Roma

Dear Readers!

On November 22, three days after returning from Paris and the day after my 21st birthday I boarded another plane and flew to the magical city of Roma in Italy.

So let's start from the beginning. I am sure many of you are aware of a gentlemen named Rick Steves author of the informational guides of Europe and really the world.

He wrote books for every country in Europe taking special care to inform people where to go, where to stay and the safe and not so safe places to travel.
His son, Andy Steves learned from his father about safe traveling in Europe and all over the world. Andy, now a graduate and famous world traveler created a program for young students studying abroad in Europe. It is called Weekend Student Adventures (WSA) This is a program that makes traveling to different cities and countries easy and affordable for the college student budget. 200 euros later and a 100 euro ticket I was booked and ready to fly to see Roma in all it's beauty.
When I arrived I found my hostel and unpacked what little I brought for the next three days. The trip only allows a certain amount of people and we all stared two rooms, 8 person rooms. About 6 people arrived on Thursday so we went out to eat and hang out. The night came fast in the winters chill and we went to bed soon so to be ready and prepared for the day to come.

Day 1:  Ancient Roma
We woke early and met our tour guide, Andy himself, and got the day started. Boarded one of two metros that make a big X under the earth of Roma. 15 American students studying all over Europe, Ireland, Paris, London piled into the metro and road it to the closest station. When we walked out my mouth literately dropped open in surprise. This is what I saw...

The first thing I was the magnificent Roman Colosseum. Originally called the Flavian Amphitheatre,  construction began in 72 AD under the emperor Vespasian was completed in 80 AD under Titus. The Colosseum was once a lace of brutality and entertainment. A place where men would fight animals from all over the world. And men would prove their honour with a sing of their sword. Kings would watch, and pass judgment upon the fallen. The people of Roma would cheer and scream as their favorite Gladiator fought for his life, and with his own blood and sweat won his freedom.
We met our tour guide, a British man who studied the Roman's for many years. Our tour began by leading us into this magnificent structure and see where hundreds of people lost their lives and some gained their freedom.

 Inside the Colosseum, it was a life changing experience. It was like I could feel the energy's of the dead, their screams and battle cries still lingering in the air of a crumbling city. Their blood long sunk into the sand and stone that forever wait at the bottom of the columns.

We left the Colosseum and headed towards a place right across the way, called the Roman Fourm. This was once the Roman City Center now almost 20 feet below modern Roma. This old piece of the reeks of story, the streets are still flat stones larger than a grown man and the old buildings still hold their rich history. 

We walked for another hour, looking and taking the in the age and history of one of the greatest cities in all of Europe. A place where men conquered and lived to serve the god their loved.
This day was my favorite, because I have a fascination with history and a soft spot for crumbling buildings.

Climbing our of the Roman Fourm we walked down the steps of the building to the right. I am not sure what it was called but it was three different museums with two huge statues waiting at the entrance. You can see the people below and see how they compare to the sheer size of these guys. Everything is really BIG in Roma. They sure like to make a statement with all their beautiful art and rich history.

For those of you who have seen the movie Angels and Demons or read the book I just want to say how AMAZING this was to stand at the base of the Pantheon, one of the oldest churches in Roma. The Pantheon, the name meaning "temple consecrated to all gods" and was rebuild in 126 AD. What makes this church stand out from the rest is the oculus, a giant whole in the middle of the ceiling which lights the entire inside with natural light. And even on a slightly cloudy day like this one the entire inside was beautifully lit.

What made this WSA trip so successful was after the start of the day with tours, Andy let us free into the city to explore on our own time. We had a choice to either go back to the hostel to sleep or walk around the city and get food and see everything possible. We chose to walk around. We stopped at a cute little restraunt and had pasta and "sexy wine" which is the best in all of Roma.

As the sun went down on our first day my group and I found this huge building and said "I bet the view is fantastic from up there." With a glance at each other we took off up the stairs and into the building trying to find stairs to get us all the way to the top. 10 euros and a elevator ride up we walked out to see this...

...A beautiful view of the city at sunset. In the distance if you look close enough you can see the Vatican and all of Roma.

