For our ten day midterm break I did a lot of traveling with Kathleen and Kate. Our life in Dingle seems enough of a vacation, but we were lucky enough to have a break. My parents were visiting the week before, so I met up with Kate and Kathleen in Paris. I literally had twenty-four hours to conquer the city of love. We went to the Louvre. The building itself was incredible; however the Mona Lisa was a major disappointment. The painting is small in size, but it is displayed on a giant wall by itself, making it seem even smaller. There is also protected by layers of glass and the crowds are ridiculous. After the Louvre Kate and I went gallivanting throughout the city, taking it by storm. We visited the Eiffel Tower, The Arc de Triumph, Notre Dame, and the Eiffel Tower again at night. I ate the most delicious crepe. I had never had one before but I doubt I could ever have one better than the one I had in Paris. The Eiffel Tower at night was my favorite part about Paris. There is a spectacular light show that is absolutely unbelievable. The Eiffel Tower during the day was equally as exciting. I was there Valentine’s Day weekend so the City of Love was in full swing. Under the Eiffel Tower we witnessed a proposal. A man had people hold up a giant sheet that said “will you marry me?” on it. It was cheesy, but adorable all the same. My twenty-four hour tour of Paris was definitely a success.
Our next stop of Porto, Portugal. Portugal was never somewhere that I expected to go, but I loved it. Porto was this small town on the water. It is famous for its port wines. The first night we were there was Valentine’s Day. Kate, Kathleen, and I treated ourselves to a delicious seafood dinner at this quant restaurant on the water. We had the entire place to ourselves. I went on tours of both the Sandeman port wine cellars and the Ferreiro port wine cellars. They were really interesting and were definitely highlights of our time in Portugal. We also did a bus tour and a river cruise.
The final place we went to was Barcelona. Barcelona was definitely my favorite city of the trip. It was energetic yet relaxed at the same time. The weather was warmer and the sun was shining. Kathleen’s Dad was there for a business trip. We spent a lot of time with him which was great. He made me feel like my own father was there. We of course found an Irish pub to go to. I love being anywhere near the beach, so I loved Barcelona. Kate and I did a lot of walking around a place called Las Ramblas. That was a cool area with a lot going on. There were many shops and restaurants. We also took another bus tour there so we got to see several sites that I probably would not have seen otherwise. I loved everything about Barcelona.
As great as the trip was, it is great to be home in Dingle with everyone. Just last night we went to the Small Bridge and exchanged stories of our travels.
Shannon. Spring Semester 2010
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