Since I finished my papers, I figured I would take a day to relax and go to city centre. Here's some history:

Nottingham Castle was originally a wood structure built by William the Conquerer when the Normans invaded. It was later replaced by a strone structure under King Henry II. It was used as a residence by King Edward III. The Castle was used for military defense during the War of the Roses. It was frequented by King Henry VIII, who apparently really liked the legend of Robin Hood. He had it reinforced and had the garisson increased. The Castle was used during the English Civil War, first by Charles I, but when he left, the Parlimentarians used it and held back the Royalists. The Castle was for the most part demolished in 1649 so that no one could use it as a military stronghold ever again, but the general outline was still distinguishable. The Ducal Mansion that stands there now was built in the 1670's by Henry Cavendish. There are still tunnels underneath it from the Castle, but i didn't have time to do the tunnel tour since i went pretty close to closing time. 

The Castle was burned down during a riot against the Duke in 1831 and it was not until the 1870's that it was restored. After it was restored, the mansion was turned into a museum by the Prince of Wales (King Edward VII). It's got a lot of cool stuff in there, but i couldn't take pictures. There is one room that has the uniforms and weapons, etc of the nottingham regiment for the past few centuries. There is a room with oil paintings from the early 20th century (some of which seriously just looked like lines of paint?!). They also had the Story of Nottingham - history of the town and castle and the legend of robin hood, etc. It was really cool to take in.

Even though it was crazy cold (it has been snowing on and off for the past few days), it was really nice just to go and appreciate the history behind it and the art within. 

The Gatehouse

Ducal Mansion

In front of the Mansion

Part of the Castle Wall

x

Brianna

Update

Wow, it has been almost a month since I last posted! Well, I haven't been any where exciting or done anything too cool, but i thought i would update you on what has been happening.

1) School: I have basically been working on papers. I have 3 due on the same day this week, March 15th,  so i have been crazy busy trying to write those over the last few weeks. I've finally finished them and just need to edit and cite one of them before i can hand them in! I've basically given up on keeping up in seminars, so i hope that since my papers are done i will be able to do more of the readings! I've got another presentation to to do this week, on Friday, ugh, but it is not for marks either so I don't care if it is super bad. I've only got 2 weeks of classes left before I get a month off for Easter break! You can bet i will have a lot to write for that! 

2) Laptop: I've had my computer since i started university almost 3 years ago and it started giving me trouble after about a year. Usually i have been able to rescue it, but not this time. About 2 weeks ago, it started taking ages to start. Like i would have to press the button 7 times before i actually got some signs of life. It kept going like that until one Thursday, it just stopped. I couldn't turn it on and when i pressed the button, it just beeped at me. The beeping was a code, which i eventually figured out to mean processor failure, meaning it was dead. Of course, i just happened to have 2 more papers to write. I ended up spending that weekend in the library writing one of my papers and trying to figure out what to do. I decided that i was going to get a small cheap laptop that would get me through the semester and then invest in a really really good one (aka Mac book , when i get home. So now i have a Google Chromebook, which is an entirely internet based laptop and basically all Google products. Which is fine, i can get used to that. But it is slow. And that i killing me. I can't tell if it is my Ethernet that is slow or the computer because i have yet to take it to campus. I got the zip case that i ordered so i will probably take it in this week to experiment. 

3) Travelling Plans: As I have said, Easter break is right around the corner and I've got it packed with plans. But first, there is St. Patrick's Day! I'm going to Dublin with a bunch of Uni kids, a few of which I know. I am so excited not only to see Dublin, but to experience the holiday in the country that does it best! Definitely  get to cross that off my bucket list! You can expect a post for that when I get back! A week after Dublin, I kick off Easter break with three nights in Cardiff, where I hope to see the Cardiff Castle and Doctor Who Exhibition, among other things. Then I head to Bath for 2 nights, where I hope to see the Roman Baths, Stonehenge, and in general, the place i have read about and seen in Jane Austen novels! After that, I am going to Oxford for 1 night and I want to see the university as well as the cathedral and all the amazing architecture! Then I got back to Nottingham for the weekend to get ready for my next trip! You'll probably get posts about these 3 places during that time as all I will be doing is laundry. And then... I go on a 2 week contiki trip that will take me to Paris, the Beaujolais Region, the French Riviera, Pisa, Florence, Rome, Venice, through the Austrian Mountains to Munich, through the Rhine Valley and then to Amsterdam! I am so stoked to go on this trip. I went to Italy almost 5 years ago and can't wait to see it again and spend my 21st birthday there! I am taking advantage of the free transfer to London after the trip so I don't have to pay for the Eurostar and hope to go to Edinburgh for the weekend before school starts. Still need to plan that out though.