We stayed on top of this building for almost an hour, staring off into the sun kissed city, slowly the lights of the town began to light and the golden rays disappeared behind white car lights and honking horns. 

When night fell we regrouped with our entire party and met Andy back at the Hostel. Andy spent his undergraduate year abroad in Roma so he was very well eager to show us the town nightlight and boy was it fun! After some welled earned gelato we walked the town until we found a pub. Many of us made it an early night because the next day was going to be even more walking. By this time of the day I realized I had brought the wrong shoes to walk on the cobblestone streets of Roma. So a long nights rest was what I needed.

Day 2: Vatican City

This day had us going to the smallest country in the world, Vatican City. For those who know me well, I follow my own string of religious, picking and choosing from many old and ancient beliefs. But I have to say I was so unbelievable excited to see the Vatican in person because this is where it began, the worldly struggle of church and state.

We arrived early and met the same tour guide as yesterday. And began our tour of Vatican City.

 As we walked slowly through the rooms and hallways filled with statues of old and paintings and rugs and anything you could think of.
This statue to my left is a great piece. It is a great piece representing a famous man in Troy. The right hand man of the king, who warned the king and his men not to let the Trojan horse into the city. A powerful goddess, who was in favor of the Greeks, sent her sea serpent into the man's chambers to devour him and his two sons therefore killing him before he had time to stop Troy from allowing the horse into the city and ending the war.

Do you recognize this? You should. Cause I broke the law to get it. Ok that was a little dramatic! But it is a picture of the Sistine Chapel painted be Michelangelo. This was such a great thing to see in person, though the guards stood only a few feet away shouting "no photos" I bravely brought my camera out and took a picture photo of one of the greatest art piece in the world.

After our little Sistine Chapel adventure we walked a little ways to see the Vatican. This was not only a wonderful and moving sight it was also a spiritual one as well. I will keep going back to the movie Angels and Demons, if you want first of all a great movie and a great way to see Roma, watch that one.

Inside was very beautiful but it made me wonder why a church made to represent God and the Pope would be so grand while the rest of the city was not as taken care of? It made my think how money was poured into the making of this amazing building instead of it's people. Which is not the first time I guess. But seeing the Vatican in person was a moving experience.

As we were sent free into the city once again my group and I walked along the river and until we found this structure. This is the mighty fort that the Pope will escape to if something threatens his life. It is a huge building enforced and guarded by the swiz guard. I feel as if this is becoming an advertisement for Angels and Demons but really it's a great movie and worth the watch! All the major buildings you've seen in my blog are in that movie along with a great storyline.

As out day came to an end we found a beautiful courtyard which housed a lot of younger people. It seemed it was a great place to hangout and spend time with friends. We sat and relaxed and watched the sunset around the city again.

We did call it an early night and go back to the hostel, our feet throbbing and our minds overloaded we  took a cat nap and relaxed until nightfall.


Our final destination before a long meal and a night on the town we stopped at the Fontana di Trevi. This is one of the most spectacular fountains in all of Roma. Said to represent the Ocean. The God of the sea Neptune. There are two horses, one being led by Neptune so show the calmness of the sea while the other is of a wild horse struggling agasint Neptune's power.

American students studying all over Europe came together for three days, and bonded for life. WSA Roma 2012 will forever be remembered!

Paris

On November 16th my amazing french roommates took me to their home town. Where might that be you ask? That's right! Paris France.

We had a great adventure and I have to say I got to see the true Paris this time. As many of you know I traveled to Europe in high school with the Oregon Ambassadress of Music and we stayed three days in Paris. However, I didn't get to see the real Pairs but only the tourist highlights and the things that the outside world thinks Paris all about.

Not this time.
So let me start from the start. My roommates and I, lets name them H and E for the purposes of names on this site which I've never understood but hey, whatever. We boarded a plane from Dublin Airport at 6am Friday November 16th. This was the first time I used Ryan Air which is by far the BEST flight system in Europe. Not only are their flights cheap but their flights are CHEAP! I spent 70 euros on a ticket there and back. The flight was 2 hours and we landed about an hour outside of Pairs around 9am.

1 Hour spent on the bus  left us at the north end of Paris and for our fun to begin. Though I was with my roommates who speak french I felt strangely lost in the big city. The signs were in french, the people spoke french (as they should) and everything was just grander in size.

