Dublin, Ireland.

This weekend I went to Dublin to visit my friends (including my cutie roommate, Alyssa). I got there late on Thursday night so the real Irish times started on Friday morning. I met up with my roommate and two other friends and we went to the town of Howth, a little bus ride outside the city center. It was right on the coast and was exactly what I envisioned an Irish fishing town would be. We walked down along these beautiful cliffs and saw some amazing sights. We walked all along the cliffs of the town and ended up by the port of Howth.

The beginning of the Howth cliffs.

My roomie Alyssa and I in Howth.

The other side of the town.

Beautiful view.

We had a little lunch and headed back towards the city center to explore the Guinness Storehouse, brewed in Dublin. It wasn't the actual brewery, but more like a museum. At the top, there was an amazing 360 degree window bar, the Gravity Bar, in which you could see the whole city of Dublin! And, even better, the Guinness is ten times better in Dublin than in other place I have had it. I got some swag from the factory and we left feeling satisfied and full of beer.

Alyssa and I before the tour.

In the tasting room.

Having our earned Guinness in the Gravity Bar.

A quote by Mr. Guinness.

That night we went on my first pub crawl. It was only 12 euro, and we got into four bars and ended up at an amazing club. We got drinks at every bar and it was really cool pub culture with live Irish music. It was also nice to speak English everywhere we went instead of struggling with Spanish.

The next day, I spent a lot of the day with my friend who I was staying with and we went into the city to get cider and beers. We ended up walking around the city some more. I tried this amazing hot chocolate at Butler's chocolate with Oreo's in it! So I spent a lot of time and money on great food and drink in Dublin. We had a relaxing last night so that I could catch my early flight in the morning. I had an amazing time and it was nice to be in a city and not be pressed to see a million things and just enjoy the people. The people in Ireland are so much nicer than America and Spain, probably combined. All my taxi drivers helped me with places to go and never charged me the full amount. It was a really charming city, but as always I am happy to be home in Granada. Here's some extra pics and I'll  update again soon!

Taking a break in Howth.

At the pub crawl.

Actual plants and flowers, unlike Spain.

Alyssa and I during the pub crawl.

An Italian Getaway

In Spain, they have celebrations and processions the entire week before Easter. It is called Semana Santa, and luckily, our program has no school for that week, similar to a spring break. My friends and I decided to have an Italian vacation including the cities of Rome, Florence and Venice. We were scheduled to leave the country on March 29th, but it just so happens that there was a nationwide strike that day and almost all the public flights were cancelled in Spain. Therefore, my friend Meg and I were naturally very upset! We had to refund our flights and then buy all new ones for the entire trip. It was kind of frustrating, because we had to leave two days later, but if we're being honest, it was totally worth it.

We arrived in Rome on Saturday. We stayed at the Yellow Hostel, which is specifically for young people, mostly Americans. It was basically a night club, bar and hostel all in one. Right when we got there, the other girls that already arrived were ready to take us out and show us around. We went to an authentic Italian restaurant and had wine, bread, chicken Parmesan, lasagna, pizza and gelato. It was quite a feast, and I was very satisfied afterwards. A few of us then went to see the Trevi Fountain, the one that is famous for throwing in coins in order to guarantee that you'll return to Rome. It was enormous! I didn't realize how big it would be.

The Trevi Fountain.

Throwing some coins over my shoulder into the fountain.

Little chill time in the Colosseum.

Nice view of the Colosseum.

The next day, we went to the Colosseum. It's amazing to see this building that I've known about all my life. I never imagined that I would be able to visit all these places. It was amazing, to think about all the people who had been in this building and how important that building was for their history and heritage. After touring the ruins of the Roman Forum, we were off to Florence!

Florence is my favorite Italian city, because it was absolutely beautiful but not imposingly large. It was also similar to Granada and I loved that about it. We checked into our hostel and we all got to be in the same room, with a computer and private bathroom! It was really nice. The hostel also had a bunch of terraces and free breakfast which were phenomenal. Over the couple of days that we were in Florence, we saw the Plaza Michelangelo, the Duomo and the Ponte Vechio! We also had some amazing cuisine and bought some lovely leather pieces! 

Kokaale and I having some wine in Florence.

The Duomo.

The Ponte Vecchio, filled with jewelry shops.

The view from Plaza Michelangelo. 

Our final stop was Venice. It was such a different city, all built on water. There are no motor vehicles which is actually really nice. We took a water bus to our bed and breakfast, which was basically a palace. It was definitely the nicest place we stayed. The beds were memory foam and the bathroom was marble from ceiling to floor. We got a recommendation from the owner of the B&B and went to an amazing restaurant, which had my favorite foods in one dessert: tiramisu and nutella. Naturally, I had to eat it! We went to San Marco's Basilica, went on a gondola ride and ate a lot, naturally. It was an amazing, romantic city.

San Marco Basilica.

Gondola ride with the ladies.

Tiramisu with Nutella, best dessert of my life.

Sitting by the Gran Canal on the last day in Venice.

We returned to Rome for our flight and saw the Vatican Museum, St Peter's square and the Sistene Chapel. It was beautiful and really was a great end to our amazing trip!

Famous Michelangelo painting in the Sistene Chapel.

The Vatican, Saint Peter's Square.

What an amazing week, lots of culture, lots of food. Until Dublin!