Anyway, that is pretty much everything important. Now to get back to citing my paper! 

x

Brianna

Wollaton Park

Today the weather was absolutely fantastic. The sun was shining, the wind was not strong at all and there were hardly any clouds in the sky. I would even say that it was warm out as well. I decided not to waste the weather, since we never know when the next time we'll get weather like this is. There is a park just a 25 minute walk from my flat that I have been told is great, so i took a walk and spent about two hours walking around and taking picture. Wollaton Park is known for the lovely Wollaton Hall, which was built during the Tudor Dynasty and has become a museum to showcase the collection that has been built up over the centuries. The Hall is filled with stuffed animals and birds, minerals, skeletons and much more. Everything is supposed to be real, done by amazing taxidermists over time who have made the skins last this long. It also has some of the remaining furniture and antiques that have been cared for by its caretakers. It has an incredible garden that i believe is home to a fountain in the summers. The entire park is also a deer park, though i did not see any deer in the places that i walked. I did however see plenty of dogs, for it is also an off leash park. There is a beautiful lake near the house as well. I should probably also mentioned that the house was used in the most recent Batman film, The Dark Knight Rises, as Wayne Manor. I'm sure all you Dark Knight fans can tell that for yourselves. Here are some pictures I took:

 

 

 

x

Brianna

Exploring Notts

I spent most of this weekend locked in my room trying to get some school work done (trying, being the operative word... I spent most of the time watching movies or reading other books...). I decided that since I have Mondays off, I should go exploring the town and finally see the castle. I went with Brittany, one of the American girls I found on tumblr and befriended. We found our way to the castle and took some pictures with Robin Hood, admiring the architecture. We would have actually gone in the castle, had they not been closed on Mondays. That is just going to have to be something to do later. We walked down a street next to it, taking pictures of some of the cool buildings and the wall surrounding the Castle. We found a telephone booth that we could finally take pictures with because there was no one around! Walking around the other way, we found the oldest pub in england built into the side of the Castle wall. Next time I am in the city centre and hungry, i am definitely going there for lunch! The entire city centre is basically shops, so we walked around some more before going into Primark. She had something to return and I wanted to look. Of course, i ended up buying some things. There was a poundland on our walk so we went in there and i found so much food for great prices. Stocked up on chocolate, yumm! We went into the mall to go to Boots so she could get something and i found the perfume i like to use for such a bargain price! I paid half of what I usually pay at home, which made me so happy. I really didn't want to spend any more money after that, so we walked around a bit more before catching the bus back to Raleigh Park. Brittany told me there is an ASDA around here, which is basically a Wal-Mart, so I might go there tomorrow or Wednesday to see if i can find a cheap mirror. Still doing my hair in a webcam. Today was a good break from school work and I still have time if i want to do some. I did some before I went exploring, so at least I did something productive today! Here are some pictures of my day:

 

 

New Obsession

In coming to the UK, many things changed, including what shows i could watch on Netflix. One of the shows i found was Downton Abbey, something I have been wanting to watch for ages and that every one has said was fantastic. So of course, i started watching it. In the week i have been here, i have gone through the first season and half of the second and i can now say I am obsessed. This show is like a work of art. The acting is fantastic, the setting is beautiful, and all the feels! I am now utterly invested in this show and the lives of the characters. I can't even tell you how many times I have cried watching this show and gasped in surprise and hoped for the best and hated those scheming schemers. Is this normal? Is this how every one else watches this show? I can't even deal with how this show makes me feel. Now I will leave you with some fabulous photographs while i go and watch another episode!

 

  

 

Also, the place that they film at is called Highclere Castle and I seriously want to go visit it once it opens for the spring!

 

x

Brianna

Trip to London

I went to London this weekend to attend the afforementioned TFIOSlive, so i did a lot of exploring, seeing most of the city's famous tourist spots (which are actually really close to each other, i mean, i could walk from one to the other and it didn't take me that long). As I did, I took tons of photos, though they aren't the best quality because they were either taken at night or when it was cloudy (typical London). It was chilly too, with the cold wind blowing pretty strongly. I had a really nice time though, it was cool to see things by myself and take my time looking at everything. Being in London I also got to experience the tube and found that it really is not that complicating if you know where you are going. Here are some photos from the weekend!

Platform 9 3/4 at King's Cross Station

Big Ben

Telephone Booth

The London Eye

Buckingham Palace

Buckingham Palace



Green Park

Green Park



Hyde Park

Where Stacey and I ate lunch - the burgers were good but really expensive!



Trafalgar Square

Trafalgar Square

National Gallery

M&Ms World

Piccadilly Circus

 x

Brianna