After we settled in to A (E's boyfriends) flat we took a walk to one of the most breath taking parks I have ever seen. The fall colors lit up the greying sky and brought out the green of the grass. It was a beautiful park and we climbed to the very top where a small building sat over looking the city.

Next we left the park and took the "underground." Now in America as we all know, there are Metro systems but in Oregon...there is none. So this was my first Metro experience. It wasn't unpleasant but it wasn't by any means pleasant.   There was just a lot of people, pushing and shoving and when you don't speak the language at all, it is hard to understand when someone starts asking you a question.

Soon we left the Metro and arrived at the Arc de Triomphe. Now I saw this on my last trip to Pairs but not like this. It was bloody amazing to see it up close, the last time we just drove past it. I was like a kid at Christmas, jumping up and down with joy. I couldn't believe the sheer size of this structure and the amount of detail put into creating it. It truly was a marvel to stand and look up at the names of fallen men and to see the forever flame burning for the unknown solider.


We for the flat soon after than and spent the night listening to the delightful sounds of the city. Cars racing by, police chases...it was grand really...I missed Ireland a lot that night.

Day Two: We rented three bikes and decided to see the city this way. It was easier than using a car in traffic but nicer to see the city instead of the metro.
With E as our guide we rode into the streets of Paris like we belonged there. There were a few scary moments but if you just act bigger than the car they tend to leave you alone. It was amazing to see the city this way, though still dirty and creepy in some places it was just beautiful!

Does this even need explaining. No I think not. That's it ladies and gents! The real Moulin Rouge in the flesh. Though as I stood there looking at the glorious building I was informed that Moulin Rouge means "Red Windmill" not so sexy anymore is it. :P

Back on the bikes we go to see E's old flat where she used to go to classes. We climbed all the way to the top of a huge hill, window shopping buy chocolates and just laughing and enjoying our time together.

And at the top we looked upon a glorious sight of The Sacré-Cœur. Made in an effort to rid the people of Pairs of their sins. It was the churches way of keeping control of this part of Pairs which is supposedly said to be rough many years ago. 

Inside was beautiful as well but camera's were not allowed.  

So many beautiful buildings, the one to the right is the opera house that the Phantom of the Opera was based. Yes, it's just as beautiful as it is in the movie and in the musical production. :) 




We kept riding through the city, seeing buildings of the rich, of the poor and the strange just random buildings no one knows what to do with. 

As we road along the riverside we stopped by one of the my favorite buildings to see. Last time in Paris I went inside the Louvre. But we didn't get much time to go outside it. This time I did! 

I got to take my "famous pose" picture in front of the Louvre and then we were off again. This day became a little over whelming as much as it was amazing. 

 The Lovers bridge is located near the Louvre. As you can see this beautiful bridge was made for lovers all over the world to buy a lock, scratch or write their names into the metal and forever lock their love in Pairs. It might be cheesy but I think it is really cute and sweet!

I took some time away from the girls to really look at some of the locks and it was really great to see people from all over the world. A coupe had traveled from Hawaii who just married and was spending their honeymoon in Paris.
Another couple was from Australia spending their 40th anniversary in Pairs and locked their love around this bridge. It was a moving a sweet experience.

 Near the end of our long day we stopped at the Notre Dame Cathedral and we got to into one of my favorite buildings in all of Paris. Because one of the most inspiring saint is inside. Joan of Arc, a woman who followed her faith and saved all of France.

This is my second time seeing and being inside the Cathedral and I have to say this time was just as breath taking as the last. The stain glass windows in each side of the cathedral is a circle of color and really brings the entire church together.

To finish off our epic day around Paris the girls and I stood below the Eiffel tower, some would say as the pimple of Paris. What made this time before the tower even more amazing was by the time we got there the sun was going down and we go to see as the lights ran up the sides of the tower being lit.

We did not climb the tower mainly because it was really cloudy that day and we wouldn't have seen anything. So we enjoyed walking around and watching the city light up around us.

 The Irish Bear

The American Bear

Another very cool thing about the Eiffel tower was around the tower were bears that represented each and every country in the world. Each bear's hand was wrapped in the others next to it giving the allusion of each country living in peace and what we strive for.

