Go west

Now I met Marie, a Czech girl who likes travelling as much as I do, I left Dublin to have a look at the rest of Ireland.

We decided to explore the west of the isle. After a five-hour-drive we reached the town where we would begin our little trip. 

Day one: Cork

Butter Market and the Four-Faces Liar

English Market

Like in almost every Irish city: a cathedral, this one named Saint Finbarr's

By far my most favourite part of  Cork: drinking Beamish or Murphy's

Cork was nice but one day strolling around was more than enough for us.

Day 2: 

King John's Castle in Limerick

Bunratty Castle

Cliffs of Moher

Cliffs of Moher: quite a strong breeze

The Burren: felt like being on the moon 

Poulnabrone Dolmen

Day 3: The Ring of Kerry

Gap of Dunloe

Waterville: Charlie Chaplin's favourite place

Wauw-view of the trip: Caherdaniel

Something hard to find in Ireland: a sandy beach

Killarney National Park: Ladies View

Killarney National Park: Torc Waterfall

Maybe needless to say, but: I'm already planning the next trip!

Tess x

Top 5

Since classes haven't started yet at Mater Dei ( students here have traineeship at the moment and I haven't been able to select my classes yet), I had some time to behave as a tourist.

I became a big fan of Dublin and would like to share my 5 favourite places with you.
In random order:

Kilmainham Hospital / Irish Museum of Modern Art

Especially in the mornings a nice place to have a look at the garden or visit the free museum.

Kilmainham Jail

Close to the hospital. The guide gives you a clear explanation of Irish history and you get to see some splendid architecture.

Any pub

It doesn't matter if it's for a good pint of Kilkenny, a pub lunch,  live music or just the pleasant company (like my German friends here): a visit to a pub makes my day.

 Saint Stephen's Green

Here you see my favourite lunch place in the city centre. Luckily, it hasn't been raining lately.

Moore Street

The daily market where you can find heaps of inexpensive delicious food, shoppers from all around the world and vendors with the real, almost unintelligible, Irish accent in one place.

Tess x



My crib

This week I finally got my own place!

Like I said before, it`s a small studio but perfect for me.

On request, the pictures:

I haven`t met my neighbours yet but they seem nice?

The kitchen: not really big but ok for me since I don`t like to cook.

The living room

I can get used to this.

And for the people who will be visiting me: there is plenty of space for you!

The only problem at the moment is that I don`t have internet.

Some people got worried because I didn`t send them mails.

Herewith: I`m still alive!

Tess x

Yesterday was a good day

The sun was shining, I made a beautiful walk through Dublin City and I met some wonderful people at the hostel. This made yesterday a good day.

Yes, this is Irish sunshine.

But what made yesterday a really good day is the fact that I found a studio! After contacting dozens of landlords, waiting in storms, being surprised about how good a dump can look in a picture, …,  I found the nicest studio ever. That it’s only a 20-minute-walk from the city centre and Mater Dei Institute makes it even better.

Pictures will be posted somewhere next week when I move in. Meanwhile I can finally really enjoy my stay in Ireland’s capital!

                                                      

                                         The landlords didn’t only give me the keys to the studio but also chocolate biscuits to celebrate my new home!

Tess x

My first days in Dublin

Sorry for keeping you waiting but I've had some problems with the internet.

A short update: after flying in a storm from Brussels to Dublin, my luggage and I managed to reach our temporary stay 'Abigail's Hostel'. So far, it has been a perfect location for starting my bedsit hunting in Dublin: Aston Quay is just 2 minutes away from O' Connell Street and the bus stops. 

Unfortunately, the hunt isn’t going as planned: Irish landlords aren’t really punctual, waiting in a storm for 20 minutes isn’t an exception here, and rooms are expensive. My routine is making appointments in the morning and visiting houses or blocks of flats in the evening. But I know things will only get better once I find a place to stay.

And when I find something, you’ll be the first to know!

                                        Thank you Aer Lingus airplane for bringing me to Ireland!
                                        It wasn't your fault that the turbulence made me feel sick.

Lovely Abigail's Hostel

                                                Reading a map: I'm starting to get the hang of it.

                                           35kg luggage + Tess are still looking for a place to stay

Tess x