The motherland

--This post would be best enjoyed while listening to this song in the background. Jus'sayin'--
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3V-oXwCWL4

Immediately upon her arrival in Galway to study this fall, my good friend Audrey informed me that she thought I'd chosen the wrong study abroad site. "Lauren, the pub is your natural environment. I'm not kidding."
I had no idea how serious she was until this (extended) weekend. I mean, I wouldn't say I'd rather be ANYWHERE in the world but Florence, but Ireland was an absolutely unreal.
As usual, we chose the most difficult way possible to arrive on the Emerald Isle--including a 3:30 AM bus to Pisa for a flight that departed at 7:30...BUT good news! When we arrived at the airport instead of the usual process of jumping on some sketchy bus and not actually knowing where we're going we were greeted by none other than the lovely Laura McLoughlin! For those of you who don't know Laura and I were roommates in the Art Institute of Chicago dorms for the summer of 2009. Going in to the experience complete strangers, we were pleasantly surprised to find that we got along very well and that magical summer was filled with a lot of amazing memories, a lot of conversations about Irish slang, and a lot of absolutely absurd shenanegins. But on that fateful day in August when we were forced to say our goodbyes I reminded her that I'd be studying in Florence my junior year and she could absolutely count on a visit. (Whether she wanted one or not). And without further ado, there I was. Standing bright-eyed and bushy tailed outside of the Dublin airport at 9 AM ready to jump on her! Her wonderful family let us stay in their lovely home, and we spent the day driving around the countryside outside of the city while Laura and I caught up in the front seat and Bear and Jenna squealed at sheep and rolling hills from the back.
I won't lie, I was preoccupied all day during our city tour preparing mentally for our trip to Copper's. A little background: I spent that entire summer in Chicago listening to my friends Emma, Fiona, Laura and Barry (all Irish natives) recount absurd stories about the crazy nights they spent at one of Dublin's most famous (for good reason) pubs. And I COULD NOT WAIT to experience it for myself. Saturday night I finally got my hand stamped :) and got to recreate this hilarious 18-month old picture from Laura and my last night in Chicago! (I was obviously much more serious about the original...)

We started the night at Fi's apartment and got a chance to meet some of Laura's friends from school, who were all wonderful and very friendy. As is always the default conversation, Adair, Jenna and I just laughed at funny words they use for things. In our defense, they call a pickle a girken. That's up there with "gute fahrt", guys. And you claim to be speaking English...
The next day was spent driving "cross-country" to Galway. Yep, that took 3 hours. Even off of the major freeway you're surrounded by beautiful green fields and adorable little sheepies with black faces--I was obsessed. Laura was staying with another friend in Galway, so she dropped us off at our friends' apartments and we were happily united with Emily and Audrey! We went out to dinner on Sunday night at a great Irish restaurant where we enjoyed the local dishes. On the up side: there's still one country making portions too big for me to eat! This shepherd's pie was seriously out of control. Oh, and you're going to serve "chips" (fries) on the side of it? Someone on the Atkins diet would last approximately 3 seconds in Ireland. I'm just sayin'.
After dinner we went to a pub that played live traditional Irish music. Annnd the love only grows stronger. Just a bunch of drunk people with their arms around each other screaming and dancing to happy music. Just my idea of heaven. No big deal. And it's all topped off with SuperMacs. Fast food Mecca. We were there on a Sunday, but Budsey said on a normal night SuperMacs takes on a club-like environment--bouncers and all--when kids stumble in to get their greasy fix on after the pubs close. Best chicken nuggets in my liiiife.
The next morning (afternoon?) when we got up, we spent the day wandering around Galway. Which actually takes about 15 minutes, I guess. But it was Valentine's Day so we decided to do some jewelry shopping (for ourselves...) and I finally got a Claddagh ring [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claddagh_ring]- from the original makers! The old ladies working in the store were so cute and friendly. On second thought, everyone we met in Ireland was cute and friendly. I have never been so comfortable in a place I'd never been before. Just made me so happy!
That afternoon we were Dublin-bound once again, and because Laura has about as good a sense of direction as I do, we took the scenic route. It was great, though, because we didn't have any obligations so we could take our time driving through the country, and enjoying the coast. We also got a chance to see some funny little villages and some thatched-roof houses. We got back to Dublin in time for dinner. We obviously chose a really authentic Mexican restaurant for our romantic Valentine's Day dinner. I think we figured Mexican was the least romantic kind of food. Well, we still didn't escape the desperately in love Irish couples holding hands across the table and googling at each other. Whatever, my chimichanga exceeded expectations (which were disturbingly low, as I'm sure you can imagine). Tuesday we did a good job of showing ourselves around Dublin a little bit more. Finally giving Laura a break and letting her rest at home, Jenna and I did our best to recall what we'd learned on Saturday to Audrey-who was visiting Dublin for the first time. It was hilarious for Dublin to feel like a big city, but after spending time in Galway and those little villages it really did feel like a metropolis. It was raining pretty seriously on Tuesday, which is fine--we needed to get the full Irish experience, but it made wandering around a little less fun. So we took refuge in the Guinness storehouse for a fun and educational experience. Personally, I think it tastes like burnt cookies. I apologize to anyone who is a strong supporter. But, learning about the fun history and culture of the beer, I have a new-found appreciation for it. Though I still doubt I'll ever order a pint of it. Except for the free one at the end of the tour :) obviously.

After taking pictures outside of Christ Church because we arrived 15 minutes after it closed--unfortunately also missing out on "Foxy Friars Coffee Shop"..., we enjoyed a lovely dinner at a little Irish restaurant, bid our farewells to Budsey and sent our Galway girl on her way. Bear, Jenna and I had an early night because our flight was at 6:30 the next morning, but it was spent looking back through pictures and listening to me rant about how much I love Ireland. And how fascinated I am by beer, pagans, and the Protestant-Catholic tension, and the potato famine, and basically how that island is a hub for everything I'm passionate about...
My only issue for my next two days in Florence is the fact that when I got in the shower yesterday (in the bathroom that only I use..) my shampoo was gone. Like, totally gone. And I'm too awkward to ask what happened to it. Why do I keep coming home to showering issues?! It's not like showering is my strong suit in the first place. I don't need obstacles!
In addition to my Guinness rugby and my Claddagh ring, I got a pretty solid cough as a souvenir from the motherland, so I've been in bed since I got home from school 6 hours ago... but I'm just gearing up for our next adventure...
Mi mancate, and vi voglio benissimo ragazzi!
Oh, and BUON CUMPLEANNO, BABBO! Love and miss you!