 The end our amazing trip H took me home with her to Normandy and I got see the French countryside. Beautiful and green, not like Ireland but a lot like Oregon in the since the trees were similar. H's family was so welcoming and took such good care of me even though we struggled language wise to even communicate. 

H's mother, knowing that this I was going to be unable to spend my 21st birthday away from family and friends so she took on the challenge of baking me the most amazing french style cake! The cake was amazing!!! The entire time with her family was amazing and the trip as a whole turned out to be a success. 

We boarded a plane the next day from Paris and flew back to Dublin airport. It felt great to be back in Ireland and as soon as I landed I prepared for another moment in my life. My 21st birthday!

Halloween, Galway and Arrows!

Well it's has been far too long since I wrote a blog and to be honest...I lost my password and username and wasn't able to log it for the past couple weeks. Until this evening I suddenly remembered it!

So what to update on? What not to update on!

My last post was more than a month ago after my Ring of Kerry Trip. For the next two weeks after that I stayed home on weekends to relax, work on homework and just hangout with my roommates. We had a few nights of drinking and usually watching scary movies. Classes were going along smoothly, I had my first exam on the 22nd of Oct. and aced it. Well maybe I did. I was graded a A1, which is a 75% or higher...I know what your thinking...Amber? 75% is a C? Not here! Yep, in Ireland they grade on a very very high "curve" what we call in the states. That 75% is equal to an A in this grading system. I think...

After the exam my roommates and I decided to go to Dunnes and I begged them all to buy pumpkins for carving. Now, I have two french roommates and one from New Zealand, as you know. They have NEVER carved a pumpkin before! This was the greatest thing ever! Because I was able to teach them how to carve and they had a great time.

 We bought four beautiful 4 euro pumpkins, brought them home and started carving. They weren't as large as we have in the states and we didn't go to a pumpkin patch but it was still a lot of fun to gather around the table together, put on some great music and carve away!

After carving our pumpkins we took part in one of the most interesting and memorable raves I've ever been too. Now, I've never been to a rave but if they are all like the one I attended on the 24th of Oct. then I wouldn't mind going to another!

 We got out outfits together that night, slapped on some gore makeup and took a taxi to the bus stop. We'd then be picked up and taken to an abandoned haunting mansion outside of Limerick City. We dressed as a zombie pirates and H dressed as a mime as you can see by the picture. 

I was a really fun party, though lots of drinking and random things I never want to see again but it was an experience. We got home about 2am and went home and fell asleep relatively quickly.

The weekend between Halloween and the Rave we went to, we piled with car full again and took a road trip to Galway, Ireland. 

 Galway-- the Music capital of Ireland. You can't walk any street, ally or building without hearing the traditional music playing in the crisp air. We were lucky, it was beautiful and sunny that day and the pedestrian streets were packed. H and E and I all walked the streets, Christmas shopping for friends and family and of course buying the amazing chocolate that Ireland supplies.

After we spent the day in Galway we took the car south back towards Limerick. But we stopped in a tiny little fishing village that a friend of mine told me to visit, because it was where he was from. And to be honest, Mark, I am so sorry I don't remember the name of this village, it was beautiful though. There was an amazing castle set just outside the village where banquets are held in the summer and spring. It was closed when we walked up to it but it was still fun to walk across the water to the little island with the castle built upon it.

I love the colours of Irish buildings. In this tiny fishing village each building was a different colour, why? I have no idea. Maybe so you can see the building your trying to find faster? "Hey! My shop is the bright Orange one on main street. You can't miss it!" Who knows but it's grand, really I it brings the villages alive among the grey background. In contrast to the green of the grass and trees, Ireland is by far one of the prettiest places I've been.



After Galway we had a relaxing rest of the weekend and course were going well. I finished a lot of essays as well as get ready for going home.

But enough of that...what happened next in my life?

 On Oct. 31st  Halloween was here, which just so happened to land on Archery night. The entire team dressed up and trained that day. We had red riding hood, vampires, pirates and even Robin Hood.

On November 3rd, the weekend following Halloween we had the Halloween shoot, where UL archery team invited archery teams from Cork and Galway to come compete in our hall. Most of the advance archers were asked to attend but they have four openings for beginnings. I was one of them. I competed in my first competition at the Halloween shoot. We shot 120 arrows, 4 rounds. I walked home with with a first place metal in barebow. With a total score of 791 out of 1200.

 The following weekend I was asked to travel with the the team to Dublin to compete in the DCU (Dublin College University) competition as the UL barebow beginner. DCU was very different than UL Halloween shoot. The Halloween shoot was laid back and fun, we had some great craic and laughs. The DCU was more intense but I still got a rush from competing again.

The last time I was in a competition was in high school for the Oregon State Band and Orchestra contest and State Solo. Since college began I haven't had the rush of competition, the nervousness that boils in your stomach nor the overjoyed feeling you get when your name is called at the end.
I won first place in barebow at DCU, as well as helped win two team trophies for UL. This was the first time I went to Dublin and I left with gold. :)

 

Above is the UL Archery Team that competed at DCU on November 10, 2012.

We won:

1st place in Compound

2nd place in Barebow

2nd place in Mix Team

6 separate 1st and 2nd place metals for archers on our team

 

Ring of Kerry

Hello good people of Blogger.

This past weekend I embarked on an breath taking journy around the Ring of Kerry which is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the southern part of Ireland. Now when I first heard "ring" I first thought "lord of the rings?" haha no but close. I though this was going to be a huge "ring" shaped area in the southern part of Ireland.

Close...

The Ring of Kerry is a massive loop that will take those who decide to come visit over moutain ranges, magical veiw points and historical sites that are almost unbelivable.


Day One:
A group of 22 UL students boarded a bus at 2pm and began our 2 1/2 drive south towards Cork. Where we would veer southwest and end up near Killarney. We met up with 23 Cork University students and started the trip with a look at the Crag Caves.

 This cave was discovered in 1983 when diver, Martyn Farr, dove into a small pool in a cave located about 100 feet above this one. Martyn Farr crawled his way through the tiny cave until he came out into his collect of caves.
The only entrace to the cave was through the pool of water until builds developed the cave in 1987 where they provided stairs and walk ways for visiters to explore the caves.

As we walked deeper into the cave we saw this huge stalactite said to be almost 3000 years old, below it is a stalagmite and we were told it would take about another 1000 years to meet each other.

We didn't go very far back into this cave, but we were told many places and interesting sections of the cave were named after Lord of the Rings characters or locations in the book. That's pretty cool!

With both groups together we boarded the bus and drove from Crag Caves located in Castleisland to the Ring of Kerry Hotel set just outside Cahersiveen where Daniel O'Connell Memorial Church is build in the city center. What makes this church so special is it is the only church in the that is NOT named after a saint or Christ himself. County Kerry sought special rights from the Pope in Italy to dedicate this church to a man many would call the savior of Ireland.

We ended our evening with on amazing dinner provided by the Hotel and then upstairs for some Irish Ceili dancing which was grand. Ceili is a tight of step dancing that includes everyone and partners. After fumbles and trips everyone just let it loose and had a great old time. It was a work out though, I couldn't believe my shines in the morning, but I can't wait to bring back the steps to America all my friends and family will love this dance.

Day Two:

The first thing I would like to point out about day 2 of our trip is the sun. I couldn't believe when we walked out to the bus that day just how beautiful it was. There was not a cloud in the sky.
We started out heading west to Valentia Island where we stopped at the Skellig Experience. When you look south, off the coast you wouldn't be able to miss two large islands sticking high out of the water. They are called the Skellig Rocks. 

Located 11.6 km off the coast these magnificent islands hold more than just beauty, on the tallest of the two. Said to be discovered by Saint Fionán in the 6th century.
Monks flocked to Skellig Micheal (the larger of the two islands) and then began construction of nearly 668 steps to the very top. A monastery is built over looking the wide ocean and the stone homes and church have withstood the test of time.

It was said that solitude and time spent on Skellig Micheal gave the monks the ability to became closer to god or some would say "reach enlightenment." They had to hunt and fish for food and when the raging waves of the Atlantic Ocean tossed about the base of the island they remained in prayer to the god they served.


Next we drove northeast along the island until we reached Geokaun Mountain and thus began our trek up this horridly steep hill. To be honest, this was the worse part of the trip, only because two miles up this hill might not seem that much but I nearly crawled my way up...that's how steep it was.  However, the view at the top was SO WORTH IT!

This is the highest peek on Velentia Island and it sure gave us a birds eye view to the breathtaking views of Kerry.

After about a hour spent (on top of the world) we loaded the bus once again and departed Velentia Island. We contuined over the mountains to the south and stopped in Saint Finian's Bay where we came upon this grand little castle build on the sea. This little jem is slowly sinking into the ocean, which is so sad. But it was great to climb inside and stand on top.

Once inside the castle you can see names carved into the stone. People from all over the world come here to see the Ring of Kerry and they left their mark. The castle is just a pile of rocks now, the wood floors are gone, the beds are no longer to be found all that remains is a empty shell of a life it once had. As I stood int eh middle of the "great hall" or what was left of it I couldn't help but feel honored, someone, hundrads of years ago used to call this home.

What will my past homes look like in a hundreds years? Will someone years from now stand in my living room and think of who I was? Of what I did? Of who I lived with and loved while growing up in this house?

To finish the second day of our tour we stopped at Cahergal Forts, both small and big. These forts were build years ago in the little town across the river from Cahersiveen (where we were staying.) The larger of the two forts was used for protection, the walls are about 8 feet thick and stand (a guess) 20-25 feet in the air. It was very high.
The smaller of the forts was used as a look out since it was placed higher on a hill to over look the entire land for attackers.

Fun little story about this very strange white castle. When Great Britian (who ruled over Ireland when this castle was build) ordered plans for this fort to be built those in charge of the plans mixed them up with plans for a Indian castle that would soon be sent to India.

Low and behold, the plans were switched and now we have a very strange Indian palace set among the green of Ireland. Somewhere in India is a very square, stoney and Irish looking castle. haha



Day 3:

By this time we are all exhausted, our mind are in overload from all the amazing things we've seen and done. We started later in the morning, loaded the bus at 10am with all our belongings and said our farewells to The Ring of Kerry Hotel.

Our first stop was to Daniel O'Connell's holiday estate also known as Derrynane House and National Park. This is where Daniel was raised and lived for most of his life with his younger brother. His uncle educated them and left the entire house and land to his heir Daniel.

As explained above, Daniel is known for saving all of Ireland from some of the oppression from English rule. It was a great honor to stand where he lived, raised his children. One of the greatest Irish men to ever live.

The archers of land Daniel owned behind the house is now a national park. In the forest just behind the house a local artiest took it upon himself to build little fairy houses to brighten up the forest. I found about 6 of them. :)

Our second to last stop was in Killarney National Park where we stopped at the Torc Waterfall. The waterfall wasn't that big compared to what I'm used to in Oregon with Multnomah falls ten minuets down he road from my house but what made this hike absolutely amazing was the forest surrounding it.

The entire forest, rocks included, was covered in a think layer of green moss which made it magical to walk through. I felt I was in a fairy tale, the green was so vibrant and stunning and the water was crystal clear, fresh from the mountains above.

This was my favorite part of the day, I walked away from the others in teh group and climbed my way down to a large rock that sat out far over the rushing stream. I leaned my head back and breathed in the sweet must of the forest around me, listening to the water that drowned out the voices of passing hikers. I was alone, thinking pondering of the sheer beauty that I was consumed it. What secrets laid beyond the thick wood just outside of view? What made the forest grow so green even when sunlight couldn't break through he canopy?

To finish our long fulfilling trip we stopped at Muckross Garden's. A beautiful estate set on a hill with a view of the Ring of Kerry just outside the front door. The grounds stretched all the way to the lake which sat cradled between the Kerry mountains. This was a beautiful place to end the day, after we loaded the bus again it was time to say goodbye to the Cork University friends we had made and UL students departed north on a different bus.

This trip was worth the money spent, I learned and saw so much in only three days. The food was amazing the people were enjoyable. I hope to take part in another trip like this one soon, if not around Ireland than I want to venture out of the country and experience the whole of Europe has to offer me.